UBOAT News

[p]Dear captains,[/p][p]We are back with a new development blog! As always, we’ve been working hard on the next updates for UBOAT. Let’s dive into the details.[/p][p][/p][h2]UBOAT on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5[/h2][p]We are excited to announce that Ultimate Games has successfully ported UBOAT to major consoles. UBOAT will launch on Xbox Series X|S on August 27th and will also surface on PlayStation 5 on September 17th.[/p][p][/p][p]We’re looking forward to these releases and hope that you or your friends will enjoy them![/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]XBOX Store Page | PS5 Store Page | Ultimate Games Discord[/p][p][/p][h2]Type IX: Distant Coasts DLC[/h2][h3]Indian Ocean Theater[/h3][p]The upcoming expansion will greatly expand the game, adding new ports, air bases, random events, and many new shipping routes across the Indian Ocean.[/p][p]While playing this expansion, you will have an opportunity to join Monsoon Group U-Boats, which operated completely on the Indian Ocean along Japanese submarines. Historically, nearly 50 U-Boats were sent to the Far East, although only a few ever returned. One of the main objectives of these missions was to disrupt British colonial shipping at its most vulnerable points, forcing British command to divert resources from the Atlantic.[/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p]As a U-Boat commander, your base of operations in the Indo-Pacific will be Penang, held by the Empire of Japan. To reach it from the nearest European port, you will embark on an unprecedented voyage through enemy-controlled waters—across the Atlantic, around the Cape of Good Hope and Madagascar, and into the Indian Ocean.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][p]There are many key enemy ports and naval bases in this new theater, such as Mombasa, Colombo, Mumbay or Aden. While developing these new ports, we've also introduced some general improvements in their design. They are now defended by coastal forts, regular patrols and searchlights ("light barriers").[/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Upon your arrival, you’ll find a fierce war already underway between the Allied and Axis powers - so expect heavy enemy activity![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Campaign Expansion[/h3][p]The expansion will also add several new missions on the distant coasts to the game. In 1941 - 1943 group patrols on distant seas take place, where several U-Boats and a tanker depart together on a single operation, such as Cape Town Group or Wolfpack Eisbär.[/p][p]There is also a new mission on the Atlantic inspired by Operation Kiebitz, where your objective is to rescue Kriegsmarine officers from a Canadian POW camp. In addition, some old missions will see improvements.[/p][p]For mission purposes, we've also added an automated Morse decoding sheet to the periscope view, that will aid you in decoding Morse encoded light signals.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Overview[/h2][p]Our goal for this expansion is to give you, as a U-Boat commander, new reasons to dive even deeper into UBOAT. We want to deliver a fresh gameplay experience - and we hope to succeed![/p][p]There’s plenty more in development, and we’ll be sharing it with you in future dev logs once these additions take final shape.[/p][p]We still don't have a specific release date to declare for the expansion, but we hope that we will be able to commit to a certain date soon.[/p][p]Captains, thank you for your attention - and see you in the next dev log![/p][p][/p][p]Yours,[/p][p]DWS[/p]

Dear Captains,

After releasing two updates earlier this year, we’re now dedicating ourselves full-time to the next free update and the Type IX DLC, which we plan to launch together.

This work will still take several months, but we wanted to give you a heads-up and an overview of what’s on the way.


As we announced in October, we’re bringing the Type IX family of U-boats into the game. These will be the largest boats yet, with 6 torpedo tubes, capacity for 22 torpedoes, and a cruising range that outclasses every other U-boat.

Since the previous dev-log we’ve been modelling the interior from historical references. The compartments and most major devices - launchers, diesel engines, electric motors - are largely complete. We still need to finish some equipment, such as the TDC.


In June we’ll begin integrating everything into a fully functional boat. Based on our experience with earlier U-boats, this phase will take a few months.


Alongside the Type IX itself, we’re creating new content and missions in distant theatres, tailored to these long-range boats. Work is already under way, and we’ll share more once the design is mature enough to commit to it.


Now, let’s talk about the next free update. Version 2025.2 will add a few major features, some of which are already in development.

[h2]Weather forecasts[/h2]
This update will introduce weather forecasts to the game. Radio bulletins will be transmitted at set times each day; your radioman will be able to receive and decode them into plain text. The forecast will also appear in a dedicated forward-looking UI element on the map.


This control will also visualise the local day-night cycle, making sunrise and sunset times easy to see - something that was previously often confusing to determine.

We believe this will be a game-changer feature for attack and mission planning.

[h2]Mission flexibility[/h2]
With this update, it's going to be possible to accept new assignments over the radio while still at sea, without going back to port. This capability is particularly useful for the long-range Type IX, but seasoned captains will appreciate it in other boats too.


In addition, you’ll also be able to inform command by radio that you can’t pursue an optional side-mission for operational reasons, so that its objectives won’t clutter your mission summary.

[h2]Modding improvements[/h2]
We’ve begun collaborating with a known modder from the community to make improvements and fixes to the game’s modding tools.

While we’re at it, we’d love to hear suggestions from the wider modding community on how to make modding easier and more accessible. We can’t promise to implement every request, but we’re committed to making improvements in this area for the next update.



Thank you in advance for your participation. If you’re interested, please post your requests on our modding forum.

Yours,
DWS

Dear captains,

There is a new patch available for version 2025.1.1.

