Is it really that bad?

[Barso]

There seem to be alot of negative threads popping up.
Is SH5 really that bad?
I agree with the other posters that claim the mods will fix it?
I think it's a disgrace and an insult to the modders that the devs think they will fix it.
How about give the modders the profits from the sales and let them fix it.
The devs should hang their heads in shame as they obviously know that the modders have real jobs that I am sure they do to thir best of their abilities and then spend their own time adding to the game.
Not trying to fix it.
Please tell me that it wasn't the SH4 devs that made this.
If it was why didn't they just add to SH4 instead if trying to rewrite it.

[R-T-B]

Honestly, even out of the box, I rather like it.

Yes it has problems, yes it is different. But is it bad? I really don't think so.

There was a poll a while back that showed that most people rated it "good with issues" or something such. I think those who absolutely hate it are just a vocal minority, no offense intended.

[Barso]

Thanks for the reply.
Now to wait for amazon to deliver the CE.

[R-T-B]

Just be sure and poke through the available mods before installing it. Some of them (even in this early state) help alot. :)

For example, not to toot my own horn, but if you don't install my morale mod, I can gurantee you that you will be frustrated with the morale system. It's flat out broken right now, but turning it off yields an enjoyable game.

[Barso]

Thanks I will be installing your mod on that recommendation alone.
Much appreciated.
It's modders like yourself that really make these games.
Your hard work is always appreciated.

[jwilliams]

Honestly, even out of the box, I rather like it.

Yes it has problems, yes it is different. But is it bad? I really don't think so.

There was a poll a while back that showed that most people rated it "good with issues" or something such. I think those who absolutely hate it are just a vocal minority, no offense intended.

From reading these threads etc.

i'd say its more like :-

10% love it
80% ??????? (think what have they done to SH5)
10% hate it

100% Hope modders will fix it.

But i dont think we should be expecting modders to fix it. The game should have been released in a finished state.

all the modders should be doing is adding to the game. not fixing it.

[R-T-B]

While I agree it should have been released in a better state, I still find it enjoyable and it is an excellent modding platform (I speak from experience working with it thus far, I plan on unveiling many projects in the days ahead. :) )

Also, I trust the old poll thread far more than the massive globs of posts coming out of the woodwork, just saying...

[ryuzu]

Well figured I'd weigh in (get it!) now I've played it a bit. Still early days so this is really initial impressions after 1 patrol.

Basically, most of the bugs you've read here are accurate. Yes the guys rotate back and forth while talking (at least for me they do), yes the morale of your guys seems to go to 0 when you reload a save and that *seems* to stop them doing things like manning guns etc etc.

Graphics bugs are present, but don't really worry me since the graphics are perfectly good overall.

I think the problem from the community viewpoint is twofold. Firstly, there seem to be a lot of people wearing rose tinted glasses when it comes to SH3 - yes SH3 was decent eventually but that was after 6 months of patches and several years of modding. SH3 out of the box wasn't as good as everyone hoped and I'd argue that while modding made it much better, it still wasn't the subsim we'd all like to see.

Secondly, this isn't SH3. SH3 + mods exist and if it's that kind of game you want then SH3 is already here. With SH5 they've tried to do something different - after all, we've already been in the Battle of the Atlantic umpteen times so the devs really need to try and do something different.

What they've tried to do is simulate the crew more than in previous titles - and as a result the simulation of the technical aspects of the boat itself is somewhat degraded.

So, while you may not be able to spin the TDC dials, you do on the other hand, get to "call out" the data (essentially the same stuff) to the XO who spins the dials.

It's a different emphasis and whether you like that or not is a personal matter.

While that seems to be where the devs are going with this version, it is still fair to say the game is some way short of being complete though. As others have mentioned the interaction with the crew is stilted and in some instances worse than SH4 or even 3 which is disappointing. It's fine to remove the technical button pushing bits if your virtual crew is doing that for you, but you still have to be able to instruct the crew and many options seem be missing - little things like specific heading, speed and depth instructions aren't as easy to get at as they should be.

However, I have already felt something of a connection to this virtual crew - which I never really got from 3 or 4.

So overall I'd just say SH5 is different. The ideal subsim seems to be an amalgamation of the features of SH3, 4 and now 5 but we still don't have that...

r.

[Decoman]

Moving through the submarine is very slick and nice. Holding down shift key while moving, allow for running.

