From community feedback we’ve been looking at improving the surface experience of the submarine and enemy ships. To achieve this we are simulating the curvature of the earth so that you’ll be able to see distant ships coming over the horizon towards you.



Previously to keep the pace of engagements exciting in VR we decided to make the submarine and enemy vessels travel twice as fast as they would in the real world, this had the trade-off of making the submarine feel faster than it should on the surface, this was particularly noticeable when turning. Adding horizons allows us to bring the action closer to the submarine without relying on tricks like pop-in or fog and at the same time we can use realistic speeds/physics on the submarine and enemy ships without compromising on the pace of the engagement.

As part of this update we’ll also be adding a new enemy frigate into the open world. These vessels are weaker than destroyers but can work in larger numbers to hunt submarines. We’ve also made alterations to destroyers so that some of them can now use hedgehog launchers as well as depth charges. These variant destroyers will also be added to the open world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckz6sDvI640&feature=youtu.be

Due to popular request from the community, we decided to focus on improving the Engine Room experience for this update. The gameplay mechanics of the engine room have been completely overhauled when the Engine Room assist is turned off. The new centre piece of the experience is the new power management board where the player in the engine room will need to allocate and divert power to different systems as and when those systems are needed by other players in the submarine. Systems such as the Electric Engines, Torpedo Computer and Torpedo Racks operate slower if you provide them with less power. If you exceed the power threshold, you’ll risk blowing a fuse which will plunge the submarine into darkness. Taking damage when the submarine has depleted its hull will also risk blowing fuses. When this happens you’ll need to use the new torch inventory item to find your way around the submarine to remove the blown fuse and restart the power using the main power breaker. Replacement fuses are limited but are automatically replenished when you dock at port.

In addition to the new power management features the engine order telegraph no longer controls the submarine engines directly, the Engine Room player will need to set the appropriate ahead/astern gear and RPM to match the request of the control room player. This change is only in effect when the engine room assist is turned off.




We’ve also improved and re-worked the torpedo targeting system on the Torpedo Data Computer. The Torpedo Computer display will now show a top down view of the targeted ship with colour coded zones indicating how vulnerable that area of the ship will be to torpedoes. The torpedo depth can be set using a new dial on the Torpedo Computer and the top down view will update to show a cross section of vulnerable zones at the selected depth. Successfully hitting a red flashing zone with a torpedo will destroy the vessel. This part of the update is key for us to introduce different enemy types to the open world in future updates.

• Added Power Management mechanic using fuse board in Engine Room
  
• Added main power breaker to Engine Room
  
• Replaced AUX Power and Compressor sliders with Ahead/Astern gear and Electric Engine RPM slider.
  
• Moved Engine Room Engine Order Telegraph to above electric engine controls.
  
• Increased charge penalty for diesel generators running outside of optimal temperature.
  
• Added detection radius penalty when Snorkel is above surface.
  
• Added a torch inventory item.
  
• Updated the engine room tutorial.
  
• Improved Torpedo Computer targeting system to show zones of vulnerability of targeted vessel.
  
• Added Torpedo Depth dial selector to Torpedo Computer
  
• Show intercept direction line of torpedo before and during firing.
  
• Added vulnerable zone to rear of destroyer.
  
• Added vulnerable zone to rear of battleship.
  
• Rebalanced the leak appearance and flow rate for single and multiplayer.
  
• Added an additional welder located in the sensor room
  
• Players no longer spawn with a rebreather, there is now a limit of two and can be found next to the welder in the control room and sensor room.
  
• Rebreather air is now replenished automatically when docked at port.
  
• Dead players now respawn automatically when docked at port.
  
• Added a new menu to the hand display that allows the host to kick players from the game.
  
• Reduced volume of diesel generators
  
• Reduced volume of air compressor
  
• Bug fixes

Based on community feedback we’ve added a hand held compass inventory item that’s worn around the players neck.

Patch Notes:

• Added personal compass
  
• Fixed bug in open world where port menu was stuck after docking

In this update we’ve balanced the planes by greatly reducing their number and improving the paths they’ll follow. We’ve also added a hostile zone around every enemy port that is covered by anti submarine mines and passive sonar detectors where if you enter it, the enemy will know where you are and dispatch a killing squad to hunt you down.

We’ve just released the first set of open world features for both single and multiplayer. This update adds an open world map that allows players to travel the wider oceans by using a pen to plot courses directly on the map.

While navigating the open world players will need to evade or engage enemy air and military patrols while hunting down convoys. In this release we’ve added limits to the submarine fuel and number of torpedos providing new tactical decisions. The submarine will need to return to port to refill its fuel and stock up on torpedos. Additionally, if a submarine engages in shallow waters they’ll be able to evade enemy sonars while the deep ocean provides no such cover.

The world map is scored differently to the other missions in that it’s based on what and how much you’re able to sink/destroy rather than how quickly you complete the mission. You’ll earn more points for taking out stronger targets and more points in harder locations, such as in deeper water or in a heavily militarised zone. The medal cabinet has been extended to display the highest score of each open world player that’s in your game.


