Silent Hunter II
Encyclopedia
Silent Hunter II is a WWII
U-boat
combat simulation from Ubisoft
for Windows 95
/98
/ME
. It was originally being developed by Aeon Electronic Entertainment, the developers of Silent Hunter
, but they had to leave the project unfinished, and Ultimation Inc. finished it. After considerable delays it was released in November 2001.
Silent Hunter II gives the player the command of a U-boat
during the Second Battle of the Atlantic
. The game offers single-player and multiplayer missions.
In addition to some separate single-player missions, they also come as a string in the theme of "U-boat highlights", allowing the player to re-experience such well-known adventures as U-47s penetration into Scapa Flow
, passing through the Strait of Gibraltar
and Operation Drumbeat against American
shipping
.
German
World War II
veteran and sub commander Erich Topp
was one of the game's technical advisers.
What made Silent Hunter II into a revolutionary concept was that it was not only playable on-line with or against other U-boat
s, but also against destroyer
s that were controlled by players of Destroyer Command
, a title also released by Ubisoft
.
However, the reception was not enthusiastic among the fans of Silent Hunter
. Silent Hunter II was criticised for a crude AI
, the lack of a replayable single player career against the limited collection of missions and the fail-prone multiplayer mode, which often disconnected players before the action had even started.
To fix and enhance the multiplayer mode, an unofficial (authorized by Ubisoft) patch called Projekt Messerwetzer was worked up by Subsim.com. Also, to revive a once disappointing title, several fan-made modifications and missions have emerged.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
combat simulation from Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
for Windows 95
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
/98
Windows 98
Windows 98 is a graphical operating system by Microsoft. It is the second major release in the Windows 9x line of operating systems. It was released to manufacturing on 15 May 1998 and to retail on 25 June 1998. Windows 98 is the successor to Windows 95. Like its predecessor, it is a hybrid...
/ME
Windows Me
Windows Millennium Edition, or Windows Me , is a graphical operating system released on September 14, 2000 by Microsoft, and was the last operating system released in the Windows 9x series. Support for Windows Me ended on July 11, 2006....
. It was originally being developed by Aeon Electronic Entertainment, the developers of Silent Hunter
Silent Hunter
Silent Hunter is a World War II submarine combat simulation for MS-DOS, developed by Aeon Electronic Entertainment and published by Strategic Simulations in 1996. The game takes place in the Pacific War during World War II, the player commanding a submarine of the United States Navy. Most...
, but they had to leave the project unfinished, and Ultimation Inc. finished it. After considerable delays it was released in November 2001.
Silent Hunter II gives the player the command of a U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
during the Second Battle of the Atlantic
Second Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, running from 1939 to the defeat of Germany in 1945. At its core was the Allied naval blockade of Germany, announced the day after the declaration of war, and Germany's subsequent counter-blockade. It was at its...
. The game offers single-player and multiplayer missions.
In addition to some separate single-player missions, they also come as a string in the theme of "U-boat highlights", allowing the player to re-experience such well-known adventures as U-47s penetration into Scapa Flow
Scapa Flow
right|thumb|Scapa Flow viewed from its eastern endScapa Flow is a body of water in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom, sheltered by the islands of Mainland, Graemsay, Burray, South Ronaldsay and Hoy. It is about...
, passing through the Strait of Gibraltar
Strait of Gibraltar
The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain in Europe from Morocco in Africa. The name comes from Gibraltar, which in turn originates from the Arabic Jebel Tariq , albeit the Arab name for the Strait is Bab el-Zakat or...
and Operation Drumbeat against American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
.
German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran and sub commander Erich Topp
Erich Topp
Rear Admiral Erich Topp was the third most successful of German U-Boot Experten commanders of World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords...
was one of the game's technical advisers.
What made Silent Hunter II into a revolutionary concept was that it was not only playable on-line with or against other U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s, but also against destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s that were controlled by players of Destroyer Command
Destroyer Command
Destroyer Command is a naval simulation released by Ubisoft in 2002 and developed by the now-defunct Ultimation Inc. The game placed the player in command of a destroyer during World War II, featuring campaigns from both the Pacific War and the Battle of the Atlantic. Customized missions may be...
, a title also released by Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
.
However, the reception was not enthusiastic among the fans of Silent Hunter
Silent Hunter
Silent Hunter is a World War II submarine combat simulation for MS-DOS, developed by Aeon Electronic Entertainment and published by Strategic Simulations in 1996. The game takes place in the Pacific War during World War II, the player commanding a submarine of the United States Navy. Most...
. Silent Hunter II was criticised for a crude AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
, the lack of a replayable single player career against the limited collection of missions and the fail-prone multiplayer mode, which often disconnected players before the action had even started.
To fix and enhance the multiplayer mode, an unofficial (authorized by Ubisoft) patch called Projekt Messerwetzer was worked up by Subsim.com. Also, to revive a once disappointing title, several fan-made modifications and missions have emerged.
See also
- Silent HunterSilent HunterSilent Hunter is a World War II submarine combat simulation for MS-DOS, developed by Aeon Electronic Entertainment and published by Strategic Simulations in 1996. The game takes place in the Pacific War during World War II, the player commanding a submarine of the United States Navy. Most...
, released in 19961996 in video gaming-Notable releases:*January 29 — Duke Nukem 3D, successor to the simple side-scrolling originals, and a genre-redefining title for first person shooters....
. - Silent Hunter IIISilent Hunter IIISilent Hunter III is a submarine simulation developed by Ubisoft Romania and published by Ubisoft. It was released for the PC on March 15, 2005. Like Silent Hunter II, it places the player in command of a German U-Boat during World War II and the Battle of the Atlantic...
, released in 20052005 in video gaming-Events:*March 6 — The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within video game controversy. This segment of 60 Minutes has been criticized by video game players for encouraging video game censorship....
. - Silent Hunter 4Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the PacificSilent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific is a computer submarine simulation for Windows developed by Ubisoft Romania and published by Ubisoft in 2007. It places the player in command of an American submarine during World War II and takes place in the Pacific theater...
, released in 20072007 in video gaming-Events:*March 14: Microsoft announces Games for Windows - Live, a version of Xbox Live for the Windows platform. The service launched on May 8.*March 27: Microsoft announces the new "Xbox 360 Elite" stock-keeping unit . The revision comes with a bigger hard drive and the ability to output HDMI...
. - Silent Hunter V, released in 20102010 in video gamingThe year 2010 has seen many sequels and prequels in video games, including several new titles.-Events:-Game releases:List of games scheduled for release in 2010 in North America....
- Aces of the Deep: An older U-boat game, released 1994.
External links
- Silent Hunter II Official Site
- Projekt Messerwetzer An unofficial multiplayer upgrade for Silent Hunter II
- Wolfpack League An on-line community for Silent Hunter and Destroyer Command players
- SubSim.com Fan site and home of the famed Silent Hunter II: Pacific Aces Mod.