UBOAT News

Dear captains,

There is a new patch ready for 2024.1 beta.

[h3]Localization:[/h3]
- Italian localization update by BeeTLe BeTHLeHeM.
- Russian localization update by Hard.
- French localization update by FvJ and Placebo.
- Czech localization update by Spid3rCZ.
- Spanish localization update by Miguel Haakon.
- German localization update by Ruby.
- English localization update by Steve.

[h3]Crew:[/h3]
- Fix: Food consumption by the crew could permanently increase after following certain steps.
- Fix: Explosives weren't removed from the inventory after they were used to sink another ship.
- Fix: Aircraft weren't having any surviving crew after shooting them down, if they weren't viewed from upclose at any point.
- Fix: Menu that was appearing after interacting with a shot down aircraft wasn't working correctly when there was no survivors.
- Fix: Sailors could appear in a lying pose when they were selected for an external mission.

[h3]Missions:[/h3]
- Decreased frequency of side missions from the command during patrols. Frequency of a side mission about sinking specific ship was decreased even more.
- Fix: If a mission about sinking a specific ship was ignored, patrol was completed and a button for a quick mission completion was used, there was often a radio update from the high command regarding target position after return.
- Fix: First merchant ship in tutorial no. 3 could spot the player and start avoidance maneuvers.
- Fix: Tutorial no. 2 and no. 3 weren't working when started from Brest.

[h3]UI:[/h3]
- Fix: After switching U-boat to another type, buttons in TAB menu for changing lighting colour on the U-boat were stopping to work until the game was restarted.
- Fix: It was possible to click on UI elements in the background with TAB menu open.
- Fix: Probable fix for "Days later" text staying on the screen after a quick return to a port.
- Fix: Tabs for switching menus on the "Crew" screen were staying highlighted in some cases.
- Fix: Wrong tier numbers were displayed on hydrophone upgrades visible in HQ.
- Fix: Untranslated text during interaction with an unescorted merchant ship. This change may take some time to propagate into all languages.
- Fix: Untranslated text in Gazala mission. This change may take some time to propagate into all languages.
- Fix: Liverpool name wasn't localized.
- Fix: "Enter text..." label wasn't translated in a few input boxes.
- Fix: Various issues with UI screen used for entering the name for a new preset in the schedule.

[h3]Technical:[/h3]
- Fix: Memory leak that was triggered by loading saved game states in a certain sequence. It could lead to a very long loading of saved game states.
- Fix: Several smaller, but more common memory leaks.
- Fix: Fixes for various errors spotted in the logs.

[h3]Ports:[/h3]
- Fix: Seam between terrain segments in Kiel.
- Fix: Corrected positions of a few small items in La Rochelle to make them aligned with the ground.

[h3]World:[/h3]
- Added 100 more names for Norwegian merchant ships.

[h3]Play as skipper:[/h3]
- Fix: If an attempt was made to switch to the view orbiting around the U-boat in the ship upgrade mode, the camera was moving to a random direction.

[h3]General:[/h3]
- Keyboard shortcuts for changing views now don't do anything during transition to another view.
- Fix: Keyboard shortcuts for changing views now don't have any effect, when their associated views are already active. Previously, there was an unnecessary fade out / in animation and some issues with UI tools when they were at custom positions.

Yours,
DWS

Dear captains,

There is a new patch ready for 2024.1 beta.

[h3]Localization:[/h3]
- French localization update by FvJ and Placebo.
- Russian localization update by Hard.
- Portuguese localization update by AlexShuma.
- Italian localization update by BeeTLe BeTHLeHeM.
- German localization update by Ruby.

[h3]Crew:[/h3]
- It's now much more unlikely to get a second officer with a cook personal skill, if already having an officer that has it.
- Crew no longer equips raincoats inside submarine pens, even when it's raining outside.
- Fix: A sailor that died, could in some cases not disappear and was standing in a single spot inside the U-boat. This fix will repair this situation also in game states where this already occurred.
- Fix: If something interrupted work of officer with a cook skill in the galley, he was becoming idle, but still acted like he would cooking and a notification was appearing about lack of cook.
- Fix: On Type II it wasn't possible to assign officer with a cook skill to work in the galley, when there was a sailor working there and another sailor was taking a meal.
- Fix: Sailors working at the depth steers on Type II weren't fully aligned with the seats.

[h3]AI:[/h3]
- Fix: Aircraft no longer attack an U-boat, when it's inside a submarine pen.

[h3]Play as skipper mode:[/h3]
- Fix: If game was paused, while manually using a device and then the station was left with pause toggled on, the camera was instantly switching from FPP to orders mode in section view, but there were various graphical issues with that view.
- Fix: If a device was being used manually and then map was opened and then closed, the skipper was stopping to operate that device.
- Fix: If a device was being used manually, then map was opened, then something made the skipper to stop using the device and go onto the deck and then map was closed, FPP view was opened, but there was a uniform black color all around the U-boat.