But the lady-shoe-tap sound effect has to go :yep:

One easy thing the devs could do, was to create alot of dialogue for the crew. So that no dialogue appeared twice. It would be easy to write dialogue, where you could even write variants to any single expression. E.g "Hello" could also be "Hi" or "Greetings" in the real world.

[Onkel Neal]

It is what it is, an ambitious attempt that needs more work. Many elements of it are fantastic, there is even more potential that SH3+SH4, but the entire thing rests on the strength of sales. As always.

Silent Hunter V is a game with problems. You will see many different reactions because even though we are talking about the same game, people are different. Some people buy SH5 as consumers, measuring the game against their dollar very carefully, like they would a toaster or a bicycle. There are some who will forgive more because they simply want to see an AAA title subsim every few years, even if it needs several patches to complete it. Some people will avoid it, some will wail about it like their house is on fire, some will stride forth like champions of lost honor and condemn it, and some people will appreciate the good parts, and quietly work on the bad parts.

[Iliaz]

Out of the Box I actually liked it quite a bit. It has Issues, no doubt there, but those all seem fixable. Considering its present state to the SH3 and especially SH4 release versions, its actually better.

Although I agree with everyone else, that it should have been finished and that it needs some patching and understand the anger somefolks here bear, I also see the enormous potential of SH5 and hope it will be used.

As Elenaiba said in another Thread: With a few months worth of Modding this could very well be the only Subsim around.

[Mack674]

Im absolutely certain that SH5 will be excellent in a few months after the modders get their hands into it and bring it up to the level everybody wants it to be at. One of them was talking about how they can edit the scripting in the game and can pretty much change, edit, add whatever they want so its not like the problems with the game will be permanent.
In due time, (6 months?) it could be very very enjoyable.

Until then however, it definately has some problems that are just lazy in nature. The interface is the thing that bothers me the most - someone described it as a Windows 7 interface in a 1940s submarine and thats basically what it is. Nevermind how its a huge hassle just to find out what your fuel and battery levels are.

I dont understand what was wrong with the old TDC and dials and gauges etc from SH3 and 4 that they felt the need to completely redo everything and streamline it? I barely played SH2 and really started with SH3 and 4 and I knew nothing about U boats and didnt have much of a problem figuring out how to get it work. I mean, could it be any harder simply to move my ship around a few degrees to the left? I have to go to the nav map and manually re-plot my course instead of just being able to use the arrow keys to nav around a merchant ship thats in the way or something but no, theres 2 options, 1 degree, or HARD TO STARBOARD. No need for anything in between i guess.

Lastly, YEAH, wtf is with the deck gun guys? Man the deck gun... okay thats enough.... thats enough now guys, it sank, you can come back in the sub now.... GUYS! Okay stay out there for 3 weeks, see if i care.

[Church SUBSIM]

Just be sure and poke through the available mods before installing it. Some of them (even in this early state) help alot. :)

For example, not to toot my own horn, but if you don't install my morale mod, I can gurantee you that you will be frustrated with the morale system. It's flat out broken right now, but turning it off yields an enjoyable game.

This is the first I have heard of this mod (morale) but if it works ... THANK YOU!

[malkuth74]

I would actually say that no its not that bad.. But once you realise that the enemy Destroyers do nothing to stop you... Then you tell yourself... Wow.

LOL. :har:

[Sonarman]

Couldn't this be because you are very early in the first days of the war, they may get better as the campaign goes along?

[malkuth74]

Couldn't this be because you are very early in the first days of the war, they may get better as the campaign goes along?

Yeah I hope your right... But you would think that when something goes BOOM.. They would at least attempt to check it out.

Instead they go straigt, don't change course and don't change speed.

If thats an early Green war crew... Then this war is not going to last too long. :rotfl2:

[Eldritch]

I would actually say that no its not that bad.. But once you realise that the enemy Destroyers do nothing to stop you... Then you tell yourself... Wow.

LOL. :har:

I wish someone could have told the 6 destroyers that pinged and depthcharged me for 6 hours straight when I tried to get away from a successful hit at a convoy that approached one of the british ports. Those guys are REALLY persistent sometimes (and if you think 6 hours was a short timespan, then I can tell you they stopped because they bloody well sunk me).

Anyway, regarding the game in my experience: It's a blast. The only things that have lessened my enthusiasm for the fifth installment is the morale bug and the utterly wonky Auto-TDC/Manual-TDC that seems to forget that I've turned off map contacts etc, but these two problems are bound to be fixed.

