Submarines

[Alexander]

Hello everybody! What do you think about submarines in POC XXL? Personally, I don't like them at all! They are unrealistic for the use in the freight carrying shipping industry. Why did RDK implement this nonsense?

If you insist they must be there, for challenge of the game or something, I feel the fuel and maintenance costs for these ships should be much, much higher (actually as high as to make the sub economically not viable...)

Any comments?
Greetings, Alexander

[Dringi]

Well, don't say that submarines are unrealistic at all. When telling ship-owners 30 years ago that normal bulk-frighters are replaced by container-ships, they would have been laught at you.

Telling the same guys in the late 50s, that some day ships are travelling over the seven seas which can load over a 100,000 tons they would have been laught, too.

So why cannot travel commercial submarines some
day on the seas?

Greets
Holger
_________________
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[Alexander]

Hello Dringi! I see what you mean. Future trends are always hard to predict. No one could see our todays large bulkers come and the container was a surprise, too. Still, now that these things are there, we can see that they make sense economically: synergy effects and time saving play the foremost roles here.

But for submarines I cannot imagine at all where the advantages maybe. O.k. you can theoretically, as in POC make a polar shortcut from Europe to Japan by diving under the northpole.

But the systems to safely operate a submarine are so complicated and expensive! Building them and maintaining them costs very, very much money. Also fuel costs for a submarine should normally be higher than for a surfacing freigher.

Basically a submarine is as complicated as an airplane. But airplanes are mass products (compared to ships) and therefore afforadable and make economic sense. The point is that if you change from trucks or trains to airplanes, your speed advantage (and the direct ways) give you a travel time improvent that reduces times to 1:10 or even 1:20. You cannot reach this with the subs. They are as fast as a normal ship, so if you want to get an extra advantage out of them, it can only be on the polar route. On any other routes subs must lose money in comparison to normal ships.

O.k., I'll finish for now. More comments still welcome!

Greetings,
Alexander

[beardman]

Why do we need submarines? I've played the game now for 15 year's and never missed a submarine .

POC is a strategy game and submarines do not make a difference in strategy. It may be fun to know that you own a freight submarine on the easy level, but start getting bored. Maybe you should consider another game, like Tomb raider?

Or start playing the game on expert level.

Greetz Bart

[Shouri]

Hello Dringi,

to be honest, I don't think that someone will ever bring a submarine as a freight carrier on this earth, I don't say that it's not possible but it's a economically botomless pit. The reason why I say that, is as you maybe know, when you see the life of a submarine (military of course) is :
one third from and to her patrol area,
one third on patrol area,
and one third on maintenance. Not to mention the high qualifications of the crew. So the only possible crews now would be ex military crews on board.

To Beardman,

About the game, untill now, I haven't seen one (because I started in 1975), and the day that there will be available, well then the choice is mine, personally I don't think I will buy one, but if someone else does in his game......why not. So in my opinion, NO, about the chances that in reality a freight submarine will ever be build.
Yes in the game, because it's still a game, and you are free to chose the reality or the "science fiction".

Shouri
_________________
A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for.

- Grace Murray Hopper

[Selliner]

shouri i think you are right.
But i think if you see the cost, the speed and consumtion of the fuel at full speed (42 kn) you will buy the submarine

[Alexander]

Hi Selliner! Unfortunately the data of the POC sub you present here only show how deperately unrealistically the parameters of the POC sub are! You cannot get this high speeds and advantageous fuel consuption out of a sub. That is what I mean with my remark that cost and parameters should be adjusted....

Alexander