Silent Hunter 6

[scrapser]

I'm almost afraid to create this thread. I found an old post in the archives where someone discovered Ubisoft has laid claim to URL's "silenthunter6" and "silenthunter7". This suggests they are at least thinking that far into the future. At this point my main concern is whether Silent Hunter 6 will be a Pacific clone of Silent Hunter 5 (one sub, campaign ends years before the war ends, DRM, the whole fiasco). I tried Google but got no hits and I'm sure this is well ahead of the game (pun intended) but I'm wondering what people here would like to see (maybe Ubisoft will take some hints).

I would like to limit the wish list to WW2 since Silent Hunter is a WW2 submarine simulation franchise. If they want to do WW1 or something modern, I think that should be a new series. So what would you like to see? Suggestions for either Pacific or Atlantic (or both) are all valid.

[ETR3(SS)]

1. Go back to the Pacific.
2. Fix the bugs that have been in the series since SH3
3. The war goes from Dec 41 to Aug 45 (for the pac) make the game that way too.
4. Failing to do more than just the Gato/Balao/Tench class is unacceptable.
5. Ice cream instead of soup!:O:

[robbo180265]

1. Go back to the Pacific.
2. Fix the bugs that have been in the series since SH3
3. The war goes from Dec 41 to Aug 45 (for the pac) make the game that way too.
4. Failing to do more than just the Gato/Balao/Tench class is unacceptable.
5. Ice cream instead of soup!:O:

I vote for the ice cream:up:

[kylania]

1. Go back to the Pacific.

:yawn: Maybe it's since Silent Hunter III was the first SH game I played, but I just have no interest at all in the Pacific theater or Fleet Boats, those bloated prickly whales they are. heheh :D Really in every WWII game/book/movie/whatever just don't like the Pacific theater.

Give me the sleek and sexy VIIC any day! Though I do miss the adorable little IIA/D too. :O:

[silversurfer]

Rather start development on a new version shouldn't ubisoft try and get the current one up to some operable standard. :nope:

[ETR3(SS)]

Nothing wrong with that. You can play SH5 with your U-Boat while the Fleet Boats get a turn. OR...they can put both of them in at the same time.

[The General]

How 'bout combining all the work done in the series and making Silent Hunter 6 a global naval simulator? Most of the models have already been built. A player could chose a German, American or maybe even Japanese or British Sub? Hell, why not throw in a playable surface vessel too, a sub-chaser or whatever?

[Nordmann]

They should fix up SH5 first, but I wouldn't mind seeing Fleet Boats as the next outing (fully modelled interiors anyone?), though I really think the British boats need some attention at some point.

[ERPP8]

If Ubisoft didn't completely ignore SHIV I think a lot more of us would be playing it.




This would be awesome:
1. Ubisoft releases a "Fleet Boats in the Atlantic" or something in a stroke of irony
2. Modders change it to be back in the pacific
3. It's like SHIV but a million times better

[TwistedFemur]

UBI will not be getting anymore of my money:nope:

domain: silenthunter5.com
reg_created: 2004-09-13 17:38:06
expires: 2010-09-13 21:38:06
created: 2004-09-13 23:38:06
changed: 2009-11-09 16:53:58

[capt-jones]

the general wrote
How 'bout combining all the work done in the series and making Silent Hunter 6 a global naval simulator? Most of the models have already been built. A player could chose a German, American or maybe even Japanese or British Sub? Hell, why not throw in a playable surface vessel too, a sub-chaser or whatever?
:hmmm:this seems the obvious choice the american market (paciffic war) would be the big money spinner for ubi,im no software developer, but im sure after all the hard work that went into SH3 SH4 it must be easy for ubisoft to throw all the codes into a box and sell it,this sounds familiar:03:isnt that what they did with SH5, and we bought it,why they never capitalised on sh2 and destroyer command i will never know:know: its no good buying the name of something if its no good :salute:anyway i agree with whats already been said

[GoldenRivet]

Silent Hunter Six?




Dont even start :har:

[severniae]

To be entirely honest, I doubt there will be a Silent Hunter 6, at least not by UBI anyway.

I know someone who works in the games industry, who told me the other week that the SHV sales have been rather poor. I imagine they reserved the domain names years ago incase they needed them.

If, there ever is another SH game, I'd like to see it from a totally new perspective - Like playing as the Japanese, or the English!!

[Frumpkis]

How 'bout combining all the work done in the series and making Silent Hunter 6 a global naval simulator? Most of the models have already been built. A player could chose a German, American or maybe even Japanese or British Sub? Hell, why not throw in a playable surface vessel too, a sub-chaser or whatever?