Oh, and the campaign missions are weird too but not a showstopper. I mean, sink 100.000 tonnes of ships before march 1940? Really? That's a lot... I'd be just as happy to get home safely after a patrol and not worry about set dates where I HAVE to complete things.

[Agustus]

I put about 5 hours into it and consider the game unplayable. Have already uninstalled it and will give it another shot in 6 months when patches/mods show up.

Just too many bugs (the morale bug being the worst), the clunkiest of interfaces, lack of control like you had in previous SH's, etc. Unlike some of these other posters who are playing their way through all of that in an effort to get some enjoyment out of the game, I won't.

No one wanted this to be a great game more than me. But frankly, it's a dog right now. I can't recommend it to anyone until many things get fixed.

[JScones]

Silent Hunter V is a game with problems. You will see many different reactions because even though we are talking about the same game, people are different. Some people buy SH5 as consumers, measuring the game against their dollar very carefully, like they would a toaster or a bicycle...
You certainly do have a thing for toasters, Neal. :O:

[Noren]

Sink 100k tons with a deadline? To become what? Grossadmiral?

Why not sink the whole Royal Navy?

I would like so see that beeing told to the old veterans, I cant say for sure but having look at the records of kaleuns - I would say that the average tonnage was perhaps 5000 tons.

34 german uboat captains managed to sink >100k in their entire career. Thats a mere 2% out of the total 1401 captains posted on uboat.net.

Sorry for my critizism but I hold a high regard for accuracy and authenticity, thats mostly why I love simulators.

[IanC]

It is what it is, an ambitious attempt that needs more work. Many elements of it are fantastic, there is even more potential that SH3+SH4, but the entire thing rests on the strength of sales.

I'm sorry, but something doesn't sound right with that statement. Although I'm having trouble putting my finger on why exactly... I guess it's because it sounds like your saying it's up to us to buy more copies, then SH5 will be good? :nope:

[KOS]

I like it

in my humble opinion, many critics are just trolling in one way or another. The game is exactly what it had to be.

It's not entirely a simulator and that is bad, but I adapt and I'll play it anyway. I don't care. It's not because I have spent money on it, it's because I like having the opportunity to have a relation with my crew, solve problems etc.

It can get better, the programmers didn't do a good job on many things, but it's not a game to throw away. Just wait for patches and for MODS to improve the game.

[stabiz]

My mini review is that this game is cool in many ways, and annoying sin some areas. The few mods released already improves it a lot.

Btw, better post this as I was moaning a lot before release:
http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/ww1/stabiz1/sh5.jpg


Graphically its stunning. If you leave the port of Narvik in one of the single missions with max graphic settings you will be blown away.

I actually like walking around the sub as well, and without the halos, text bubbles and crosshair its actually quite immersive and very good looking, same goes for climbing up and down. What puzzles me is that it seems more aimed at the casual gamer while at the same time there is no auto tdc like before, actual sinking is way harder than it was.

The controls are very confusing at first, and I am still not sure what I am doing half the time, but it IS fun. I think the explosions need work, some times they look good, and other they look like cheap fireworks. Sounds also need more punch. Music is way better than earlier, and I find the tdc clunky and weird to use.

I also have some graphical issues, the bow spray seems to be running at 10 fps when the rest is at 100fps. Also I get mad flickering on ships, not the uboat. In addition I can see health bars in the binoculars! Noooo, health bars are the plague.

All in all I am less disappointed then I was after reading some of the initial rants, and with the DRM already defeated (to an unknown degree) I have hope Ubi will remove it at some point. Me thinks this will be good after some patches and sprinkled with mods.

[YukonJack_AK]

Personally I'm already tired of reading posts that say things like "I hope the modders will fix ____." Modding should be an extension of the game, not fixing the damn thing cause it released broken. It shouldn't take guys like the GWX Crew or OLC to fix something as dumb as pushing a key causes a CTD. Look at at games like Half-Life 2 - fantastic, polished, beautiful game that modders have taken to a whole new level. We should't have to be dealing with stuff like a f-d up morale system, or the inability to quickly and easily set course and speed. And we certainly shouldn't be waiting for the community to fix it. I guess I'm just frustrated with the lack of effort put forth by dev's in that last few years... Cheers to all the guys who've already begun fixing Ubi's mistakes. Someone should figure out how you folks can bill Ubisoft for your time ;)