Knights with swords galloping across the plains, engaging in fierce battles...
long ago, that's what war looked like. Then, the miracles of industrialization by modern civilization changed everything. Weapons became more powerful and complex. Making tanks and fighter jets required loads of factories. So, wars began to be fought in factories. The path to victory was outproducing the enemy in weaponry.
But this was a tough task. Then the generals had a brilliant idea: destroy the enemy's factories. A new era of warfare had begun.
Around the same time, scientists were working on a new bomb that could obliterate entire factories and cities. It was perfect for this new age of war. Everything was there at the right time. To quote Victor Hugo: "Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come."
Submarines and Nuclear Weapons
We often think of submarines as smart hunters, but that’s only half the story. The other half is way more audacious. They're the most powerful fleet in human history, trusted with the ability to launch hundreds of nuclear warheads and wipe out entire continents in an instant.
Of course, this system is always controversial and comes with many paradoxes. I want to focus on these themes in the game's story mode, but for now, let's talk about more practical issues.
The Problem of Reality and Boredom
Playing simulation games often reveals a harsh truth: real life can be pretty dull. I once flew a Boeing 787 from London to New York in Microsoft Flight Simulator, sitting for seven hours monitoring the autopilot. While I love airplanes, I would prefer a more meaningful holiday.
By analogy, missions for strategic missile submarines (SSBNs) would be incredibly boring. Their main duty is to remain undetected—no flashy battles, no tense chases—just waiting in a safe zone for orders.
This fundamental dullness of reality poses a major challenge for games and movies. Everyone wants to play iconic submarines like Project 941, but without some drama, the fun is limited.
The Issue of Game World Size
Even if we come up with an enjoyable SSBN mission, another problem arises. Our game world is 100km by 100km, so when ballistic missiles are launched, they fly out of view. We can't even see our targets.
This is a common issue in all 3D games. As weapon ranges increase, the game world expands, leading to long travel times and barely visible targets—just icons on the screen. Map-based games like Hearts of Iron excel in this, offering the best way to enjoy strikes across the globe, but what we're creating is different.
Hence, we even question whether players should be able to select strategic missile submarines in the first place. We have already completed several 3D models. However, as previously mentioned, it's worth rethinking how to incorporate these weapons into the game.
Simple Proposals
For example, how about making SSBNs and nuclear weapons available as special items once the game is completed? They wouldn't appear in main missions but could provide fun for SSBN enthusiasts. Alternatively, allowing their use in specific story missions could be more realistic, considering military command structures. But there will still be players who want to use nuclear missiles more freely. If you have any interesting suggestions, please leave a comment!
Project Progress
Development of nuclear weapons in the game is going well. I researched YouTube footage of nuclear tests and created the following sequence.
Unlike dry deserts, condensation rings appear at Pacific testing sites. We've conducted multiple tests to replicate these in the game engine. It's not perfect yet, but it looks good as a prototype.
https://youtu.be/VmD6jbSOIXU
Nuclear weapons will be a recurring theme throughout the game. There's much more to delve into, but it's too lengthy to cover here, so I'll save it for another time.
Our recent focus has also been on game design. Technically, the game is almost complete, but as a play experience, it still needs work. I want the game to be intuitive for players who are new to submarines, which requires additional research. As always, I'm open to ideas!