Okay, I have feeling the franchise is over with this one, but just for grins...

At the time frame of SH4, that idea (above) would have been feasible. The next sim (SH5) could have been a very broad-based package covering everything from the USA Civil War, to WWI, to WWII in both theaters. You'd have a bunch of good exterior 3D models, and very minimal interiors... maybe no interiors at all, just a basic periscope/bridge command interface.

Now, however, Ubi has limited future options with a release that shows both a full 3D sub interior and interaction with the crew (sort of) inside that environment. That takes much more in art and programming resources to pull off, and it's probably the reason we only got the Type VII in this game, and the most we might ever get in an expansion is the Type IX. Game companies don't usually reduce the feature set from one version to another, so any hope of more sub models (not to mention surface ships) probably died with this release.

However, remember this is the #1 thing people asked for, back in the SH4 days when people were discussing what they wanted in SH5. Everyone wanted a full walk-through sub interior, and a crew that was more than just mannequins standing there without player interaction. Well, now we have it, but it closes out other options.

Personally, I don't mind that very much. I've always preferred "deep" sims that modeled one platform well, to do-everything sims that can't really do it except in a superficial way. For example, compare the B-17 bomber in something like IL-2, to a dedicated B-17 sim like the one Microprose made. That latter game wasn't perfect, but it was more immersive and detailed (IIRC) than what you get in IL_2, because IL-2 is trying to model so many other aircraft at the same time.

Anyway, to respond to the main topic... given a choice, I'd like to see an upgraded version of SH5 in the same Atlantic theater, building on the current game engine, and expanding into wolf pack tactics. Unfortunately I don't think that's very marketable for Ubi, and they're more likely to make SH6 (if there is one at all) a modern sub sim... something like a Virginia class attack sub, or going back a few years to a Cold War scenario. Whatever it is, it'll be a single boat... if they ever do another version at all. They can't go back to a sub without a full interior now.

[Trool323]

silent hunter 4 with all the latest mods is the epic of subsims. You can get whatever you want almost. You can start a career in the atlantic and then go to the pacific if you'd like without having to play a different game. If they made SH6 they would have to make it live up to the expansion capabilities of SH4. Currently sh5 is not doing this by any means.. As we speak they are making ww1, surface ship, and japan based campaigns for SH4 the expansion is endless....Alot of people R real upset about Sh5 and its DRM. Even me a die hard fan I refuse to buy it untill its fixed, or I can find a way around the DRM. So in closing if Sh6 has any crap like DRm sh4 will live forever with only the graphics becoming out dated i believe.

if people dont buy sh5 because of DRM UBI will and probably have allready lost money and wont make a sh6..

time will tell but as of today I dont see SH6..

[Hanomag]

Hmmm.. ok maybe somone else should take the helm...like EA or Infinity Ward... :hmmm:

[mookiemookie]

No more Ubisoft SH titles, please. They've driven the series into the ground.

[janh]

1. Go back to the Pacific.
2. Fix the bugs that have been in the series since SH3
3. The war goes from Dec 41 to Aug 45 (for the pac) make the game that way too.
4. Failing to do more than just the Gato/Balao/Tench class is unacceptable.
5. Ice cream instead of soup!:O:

LOL, propagating the trend from SHIII->SHIV->SHV to any future release, all you will get is "1942 in a rubber boat"! But it will be immersion pure as you will be able to swim around it, left way and right way around! And you'll get a flare gun to shoot the birds overhead! Oh stop, that was a feature that surely will be bugged like hell. And if you are lucky, they even "hire" you as alpha testers next time as they will release it once the in game menu is finished...

[Crimguy]

this one, like someone has said, has been beaten into the ground.

It's time a new company starts fresh and develops a new WWII submarine series. Start with a good atmospheric model and go from there.

[jdkbph]

However, remember this is the #1 thing people asked for, back in the SH4 days when people were discussing what they wanted in SH5. Everyone wanted a full walk-through sub interior, and a crew that was more than just mannequins standing there without player interaction.

Be careful what you ask for...? It's almost like dealing with a Genie. Yes, they did ask for 3d interiors and interactive crew and UBI delivered. But I think the assumption was that all else would be at least as it was in SH3. I think if it had been understood that the addition of 3d interiors and interactive crew would cost what it now seems it has, no one would have voted for that.


