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Silent Hunter IV: Wolves of the Pacific (PC) Release Date:03/13/2007 ESRB Rating: Rating Pending Genre: Simulation Publisher: Ubisoft Developer: Ubisoft Romania Pacific theater sub sims scare World War II buffs on steady diets of The Enemy Below, Das Boot, and U-571. In film, sexed-up German Unterseeboots ("undersea boats"), fan-favorite submersibles featured in the last two Silent Hunter games, prowl the Atlantic. In reaction to publisher Ubisoft's August 2006 notice that Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific (the fourth in the series, though published without a "4") would focus on "Yanks" in the Pacific, sim-ers fret: "What, no Uboats?!?" and "U.S. forces = lack of mystique," or even, "The Japanese sub fleet was even less ready than the German U-Boot Waffe in 1939!" Now peer back a couple decades. Silent Service--the first Silent Hunter--came out in 1985, designed by, of all people, Sid Meier for old-school grandaddy MicroProse, and set in-- any guesses? That's right, the Pacific. "We kind of expected this reaction when we decided on the Pacific War," says lead designer Dan Dimitrescu. "But the Atlantic and Pacific were completely different in terms of naval World War II engagements--each had its own flavor." Flavor gleaned from tech in particular. U.S. subs were larger, faster, and had longer ranges than U-boats. They also packed a bigger punch with 10 torpedo tubes standard. But they were less maneuverable and buckled at extreme depths. "Thus, from the hunter's perspective, U.S. subs were quicker to adopt surface search radar and employ it in action," says Dimitrescu. "For new players, that makes finding and sinking targets much easier." Easier, and&simpler? No way, says Dimitrescu. "Wolves of the Pacific is as much a simulator as Silent Hunter 3. We're just taking steps to make the interface more friendly as well as more powerful--it's forward motion for both casual and hardcore sim players." Likewise for crew delegation and careers. Think scalability with all-in-one feedback and more natural interaction. "We're letting you decide how much involvement you want this time," says Dimitrescu. "If you want to dig in, you can, but you don't have to." However you roll, you'll share increasingly "human" company. Crewmen stand watch for four hours, then rest for eight. Holler "battle stations" and everyone beelines for their stations. Some guys can even (accurately) double up on ship duties. "We've also added role-playing elements to the crew over the course of the campaign," says Dimitrescu. "Depending on their experience, all crew members can be promoted, gain special abilities, and improve their skills." And when you switch subs, you can take your choice picks with you. Wrap that up in an even more lifelike unscripted campaign with fluid performanceassigned objectives, and we could be looking at the most meticulous imitation of wartime slinkand- sink yet. Other WDS GUIDES: GRAND
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