Silent Hunter V Dev Team Interview: Deeper, Kapitän, deeper. (1/19/10)

[Onkel Neal]

Silent Hunter V Dev Team Interview
After months of silent running, Ubisoft cracks the hatch on the latest U-boat sim.

Silent Hunter 5 is about U-boats again but of course it's not the same story line. It's a different portrayal than Silent Hunter 3, I'd say and definitely Silent Hunter 2, which was a string of missions that the player wasn't able to keep or adapt to according to his actions. So ,Silent Hunter 5 is a dynamic campaign, it's the story line presented in a way that may be a little different than Silent Hunter 3, mainly because it's more dynamic, the events in history are portrayed better this time, and the player's actions mean a lot more.


:ping: Click here: Article is live (http://www.subsim.com/ssr/sh5/preview_sh5_jan2010.php) :ping:



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[TDK1044]

Finally....some good Q qnd A! :)

[mookiemookie]

You build your career through these phases, but the game ends in 1943.

Subsim: So, this is a new kind of FPS, a first person submarine; which submarines will the player be able to take command of? Type VII , Type IX, Type II?

Dan: It's a Type VII submarine.
http://rageguy.com/RageGuy_FFFUUUU.png

[Kapitanleutnant]

You build your career through these phases, but the game ends in 1943.
Ubisoft just lost a customer. Great job on ending the game just as things get challenging.

[Carotio]

Subsim: So, this is a new kind of FPS, a first person submarine; which submarines will the player be able to take command of? Type VII , Type IX, Type II?

Dan: It's a Type VII submarine. We think that we have modeled all the significant versions, meaning Type VIIA, which we didn't have before, Type VIIB, C, and C41. We think this time we went much deeper with the Type VII than we did before. For example, the Type VIIA didn't have reloadable torpedoes in the back, so with just one shot and you'd have to come back home to reload, and this is now done in the game and we corrected other little defects with the class.

Subsim: So, this is going to be more narrow in scope for the player but the submarine itself will have more access and accuracy in how it's modeled?

Dan: Yes.
Okay, if this is the real deal, then I really think it's a half dead fish. It seriously dissapoint me. Just one type with different versions.... :o:-?:dead:
Come on, several members have asked for having all the same types as in SH3 and then this????
I don't care if the game will be delayed then, but they should definitely add the other types. :stare:

I definitely didn't expect: Silent Hunter 5: Type VII U-boat simulator, The Early Years

Yeah, ending the game in 1943 is just lame.

Dan, how could you? :nope::nope::nope:

[BulSoldier]

I really feel broken hearted.I would have gladly waited a year if it is nacesary to see the other boats and the whole war.I guess moders are now are best hope.
Sadly i feel that the campaning will be something like il-2. There will be some kind of missions and we will be able to accomplish some amount of goals but not all and esentially have a difrent missions later on.If I am right thats gonna be sad.
And these rpg elements sound well lets admit it - dumb.After i play it once the stories of the crew wont change.So it doesnt really have any replay value of this part.
May be i am pesimistic but it seems its going to be more eye candy and arcade than a sim. (or may be sub sims .... :damn:)
I guess i will keep playing moded sh3 until i feel i am ready to face this manace.

[codmander]

1943???what no snorkel modders get ready

[SteamWake]

and you wonder why they stay quiet. :shifty:

[Mikhayl]

Thanks Neal, very good interview, covering pretty much all the important stuff IMO.
I for one am glad that the devs took the courageous way to limit the scope of the game to do their best to make that narrow scope as rich as possible. It's going to be awkward to end in mid '43 but given Dan & Alex answers I trust it will be well done.

And I never went that far in all my SH3 careers anyway, so it might happen that I won't see Black May in SH5 either :D

Also glad that they seem to have taken immersion (as in "you're the captain, you're here) seriously, this is the kind of thing that made old sims so great, the feeling of continuity in the story, between missions.

And **** man, there's ****ing wolfpacks, for real :D

A bit anxious to see the actual thing but it already sounds like a win to me.

[Hitman]

I was about to make a SERIOUS RANT for the first time. Not for the game being limited to Type VIIs, or for having a debatable system of "semi-wolfpacks", but ending in 1943? :wah:

Fortunately, "there is nothing stopping the modders from keep adding more content, which comes afterwards. There's no hardcore limit for how far you can play in the world, it's just how far OUR campaign goes."

OMG ... thanks God we can add that later .... :) The Type VII fought in the Mediterranean until 1944, in the Arctic and around the british isles until the very end. Modders, sharpen your ... mouses :haha:

[AVGWarhawk]

Alex: You build your career through these phases, but the game ends in 1943.

Dan: The game actually ends after Black May, which we feel is the real climax of the U-boat war. We tried to portray more carefully, in more detail, the golden years of the U-boar war and what has led up to the real Black May. Neal, If you remember a few months before May 1943, they had the highest scoring month in the war, and then just a month later, they lost the most submarines because the Allies introduced some real effective countermeasures against U-boats. And then Doenitz was forced to retreat his U-boats from the Atlantic because they never actually challenged the Allied sea powers the same way as before. So for now, we felt we wanted to concentrate on the early years and maybe later to give the same attention to the the late war years we think should come with some professional approach. For example, if you remember Silent
Hunter 3 we had the late war game with the Type XXI U-boat and everything, but we never actually did portray the Allied side of the anti-submarine warfare, as we should have. You know there are really advanced weapons that were used, like aircraft dropped torpedoes and magnetic anomaly detectors that if you wanted to do a real simulation of the late war years against U-boats, you gotta have those in. So, we don't want to just put on the box of the game 'oh, it's the whole war', it's the first part of the war really where we are concentrating.



Interesting idea.

[Arclight]

and you wonder why they stay quiet. :shifty:
Fine with me, sounds like even I could manage to get the campaign to go on after '43. :lol:

A richly detailed subsim that focuses on the time-period when being a Kaleun isn't suicide, and focuses on 1 boat to cram as much in there as possible. :hmmm:

Yep, pure evil... :roll:

* Ah, and thank you, Neal, Dan and Alex! :salute:

[HundertzehnGustav]

More systems more depth, more intensity until 1943.
I have not survived 1943 in GWX so, thats ok

VII/A/B/C41...
nono... damn!

New campaign...
well we will have to see and learn.

Wish list for future upgrades of any kind.
SHV Death in the Atlantic 2011
IX/B/C types
Full war till 1945
more units and improved AI


Me ---> Buyer

[mookiemookie]

Fortunately, "there is nothing stopping the modders from keep adding more content, which comes afterwards. There's no hardcore limit for how far you can play in the world, it's just how far OUR campaign goes."

That's the one saving grace. I don't play stock campaigns anyways, so I guess it won't be all bad. I would imagine that scripting campaign layers through 1945 is not the hurdle....it's adding in the new U-boat and Allied technologies from 1943 to 1945 that's going to be the time consuming thing.

[Hitman]

Actually there also weren't any commanders who went from 1939 to 1945 in command of an Uboat, but this seems to be going to cause a problem for careers started in 1943. Unless you can only start in 1939, that is...

But for those who love to play in late war like me, this is very dissapointing. Oh, well, playing till 1943 will keep me busy until someone mods the rest of the war in.

Another thing I'm now wondering about is: What about ships/convoy frequency? I hope we can mod that to our liking, as going out of Brest and having spent all torpedoes for 1 million tons sunk before passing Land's End is not exactly my idea of realistic search for targets :dead:

[sayaret]

Unless you can only start in 1939, that is...


scripted campaig?

[BulSoldier]

I think partially atleast.Since it is telling a story and the ships and convoys you hit make a diference... I doubt they have so powerful AI that will take into account the dynamic change of the strategic situation of the war.

[AVGWarhawk]

I did not get to finish...I think stopping in 1943 does not fully represent the success and the STRUGGLE of the uboat experienced towards the end of the war. This aspect makes up the entire experience for the uboat arm.

[Carotio]

I just posted a complaint on the wall of the official facebook fan page, it was deleted less than 2 seconds after I had it posted... :nope:
It's okay with praising words, but criticism? :o
So I posted a debate thread in the facebook fan page instead, feel free to add your comments - unless it gets deleted fast too... :nope:

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=199499913912&topic=12563

Let them know we want more, and not less...

[ETR3(SS)]

Don't worry about part two of the interview, it hasn't taken place yet. Things may still change.:O:

[Galanti]

I guess this means almost certainly they'll be going the DLC route. As mod-friendly as the game engine is intended to be, it seems unlikely modders, as dedicated as they are, will be able to fully implement some of the mechanics and technology that appears late-war. Some of these things I believe would require actual code.

[Boris]

On face value the limitations on this title are a tad dissapointing. Only VII, the 1943 ending, I'm not surprised a lot of people are unhappy.

But the way the devs are justifying it makes a lot of sense, and if the game is as good as they make it sound, then good. Despite the drawbacks this game may be pretty awesome within its scope.

This is what we are getting, it's not going to change. Stop lamenting what's missing and accept what it will be. Hopefully the content that we do get will be as immersive as the devs make it sound.

[BulSoldier]

They wont know what we want unless we write it down.With just hoping it wont have a chance hapening, not that writing helped much this far.

[sayaret]

I guess this means almost certainly they'll be going the DLC route. As mod-friendly as the game engine is intended to be, it seems unlikely modders, as dedicated as they are, will be able to fully implement some of the mechanics and technology that appears late-war. Some of these things I believe would require actual code.

ofcourse this would be unmodable, the only thing modders would be able to do is to increase the chance of detection. Tactic, weapon have to be the same, . Actually there is no point for modders to extend the game to 1945. it will be like 1943 over and over again

[sayaret]

But the way the devs are justifying it makes a lot of sense,

yeah it makes sense when they decided to put only type VII, and decided not to include post1943 antisubmarine tactic/weapon.
And ofcours it makes even a bigger sense when they have plans making shvi

[Letum]

I can live with a 1943 ending.
I can live with non-interactive wolf-packs.
I can live with only the Type VII.

I just hope there is something there to make living worthwhile!
We shall see; no judgment until all the evidence is there.

What ever it is like, I will buy it to support the genre.

[ETR3(SS)]

And ofcours it makes even a bigger sense when they have plans making shvi I seemed to have missed those plans somewhere...:hmmm:

[Galanti]

You know, for a "dynamic campaign" it sure sounds like a great deal will be scripted.

I sure don't want to be pessimistic, but from the tone of the interview it looks as though the devs decided to go in a completely different direction with this installment. I mean to the point where the height of the railing on the Wintergarten will be the least of our worries, as far as realism goes.

arghh...I will also buy it to support the genre, but realistically I'm expecting to wait a year or so before it's complete enough to start a serious campaign.

[LtCmdrMaverick]

I will buy it but will have my fingers crossed when I do so....here's hoping!!

Maverick

[BulSoldier]

Well lets hope it wont go that far as to buy it just for the support.

Whatever the reason we shouldnt end up buying a game and then waiting for moders to make them worthwhile.

[HanSolo78]

Hm.. I am somewhat comfortable... with that interview... sure.. only "one" type is bad. But.. hey.. we get WOLFPACKS!! Also the interaction and role type interaction with the crew sounds like a lot of immersion which seem Sh5 to be much more real than SH3 ever was... not only 24 hour patrols everytime again and again...now we have interaction with the campaign events and we can change the war line... sounds really cool.

ok.. a type II coulf really be in the game.. but all in all the game concept of the devs seems good for me!

[JU_88]

Im sorry, but the Campaign really should have run up until the German surrender, the 1943 end makes zero sense to me -and IMHO cannot really be justified by anything other than the devs simply ran out of time :06: i dont think anyone saw that one coming..

There is no denying the Type VII model and full interior look superb, but at the expense of the Type 9 and 2?
I dunno, that is one trade off that REALLY hurts :dead:

Everything else sounds (and looks) very promising but Its a real shame that it all a bit marred by the above mentioned.
NOrmally I would be dancing on the cealing over wolfpacks and how greay the campaign sounds (premeture ending aside)

I guess what gets me down most is that its kinda dashed my hopes of seeing British/US subs or Destroyers become playable though future official addons -Since the missing Uboat types will now almost certainly take priority for any potential future addons... :nope:

Still, I will reserve final judgment until I have actually played the final game.
Anyway, thanks for Interview Neal, Dan & Alex.

[THE_MASK]

Quote Subsim: Modding, everybody asked me about this, the games before have been open to a certain extent to mod, and modding is a big thing, a lot of credibility on modding. How open is this game to modding?

Alex: Modding? Let's say like this: the modders will be extremely happy with Silent Hunter 5. It's quite a bit more open than the previous, and you surely will find some nice surprises.

[Jimbuna]

I'm a little suprised at the fact there is only one U-boat type and an initial ending date of 1943 but i'm confident the modding community will soon be hard at work weaving their magic.

Who knows.....future add ons may well expand the game even further in time and equipment areas.

I'm very appreciative to you for the release of the interview http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/pirate.gif

[Hitman]

Looks like we need to coarse the GWX guys out of retirement :hmmm: They left GWX4 because SH5 was already going to cover much of what they had planned, wonder if this is still the case? :shucks:

[Wreford-Brown]

Having read the interview I'm... pessimistic about SHV.

Time will tell, but IMHO the game has been rushed to get it into the shops and making a profit. I guess I'm used to the supermods that have been created for SH3 and SH4 and expected too much from SHV.

Thank you for releasing the interview - it's the best information I've seen so far and it's an example of how well subsim is regarded in the dev community that the dev team chose him for this interview. Bravo, Neal.

[capthelm]

great see the uboats flood , better damage they say.

