Petition to UBI for the SDK

[Wicked Popsicle]

Jawohl

[coreykill]

yes!

[Gorduz]

YES

[Kasbe]

YES

[Tar&Feather]

Yes

[kvbrock82]

ye!!

[rvoissem]

yes

[Bent Periscope]

Yes.

[Pvt. Public]

yes

[Leg]

yes

[Betonov]

Yes

[KriegsMarine]

ja!!

[SquareSteelBar]

Yes, Sir. :salute:

[GOZO]

Yes!:)

[XLjedi]

No!!! ...it would be horrible.

There see, my 1 vote counts for like 5000 yes votes. UbiSoft must really value my opinion. :D

[crounds]

yes

[karamazovnew]

Although I did already answer "YES!! :rock:", I realise that we're asking the impossible, since the SDK for SH3 is the same for most Ubisoft games :damn:. However, since all of the "No-Go" files are less than 20Mb, a patch to give us acces to moddable data locked in those files, would be awesome.

[TigerShark808]

si !

[Warhawk]

Yes please!

[Tozzifan]

yes

[-alpha class-]

Yes!

[Stormende]

Si, Yes, Oui or whatever language they speak, after all we are loyal customers!

Check what my fellow modders have been able to do without enough access to the key parts of the game? Imagine what they can accomplish with such kit?

:up:

[Stormende]

YES!

PS Just in case my other post gets deleted.

[schuppo]

yes!!!

[Rafael]

Yes :yep:

[Akmatov]

yes

I buy games from companies that support modders.

[SteveW1]

YES!

[Rapt0r56]

Yes! (Any News about it, or from Ubi?)
:salute:

[Rapt0r56]

mh, My first Post here... counts directly for a good thing! :up:

[Melonfish]

yes! emphatically yes!

[Toolworx]

Yes :up:

[PL_Andrev]

Yes!!!

[ltforce]

YES!!!

[Backman]

YES!!!

[talesofvalor]

YES!!

[Rölli]

Yes

[audiolab]

please

[Yamato]

Yes!

[Cambaz]

Yes !

[Easy_Eight65]

yes.

[theluckyone17]

Yes.

[Task Force]

sure why not...

[Red Heat]

YES! :salute:

[Cobra5150]

Yes

[EAGLE_01]

That would be great- with the work all the brilliant modder guys that love these simulations around here do.....:yeah:

[Greygh0st]

yes

[Rasher]

Yes!

[KG_Jag]

Yes and please.

[rudewarrior]

Yes, yes, and YES!!!

[desperado100]

Yes!

[eagleboy]

YES!

[CTU_Clay]

YES

[fletch49er]

YES!

[That's not my dog]

YES! What could it hurt? The other divisions of UBISOFT released the SDK for
Far Cry and it was positively received by the modders and general public. I think after they launch SH5 they should release the SDK for SH3. Then it will be two games titles old. SH3 is not a new game anymore. Well, STOCK SH3 is not a new game. When you apply GWX, THEN you get a new game!:rock:

[javelina1]

yes :yeah:

[lambda*sqrt(u*x)]

Yes!

[U-SERB]

Yes

[Sniper450]

YES!

[Lane]

Yes

[Exakt]

YES

[KL-alfman]

yes
si
ja

[rea00cy]

yes!

[Kapitan Soniboy]

Yes

[Kremmen]

Yes

[Charlie Deuce]

Yes

[nodlew]

Yes.

[Engan]

Yes,

[Kimmers]

yes

[Koshi]

Yes!

[Wild_skipper]

Yes!

[Eridon]

YES! Ja! Da! Oui!

[yuro002]

YES

[ruskoz]

Yes

[Wolfling04]

yes

[JEuler]

Yes

[urfisch]

cant believe, this thread is still alive.

YES, we want it, cause we need it. but we will never get it...

:stare:

[Hawkeye-07]

yes

[aura]

Yes!

[krashkart]

Yes

[Fader_Berg]

Yes

[Frenchie]

Yes. ^^

Frenchie

[Fido]

yes

[piri_reis]

Well I hope, somehow the new SH5 tools to be released will come in use in SH3 modding, although most of the file/data structure might have changed :hmmm:

[mstang67]

Yes

[unterseemann]

Yes, give it to us you will see what a uboot sim should be... Hurry up please!