[h3]Ports:[/h3]
- Fix: Disconnected terrain on Malta.
- Fix: It wasn't possible to step out from the U-boat to port of Tunis in FPP.
- Fix: Uniform textures were visible on the side of wharfs of Aruba, Freetown, Capetown, Dunkirk, Copenhagen, Key West, Port of Spain, Brunsbuttel, Oban, Edinburgh.
- Fix: NPC U-boats were docking too high in Wilhelmshaven.

[h3]Torpedo fire systems:[/h3]
- Fix: On Type VII, salvo setup knob had a duplicated setting for launching torpedoes from tubes I and III, while there was a lacking option for I and II.
- Fix: Numerous issues with salvo setting knob on Type II. The knob didn't had any effect and the displayed settings weren't correct.
- Fix: Bearing angle transmitter knob on torpedo fire control boxes on Type II was rotating a bit off when "Aus" option was selected.
- Fix: Gyro angle receiver knob on Type II had two settings "None" and it wasn't possible to set it correctly.

[h3]Uboatopedia:[/h3]
- Updated Uboatopedia in English, German and Polish.

[h3]Audio:[/h3]
- Fix: Hull creaking sounds are now more intense at high depths and are also audible in the outside views.
- Fix: Hull creaking sounds were much more quiet on Type II than on Type VII U-boats.

[h3]Voiceover:[/h3]
- Fix: Fixed numerous issues with radioman's report about hearing propellers above the U-boat. The radioman was often repeating this too much and was also reporting it for units that didn't had working propellers.

[h3]Graphics:[/h3]
- Fix: After changing U-boat to another type or loading a game state with a different type of U-boat, light probes were stopping to work in the interior and shadows were becoming too dark.

[h3]UI:[/h3]
- Fix: Various issues were happening, if a shift was deleted, while it was also being renamed.
- Fix: UI tools were snapped back to the default position from too far away, if UI scale was lower than 145%.

[h3]General:[/h3]
- Fix: After installing or even viewing Tunis radar detector in the upgrade mode, there was a permanent +5% visibility modifier being applied that wasn't going away even after diving. This problem may be fixed in existing game states by changing U-boat to a different type (and then changing it back, if that's preferred).
- Fix: After taking survivors on board and docking in a port without a recruitment officer, it wasn't possible to leave, because game was asking to release them in the port. Due to lack of mentioned officer it wasn't possible.
- Fix: After changing U-boat to another type, the new U-boat could be not aligned properly with the port and it wasn't possible to move between the port and the U-boat.
- Fix: After a game state was loaded with a Type VIIB U-boat, its conning tower was changing into Turm 0. This fix was designed to repair this issue in game states that were already affected by this problem.
- Fix: Rudder rotation indicator and RPM indicator in the stern torpedo room on Type VII were pointing at opposite values.

Yours,
DWS

Dear captains,

There is a new patch ready for 2024.1 beta.

[h3]Localization:[/h3]
- Japanese localization update by かねのもうじゃ.
- Spanish localization update by Miguel Haakon.
- Italian localization update by BeeTLe BeTHLeHeM.

[h3]Missions:[/h3]
- Fix: It wasn't possible to surrender nor scuttle the boat at the end of the war. The button wasn't reacting to a click.
- Fix: It wasn't possible to destroy tanks at Haifa and complete the associated mission.
- Fix: Huts on the Hopen Island were disappearing after reloading a game state with them already present in the scene.
- Fix: Mission at Hopen Island wasn't translated and in some places, there were translation keywords visible.

[h3]Type II:[/h3]
- Fix: Engineers were frequently stopping work on Type IIA and Type IID U-boats when there was damaged equipment on the deck and the U-boat was submerged. They were trying to repair it, but couldn't get there.
- Fix: Some characters on deck weren't hiding into the U-boat during a dive.
- Fix: On Type IIA and IID, there was a small nav-mesh hidden in the conning tower. Characters could sometimes get snapped to it and weren't able to get out.
- Fix: Character repairing AA gun wasn't fully aligned with the deck.
- Fix: It sometimes wasn't possible to open hatch between the control room and conning tower on Type IIA and Type IID. There was a warning about pressure being too high on the opening side, even when that wasn't the case.
- Fix: One of the RPM dials in the conning tower wasn't working.

[h3]Torpedo calculator:[/h3]
- When torpedo calculator locks itself due to unsolvable inputs, a warning now appears in the UI that explains what happened and how to recover from this situation.
- Fix: Fixed several cases where calculator's inner simulation could break due to numerical errors. The calculator was behaving erratically when that happened. This fix should bring back TDC to normal also in game states that were affected by this problem.
- Fix: When target speed set on the calculator was very low or zero and the spread slider was adjusted on the torpedo launchers UI, target length on TDC was set to a correct value, but with negative sign.