[Oberon]

Looks promising. It has quite a few good ideas and is a new step in the direction of the series. It's definately not SHIII with better graphics, it's a whole new idea of its own, that'll be good and bad for those who love it and hate it themselves.
It's nice to see it being open-ended towards Modding, that's a refreshing step in definately the right direction, and if sales go well, it's very likely, given the way the series has been so far that expansion packs will be sold, perhaps in the form of DLC, which seems to be the norm these days. What these packs will do? Perhaps add in the Type II, perhaps add in 1944, who knows?
But, unlike many, I'm not giving up on it just yet. Thanks for the interview Neal, I'm looking forward to seeing what other tasty tidbits you manage to squeeze out of the Dev crew :D

Oh, and Moderators...here, this one is on me :up::

http://www.chemistry-react.org/imageLibrary/jpeg150/65.jpg

[mookiemookie]

I can see it now...

Available Upgrades:

Schnorkel - Allows for use of diesel engines while submerged.......Price: 100 Renown

BOLD decoys - Fool your pursuers with these noisemaker decoys.......Price 100 Renown

Type IXD Submarine - Extend your operational range! Six torpedo tubes!.......Price: 500 Renown

Campaign years 1943 to 1945 - The hunters become the hunted! Can you survive the war?...............Price 1000 Renown

Type IID Submarine - Enjoy the challenge of this mighty mini coastal U-boat!...............Price 400 Renown

Renown points available in the Ubisoft store for just $10.00 per 1000 points

Ah well. I'm a sucker. I'd buy it all.

[Brag]

Interesting interview. Thanks, Neal!


The Devs' strategic approach makes a lot of sense, quality vs quantity.

I like the type IX in sh3 and the great patrols one can have with it. I am perfectly happy with a more realistic VII.. I don't have any problems with the game ending in 1943 as long as the experience of getting there is better than SH3.

Being able to trigger off wolfpacks adds a new dimension to the game.

I don't know how being the XO will work out, but this also add an interesting aspect in which you earn your command.

I'm also glad to see that if morale gets low, it will add to the difficulties.

The real good news is the indication that there is a commitement by UBI to continue with the SH franchise and thet we will see SH6.

Only two months left 'til release
Now, looking forward to the screenies :DL

[Topo65]

If the campaign end in 1943, it's like Das Boot end, when they arrive at Gibraltar. :DL

Thanks for the data. Good Luck, SHV!!! :yeah:

[Jimbuna]

Im sorry, but the Campaign really should have run up until the German surrender in 1944, the 1943 end makes zero sense to me -and IMHO cannot really be justified by anything other than the devs simply ran out of time :06: i dont think anyone saw that one coming..

There is no denying the Type VII model and full interior look superb, but at the expense of the Type 9 and 2?
I dunno, that is one trade off that REALLY hurts :dead:

Everything else sounds (and looks) very promising but Its a real shame that it all a bit marred by the above mentioned.
NOrmally I would be dancing on the cealing over wolfpacks and how greay the campaign sounds (premeture ending aside)

I guess what gets me doen thoug most is that its kinda dashed my hopes of seeing British/US subs or Destroyers become playable though future official addons -Since the missing Uboat types will now almost certainly take priority for any potential future addons... :nope:

Still, I will reserve final judgment until I have actually played the final game.
Anyway, thanks for Interview Neal, Dan & Alex.

You been on that draught porridge again :DL

[Jimbuna]

Looks like we need to coarse the GWX guys out of retirement :hmmm: They left GWX4 because SH5 was already going to cover much of what they had planned, wonder if this is still the case? :shucks:

Well...Ducimus keeps making statements that he would like to "take that wager".....

Me....I'm simply waiting to see the colour of his money :DL

[Kapitanleutnant]

I'd put £10 on it.
GWX5 would be like a comeback tour of my favourite band.

[Letum]

All you people who seam happy about wolf-packs...

You do realise that SH5 will only have wolfpacks in the way that SH3 had Stuka Squadrons.

[Snestorm]

1943 ending? UNSAT.

I had expected, at minimum, the addition of the Type IX (IXA), but instead all Types of IIs and IXs, have been removed, as has the Type XXI. UNSAT.

Thanks UBI. You just saved me a lot of money and time.
Pre-order cancelled.

[Onkel Neal]

I'm keeping an open mind. One thing that bears repeating, when a game development team sets out to build a new type of game, they may not include "features" seen in previous versions. In this case, they are specializing on the personal element of being a captain and leading a crew of U-bootmen, and they are providing a new type of subsim, an interaction first person subsim. This game appears to be designed to give more of a Das Boot experience than an SH2/SH3 overarching career.

I know Dan is a serious, simulation-oriented developer. And you guys who joined us on the U-995 tour last Sept could see how Dan, Mike, and Mihai were really intent on learning as much as possible, crawling in every crevice and taking pictures. If we had not pried them loose, they would still be there, I bet. :shucks:

My sole concern at this point is the state of the game when released. I think most would say I am pretty forgiving of minor glitches and bugs, and I update reviews with info about patches-- I know no game is delivered 100% perfect. I would feel a lot better if there was an actual preview copy to evaluate before the game goes on sale. Ubisoft protected SHIV until the game was released, and it was pretty messed up until months and patches later. That's my worry. I can buy into a different direction for this edition, with the emphasis on the captain/crew expereience, but SHV must be up to the level of quality of SH3.

[Chad]

I also am keeping an open mind. This could be the best game in the series :yeah:

[Rip]

Thanks Neal, very good interview, covering pretty much all the important stuff IMO.
I for one am glad that the devs took the courageous way to limit the scope of the game to do their best to make that narrow scope as rich as possible. It's going to be awkward to end in mid '43 but given Dan & Alex answers I trust it will be well done.

And I never went that far in all my SH3 careers anyway, so it might happen that I won't see Black May in SH5 either :D

Also glad that they seem to have taken immersion (as in "you're the captain, you're here) seriously, this is the kind of thing that made old sims so great, the feeling of continuity in the story, between missions.

And **** man, there's ****ing wolfpacks, for real :D

A bit anxious to see the actual thing but it already sounds like a win to me.

I can live with all the things I didn't want to hear if the detail is there. I really hope that someone will mod a good campaign that goes all the way. Maybe even add some more u-boat types.

I'd also be fine with DLC content, particularly is it was a steady strem. I'm all for them having a revenue stream if I get value for it. Most of the many other games I spend money on I don't play much anyway. I'd rather it all go for submarine sims if there were enough of them. :DL

[tonyj]

open mind here too. this sounds vastly different from sh3/sh4.

[Fire]

After this Interview I won't buy the game on release.

I see it coming:

A half year after release there will be the Type IX Download Content, but without missions, they will cost extra.

And a few months later we will get the "Play-till-45" Campaign upgrade for 24,99 $.

We'll, why am I disappointed.....it's Ubisoft, never expected any other behaviour.... :damn:

[Jimbuna]

I'm keeping an open mind. One thing that bears repeating, when a game development team sets out to build a new type of game, they may not include "features" seen in previous versions. In this case, they are specializing on the personal element of being a captain and leading a crew of U-bootmen, and they are providing a new type of subsim, an interaction first person subsim. This game appears to be designed to give more of a Das Boot experience than an SH2/SH3 overarching career.

I know Dan is a serious, simulation-oriented developer. And you guys who joined us on the U-995 tour last Sept could see how Dan, Mike, and Mihai were really intent on learning as much as possible, crawling in every crevice and taking pictures. If we had not pried them loose, they would still be there, I bet. :shucks:

My sole concern at this point is the state of the game when released. I think most would say I am pretty forgiving of minor glitches and bugs, and I update reviews with info about patches-- I know no game is delivered 100% perfect. I would feel a lot better if there was an actual preview copy to evaluate before the game goes on sale. Ubisoft protected SHIV until the game was released, and it was pretty messed up until months and patches later. That's my worry. I can buy into a different direction for this edition, with the emphasis on the captain/crew expereience, but SHV must be up to the level of quality of SH3.

Agreed....only after playing and evaluating personally will I feel I'm in a position to decide.

Your last sentence is of particular paramount importance IMO.

[Ducimus]

From what i just gathered, SH5 in a nutshell is "Das Boot the video game that ends in 1943". Which is mighty unappealing to me, and my only thought being, "Jesus, what can i do to make SH4 better?!" :damn: Working on it again, is also unappealing since a few signficant chunks of what is required to improve it is beyond my ability.

At any rate, im guessing the first serious mod for this game will be a type 9 from UBM and expanded campaign beyond 43 for the type 7 and type 9. That might actually make the game worthwhile, but i'm still unenthused.

[conus00]

I was hoping to give myself nice present for my 36th birthday (on March 11) but I will DEFINITELY not buying this game until, at least, my 37th birthday when modders have released "GWX5" covering 1939-1945, with all available sub types and theatres of operations.

I do not plan on spending $49.99 (or so) on unfinished game. Unless the release price will be in $9.99-$19.99 range (where it belongs as of now, considering that you are buying sort of DIY game) I, for one, will wait.

What kind of: "let's release it now and have modders finish it" sales practice is it, anyway? :nope:

[JU_88]

You been on that draught porridge again :DL

Daught porridge? ME? why? :O::hmmm:
Mate, Sometimes you are so cryptic / non-specfic - I honestly wish I could understand what your are trying tell me (without using an enigma machine or trying to read you mind or both.)
So, regardless of how much it might embarress me in the end, would you kindly give me the 'decrypted version' on this occasion? :haha:
I don't take hints well, (just ask my missus.)

[Sulikate]

It's no surprise I'm getting this one as I did with SHII-III-IV, and probably have a blast playing it. The fact that we will be restricted to type VII doesn't really bother me: I believe the added gameplay depth and design/simulation precision will compensate the loss. The wolfpack funcionality is still somewhat blurry to me... wait and see, I guess.

Anyway, the fresh air brought by the interview is very welcome indeed. Thanks Neal :arrgh!:

[danurve]

Quote Subsim: Modding, everybody asked me about this, the games before have been open to a certain extent to mod, and modding is a big thing, a lot of credibility on modding. How open is this game to modding?

Alex: Modding? Let's say like this: the modders will be extremely happy with Silent Hunter 5. It's quite a bit more open than the previous, and you surely will find some nice surprises.

How long did it take before SH3 modding could start a carrer 1 month before the war started? Barrier broken.

How long was it before wizzard modders gave us the Open Hatch, alternate GUI's, better ships, alternate theaters, ports & bases etc? Barriers broken.

Going by that last statement in the quote, and I'm no detective but it does not seem like the developers would purposly stop those with the talent to create mods to craft the game.

What the frack is the use in explaining that though, realy.
It occurs to me alot of spoiled players will piss and whine regardless. It is like being in a room with kids holding an ice cream cone pissing themselves because it doesn't already have sprinkles.

[Mikhayl]

The game can be perfectly well finished with just one sub and a campaign end in 1943. And it could be unfinished with the whole war and all the subs.

Seriously, I don't know how much UBI made with SH4+addon, but obviously it's nowhere near their blockbuster titles. So even if the devs were ok to delay the game to add more stuff (which ultimately they'd probably love to do), I seriously doubt that UBI would be willing to pay for an extra 6 months of dev time.
So the next logical step is to draw the line somewhere regarding content, and I'm fine with the devs choosing quality over quantity.

[Kapitanleutnant]

It occurs to me alot of spoiled players will piss and whine regardless. It is like being in a room with kids holding an ice cream cone pissing themselves because it doesn't already have sprinkles.

Hmm yes the total absence of a third of the entire war is just like some missing sprinkles. I see what you're saying.

[BulSoldier]

WE cant draw that conclusion.We know that there is only one of the major types of subs.We know that a third of the war is missing and yes the eye candy is great but i havent seen anything about the simulation part of the game.

[conus00]

The game can be perfectly well finished with just one sub and a campaign end in 1943. And it could be unfinished with the whole war and all the subs.

Seriously, I don't know how much UBI made with SH4+addon, but obviously it's nowhere near their blockbuster titles. So even if the devs were ok to delay the game to add more stuff (which ultimately they'd probably love to do), I seriously doubt that UBI would be willing to pay for an extra 6 months of dev time.
So the next logical step is to draw the line somewhere regarding content, and I'm fine with the devs choosing quality over quantity.

Mikhayl, I can see your point and I really do respect and appreciate what you have done for the subsim community but do you feel that paying full price for half-finished product is appropriate?

I understand that modders will eventually be able to bring this game up to the standards but it brings my original question: What kind of: "let's release it now and have modders finish it" sales practice is it, anyway? :nope:

[Jimbuna]

Daught porridge? ME? why? :O::hmmm:
Mate, Sometimes you are so cryptic / non-specfic - I honestly wish I could understand what your are trying tell me (without using an enigma machine or trying to read you mind or both.)
So, regardless of how much it might embarress me in the end, would you kindly give me the 'decrypted version' on this occasion? :haha:
I don't take hints well, (just ask my missus.)

Okay....you asked :DL


the Campaign really should have run up until the German surrender in 1944,



:oops:

[Mikhayl]

Mikhayl, I can see your point and I really do respect and appreciate what you have done for the subsim community but do you feel that paying full price for half-finished product is appropriate?

I understand that modders will eventually be able to bring this game up to the standards but it brings my original question: What kind of: "let's release it now and have modders finish it" sales practice is it, anyway? :nope:

Well, we'll see in March, I will agree with that sentiment if SH5 is merely SH3 with updated graphics and some sprinkles, minus 2 years of campaign and 3 subs.

But, if SH5 delivers a great experience out of the box, then you can't call it "unfinished", no matter how limited in scope it will be.
I mean, take the flight sim "Battle of Britain", it only represents 2 months of the war and only has a handful of playable planes, but this is arguably the best WWII sim there is, superior to IL-2 with its myriad of playable planes and campaigns spanning the whole war.

If you think about it, September 1939 to May 1943 represents what, 20, 25 patrols? That's anywhere between 50 and 100 hours of game (conservative estimate), for a single campaign. Then you can restart with another flotilla, make different choices, and so on. If what's in the game is polished, then it's a hit IMO.

[Sailor Steve]

I'm not even sure what I think at this point. A part of the line between being elated and disappointed is in what you wanted in the first place. This is a whole new direction, and I'm still puzzling over whether it's the direction I want to go. I'd still like to see SH4 finished, as the earlier SH series is close to the style I like to play. This is difinitely not that direction.

