ComradeP
03-23-07, 05:51 AM
Note that most of this is based on my (hopefully) rational thinking, and might not actually be true gameplay wise:
After playing SH III's Grey Wolves mod extensively, and experiencing the fairly realistic difficulty it offers, I think I'll be in for some sort of a shock with SH IV: technically, the game gets easier instead of more difficult as time passes and the Allied forces (re)gain more and more territory.
Most of you are probably thinking: "yeah, so?:hmm:" after reading that, but do you realise what this might mean?
It might mean that the late war experience with SH IV might be easier, by a few factors, than the late war experience in SH III.
In SH III GW, surfacing in 1943 is a bad idea, surfacing in 1944 is a worse idea and surfacing in 1945 will take you straight to a certain Mr Jones' Locker.
In SH IV surfacing in 1943 is still a bad idea near Japanese airbases, surfacing in 1944 is probably fairly OK as the majority of the Kido Butai has been changed into Hilton hotels for fish on the sea floor and Japanese air presence is less of a threat to submarines due to a focus on fighting surface vessels with suicide weapons (former ASW bombers being converted to be able to carry the Ohka, for example).
A few other things, some of which are also mentioned in other threads:
-Allied naval presence increased significantly throughout the war, Japanese Pacific ocean presence was on the decrease from mid 1943 onwards (Sea of Japan/China presence was on the decrease from 1944 onwards).
-Japanese ASW tactics improved throughout the war, but ASW equipment didn't quite follow that trend. Late war radar and sonar was reserved for ships of Task Forces rather than for the Japanese equivalent Hunter Killer groups. In short: you'll get a technological edge on the Japanese starting somewhere at the end of 1943, which is also around the time when the Navy supplies you with torpedo's that actually function properly.
-Allied air presence in your likely patrol area increases from 1943 onwards.
The main question is: how will all of that effect gameplay? I'm inclined to think that late war encounters with convoys will involve "plinking" the escorts from long range and casually deck gunning the freighters afterwards. Not exactly a welcome prospect, from the perspective of challenge offered by the game.
Mods (like the re-released sensor mod) can make the game more difficult, but mods won't change the overall course of the war, so players will have to adapt to the fact that they're playing with the winning as opposed to the losing side.
Opinions?
After playing SH III's Grey Wolves mod extensively, and experiencing the fairly realistic difficulty it offers, I think I'll be in for some sort of a shock with SH IV: technically, the game gets easier instead of more difficult as time passes and the Allied forces (re)gain more and more territory.
Most of you are probably thinking: "yeah, so?:hmm:" after reading that, but do you realise what this might mean?
It might mean that the late war experience with SH IV might be easier, by a few factors, than the late war experience in SH III.
In SH III GW, surfacing in 1943 is a bad idea, surfacing in 1944 is a worse idea and surfacing in 1945 will take you straight to a certain Mr Jones' Locker.
In SH IV surfacing in 1943 is still a bad idea near Japanese airbases, surfacing in 1944 is probably fairly OK as the majority of the Kido Butai has been changed into Hilton hotels for fish on the sea floor and Japanese air presence is less of a threat to submarines due to a focus on fighting surface vessels with suicide weapons (former ASW bombers being converted to be able to carry the Ohka, for example).
A few other things, some of which are also mentioned in other threads:
-Allied naval presence increased significantly throughout the war, Japanese Pacific ocean presence was on the decrease from mid 1943 onwards (Sea of Japan/China presence was on the decrease from 1944 onwards).
-Japanese ASW tactics improved throughout the war, but ASW equipment didn't quite follow that trend. Late war radar and sonar was reserved for ships of Task Forces rather than for the Japanese equivalent Hunter Killer groups. In short: you'll get a technological edge on the Japanese starting somewhere at the end of 1943, which is also around the time when the Navy supplies you with torpedo's that actually function properly.
-Allied air presence in your likely patrol area increases from 1943 onwards.
The main question is: how will all of that effect gameplay? I'm inclined to think that late war encounters with convoys will involve "plinking" the escorts from long range and casually deck gunning the freighters afterwards. Not exactly a welcome prospect, from the perspective of challenge offered by the game.
Mods (like the re-released sensor mod) can make the game more difficult, but mods won't change the overall course of the war, so players will have to adapt to the fact that they're playing with the winning as opposed to the losing side.
Opinions?