SH4 vs. SH3 w/GW Mod?

[Dave Hansen]

Have played SH3/GW Mod a while back...really enjoyed the realism.

Now that SH4 has been out for a while and with numerous community mods available, thinking about trying SH4.

My basic question...is SH4 w/mods as good or better than SH3 w/GW mod?

I would like to try the USN and the Pacific theater, but only if the realism/immersion factor is as good as the GW experience.

What mods (ie. GW type) would be recommended for SH4 for greater realism and depth?

OS-Vista 64 bit.

TXS

[Hitman]

SH4 with Trigger Maru or Real Fleet Boat is as good as the GWX experience was for SH3 (Have not tried myself Living Silent Hunter, but probably also).

SH4 Uboat missions with Operation Monsoon + OMEGU (Gui and environment) is in constant evolution and will surely soon surpase anything done for SH3. The level reached already is in any case good enough for not missing much from SH3+GWX :up: and it will only get better.

[Sailor Steve]

What he said.:yep:

There are new things being added to SH3 every day, and we're still waiting for many of them to hit SH4, but it is happening, and it's a great experience.

[irish1958]

What he said.:yep:

There are new things being added to SH3 every day, and we're still waiting for many of them to hit SH4, but it is happening, and it's a great experience.

There are probably 10 new mods a month for SH3 now; and BBW has a great addition for GWX in progress.
Luker has done a great job with the ATO, and the two major mods for SH4 have been mentioned. Webster has a collection of mods and fixes which is also quite good.
SHV is still in the labor room, but I did hear a few cries, so it is probably going to make it.

[Feuer Frei!]

Totally agree with above, ie. SH4+Mods as good as SH3+GWX...
indeed i posed this qstn in the UBM discussion section...
Is UBM better than SH3?
I believe so...
playing it at the moment (UBM) with some killer mods enabled to further the realism/effects/sounds...
Spaxs Uboat speech fix v8 is a must...
Plus, it's 1943! Harder for a Kaleun, much harder!
That also makes it great(er) imho...

[CCIP]

I can definitely vouch for Operation Monsun as a very solid, workable alternative to GWX. Graphics remains the biggest reason to switch to SHIV, but feature-wise it's more or less a match - you wouldn't be losing very much functionality, and a few useful features are unique to SHIV as a platform. The biggest thing you will surely miss in SHIV is SHIII Commander.

[Bubblehead1980]

Op Monsun for SH 4 is fun.I prefer fleetboats with TMO and RSRD or RFB RSRD but give it a shot, you will not regret

[karamazovnew]

I think Lurker has managed to push OM to the limit of what can be achieved in SH4. The result is a game on par with GWX but different in feeling

- waaay more planes
- much more juicy targets
- you really need to stay out of harbors
- easier escorts (unless they gang up on you)
- much harder to hit ships because of the better environment
- superb visual sensors allowing for extreme tactics like night surface attacks

However, if you really want a challenge, nothing beats 44-45 GWX (in a type VII!).

[Rockin Robbins]

Agree with Kamazarovnew. The experiences are different. Neither is worthy of being called real because of the lack of wolfpacks and sensor issues. But both are intensely satisfying renditions in spite of their acute limitations.

[Dave Hansen]

TXS!:yeah:

[kstanb]

another key advantages of SHIV are how the crew shifts work (which are way to much micromanagement in SHIII) and the radio stations (I really like to hear recent news and speeches while cruising)

[sergei]

Agree with Kamazarovnew. The experiences are different. Neither is worthy of being called real because of the lack of wolfpacks and sensor issues. But both are intensely satisfying renditions in spite of their acute limitations.

Agreed. It's like asking me if I prefer curry or pizza. They both bring something to the table, and are special in their own way. I wouldn't want to play favorite. I'll happily take either, but don't try and make me decide between them!

[Sailor Steve]

,,,BBW has a great addition for GWX in progress...
And that makes me cry since I can't play right now, and if you're talking about what I'm thinking about, it's something I've wanted in both games for a long time.

The biggest thing you will surely miss in SHIV is SHIII Commander.
Something I've said many times, and the biggest thing that keeps me playing SH3.

The result is a game on par with GWX but different in feeling
Absolutely. The only thing I want in SH4 besides the Commander aspect is the eye candy, especially the harbors. I'm hoping those things will be imported soon.

Bottom line: SH3 still has a two-year lead on its successor, and that keeps people attached to it and working on it. SH4 is the better platform, and hopefully the last touches will find their way in soon. But if gameplay is what you're after, SH4 is great now as it is, and easier to use.

[BillCar]

I think that SH4 with RFB / TMO / OM is definitely on a par with SH3 + GWX 3.0.

The problem is that SH3 has so many other fantastic mods that build on top of the megamods.

There are a few things that make it hard for me to get into SH4 – one is the campaign thing, where it starts you off on a specific date and gives you a really over-the-top intro message before you start sailing.

Another is the theatre – I'm less interested in Pacific sub operations to begin with, and I often find that since it is the world's largest ocean, you do a lot of empty sailing without seeing anything else for a long time. That's not a fault of the game, that is a simple reality of that theatre.

The biggest deal for me, though, is the horrible interface (which is apparently replicated in SH5). It looks like an iPhone app and handles horribly, I find.

I'd like a really nice, ol' timey-looking interface for SH4. Judging by the fact that I haven't seen any yet, I assume the style of the stock one is hard-coded and can't be done away with.

Additionally, I'd like a GUI mod for OM that is similar to Hitman's beta GUI for GWX 3.0. Some of his optics are in the RFB mod, and I enjoy that.

I just got SH4 last week, so I'm still new. At the moment, my preference runs heavily to SH3, despite the graphics of SH4. In fact, there are some recent graphics mods for SH3 that make it look almost as good in some ways. I'm going to keep playing SH4, but definitely less often than SH3.