A lot of it looks cool though. I guess I'll just have to find out for myself if I grow to like it.

Sure hope the merchants are easy to name though.

[conus00]

The game can be perfectly well finished with just one sub and a campaign end in 1943. And it could be unfinished with the whole war and all the subs.

Seriously, I don't know how much UBI made with SH4+addon, but obviously it's nowhere near their blockbuster titles. So even if the devs were ok to delay the game to add more stuff (which ultimately they'd probably love to do), I seriously doubt that UBI would be willing to pay for an extra 6 months of dev time.
So the next logical step is to draw the line somewhere regarding content, and I'm fine with the devs choosing quality over quantity.

Fair enough, I concede my case until March.
You make good points here but don't you feel a little bit "cheated" by being kept in the dark about the campaign span? I feel like the SHV hype was like a huge bubble and now "poooof" only 1939-1943?

[Kavok]

It's the lack of progression that bothers me.

OK, I'm not a serious simmer like most of you here, I'd be perfectly happy with an underwater Doom 3 as I articulated previously.

However, I do want to see some progression and reward for my efforts. In Doom, as the game goes on I can get bigger and better weapons, harder enemies and more cool things going on in general. In SHIII I get new U-Boats, a better crew that I have looked after/promoted etc. and whole different types of ship. It's why I liked the renown and upgrade system of SHIII and got a good ribbing for it here!

With this, sure I might see some new classes of opponents over the 4 years, but aside from a new conning tower or two I'm stuck in the same s**tcan at the end of the war I was at the start and the reward for all my efforts is "Well, we're 2 years away yet, but for you ze war is over. And you're no better off than when you started."

It might be immersing and fun, but it sounds so desperately unrewarding as a campaign that I'm really bothered about it.

At least I don't need to buy a new PC yet.

[conus00]

It's the lack of progression that bothers me.

OK, I'm not a serious simmer like most of you here, I'd be perfectly happy with an underwater Doom 3 as I articulated previously.

However, I do want to see some progression and reward for my efforts. In Doom, as the game goes on I can get bigger and better weapons, harder enemies and more cool things going on in general. In SHIII I get new U-Boats, a better crew that I have looked after/promoted etc. and whole different types of ship. It's why I liked the renown and upgrade system of SHIII and got a good ribbing for it here!

With this, sure I might see some new classes of opponents over the 4 years, but aside from a new conning tower or two I'm stuck in the same s**tcan at the end of the war I was at the start and the reward for all my efforts is "Well, we're 2 years away yet, but for you ze war is over. And you're no better off than when you started."

It might be immersing and fun, but it sounds so desperately unrewarding as a campaign that I'm really bothered about it.

At least I don't need to buy a new PC yet.

Now, that is a very good point, too. In SH3 I was looking forward to upgrades and (possibly) upgrading to a new boat.

[The General]

Your questions were perfect and the interview was very charming.

Having seen the new trailer and read the Q & A, I for one am very excited and cannot wait for March to come around. With the state of the economy and the news that Ubisoft are delaying some releases, I feel we're all very lucky to be getting a new Silent Hunter of this quality at all. It is obviously gonna be the greatest sub-sim ever made. It saddens me that some members of this community seem to have an unrealistic sense of entitlement, but that's their problem.

Thank you Dan, Alex and the development team for your tremendous hard work :salute:

[JU_88]

Okay....you asked :DL



:oops:

A typo.... And would have gotten away with it too if wasnt your meddeling quotes :haha:

[Mikhayl]

Fair enough, I concede my case until March.
You make good points here but don't you feel a little bit "cheated" by being kept in the dark about the campaign span? I feel like the SHV hype was like a huge bubble and now "poooof" only 1939-1943?

I agree that it's an odd choice and a bit of a let down, but after reading the interview the devs have good argument and I trust them to do it right.
Though I would have liked to have the campaign extend to July 1944, basically just after the perilous Channel crossing to retreat to Germany, and the end of the Atlantic bases.
At any rate, it can't possibly worse than the end game in SH3, remember that ridiculous pop-up "the war ended", sure it went to 1945 but DUH.

Regarding upgrades, there's still the different variants + smaller upgrades, and in SH3 the upgrades are important because there's hardly anything else to reward the player, honestly the game is very dry, the background story to immerse the player is weak to non-existent. In SH5 it seems that it will be much more important so that you won't focus on that battery upgrade so much. Well I hope so :)

[DarkFish]

The game can be perfectly well finished with just one sub and a campaign end in 1943. And it could be unfinished with the whole war and all the subs.:up:
My opinion exactly!

I rather have a great campaign spanning only 3 years and just one playable sub, than having a mediocre campaign with a choice between multiple unfinished subs.

[Falkirion]

Great interview Neal. Answers alot of my questions about the game. I'll be picking it up in March, despite the campaign running through to 43.

I'd put down money on Ubi releasing an expansion for it to cover the rest of the war. It'll just take them a while to tweak the engine enough to cover all the allied tech advances. And of course the modding community will expand the playability long after release.

[Carotio]

The whole career and upgrades system of SH3 and SH4 were what kept me going with the games, but this limitation to ONE type and only till 1943 is quite dissapointing. Now you'll probably just get the pop up screen two years earlier than before...

Okay, so they say the campaign can be modified to last longer, which is fine, but what about all the technological advances of both allied and axis? Do modders really have to do that work? Or shouldn't this be part of what we pay for? And the missing uboat types - is it now the job of modders to port over old units from SH3 or SH4? When this should be done allready by the dev team.

I said it before, and I say it again. I still think it's lame. No matter all the other great advances they may have developped sofar. It LOOKS great, but is that really enough? So when you all have played Jürgen Prochnow for ½ year, will SH5 still be appealing like SH3 or SH4 was it? I was at first most impressed of the graphical improvements, but this DOWNGRADE in gameplay variation really make the decision for me: I can wait this time round..... I doubt I'll be first in line to buy it.

Imagine if lots of other potential users think likewise. If only half the potential customers buy it at first at full price, and maybe 25 % buy it later at reduced price and the rest not at all, will SH5 then be considered a succes? Compared to if they give it 6 months more development (to add II, IX and XXI plus 1943-45) and 75 % buy it first at full price and the last 25 % at the reduced price. I think the Ubisoft management shoots itself in the feet by this decision, but only time will tell...

[karamazovnew]

When they announced back in September that the game was out in spring, I thought I didn't hear right. Just one year in development? Impossible. Well, not if you only model one sub and cut out half of the campaign.

Fine by me, I'll consider SH5 a work in progress, we're entering the DLC era anyway. I'm glad I'll be playing the game soon. And as Mihkayl has stated many times before, quality is better than quantity.

SH5 Progression:
-SH5 Battle of The Atlantic: VII-7 till 43
-SH5 Operation Monsoon: IX till late 43 with Indian and American theaters
-SH5 Fall of the Reich: Walter boats and late war suicidal campaign (plus techs for the other boats)

Modding will be tough because all mods will become obsolete with every DLC. But I have absolutely no doubt that all great modders will give their best to make the game a jewel from the start. Players will request, modders will provide. They'll hit road blocks and missing features, just like before. Well this time, Ubi would better listen to them and help them with each new content release. And just in case some of you still have doubts, just look what Lurker has done with his Operation Monsun mod. :up:

[rev. beetle]

i guess i will not be buying this version as it has only 1 sub model and ends in 1943 and no hot keys this will just be a waste of my money and time i will just stick with gwx3. personally i could care less about high end graphics and 1st person interaction if i wanted that i would get one of those war games where you have to kill aliens or something else.i just want a game where i can play as
a axis or ally in a sub in either side of the world and try to survive the whole war from 1938 to 1945

[rascal101]

At last some useable information - though as usual they answer some questions only to raise others.

Firstly the Dynamic Campaign question - the interview seemed at first to be a rather clever manipulation of what the word Dynamic means, seems the word now could mean a series of scripted missions that occur in sequence from 1940 until 43.

What interests me now is how 'dynamic' these missions will actually be once your at sea. Will there still be the element of surprise as you patrol and try to find ships or convoys. Or will it be - go here and wait for x amount of time for that ship to turn up, move on to next place and repeat.

If this is the new meaning of Dynamic then I really so think all the magic and random surprise of the game would be tragically lost and the game would wind up shelved after a couple of turns.

For me the real attraction of SH3 was the campaign covered the entire war and you never new what was going to happen next, was it a convoy or single ship, merchant or military - were you hunting them or were they hunting you - This kept SH3 an attractive game to play years after its release, not to mention the mods etc.

I really hope the dev's or someone can clarify the above

As for stopping the game at 1943- this doesn’t bother me so much if the game play and graphics are improved, as the graphics would certainly seem to be - hopefully enough copies would be sold so Ubi brings out an add-on to cover the latter, more challenging part of the war, ie 1943 to VE Day -

This could be a real selling point as they could then really go to town on covering the technical advances of both sides with the challenge actually being to simply stay alive

I hope some one can clarify the first point and that Ubi and the Dev's might really seriously consider the second.

Until then - thanks once more to Ubisoft and Dev team for continuing with the franchise and for the endless hours of fun I've had with all of the SH series

Regards

Rascal

[AVGWarhawk]

I'm keeping an open mind. One thing that bears repeating, when a game development team sets out to build a new type of game, they may not include "features" seen in previous versions. In this case, they are specializing on the personal element of being a captain and leading a crew of U-bootmen, and they are providing a new type of subsim, an interaction first person subsim. This game appears to be designed to give more of a Das Boot experience than an SH2/SH3 overarching career.

I know Dan is a serious, simulation-oriented developer. And you guys who joined us on the U-995 tour last Sept could see how Dan, Mike, and Mihai were really intent on learning as much as possible, crawling in every crevice and taking pictures. If we had not pried them loose, they would still be there, I bet. :shucks:

My sole concern at this point is the state of the game when released. I think most would say I am pretty forgiving of minor glitches and bugs, and I update reviews with info about patches-- I know no game is delivered 100% perfect. I would feel a lot better if there was an actual preview copy to evaluate before the game goes on sale. Ubisoft protected SHIV until the game was released, and it was pretty messed up until months and patches later. That's my worry. I can buy into a different direction for this edition, with the emphasis on the captain/crew expereience, but SHV must be up to the level of quality of SH3.


After digesting that for a minute I have to agree. It is a different type of sim. Interesting thought Neal! :hmmm:

[rascal101]

All of the below is fine with me providing the add-ons are worth the money and fun to play -

I'd like to see Ubisoft make some real money from the franchise so they continue its development and make the game a real and on-going source of entertainment - not least as TV is such a profound bore.

And with the contribution of the modders no doubt there will be lot of suprises for all of us -

Go for it Ubisoft - make a good game and I'll buy it, make some good and real add-on's and I'll buy them, all of them - till the cows come home as long as they are reall and make a real contribution to the game -

Go right ahead keep me interested! or leave it at a single game with no add-ons, no new material and I will drop the game like a stone and move on

Regards to all

Rascal

After this Interview I won't buy the game on release.

I see it coming:

A half year after release there will be the Type IX Download Content, but without missions, they will cost extra.

And a few months later we will get the "Play-till-45" Campaign upgrade for 24,99 $.

We'll, why am I disappointed.....it's Ubisoft, never expected any other behaviour.... :damn:

[Richard G]

Role playing, and great story line. Sounds like an adventure game.

I hope they remembered some important sim related items, like graduated degree markings on the periscope.

[Nisgeis]

Did the Germans have radar in May 1943, e.g. the end of the game?

[JU_88]

Its starting to sound like b17 the mighty 8th, in a uboat -kinda.

[rascal101]

I think you hit it on the head - this is what's worrying me as well - have they really improved it or just dumbed the whole thing down and mised the point

Its starting to sound like b17 the mighty 8th, in a uboat -kinda.

[Méo]

Finally good questions and precise answers!

Interesting interview. Thanks, Neal!

The Devs' strategic approach makes a lot of sense, quality vs quantity.

Being able to trigger off wolfpacks adds a new dimension to the game.

Agree 100%

IMHO, this interview brings posivitive (but of course not perfect) news.

AI Uboat firing torpedoes on convoys are in this time!!! :up:

First Focus on Quality then release add-ons for Quantity. :yep:


I can already see it coming:

SILENT HUNTER 5: THE FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL

Add-on for Silent Hunter 5 that extend the Battle of the Atlantic to its final days and include:

- More types of Uboat
- New Allied ASW Weapons
- New Theaters of Operations
- Several enhancements and much more!

Thanks Neal!
Thanks Dan!
...and Thanks Alex!

[Snestorm]

Frankly, it looks like a giant step backward from SH3.

As it stands now, SH5 is not worth my time and money.
Big dissapointment!

[Ducimus]

I think you hit it on the head - this is what's worrying me as well - have they really improved it or just dumbed the whole thing down and mised the point

I don't think they missed anything. I think they're giving exactly what alot of folks have been clamoring for, for years now. More roleplay, more graphics, and more Das Boot.

[Uber Gruber]

I can see where they're going with this, it's an interesting yet challenging idea with little room for error on the 'life of a u-boat commander' theme. Get it wrong, coupled with Stuka Squadron style woilfpacks, and it will bomb big time.

But we shall see....i'm keeping an open mind cos if they get it right such that modders can easily create a rich interactive world for the captain then the other short comings will come with time.

Good to see some of the old grey heads ranting for a change :smug:

[THE_MASK]

I don't think they missed anything. I think they're giving exactly what alot of folks have been clamoring for, for years now. More roleplay, more graphics, and more Das Boot. I agree 100% . I dont think you can compare SH5 with SH3/4 anymore . Its a diffrent type of game after reading the interview . But they said it will be more moddable than SH3/4 so who is to say after 6 months modders dont give the hard core simmer that wants a SH3/4 type game what they want anyway. I said in another thread that 1 type of sub would be sh1thouse but i can see now what they are trying to do and how it all fits together . cheers sober out .