Much of the technology behind the open world map is procedural, this means that we’ll be able to alter the map rapidly as we progress. We plan to add new maps as we receive feedback and add new features to the open world.

We’ve written an entirely new game server platform for the open world simulation, which has been the largest and most complex task of IronWolf's development. This was necessary to provide us with a flexible base that will enable us to deliver content updates more frequently and gives us the tooling required to accomplish our long term visions for IronWolf.

Our new platform will be able to provide the ability to allow multiple multicrew controlled submarines and other vehicle types to coexist and interact in the same world for PvE and PvP, but we have more content and gameplay we want to deliver for the core IronWolf experience before we're able to progress those goals.


In the coming weeks we’ll be adding in some more features to the open world, in no particular order we’re going to be working on:

• Adding mines
  
• Day & night cycle
  
• End of engagement summary
  
• Leaderboard system
  
• Quest System
  
• New open world maps
  
• Resupply for rebreather, welder and deck guns.
  
• Allied shipping and military to add larger scale naval battles

In the longer term there are some larger features we’ll be working on in the background, that will appear in the coming months. The most important of which will be a new enemy damage model with additional enemy types.

We’re really excited to get this update into the communities hands and we’re equally excited for new content and gameplay opportunities that this early version of the open world will allow us to add.

Hi everyone,

We just wanted to give the community an update regarding the openworld progress. To give everyone an overview of our current progress, the following features in no particular order are complete:

• VR performant multithreaded multiplayer open world framework
  
• Procedural convoy system
  
• Fast travel mechanics on open world map
  
• Player and enemy map vision radius/fog of war
  
• Multiplayer line drawing on map to control submarine movement
  
• Diesel consumption and refuel management when docked at port
  
• Torpedo re-supply management when docked at port
  
• AI pathfinding between ports
  
• Building engagements from open world simulation, rather than using old mission structure
  
• Reinforcement of battles with military ship from nearby ports during engagements
  
• Upgraded messaging system on Hand Display for open world events

Before release we want to complete the following:

• Art pass on map in VR
  
• Military hunter patrols
  
• Ocean depth on map
  
• Balance testing

We hope you all have a good holiday season. We’ll be back early in the new year with this release.

Here is an early work in progress preview of the map drawing mechanics. This will provide the interface for interacting with the world map. The drawing is fully networked with your crew mates, so everyone can share and draw on the same map.

Hi everyone,

We’ve been busy working away on the open world, we’re currently in the process of creating the AI systems that manage trade routes and convoy movements based around supply/demand between ports.

In the meantime we’ve just pushed 1.8.1.4 with the following changes:

• Added cross-platform friends management
  
• Improved visual water quality
  
• Fixed torpedo explosion location

One of our brilliant discord mods has created a fantastic guide for IronWolf VR, check it out here:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1521166934

https://youtu.be/YEqdyqyCocA

Hey guys, we’re moving the night missions and varied weather update into the main branch, thanks to everyone who tested the beta. Next up we’re going to be starting work on the Open World with a world map being the initial focus.

Changes from the beta version:

• Improved enemy projectile tracers
  
• Improved enemy AI buoyancy physics
  
• Locomotion on the Vive trackpad is now activated by touch instead of click

Changelog from beta:

New content

• Added a new random mission at night
  
• Decreased submarine signature size at night
  
• Enemies will fire flares to try and locate the submarine at night
  
• Added chance of rain
  
• Improved the offshore platform model and textures

Quality of life changes

• Added a new ‘fixed mode’ toggle switch to the periscope so people with limited space or tethering issues do not need to walk around as the periscope rotates
  
• Added smooth locomotion option in addition to dash locomotion
  
• Added smooth locomotion speed control
  
• Added translate options relative to head direction or hand direction
  
• Option to hide hand when interacting with controls.
  
• Increased resolution of periscope view

Hey guys, we’re pushing a new update into the beta branch which adds a new night mission and rain weather effects. As a part of the new rain effects we’ve created a new GPU particle system that is optimized for VR and will enable us to add new complex effects within the performance requirements of VR.

We’ve also focused on improving the experience for players with limited space with the addition of smooth locomotion and a new periscope mode that makes it possible to target enemies without having to walk around the periscope as it rotates.

Next up we’re going to be starting work on the Open World with a world map being the initial focus.

Change log:

New content

• Added a new random mission at night
  
• Decreased submarine signature size at night
  
• Enemies will fire flares to try and locate the submarine at night
  
• Added chance of rain
  
• Improved the offshore platform model and textures

Quality of life changes

• Added a new ‘fixed mode’ toggle switch to the periscope so people with limited space or tethering issues do not need to walk around as the periscope rotates
  
• Added smooth locomotion option in addition to dash locomotion
  
• Added smooth locomotion speed control
  
• Added translate options relative to head direction or hand direction
  
• Option to hide hand when interacting with controls.
  
• Increased resolution of periscope view