Why do you play Silent Hunter?

[Boris]

G'day fellow Silent Hunter players,

I need to conceptualise a study for a university assignment and need your help. :D

Basically, all I would like is for you to explain why you play Silent Hunter 3/4.
What are your motivations, what do you get out of it, and anything else that pops into mind.
Also, do you tend to play alone, with others, online etc.

Don't take these questions too rigidly, just write generally whatever you think, about why you like playing Silent Hunter games.

The main thing is, why do you play Silent Hunter?

I hope you guys can help, the more responses I get, the better.

Cheers :up:

Boris

[grasovka]

I like history and simulations which are as immersive as it can be. Thus Silent Hunter covers an interesting aspect of the cruel WW2: the eager fight of the keen u-boat men. Furthermore SH3 makes it possible to try different tactics in the unforgiving environment of the Atlantic Ocean. Recently it is the difficulty which these oldschool technology of the WW2 u-boats which makes this game so suspense-packed as it is.

*Sry for my dict.cc-English

[Boris]

*Sry for my dict.cc-English

Deutsch wäre auch ganz ok gewesen ;)

[Swat]

It's one of the few games the player can learn from,or it makes (force) the player to be interested in this particular topic.It's my case.I was always interested in all major conflicts of 20th century,mainly WW2,just like lots of men all over the world.I started with pacific theater,reading about Pearl Harbor,Midway etc.Then,because I like PC gaming,I bought SH3.Knew only a little about the war in Atlantic...Now I already read some books,I'm surfing on the net,searching for another infos,downloading authentic photos,reading about the men and boats,I built the model of VIIC/41.....and I play Silent Hunter.I've already mentioned somewhere here on Subsim-especially with GWX it's an interactive documentary for me.

[AdlerGrosmann]

:up: Why I play Silent Hunter III? It is the best submarine simulation! It shows me some things about history too, about the Navy/Kriegsmarine. It's realistic and it's hard for the game to bore me.

[KptLt Lindemann]

I've always been interested in submarine/naval simulators, albeit never WW2 ones. However, when I saw Das Boot again a few months ago (the first time I had seen it was many many years ago), the impact was such that I immediately began researching that particular era, reading books, visiting websites and of course looking for a WW2 U-boat sim. Thus I ended up with SH3, GWX2 and been spending countless hours patrolling the North Atlantic since then. Oh and lurking in these forums when taking a break from patrolling, it's the friendliest community I've seen.

[ryoga_77]

I always had an interest in the various branches of the military,present and historical especially where WW2 is concerned.Silent Hunter 3 & 4 have allowed me to have a virual first hand expierence of the weapons,the technology,the theatres and last but not least the boats themselves.The enjoyment of the game does not come from the end objective (ie winning the war) because the outcome is known beforehand.

The enjoyment comes in setting sail in an ever changing dynamic virtual world with real world mechanics ,going on patrol with orders like the real capts. did but most of all from the hunt.The whole process from sighting/detecting to interception,recognition,setting up the attack and evasion ,whilst time consuming in itself,is tremedously atmospheric. Depth charge attacks shake me as i do my best to evade pursuit counting only on the sonarman reports,loud propeller rumbling ominously overhead are a heart stopper but the relief that can be felt when it is reported that the contact has faded away is a reward unto itself.

I have had large convoys in sight with nought but a torpedo in my tubes , returned to port with the last drops of diesel,returned to base out of fuel with nothing to show but a few fishing boats,had a priority enemy target survive due to dud torpedoes or torpedo depth failure and the satisfaction of sending large enemy merchant and military targets on a one way ticket to Davy Jones's locker.Also it's nice to get back to base and be presented with Medals,promotions and Unit commedations.

Silent Hunter 3 and 4 shower the player with a long time of inactivity but this made up for by the anticipation,fear,tension and the enormous satisfaction one feels when the torpedo strikes , enemy tonnage is sunk and a successful return to base can be matched by few games.The outstanding contribution by the community with efforts like GWX2,Trigger Maru and innumerable others have provided a much longer shelf life to these games than the clean versions ever could.

True to history equipment , craft , theatres of operation and a compelling expierience second only to the real thing keep me vising these games.