[Oberon]

An interesting connection to make is with the World War One Aerial Combat sim Rise of Flight. It gained contraversy for a number of reasons.
Firstly, you have to be online to play the game, this put off a number of people, and secondly, the game shipped with two or four (can't remember off hand) aircraft to fly.
However, the graphics, flight and damage model are said to be superb. I do not own it because of financial and hardware incompatability issues (Likely the same reason I won't be buying SHV until two years or more down the line).
ROF has gained quite the fanbase amongst its users, just take a look down in the Air sim forum, Stealth Hunter in particular swears by it, however it has and probably always will have those who will not buy it because of what they view to be shortcomings, shortcomings which other people have put to one side, brought it and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I strongly suspect, as I have already said, that the Type IX will come in a DLC pack, possibly the Type II. I should imagine that '43-'45 will either come as a DLC too, or the Devs will let the modders put it in. This is, fortunately or unfortunately as you see it, how a lot of games seem to run these days, which is a bit of a problem with those of us who can barely afford to buy the original game to begin with, but then again there are always winners and losers in the gaming community and eventually as time, hardware and financial depriciation passes, the losers become winners.
I think, like Neal, that this is an interesting new direction, quite exciting really if they manage to pull off the interaction right. For those of us who have always wanted that Das Boot experience, we are one step closer. We can walk the boat from bow to stern, we can stop and talk to the crew, monitor their work, they celebrate with us and they feel our depression at being days at sea in the middle of an Atlantic Swell with no idea where we are or where the enemy is.
It'll be the first SH not to feature multiple boats (Unless SHI didn't, I never played it :doh:) however it will also be the first SH to feature a fully modelled interior and interactive crew. It won't go until the end of the war, but it will fill the years inbetween with dynamics which we have not encountered before. I suspect that if we were to choose to raid a harbour then the next time we tried they would have put up sub nets, searchlights and increased patrols. No more raiding with impunity. The enemy will react, not on a tactical level like a destroyer changing its tactics to detect you, but on a strategic level. If a large amount of shipping is sunk in one area, you might attract a hunter-killer group. It's this kind of dynamics that I strongly suspect (and hope) that Dan is talking about as opposed to the dynamics that, say, affect the outcome of the war.

One thing though, and I speak to all of you, even those who say that they will not buy the game when it comes out. Go out there, go to the Ubi forums and request, politely, that Subsim.com receive a preview copy to review. As the top submarine simulation website on the internet and with tens of thousands of subsim fans, it is vital, imperative that Neal be given a copy to review and give us the honest facts.

So, go forth and tell Ubisoft and the marketers, Subsim.com needs a preview copy of SHV!!

[V.C. Sniper]

it is vital, imperative that Neal be given a copy to review and give us the honest facts.

So, go forth and tell Ubisoft and the marketers, Subsim.com needs a preview copy of SHV!!here here

[Carotio]

Actually, I know ONE subsim member has been given a preview copy of the game, but I'm not going to tell who. He can come forward himself if he chooses to....

And no, it's not me.

[Kapitanleutnant]

So part 2 of the interview has been taken down and won't be back up until Jan 22. What's the point of that?
Not questioning Neal, since I assume that was dictated by Ubisoft, but it's a bit late now. The horse has well and truly bolted.

[V.C. Sniper]

Actually, I know ONE subsim member has been given a preview copy of the game, but I'm not going to tell who. He can come forward himself if he chooses to....

And no, it's not me.Dan

[JU_88]

So part 2 of the interview has been taken down and won't be back up until Jan 22. What's the point of that?
Not questioning Neal, since I assume that was dictated by Ubisoft, but it's a bit late now. The horse has well and truly bolted.

Yeah I just noticed that too :06:

[Reece]

Neal said:
Ubisoft protected SHIV until the game was released, and it was pretty messed up until months and patches later. That's my worry. I can buy into a different direction for this edition, with the emphasis on the captain/crew expereience, but SHV must be up to the level of quality of SH3.Agree 100%, this is the most important part of a game!:oops::yep:

Rascal said:
What interests me now is how 'dynamic' these missions will actually be once your at sea. Will there still be the element of surprise as you patrol and try to find ships or convoys. Or will it be - go here and wait for x amount of time for that ship to turn up, move on to next place and repeat.

If this is the new meaning of Dynamic then I really so think all the magic and random surprise of the game would be tragically lost and the game would wind up shelved after a couple of turns.

For me the real attraction of SH3 was the campaign covered the entire war and you never new what was going to happen next, was it a convoy or single ship, merchant or military - were you hunting them or were they hunting you - This kept SH3 an attractive game to play years after its releaseThis also has me worried.:oops::x

Well I am disappointed about only having the VII boat, and not as concerned about the ending of 1943 however both these effect Flotilla's so again I'm worried!!:-? My opinion is No! ... Yes! ... No! ... Yes! ...Maybe!:doh:

[Kapitanleutnant]

I can think of only two reasons:

1: Neal accidentally released the second part earlier than was agreed, or...

2: Ubisoft is having a hasty rethink and there'll be some kind of change to things said in the second part.

I'm desperately hoping it's the latter, but I suspect the former is more likely.

edit: I would also like to third this:

What interests me now is how 'dynamic' these missions will actually be once your at sea. Will there still be the element of surprise as you patrol and try to find ships or convoys. Or will it be - go here and wait for x amount of time for that ship to turn up, move on to next place and repeat.

If this is the new meaning of Dynamic then I really so think all the magic and random surprise of the game would be tragically lost and the game would wind up shelved after a couple of turns.

For me the real attraction of SH3 was the campaign covered the entire war and you never new what was going to happen next, was it a convoy or single ship, merchant or military - were you hunting them or were they hunting you - This kept SH3 an attractive game to play years after its release

If the game basically plays out the same way every time in terms of patrol grids and encounters there's going to be zero replay value, and that's one of the most important things for me.

[ETR3(SS)]

I can think of only two reasons:...or...
2: Ubisoft is having a hasty rethink and there'll be some kind of change to things said in the second part. Well we will all know if we change something then, now won't we?:O:

[Carotio]

So part 2 of the interview has been taken down and won't be back up until Jan 22. What's the point of that?
Not questioning Neal, since I assume that was dictated by Ubisoft, but it's a bit late now. The horse has well and truly bolted.

Yeah, the cat is definitely out of the sack, many people by now knows it's 39-43 and type VII only.
Maybe the pullback of the part 2 interview has something to do with my complaint at the official facebook fan page. They didn't like my comment there, it was gone just 2-3 seconds after I posted about it.... Though I made a debate about it instead.

Dan
Well, he's a developper, so that's two then. No, another member...

I can think of only two reasons:

1: Neal accidentally released the second part earlier than was agreed, or...

2: Ubisoft is having a hasty rethink and there'll be some kind of change to things said in the second part.

They better rethink, delay the game and build in the missing types plus make the game fit the entire war.
Otherwise, I'm going to wait till the game is sold at give-away-prices....

[TarJak]

I am in two minds about what I have read in the interview. One part of me is disappointed about the "limited" campaign length, the restriction to the subs types and also some of the user interface discussion.

On the other hand I am also thinking what if I had never seen SH3 or 4? What if this was the only sub simulation I had seen. Would I be excited about it? When I think that way I am less concerned.

SH5 SHOULD be different to both SH3 or 4. It should be an evolution beyond what we have seen and from that perspective it sounds like it will be.

Will it be what I want it to be? Dunno and I cannot know until I have seen more.

[Onkel Neal]

I can think of only two reasons:

1: Neal accidentally released the second part earlier than was agreed, or...



You are close, Neal accidently turned off the link when he added a Subsim logo to the bottom of the page :oops: It's back to normal now.

But, wouldn't it be funny if now the 2nd part of the interview was changed like it never happened and the dialogue said the campaign ends in 1945? And zombies were mentioned? :O: Ah... I love messing with people but not that much.

[Rip]

You are close, Neal accidently turned off the link when he added a Subsim logo to the bottom of the page :oops: It's back to normal now.

But, wouldn't it be funny if now the 2nd part of the interview was changed like it never happened and the dialogue said the campaign ends in 1945? And zombies were mentioned? :O: Ah... I love messing with people but not that much.

Don't forget to add a year to the release date as well. :D

You think they are bitching now that would REALLY get them going. :yep:

[Onkel Neal]

Don't forget to add a year to the release date as well. :D

You think they are bitching now that would REALLY get them going. :yep:


:har: I'm not that crazy !

[Extra Ketchup]

Will a version of Silent Hunter 5 be available on PS3 / XBox 360?

[Onkel Neal]

Not as far as I know.

[Arclight]

Not just yet, but if it tanks, we might see SH6 make an appearance on 360... if it appears at all. ;)

* dangit, Neal. Beat me too it. :)

[rhaas]

... as a long time player of the Silent Hunter series, heck, I'm chagrined to admit that during a stint in the US Coast Guard I was playing Microprose's Silent Service for months ...

... anyhow, these days I use a Macintosh. I try to get my hands on a PC to play each new installment, but I look at all the other games that have high intensity graphics (Code of Honor, X3, Neverwinter Nights, etc. etc.) and are simply gorgeous and run so smoothly and with such reliability on my Macs ... it's all Intel these days, but the OS can either hork (technical term) things up or get out of your way nonetheless. I think OSX gets out of the way better than any Windows OS in a long long time.

... let me ask: is there any chance of a Mac port for the Silent Hunter series? Any chance at all?

... thanks for not laughing me off the forum. :03:

[ETR3(SS)]

Nothing personal Rhaas but every time someone mentions they have a Mac I think of this.

warning profanity

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant

[brett25]

This is likely an economic decision from higher up to keep the costs down to a certain level, and the devs are forced to do what they can within their allotted budget, which was probably cut by corporate. Unfortunately this is a reality in the world today-here is no money around (unless you work for goldman sachs). Im sure that this genre is considered a risk for Ubisoft, and they are balancing risk versus the future sales. However, that said, there would be no excuse if its a poor game, just that they probably needed to make some hard choices to remain withing budget. I will be a loyal customer, as long as they did a good job with what they've done. Modders should not be required to fix a game, just add more content. Its a serious bummer that there will only be type VII, but im hoping that the immersiveness, gameplay and graphics will make up for that lack. Highly detailed VII interior with lots of interaction. Please, please no arcade style gameplay!

[jimmie]

The approach is very interesting. So they won't make a "technically correct" but sort of lifeless feeling sim like Il-2 (tho I admire Il-2 much).

The thing is, I kinda worry that with current technological limitations of programming, portraying psychological part of uboat life isn't easy... Say about Das Boot experience. If the crews on boat wearing very clean military clothes to the end and boat is so neat and roomy maybe I wouldn't feel like a part of Das Boot..

But still, I think the approach is very interesting. The other aspect is, we would like to have a solid framework for building "technically correct" sim. I hope modders will be able to add a lot of geeky stuff. For the extending campaign to 1945, I feel it would be very hard work tho. Probably it's not possible: how you add "program" for certain particular advanced weapon in which nothing close is included in the base game...

On the other note, this direction makes sense for console version in mind, I think.
My only disappointment at this moment is the BDU is yet again not interactive and important. Yeah, it's doesn't get too many attention in Das Boot but..

So hardcore simmers will incline to voice commanding and so on more? Will there be a log book in the interface?

[jasondef]

If you'll indulge my humble opinion, it seems every retail release in the Silent Hunter series has always seemed sort of "unfinished" or sort of rushed, and never seems complete or all it should be. Its been the modding community here that has always transformed these titles into a great game, worthy of my time and devotion of countless hours, late into the night.

And it sounds like SHV will continue that tradition, seemingly content with releasing what I can almost call a sort of "beta" build 1.0 of the game, basically just giving a good base of a game and a great start, and then letting the modders sort of "finish" it, and putting the spit and polish that it should've had to begin with.

But perhaps this is the best they can do within their budget, afterall we are a "niche" market, not a mass market for this type of game. So whatever initial offering of SHV they give us on the retail shelf, undoubtedly it will eventually be another awesome title in the SH series, and with next generation graphics! (Not that that's the priority for the sub-simulation experience, but heck I didn't spend way too much buying myself a new computer for Xmas for nothing!)

So despite all the anticipated shortcomings, I'm excited. I'll take it for what it is, and expand upon it with great mods, and I have a feeling I'm in for some long sessions of virtual-claustrophobia in the near future.

[Sulikate]

Nothing personal Rhaas but every time someone mentions they have a Mac I think of this.

warning profanity

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=macs_cant
I laughed :arrgh!:

Back-on-topic 5 cents: I'm really into the first person view and the impossibility of "warping" from station to station. I know many simply do not care for these features, but they've caught my eye.

[Reece]

Has Neal or anyone seen an Atlantic storm with U-boat in very rough weather, every snapshot or video the sea is calm, is this Med theater only!:hmmm: Also I have heard thunder but seen no lightning! (SHIV bug) I am even further concerned!!:oops:

[Lanzfeld]

Is anyone who has been around since SH-2 or before really suprised?:shifty:

FAIL.:down:

I told you so.:har:

Maybe I'll get it in the fail bin in 3 or 4 months for $5

[Greentimbers]

Your questions were perfect and the interview was very charming.

Having seen the new trailer and read the Q & A, I for one am very excited and cannot wait for March to come around. With the state of the economy and the news that Ubisoft are delaying some releases, I feel we're all very lucky to be getting a new Silent Hunter of this quality at all. It is obviously gonna be the greatest sub-sim ever made. It saddens me that some members of this community seem to have an unrealistic sense of entitlement, but that's their problem.

Thank you Dan, Alex and the development team for your tremendous hard work :salute:

+1:up:

Cheers

[Mopy]

Hmm some interesting choices.

I'm liking the fidelity angle and willing to take the 1943 end in exchange (for now ;)). I can also imagine as there is more going on in the subs, that it'll be harder and more time consuming to add additional types, so I'm willing to accept the VII's (for now).

