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View Full Version : Some initial notes (NOT a review)


bert8for3
02-27-10, 11:46 AM
Thought I'd post this in fresh thread, but Mods please move if you like.

Here are some initial points; not a review, and others will do that better, nor are they definitive comments as I'm still learning my way around and have barely scratched the surface. Some of this are merely notes to self to find something eg (I am still learning controls which is probably taking me longer than it would others) or are personal preferences for changing/modding down the line or just questions. Altogether, they are just my notes on the fly up to this point (but if you'll allow it's easier than writing up fresh notes to post) and some may be a function of the game settings I have on just now and/or my pc. You can see I've "found" some things.

A. Installation and folder arrangement:
1 Default install was to root C. ?
2 Don't see where screenies are stored. How do you take screenshots?

B. Performance:
1 Default is 0 AA. Smooth, but a few jaggies. Put AA up one notch; now judders a bit in bridge view. Still have jaggies on horizon. To fix. But that is in port. Now open water, smooth and no jaggies.

C Interface:
1 Can't figure out how to assign crew to stations, eg at one point deck gun is manned, can't see yet how to unman gun. ok, use watch officer interface to order to man deck gun or aa gun, but can't see still how to unman them. Can't dive with crew on deck, have to figure out how to order them below first I think. Did I miss enabling some abilities before first patrol? Don't think so as have now restarted. Ah, dummy, I have to go below first; then we can dive. This first-person is different alright, I was thinking sh3 on that. And can surface fine.
2 Minimap a bit annoying, seems to pop up now and then, probably a system to it, but would ditch it.
3 Where is depth under keel? Time of day (clock)? ok clock is O. Just local time or GMT? Where is compass or course indicator? Date? Have to go to Cap's log it seems.
4 Where is resume course?
5 where is close/open tube? This may be because I was on automatic, now on manual and will see
6 Rudder change angle only by 1 deg and repeat?
7 Will eventually want to see if various tips can be turned off.

D Online saving:
1 Occasional auto-save only takes a second, but is a bit of a nuisance. Can it be turned off? To look at.

E Looks:
1 Water looks terrific. Ditto boat bow wave, wake, exhaust.
2 Binoc view wavers nicely.
3 Peri always starts up and have to put down.
4 Map is excellent. But no KM grid refs?
5 Bridge watch only 2 guys; no binoculars?
6 Would ditch outline/highlight on interactive elements.

F Gameplay:
1 Sometimes there are guys at the dive plane controls; sometimes not
2 Settings. Looking as if gameplay difficulty settings only changeable on fresh (campaign or patrol?). ok and now they've taken effect; eg I now have option via XO to turn on TDC.
3 Ship behaviour. To note.
4 First patrol put me out of Bremerhaven. Restarted, am now out of Kiel.
5 Recharging batteries is automatic? Can't deliberately not recharge if preferred?

ReFaN
02-27-10, 11:49 AM
you can always use print screen and paste it into paint, or perhaps CTR F11 will work.

bert8for3
02-27-10, 11:51 AM
you can always use print screen and paste it into paint, or perhaps CTR F11 will work.

Tks, I'll try, oughta find it eventually :up:

ReFaN
02-27-10, 11:55 AM
Tks, I'll try, oughta find it eventually :up:


indeed :)

urfisch
02-27-10, 11:56 AM
there must be an ingame help screen for keycommands! press f1 maybe?...

Sone7
02-27-10, 12:06 PM
As shown on screens from marinesims.de F1 is for help screen ;)

FIREWALL
02-27-10, 12:26 PM
Didn't it come with a manual and a key card ?

Decoman
02-27-10, 12:41 PM
Q: Does the game only install on C: drive?

I won't buy the game if this is the case. I will not install a game on my OS harddrive, which is limited in capacity anyway.

Edit: I suppose this question was a stupid one. :doh:

Onkel Neal
02-27-10, 01:08 PM
Thought I'd post this in fresh thread, but Mods please move if you like.

Here are some initial points; not a review, and others will do that better, nor are they definitive comments as I'm still learning my way around and have barely scratched the surface. Some of this are merely notes to self to find something eg (I am still learning controls which is probably taking me longer than it would others) or are personal preferences for ....

Nicely done. :shucks:

Bill.Braskey
02-27-10, 01:22 PM
He said the default was c:\ , I gotta believe that can be changed when prompted...

bert8for3
02-27-10, 01:23 PM
Nicely done. :shucks:

Cheers.

If anyone scopes out the why and where of screenshots, would appreciate knowing. The F1 key guide just indicates the PrtSrn key. I've tried that by itself, in combo with other keys. Either I'm not taking the screenshots at all, or they're being put somewhere I'm not finding them.

rcjonessnp175
02-27-10, 01:27 PM
my guess with the screenshots is the whole uplay thing, its a player profile type service which probaly has your screenshots also just a guess maybe something similiar to dragon age??

mookiemookie
02-27-10, 01:30 PM
1 Sometimes there are guys at the dive plane controls; sometimes not

Dumb question: are there no guys at the dive planes because you're surfaced?

bert8for3
02-27-10, 02:35 PM
my guess with the screenshots is the whole uplay thing, its a player profile type service which probaly has your screenshots also just a guess maybe something similiar to dragon age??

that's a thought, so I should look on ubi.

Dumb question: are there no guys at the dive planes because you're surfaced?

No, I only made note of it at the time because I had an idea they switched all of a sudden without me doing anything. But that was when I was trying to figure out how to dive, and I must have caught them switching. It works just fine.