[h3]Uboatopedia:[/h3]
- Updated Uboatopedia in English, German and Polish.

[h3]Ports:[/h3]
- Fix: Some guns in Aruba were in the water.
- Fix: Aesthetical fixes and improvements to Brunsbuttel.
- Fix: Corrected gun positions in Tunis.

[h3]UI:[/h3]
- Fix: Measurements in the periscope UI now enforce certain limits on values that are set. For example, it's no longer possible to input a distance below zero. Such values could break TDC in some cases.
- Fix: Changed "Course" label to "AOB" in torpedo calculator UI that appears, when there is a locked target.
- Fix: Measurements entered in the periscope UI were changing into different values, when the game was running with Nautical units.

[h3]Audio:[/h3]
- Fix: Audio effect of working diesel engines was sometimes audible even when diesel engines were disabled, after loading a game state.
- Fix: Audio effect of working diesel engines on Type IIA and Type IID U-boats wasn't played with varied speed, depending on the current RPM. It was only becoming quieter or louder, but the effect speed was remaining the same.

[h3]General:[/h3]
- Fix: After loading another game state in-game, submarine's hull no longer could be crushed by the pressure.
- Fix: After changing U-boat to another one, the new U-boat wasn't named as declared in an U-boat selector, but instead had the old name from the old U-boat.
- Fix: Fixed several errors that could appear in a log, but most likely didn't had any impact on the game.

Yours,
DWS

Dear captains,

There is a new patch ready for 2024.1. It fixes some of the most commonly reports bugs and issues.

[h3]Localization:[/h3]
- Spanish localization update by Miguel Haakon.
- French localization update by FvJ and Placebo.
- Russian localization update by Hard.
- Italian localization update by BeeTLe BeTHLeHeM.
- Ukrainian localization update by vovanvoks.
- German localization update by Ruby.
- Japanese localization update.
- Korean localization update.
- Polish localization update.

[h3]Graphics:[/h3]
- Improved texture resolution on UZO, periscopes, antenna and several other elements.
- Fix: Shadows were sometimes heavily flickering in FPP and free cam modes inside the U-boat when shadow quality was set to Simple or Good.
- Fix: Fixed volumetric light issue around blue lamp on both TDCs.
- Fix: KDB and GHG-balkon weren't attached to Type IIA and Type IID hulls and were floating in the air. This fix will work for the game states with this problem saved after changing the boat.
- Fix: Wrong textures on handles of a few valves in the control room of Type VII U-boats.
- Fix: Rendering could sometimes temporarily freeze, while playing in FPP and looking from the bow torpedo room towards the center of the boat on Type VII U-boats.
- Fix: Gyrocompass repeaters on Type VII U-boats were smearing during rotation, if FSR, DLSS, TAA or motion blur were in use.
- Fix: Effect of water flowing from a hull hole could be visible below water surface inside the compartment.
- Fix: One of the sailors on a Flower-class corvette could clip with searchlight at one of his observation positions.

[h3]Voiceover:[/h3]
- Fix: When a character was going to speak several statements in a sequence, some of them could be missing. This was especially apparent when passing measurements from the periscope to TDC and during certain dialogues between several characters.
- Fix: Corrected orders spoken by the captain, when reverse movement is ordered.
- Fix: Corrected how AOB is spoken when it's passed verbally from the periscope to TDC by the officer.
- Fix: Added missing statements for Voice 01 in English voiceover. This fixes several issues, especially when passing measurements from the periscope to TDC operator.
- Fix: Added a few missing statements for Voice 03 in German voiceover.

[h3]Uboatopedia:[/h3]
- Updated Uboatopedia in German.
- Fix: If Uboatopedia was opened in FPP view, cursor was disappearing and mouse movements were rotating the camera in the background.
- Fix: It wasn't possible to interact with Uboatopedia for several seconds after it was opened.

[h3]Missions:[/h3]
- The objective about sinking certain GRT in patrol assignments now appears after reaching the target area. This prevents exploit, that it was possible to ignore patrol area, travel in any direction and complete patrol without ever reaching the target.
- All campaign objectives that ask for sinking a certain GRT now have a list of squares in their description, inside which sinkings count. This change may take some time to propagate into all languages.
- Fix: After mission was completed manually by talking with the leading officer and then watching the entire assignment summary, the camera was going back to the position from the dialogue and wasn't reacting to inputs.

[h3]Play as skipper mode:[/h3]
- It's now possible to enter into radioman's menu by clicking on a dedicated button near his portrait.
- The skipper now doesn't have an assigned role by default and won't do anything on his own, unless the role is assigned to him manually.
- Fix: It's no longer possible to initiate dialogues with port officers in the orders mode. It's necessary to do it in FPP.