[Flopper]

Yes, hurry please.

[Mlody]

yes

[DirtyACE]

Yes, please do!

[Gunnodayak]

yes!

[Silent Steel]

YES :up:

[Herr Graf]

yes!

[R-T-B]

I would pay good money for it. This could still be the best Silent Hunter ever Ubi if you just released the SDK. Don't ignore us!

[asanovic7]

argh.. why would they give that when you can buy one shiny boat?

[K Gunz]

Yes.

[GreyBeard]

Yes, please do so.

[Gilbou]

We will never get it. It's like all those companies that can't get to understand what Open Source software is really about.

It's like dinosaurs. They will die and new generations will come, that can understand.

[Vipper]

Yes!

[Leg]

Is there any piece of news about it? Hope?

[CybrSlydr]

YES!

[archer9]

Yes!

[grafix7]

Yes.

[Victor Schutze]

Yes please, but I don't have much hope about it. This French company is obviously deprived of basic common sense:nope:

[Capt. Teach]

YES!

[Exakt]

Well considering that SH5 is mostly a graphic overhaul to the SH3 engine, the release of the SDK would make their engine totally available to any indie developer who wouldn't charge a dime for maybe a better sub sim than the current state of SH5. This is a scenario that is really unlike FreeSpace 2, where the game "died" with the "demise" of Interplay and Volition being bought by THQ.

[Magnetyk]

Yes please, but I don't have much hope about it. This French company is obviously deprived of basic common sense:nope:

(Hi Victor Schutze,i'm french too and i"m not deprived of basic common sense.
I Have many many reproaches for UbiSoft but it's the same for EA or any major company independently of their origin country.)

YES.

[Darkbluesky]

Yes

[tankeriv]

YES PROSZE!!!

SZYBKO!!! :D

Of course we want!!

[fasteel]

YES !!!!!!!!

[schlechter pfennig]

Yes.

Is anything likely to come of this?

[Jimbuna]

Yes.

Is anything likely to come of this?

Check the age of the thread...besides, so many files have been modded, the SDK would probably break so much of it.

[MCHALO12]

Yes

[xXxXxXxXx]

Yes! Please! :salute:

[danzig70]

Yes

[Fauzt]

Yes

[Shandiir]

Yes

[MILLANDSON]

You guys do realise how old this thread is, right? It's not going to happen.

[Sailor Steve]

No it's not, but it is fun to dream.:sunny:

And, it's still stickied where nobody can miss it.:D

[ERPP8]

42 Pages of "yes"

[JohnWoo]

yes

[nemchenk]

yes

[sub_nuc_108]

Yes.

[Red One]

Yes

[Biggen]

YES

BTW, i'm too lazy to read through 40+ pages but did anyone ever send the petition to UBI?

[leito_b]

No se que , pero .... yes! Liberen el SDK

[jangles]

YES

[Svendog]

Yes:yeah:

[absea]

Yes please:salute:

[Sgt_Raa]

yes:)

[Sgt_Raa]

You guys do realise how old this thread is, right? It's not going to happen.
still worth a try

[Sailor Steve]

still worth a try
:yep:

It's easy, it's free and even if it means nothing it still can't hurt.

[Sgt_Raa]

:yep:

It's easy, it's free and even if it means nothing it still can't hurt.
:yeah::salute:

[RegioSommergibile]

Yes.

[Herr-Berbunch]

:yep:

It's easy, it's free and even if it means nothing it still can't hurt.

Then YES!

[themrwho]

yes

[Arctic wolf]

Y-E-S PLEASE!! :DL

ps. this thread is ancient!

[h.sie]

If I am informed right the developers of FightingSteel published the source code so that the community got the opportunity to optimize the game. Maybe if UBI decides to 100% cancel the Silent Hunter series / Uboat sims, an offer to BUY the SDK could make sense. I would take part with, lets say, 200 euros for

realistic repair times
real wolfpack action and interaction with BDU
SH4 graphics
real ship physics
and so on

[ediko]

Yes I guess.

[K-61]

Ja!

Ubi, please make our dreams come true. You will not be losing any money on such a deal and would probably win back some of the folks you lost.