Personally, I don't mind that very much. I've always preferred "deep" sims that modeled one platform well, to do-everything sims that can't really do it except in a superficial way. For example, compare the B-17 bomber in something like IL-2, to a dedicated B-17 sim like the one Microprose made. That latter game wasn't perfect, but it was more immersive and detailed (IIRC) than what you get in IL_2, because IL-2 is trying to model so many other aircraft at the same time.
I don't know if that's a fair comparison. I think if you wanted to argue that SH5 benefits from bing a single platform simulation, you'd have to demonstrate that the platform simulation is deeper than what you find in a survey (or multiple platform) simulation. I'd be looking for things like the ability to pull the levers to open the ballast tank vents, turn the valves to trim the boat, flip all the switches and turn all the dials on the radios, sonars and radars. Basically something akin to the level of interaction you find in the aforementioned MPS B17 sim.

Aside from the eye candy graphics, I don't see where they have improved the detail or the fidelity of the simulation at all in the "single platform" SH5, relative to the last two "multi-platform" titles in this series.

Oh, and even though it was explicitly excluded from consideration by the OP, I'll still cast my vote for a WWI sub sim. I think that's the one area that hasn't already been done to death (really hasn't been done at all... I can't count Shells of Fury) - and - would be a good fit for the sim and graphics engines UBI has already developed.

JD

[FIREWALL]

Fleet Boat Missions Add-on. $29.99. :03: :haha:

[kylania]

Fleet Boat Missions Add-on. $29.99. :03: :haha:

Free if you registered your game before May 11th! :woot:

[Frumpkis]

Be careful what you ask for...? It's almost like dealing with a Genie. Yes, they did ask for 3d interiors and interactive crew and UBI delivered. But I think the assumption was that all else would be at least as it was in SH3. I think if it had been understood that the addition of 3d interiors and interactive crew would cost what it now seems it has, no one would have voted for that.

Agreed. Here's an interesting question, I think: If we had a time machine and could go back a couple years, and if Ubi had offered these two choices:

1) You can have a full 3D interior and interactive crew, but just the Type VII sub... that's it!

2) You can have the Type VII and IX, and we'll throw in the XX1 too, for alternate history scenarios, but the interiors will be just like SH4 and you can't walk through the boat.

Which would the subsim community, as a whole, choose? Sure, we'd like to choose "all of the above," but developer resources are always limited, unless we want to wait 10 years between sim releases.

I don't know if that's a fair comparison. I think if you wanted to argue that SH5 benefits from bing a single platform simulation, you'd have to demonstrate that the platform simulation is deeper than what you find in a survey (or multiple platform) simulation. I'd be looking for things like the ability to pull the levers to open the ballast tank vents, turn the valves to trim the boat, flip all the switches and turn all the dials on the radios, sonars and radars. Basically something akin to the level of interaction you find in the aforementioned MPS B17 sim.I don't think you have to operate all those controls yourself for an immersive (hah!) simulation. The question is more like this: Can I achieve a suspension of disbelief that I'm sitting in front of a computer screen, to believe that I'm in this type of boat, or that type of boat? Early war boats in either WWII theater should feel cramped and limited in capability, later fleet boats on both sides should feel very different inside.

Oh, and even though it was explicitly excluded from consideration by the OP, I'll still cast my vote for a WWI sub sim. I think that's the one area that hasn't already been done to death (really hasn't been done at all... I can't count Shells of Fury) - and - would be a good fit for the sim and graphics engines UBI has already developed.I'm with you on that one, I've always thought a WWI sub sim might be interesting, if only because we've never seen one. I have some concerns about it being too "un-sub" like.... too much emphasis on surface attacks, no real ASW technology to make evasion after an attack interesting. But it could be fun. I hope someone does this, eventually!

[IanC]

Be sure y'all pre-order SH6, no matter what it's like, or else we might not see a SH7 :woot:

[PL_Andrev]

Maybe Destroyer Command 2... with multi cooperation with SH5...
It is the best solution: wolfpacks will be human controlled...
:salute:

[Athlonic]

Ok but when will the 1.2.6 patch for this game be released ?

:D

[rascal101]

Hmm..... you should probably consider SH5 to be the last -

Ubi management has so stuffed this game they are unlikely to revisit the concept for years - if ever - No suit jockey with his eye on the bottom line will want to wear responsibility for the direction they forced the developers to take - and the subsequent failure to grow sales or engage the market.

And thats despite the readily avaliable testimony of over 40,000 Subsim members who could have told them in one simple poll they were headed in the wrong direction with Silent Hunter 5

Of course this is only my humble opinion - SH5 is do-able as long as the modders can be bothered - but if ever they loose interest then Silent Hunter is dead -

Hopefully some other publisher might stumble upon SubSim and work out that if they gave the members what theyt wanted - they would have a captive audience for years to come - Ubisoft missed that one but then thats life in the modern world


Best Regards to all SubSimmers

Rascal

[jwilliams]

If Ubisoft romania release a SH6..... I want them to build a new game engine.... to eliminate all the bugs that were carried over from SH3 into SH4 and now SH4 into SH5.

