Some questions from someone without sea legs.

[CanadianMinnow]

Hello people of Subsim.

As you can probably see this is my first post here but hopefully it wont be my last.

I have been strolling(not trolling) through your site for the last couple days as a guest and have decided to go ahead and register. Now when I mean by "someone without sea legs” is that I do not own any of the Silent Hunter games but have been thinking about going out and getting the SH4 Gold Edition(expansion and stuff extra with it)

Now what I wanted to ask is that, I don't have any naval background infact my only military like experience was with Air Cadets way back in the day. Now how did I become interested in this game? Well I have a passion for WW2 sims be it TAOW or the Combat Mission series plus I've watched a friend play a previous installment and up until now I have never investigated the series. Now since I have no background in sea.."goings" is this game going to be to hard for me to get into? I have no problem with a learning curve but is it going to be overwhelming at times? or does the game do a good job of explaining stuff to you. I've watched some videos of it on Youtube and it does look like a game I would like to get into but those people who made the videos look like they know what their doing as well :03: Plus one other thing is I read alot about how some people consider SH3 a better game then SH4 but since I have never played any of the other games, does it matter that I start with SH4?

Anyways I know thats a bunch of questions to ask right off the bat on my first post however if I do get this game I know I'll be returning to this forum day after day.

Thanks for any help or information you can provide and I hope to be talking with some of you soon.

[A Very Super Market]

I play SH3, and although they are both submarine simulations, the feel is quite different, I assure you. Take your pick, U-boots or fleetboats, and we promise not to fight over which one you pick :P

You shouldn't encounter much difficulty in Stock, so if you're completely new, you should go on low realism and destroy everything then move on to using manual aiming and such. If manual aiming is not for you, the super-mods still have the realism options on for you, so it doesn't matter if you're horrible or not. Just have fun playing!

And welcome! :yeah:

[FIREWALL]

Welcome Aboard Canned Minnow :salute:

Buy the game thru SubSim and you help Neal out at no extra cost to you.

As for the sim being to difficult, it will take a little time to get the hang of it but, that's half the fun.

There's alot of friendly members to answer all questions and help you have a great experience with SH4 Gold.

Buy it. Try it. You won't regret it. :DL

[Torplexed]

Welcome aboard! :salute:

If you're gonna play a simulation, a naval one is easy one to start with. Unlike a flight sim you don't need a joystick or to learn how to take off, or land or fancy aerodynamics. The boat just floats, dives and drives in the direction you point it. The manual torpedo targeting option can involve a bit of geometry, but you can also let the 'crew' handle that one. These games also have some basic schooling courses that teach you navigation, gunnery, torpedo firing, etc. When you sneak up on a target and deliver your first torpedo salvo you'll be hooked for life...most likely.:cool:

Preference for SH3 or SH4 really comes down to which theater interests you the most? The Atlantic with the Germans, or the Pacific with the Americans. However, SH4 is the more recent release so the graphics for it are a bit more up to date.

[Schani]

Ahoy CanadianMinnow!:salute:

With a keen interest in World War II as I have; why not get both SH III and Sh IV. No quibbling about which is better, I enjoy both thoroughly. And still play Combat Mission during lulls in a war patrol. SH IV on the Vista and CMBB or CMAK on the XP.

That reminds me. Check the perameters of your current computer to make sure it can handle SH IV. I'm guessing you have an XP for playing Combat Mission. So you should be able to run SH III. But check the compatibility for SH IV.

Enjoy.

[Rockin Robbins]

Welcome to Subsim and submarine simulations! I could not agree more with Schani, buy both SH3 and SH4. I believe you cannot fully appreciate one without the other, in spite of the addition of U-Boats to SH4.

Every one of us started out with zip for knowledge too. You'll find lots of help through the process here on Subsim, and the game has easier settings to help you lower the slope of that vertical learning curve. Don't feel like a wimp for using them to begin with.

Welcome aboard and I hope you're around for a long time enjoying the best two submarine simulations on the planet.

