[rascal101]

Hi to you Neal,

Many thanks for your response to mine - I did put a lot of thought into what I wrote as I did not want to be seen as one more who's moaning because the last rivet on the port side section of the rear torpedo tube is in the wrong place, the wrong shade of red and has a slight egg shape instead of perfectly spherical.

Nor did I want to be negative about the shortened campaign or the possibility of having to purchase additional items as yet to be developed as add-ons to the game - Like you I actually think this is a sure sign of healthy and continuing developer interest in a published game, rather than a cunning plot to fleece the poor and down-trodden gamer.

Since news of the imminent release of SH5, like you I've watched in horror as people took the trouble to accuse Ubisoft, the developer team or each other of all sorts of heinous crimes ranging from a plot to take over the world, destroy civilization as we know it, right through to they guy who wont buy SH5 because there are bow waves on some stationary ships in one of the videos.

I've refrained from making any comment on these issues as for the most part I felt they are small beer, likely to be sorted out by the developers before release - or the modders afterwards.

Last night having re-read your original interview and watched the latest video yet again I believe I hit on the answer and would like to pose the following question which goes to the heart of my concern.

It seems to me that the developers have created a historically, or at least chronologically plausible story line using the period 1939-43 as the base - within which you get to set out on a series of Dynamic Missions. There would be some acknowledgement of your achievements in a given mission, a letter from Donitz, a promotion which will give you a warm inner glow.

To some one with even a small understanding of WW2 history, YOU DONT CHANGE HISTORY ON THE STRENGTH OF A SINGLE SOLDIER, PLANE OR SHIP - unless you happen to sink the battleship with Winston Churchill on board or take out an aircraft carrier.

A single submarine does not change the outcome of the war, the actions of a number of subs in a given theatre might - but a single sub does not

As you say the concept might work, but to my mind it hasn’t where it’s been tried before! Witness Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising, stunning graphics, believable story line, the original STALKER, stunning graphics, believable story - right through to PT Boats, reasonable graphics - banal story - There are others where this has been done with varying style and quality.

The one thing that all of the above have in common, despite their great graphics and varying story is that having played them once, THEY ARE OF NO FURTHER INTEREST AND HAPPILY SHELVED - THIS WAS NEVER THE CASE WITH SH3 - which some folks are still playing 5 years after the original release.

This is the unique aspect of SH3 which every one loves, even though graphically it’s looking a bit tired, but the game delivers a random and surprising experience every time which all of the games outlined above simply do not do, they are static and unchanging.

I bought Flashpoint Dragon Rising, enjoyed it the first time, but never since. PT Boats, played a couple of missions - uninstalled the game. Band of Brothers the first in the series was great, the last was graphically superior to the first, but the story was tedious and banal and not worth a second go - you just know what’s going to happen next.

At the end of the day I’d like some clarification re the above - even if I'm right I'll probably still buy the game as I love the new graphics and, well it’s a U-Boat sim and I’d love it for that if nothing else.

But, having played through the first time, I doubt if it will have the same replay value as SH3, and I doubt any one will be playing it with passion and enthusiasm five years after release.

I hope you can get some comment from the developers - just a simple yes or no would do – if its as I suspect then I don’t have to keep logging onto SubSim to read all the crap as its going to be just another game anyway.

If I’m wrong and SH5 really does offer something unique as did SH3, or any of the Total War Series then I will happily and enthusiastically log on here until the cows come home to find out the latest

Best Regards to you, the SubSim Community and the Silent Hunter Developer team

Rascal

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

Thanks for the thoughtful message. If Dan says it has a dynamic campaign, who are we to doubt him. He knows this better than any of us and he is a very straightforward guy. This is not Ubi marketing talking, this is the lead designer. I see no reason to worry, Dan likes realistic and dynamic subsim gameplay AT LEAST as much as 99% of us.

I cannot speak for the developers, but I can say that since the first computer game was about to be released, the first players who posted in the first forum set an annoying trend/mindset that persists to this day: mild mass hysteria

Seriously, as far back as Aces of the Deep and Jane's 688(I), people get really worked up and passionate over imagined and real objections to these games, so much so it's silly. Sure, people should express their thoughts, whether they approve or disapprove of a game and it's features. But it's like there's an unwritten rule that people have to one-up each other with negativity. That is one of the main things that led me to start a Subsim forum back in 1998. I was really tired of reading unrestrained idiocy in other forums, I wanted a place where people could discuss games without degrading the theme into "This game SUXX!!" and similar rants. Who needs that?

As for SH5, I have not had a first hand test drive, so I am waiting like everyone else to see if it will pass muster, if the amplified RPG elements will make the game fun and if they will make the narrorer scope worth it. I do not know what market research Ubisoft did to lead them to try this different variant, but, I try to keep an open mind. Hey, it may turn out to be frigging great, who knows. I was really happy with SH3 and pretty happy with SH4 (patched). If SH5 does not live up to my expectations, well, I hope that will factor into the concepts behind SH6 (if there will be one, again, who knows ).

As for DLC, and adding a Type IX: if the SH5 with the Type VII gameplay and realism are terrific, and the interactive crew raises the genre to a new level like SH3 did, then hell yes, I would be happy to buy a Type IX DLC or add-on. I don't see this as a way for Ubi to squeeze $$ out of us, they are a business and I want the most subsim content I can get. Some people who do not know what they are talking about, do not know what the dev costs and resources are into making this game, may argue they are being ripped off, so let them skip it. But if the game turns out to be good, they will silently join us. Even if they admit they were mistaken (very rare), they sure did not do the sub game business any favors with their bad and uninformed word of mouth.

Of course, if the game is broken and released unfinished and does not get patched, then that's a different story.