Deciding when/if to buy SH4

[Mystic]

1) I regrettably passed on SH3 because of Starforce. I understand that SF was not used on SH4 ... however, I recall some early reports of similar problems (with DVD-RW drives and such) with the new copy protection on SH4, right after the game's release, and so I stopped paying much attention thereafter. Now that a lot of time has elapsed, is there a consensus on SH4 and its propensity (or lack thereof) to not run properly or even screw up computers because of copy protection? (After SH3 I continue to be extremely wary of Ubisoft in this regard.)

2) The system I would run SH4 on if I were to get it today is an Athlon 64 3000+ (which runs at 2GHz), 1GB of RAM and a Radeon 9800 Pro 256MB videocard. The recommended specs for the game don't seem to differentiate between clock rates on the Intel and the AMD chips, so even though the Athlon 64 3000+ is roughly performance equivalent to a 3Ghz Pentium 4, I don't know if it just barely meets the game's minimum specs, or the recommended ones. I'm also concerned that the video card might be at the "bare minimum" level as well. Any thoughts? Should I look into upgrading my system before attempting to run SH4?

3) I still see a lot of complaints about SH4 needing more patching, and not having been completed to the same degree as SH3. Well, not having played SH3, the newest comparable sim I have is SH2. How does SH4 after patch 1.3 compare to SH2 in terms of completeness, AI quality, bugs, etc.?

[TDK1044]

Get SH 4. Patch it to 1.3 and you can run it with no DVD in the Drive. Add Trigger Maru 1.4 as a mod and add 1 GIG oF RAM to your system if you can afford to do so.

Patched and modded as above, SH4 is now the best WWII subsim ever in my opinion. :D

[SteamWake]

3) I still see a lot of complaints about SH4 needing more patching, and not having been completed to the same degree as SH3.

Yea Ive heard that too... :rotfl:

Listen Im not going to say it couldent use a bit more work but frankly its a solid game.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Great game ( still a few issues ), lots of mods, upgrade your system a bit as has been mentioned and you are set to go.


RDP

[mookiemookie]

The minor flaws remaining shouldn't keep you from buying the game.

[Wilcke]

Get it, patch it, add TM1.4 and add a gig of RAM, ENJOY!

Wilcke

[John Channing]

You will have a problem with your GPU if you hope to run it at full settings. Other than that, buy it.

JCC

[Sailor Steve]

3) I still see a lot of complaints about SH4 needing more patching, and not having been completed to the same degree as SH3.

Yea Ive heard that too... :rotfl:

Listen Im not going to say it couldent use a bit more work but frankly its a solid game.
And once again I feel compelled to repeat that many, many evil things were said about SH3, including that it wasn't completed to the same degree as anything, ever.

[THE_MASK]

1) How does SH4 after patch 1.3 compare to SH2 in terms of completeness, AI quality, bugs, etc.?:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[chopped50ford]

one word..."awesome"

[switch.dota]

SH IV 1.2 = so and so -- you need to be dedicated to buy it.

SH IV 1.3 + mods = great game -- no complaints.

I do like to see some issues fixed but they're really minor and not gamebreaking. CErtainly not something that would make me want to refrain from buying this game.

[sqk7744]

This is NOT SH2 (SH4 v1.3+mods)

http://www.compuglobalhypermeganet.tv/images/sh4/072707/notsh2b.jpg
http://www.compuglobalhypermeganet.tv/images/sh4/072707/notsh2.jpg

[Squires]

3) I still see a lot of complaints about SH4 needing more patching, and not having been completed to the same degree as SH3. Well, not having played SH3, the newest comparable sim I have is SH2. How does SH4 after patch 1.3 compare to SH2 in terms of completeness, AI quality, bugs, etc.?

No matter how much patching is done people will always complain. No game company is going to please everyone. I've had the game for less than a week, but like what I see so far.

I run just fine with 1GB of RAM and a video card not on the compatiability list.

[switch.dota]

For PC spec issues, know that I run the game quite well with below average graphical settings on a sub-par system:

Ath XP @ 1700+
768 MB RAM
gforce 6600 @ 256 RAM

That's quite low, except for maybe the video card. And I still enjoy it all the way.

[Digital_Trucker]

As far as the vid card goes. I run the game quite well (albeit at other than highest video settings) with an ATI 9600 Pro 256MB card (very slightly overclocked because I can't afford to replace it) and an AMD Athlon XP 3200+ and a gig of ram.

You won't see me winning any eye candy contests, but it runs well and is not at all unpleasant to the eye.