[AOTD_MadMax]

Why do i play silent hunter ?

Hmm this question i often ask to myself ................:rotfl:

Greets

Maddi

[Jimbuna]

I started playing because I've always had a keen interest in military warfare....one of my favourite eras being WWII naval warfare and in particular submarines.

A probable motivation was the fact my father served in the British merchant marine, and in particular, the Arctic and Atlantic.

When I'm 'immersed' in the gameplay it helps detoxify my mind of what are often potentially disturbing memories regarding certain elements of my profession (law enforcement).

I usually play alone, but since my involvement with The Grey Wolves commenced, it is not uncommon to play online with my colleagues as one of the means to ironing out gameplay anomalies.

Hope this is of some use. http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/pirate.gif

[Aldag]

For me, i purchased the game off amazon on a whim about a month ago. Being a former OTC member, my interest in WW2 was always on the land campaigns and i researched the Spanish Civil War quite a lot too.

What i have found is that merely playing the game, as another poster says above, forces you to take an interest and learn about the era, the boats, the weapons etc etc. For me it has opened up a whole new area of history that excites me and every patrol forces me to go and look up another set of situations to discover if it would really have happened that way, or why what happened did.

For example, tonight i have been looking up how many depth charges a V class destroyer carried, and hoping its not many more than the 6 he's thrown at me!

[Dowly]

My biggest influence was Das Boot. I wasnt that keen to WWII naval warfare before, mainly air warfare and the Finno-Russo war. But after watching Das Boot and playing SH2, I just had to get SH3.

Soo, my answer is Das Boot. ;)

[moscowexile]

To annoy my wife.

[melnibonian]

I was always facinated by the military technology and the German U-Boats. SH3 was sort of OK but if it was not for the supermods I would not have been playing for the last 3 years.

[Brag]

I started playing flight sims to maintain my instrument flying skills. And combat flight sim to keep reflexes tuned. When I discovered SHII, I found it a lot more absorbing. I play SH3/GWX to completely clear my mind. The combination of the game and this forum create a very special world for me. :D The novel I am working on now has been inspired by SH3.

[Mittelwaechter]

In der Sprache der Kaleuns!
Das Spiel macht einfach Spass.
Es ist ein ausgezeichneter Mix aus Action und Entspannung.
Es ist fordernd aber nicht überfordernd; man kann den Schwierigkeitsgrad sehr individuell justieren.
Die KI ist durchaus clever und sorgt für eine gewisse Unberechenbarkeit. Etwas, was den meisten Spielen fehlt und dadurch zu einer geringen Langzeitmotivation beiträgt.
SH3 läßt sich wunderbar modifizieren - und wird daduch von erstaunlich fähigen Leuten noch immer weiterentwickelt.
Die Grafik hat mich seinerzeit aus dem Staunen nicht heraus gebracht.
Das Spiel hat eine angenehme Fangemeinde - trotz des "kritischen" Themas. Die meisten Leute machen einen recht erwachsenen Eindruck.
Online spiele ich nicht. Mit anderen Spielen habe ich die Erfahrung gemacht, dass Annonymität nicht spielförderlich ist; ein Clan ist mir aber wieder zuviel Vereinsmeierei und Diktat. Multiplay via LAN wäre eigentlich das Richtige.

[sunvalleyslim]

The interest in subs for me started when I was a young boy. I built a submarine model of U-505, and watched a lot of a TV series called "The Silent Service" which was about U.S. Subs during WWII.
When the Vietnam War was going on, I joined the U.S. Navy and volunteered for Submarine duty. I went To Key West, Florida for torpedoman school, then New London Conn. for submarine school. I was assigned to the USS Segundo SS-398 out of San Diego from '68 to '70.
Years later I played a couple of early video games for consoles, but was basically computer illiterate. When I retired from by job 2 1/2 years ago I got my first computer. My son bought me my first PC game, SH3.
It brought back my love of submarines and video games, and helps me relive those days at sea.....and all the old memories...................."DBF"..........:up::up::up:

[Ivan Putski]

I was a flight simmer till AOD came out, then I got SHII as a gift, and was hooked. When SHIII arrived on the scene I started out as everyone else, loved the eye candy, but a lot of things were overlooked in the sim. What really endured me to this sim was the mods, can`t say enough about the modders responsible for all the improvements we see today. Amost daily these guys talents are displayed on the SubSim forums. I can`t thank them enough for the many hours, and hard work they have put into the creations we all enjoy.