[h3]Periscopes & torpedo fire systems:[/h3]
- Fix: If there was no lock active on any target in the periscope and player switched from TDC to that periscope, bearing connection was lost between these two devices.
- Fix: Schnellgang lamps on gyro angle receivers were sometimes toggled on when they shouldn't.
- Fix: Decreased delay of torpedo launches after fully pressing the lever from 1.5s to almost instant once the lever is down. When torpedoes are launched with an order, the delay was decreased from 1.5s to 0.9s.
- Fix: Restrictions for locking targets were further decreased. It was still possible for a ship to be clearly visible, but it wasn't possible to lock on it.

[h3]Ports:[/h3]
- Fix: Fixed position of officers in Brest intro cutscene and positions of several other objects in this port.
- Fix: Aesthetical fixes to Marseille.

[h3]UI:[/h3]
- Added descriptions to tooltips of all ports that didn't had them.
- AOB tool in the periscope was improved and now contains a smaller dial with 0 - 10 values at the bottom, just like its real counterpart in TDC.
- Fix: Corrected description of Type IID on the U-boat selector screen. It had an incorrect mention about being able to carry additional torpedoes. This change may take some time to propagate into all languages.
- Fix: Icon of gyro angle receiver was sometimes visible when hydrophone was used manually.
- Fix: Icon of torpedo launch lever was sometimes visible when guns were used manually.
- Fix: After the entire ammunition was used up by a manually used gun, there was still a sound of an additional shell reload been heard. In addition the "out of ammo" notification wasn't appearing until this mode was left and entered back.
- Fix: Various aesthetical issues with free survivor button on the crew list in a few languages.
- Fix: After pressing ALT on a Type VIIC or VIIC/41 U-boat, an icon called "Conning Tower" was appearing near the conning tower, even though it didn't serve any purpose and there was actually functional counterpart nearby called "Turm 0", "Turm I", "Turm II" or "Turm IV".
- Fix: Changed "Course" label in the periscope UI to "AOB". The default tool for determining the course is now the AOB tool.
- Fix: Instead of absolute course, ship tooltips now display AOB, to remain consistent with the rest of the UI.
- Fix: Leaks inside the U-boat had their flow rate displayed with a reversed sign (usually negative).
- Fix: Assignment selection panels could appear partially outside the screen.

[h3]Crew:[/h3]
- Fix: Crew no longer makes noises, eats at the tables etc. when the U-boat remains at a dangerous depth, even without the alarm. Crew stops such activities also during a silent run.
- Fix: Crew members could sometimes get permanently stuck on deck after saluting to orchestra and weren't reacting to orders.

[h3]Audio:[/h3]
- Decreased volume of bells sound effect when changing course.
- Added new sound effects for the U-boat's hull when it's exposed to high pressure. The sound effects are more frequent and appear at appropriate depth for each U-boat type. Previously, Type II hull was starting to creak at unreachable depths.
- Added a sound effect for hull implosion.

[h3]Modding:[/h3]
- UniTask library is now accessible to mods.

[h3]General:[/h3]
- It's now possible to enter into radioman's menu by clicking on him in FPP, while playing as another officer, for example as the skipper in the play as skipper mode.
- Anisotropic filtering of textures is now enabled by default when the game is launched for the first time.
- Ship propellers now rotate with varied speeds, depending on a ship type.
- Fix: Fixed a major technical problem in Type IIA that was causing several issues. Among others, it was disabling time compression right after it was enabled, when U-boat was submerged below the periscope depth and there were enemies nearby. This fix will work for saved game states only after switching the ship type.
- Fix: Launched torpedoes could disappear after saving the game state and reloading it.
- Fix: While moving on a ladder between the control room and the conning tower in FPP on Type VII U-boats, there was a part, where rendering was temporarily freezing and a water entry sound was sometimes playing.
- Fix: Camera was appearing a bit too close in 3rd person after activating bed as skipper in FPP.
- Fix: It wasn't possible to fire with guns after reloading them with new ammo, that was loaded by the crew from the main storage. For existing saved game states, it may be necessary to unload the ammo and load it back to make this fix work.
- Fix: If FPP mode was used, game was left to the main menu and then a game state saved in FPP was loaded, it wasn't possible to move the camera with mouse movements and the cursor was permanently visible on the screen.
- Fix: Fixed general problem with orders not being removed from the orders queue when they should be removed. Among other problems it was making it impossible to switch from the gyro angle receiver manual mode to the hydrophone manual mode using TAB menu.
- Fix: Possibly fixed issue with "Days later" text staying permanently on the screen.

Yours,
DWS

The submarine-captain simulator used to be a pretty big deal, but it—among many other simulator genres—has fallen out of favor in the past decade. Depending on who you ask, the last great submarine sim was one of the last few Silent Hunter games released between 2005 and 2010—all of which are surely heavily modded in some way...
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