Birthday on March 3rd, and trying to keep an open mind, I have decided to give a shot and see what happens.

[Topo65]

Has Neal or anyone seen an Atlantic storm with U-boat in very rough weather, every snapshot or video the sea is calm, is this Med theater only!:hmmm: Also I have heard thunder but seen no lightning! (SHIV bug) I am even further concerned!!:oops:


+1. Never seen a screen or movie with rough weather and strongs winds in SHV.

[Adriatico]

+1. Never seen a screen or movie with rough weather and strongs winds in SHV.
+1 :nope:
...and no dynamic shadows ...under sunny sky ?:nope:

...still hoping

[Lanzfeld]

I wonder if the AI will cheat?

You know....with all the cutbacks and all...

[Turbografx]

Interview sounds good to me. I'm very happy about AI subs and the campaign sounds pretty cool. I actually prefer having just oen sub type if it means that one is more accurate/detailed to compensate, makes it more of a real sim.
RPG elements are bleh though, just like in the last games.


@ Mikhayl and Tomi: get ready to port Mikhayl's Type II and Tomi's interior!!!

[flugkapitan]

Personally I'm disappointed. I like being able to start the war in a Type II and progress on the larger boats. The campaign/sim ending in May '43 doesn't sit well with me either...

I will certainly hold off on buying it. I guess the only way I would buy it would be if there were mods available extending the campaign/sim past May '43 and the other sub types were available.

Just my .02 worth.

Cheers,
Scott

[IronOutlaw]

Do we know yet how much grunt our PC's will need to allow SH V to run really effectively?

[Sailor Steve]

And zombies were mentioned?
IT'S OFFICIAL - ZOMBIES ARE IN THE GAME! NEAL SAID SO!
:rotfl2:

[Dave Kay]

Thanks Neal, very good interview, covering pretty much all the important stuff IMO.
I for one am glad that the devs took the courageous way to limit the scope of the game to do their best to make that narrow scope as rich as possible. It's going to be awkward to end in mid '43 but given Dan & Alex answers I trust it will be well done.

And I never went that far in all my SH3 careers anyway, so it might happen that I won't see Black May in SH5 either :D

Also glad that they seem to have taken immersion (as in "you're the captain, you're here) seriously, this is the kind of thing that made old sims so great, the feeling of continuity in the story, between missions.

And **** man, there's ****ing wolfpacks, for real :D

A bit anxious to see the actual thing but it already sounds like a win to me.

Here! Here! I SECOND your motion Mikhayl! (in other words I agree with your opinion)

First off; Profound thanks to Mr. Stevens for his incredible efforts here at Sub-Sim. Without it, where else could we turn for latest news and developments for this, our most passionate past-time?
(Thin pickings I'd venture to say?)

Secondly; This interview is what I would call "... information I can use..." And it's also what I'd call good, honest journalism, at it's best. Could our market-driven media-websites, now-a-days, allow something so informative, bold, and possibly controversial to actually be published? (I haven't seen it anywhere yet, have you?--- please show me)

I might also add; the forth-right answers to Mr. Steven's questions to the Devs, were answered to my satifaction. However controversial those answers may be to some--- I applaud! (nit-picking will get you nowhere, but surely full of NITS)

Not being TOO judgemental at this point. But I say--- the proof is in the pudding... let the chips fall where they may... let the game be released!:woot::salute:

LOS!

[TarJak]

Well if I were an Ubisoft exec in charge of the SHV project reading this thread, right about now I'd be feeling nervous.

[SnowCajun]

Will there be a Pacific war addon later as you did with Silent Hunter IV? I'm more of a fan of the US subs vs Japan. Never the less I can hardly wait for V.

[Sailor Steve]

... as a long time player of the Silent Hunter series, heck, I'm chagrined to admit that during a stint in the US Coast Guard I was playing Microprose's Silent Service for months ...... let me ask: is there any chance of a Mac port for the Silent Hunter series? Any chance at all?

... thanks for not laughing me off the forum. :03:
Well, it looks like somebody tried to do just that. I played Silent Service on an Atari 520ST, and did a lot of work on it besides. I noted at the time that the Atari was way ahead of that generation of PCs, and I really wish I could see where they would be now. Unfortunately they kind of sucked at marketing, and pretty much put themselves out of business. The desktop editor I still use was originally created for the Atari, and I still think it's worlds better than anything else I've tried.

That said, I don't see UBI creating a Mac version of any SH, but then I'm not exactly an insider on these things. On the other hand, with people upgrading all the time it shouldn't be too expensive to pick up a machine that will run at least SH3. Of course I'm despairing at barely being able to run SH4 right now, and SH5 looks like a real loss until I can come up with the money for a brand-new toy.

Anyway, I just wanted to say WELCOME ABOARD!:sunny:

[FIREWALL]

SH5 will be a big seller.

On Ebays bargain bin.

[longam]

Nice interview Neal. This should prove to be a new level for the series and the FP view could be a good change from the 2D screens. How boring was it to hit the D key when they reported "Aircraft Spotted".

It seems that content is the only thing ending at 1943, you can still patrol and do the usual find, get in front, sink, method as before after that date.

I always tried to to some routines while going out of port like test diving and such, now this will be a big part of the game.

[IanC]

So less choice of U-boats, but the one you'll be in will be more detailed/realistic... Not a bad idea actually. It's a Type VII simulator, I can live with that.
Gotta love the AI boats out there... the game will be more open for modding. Sounds like a winner actually, why are some people saying "fail"?

[Sailor Steve]

So less choice of U-boats, but the one you'll be in will be more detailed/realistic... Not a bad idea actually. It's a Type VII simulator, I can live with that.
I can't.

Gotta love the AI boats out there... the game will be more open for modding. Sounds like a winner actually, why are some people saying "fail"?
Because some people wanted something different. That can't be helped.

[TarJak]

So less choice of U-boats, but the one you'll be in will be more detailed/realistic... Not a bad idea actually. It's a Type VII simulator, I can live with that.
Gotta love the AI boats out there... the game will be more open for modding. Sounds like a winner actually, why are some people saying "fail"?Because the "Dynamic" campaign sounds more like a scripted campaign than a SH3/4 sandbox type environment, thereby limiting its replayability.

[IanC]

I can't.


:lol: Steve forget that Type II, give the VII a try, you know you wanna.

[magick]

Looked forward to play SH5, very nice interview, thx Neal.

[IanC]

Because the "Dynamic" campaign sounds more like a scripted campaign than a SH3/4 sandbox type environment, thereby limiting its replayability.

I'm wondering if it's not an Morrowind-Daggerfall thing. meaning it's still a sandbox, just a smaller one (but more stuff in it). :hmmm:

[Sailor Steve]

:lol: Steve forget that Type II, give the VII a try, you know you wanna.
I've sailed VIIs. In fact my current career is in a VIIb. But ever since SH1 my habit has been to run multiple careers, one from each available command or flotilla, at the same time; or at least concurrently.

So in SH4 I need a Salmon out of Pearl, a Perch out of same, an S-Boat out of Manila and a fleet boat from the same command.

But I'm still in 1939, so I'm running a VIIb out of Wilhelmshaven and another out of Kiel, and a Type II out of Kiel as well.

And that's just SH3. I also have a II and a VII from Kiel and a IX from Wilhelmshaven in Operation Monsun SH4.

No wonder I never get past 1940!:damn:




And that's why I am having problems with the described availabilities in SH5.

[TarJak]

I guess we will see in March.

[onelifecrisis]

Great interview, thanks Neal.

I for one really like the approach they're taking. I'd rather have one u-boat done right than six of them half baked. I'd rather have 4 years of well constructed, historically accurate campaign than 6 years of same old, same old. Sounds to me like they have prioritised quality over quantity, which makes me happy! Looking forward to March...

:rock:

[TwistedFemur]

I smell DRM ala ROF. Although I do like the RP aspect <shoots the soup guy for making awful soup>

[Officerpuppy]

Awesome interview, I know the following feature isn't very popular, but I love that the crew will be more interactive and even have mini stories to them.

:up:

[Reece]

Alex: The player will enter the game as an XO and will complete an introductory part of the campaign. After that, he will be take command of the U-boat as the Captain.
Will this repeat when ever you start a new campaign!:-?

[AngusJS]

:cry:

All I wanted was a more realistic, GWX-quality SH3 with wolfpacks and without the quirks. I wanted realistic handling in bad weather, the ability to conduct realistic night attacks, food supply affecting patrol length, etc.

And a calendar with lunar phases!!!

But anyway...they say they're putting a strong RPG element in the game. Well, what could be more RPG than the ability to explore and upgrade your equipment?

In GWX, I would start in the North Atlantic in a VII, which was fun for a few simulated years, but then I could get an XI and go into the Caribbean, the South Atlantic, the Arctic and eventually the Indian Ocean. After that I could come back and finish the war in an XXI.

But in stock SHV, I'll be limited to a VII, and presumably the US coast, the North Atlantic, Arctic and the Med.

I certainly hope the gameplay will be just as open as SH3. It's hard to tell.

OTOH, the wolfpacks sound pretty good. And if done well, affecting the course of events (within reason) could be fun.

I'll just have to wait until March to see, I guess.

[msalama]

Well I don't think the approach they've taken this time is bad per se, and choosing quality over quantity is of course a good thing. But why no mention of the technical simulation aspects of the game? I for one would really like to know beforehand if we get, say, independent engine / motor, diveplanes and buoyancy / trim tanks control this time!

So I'm kind of sitting on the fence on this still, because a vastly better submarine simulator would be a proper impetus for me to upgrade my aging computer, whereas an RPG-oriented shooter with tons of eyecandy definitely wouldn't. But then the devs said SH5 will be a more customizations-friendly environment, so maybe it'll be possible for us to mod those allegedly missing aspects in... :hmm2:

Ah sod it, we'll just have to wait and see. :lol:

[UBOOT_fan]

I'm afraid they ended the...war in 43 because they want to make a 43-45 sequel....You'll see...
It's disappointing the simplistic way they approached the game...Wolfpack BUT you cannot interract/coordinate with them; intense campaign BUT not until 1945; A new game in a serie you should expect they would do,now that they gained some experience and they CAN make ...a simulation which would include ...supply ships, BUT...NO...they didn't do that...
My guess is they didn't do it not because they don't know how, BUT because they want to gain MORE money...doing the same things you would expect in THIS game to see. That's a shame and I think not the team is responsable for this directed lazyness, buy those...high offices of Ubisoft ;)
UBISOFT you don't love fans, you love just the...money.That's the way you are ! You're like a wolf , you'll do what you know to do best, "killing".

[Gunther_Prime]

The first thing I’ll examine – will be how the torpedo exist the tubes; if it’s like SH3 – then I’ll be happy. The next thing to examine will be the waves. If their like the bellowing tissue paper in SH4 – then I’ll be disappointed; but not as much as - the torpedoes spilling out.

1) Torpedoes
2) Waves

Get those right…plz

:know:

[McBeck]

I think this is positive actualy.

The way we have played these subsims since SH3 have pretty much been in the same way.

This is different and I welcome changes when they introduce other options.

I like the idea that you have to move between stations. I brings you closer to reality and to your crew.
At first I was supprised that the game would end in 43, but I would much rather have a more detailed and enriched experience 39-43 than one thats not.
Now we only miss fully manual dive controls

Thanks for the interview Neal

[clocky]

i feel the same. i will not buy it. maybe they are thinking they will release add-ons with different types of uboats so we are like cash cows to them.

No thank you. From the interviews it seems like "quickly so we can their money" release.

I'm afraid SH series are sailing deep into the arcade genre and slowly ignoring the "Sim" part.

For a complex game like silent hunter ...2 years of developmnt and research is still a small period but these guys are able to release it in almost a year. Strange.

Subsim: What about the crew animations, I guess when the submarine is on the surface you'll have the crew on the bridge, When you actually give the command to dive, instead of just 'popping' off the bridge, they actually go down the hatch?
Dan: At the moment no, they don't actually go down, they just take the first step, then they will disappear into the sub

LOL. Have you heard that guy? They could make an animation (not hard to do at all!!) with that characters but they are not having time ... Better to take our money instead by releasing it quickly. You gotta love Ubisoft and the game industry. But they will not get my money , sorry. From the interview it seems like it is not better then SH3.

[BulSoldier]

I dont care much about eyecandy but when they concentrete on them why the hell they didnt done the full job.I dont know how hard is it but with all the walking in the sub i feel the animations will be pretty repetative.

[elanaiba]

Because the "Dynamic" campaign sounds more like a scripted campaign than a SH3/4 sandbox type environment, thereby limiting its replayability.


Let's stop that right there.

The campaign will be much more dynamic (not to mention moddable in a very powerful way) than SH3/4. (BTW those were not dynamic, but random)

People keep turning words around trying to find proof that their greatest fears come true: Scripted Campaign.

Yes, you have a crew. Yes, there's a storyline to it.

But the campaign is dynamic and that's the end of it :) I wouldn't have it any other way.

[JScones]

Thanks Neal for managing to get some meaningful answers to some relevant questions. :up:

Now if only you could get that preview copy. :hmmm:

[Reece]

Elanaiba Said:
BTW those were not dynamic, but randomAre you saying that there is no random elements in the game? we have to follow a set out scripted events? can we choose the flotilla we want and patrol area's of our choice?:hmmm:

[elanaiba]

GOOD GOD!

No wonder I visit hospitals so often :)

Yes, there's random in the game.

Yes, you can choose your patrol area, we can't put walls in the middle of the Atlantic.

[msxyz]

I wonder if the differences between the various evolutionary steps of type VII will also be visible in interiors (realistically different machinery, electronic equipment, etc) or if they will use same interior for all the types.

[Reece]

GOOD GOD!

No wonder I visit hospitals so often :)

Yes, there's random in the game.