All that said, I spend a lot of hours playing the sim, three years ago I lost my left leg, this sim has filled a void in my life, and has got me back into model ship building again. I also love this forum, and the many helpful questions, answers, and tips it provides, all first rate. Puts:up:

[NealT]

I have always been hooked on Subs, for real life and for gaming.

Why Silent Hunter 3? Because it is "simple" compared to the electronic's age Sub Command or 688(i) or Dangerous Waters games. I stay with it because of the variety it provides not only through gameplay but also the various mods (Supermods and smaller ones) that have come out.

Why play at all? Like Jim, I was once in Law Enforcement and found that I had to have a 'release' from the potential stresses/strains. I used computer games as well as reading to do just that. Even though I am no longer in Law Enforcement (having moved to middle management in one of the largest companies in the US) I find I still need the 'stress reliever'.

Good luck on your studies...

[Platapus]

Chicks,

Chicks dig guys who play submarine video games

[STEED]

Out of boredom and nothing else better to do.

Really I'm not pulling your leg, I just don't see the logic playing games as they wast time which I know that I will never get back. :damn:

[ReallyDedPoet]

Nice thread :yep:

- History.
- Immersion.
- Customization, mods & game settings.
- The great community here.
- Made me aware of SUBSIM.


RDP

[Blacklight]

1. It's a game that I can play without aggrivating my carpal tunnel syndrome.

2. I can also play it while doing other things in the room (and I'm always busy in here doing something).

3. The thrill of the hunt.

4. The sheer terror it generates.

5. The community here is really cool.

6. You can get some really cool stories from playing this game.

:up:

[Chisum]

I can't answer.
If I must think about this question, I'm affraid that I'll stop to play.

[NiclDoe]

To annoy my wife.
:rotfl: :rotfl: I got in SH3 by looking for a good game to play when i was in the 5th grade. it was a fun game back then and still is now (thx to all of the GWX crew for making it better!) Ever since then I am a WWII bookworm.:88)

[gordonmull]

I bought Destroyer Command a while back and played around with it, not getting very far (always sunk by a uboat :arrgh!: ) and saw there was a sister game....

Got SHII and was like wow this is just like Silent Service II that I'd enjoyed as a young kid (not getting very far, never did sink the Yamoto (sp?)) but way better. Also by then I'd seen Das Boot and was kind of inspired by it.

When I saw the first vid of SHIII the graphics blew me away. Amazing after SHII! I bought it as soon as it came out. Look at that sea, look at the ships. My long suffering girlfriend was so impressed that she said she might even have a shot.

I continue to play it because it presents a challenge, in terms of control, thought, tactics. Just when its another run of the mill attack, it all goes haywire and you have to get youself out of the situation.

Sure it's given me an interest in the history and I've learned a great deal about that, and some of it makes me angry for the lives that were thrown away later in the war, but what keeps me playing, really? A desire to get past 1942 without ending up :dead:

[Grayson02sept1980]

I just like U-Boats (I built two as models when I was young) and the technical aspect of the whole thing as well as history of submarines.

And I play the game (SH3) for the reason I can command a boat myself which is rather problematic in reality... it is the same as some people play FlightSims etc.
But I also like the "fight"-theme:
sneak up the enemy... set up my target..shoot... wait...bang! *cheers*
And then try to get out of there... "alife" -oh oh ... thrill - tactic - strategy etc.

If someone would ask me to analyse this I would say it is some kind of satisfaction of old prehistorical mental schemes. :lol:

What I also like about SH3 is the way one can and has to manage his crew... and the possibilty to upgrade and earn stuff.

... and of course:
Very big upgrade from SilentService2 :lol:
GWX blew it up even more
OLC's GUI and some other mods add the last bit to get max realism out of it

:up: the great community :up:

[balto63]

Just to relax my mind, sometimes I prefer a book sometimes SH3.

