SH3 GWX vs SH4 Operation Monsun

[suitednate]

Asked this question over on the SH4 forum and got answers from people that tend to lean towards that platform so I'm posting this here to get answers from both sides....................Anyone here play both of these? Would like to know your opinion on which one you prefer if you have played both and why. I'm a veteran of SH3+GWX but am thinking about delving into Operation Monsun because I also have SH4. Just want to hear some opinions before I put in the work of installing it.

[Sailor Steve]

I play both, so I hope I can give you a fair comparison.

The Good: Nicer graphics, automatic crew rotation, 'Battle Stations', which puts the entire crew on alert and the best men of each team into their assigned compartments, the much nicer 'M' key which brings the message to you rather than take you to a 'Radio Room' screen, and probably a few more that I'm forgetting.

The Bad: SH4 doesn't have a multi-time-zone clock like SH3 does. SH3 shows GMT but if you pass the cursor over the time it also gives you local time, which changes with each time zone. SH4 gives you the time at your home base, and nothing else. Others have reported differently, but it has been my experience that I always have the exact same start time for every patrol, and I think it was 1100 hours.

What's missing: Lurker has done a stellar job with Operation Monsun, and it is great fun to play. That said, there are a couple of things he never got to finish. All officers in OM seem to have the same rank. The type II has 44 men. The correct number should be 25 for the IIa and 28 for the IId. SH4 also never got the attention from the modders that SH3 received and still does. Most of this is fluff, but it's fluff I like. The Kiel Canal is a big empty river (at least there is a canal, which stock SH3 didn't have). No locks, no gates. Not a lot of traffic in the harbors. None of the fun little goodies that GWX, LSH3 and WAC give. I'm sure the AI is okay, but nothing like NYGM's. No SH4 Commander. SH4 is better than SH3, but it doesn't have the flair that all those mods bring, and it seemingly never will. If those aren't things that matter to you, you'll probably love SH4 with OM.

If SH4 had all the mods benefits that SH3 does, I'd put the older game on the shelf and never look back. But it doesn't, so I still play both. I like SH4, but for the reasons stated I don't love it. On the other hand I still sometimes play Aces Of The Deep and Silent Hunter 1.

[suitednate]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

I play both, so I hope I can give you a fair comparison.

The Good: Nicer graphics, automatic crew rotation, 'Battle Stations', which puts the entire crew on alert and the best men of each team into their assigned compartments, the much nicer 'M' key which brings the message to you rather than take you to a 'Radio Room' screen, and probably a few more that I'm forgetting.

The Bad: SH4 doesn't have a multi-time-zone clock like SH3 does. SH3 shows GMT but if you pass the cursor over the time it also gives you local time, which changes with each time zone. SH4 gives you the time at your home base, and nothing else. Others have reported differently, but it has been my experience that I always have the exact same start time for every patrol, and I think it was 1100 hours.

What's missing: Lurker has done a stellar job with Operation Monsun, and it is great fun to play. That said, there are a couple of things he never got to finish. All officers in OM seem to have the same rank. The type II has 44 men. The correct number should be 25 for the IIa and 28 for the IId. SH4 also never got the attention from the modders that SH3 received and still does. Most of this is fluff, but it's fluff I like. The Kiel Canal is a big empty river (at least there is a canal, which stock SH3 didn't have). No locks, no gates. Not a lot of traffic in the harbors. None of the fun little goodies that GWX, LSH3 and WAC give. I'm sure the AI is okay, but nothing like NYGM's. No SH4 Commander. SH4 is better than SH3, but it doesn't have the flair that all those mods bring, and it seemingly never will. If those aren't things that matter to you, you'll probably love SH4 with OM.

If SH4 had all the mods benefits that SH3 does, I'd put the older game on the shelf and never look back. But it doesn't, so I still play both. I like SH4, but for the reasons stated I don't love it. On the other hand I still sometimes play Aces Of The Deep and Silent Hunter 1.

Thank you Sailor Steve! others please opine as well!! Keep em comin!!

[kvbrock82]

If i had to choose, i will take a GWX+mods SH3 over a modded SH4. The one thing i really do love about sh4 is the beautiful graphics, however after the novelty wears off i always find myself missing the atlantic theatre or mediterranean. Could be its because i was always far more interested in the european theatre, but theres something about sh3 that feels far more complete and immersive. Another thing i cannot stomach in sh4 is the rate of dud torpedoes. I wont turn them off as i like to play as close to reality as possible but they really do get on my nerves

[CCIP]

Originally Posted by kvbrock82

If i had to choose, i will take a GWX+mods SH3 over a modded SH4. The one thing i really do love about sh4 is the beautiful graphics, however after the novelty wears off i always find myself missing the atlantic theatre or mediterranean. Could be its because i was always far more interested in the european theatre, but theres something about sh3 that feels far more complete and immersive. Another thing i cannot stomach in sh4 is the rate of dud torpedoes. I wont turn them off as i like to play as close to reality as possible but they really do get on my nerves

We're talking about the mod "Operation Monsun", however, which has a full German U-boat campaign just like GWX.

(Despite the misleading name - it was originally meant to be only a Type IX campaign for distant waters, but its maker was inspired enough that he gradually kept adding theaters and boats, until he had the full campaign including the Atlantic and Med, as well as all of the U-boats featured in SHIII and its major mods).

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

The Bad: SH4 doesn't have a multi-time-zone clock like SH3 does. SH3 shows GMT but if you pass the cursor over the time it also gives you local time, which changes with each time zone. SH4 gives you the time at your home base, and nothing else.

That said, it's not necessarily a huge problem - actually setting things to GMT in SH3 always bugged me a bit, because Kriegsmarine ran exclusively on German time, not GMT. So, if you're departing from German or French bases, technically the base clock is accurate and it's the only clock actually relevant for keeping track of your patrol (although it may throw in some problems if you're combining it with a real celestial navigation mod).

[kvbrock82]

My bad, missed that.. I believe i had tried a med campaign using operation monsun a year or so ago. Cant really comment on it as i didnt give it much time and cant genuinely remember it too well but im sure i would have stuck with it if indeed it was a sufficient upgrade from sh3.. maybe its time for me to give it another go

[CCIP]

I'd recommend it, although I'll have to agree that the Med is probably a little richer in GWX, just because of all the variety of units! Since for much of the med campaign you're hunting military units as much as merchant ships, here GWX has a bit of an edge. Not that OM is bad at it, but I think where OM really shines is the merchant lanes and distant waters.

But I think the thing that's missing from SH4 (and OM) is a replacement for SH3 Commander - that one hurts, sadly, because Commander adds a lot of depth and flavour to any SH3 career!