[Hans Uberman]

YES

[Amadeus]

Yes

[reignofdeath]

Yes!

[OSU]

Yes!

[stoneys-nutz]

Yes.

[Engan]

Absolutly yes :)

[Draka]

Wot th' hell - me too. Not gonna hold my breath, tho ......

[Schwieger]

Yes

[VONHARRIS]

Yes!

[Subhuman230]

Its the only thing thats stopping me from buying it

[Victor Schutze]

Yes, we SDK!:D

[KriegsMarine]

yeah !:salute:

[E.Luden]

yes

[Missing Name]

Sure

[Captain J. Borne]

YES!

[Capt_Kluge]

yes

[Kip336]

yes

[les green01]

YYes

[Jimbuna]

Wot th' hell - me too. Not gonna hold my breath, tho ......

LOL :DL

[GT182]

Wot th' hell - me too. Not gonna hold my breath, tho ......

Same here..... Hell yes.

Don't even try holding your breathe unless you wanna be a dead Smurf. ;)

[Istar]

yes

[stokeyblokey]

Yes - it would kind of make up for the abortion known as stock SH5 after all....

Ho hum, back to :lurk:

[Tessa]

Me too

Wot th' hell - me too. Not gonna hold my breath, tho ......

Sums it up very nicely. Probably only way we'll ever get it is Ubisoft goes out of business. The best avenue that could potentially produce any results is to get one of the developers to start playing the game and get involved enough to find his way here; much like the X^universe community has several of their main programmers that are also hardcore modders/players as well. Wouldn't be able to get the sdk, but might be able to get him to fix things and release special patches/mods.

Same as above, not gonna hold my breath that a developer gets interested in playing the game enough to find their way here.

[mookiemookie]

Me too



Sums it up very nicely. Probably only way we'll ever get it is Ubisoft goes out of business. The best avenue that could potentially produce any results is to get one of the developers to start playing the game and get involved enough to find his way here; much like the X^universe community has several of their main programmers that are also hardcore modders/players as well. Wouldn't be able to get the sdk, but might be able to get him to fix things and release special patches/mods.

Same as above, not gonna hold my breath that a developer gets interested in playing the game enough to find their way here.

Many of the Silent Hunter developers are members of this forum and have been very helpful with advice and guidance to modders over the years.

[Madox58]

Yep.
And there are so many Tools out there now?
Only access to core Code would matter at this point.
Some of the Tools developed by Modders work better then what the Devs had most likely.

[Tessa]

Many of the Silent Hunter developers are members of this forum and have been very helpful with advice and guidance to modders over the years.

That's refreshing to hear. I'm guessing that they can't/don't have access to the source code freely? People could come up with a laundry list of bugs that we'd like to see fixed (my personal red button is DD's dropping DC's on you with sniper precision when you bottom the boat at 250m) but I assume those things are beyond the range of what can be done? While I can code (real life work experience) I've never tried anything with SH, have just enjoyed the fruits of all the great modder's labors and offer suggestions when I can.

[Jankowski]

what can Ubi lose from this??

why dont we send them an email with all our names on it saying that we want the SDK to fix up the hardcoded files.

EDIT: oh, and a big YES!

[Myxale]

Dude, If Obama can, so can we!

Yeah, yes!

Com'on UBI!

[Shiplord]

saying that we want the SDK to fix up the hardcoded files.

You can't fix up hardcoded files with a SDK. A SDK is a supplementary code base for the full sourcecode, without the complete sourcecode a SDK is just a piece of useless crap. Ubisoft can't release the full sourcecode because SH3 is also build with licenced sourcecode of 3rd party libraries. A community developer needs also these libraries to build the code in a correct way or use a SDK.

SH3 is created on base of the 3GDS game engine developed by Ubisoft Romania. Most if not all other games by Ubisoft Romania are based on the 3GDS engine. A SDK for this engine opens up also other games not only SH3 and that is not in the interest of a software company who will make money with their products.

I assume that there is absolutely no specific SH3 SDK at Ubisoft Romania, which can be published. Certainly they have a collection of tools, predefined code snippets etc. for their 3GDS system, but that tool set can not be passed to the modders

[the.terrabyte.pirate]

I'm sorry, but I only see one solution.