With the right mods, the game is downright addictive (read that as immersive to the max).

[Skyhawk]

EDIT

Short version:

1) This was the same problem and concern I had at SH4's release. Legal, storebought copy, installation went smooth, original game disk wasn't recognized and program wouldn't run. After a complete wipe of the program from my drive, subsequent reinstallation, immediate reboot of computer, installation of patch 1.3, another immediate reboot, then installation of TM v1.4 No problems whatsoever. Of course the original game disk isn't required to be in the drive anymore so that takes care of that.

2) "switch.dota" covers this question I think. However, a word of advice, don't get greedy for all the eye-candy by cranking up all the settings and it will still be an excellent game. That's a fact. (sorry, 25 words of advice, I tend to do that hehe).

3) SH4 patched to v1.3 and modded with TM v1.4 is far and away the best. It's in a completely different league regarding gameplay (patched and modded), and when you are ready to upgrade your computer, you are going to be blown away by the visuals when you can max them out.

END OF EDIT

PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK! HEAVY WINDS AND HIGH SEAS DIRECTLY AHEAD!

[Original Post]

Mystic,

I was one of the people who bought SH4 the day it was released and was very disappointed. I made every effort to voice my dissatisfaction on the UBI forums as well. I stand by everything I posted over there regarding the release state of this sim, but now, the state of this sim has changed in major fashion thanks to some very dedicated folks called modders and software developers (a.k.a. "devs").:rock:

From a consumer's perspective, I can honestly say that this product is now worth the purchase price, patched to v1.3, and modded with TM 1.4. :up:

Believe me, I don't make this claim lightly. I was banned over at the UBI forums for speaking my mind, although the moderators there would no doubt tell you different.

No, I don't care for fanboys or moderators anywhere who refuse to listen to legitimate complaints, and who intentionally aggravate one of their own members with sarcasm and personal attacks, and then ban the very same object of their wit and sarcasm, at the first sign of receiving some of the same back. :roll:

But I digress . . .

I couldn't return my copy of the game, so all I could do was hope until now, that the dev's would be allowed to effect the major coding changes needed, and that the modding folks of this very dedicated subsim community would rise to the task. This has happened and I'm glad to say that instead of a $50 USD beer coaster, I now have a great game sitting on my hard drive. :yep:

Are there minor problems that remain? Yup, a few. But if you give the game a chance you'll find that only the most absolutely diehard "rivet counters" still call them game-breakers. Also, I'm sure the modders will continue to fine tune things a bit more and what is now an excellent game will get even better. I have a copy of every version of the SH series sitting in my software collection, including the original SSI Silent Hunter "Commander's Version". This is said not to brag, but to let you know that what I have posted here has some legitimate substance. You see, I BELIEVE it is very possible to be a fanboy, but yet remain rational and objective. To wit, the bit of my personal UBI forum history injected into this post as well. Sometimes, it's just as important to know where a person is coming from, as well as what they are typing, all the while leaving biased misinterpretations "at home". Don't let low post counts be a deciding factor in formulating an opinion of someone, you never know how long they might have been "lurking". :smug:

OT: Forgive me for taking out the trash. I could care less on a personal level about being banned at the UBI forums because I still believe it was the result of being designated a whipping post for some other equally frustrated people. They simply had more buttons on their UI, not more common sense, tact, or maturity, IMHO (which cost me the same 2 cents as everyone else, including them). :yep: :up:

p.s. Yup, I turn 49 years-old next month (and have been married 29 of those years to the same woman), I served 4 years of active duty in the U.S.M.C. and made Sgt (E-5) in a little over 3 years, and managed to retire last year at 48 years-old after paying for my two children's college education. So contrary to what I know some here who also moderate at another place "never to be named again" :lol: believe, I'm not as dumb as a box of rocks. :know:

p.s.s. To the moderators on this forum: No worries, this forum will not become a new pulpit from which to "preach" of my past difficulties over at the UBI forums. I have better things to do with my time, like play SH4 among other things. :yep: :up:

[FAdmiral]

It is said that history repeats itself but nobody pays much attention.
Like in SH3, not so good in the beginning but awesume a few years later.
Now we have SH4 but many do NOT remember the job the modders did with
SH3 so they complain. But some of us know that SH4 will have its day like
SH3 did. Just don't expect it to happen overnight....

JIM

[Chock]

SH4 is a good game, it's just not such a major leap forward from SH3 as many expected it would be. But that doesn't make it bad.
Given that SH3 is a good game in the first place, the similarity between the two is actually probably a good thing on the whole, as now the Pacific theatre fans can kick ass too, and modding it is basically very similar to doing it for SH3, so we can expect big things.
There is no denying that it's a looker too.