Get the foundations right first then build the game. :hmmm:

Otherwise SH6 will be even more buggy then 5. Is that possible ? :D

[Zedi]

No more Ubisoft SH titles, please. They've driven the series into the ground.

Amen. SH series should stop now, no more under Ubi logo. Fix what can be fixed and let it go. At least I will never buy another Ubi product, never again.

Maybe one day some indie company will build another subsim from scratch, would be nice to hire the best moders from subsim.com to help on that. Only then we will have assurance for a quality game with a quality support.

[severniae]

I've got to say. If I were given the option before the release of SHV saying 'You can have type VII with interiors, but no other subs, or all the subs from SHIV, but with SH4/3 Style interiors. I would choose the full interior option.

It adds a great deal of immersion to the game, feeling that you really are 'there'.

The problem is, they didn't do it very well.

I'm fairly confident that we'd all love it if the crew actually did something realistic, instead of just loafing around in their beds, if when orders were issued you saw the effects of your actions. (Eg, CRASH DIVE and suddenly all the crew in the rear of the boat run to the forward sections, how awesome would that be?)

Also, if they got the one sub right! It seems to me that they 'beefed' up the VII. To me it just feels like it is much more durable than it historically should have been. Plus the absolutely absurd passive abilities that make it into a 24 knot fast, uber quick turning, almost impossible to detect monster sub leave me feeling that they really didn't put the effort in.

Sure, perhaps casual gamers want that kind of thing, but to be honest. I think Ubi don't realise that they could probably casual up SHV all they want, but the casual recreational gamers just don't want to play a simulator. If you look at almost every simulation game out there (or rather, that used to be out there, sim games are dying...quickly) they were designed and made for a niche market. People have mentioned B17 - The mighty Eighth. I had that game, and played it to death. Yes, it took me about 2 weeks and pinning the manual to my forehead to get to grips with how to play it, but it offered a massively rewarding experience, and I recommended it to friends, who also bought, and enjoyed the game.

What I'm trying to say, is that Ubi, if they ever do think of releasing another SH title. Need to realise that this type of game just can't appeal to a mass market. Its not that type of game. There are plenty of simulation enthusiasts out there to keep Ubi in a nice little profit. OK they might not make enough to buy their Managing Director a new Ferrari and matching Mansion. But surely some profit is better than a loss? Ubi need to stop trying to be greedy, if they're ever to continue the SH series.

However, my vote would go that they sell it to a smaller, more committed developer. Ubi have had this title for long enough.

[Feuer Frei!]

So, since some of us are saying Ubisoft should get rid of the SH5 licence, who is out there currently that would take the plunge? Pun intended.
I doubt very much the big companies would do this, niche games are a hard market to cater to, from a business-sense not much money to be made.
If it's a smaller, independent company, niche market games, in particular sims have a small budget to work with...
Would this bode well for the quality of the release? Budget tight ie scimp on things included in game etc etc?
Thoughts anyone?

[jwilliams]

So, since some of us are saying Ubisoft should get rid of the SH5 licence, who is out there currently that would take the plunge? Pun intended.
I doubt very much the big companies would do this, niche games are a hard market to cater to, from a business-sense not much money to be made.


Former members of ACES studios (FSX & MS train simulator) have set up a new company. Simulations-based development studio named Cascade Game Foundry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Game_Foundry,_LLC).[/URL] Further details relating to their first project are to be announced.[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Flight_Simulator#cite_note-CGF-Press-Release-11"] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Flight_Simulator#cite_note-CGF-Press-Release-11)

Our previous efforts focused on building traditional simulation titles. However, now we get to redefine what a simulation game can be.

Maybe they could make a good Subsim ????

And im sure there are other small Dev teams out there willing to fill the void left by Ubi.

Atleast i hope so.

[doomlordis]

I hope they dont drop it, i still think 5 is a good game and could be made the best ever with a few patches.
US boats and the theatre itself are a bit dull though, no disrespect to the brave men who served.
I really hope UBI release Type 9 add on with 43-45 included.

[danizzz]

If they will produce SH3 + GWX + modern graphic and some little features i will buy it.....im not interested in SH5 in the pacific.

Maybe could be interesting a sub game with modern subs....:hmmm:

[Feuer Frei!]