Everyone chips in a few thousand bucks, and we buy Ubisoft.

It's the only way...

[brabham85]

YES!

Give us the legacy of this classic! We'll make it lives forever!

[Hauptmann501]

Please, Lets the Old Lady Out

[Victor Schutze]

I'm sorry, but I only see one solution.

Everyone chips in a few thousand bucks, and we buy Ubisoft.

It's the only way...

How much for Ubisoft (Approximately)?:06::hmmm:

[Adso]

Yes

[sukitha]

Yes!

[Mustang01]

YES

[stokeyblokey]

I'm sorry, but I only see one solution.

Everyone chips in a few thousand bucks, and we buy Ubisoft.

It's the only way...


We'd all best get saving then, current value something like $731,000,000 according to Yahoo finance (if I read it right that is!)...this could take a while :salute:

[reignofdeath]

well since they cant really release the actual source code, heres an idea, all of us, or if not most of us, contact Ubisoft with a certain offer and sum of money to fix things that are hardcoded (Like the sniper precision of DDs, not being able to hide on the bottom and such??) Just a thought

[bojan811]

Yes!!!

[tmccarthy]

Yes

[armin]

Since SH5 was epic fail on so many levels only SH3 possibly SH4 could salvage the good name of this series. So definitely YES.

[sharkbit]

With the work that h.sie and Stiebler have been doing in this thread-
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=174225

isn't this thread moot now? :hmmm:

Anyways, I doubt this will ever happen after this long.

:)

[vodkaphile]

Yes!

[Victor Schutze]

Ubisoft: what a bunch of... :nope: :damn:

[OnePingOnly]

Yes

[Hrid47]

Yes

[celticodst]

Yes

[mattyogo]

Yes

[DRKF]

yes

[Backman]

yes!

[Rosber]

Yes

[Von Ricks]

YES

[JAVIERACOSTA]

Yes!

[Kaptain Kanada]

Yes!

[Sailor Steve]

WELCOME ABOARD, all of you who signed on just to post in this thread. It's not likely to ever happen, but the sentiment is a good one.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV-QF7VeSSA
The Best U-Boat themed song ever written.:rock:

I'm not really a fan of metal, but this was very well done. The video helps a lot too.

Are you familiar with this one from the other side?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO_drlO5vSU

[Angelo Cire]

YES!

[dwassllir]

YES!

[troopie]

Yes

[complutum]

Yes

[SNAKE1937]

YES!!!

[Lord_Kitchener]

YES!!

[Viktor_Prien]

YES!!

[TBoone]

Yes!

[von Kinderei]

Yes :salute:

[1480]

Yes, Ja, Da, Si....

[jibouil]

YES !

[DareDevil]

Yes!

[llamaman]

Yes

[oneofsharp]

Yes ASAP

[Hylander_1314]

Ja! Ja! Ja! Ja! Ja! und Ja!

[dfoehammer]

Sign me on ! Long live SH3!!

I am STILL loving SH3 with the GWX and radio...and..and..all the stuff :D

[Fish In The Water]

Sign me on ! Long live SH3!!

I am STILL loving SH3 with the GWX and radio...and..and..all the stuff :D

Good to hear mate and welcome aboard! :sunny:

[Marinenachrichtendienst]

Welcome aboard, dfoehammer !! :salute:

[Maky]

YES

[Father Goose]

Yes :up:

[Gerald]

Sign me on ! Long live SH3!!

I am STILL loving SH3 with the GWX and radio...and..and..all the stuff :D :arrgh!:

[Tinkering]

I dont know what it is, but hand it over! Arghhhh! :arrgh!: Did they hand it over yet?

[Paulebaer1979]

YES!!!

[Leon1980]

YES!

[Fubar2Niner]

YES!!!

YES!

Never gonna happen but welcome aboard anyhow :salute:

Best regards.

Fubar2Nner

[Sailor Steve]

Never gonna happen
True. Also the game has been modded so far the way it is that if they did release an SDK it would ruin all the work that's already been done. If they had released it on day one it would have made a difference. Now it would likely make no difference at all. :sunny:

[JV69PANZER]

YES!

