Mr. Dan Dimitrescu, Lead Designer for the upcoming game "Silent Hunter 4: Pacific U-Boat Mission", the add-on for "Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific" was kind enough to answer a few questions for Games32... and of course for you!

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1. Thank you for this interview. Please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a bit about your position in the development team.
Hello! I’m Dan Dimitrescu, one of the two main designers of Silent Hunter 4/Wolves of the Pacific. As a designer, I establish the concept of the game and work out lots of documentation that poor programmers have to implement.

2. There is not much information at this time on the Internet about this add-on. Is it a stand-alone pack or will it require the original game in order to play? Can we expect to see any improved graphics, physics or sounds?
The add-on requires the original game to be installed and cannot be played separately. We feel it brings many enhancements to the game, the most visible being new ships and units that the player can encounter. A richer world is always better from a simulation player’s point of view.

3. Along with a few new submarine models that gamers will be allowed to “drive”, will we be able to control other things like u-boats or plane bombers? What’s new in terms of simulation and realism?
The add-on is mostly about German u-boats, and adds two playable models of those to the game: the long range type IX-D2, which historically is associated with the campaign in the Indian Ocean, and the Walther turbine powered type XVIII.

Apart from those, the player is given indirect (read: strategic) control over several kinds of units: scout planes, disguised armed merchant cruisers, cruiser groups, aircraft carriers and a few surprises.

4. U-Boat Missions adds heroes to your crew. Can you give us some examples of legendary figures that will be manning your stations? How will they make a difference comparing to your regular crewmen?
Our heroes are inspired by historical figures with legendary traits, but we don’t use actual names. The reason for this is twofold.

First, it’s out of respect for the real persons, which are better not transformed in video game characters.

Second, one of our dynamic campaigns values is unlimited repleyability and you cannot have the same characters popping out each time without ruining this.

Your heroes will generally bring unique abilities that are sometimes met on the field of the battle. One is an inspiration to his men and can motivate them to perform up to their limits longer. Another one is a great torpedoes expert that can debug the warheads and ensure you don’t get many duds. And the list could go on. 

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5. What will the system requirements be for this add-on? Will we need to upgrade our systems a bit?
The minimal requirements have remained unchanged, because we have optimized the engine quite a little bit from release. Loading times are much shorter and memory usage is lower. So, leave the wallet alone.

But then again, if you need an excuse to buy that new card, by all means don’t let us stand in the way! :)

6. What can we expect from multiplayer? Any new additions to the multiplayer modes?
The add-on focuses on single player by adding a German campaign (that can be easily extended by modders) to the Silent Hunter 4 engine. So multiplayer is basically unchanged.

7. I know size was a concern in the original game, so a demo was never released. Will we be able to play a demo this time?
The size concern remains so, unfortunately, there will be no demo.

8. Are there plans for a PS3 or Xbox 360 port?
No plans at this time, but in the future anything can happen. One has to consider that Silent Hunter offers a deep, demanding experience that is also very rewarding on the medium and long run. It requires specific control methods that are not easily ported to consoles.

9. Should we expect a poetic intro similar to the original SH4?
We’re working on a special trailer for the add-on, but so far we aren’t ready to release information on it.

10. Tell us some new features that are really cool and you think players will enjoy most.
Some of us get their kicks from using the new strategic interface to bring battleship groups to meet the enemy – once they reach the proper rank that is. Hanging out with the big boys in a battle – during the campaign – is always an awe-inspiring experience.

11. Did we leave anything out? Anything else you would like to share with our readers? When is “Silent Hunter 4: Pacific U-Boat Missions” going to be released?
The add-on will be released early next year. In the meantime, watch out for patch 1.4.

Thank you for your time!
Thank you too!