:D Chock

[w-subcommander]

I m playing SH4 1.3 with TM 1.4.,Torpedo x1.5 damage , R&L_Intl_Periscopes,and Improved_Night_Visibility mods.I m playing both full TM1.4 and Decimus "cutted" by me TM1.4( I just put back original campaign files to increase frequency of convoys as it in original 1.3 patch).Therefore I have both sub sim and sub game. It feels great!!!
Thanks to Devs. Special gratitude is for Decimus, Anvart, Captain_Cox and all others modders who made it possible.

SH4 + patch1.3 + TM 1.4 + mods of your choice = best sim ever made.
of couse there are some minors bugs but nobody (and nothing) is perfect.
About realism level: If you want real 99.9% level of realism please take your pc with sh4 to the bathroom (or pool if you re rich enough) , fill bath(pool) with water and jump in with snorkel. happy hunting!!!!!!!! take all neccesary precautions and do not execute "dive!!! dive!!!" command by dropping PC in the water

[Heffalump]

BTW, I've heard you can now get SH3 without starforce. You might want to try that and start off with GWX and give time for the SH4 mods to mature.

[TDK1044]

I had a conversation with one of the SH3 Devs a few weeks back, and I was informed that there was not yet a legal verion of SH3 available without SF.

[Mystic]

I had a conversation with one of the SH3 Devs a few weeks back, and I was informed that there was not yet a legal verion of SH3 available without SF.

Thank you for clarifying that. I was under the impression that SH3 still came with SF (unfortunately), and I had a few seconds of hope there when I read the previous message suggesting that a SF-free version was available. Maybe someday ... I can only hope.

To everyone else: okay, overall it sounds like SH4 should be a go for me, so I can start looking on store shelves for the right price now. Good! Once I've gotten it, I'll first see how it runs on my system as is, and will try adding some more RAM first if it's too slow. (Hopefully not, since I've got 2x512MB in my two RAM slots right now, and would have to replace both to go up to 2GB.)

I'm hardly surprised that SH4 is graphically far beyond SH2. :) I was merely asking if SH4 was substantially more complete and playable from end to end than SH2 was (I was never very happy with the latter). Since I've never seen SH3 beyond screenshots, I'm at least not going to be guilty of thinking that SH4 isn't that much more advanced than SH3, 'cause it will all be new to me.

[Rockin Robbins]

Both games deserve a place in your arsenal. SH3 with GWX is a game just as fine as SH4 in my opinion. There are things I like and don't like about both games. Mostly they correspond with the things I wouldn't like in real life. Playing with destroyers in GWX makes playing with destroyers in SH4/TMaru seem like kindergarden most of the time. And that reflects the real life capabilites pretty well.

One thing can be said without reservation: Silent Hunter 3 and 4 are the best submarine simulations on the planet and getting better. They will have a playing life of a couple years at least. Compare that with Command and Conquer, Quake, Ratchet and Clank, Halo, fill in the blank. The value is incomparible.

Are they perfect? Don't make me laugh. Is real military equipment perfect? Do things break when you don't know they're about to? Does any operation come off exactly according to plan? Things break. People die. SNAFU's happen. We persevere. We try to win one more than we lose. The winner isn't the one who is strongest, it's the one that quits last. Grant showed that when he got his tail whipped in the Wilderness, shrugged his shoulders and ordered the advance. Was he the best tactical genius on the field? Heck no! There were at least 4 others superior to him attacking his position. He was just a winner willing to pay the price for victory.

So are you willing to pay the price for victory, soldier? $50.00 isn't much these days. And you don't have to spend that if you're willing to be a little patient on eBay and Half.com. Lots of people buy games and find out their IBM PC XT (with new 5 megabyte hard drive!) won't run it. With patch 1.3 you can run it right off your hard drive.

Hey man, buy the two best sub sims on planet Earth and start having a great time! Don't forget that Subsim is the secret to making both games the best they can be and the captains around here are a barrel of laughs too!:arrgh!:

[Mystic]

Hey man, buy the two best sub sims on planet Earth and start having a great time! Don't forget that Subsim is the secret to making both games the best they can be and the captains around here are a barrel of laughs too!:arrgh!:

The only problem with that is that I will NEVER allow Starforce to be installed on one of my machines. So SH3 remains absolutely, utterly out of the question unless that changes someday (which is too bad, because I'm actually more interested in Atlantic sub warfare than I am in the Pacific).

But SH4 is looking interesting now.