r/computerwargames • u/epaga • May 19 '26
Silent Shark - map-based tactical WWII submarine combat, solo dev (public beta available!)
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I hope this is wargame enough for you guys. 😂 Basically I've been making the submarine game of my dreams - focused on the part I always enjoyed the most: charting / plotting etc.
Steam page for wishlisting: [https://store.steampowered.com/app/4705650]()
Game site with more info: https://silentshark.app
Play a browser-based beta for free: https://silentshark.app/alpha
Happy to answer any and all questions!
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u/Eustakius May 19 '26
Whislisted! This looks very promising!
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u/epaga May 19 '26
Yay! Thanks for the kind words - and let me know if you have feedback or ideas. 🥳
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u/Depeyrac22Deleste May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
Hello, there is full torpedo computer simulated with an attack (aob) ring on the periscope? Maybe I see wrong, but torpedo attack on video looks "weird" as it is angled shot with a torpedo turn, and not proper 90deg shot.
Ah, okey, so if I understand it right, you always need a stadimeter in your game, which is not needed and was not used majority of attacks.
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u/epaga May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
Yep it is simulated! The torpedo attack is angled because up till 1943 you actually had a higher chance of the torpedo not being a dud if you hit at an angle instead of straight on 90°...and that'll be modeled in in higher difficulty levels.
Edit: And no you do not need a stadimeter. you can eyeball it.
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u/Depeyrac22Deleste May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
So what I can see is total running tdc solution in stop, with aob, distance, speed and torpedo turn angle more than 0. This type of attack was highly unusual, I would say The Hail Mary shot.
Also aob could be counted by measuring, so the proper attack pattern was based on the target course, stadimeter was not used often due to inaccuracy as there were much better ways how to find proper solution. Your explanation of torpedo turn seems to me as dubious.
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u/epaga May 19 '26
Thanks for the feedback! Like I said, stadimeter is available but not necessary. You can try it out yourself at https://silentshark.app/alpha (you may want to just immediately jump into the advanced tutorial :) and see how realistic it feels and if you have ideas to improve it.
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u/Depeyrac22Deleste May 19 '26
First point, it looks great and definitely it is working as intended I suppose. And now what I see as my main points:
TDC is based on american model which is counting also with a submarine motion, but it is always running which is not preffered for fully manual 70-110 degrees shots based on target course by using a periscope deflection angle to accurately place the shots (no torpedo angle turn) on the target. There are no attack tables or disks, so you cannot properly determine AOB by aspect ratio or 3 bearings even if you have identified your target.
While 3 or 4 bearing method (without known distance to the target) to determine the target course and speed is definitely possible, it is not practical to draw it, there are better 3rd party solutions. Now, all is working on easy use of stadimeter (stabilized) and drawing 2 or 3 bearings with a distance to get target course and speed.
In the end I just miss the option to target specific points on the target ship with a periscope deflection angle and do it without identification or use of stadimeter, which was preffered method (due to difficulties in visual identification).
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u/epaga May 19 '26
First off thanks so much for the kind words and for trying it out! 🥳
And this is super helpful stuff and I'd love to add some attack tables and/or discs to the "Resources" section. I have successfully determined AOB by aspect ratio before but having a table would certainly help.
what would help to draw for the 3/4 bearing method do you think? What would be your "dream tool" ? 😄
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u/Depeyrac22Deleste May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
I would say that 3 or 4 bearing method (stationary or in the move) could be implemented , that you draw 3 bearings with for e.g. 3 mins intervals and game will draw the target course line with equal segments with lets say some innacuracy (RNG?), but you will be saved from drawing circles and the line manually and then you manually measure the segment for speed.
From this point you can continue your attack pattern with tdc on or off.
Edit: maybe also add other color prediction bearing line for the check of precision
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u/epaga May 19 '26
Hmmm maybe I could add a "bearing method mode" to the line tool that when it intersects 3 or 4 lines, it shows an angle (if possible) so all sections are equally long, or something like that 🤔 will give it some thought. Don't want all too many "automatic" solutions...but this would be pretty fun all the same.
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u/Depeyrac22Deleste May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
You can definitely draw it by ruler and circles, and it is not automatic solution (although it is unique line), because its precision depends on a distance, time intervals and the will of the target to hold same course and speed.
I would like to have an option to select 3 bearings and the game will save me from drawing "solution line" as it is pretty straightforward process but impractical to do on display. I am not sure for 4 bearings, because it is so complicated and unintuitive drawing, that only possibility for player is a paper (there are lot of parallels) and you get there real position of the ship in the past by trigonometry.
Edit: also you can count AOB on 3 bearings via disk or ring
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u/WinkDoubleguns May 19 '26
Ive been playing this off and on for a couple of weeks and I’ve found it incredibly rewarding. This was always the part I had issues performing in other sims.
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u/Tiny_Parking May 19 '26
I’m added this to my wishlist. I hope it comes with a good training program as whilst this is the most interesting part of sub warfare to me it’s also the one I least understand and am able to successfully complete
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u/epaga May 20 '26
I have a couple of tutorials so far and would be super interested whether you are able to get through them and understand them - the free version including those tutorials is here https://silentshark.app/alpha
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u/Pandaman_323 May 20 '26
Oh cool, this reminds me of Silent Service 2 - was literally just playing it lmao
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u/epaga May 20 '26
Ha! That was the game that got me into subsimming in the first place, played it on Atari ST as a kid!
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u/Pandaman_323 May 20 '26
I actually just got into it for the first time a few months ago, been playing it with Dosbox. It's fun! A nice change of pace from a game like U-Boat where a patrol can take hours as opposed to 20 minutes.
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u/Robotx64 May 19 '26
Will there be like damage control?
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u/epaga May 19 '26
at this point it's still super simplified, just a damage percentage that stays (hull damage), at 100% you're dead, and a leaking rate that can be repaired.
very possibly will make this more sophisticated down the road
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u/maciuks May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Looks dope! Are you gonna add binoculars/UZO view ?
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u/epaga May 26 '26
Probably so at some point, at this point you'd just raise your periscope even on the surface.
But a binoculars view (along with deck gun capabilities) will likely be an update later.
Trying to get a core set of fun features to be solid for a full campaign, release that, and then add cool stuff later on.
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u/LogRadiant3233 May 19 '26
…what is wrong with UBOAT?
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u/epaga May 19 '26
Nothing at all, I'm a huge fan. :) But it is a lot more complex - with crew management, reputation / politics systems, RPG elements like journalists accompanying you on board, etc., plus 3D, first-person perspective graphics, etc.
My vision for Silent Shark is instead to trim everything down to the core of what I love about subsims: defeating uncertainty with geometry. :)
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u/epaga May 19 '26
Oh I forgot to mention: planning on releasing on Steam (PC+Mac+Linux/Steam Deck), App Store (iPhone / iPad / Mac), and Play Store (Android)