:salute:

[flag4]

True. Also the game has been modded so far the way it is that if they did release an SDK it would ruin all the work that's already been done. If they had released it on day one it would have made a difference. Now it would likely make no difference at all. :sunny:

...would this not allow new development to begin away from what has been done but able to be added to?

[Sailor Steve]

...would this not allow new development to begin away from what has been done but able to be added to?
In theory, yes. That said, you will need a whole new generation of modders to take up the banner. None of the people who made SH3 what it is today are going to come back and start over again. Many of them are long-gone from subsims. Some of them are working on other projects. U-Boat HAHD is looking to be the next - and possibly last - SH3 supermod, and I doubt that they would want to start over from scratch when their work is already so advanced, and looking so good. Is h.sie really bypassing the restrictions? Whatever his methods, he is producing truly great work. Could he really do more if they handed him the SDK? Only he knows the answer to that question.

After seven years, if they were going to release it, it would probably have happened by now. If they did release it, would it make any difference at this point? Somehow I doubt it.

On the other hand, I've been wrong before. :sunny:

[flag4]

In theory, yes. That said, you will need a whole new generation of modders to take up the banner. None of the people who made SH3 what it is today are going to come back and start over again. Many of them are long-gone from subsims. Some of them are working on other projects. U-Boat HAHD is looking to be the next - and possibly last - SH3 supermod, and I doubt that they would want to start over from scratch when their work is already so advanced, and looking so good. Is h.sie really bypassing the restrictions? Whatever his methods, he is producing truly great work. Could he really do more if they handed him the SDK? Only he knows the answer to that question.

After seven years, if they were going to release it, it would probably have happened by now. If they did release it, would it make any difference at this point? Somehow I doubt it.

On the other hand, I've been wrong before. :sunny:

...too far for an up-hill slog:yep:

[Madox58]

I've stated it before and I'll state it again.
We have enuff tools that replicate the SDK now.
An SDK would only allow adding or modding Units already allowed.
ONLY the source code would allow changeing the basic behaviour of the Game.

Now, IF UBI released that? They'd stand a chance to lose control of a market pretty much owned by them to this date.

I'd prefer to see UBI contact qualified and proven Modders/Coders to set up some kind of Group to do a new SH version.
Sort of an out-source type of deal.

Those involved get access to the source code and UBI retains the rights.
A percentage deal could be a way to pay those involved.
Or other options could be offered that may work for the parties involved.

Whatever happens or does not happen?
The ball is in UBI's court.

[Vince82]

yes

[flag4]

I've stated it before and I'll state it again.
We have enuff tools that replicate the SDK now.
An SDK would only allow adding or modding Units already allowed.
ONLY the source code would allow changeing the basic behaviour of the Game.

Now, IF UBI released that? They'd stand a chance to lose control of a market pretty much owned by them to this date.

I'd prefer to see UBI contact qualified and proven Modders/Coders to set up some kind of Group to do a new SH version.
Sort of an out-source type of deal.

Those involved get access to the source code and UBI retains the rights.
A percentage deal could be a way to pay those involved.
Or other options could be offered that may work for the parties involved.

Whatever happens or does not happen?
The ball is in UBI's court.


...can you imagine that...wohh.
but as you say, they're holding the balls.

[Dbledip]

Definately YES

[Raticon]

...I'd prefer to see UBI contact qualified and proven Modders/Coders to set up some kind of Group to do a new SH version.
Sort of an out-source type of deal.

Those involved get access to the source code and UBI retains the rights.
A percentage deal could be a way to pay those involved.
Or other options could be offered that may work for the parties involved.

Whatever happens or does not happen?
The ball is in UBI's court.


This is almost EXACTLY how Paradox did when they released the Europa-engine that make up Hearts of iron 2 + expansions to different groups that made their own takes on the HoI-series, namely the games "Arsenal of Democracy" and "Darkest Hour", and HoI 2 is to this date almost 10 years old, but "AoD" and "DH" were both released pretty recently.

In all these instances i say "YES" as it will make it possible for competent modders to make a better game while other modders work at their thing with the original game... as the gamer you can pick what you desire the most and i an perfectly sure that the modders know what they are doing and doing it great :).

[GunterSepp]

YES

[ronnie67]

yes

[PL_Andrev]

1st post of this topic was released at 2007.

