OpenSSN

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May 21, 2013: New mission - 1.4
OpenSSN has been updated to include a new mission. This new scenario was provided by David Luckie. This release should also correct all known bugs in the sub-sim.


June 6, 2012: Bug fix release - 1.3
A few minor bugs and compiler warnings were cleaned up this week. As a result we are releasing OpenSSN 1.3 to address these issues. No new features were added to this release.


June 3, 2012: New release - 1.2
We are happy to announce the availability of OpenSSN 1.2. This release does not include new features, but fixes a few bugs. Ship files have been updated, the Makefile is cleaner and OpenSSN no longer attempts to create extra font files and save them in the player's directory.

We are also very pleased to announce OpenSSN has been packaged and accepted into the Debian repositories. This means users of Debian, Ubuntu, Mint and other related Linux distributions will soon be able to install and play OpenSSN using their distribution's package manager.


November 7, 2011: New release - 1.1
We are pleased to announce a new version of OpenSSN is now available for download. This release introduces helicopters, which will track and fire upon enemy submarines. As a result submarines under AI control will avoid traveling near the surface. To demo helicopters one new mission has been added to the game.

This release also fixes a new build issues, making us more compatible with a wider range of operating systems. We have also cleaned up some compiler warnings.


September 26, 2011: New release - 0.9
I know it has only been about a week since OpenSSN 0.8 came out, but we have been making a lot of little adjustments and feel there has been enough of an improvement in the game play and behind-the-scenes code to justify a new release. Some key new features are:
  • Three new missions, including recon, sub vs sub and subs vs convoy
  • Several improvements to AI, which allow enemy vessels to be much more effective. They hunt, they are curious and they set up their attacks based on their mood and role.
  • Submarines now change depth much quicker, making for shorter waits when moving between thermals or coming up to periscope depth.
  • The AI can now detect radar and active sonar and will react to these.
  • Submarines under AI control will change depth while on patrol.
  • Colours have more contrast on the sonar screen.
  • A manual page, icon file and (Linux) desktop file have been added.
  • The number of vessels on the map can now be much greater than before, allowing for more complex missions.
  • New submarines and surface ships have been added.
Not bad for a week's work. Special thanks to Vincent Cheng, who sent in some fixes and is working to get OpenSSN packaged for the Debian project.


September 18, 2011: New release - 0.8
We are happy to announce a new release of OpenSSN is now ready for download. A lot of work has gone into this version to make the game more compatible on various platforms. OpenSSN should now work on FreeBSD, Linux, Mac and Windows.

Besides platform compatibility work, this version includes some fun new features, including:
  • Thermal layers, giving submarines new hiding places.
  • A new mission in which the player hunts a missile sub.
  • New depth controls and a depth meter showing thermal layers.
  • Improvements to the helm compass.
  • Improvements to the targeting system.
  • A first draft of the manual in Spanish.
Please let us know what you think. You can send us feedback via the contact page or on the Indie SubSim forum. Happy hunting!


September 15, 2011: Ported to Mac OSX 64-bit
The porting to other operating systems continues with the help of ummonk of the SubSim forums. User ummonk has provided a zipped package with a executeable file for OS X users which should work on 64-bit machines. You can find this package via our download page.


September 5, 2011: Ported to Windows
We are very happy to be able to announce OpenSSN has been ported to Windows, due to the hard work of magicstix of the SubSim forums. This is our first release on Windows, so we can use all the feedback we can get. Please drop us an e-mail or drop by the SubSim forum and share your experience.

The new Windows port can be found here or through our download page.

We're also happy to have an early draft of our user manual available in English and Spanish. Please see the download page for copies of the manual.


August 15, 2011: New release - 0.7
We are happy to announce a new release of OpenSSN, version 0.7. This release contains a lot of new features and bug fixes, all of it very exciting for us. So what's new?