Best regards

[Wibbs]

Why do I play SHIII? Hmmm......

Only got the game a few months a go. I was never really into the whole sim thing before, and only got it because it was on offer in the local computer shop. I make a habit of trawling the internet for game updates and mods before I play any new game that I buy, so I stumbled on this site.

The level of support on here is incredible - better than any other game I've ever played. The mods you can get (GWX and OLC for me) combine to make the game massively immersive. I never thought I would enjoy a game so much where you are doing almost nothing for 90% of the time, but I do. I enjoy the intellectual challenge of manual targetting, plotting intercept courses etc, I enjoy the claustraphobic feel of having to go deep with destroyers calling out for you, and I enjoy the fact that you have to be cautious and that you generally have more time to think in this game than others I play.

Cheers,

Wibbs

[ReM]

I'm a sucker for all military sims: flightsims, tanksims, helosims, subsims, strategy games, you name it. Have always had a special interest in U-boats and the battle in the Atlantic and SHIII gives you the chance to immerse yourself into that experience to some extent. Must admit that I had lost the will to play it until GWX came around; it surely extended the lifespan for SHIII. The new S-boot mod is great as well and a whole new experience!

The big minus is that SHIII gobbles up large amounts of time, even for a single mission; time that I should be spending with the wife and my 2 boys, although the elder one loves to pull the trigger when daddy KaLeun has a target lined up for a kill.

[Boris]

Thanks for all your replies guys, you've all been a great help :up:

I won't be needing any more material, but I guess you can keep posting for interests sake...;)

[tomfon]

I am simply fond of submarines. What's more, the game is as immersive as it can be.Do not forget: in this game you lose the war so victory and winning are not the motives.

P.S. I have to admit that if you want to be effective i.e. sinking a lot of ships,being silent especially when you are playing in high realism level then you must be somewhat of a psycho(but only for the purposes of the game!).:o

[Avatar]

I like subsims, sh3commander GWX2.0, because it's one of the few games(if not the only game) that I play where I can use mathematics. It offers a great deal of variety with encounters, attacks, and areas to go.
Normally I play to just do something. It could be an escape from reality, anxiety, stress, or just plain fun.
I'm also a fan of submarines and have been reading about them since I was a kid. Playing games like Silent Service, Red Storm Rising, SS2, Up Periscope, etc... just came as a natural evolution to my interest. I think that submarines are as close as we can get to a starship too! I think that deep down inside of all of us is a desire to explore.

[Adriatico]

- Imersion, feeling of Atlantic WW2

- Washing my brain of my daily obligations and stress

- Like ocean activities - from my room

- General interest in WW2 activities, history and simulations

......

Reamaining 96 reasons will be published in my biography...

:roll: :smug:

[Gezoes]

The last subsim I played was Silent Service I.

Then, after a quarter of a century and a zillion games later, I saw the first screenshots of SH3.

:)

[UnterseeBoogeyMan]

1. I like watching secondary explosions
2. The GWX team did a great job mirroring actual ops from the war, so if you study up, you can be at the right place/right time and leave your own footprint.
3. Aces of the Deep started the sub-love I have now. The idea of one sub against the world requires cleverness/boldness that is very appealing. You're like an under-water Billy the Kid.

[danurve]

Interest in WW2 history, the battle of the Atlantic, and U-boats.

I like the stratigy of the game, and swearing at the computer. :ping:

[Taz1969]

Well for me ,i got into SH3 cuase i was so sick and tired of playing World of Warcraft:huh: ,i have played that game for 3 years while paying Blizzard 17 bucks a month to do so.I had played alot of first person shooters and some flight sims before that and loved the flight sims.Im not sure really how i come about SH3 but somehow i did and my heart like skipped a beat.I knew this was something i had to try.From the first 2 min. in the game i knew i found my new addiction.I have learned more historical stuff from playing this game than i thought was possible.Alot from the forums and alot in game.Its a amazing community here and a really well thought out game.With GWX it is like a masterpiece,its a challenge,its exciteing and no 2 careers seem to be the same.At this point it seems like one could play this for years to come and never do the same patrol twice.:up: :up: for me

[bert8for3]

Same as a lot of people here, I guess. Big history nut generally, with particular interest in WW2. Played Silent Service and SH2, but my pc's were never up to the latest games, so I got fed up with pc games. Then a newer pc and SH3 came together at the same time. Always liked immersion/simulation stuff.