Since this thread is a hypothetical, a what-if, a "i dream", what would be the 1 single thing in everyone's eyes that would make SH6 a winner....AT RELEASE?
1 thing...
i say Open Source :yeah:

[Zedi]

So, since some of us are saying Ubisoft should get rid of the SH5 licence, who is out there currently that would take the plunge? Pun intended.
I doubt very much the big companies would do this, niche games are a hard market to cater to, from a business-sense not much money to be made.
If it's a smaller, independent company, niche market games, in particular sims have a small budget to work with...
Would this bode well for the quality of the release? Budget tight ie scimp on things included in game etc etc?
Thoughts anyone?

There is many examples of indie companies developing games for a small market, the key is to find a good publisher and keep constant feedback with the fans.

Because I'm a MMO fan I can give as a quick example example Darkfall and the notorius EVE who won the game of the year 2009 prize. EVE is not a popular game, actually is a hardcore one, but with a great and intelligent community. CCP, the developers of EVE, was a very small indie company few years ago and with EVE they become the most successful story in the MMO industry after WoW.

Of course, there is a very hard work and risk involved in such an adventure. But SH has constant fanbase and even on fails they are still playing and love the game. We have no other sub sim around, so the risk in loosing money is pretty small compared with EVE where they had to fight with a colossus like Blizzard &WoW. And if they manage to keep the communication gates open non-stop with the fans, it's a win-win situation.

[Feuer Frei!]

keep constant feedback with the fans.
Key point

And if they manage to keep the communication gates open non-stop with the fans, it's a win-win situation.Key point
Also one thing we haven't mentioned is reputation.
Business relies upon it, now if a indie company comes along and took over the licence, what is their reputation like? In previous ventures. Current SubSimmers would be watching with a close eye of course, but the trepidation and fear would be there, a new business taking over the reigns.....driving it into the ground even more?
Introducing bizarre new things into SH6 that just will not go down well with the community. Or introduce something completely different than what has been offered currently.
The key point is really: communication.
Communication and actually taking feedback into consideration, when implementing changes or developing games. I still think that the possibility of a new developer= 3 possibilities:
1) Keep the traditions that Ubisoft had implemented in their games, expand a little on that and produce SH6
2) Totally revolutionalise SH6 by changing source code completely, totally redesigning it, with the communitie's ideas and wishes actually implemented, to a large extent
3) Keep traditions that Ubisoft had implemented, do not listen to or communicate with the community, and keep the game engine and mechanics largely what it has been so far. Ie FAIL!
Of course this is all hypothetical, it really all depends on the current/future developer of a game, how they conduct business, with their customers, how they market themselves and their products, how they support their customers, how they communicate and if they are quick in response times....after all, it's business for the Dev.
For us? The End User?
I think it's pretty clear don't you?

[Cap.Palla]

Silent Hunter 6 ???

http://i41.tinypic.com/33jprlu.jpg

[mookiemookie]

I think if it had been understood that the addition of 3d interiors and interactive crew would cost what it now seems it has, no one would have voted for that.

Hate to say I told you so. :dead:

[JScones]

But think of the immersion, mookie, the immersion. It's all about immersion.

And I know you like immersion.

:O::haha:

[Bilge_Rat]

Its a bit early to talk about SH6. As a first step, Ubi has to patch the issues in SH5.

However, my vote for SH6 would be definitely for a return to the Pacific.

Fleet Boats rule! :rock:

[Zedi]

Also one thing we haven't mentioned is reputation.
Business relies upon it, now if a indie company comes along and took over the licence, what is their reputation like? In previous ventures. Current SubSimmers would be watching with a close eye of course, but the trepidation and fear would be there, a new business taking over the reigns.....driving it into the ground even more?
Introducing bizarre new things into SH6 that just will not go down well with the community. Or introduce something completely different than what has been offered currently.
The key point is really: communication....

Well, I don't know what to say about the reputation. I don't care much about it, dunno about the rest. But let's consider this.. how much of you knew about the SH moders before they started to work on mods? Nothing. But after they released good mods, they gained more and more popularity and respect from the community. They listen to the community, they work together with the community is a real friendship there.

To get further with this example.. I stoped playin SH3 right before that mega GWX (http://www.thegreywolves.com/) mod was released. So I did not know anything about those guys, but now that I see their site, their work and clips on YT with the mods.. I'm amazed. These guys have my respect even if I never played SH3 with the GWX installed. Also, just look at thegreywolves.com .. it's a joy to browse it, a lot of info, screenies etc. Now compare this with Ubi's uber-mega lame website... say no more.

