If you were to ask me for my thoughts on Silent Hunter V, I'd sum it up by talking about cutting boards and sinks.

There has been a dramatic shift within the gaming industry. In the past, there was a market for incredibly specific games, focused on a small, niche market. Due to rising development costs, this is no longer the case. Instead, developers need to cast a larger net, hoping to pull in anyone even remotely interested in their work without isolating newcomers with mechanics that might require a steep learning curve. It's not a struggle for the FPS developers; they've been accessible to the general public since Wolfenstein 3D. It's not a problem for racing developers either; just about everyone knows the basics when it comes to driving a car. For Ubisoft Romania, developer of the Silent Hunter series, it is a problem. Luckily, they have a plan to open it up to more people without dumbing down the gameplay that has made the series popular for well over a decade.

When I sat down with Dan Dimitrescu, Lead Designer of Silent Hunter V, he made sure to point out that the submarine series wasn't abandoning its roots. While it was going to make strides towards being more accessible in hopes of letting gamers play without reading a novel on the ins and outs of submarine warfare, it would still have simulation in its blood. In fact, they've taken several strides forward in terms of historical accuracy in their attempt to recreate the submarines of World War II as closely as possible. As we walked through the cramped corridors he points out a small shelf in what appeared to be a makeshift kitchen. When they modeled this area, they used photographs taken at the time, which showed a cook chopping up some food in the corner. Afterwords, they were allowed a tour of the interiors of a submarine like the one they had finished modeling, and found that the shelf was actually a cutting board that was placed over a sink, to make the area dual purpose. He said that they were going to fix that area before the game was released, and while it serves no gameplay purpose, it shows the commitment to recreating reality as closely as possible.



This idea, of immersion fueled gameplay changes that don't actually modify the core game, carries over to other major additions to the next Silent Hunter. You might notice that I used the word "walk" earlier, and there's a reason for that. In the past, visiting different locations on the submarine was automated, putting the captain in a first-person view and teleporting him around. Now, the controls are that of a first-person shooter, and the captain actually needs to walk if he wants to get to the engine room, or climb a ladder to get to the top of the ship. Pulling back to see a view of the entire ship is still possible, and gives a better view of the dynamic shadows, volumetric clouds, great draw distances, and hugely improved shorelines better than first person.

But if you spend your time with the game like that, you'll never get to know your crew, which is another important addition in Silent Hunter V. Some new elements make it worth spending time inside the ship, chatting with some of the well-modeled characters. There are even some RPG elements in promotion points to allow crew members to use abilities that bolster the rest of the crew. It's an RPG element that only really works because of first-person mode, and should help the experience feel more fleshed out than the ones in the predecessors.

Just like the sink and cutting board, walking around the sub in first-person is a seemingly minor change that will bump up the realism without adding on the simulation. There's a difference between those two, and it's an important distinction when it comes to gaming.

After some time was spent walking around the ship, Dan Dimitrescu went into the core of Silent Hunter. From what I saw, it didn't really look like much had changed since the last game in the series. Just as before, the gameplay is focused on simulation, and the only large improvements made were in ensuring that same gameplay is much more accessible. An easily understandable radar shows off the exact range of opponents' views, and while it might look like a convenient gameplay element, the basics are grounded in reality. Go too fast and the engines are loud, allowing enemy ships to easily locate the sub. Rise up to the surface, and the scouts standing atop the ships might actually be able to see you with their bare eyes. It's all about timing out torpedoes to try and take down large ships in historically accurate battles.

Those battles, which will take place at different locations and times in the war, aim to be more meaningful thanks to an enhanced campaign. Ubisoft wants to tell a story, instead of just dropping players into u-boats and asking them to blow some stuff up. Each mission will be given context, allowing players to not only live the largest naval battles of World War II, but know why they were important. Sink an important ship, and expect the world to change, which is a bit contradictory considering the focus on historical realism. It's about balance, I suppose, since no one wants to play a simulation that punishes players for taking a difficult shot at a powerful opponent that would have changed the outcome of a battle for the better. During my time with the game, Dimitrescu made one such shot, blowing up a large battleship by hitting the ammo supplies, sending off gigantic, awe-inspiring fireworks. It was a sight to behold. 

When it was all said and done, I left excited for Silent Hunter V. It's not exactly a game I might be into if not for the major changes, but it appears to be accessible enough to pull in anyone with even a passing interest. The only remaining limitation is the PC exclusivity, which Dimitrescu said might change. While the focus is, as it always has been for Silent Hunter, getting the game for the core PC gamer, the industry has changed, and consoles might be in the future. It doesn't appear to be a giant leap for the series, with a focus more on historical accuracy and realism instead of simulation, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Like I said, cutting boards and sinks. Cutting boards and sinks.

Silent Hunter V is due out for PC in March, 2010.