Yes, you can choose your patrol area, we can't put walls in the middle of the Atlantic.Excellent! That is a big relief!!:yep:

[Danji]

I think most of you don't know how difficult it is to add new features mid-project, especially when the list of features in SH5 is so long. Not to mention the graphics assets, animations , FX and so on. And all in such a short time with a small team. I think it would take a whole decade with a large team and unlimited funding to make the sub simulator we all want. And that's if anyone would take up the challange.

[BulSoldier]

Not necesarily.The problem is that they gone wild with eyecandy and the simulation part got cut.Thats how i see it.

[Danji]

Not necesarily.The problem is that they gone wild with eyecandy and the simulation part got cut.Thats how i see it.

Hear that elanaiba? We made eyecandy. GIEF US CANDY!!! But not the ones that made you visit the hospital often.

[danlisa]

I think most of you don't know how difficult it is to add new features mid-project, especially when the list of features in SH5 is so long. Not to mention the graphics assets, animations , FX and so on. And all in such a short time with a small team. I think it would take a whole decade with a large team and unlimited funding to make the sub simulator we all want. And that's if anyone would take up the challange.

Exactly. Neal made mention of it in another thread but you Devs, just as much as us, have wishes of how a SH title should be etc but, should we say, external forces decide to go another direction.

Hear that elanaiba? We made eyecandy. GIEF US CANDY!!! But not the ones that made you visit the hospital often.

:rotfl2: Just like SH4 and SH3. It's always about the eyecandy.

I'm going to give you guys the benefit of the doubt, in as much I know you will do your best to provide an accurate portrayal of a VII simulation inside of the constraints placed upon you.

Doesn't mean I'm not going to miss my Sea Cows.:cry:

[I-25]

Its the soup's fault :doh:

so much effort went into the soup that the programmers had to leave out the other boats and the rest of the war....:rotfl2:

but seriously i don't like one bit what they said ill be sure to wait till the dust settles before deciding to buy or not

i had high hopes on this but it looks like their gone...:down:

[utops]

Operaration Flashpoint:Ubootwaffe
this is my final conclusion after watching new gameplay video and interview
i hope not i hope im fail on this
cheers

[TarJak]

Let's stop that right there.

The campaign will be much more dynamic (not to mention moddable in a very powerful way) than SH3/4. (BTW those were not dynamic, but random)

People keep turning words around trying to find proof that their greatest fears come true: Scripted Campaign.

Yes, you have a crew. Yes, there's a storyline to it.

But the campaign is dynamic and that's the end of it :) I wouldn't have it any other way.
OK so will I be able to start a campaign on any date, from any historic port/flotilla combination that I choose? Or do I have to create a mod to do so?

[kapitan_zur_see]

GOOD GOD!

No wonder I visit hospitals so often :)

Yes, there's random in the game.

Yes, you can choose your patrol area, we can't put walls in the middle of the Atlantic.

:rotfl2::rotfl2:

Now you understand why not answering PLAINLY rather than being vague like it's almost always been so far, is not a good thing :03: that's how it should have been in the first place! As not doing so, people will be confused and will raise concerns!!

Down to very first question about the campaign, you should have answered:

Don't worry
1. Some randomness as before so no fear of scripts in this matter
2. Some story line but STILL an open sandbox, you're not forced to follow a path, so it's not some kind of mission based campaign
3.Very modders friendly

And about 80% of concerns would have stopped right from the beggining!!! :arrgh!:

So please Dan, wherever possible, please do answer to us in plain english :up: No vague answers that do raise more questions than it answer

OK so will I be able to start a campaign on any date, from any historic port/flotilla combination that I choose? Or do I have to create a mod to do so?

Now that is intersting to know... Or you can't because it would implies messing up that storyline thing? Because that's where the story line direction could implies some worries...
That being said, I can't say i'm not kind about the evolution undertaken for SH5. As much as i'm a big fan of realism, I always thought SH was a game and as such, lacked soul and epicness. People who knows my previous posts on the SH mods and my own works do know I often been focused as to try to bring a more "movie-like" kind of experience, because IMO the atmosphere makes the game far more enjoyable and immersive. It must not feels only technical ,so to speak, with a crew never reacting to whatever happens, with no animations etc... Heck, I was even trying back in SH4 to crack the animation system to bring some crew running in the control room whereved I ordered a crash dive for example

[elanaiba]

Yeah, and then somebody on UBI boards will say "they are answering questions on subsim!". If I go there somebody here will gringe. And then marketing will have my head.

And I do have to build a game in the meantime.

The thing that bugs me is that we haven't released any scripted campaign so far, yet people fear it. They take apart what we say looking for hints at something evil :D

Re: Tarjak:

To get access to ANY historic port flotilla that you choose, you have to mod it. You will have several starting points that we have chosen, but those are easily modable too.

[spiksy]

Damm everything seems to be excelent except one thing


WHY ONLY VII U-BOATS WHY????????? **** I HATE THAT OLD IRON TRASH CAN


I MISS MY FATBOY IXD2 AND SUPER COOL XXI

****! MODDERS YOU HAVE GOT A JOB TO DO !!!!

[Myxale]

Oh my!

Feel like a kicked puppy!!!:-?
:shifty:

[Wolfehunter]

Great article neal thanks,

If you get a chance next time please ask him if they plan to make an expansion for the second part of the war.

Since SH5 end's in 43. I understand why there limiting the Uboat war's. I'm sure the seas will get ugly in the end of 43 hehehe...:salute:

But I have faith the modding crew will crack the end date... :D

WH

[Gerd Priess]

Edited and infraction given -- NS

[martes86]

..

You're the one that's useless here. Insult people somewhere else, thanks. :yep:

[Onkel Neal]

Well after reading their last update I aint going to be wasting money on this title.... Heck my SHIV and Uboat Expansion are used as book ends now, I have no need for another...

:nope:
......xxxxxxxxxxxxx.......

Not nice. You know this forum, we agree or disagree but insults and personal attacks are best left other forums.

[Adriatico]

Yeah, and then somebody on UBI boards will say "they are answering questions on subsim!". If I go there somebody here will gringe. And then marketing will have my head.

I hope they won't take your head... if you answer to this community:
Dynamic shadows on VIIc deck (coning t. and deck gun) - Yes / No ?
:o / :dead:

[Hitman]

Seems like someone needs to learn a bit about a great country with deep roots in the history of Europe. Read and inform yourself before doing such remarks: Romania (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romania)

[Onkel Neal]

Great article neal thanks,

If you get a chance next time please ask him if they plan to make an expansion for the second part of the war.





WH

Thanks, and I did, see the part near the end about expansions. They are not ready to go into thse details.

One thing that strikes me as funny is how people cannot understand, a totally dynamic campaign can also have limited scripted elements with objectives. You guys who are freaking out should take a pause and remember, if Dan says it's dynamic, it is.

Sometimes I wonder... like so many people were coming up with conspiracies over the missing link to part 2 yesterday when I overwrote my file? "OMG, Ubi made Neal take it down!" :haha:

Calm down :)

[Lanzfeld]

Okay,

I got a good nights sleep and a fresh prospective. It has me less mad but thinking of new things.

I was going over, in my, head, the new crew in the boat. I am not trying to be negative here but after 1 hour or so of playing wont it get really repetitive or boring to walk through the boat and see the same repeating things? Was it really a good choice to spend so much time making those compartments that the captain would almost never visit instead of the "foundation" items like crew spotting abilities under all conditions and true to life sensor performance and blind zones near surface for ASDIC, ect...

I guess this is what worries me the most. Pretty dress but still a pig under there.

[Mikhayl]

Yeah, if you push down that "scripted" BS road than SH3 and SH4 are totally scripted. I mean, "go to grid XXNN and patrol for 24h", wow, how more rigid can it get :)

[Apos]

As i thought. DLC will be avaiable for SHV. Soon, only 20 euro per new year,sub or campaing.

[Ping Panther]

That's it :nope: ... I'm partitioning my hard drive now to get DOS back in. I'll be loading up my old box of Silent Service by this afternoon. :yep:

[mookiemookie]

A few short years ago people were pushing for historic battles (the Hood, 1st & 2nd Battles of Narvik, Drumbeat, Operations Pedestal, Torch, Overlord) to be "scripted" into the game.

Now when the dev's say they've scripted stuff like this, people go batcrap. :88)

[Sailor Steve]

Hear that elanaiba? We made eyecandy. GIEF US CANDY!!! But not the ones that made you visit the hospital often.
WELCOME ABOARD!:sunny:
I'm sorry your very first post here was treated so harshly, but it looks like he didn't realize you weren't just speculating, but are part of the team.

@ Dan and company: I'm amazed at how people have gotten so negative that even when you clear something up they try to kick you some more. As I've said, I was expecting something different, but the more I read the more interesting I find the ideas you're pursuing. I may end up being negative again, but I'll at least wait to see what we have before I start proclaiming the end of the world.:salute:

[Wild_skipper]

Nice Q&A, i don't realy mind the VII type to be the only one playble its the only one i use anyway, and we get to play the VIIA !! always wanted that.

I am buying it :)

[kwbgjh2]

First of all, big thx to Neal for the very clarifying interview.

Only type VII and ending in 1943. I am pretty sure that the game will come with steam and dlc.

In my Empire Total War game i have so far 5 contents installed and so they will do with SHV.

Wanna have the type IX ? No prob, its only 2,99 € via credit card or paypal.:nope:

On the other hand this business model has a great advantage for the customer: patches come very quick because a non working game is the death of sales figures.

[Gotmilk]

Damm everything seems to be excelent except one thing


WHY ONLY VII U-BOATS WHY????????? **** I HATE THAT OLD IRON TRASH CAN


I MISS MY FATBOY IXD2 AND SUPER COOL XXI

****! MODDERS YOU HAVE GOT A JOB TO DO !!!!


You have one boat because this time you will have a crew who must run around and know their way around the boat. Just imagine if you had dozens of boats. You had to recreate all AI paths and other crew related stuff to accomodate different subs.

I am all ok for one boat. I just hope that the life on the boat will be like we saw in the first trailer.

[Danji]

WELCOME ABOARD!:sunny:
I'm sorry your very first post here was treated so harshly, but it looks like he didn't realize you weren't just speculating, but are part of the team.


Glad to be aboard :) I didn't feel as it was treated harshly, so don't worry about it. I've been reading the forum for quite a while but have only registered now because all those " you are not allowed to say anything about the game " clauses were killing my mood. Only now did i realise i can do what Dan does. Say something vague that seems like an answer.

[mookiemookie]

Say something vague that seems like an answer.

You guys have elevated that to an art form. :O:

[IanC]

Let's stop that right there.

The campaign will be much more dynamic (not to mention moddable in a very powerful way) than SH3/4. (BTW those were not dynamic, but random)

People keep turning words around trying to find proof that their greatest fears come true: Scripted Campaign.

Yes, you have a crew. Yes, there's a storyline to it.

But the campaign is dynamic and that's the end of it :) I wouldn't have it any other way.

:rock:

[SNAKE1937]

My "name" SNAKE1937 is from my military call sign and birth year. Therefore my hands do NOT take to rapid repetative motion as needed in a FPS style of a game. The key strokes for overall actions, for me, are needed to play the game---- as found in SH3 and 4! In real service the CO gives orders and the crew responds. He does NOT run to a station and takeover a crew station. That said the game B17 had a great aspect that the player could take over a crew position and leave it improved and more skillfull ( hopefully) thus leading to a great crew.

My big gripe in SH4 was the lack of sailors, and CPO's remaining as such,but gaining skills and experence ( Not going up the rank chain to become a bunch of "shave tail officers" ). The thought of an all "officer and gentleman" crew doing the everyday grub work is comical and scary
to all who have served there country in uniform.

Have to go now and soak my old stiff hands( LOL).

SNAKE1937

[elanaiba]

You guys have elevated that to an art form. :O:

Again, if I give an answer, its a problem.

Now... If i offer a supposition based on already available info...

[TDK1044]

Again, if I give an answer, its a problem.

Now... If i offer a supposition based on already available info...


With a few folks here, Dan, the egg slipped off the toast long ago. :)

[Dallas]

I have no problem with the modeling of only the Type VII for now. I hope all the detail is there. I do appreciate the work on the crew and being able to interact with them and visit all parts of the boat. A definite must buy here!

[ricnunes]

WHAT???
- Only 1 U-Boat type (Type VII) and no TypeII and Type IX in SH5??
- The campaign end in 1943!!
- Scripted campaigns instead the awesome and the best campaign style (IMO) of SH1, SH3 and SH4?? DIDN'T UBISOFT LEARNED SOMETHING WITH SH2?

- Ubisoft just lost me as a customer for SH5!!
SH5 will be the only SH game that I will not buy even because Ubisoft will not fool me with SH5 like they did with SH2!!

[Iron Budokan]

First of all, excellent interview. Neal really did a good job of pinning them down on some points.

But....am I hearing this right?

Let's say you want to replay the game. SH3 had great replayablility factor. But in this installment, to replay the game, you have to do the tutorial again. Is that correct?

Nothing but VII. I know I heard that right. Can't say as I'm warming up to that idea.

Game ends in '43. That gets a big thumbs down from me.

I was going to buy this game the instant it hit the shelves. Now I think I will wait and see how it plays out, what you guys think as you test/play it. I trust you guys and I know you will render a fair judgement on the game.

I support the genre. But I have to admit after reading this interview a lot of the wind has gone out of my sails regarding this iteration of the Silent Hunter series.

[Boris]

I think people are misinterpreting the scripted campaign thing... by the sounds of it, the campaign now is MORE dynamic than before.

[mookiemookie]

Again, if I give an answer, its a problem.

Now... If i offer a supposition based on already available info...

I understand your hands are tied and its not your call. I'm sure you'd love to answer all of our questions if you could.

But I can still tease you about it. :03::O:

[Sailor Steve]

Again, if I give an answer, its a problem.

