New FAQ for Silent Hunter 4: U-Boat Missions

November 19, 2007

New FAQ for Silent Hunter 4: U-Boat Missions

Ubisoft has released a new FAQ for their upcoming
expansion for Silent Hunter 4, U-Boat Missions. The FAQ can be read in its
entirety below. Silent Hunter 4: U-Boat Missions is due to release next spring.

Silent Hunter 4: U-Boat Missions FAQ

1. Explain what you mean by “strategic
support” in Silent Hunter?
With the arrival of the German campaign in U-Boat Missions, players gain
control over additional strategic resources other than their own submarines.
These resources can be used towards the goal of sinking enemy shipping by either
helping the player locate enemies – i.e. the scout planes – or by directly
attacking them.

2. Are there any new features connected to
this strategic support system?
The most important feature is that the units controlled by the strategic
gameplay now report contacts and combat the enemy even when away from the
player’s location. This is a great tool in attacking enemy ships, but on the
other hand the player has to exercise caution and be careful not to cause the
indirect loss of said units. In other words, do not direct your Armed Merchant
Cruisers to intercept enemy battleship groups, if you care for the lives of
those brave sailors that is.

3. Is the strategic support feature of U-Boat
Missions historically accurate or just something you invented?
The actual concept of a submarine commander giving direct orders to aircraft
or surface warships is admittedly a little stretched from reality, but not by
much. In a grand scale war there’s always information flowing to and from
submarines, and commanders often reposition their battle groups or divert
resources based on feedback from the units in the field. Submarines benefit
greatly from sighting reports from scout planes (one needs only to read the
memoirs of Grand Admiral Doenitz to see how many times he requested scout planes
for support) and it makes perfect sense for a form of collaboration similar to
what we’ve modeled here to take shape.

4. Are the strategic support elements
available only for the new German campaign?
As of now the strategic support features are available only for the new
German campaign in U-Boat Missions. However, there is nothing stopping
enterprising modders from adding it to the U.S. campaign.

5. What are the tactical steps for a
successful mission utilizing the new strategic support features?
The same steps one takes in hunting as a lone submarine apply here. Find the
target, position for attack and then deliver a crushing blow. With scout planes,
finding a target is obviously easier since their speed and detection range is
much greater than yours. Positioning your cruiser groups is an exercise in the
art of interception. The final part, the actual battle, is simply a matter of
bringing enough resources to overcome the enemy. Don’t take chances and you
won’t be surprised by the results.

6. What new units are available for you to
command in the strategic game?
Units available to command: Recon plane (from land bases), German auxiliary
cruiser, German heavy cruiser, Japanese carrier group (call recon plane),
Japanese cruiser group, Japanese taskforce.

7. What are the requirements for unlocking new
units and abilities?
Unlocking the auxiliary units is based on the player’s rank, and the rank is
achieved based on the number of successful patrols and renown what has been
gained.

8. Can I turn off the strategic gameplay?
The strategic game cannot be turned off except by modding the game, but
there’s nothing forcing the player to use the new abilities. So, if you prefer a
“traditional” Silent Hunter experience, commanding only your own submarine, you
can choose to do that.