Also, I care more about the communication and how much these guys would listen to the fan base. I would care more about a strong alpha/beta test where stuff are tested and fixed before release, a good and responsive support.. so bottom line, I don't care about the reputation.. I care more about the end result. And if they care about the customers/fans/business, there will be no bizarre or different things implemented than what the customers expect.

[Iron Budokan]

I would like to see a new company try their hand at this, tbh. Anyway, I'm not all that sanguine Ubi will release a new submarine simulation anytime in the future.

It wouldn't surprise me too much if this was their swan song as regards sub sims.

Yeah, I'd def like to see another company take a crack at this, though.

[scrapser]

Another way for a company to afford developing a niche market simulation is to be a company that has very healthy sales in other genre's so they don't have to worry so much about the budget. You would think Ubisoft is such a company. I have no idea how their financial infrastructure is set up but I bet it is not along these lines. In any case, it's not uncommon for companies to work this way. For example, RANS is a company that produces homebuilt aircraft kits and on the side they also make recumbent bicycles which is a niche market. They can use the same resources for two entirely different markets. I think it would be even easier for a software development house to do something similar as they are not at all different except for the size of the clientele.

[Feuer Frei!]

Another way for a company to afford developing a niche market simulation is to be a company that has very healthy sales in other genre's so they don't have to worry so much about the budget. You would think Ubisoft is such a company. I have no idea how their financial infrastructure is set up but I bet it is not along these lines. In any case, it's not uncommon for companies to work this way. For example, RANS is a company that produces homebuilt aircraft kits and on the side they also make recumbent bicycles which is a niche market. They can use the same resources for two entirely different markets. I think it would be even easier for a software development house to do something similar as they are not at all different except for the size of the clientele.
Totally agree...
i guess the issue with the big guns is that the "side ventures" or the niche games just don't get as much attention if you will than the big games for which there is a demand for. Perfect point in case:
Ubisoft with SH5, Settlers 7 and AC 2, now we all know which ones have got the most attention, ie patches etc, SH5 being a niche game...well, i don't need to go on.
I think sometimes it really is counter-productive, certainly for the end-user (you and me) that when a big(er) company has this type of set-up and caters for sideventures (in this case niche games) well, they just don't get the same level of support, do they?
If a small company picked up the licence for SH6, and that company had purely a Simulation background for instance, and had total focus on the Simulation genre of games, nothing else then i would think that is a big plus.
Of course a good team, the more money the better go hand in hand.

[Feuer Frei!]

how much of you knew about the SH moders before they started to work on mods? Nothing. But after they released good mods, they gained more and more popularity and respect from the community.
And out of this comes reputation.
The work that has been done so far is tremendous, however, could you imagine that if this work was shoddy and unprofessional, and if it made your game(s) ctd or unplayable, the reputation of this work would be bad, ie would you use those mods?
Reputation is extremely important, wether in business or in fact any product that is produced and then passed onto consumers.
To get further with this example.. I stoped playin SH3 right before that mega GWX (http://www.thegreywolves.com/) mod was released. So I did not know anything about those guys, but now that I see their site, their work and clips on YT with the mods.. I'm amazed.
Once again, reputation precedes them! They do fantastic work the modders, and although exposure to their work is needed to gain knowledge of these mods existing, if the reputation of these mods was bad, well, would all the exposure in the world really be any good?
Case in point:
What do you think Ubisoft's reputation is like amongst Sub Simmers?

[robbo180265]

I'll see where SH5 goes before I comment on SH6.

If (as a few of us suspect) they drop SH5 after this patch, I doubt I'll buy another subsim from them.

Just have to wait and see I guess.

[Faamecanic]

I'll see where SH5 goes before I comment on SH6.

If (as a few of us suspect) they drop SH5 after this patch, I doubt I'll buy another subsim from them.

Just have to wait and see I guess.

Uh oh....even robbo is starting to sound a bit negative (hands cat-o-nine tails over)

I agree.... I am waiting to see what happens with the patch. But given UBI's lackluster performance with SH 3 and 4 patches...Im not holding out much hope.

[Faamecanic]

So, since some of us are saying Ubisoft should get rid of the SH5 licence, who is out there currently that would take the plunge? Pun intended.
I doubt very much the big companies would do this, niche games are a hard market to cater to, from a business-sense not much money to be made.
If it's a smaller, independent company, niche market games, in particular sims have a small budget to work with...
Would this bode well for the quality of the release? Budget tight ie scimp on things included in game etc etc?
Thoughts anyone?

Just look at the two naval sims on Subsim's homepage news..... that will answer your question.

A small, niche market, developer CAN and HAS made a decent sim.