Now... If i offer a supposition based on already available info...
Sorry, Dan. Anything you say can and will be taken the wrong way, and obviously by more people than we ever suspected.:dead:

[johan_d]

So nothing about BDU ? nothing about more uboat control, like engines etc, nothing more about interaction with other uboats ? pitty..

Besides the fancy graphics, some FPS views its SH3 in a new coat ?
:hmmm:

[elanaiba]

I understand your hands are tied and its not your call. I'm sure you'd love to answer all of our questions if you could.

But I can still tease you about it. :03::O:

Just wait till I come back to America, you ....

[danurve]

Great interview, thanks Neal.

I for one really like the approach they're taking. I'd rather have one u-boat done right than six of them half baked. I'd rather have 4 years of well constructed, historically accurate campaign than 6 years of same old, same old. Sounds to me like they have prioritised quality over quantity, which makes me happy! Looking forward to March...

:rock:

Good post :up:
I'm also looking forward to the months following March where your talent as well as others may be put to use. Although, you may be thinking, "not again.." :arrgh!:

[Richard G]

You should have asked him if he has ever calculated a manual torpedo attack with SH5. That would shine some light on how many essential sim elements are in the game.

[mookiemookie]

Just wait till I come back to America, you ....

Hah! First beer's on me! :()1:

[flag4]

i'm not sure if this has been noticed or posted about but any way...

i have watched the trailer for No.5 and to me alot of the crew look like prison hard men, big muscular chaps with square jaws; and the cook is a bit of a cliche too - a scrawny, dirty looking runt.

the reality is very different. ordinary men and boys with lean normal faces ie. from late teens to early thirties. and of course there is always the exception but alot of these chaps look like they are on steroids -
mid- thirties hard men.

where are the soft young faces, kind looking - normal lads?

[Sailor Steve]

WHAT???
- Only 1 U-Boat type (Type VII) and no TypeII and Type IX in SH5??
Because they have to create the entire interior and make the entire crew behave properly for every boat type they make. This takes many months of work for each boat.

- The campaign end in 1943!!
Because they have added so many dynamic elements that there is no way they could finish the whole war in the time they were given.

- Scripted campaigns instead the awesome and the best campaign style (IMO) of SH1, SH3 and SH4?? DIDN'T UBISOFT LEARNED SOMETHING WITH SH2?
What has anyone said that would make you think that? SH1 and SH4 both had scripted elements, such as the photo recon and lifeguard missions. Dan has pointed out that the campaigns you praise were random, but not truly dynamic. This campaign is said to be much more dynamic, in that the enemy AI will be able to react to what you do and change their tactics.

- Ubisoft just lost me as a customer for SH5!!
SH5 will be the only SH game that I will not buy even because Ubisoft will not fool me with SH5 like they did with SH2!!
I'm amazed at how some people can read one word ("scripted") and jump to the conclusion that everything has changed for the worse. Dan has already addressed your complaint, but I guess you were so busy being angry that you missed that part.

[Lanzfeld]

That "realistic" look does not sell games.

Rememer, it is not about reality...it is about emotion....and $$$.

[Sailor Steve]

i'm not sure if this has been noticed or posted about but any way...

i have watched the trailer for No.5 and to me alot of the crew look like prison hard men, big muscular chaps with square jaws; and the cook is a bit of a cliche too - a scrawny, dirty looking runt.

the reality is very different. ordinary men and boys with lean normal faces ie. from late teens to early thirties. and of course there is always the exception but alot of these chaps look like they are on steroids -
mid- thirties hard men.

where are the soft young faces, king looking - normal lads?
That exact complaint (at least the "muscular" part) was made about SH3 as well. It will be interesting to see how the various crew members look as we actually play. I'm also curious to see how many actual different body types and faces will be in the game.

[Iron Budokan]

I, too, want to add my voice to those asking that Subsim (please!) be given a preview copy of this game by the developers.

[mookiemookie]

Yes! A preview copy for Neal. Who lives within driving distance of me. Yep, I'd sure like a preview copy for me.....err...I mean Neal ! :-j

[TwistedFemur]

Are you saying that there is no random elements in the game? we have to follow a set out scripted events? can we choose the flotilla we want and patrol area's of our choice?:hmmm:


he was refering to SH 3/4 campaign being random where as SH5 is dynamic

[elanaiba]

Yes! A preview copy for Neal. Who lives within driving distance of me. Yep, I'd sure like a preview copy for me.....err...I mean Neal ! :-j

Neal's preview version comes packed with a set of landmines and defensive turrets.

[ichso]

The idea how this dynamic campaign is designed reminds me of Falcon 4.0. It's a really nice idea and maybe an interesting change in the series if they follow it thoroughly instead of doing it in a half-hearted way just to widen the scope.
And they leave lots of room for an addon, too.

[Eaj13]

thank you very much for the interview Neal, almost all esential themes are there. Now waiting time
it seems they have worked hard :up:
congrats and best regards

Alex

http://ag727.vox.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itd_3kBhaac
uboat interior project

[Jimbuna]

A typo.... And would have gotten away with it too if wasnt your meddeling quotes :haha:


http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/4030/winkbigid2zj6.gif

[Jimbuna]

Neal's preview version comes packed with a set of landmines and defensive turrets.

I'd love to be able to say...."My copy didn't" http://imgcash4.imageshack.us/img144/3336/tonguecm5.gif

[EgoApocalypse]

Well done Neal, Had a great read.................Only makes me want it more now,


Dam........Should'nt of read it.:up:

[Navelintel]

I was disappointed that the campaign portion of the game ends in 1943 when the Battle of the Atlantic was finally lost by the Kriegsmarine. Perhaps if the player were allowed to alter history by continuing the saga (i.e., through successful tactics and/or boat developments) the outcome may have been different. But now we will never know. The development team has already preempted the option for the player. Also, why couldn't the development team add an 'Allied' role play option for those who may want to try fighting off the wolfpacks from the point of view a merchantman or destroyer skipper or crewman?

Will I purchase SH5? Probably not when it is finally released. I'm having too much fun with SH3 & SH4. If I do, it will be much later, say a year or so when I can find a used or cheaper copy online.

[Webster]

as i expected, there is a lot i am dissappointed to read and there is also

a lot about sh5 that i am very happy to read about.


give it a few more reads guys and do it with an open mind

and you will see they are giving us a very very moddable game :rock:

is it perect? nope, it is tragic? nope, will i buy it? yes definately


i see sh5 as a ready made fixer-upper that just needs to be fine tuned by the modders to be a very great game. after all, we as modders are able to devote a lot more time to the game then the devs are allowed to so i trust this will be a wonderfull game when modded.


plus dont forget they said near the end that if sh5 did well it was likely we would see an expansion for it to add more subs and content to the end of the war. i dont mind paying for another ($10-$15 hopefully) expansion if the new content is done correctly and ads something more to the game.

[tonibamestre]

Perhaps would be interesting to continue the dynamic campaign beyond 1943 via modular releases.New campaigns,new added environments,new extra full 3D vessels,join with the Pacific war and..............FINALLY..........ENTER THE COLD WAR :03:

[609_Avatar]

Wow, took a bit of time to get through these 9 pages. Really nice to see the developers here posting, even if they can't be as forthcoming as some of us and they may like.

Thanks for the interview Neal and Team. I enjoyed reading it. As with others, not quite what I was expecting but that doesn't mean I won't like it.

I will be buying it, just not sure when is all, too little time for a lot of gaming and I have way too many games that I'd like to play as it is! For some reason certain games seem to only be played during certain seasons and for me the SH series always gets played the most during the winter months when I have more time indoors to do more gaming.

Thanks again for the info!

[kapitan_zur_see]

Yeah, and then somebody on UBI boards will say "they are answering questions on subsim!". If I go there somebody here will gringe. And then marketing will have my head.


Then throw grenades at them! or settle down some landmines and defensive turrets to prevent that UBI guy to reach your head and answer as many dangerous questions as possible in the meantime! :arrgh!:

By the way, it's the focus of the next Ubisoft big release!

Unreal Bucharest Tournament!

Play as a SH5 dev where you lock yourself down into your studio and have to prevent some suit wearing Ubi guys to break in and invade your base!
Or play as Ubi guy and wear that special black business suit armor, try to break inside their base and once their defenses have been put down, prevent their main character class, the Dan Dimitrescu unit, to reach the server or internet location in the map so he won't reveal info on the game!
Everytime the Dan reach it, wait 15 seconds and the health&flooding bar is complete , it sends one answer to the subsim.com forum and the Dev team earns one point. If Dan is forced to cancel in the middle of the process to defend himself, it sends a vague answers and makes a subsim member spawn inside the base that will try and find Dan everywhere and annoys him to no end unless a new complete answer is sent through, thus adding to Dan stress!

Release date not known at present...
Lead designer: GKane.


BTW, Dan your irritation that shows through your last messages is quite possibly what has reassured me the most so far! It now clearly shows your
enthusiasm to reveal things you clearly stated you couldn't, hence showing you're confident the game would please us and that it annoys you deeply not to be able to share that. :03:

[flag4]

as i read through all the views here i get an impression that No.5 will be Brighter Tighter and Shorter - with a door left open here and there and maybe one at the end?

[SteamWake]

Neal's preview version comes packed with a set of landmines and defensive turrets.


That sounds like a yes :yeah:

[mookiemookie]

After giving it some thought, I can definitely understand the decision to only include the Type VII. Having to model an entire interior and associated crew would, I imagine, be a pretty time consuming process. Having to do all that work for multiple sub types would, I assume, not fit into their timeline.

On some level I can understand the 1943 decision as well. Think about when the "rules of the game" changed, so to speak - right around 1943. Allied radar became a concern, hedgehogs, schnorkels, BOLD decoys, FaT and LuT torpedoes, etc. A lot of new technology was introduced in the latter part of the war. To accurately model all of that and its interaction and effect on the sub and your mission would be complex. I am assuming again, it would not fit into their timeline.

The sub and technology you start out with in 1939, for the most part, is basically not much different than what you've got in 1943. The major upgrades over that time span that I can think of off the top of my head would be improved AA armament, maybe one or two turm upgrades, very early versions of the FuMO and Metox, and not much else. Those things are probably not that hard to model in, leaving the developers time to focus on the boat and the first years of the war.

So I keep seeing it mentioned, but I guess it really is a question of quality over quantity. I'd rather have the first 2/3rds of the war done well, instead of the entire war done so-so.

As an aside, and since I mentioned it, I always was kind of irked at the reliability of the Metox in SH3. From what I've read, it was nowhere near as reliable as it is modelled...especially when the Allies introduced the Mk III radar which the Metox could not detect.

[JScones]

You guys who are freaking out should take a pause and remember, if Dan says it's dynamic, it is.
Neal, Dan also said back in 2005 that the SH3 campaign was dynamic. Heck, my DVD case says it is too. But look at Dan's post #147 where he now states that it actually wasn't dynamic all along but really just random (of course, we certainly found that out quick enough anyway)? :hmmm:

So pls excuse me for remaining sceptical about similar claims for SH5...fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice...

[bigboywooly]

Thanx for the interview Neal
Very interesting read

Was really looking forward to release of SH5
Less so now
Will still buy it and give it a spin

I can see the reasoning behind only one uboat type with all the new compartments and interaction but will miss the type 2 and 9
Type 9 moreso as that my preferred choice of sub and generally start in a IX and end in a D2

Can possibly understand the 43 finish as thats when the Battle of the Atlantic was more or less over
Didnt end then with boats sent out up to the last days of the war and still having success although reduced

I guess focusing on the type 7 - aside from less work on the sub side - also reduces campaign work as no Black Sea or Indian Ocean to worry about and not a great deal in the way of South Atlantic or US coast
Type 7s were there of course but in a much smaller role than the 9s

Modding comments were interesting too
Will have to wait to see how that pans out I guess

My only hope is as the game will focus on a small cross section of the war that the campaign will be complete for the period it covers
And the ships included will be various and many

Lets see what March brings eh

[Rictavian]

Limiting the U-Boat selection to just the type VII would be a huge mistake. At least include the type IX and offer the chance to perform long range patrols. If a dynamic game is desired, just think how many variables would arise from closing distant ports. Think of the re-allocation of escorts from the North Atlantic. The whole idea of a dynamic game is its scope of events that it will encompass.

[Onkel Neal]

Neal, Dan also said back in 2005 that the SH3 campaign was dynamic. Heck, my DVD case says it is too. But look at Dan's post #147 where he now states that it actually wasn't dynamic all along but really just random (of course, we certainly found that out quick enough anyway)? :hmmm:

So pls excuse me for remaining sceptical about similar claims for SH5...fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice...


That's my fault, when I say "dynamic", I'm meaning non-scripted. I can see where the SH3 game was random, which was fine with me. As long as it wasn't like SH2's campaign.

[capthelm]

good enough the way they have done it for now 1939 to 43


http://www.olive-drab.com/od_history_ww2_ops_battles_1942atlantic.php

[floundericiousWA]

Well if I were an Ubisoft exec in charge of the SHV project reading this thread, right about now I'd be feeling nervous.


Meaning no disrespect but they probably don't care that much about what people here think. Even if every poster on this thread bought the game (or didn't), that would be what, 55 copies? This is analagous to trekkies getting upset about something in a trailer for a new star trek movie...it ends up being something that the average game buyer doesn't understand or care about.

Things that determine the commercial success of SH5 will have more to do with quality of execution, fun factor, accessibility for the casual gamer, eye candy, sound quality, etc. That's pretty hard to gauge from reading an interview.

I think SH5 sounds like a good attempt to capture the Kaleun experience and I look forward to reading more about it and, perhaps, buying it in a few months.

[Wolfehunter]

Thanks, and I did, see the part near the end about expansions. They are not ready to go into thse details.

One thing that strikes me as funny is how people cannot understand, a totally dynamic campaign can also have limited scripted elements with objectives. You guys who are freaking out should take a pause and remember, if Dan says it's dynamic, it is.