[Iron Budokan]

I like the realism and the historical aspects of the sim.

[msalama]

1) I've always been a history buff, and WWII as we know largely created the world we're still living in.

2) I'm interested in vintage technology, WWII-era machinery included.

[Graf Paper]

Me like blow up ships! :arrgh!:

[msalama]

Yah an' dat 2 Herr Kaleun :lol:

[siber]

I find that 1st person shoot'em up games just don't work for me, as blasé aggression will often achieve the same results as sound strategy.

However, in realistic simulations such as SH3 (with all automatic assistance provided by the software - ship recognition, AOB calcs etc. - disabled) success depends upon good planning, preparation and execution. Steaming in, all guns blazing, will more often than not result in failure.

Being a scientist, I enjoy seeing my calculations of speed, range, AOB etc, and tactical preparation working as planned, and feel great satisfaction at success.

Also, the dynamic campaign means that, although the situations are often similar and the task the same, the actual happenings are never the same twice, giving the game longevity and enduring interest. This is prolonged by the gradual improvement of your opponents, and the ability to upgrade your equipment (submarines, torpedo types, sonar etc.) as time progresses.

Finally, the simulation acts as a practical history lesson, teaching me what crews of u-boats went through better than any documentary or film on tv (which tends to miss out the boredom, the cramped space, the feeling of uncertainty/fear when being depth charged etc).

Basically, with the simulation (and mods - great work all you modders/dev teams.) as realistic as possible, I enjoy and learn from the experience, both doing tasks that were required in real life and feeling the emotions that come with it.

To be honest, I think that this sort of game should be played/demonstrated in schools as joint lessons in history, maths, physics and socialogy. Perhaps that's a new market that game dev teams could look into?

[Sailor Steve]

I'm sorry; what kind of stupid question is that?

It's like a woman asking a man why the only things he ever cooks are chili and spaghetti? The only correct answer: there's something else?:rotfl:

I play it because it's there, of course.

[Kipparikalle]

I just happen to like WW2 simulations.

[Graf Paper]

success depends upon good planning, preparation and execution. Steaming in, all guns blazing, will more often than not result in failure.
Sneak good...blow up more ship.

Being a scientist, I enjoy seeing my calculations of speed, range, AOB etc, and tactical preparation working as planned, and feel great satisfaction at success.

Aim right...blow up ship.

Also, the dynamic campaign means that, although the situations are often similar and the task the same, the actual happenings are never the same twice, giving the game longevity and enduring interest.
Blow up different ship in different place.

This is prolonged by the gradual improvement of your opponents, and the ability to upgrade your equipment (submarines, torpedo types, sonar etc.) as time progresses.

Enemy get better, you get better or blow up.

Finally, the simulation acts as a practical history lesson, teaching me what crews of u-boats went through better than any documentary or film on tv
Learn blow up right ship at right time.

...(which tends to miss out the boredom, the cramped space, the feeling of uncertainty/fear when being depth charged etc).

Water go boom...bowels make room. One bathroom, many men.:o

Basically, with the simulation (and mods - great work all you modders/dev teams.) as realistic as possible, I enjoy and learn from the experience, both doing tasks that were required in real life and feeling the emotions that come with it.

Me like blow up ships.:arrgh!:

To be honest, I think that this sort of game should be played/demonstrated in schools as joint lessons in history, maths, physics and socialogy. Perhaps that's a new market that game dev teams could look into?
Need more people blow up ships!:know:

[bertle]

I like submarines and the atmosphere of submarine games

Also shooting at British people is fun, because i'm British myself and believe me were as annoying as all the stereotypes make out.

Also my late Granddad was on the Barham when it was sunk (one of the survivors obviously :)) so I sunk it in honour of him. It made sense at the time.