[Faamecanic]

There is many examples of indie companies developing games for a small market, the key is to find a good publisher and keep constant feedback with the fans.

Because I'm a MMO fan I can give as a quick example example Darkfall and the notorius EVE who won the game of the year 2009 prize. EVE is not a popular game, actually is a hardcore one, but with a great and intelligent community. CCP, the developers of EVE, was a very small indie company few years ago and with EVE they become the most successful story in the MMO industry after WoW.

Of course, there is a very hard work and risk involved in such an adventure. But SH has constant fanbase and even on fails they are still playing and love the game. We have no other sub sim around, so the risk in loosing money is pretty small compared with EVE where they had to fight with a colossus like Blizzard &WoW. And if they manage to keep the communication gates open non-stop with the fans, it's a win-win situation.


YES!! :agree:

CCP was NOT a big company when EVE first came out. Small dev that has grown quite large BY LISTENING TO THEIR FAN BASE.

Another fine example is Cornered Rat Software that has continued to support and grow WWII Online over 7 years now (or is it 8 years?). They are ACTIVELY involved with the subscriber based. Are they perfect No.... but they are still around after all these years, and about to release a MAJOR upgrade to the game. Are they a HUGE developer now?? No... but does their game satisfy the niche market for a MMO WWII simulation and make them a decent living...YES.

Why the devs and UBI did NOT listen to us, igonored ALL that was good about GWX, RFB, TM... and totally trash the UI, and NOT fix bugs that have carried over from SH 3 is beyond me. How can you hope for success like this??

[Faamecanic]

Hate to say I told you so. :dead:

Im not buying that the "Devs ran out of time to finish the game due to making interiors for the sub".

Sure...the reason we only have one sub in game is due to time limits...I will buy that.

But there is Z-E-R-O reason for bugs that have been in since SH3, that have been modded out years ago, or new bugs that took modders all of a DAY to fix, to make it into the final release..... Baloney. Its a lame excuse and the Devs know that....

[Bilge_Rat]

Uh oh....even robbo is starting to sound a bit negative (hands cat-o-nine tails over)



He must be having an off day, I'm sure he will soon be back to full form...:ping:


p.s. come on robbo, we're counting on you... :()1:

[robbo180265]

He must be having an off day, I'm sure he will soon be back to full form...:ping:


p.s. come on robbo, we're counting on you... :()1:

Yaay! Silent Hunter:doh:

:har:

[robbo180265]

Seriously though,

Having waited this long for a patch, without any updates from UBI except of course the ones coming from the German Forum, finding that the list of fixes has actually grown smaller instead of bigger, it's really difficult to find any enthusiasm for SH6 - or 5 for that matter.

*Thinking happy thoughts*

[Bilge_Rat]

I hear you. I will actually be very surprised if there is a SH6.

[Moeceefus]

if sh6 happens i will buy it. if another dev comes out with a new sub sim i will buy that as well. i like submarines.

[Onkel Neal]

I'm almost afraid to create this thread. I found an old post in the archives where someone discovered Ubisoft has laid claim to URL's "silenthunter6" and "silenthunter7". This suggests they are at least thinking that far into the future. At this point my main concern is whether Silent Hunter 6 will be a Pacific clone of Silent Hunter 5 (one sub, campaign ends years before the war ends, DRM, the whole fiasco). I tried Google but got no hits and I'm sure this is well ahead of the game (pun intended) but I'm wondering what people here would like to see (maybe Ubisoft will take some hints).

I would like to limit the wish list to WW2 since Silent Hunter is a WW2 submarine simulation franchise. If they want to do WW1 or something modern, I think that should be a new series. So what would you like to see? Suggestions for either Pacific or Atlantic (or both) are all valid.


Silent Hunter 6... not going to happen.

[Zedi]

Feuer, I fail to understand your argument. There is no need for reputation to start a business, but for sure it is needed to keep it floating.

Bottom line, I fire Ubi and I will never buy another SH version under their logo. Same mistakes again and again, nothing learned nor improved all these years. So in my opinion, they have to let it go. Maybe focus on AC series or whatever they can do best, but obviously, SH is not their strong point. Just to be grateful because is the only company that develop a sub sim.. is not a valid argument.

So maybe we should start talkin what we would like to see in SH6 or some similar sub sim. Maybe some indie development team/company is already thinking to take over the SH series and their best source for a wish list is subsim.com. To be honest, I can't think to anything else than fixing the bugs in SH5.. but I think there is some stuff that we all would like to have and see in SH and these are things that was not finished in SH5:

A living crew.
We like to hunt and sink ships, but we also love and feel for out boat. And the crew is the core and the heart of the ship. This is not a plane sim where you are all alone with your machine, is not a FPS where you fight you war all alone against the retarded enemy, is a living thing where you have under your command not only some cold machines but a crew. A crew with family left home, with dreams and hopes, with strength and weakness and so on. So beside the machine, you have to take care of the 52 men aboard, promote them or why not.. even shoot them if they disobey your orders.