Sometimes I wonder... like so many people were coming up with conspiracies over the missing link to part 2 yesterday when I overwrote my file? "OMG, Ubi made Neal take it down!" :haha:

Calm down :)Ok Sorry I didn't see it or miss read that part. I had the feeling there intention was to add a second part, Maybe part of is in Japan pacific sea's where there were some German UBoats.. :03:

Thanks again,

WH

[floundericiousWA]

Limiting the U-Boat selection to just the type VII would be a huge mistake. At least include the type IX and offer the chance to perform long range patrols. If a dynamic game is desired, just think how many variables would arise from closing distant ports. Think of the re-allocation of escorts from the North Atlantic. The whole idea of a dynamic game is its scope of events that it will encompass.

Quite right...but it also compounds the complexity of the simulation model. What you're asking for might be at or beyond the limits of their current build game engine!

[longam]

SH4 and 3 campaign was open waters with scripted shipping based on what they programed during the time period.

With SH4 you also had missions included in your campaign that gave you somewhere to go and something to do - go to grid XXX and wait XXX time. If you wanted you could just wonder off and chase contacts that were reported to you on the map or sighted by your crew never even going to your patrol area.

With SH5 it sounds like they have taken this to a new level. Not only can you just patrol anywhere in your theater of war, but now there are objectives that can change the outcome or reaction to your actions causing the AI to respond in a different way.

Just the ticket we needed to give this game the next step it needed. :salute:

[Randomizer]

Of course actual U-Boat captians were always allowed to select their own patrol areas or sail wherever they wanted to...

SH5 is taking the next step and the journey ends with Silent Hunter for X-Box.

[rhaas]

Well, it looks like somebody tried to do just that. I played Silent Service on an Atari 520ST, and did a lot of work on it besides. I noted at the time that the Atari was way ahead of that generation of PCs, and I really wish I could see where they would be now. Unfortunately they kind of sucked at marketing, and pretty much put themselves out of business. The desktop editor I still use was originally created for the Atari, and I still think it's worlds better than anything else I've tried.
[snip]
Anyway, I just wanted to say WELCOME ABOARD!:sunny:

:up:

Been here a while, lurking, just like a ... well ... never mind. :D

Thank you for the pragmatic feedback ... I felt the same, but thought that it would be worth asking the question. Frankly, IMO, the lifetime gamers, are those who appreciate a well rendered game world, are less driven by the number of polygons and other sheer technical factors, but prefer the depth of thought, responsiveness, and stability resulting from a robust software engineering process. Substance over flash.

And anyone who quotes Heinlein is aces in my book. :DL

My fav: "A man held a makework political job, polishing the cannon in front of the county courthouse. It kept him fed and let him put a little money aside, but he wasn't getting ahead in the world. So one day he withdrew his life's savings, bought a brass cannon --and went into business for himself." -- Robert A. Heinlein, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress

Be well.

Richard

[Crimguy]

I just finished reading the interview, all the while thinking "jesus, the guys at the forums are going to hate this."

Of course, I'm sure most of you will buy it anyway. LIke me, you can't let something that goes underwater go unpurchased.

I did want to take a Type XI out to the US coast but I guess that will have to wait a bit.

My predictions (I'm always right, btw):

1) This game will be immersive, and fun.
2) If you make it to 1943 and the game ends, you'll punch your monitor right in the snout and throw it through a window.
3) The limits (1943, Type VII only) in my opinion are designed so that they can add an add-on. I believe them when they say it would be an undertaking to realistically create all the modern weapons the Allies had but that's a bit of an excuse IMHO.
Maybe more than one addon. First one will be a Type XI addon with a Pacific campaign. Second (later) addon will be a Type XXI addon. Called the Later Years, or something cheeky like that.
4) DD detection values and abilities will still be rather robotic (do they even take into account the speed the DD is moving at?), and generally unrealistic.

So . . . post this on the side of your fridge and get back to me in 24-36 months and tell me how I did.

[StarFox]

All I can say is WOW!!!!

When I first got SHIII I was hoping it was like Das Boot, I was disapointed how much was left out, but not for long when I discovered how great the game really was.

I cannot wait for this to come out!! I will be in line! Hope my lone 7800 can handle the game, otherwise I may have to make use of the other Video card slot on my board.

[longam]

Of course actual U-Boat captians were always allowed to select their own patrol areas or sail wherever they wanted to...



And its great that the Dev team has lets us do this in the game. From the interview it seems now that there will be historical events taking place, man talking about delivering the goods!

[John O]

Thanks Neal and Dan. Good info and I'll be a buyer again. Looking forward to both the game and the mods that will come from a "more friendly and open archetecture". Dan is right IMHO in ending the game before the Allies counter weapons drove the boats out of the war. After 1943 it would be depressing to go up against the type of weapons the Allies were able to deploy. How many would like to never be able to get more than a few klicks out of port before being disabled by sabatage or faulty material that was available in late 1944 or '45? Remember the divers that went into the late war boats and the instruments and equipment that didn't have the copper or bronze parts were disolved. If the game reaches to reality, then I agree with ending it in 1943. Let the modders come to the rescue to those that want to continue.

Thanks again Neal and Dan!!!!!!

[John O]

One more thing. Dan, keep the star shell in the game :-)......

[Vikinger]

I think Crimguy nails it at his 3th statement.

I think its a commercial tactical direction they have taken by ending the game at 1943 and whit only 1 type of sub.

It simply gives them an opening for IMO an allready planned addon.

But from my personal view i enjoyed the late war more from SH3 just becuse it was more difficult to survive and find targets.
It was simply a better challenge.

Early war was sometimes to easy and a bit tedious and after playing through my frist campaign i allways started a new one in 1942 or 43.

But i do still looking forward to SH5. I like the concept of the game from the very first silent service :)

[jclasper]

After lurking and reading for along time this thread has actually made me want to say something
There are some good arguments from many many people about what is good and bad in the upcoming SH5 but the truth is we just do not know how it will all play out. The interview was fair and Dan and Alex replied well within the limits set by ubisoft as to what they could reveal.
I would say 90% of us wil buy on or around release and find there is something in there for everyone and also things that we dont like
But in all honesty just because we may not like an aspect of the game is that a reason not to buy it. I agree it should not have to be left to the excellent modders who have made sh 3/4 so good to complete a game but has anyone asked themselves just how do the devs fulfill everyones wishes for what they would like to see ingame
we all think ofter the release of each one oh why wasnt this in or why did they do that and in reality if they didnt release until everything was ingame then the truth is we would not have a game to play
At the end of the day it has to make money or there is no reason to make further content either as DLC or addon or Even sh6 so lets support the devs we know they want to give us what we want and lets also try to be reasonable as to what we can have due to limitations
I will be buying on release already on preorder though i have nearly cancelled a few times but im realistic I know I will get it at some stage so why not on release lol and watch it improve with age and also if i wait untill its bargin price as some plan to do then Ubi may consider that not enough units have been sold to justify further silent hunter

[Méo]

@ Dan and company: I'm amazed at how people have gotten so negative that even when you clear something up they try to kick you some more. As I've said, I was expecting something different, but the more I read the more interesting I find the ideas you're pursuing. I may end up being negative again, but I'll at least wait to see what we have before I start proclaiming the end of the world.:salute:

Well said Steve!

I agree 100% with every words on this!

I think people should take a deep breath, and read carefully what you wrote.

I'm trying to be as objective as I can and I'm pretty sure that SHV will be better than SHIII vanilla. (And it will be more open to modding:yeah:)

----

About the final years of the war & other Uboat types, it must be there but it can wait, IMHO. I'm sure that everyone will want it and an add-on will be created for it.

And I already hear: Oh! it should be in the original release, I don't have to pay for this :x. To this I reply: Think about how many hours you may play this game (and how many years!) and you will probably find out that it's not really expensive. ;)

BTW, even if they create two add-ons, SHV will still sell MUCH LESS than games like Assassin's Creed and other console games.

[danurve]

jclasper; Nice post and welcome to the forum. Do you by chance live in Romainia? ;)

I like what you posted about the support of the series. I would tend to agree. I will be purchasing the game. But would gladly have waited a few months if that's what it would take for the game to include at least 1 IX class U-boat. Not just to appease the IX fans but to ensure a stronger support base. Word of mouth can be a your best or worst sales.
Like I said, I'm buying the game to support the series and this site. And I'm optimistic. After all I'm getting my VII. And then I thought what if the game was afoot and it was all about the IX boats and, oh I dunno - Freetown or some jazz. I'd be bummed.

[LukeFF]

I for one really like the approach they're taking. I'd rather have one u-boat done right than six of them half baked. I'd rather have 4 years of well constructed, historically accurate campaign than 6 years of same old, same old. Sounds to me like they have prioritised quality over quantity, which makes me happy! Looking forward to March...

Yep, my feelings on this are the same as yours. Nothing at this point says the devs won't add in more submarine interiors in the future.

[jclasper]

Not Rumanian brit thru and thru lol

I would have prefered late war to early if Im in a Uboat no real pref as to a vii ix or xxi

Late war offers the challenge of evading a very capable asw and scoring a kill is so much more satisfying but in all honesty give me a fleet boat in the atlantic after axis shippin and I would be in heaven Who knows they did Uboats for the pacific so there is a slim chance of fleet boats in the atlantic:DL

[Seeschwein]

I hate this mentality, when developers let modders do half the work - unpaid. Anyway, I suppose Dan & Co will spend the rest of their time making the patches from 1.01 to 9.999...

[TarJak]

Yeah, and then somebody on UBI boards will say "they are answering questions on subsim!". If I go there somebody here will gringe. And then marketing will have my head.

And I do have to build a game in the meantime.

The thing that bugs me is that we haven't released any scripted campaign so far, yet people fear it. They take apart what we say looking for hints at something evil :D

Re: Tarjak:

To get access to ANY historic port flotilla that you choose, you have to mod it. You will have several starting points that we have chosen, but those are easily modable too.
Dan, please don't misunderstand my questioning as griping. All I'm trying to do is better understand what will be released in March and part of that is speculating on what I've read so far and voicing some of the conclusions I've come to.

Thanks for the direct answer it clears a lot up for me and give me an insight into how the game will play out for me.

As I've already stated having been used to it from SH3/4, I'm interested in still being able to choose my starting point and dates. It sounds from your answer that these choices out of the box will be limited but easily moddable to allow greater control over where I start.

The big question from there will be how the game plays outside the confines of the out of the box campaign.

[edjcox]

Seems every version is a matter of throwing something away and adding something new.

Why can't these game developers simply build on what the comunity points out as the pathway....

Make it easy to command and make the crew work. If I command a range on a target an officer should use the UZO and state that range... If I command "dive" the crew should initiate the dive given certain sequenced events including the closing of the hatchway.

I'll buy it but probably will gripe.:doh:

[brett25]

I m a little concerned about the direction the gameplay may take however. i think PC gaming is being drawn toward PS3 or console style gaming. The days of having an open sandbox, unscripted environment is becoming very rare, I saw this change happen to a favorite series of mine on the PC recently. I would be really worried if they are intending to make a console version of the game as well as PC. Thats usually a bad sign that we will have more of an arcade game rather than a true simulator.

I can deal with ALL the limitations as long as this game remains a simulator and does not become a FPS/RPG console game! I will not buy or play such a game and stick with SH3 instead. Im sure the devs will do the right thing!

[hocking]

I am very perplexed as to why they would only model one type of UBoat (with a few slightly different variations), and only a certain part of the war. As far as modeling only one uboat, you have simply modeled boredom into your game after about 5 or 6 patrols. Even if we will end up using the Type VII most of the time, almost all of us changed back and forth between the various boats just to add a little variety.

As far as ending the game in 1943, it makes the entire game seem incomplete. If your goal is to leave a portion of the game open for an Add-On, then I am fine with that as long as you follow up with your add-on soon. I hope you are able to generate revenue to keep the series going, but you do need to follow up soon to make your game feel more complete.

The greatest news is that the game is very modable. With that, I can honestly say that this game probably won't reach a level that we are looking forward to until about 9 to 12 months after it is released. I truly think the modders have alot to do to bring this game to hard-core simmers likings, and this will take time.

[JScones]

I still want to know if we'll be able to confidently save games mid-patrol. Now THAT would be a HUGE leap forward in the SH series. :yeah:

[Wolfehunter]

I m a little concerned about the direction the gameplay may take however. i think PC gaming is being drawn toward PS3 or console style gaming. The days of having an open sandbox, unscripted environment is becoming very rare, I saw this change happen to a favorite series of mine on the PC recently. I would be really worried if they are intending to make a console version of the game as well as PC. Thats usually a bad sign that we will have more of an arcade game rather than a true simulator.

I can deal with ALL the limitations as long as this game remains a simulator and does not become a FPS/RPG console game! I will not buy or play such a game and stick with SH3 instead. Im sure the devs will do the right thing!This does worry me too. True PC games are vanishing. I'll wait till I'm comfortable before I buy the game. I'll read peoples posts on the forum and see what they say. Some pic I'm sure will be posted so I'll have an idea of what they're playing if not some youtube vids...:yeah: But I'm not rushing into it yet. Something smells fishy.. :O:

[Lanzfeld]

I am very worried that the AI is going to cheat or get super nerfed in order to make UBI's idea of a "sim".

Doesnt matter. They are not getting my $$$.

[Reece]

I still want to know if we'll be able to confidently save games mid-patrol. Now THAT would be a HUGE leap forward in the SH series. :yeah:Funny I have never had any issues saving mid patrol, hundreds of times, in SH3, only if close to a port!:oops: can even reload a mid patrol-save submerged, with SH3 Commander!:yep:

[JScones]

Me either, but then I don't save mid-patrol for that very reason, lol.

[Sailor Steve]

Of course actual U-Boat captians were always allowed to select their own patrol areas or sail wherever they wanted to...
Were they? My understanding has always been that BdU kept a very tight rein on them, and they always went exactly where they were told, at least up to a point.