Any news from UBI?

[Sailor Steve]

No. Why should they care? They have their money. Nobody who doesn't already own SH3 is going to buy it now just because they've made it easier to mod.

[Oberleutnant nederlander]

YES :rock:

[Victor Schutze]

they're holding the balls.

Scary stuff. :eek:

[u558]

ooohhh.. YES YES**:yeah:

[DieReeperbahn]

yes

[MFP]

Yes! :salute:

[erikdell]

Yes, sir!!:salute:

[misha1967]

I've stated it before and I'll state it again.
We have enuff tools that replicate the SDK now.
An SDK would only allow adding or modding Units already allowed.
ONLY the source code would allow changeing the basic behaviour of the Game.

Now, IF UBI released that? They'd stand a chance to lose control of a market pretty much owned by them to this date.

I'd prefer to see UBI contact qualified and proven Modders/Coders to set up some kind of Group to do a new SH version.
Sort of an out-source type of deal.

Those involved get access to the source code and UBI retains the rights.
A percentage deal could be a way to pay those involved.
Or other options could be offered that may work for the parties involved.

Whatever happens or does not happen?
The ball is in UBI's court.

See, that's what I think would be a good way to go.

I don't know how much further Ubi is going to go with the SH franchise. Let's face it: We're a niche. A very devoted and loyal niche, to be sure, but as far as market share goes, we're not the ones to sink or float a company like Ubi.

Doing development the traditional way involved hiring a dev team full time hoping that the final sales volume will make up for the costs. We're talking business, after all, and companies don't stay alive by losing money. Projected sales volumes on something appealing to a relatively small niche like ours isn't going to get close to franchises like, say, "Assassin's Creed" which will sell millions of copies even before it's finished.

So hiring on a team of hourly paid devs for something might not be the way to go. On the other hand, handing it out to a bunch of volunteer modders who've been doing this in their spare time just because they love the subject matter so much and doing it for absolutely nothing other than the recognition and satisfaction of doing a great job while still holding on to their copyrights and sweetening the deal with a royalty on final sales might just be the way to go. God knows I wish some of the brilliant minds who've worked for years on making SH3 through SH5 as enjoyable as they are now could have gotten something for their labors and, keeping that in mind, how would offering a crew of those guys a royalty on sales for something they would have done for free anyway NOT work?

It might just end up being the cheapest dev phase any software company ever went through AND create a monster of a success in the process.

I mean, if Ubi keeps their property rights (and that's not exactly hard for lawyers to draw up) AND the great, talented people involved in it for once get paid for their efforts, who DOESN'T win?

Sure, a motley crew of modding geniuses not on the clock might, and I do say might because I've seen how fast they can churn out fixes when they have a mind to do so, not lend itself easily to release deadlines, but who cares? At this point, I don't think very many of us ever expect to see an SH6 and, again, what does Ubi stand to lose?

I see it as a win-win for all parties concerned. The modders get paid for their genius, us subsim fanatics get the best subsim ever made and Ubi gets to make money with very little up front investment. And if it flops, they've lost nothing as their payout was based solely on final sales.

Just thinking out loud here.

[zygoma]

Yes, please!

[Robert Fulton]

Overdue, I'd say.

[themrwho]

See, that's what I think would be a good way to go.

I don't know how much further Ubi is going to go with the SH franchise. Let's face it: We're a niche. A very devoted and loyal niche, to be sure, but as far as market share goes, we're not the ones to sink or float a company like Ubi.

Doing development the traditional way involved hiring a dev team full time hoping that the final sales volume will make up for the costs. We're talking business, after all, and companies don't stay alive by losing money. Projected sales volumes on something appealing to a relatively small niche like ours isn't going to get close to franchises like, say, "Assassin's Creed" which will sell millions of copies even before it's finished.

So hiring on a team of hourly paid devs for something might not be the way to go. On the other hand, handing it out to a bunch of volunteer modders who've been doing this in their spare time just because they love the subject matter so much and doing it for absolutely nothing other than the recognition and satisfaction of doing a great job while still holding on to their copyrights and sweetening the deal with a royalty on final sales might just be the way to go. God knows I wish some of the brilliant minds who've worked for years on making SH3 through SH5 as enjoyable as they are now could have gotten something for their labors and, keeping that in mind, how would offering a crew of those guys a royalty on sales for something they would have done for free anyway NOT work?