Btw somebody asked about the default install to root C. I noticed when I was looking at the file structure to find screenshots, and I couldn't find the game under Programs. But I recall there was a custom install option and I imagine you could tell it to install to ProgFiles.

Church SUBSIM
02-27-10, 03:58 PM
"4 Map is excellent. But no KM grid refs?"

No KM grid ... sigh. That is such a basic ... if not included one can only hope it can be modded.

Hitman
02-27-10, 04:11 PM
A. Installation and folder arrangement:
1 Default install was to root C. ?
2 Don't see where screenies are stored. How do you take screenshots?

B. Performance:
1 Default is 0 AA. Smooth, but a few jaggies. Put AA up one notch; now judders a bit in bridge view. Still have jaggies on horizon. To fix. But that is in port. Now open water, smooth and no jaggies.

C Interface:
1 Can't figure out how to assign crew to stations, eg at one point deck gun is manned, can't see yet how to unman gun. ok, use watch officer interface to order to man deck gun or aa gun, but can't see still how to unman them. Can't dive with crew on deck, have to figure out how to order them below first I think. Did I miss enabling some abilities before first patrol? Don't think so as have now restarted. Ah, dummy, I have to go below first; then we can dive. This first-person is different alright, I was thinking sh3 on that. And can surface fine.
2 Minimap a bit annoying, seems to pop up now and then, probably a system to it, but would ditch it.
3 Where is depth under keel? Time of day (clock)? ok clock is O. Just local time or GMT? Where is compass or course indicator? Date? Have to go to Cap's log it seems.
4 Where is resume course?
5 where is close/open tube? This may be because I was on automatic, now on manual and will see
6 Rudder change angle only by 1 deg and repeat?
7 Will eventually want to see if various tips can be turned off.

D Online saving:
1 Occasional auto-save only takes a second, but is a bit of a nuisance. Can it be turned off? To look at.

E Looks:
1 Water looks terrific. Ditto boat bow wave, wake, exhaust.
2 Binoc view wavers nicely.
3 Peri always starts up and have to put down.
4 Map is excellent. But no KM grid refs?
5 Bridge watch only 2 guys; no binoculars?
6 Would ditch outline/highlight on interactive elements.

F Gameplay:
1 Sometimes there are guys at the dive plane controls; sometimes not
2 Settings. Looking as if gameplay difficulty settings only changeable on fresh (campaign or patrol?). ok and now they've taken effect; eg I now have option via XO to turn on TDC.
3 Ship behaviour. To note.
4 First patrol put me out of Bremerhaven. Restarted, am now out of Kiel.
5 Recharging batteries is automatic? Can't deliberately not recharge if preferred?

Now I understand how you got SH5 before anyone else,

you've been sold SH4 UBoat missions with a revamped DVD label by some entreprising soul :har:

Heretic
02-27-10, 04:20 PM
Now I understand how you got SH5 before anyone else,

you've been sold SH4 UBoat missions with a revamped DVD label by some entreprising soul :har:

That's exactly what I'm counting on. I want all the hardcore sim elements that're in the SHIII/IV engine combined with the new features and graphics. :rock:

Elder-Pirate
02-27-10, 04:23 PM
@bert8for3,

Maybe D/L Fraps? for your pics as it can be mapped to some unused key. Although this OSP thing may have even that restricted? Dunno??


Do you feel like the old RKO ads. How did that go.........."The eyes and ears of the world." :D

Anyway they are watching you right now.


Good luck. :up:

Bilge_Rat
02-27-10, 04:54 PM
I have played for a few hours. In terms of realism, it feels about like SH3 stock. You have the same realism settings as SH3 and SH4.

You can play w. manual TDC and no map update. On manual TDC, your XO will give you a proposed solution, but it means nothing, you still have to figure out range, AOB and speed by yourself, w. the same tools as in SH3/4.

I like the way the NAV map works since you can minimise it and keep it within sight while you work the scope.

No worries about sprinting from station-to-station, you can access everything you need from the attack scope.

No training missions, but the single missions appear to have all you need if you have played SH3/4.

When you hit F1, it brings up the actual key card which I find more intuitive.

At first, it felt a bit too much like Fallout 3 on the High Seas, but when you dig, there is a simulation there, no worries.

Being online all the time may turn out to be a non-issue, I had zero issues playing the game or loading saved games.

longam
02-27-10, 05:03 PM
Excellent news

bigboywooly
02-27-10, 05:17 PM
4 First patrol put me out of Bremerhaven.

:hmmm: interesting

KL-alfman
02-27-10, 05:59 PM
Being online all the time may turn out to be a non-issue, I had zero issues playing the game or loading saved games.


no sir, I strongly disagree.

R-T-B
02-27-10, 06:04 PM
He's entitled to his personal opinion.

SteamWake
02-27-10, 06:06 PM
Hey uhhh you dident get a manual?

KL-alfman
02-27-10, 06:16 PM
He's entitled to his personal opinion.


yes, but it was stated as a general confirmation .....

Turbografx
02-27-10, 09:26 PM
Map is excellent. But no KM grid refs?



Weak.


Bridge watch only 2 guys; no binoculars?


Hopefully moddable.


Recharging batteries is automatic? Can't deliberately not recharge if preferred?


That's weird. It was in SH3/4, why take it out? Have a look around, you might just not have found the command.

Sone7
02-28-10, 09:06 AM
Recharging batteries is automatic? Can't deliberately not recharge if preferred?
I bet it's an ability of one of the crewmembers.