[h3]Localization:[/h3]
- Russian localization update by Hard.

[h3]UI:[/h3]
- Fix: In some languages, AOB, distance, and velocity values were missing from the subtitles when an officer used the periscope and reported them to the TDC operator.
- Fix: Most languages incorrectly referenced torpedo loading instead of mine loading in the tooltip on an officer’s portrait during mine-loading operations.
- Fix: After minimizing campaign objectives on the map, their names were not correctly translated in the tooltip displayed on their icons.
- Fix: Lines plotted between two ports could not be removed using the eraser tool on the map.
- Fix: The TAB menu could remain visible after releasing the TAB key, if for example the UI was quickly disabled using a hotkey during the menu’s fade-in animation.

[h3]AI:[/h3]
- Fix: Resolved the most common (and possibly only) cause of ships in a convoy moving in circles, if their route passed close to land.

[h3]Graphics:[/h3]
- Fix: Sunlight could sometimes shine directly into submarine pens without casting shadows.

[h3]Missions:[/h3]
- Fix: The tutorial continuation prompt no longer appears if the skipper dies during the last assignment and no new assignments can begin until a new skipper is promoted.

[h3]Simulation:[/h3]
- Fix: NPC ships will no longer continue moving if their center of mass shifts forward and their propellers are lifted out of the water.

[h3]Crew:[/h3]
- The controlled officer no longer verbally confirms taking over a station in first-person view when using a manually operable device.

[h3]General:[/h3]
- Periscopes can now be rotated twice as fast in manual mode; binoculars rotate even faster, with additional tuning for smoother control.
- Damaging port structures is no longer considered a hostile act, while defending the port from an enemy attack, as it was easy to damage it by accident.
- Fix: Resolved an issue that could prevent the periscope from being usable in first-person view.
- Fix: Resolved a bug where 100 units of fuel without an icon could appear in the left-side storage window.
- Fix: If an officer was firing the AA gun at an aircraft while an engineer was repairing it, the engineer could incorrectly be credited for shooting down the plane.
- Fix: Additonal encounters realism setting wasn't correctly stored in save files and could change mid-campaign, if it was adjusted in a different playthrough.
- Fix: Resolved an issue that could sometimes make it harder to pass through a hatch in FPP, because the passage was being interrupted.
- Fix: Creating a new shift for sailors without giving it a name could cause various issues.
- Fix: Various other technical fixes and improvements based on log files from submitted bug reports.

Yours,
DWS

Dear captains,

A new patch for version 2025.1.1 is now available, featuring a few additional fixes following the earlier public test.

Thank you to everyone who participated in testing and provided valuable feedback!

Localization:
- Czech localization update by Spid3rCZ.

Crew:
- Fix: It was not possible to assign a sailor to watch over valves on Type IIA and Type IID U-Boats.

Simulation:
- Fix: T5 torpedoes that lost their target could get stuck in a vertical orientation.

UI:
- Fix: On some systems, a "x0009" text string appeared instead of tabs in a radio message about the war with the U.S.
- Fix: After closing a recruitment UI and going back to a dialogue with a recruitment officer, there were additional UI elements present there that shouldn't be there. It was possible to break the state of UI a bit by interacting with these elements.

Modding:
- Fix: Resolved an inspector error related to the Hull component in the editor.

Graphics:
- Red lighting inside the boat no longer makes the screen brighter inside submarine pens, since it was making them too bright.
- Fix: After loading a save file with U-Boat already docked in a submarine pen, certain lights inside the pen that should cast dynamic shadows were having shadows disabled.

General:
- Added a loading screen hint explaining that the crew will automatically open the main hatch for better ventilation in good weather, along with instructions on how to disable this behavior.
- Fix: After loading a save file from the main menu and then loading another save file with a different type of U-Boat, 15000x time compression could become unavailable until the game was restarted.
- Fix: NPC U-Boats could in certain circumstances try to dock in the same spot as the player after loading a save file with U-Boat already docked inside a submarine pen.
- Fix: Addressed several issues that could degrade game performance.
- Fix (regression of 2025.1.1 Patch 1): In some cases, it was not possible to rotate the periscope, UZO, or binoculars up or down within their normal range.
- Fix: The camera could switch to the wrong person after exiting the radio screen in specific circumstances.
- Fix: Various minor technical improvements.

Yours,
DWS

Dear captains,

A new patch for version 2025.1.1 is now available on the "unstable" branch. This build is intended for preliminary testing of introduced fixes and improvements.

Localization:
- Czech localization update by Spid3rCZ.

Crew:
- Fix: It was not possible to assign a sailor to watch over valves on Type IIA and Type IID U-Boats.

UI:
- Fix: On some systems, a "x0009" text appeared instead of tabs in a radio message about the war with the U.S.

Modding:
- Fix: Resolved an inspector error related to the Hull component in the editor.

General:
- Added a loading screen hint explaining that the crew will automatically open the main hatch for better ventilation in good weather, along with instructions on how to disable this behavior.
- Fix: Addressed several issues that could degrade game performance.
- Fix (regression of 2025.1.1 Patch 1): In some cases, it was not possible to rotate the periscope, UZO, or binoculars up or down within their normal range.
- Fix: The camera could switch to the wrong person after exiting the radio screen in specific circumstances.
- Fix: Various minor technical improvements.

Yours,
DWS