Soliciting Suggestions

[Paladin132]

Hello,

I am getting back into SHIV after awhile and have a steam version at 1.3... I am looking for suggestions as to what I should upgrade and what major mods the community knows of that I should consider.

Should I really consider one of the expansion packs such as the german one to have a mod? I don't have any interest in the german upgrade honestly.

So what would you all suggest?

Thanks!

[Rockin Robbins]

First, upgrade to v1.5, SH4 U-boat Missions. Otherwise chasing mods is going to be very, very difficult and the many improvements to the game made by the 1.5 patch as worthwhile even if you have no interest in U-boats.

[Paladin132]

Ok, so what should I go for after then? I'm looking at TMO as I think I did RFB the last time I was playing... Any suggestions along those routes? Or anything that I should do alongside a bigger mod?

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by Paladin132

Ok, so what should I go for after then? I'm looking at TMO as I think I did RFB the last time I was playing... Any suggestions along those routes? Or anything that I should do alongside a bigger mod?

Lots of good choices and we're getting more. TMO is a difficulty mod, but in my estimation, not too difficult. If you're successful in RFB, TMO will be quite an inital shock as things you routinely did will get you killed. Quickly!

I like TMO's plotting system and keyboard layout much better. I enjoy the enemy AI with the planes that bomb you when you are at periscope level and sometimes below. I'm not in love with the bright blue water but that's not something I spend a lot of time thinking about.

But behind door number three and under construction is something you might be interested in: Fall of the Rising Sun Ultimate. We're taking the goodies from FOTRS v2.0--the German language version for SH4 v1.4 and translating it into the English version 1.3 to produce a whole new mod: FOTRS Ultimate. FOTRS is like GWX for SH4, with great graphic artists making absolutely beautiful ships and many more of them than the stock game. It is based on TMO 1.7, which on the whole I liked better than 2.5.

So lots of choices there. One word of advice. The game plays much better if you keep your list of mods short. All these mods by different people are making changes all over the place that are unannounced by the mod's title. RSRDC, for instance, destroys TMO's evil airplanes and redefines enemy AI in ways Ducimus never anticipated or appreciated. When you add RSRDC to RFB, TMO or stock you are no longer playing those versions. Much of their core concept has been overridden and replaced by RSRDC, which is a supermod on top of a supermod.

Environmental mods on top of supermods do the same thing: fundamentally change the way the game plays. They're a bad idea. I put gameplay ahead of eye candy every time. Eye candy is great as long as it has NO impact on gameplay. As soon as periscopes stop locking on targets or enemies suddenly change behavior the eye candy goes in my installation. You may think differently.