[mookiemookie]

Welcome to Subsim and submarine simulations! I could not agree more with Schani, buy both SH3 and SH4. I believe you cannot fully appreciate one without the other, in spite of the addition of U-Boats to SH4.
Agreed. I started much like you, having never played a naval sim before Silent Hunter 3. I was hooked immediately. With SH3 and the Grey Wolves Expansion 3.0 (GWX3) mod, you can really get a sense of what our very talented modding community can do with a game. It's been out for a while, so the mods are more polished and extensive. Play stock at first to get the hang of things, as it's much easier. Ramp up the difficulty with SH3 + GWX3, then move over into the pacific with Silent Hunter 4. Enjoy the improved graphics and scenery, then try out some of the SH4 mods. The SH4 modders keep making the game better and better. For even more immersiveness, read up a little bit on some of the history of the theatres and I guarantee you that it will make you appreciate the game all the more. You'll most likely gravitate towards the U.S. fleet boats or the German U-boats, or maybe you'll enjoy both equally.

Since the prices have come down on both games, you can pick them up through the Amazon.com link in the Subsim store for a very reasonable price.

And you'll find Subsim is one of the most friendly and helpful communities around. Any question, no matter how small or silly it may seem, is answered quickly and without making you feel dumb for asking it.

With that being said....welcome to our addiction! :arrgh!:

[CanadianMinnow]

Thanks everyone with the replies. :salute:

I think I'm going to go pick up Silent Hunter 4 there in the coming days and wait to see if I enjoy the series. If I do I'll pick up SH3 from this site(as some of you suggested) and enjoy that one to the fullest as well. Besides I have a tendency to play a game I enjoy pretty much non stop for awhile and I would rather get both at separate times so I'm not always splitt between them.

I know my computer has the specs to run SH4 and it should be compatible with XP, being as all specs for the game have said it is compatible with XP. Once I do pick it up I'll be playing through that vanilla(unmoded) version of it to get a feel for what it's like and then gradually as I read this forum add a few mods(maybe even ask what some essential ones are). Like I said in my first post I have been watching quite a few videos on Youtube and have been getting more and more into SH4 and if it looks as good as in the videos I'll be playing it for many months and maybe picking up SH3 in the not so distant future.

So thanks again for the replies and if anyone else has anything to share, please go right ahead.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Welcome to SUBSIM fellow Canuck :yep::up:

Both SH4 and SH3 are enjoyable games, plus there are lots of Mods that
really add to the experience.

When you do have a question, be sure to use the " search " function at the
top of the page here, some answers may be in older threads.

Good luck and enjoy your stay.


RDP

[snakeyez]

Welcome CanadianMinnow (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/member.php?u=243782), you will enjoy SH4.

I first started the game back in December of 2007. I had no prior knowledge of any sim game, especially submarines. I was pretty frustrated when I first began playing SH4. Eventually I learned how to play.

Then only suggestions I can pass to you is start with a very low % of realism. You set your realism before you leave port while you are at the desk. Then as you feel more comfortable, turn on certain realism settings and try them out. Work your way up to trying out some of the great mods for the game.

Make sure you come back to ask questions, as that's what we've all done.

[CanadianMinnow]

Hello again everyone! :salute:

I went and picked the SH4 Gold edition today and I have to say this game is F&^%**g amazing.

I only played threw the "submarine school" but I already feel like I'm hooked. I'm still steering at my key board like I was just in a real submarine trying to take out some Japanese Merchant Ships. I have no idea what I'm doing half the time and I'm sure the game is taken it easy on me but watching my first ship sink gave me a feeling that is going to keep me coming back for more.

I'm reading threw the manual right now trying to pick up all the things I missed and will be starting my very first American Campaign soon...just need to pick a class of ship first...hmmm :hmmm:

[Torplexed]

Glad to hear you are enjoying yourself already. The sim has a lot of visual appeal. :yeah:

Just be careful that you don't run into the problem that nags most newcomers. Namely, running out of fuel. If you have to patrol Japanese waters from Pearl Harbor especially, use the standard speed setting. You won't get there fast, but you'll get there with gas to spare for the patrol. :cool: Not as a big an issue if you join the Asiatic fleet in Manila as the patrol areas are practically on your doorstep.