It might just end up being the cheapest dev phase any software company ever went through AND create a monster of a success in the process.

I mean, if Ubi keeps their property rights (and that's not exactly hard for lawyers to draw up) AND the great, talented people involved in it for once get paid for their efforts, who DOESN'T win?

Sure, a motley crew of modding geniuses not on the clock might, and I do say might because I've seen how fast they can churn out fixes when they have a mind to do so, not lend itself easily to release deadlines, but who cares? At this point, I don't think very many of us ever expect to see an SH6 and, again, what does Ubi stand to lose?

I see it as a win-win for all parties concerned. The modders get paid for their genius, us subsim fanatics get the best subsim ever made and Ubi gets to make money with very little up front investment. And if it flops, they've lost nothing as their payout was based solely on final sales.

Just thinking out loud here.
Somewhere (possibly on this forum/can't remember) I read SH6 is not happening, therefore rest of this post may not be relevant. However, I would like to say misha has a good approach above. The modder community here is invaluable, if only a company could utilize this! UBI seems to be the only company that has the option of running such a project (SH6) with relatively small investment because they already have a massive SH code base 3/4/(5?) AND mod base here on this forum.

Alternatively, misha, me or anyone else could do the same. I guess one will need to invest serious amount of money [I have no idea about recent game development budgets, if anyone has any ideas let us know - how is USD100.000 -- is it too optimistic?] and time.

The engine [core game] is already out there; likewise artwork, concept are all out there also. Due to legal requirements those bits cannot be 'copy&paste'd but re-creating similar product from scratch (only using it as inspiration) should be easier (again, _relatively_ - compared to doing it the first time round) and as far as I know it is legally doable.

Rather than using version system (v.1.00 > v1.10 etc.) it should be online repo based (CVS, SVN, git etc.) so that anyone can contribute; and test, any time, the latest version and pitch in. I don't know a thing about modding [apart from changing values in text files] but if there were such a project even I would contribute some hours whatever I can, text editing etc. I know many talented people would be happy to contribute much more only if they were given due credit and treated respectfully.

You know what, if I win the lottery I promise I will do the above so that all human beings can enjoy a great subsim without the usual silly bugs and limitations of 'uneditable exe's. :D

EDIT - In an ideal world, such a software would be "free software" (as in GPLv3) since we are living in the real world let me add a bit about the price. Should anyone else create such a near-perfect subsim that is actively being developed and supported; for that I would be willing to pay much more than "usual game price". I am talking about something like USD100-200 range and I know of one tank simulation that is sold at a crazy price - can't remember exactly now but should be about $200 range. It is like military simulator. The idea is that I will be putting thousands of hours of my real time and I think that joy would worth it. (though I am aware without huge volume of sales, this price range would not matter...)

[Raptor]

Nice idea, but doomed from the start. Sorry.

Remember Projekt Messerwetzer and all the trouble the Subsim community had trying to fund that? Everyone wanted it but few would contribute to the development costs. The programmer ultimately delivered what he had (which was a big help, especially to multi-players) and walked away disgusted.

[themrwho]

Nice idea, but doomed from the start. Sorry.

Remember Projekt Messerwetzer and all the trouble the Subsim community had trying to fund that? Everyone wanted it but few would contribute to the development costs. The programmer ultimately delivered what he had (which was a big help, especially to multi-players) and walked away disgusted.
I wasn't around then but searched for messerwetzer, from 10 second quick look it looks like it has been a 'working' patch to some extent. Not great if developer feels disgusted in the end of course.

Few hours after posting above, while browsing "SH4 voice commands" stuff I randomly found about this project http://dangerdeep.sourceforge.net/

[just another unfinished project unfortunately - but hey at least they tried]

[TheVVipeRR]

Yes

[Echoflyer]

yes it will be usefull

[palatum]

Yes

[SilentOtto]

Yes please.

A long time has passed already... Why shouldnt they?

[Sailor Steve]

Because they don't care one way or the other.

[juniorjj84]

WAY TO GO, THAT IS A BIG YES, YES,:up::up::up: