So what killed this game

[Tom]

The community is a fraction of what it was before bots were introduced.

What happened?

[Leah Ackermann]

I keep checking back but i think the overall development progress is to slow to maintain a steady customer base.
That is not a criticism to the developers, they need to do otherwise what they have to do but i don't think it will recover with the pace of the current development as most of the updates didn't actually add much gameplay.
I felt it's a sad thing since most of the difficult parts seem to be in and it didn't need to much to reel this into a campaign or some sort of user created content together.

[kimdownunder]

I tried to get into it but it was simply TOO hard-core, and I needed to find at least two mates prepared to spend 4-5 hours with me at the same time. Never did manage THAT.
Had this sim had really well-done automated crew stations so I could play solo, that would have encouraged me to persevere.
Plus, the documentation and tutorials, such as they were, were abysmal.

[Konrad Friedrich]

Originally posted by kimdownunder (aka Weissman):

I tried to get into it but it was simply TOO hard-core, and I needed to find at least two mates prepared to spend 4-5 hours with me at the same time. Never did manage THAT.
Had this sim had really well-done automated crew stations so I could play solo, that would have encouraged me to persevere.
Plus, the documentation and tutorials, such as they were, were abysmal.

In case you don't know:
If you don't have any teammates you know in person, you should try the official Wolfpack Discord.
https://discord.gg/Hu7Epsu
Not only are there people there who play with a lot of interest, but there are also players who use their expertise to help out with the gaps in the, admittedly outdated and to a certain degree inadequate, documentation.

[☆ Special Guest Star ☆]

What slowly kills the game is I think quite simple. Ever since the beta come out, people were facing bloody connectivity issues, and devs don't give a shim about it. Updates are slowly coming, but none of them are about the bugs, only some graphical polish that nobody really needs at this point, because people have serious issues joining lobbies to start with.

[kimdownunder]

My issue is that I live in a rural area with pathetic internet access, I have a satellite connection and the ping rates are usually 400+, so playing ANY team game is hopeless due to lag.
If Wolfpack had a really decent solo player mode where the bots were 100%, I might reconsider the game.
As it is, “U-Boat” is coming along in leaps and bounds and while still in EA it is much better for solo play.

Originally posted by Konrad Friedrich:

Originally posted by kimdownunder (aka Weissman):

I tried to get into it but it was simply TOO hard-core, and I needed to find at least two mates prepared to spend 4-5 hours with me at the same time. Never did manage THAT.
Had this sim had really well-done automated crew stations so I could play solo, that would have encouraged me to persevere.
Plus, the documentation and tutorials, such as they were, were abysmal.

In case you don't know:
If you don't have any teammates you know in person, you should try the official Wolfpack Discord.
https://discord.gg/Hu7Epsu
Not only are there people there who play with a lot of interest, but there are also players who use their expertise to help out with the gaps in the, admittedly outdated and to a certain degree inadequate, documentation.

Originally posted by Konrad Friedrich:

Originally posted by kimdownunder (aka Weissman):

I tried to get into it but it was simply TOO hard-core, and I needed to find at least two mates prepared to spend 4-5 hours with me at the same time. Never did manage THAT.
Had this sim had really well-done automated crew stations so I could play solo, that would have encouraged me to persevere.
Plus, the documentation and tutorials, such as they were, were abysmal.

In case you don't know:
If you don't have any teammates you know in person, you should try the official Wolfpack Discord.
https://discord.gg/Hu7Epsu
Not only are there people there who play with a lot of interest, but there are also players who use their expertise to help out with the gaps in the, admittedly outdated and to a certain degree inadequate, documentation.

[Dekland]

Pshh I'm playing.

[Colonel Frost]

"So what killed this game
The community is a fraction of what it was before bots were introduced.
What happened?"

Objection. Leading question. Assumes facts not in evidence.

This game is not dead. Not even close. The in game VOIP killed the Discord where the community had been meeting to play. It has taken a year to bring it back, and it is back. Multi-boat games form in the Discord. There are a lot of regular players across most time zones who have excellent skills, procedures and habits that elevate play. Week after week we strive to master it under conditions optimized for multi-boat play. Sometimes everything comes together. Sometimes the mission goes to hell. C'est la guerre. Recently we have been experimenting with Morse only radio. That's a trip.

I have been playing since September, 2019. The game never had a huge audience. The player base now is more robust and capable than it has ever been during my time. There are readily available player aids, tools, and tutorials. Captains make every effort to train new players. Everything you need to excel in the stable version can be had by asking in the Discord.

Further, if you want to know anything about U-boats, there are people in the Discord who have encyclopedic knowledge - technical, historical, engineering, math. It's all there. People who care about these subjects care about this game.

The game is not dead. The community are alive and well.