First up, a big bug which would cause the game to lose connection to the display (X11) has been fixed. Torpedo behavour has been improved and they detect hits better. AI controlled ships running from torpedoes will now slow down and change course when the torpedo runs out of fuel. Surface ships should now be able to detect enemies on the surface using radar. A bug which caused crashes when tracking torpedoes has been fixed. When a ship in a convoy is hit, the convoy will now scatter. The sonar display works better and active sonar has been added to the game. All ships and subs will now remain within the map borders so they can't run for ever. AI warships and submarines will now stalk and shoot at enemies. By popular demand, sound support has been added to the game. Right now it needs to be turned on using the "-s" flag on the command line. And one new mission has been added, demoing two friendly submarines working together to fight four enemy destroyers.

In short, the game should be much more stable and more fun. Give it a try and let us know what you think!


July 5, 2011: New release - 0.6
A new version of OpenSSN is now available. This release is mostly focused on bug fixes and corrects some problems with installing. The game should now also be faster and more effective at finding its data files (important for cross-platform work).

Regarding game play, the player is now warned if torpedoes are targeting the player's submarine. Noisemakers now work and will sometimes distract torpedoes. The towed sonar array can be cut to reduce drag on the sub (making it go faster). A new mission has been added. Additionally, ships traveling in a convoy will no longer wander off from the rest of the convoy.

Some bugs which could cause crashes have been fixed. The AI has received some minor improvements and noisemakers now behave properly.


June 26, 2011: New release - 0.5
Good news, Captains, we've got a new release available for you to try! Players will notice we now have a main menu which will allow players to select which mission they want to play (there are currently just two missions, but more will be coming soon). Some basic combat is now in place so players can fire at enemies and enemies will return fire if they hear you.

Some other minor improvements have been made. The code should now be more stable, having the towed-array sonar deployed limits the player's top speed and the sonar "waterfall" display shows ships, subs and torpedoes in different colours for easier identification. (Ships are green, submarines blue and torpedoes are shown in red.)

Some technical improvements have been made too, which should reduce CPU usage and cut down on how often we access the hard drive. Enjoy!


June 11, 2011: New release - 0.4
We've been hard at work making improvements to OpenSSN (see the note below) and now we've got some mission code to test. OpenSSN now has its first mission, which will begin as soon as the game loads. The mission is to find the one enemy submarine in the area. Once the enemy is found, the mission is over. It's possible to shoot at the surface ships for practice, but shooting is not a requirement.

This release also fixes some problems with topedo sonar, the ESM display and corrects abs() calls which were confusing the FreeBSD compiler.


June 8, 2011: Code update and SVN
I am happy to report we now have a SVN code repository set up for developers and testers. Those interested in trying the latest and greatest code can check it out by running
svn co https://openssn.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/openssn openssn

Also on a technical note, the original LinuxSSN code upon which OpenSSN is based, used fixed-length arrays and index markers to keep track of ships and submarines. This was useful at first as it made testing and debugging easier, but as we're adding missions, torpedoes and other dynamic elements to the game the arrays meant we were using quick hacks to add new stuff. To make things more flexible we've swapped out the arrays for linked-lists. Game play should be exactly the same as before, but now developers will have a (hopefully) more flexible basis to work from. There is still some work to do getting all the ship code and torpedo code working together, but it'll all be in place for the next release.


May 30, 2011: Feature additions
This release, hot on the heels of 0.2, adds weapons for the player. The player can now load torpedoes and noise makers via the Weapons Console (F3) and fire at selected targets. The AI ships will now make very basic course changes and, if struck by enough torpedoes, they will sink.


May 23, 2011: Minor feature release
This release, version 0.2, brings some new game play elements and minor bug fixes. The map now zooms more smoothly, data and image files get their own directory and OpenSSN can search for its data files on the system (allows for system-wide installs). The Makefile now handles "install" and "deinstall" targets. Radar and ESM no longer work deep underwater (below 50 feet). The tactical map has been cleaned up a bit and ships only appear on the map if we can detect them through sonar/radar/esm signals. The player can now select targets (using the TAB) key to get more information about those targets. We've added a user manual.

At the moment there isn't any combat and no missions, but we should see that in the near future. Please submit feedback via our contact page.


May 12, 2011: Initial Release
This is to annoucne the initial release of OpenSSN. The subsim is in its early stages. At the moment it allows the player to manipulate the submarine's controls, and detect other ships, but tracking and weapons are not yet implemented. For information on how to build and run OpenSSN, please see our README file.