Achievements.
This is maybe the most important thing. Is maybe the basic of the human kind, to achieve things... game or not. The whole campaigns should be based on achievements, but realistic ones. Sinking a battleship surrounded with heavy escorts is not a realistic one, is just lame. But surviving a heavy guarded convoy attack, yeah.. that something to cheer up and having a medal for it, is a very nice reward. Going in Scapa and own a battleship.. now that's something truly heroic and when you return to base.. well, you can expect Donitz himself waiting for you, free beer and chicks for the crew, loads of whiskey for you :O:

And there is more. But sadly in SH series we are too busy to discuss about the bugs and how to fix it rather than discuss improvements. So that's why Ubi will have to close the SH series. They suck and are not capable to bring on the market a finished SH sim game. So I wish them luck in developing the AC series, the most pirated game ever.

[wingtip]

Hmmm.. ok maybe somone else should take the helm...like EA or Infinity Ward


Are you F'ing serious? This is exactly how the sim community lost another great sim genere back in 2004 when the long running nascar simulator series from sierra/papyrus license ran out to the nascar franchise and EA bought the rights and promptly lost all the fan base as they turned the simulation into an overnight turd kiddie console crash and dash bumper car melee.... It pretty much killed it instantly... and thus, the sim "nascar 2003" still goes for up to 100 bucks on ebay as it was the difinitive simulator.. and i still have mine and will never buy the EA version of it.

You do not want EA taking over the rights to the sh series or you can be guranteed of its death.....

Ubi already lost my money for sh5 as i saw the writing on the wall and i feel for all you guys that put your faith in it and bought the flaming turd that it is... Ubi better wake up and smell the coffee... or is that diesel fuel lol.....

[TDK1044]

Ubisoft took a risk and it failed.

They banked on Silent Hunter 5 attracting casual gamers. Not only are the casual gamers not buying this game in anything like the hoped for numbers, but a percentage of the regular subsim community also voted with their wallets and refused to buy this game, primarily because of the DRM component.

I'll bet that this latest patch will be the last patch for this game, and I wouldn't expect to see a Silent Hunter 6 at all.

[ETR3(SS)]

Read this...

Silent Hunter 6... not going to happen.

and thought of this...

But it is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could.

[kylania]

Ubisoft took a risk and it failed.

Ubisoft didn't even try. They released a fundamentally broken game missing many features, then took two months to fix a few keybindings and UI features that should have been in from the beginning.

They haven't supported it at all, not even a little. The failure isn't on casual gamers for not buying the game it's on Ubisoft for utterly failing to market, support, promote or even finish the game.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Ubisoft didn't even try. They released a fundamentally broken game missing many features, then took two months to fix a few keybindings and UI features that should have been in from the beginning.

They haven't supported it at all, not even a little. The failure isn't on casual gamers for not buying the game it's on Ubisoft for utterly failing to market, support, promote or even finish the game.

:sign_yeah:

[mookiemookie]

Im not buying that the "Devs ran out of time to finish the game due to making interiors for the sub".

Sure...the reason we only have one sub in game is due to time limits...I will buy that.

But there is Z-E-R-O reason for bugs that have been in since SH3, that have been modded out years ago, or new bugs that took modders all of a DAY to fix, to make it into the final release..... Baloney. Its a lame excuse and the Devs know that....

I said nothing about bugs. Don't put words in my mouth. I said all along that gameplay features would (and did) suffer because of the cries of "I wanna see the torpedo room!" Buy it or not. It's true.

Ubisoft didn't even try. They released a fundamentally broken game missing many features, then took two months to fix a few keybindings and UI features that should have been in from the beginning.

They haven't supported it at all, not even a little. The failure isn't on casual gamers for not buying the game it's on Ubisoft for utterly failing to market, support, promote or even finish the game.

Damn right. It shows you exactly how much Ubi thought of the Silent Hunter series. They had a halfa**ed commitment to this title, and it shows. That's no one's fault but Ubi's.

[Zedi]

Silent Hunter 6... not going to happen.

This is maybe the best news around!!
You sad? Well, I'm happy. Ubi is the most fail company in the video game history. And if they feel bad.. go take a look over the fence, at Blizzard. Learn and die Ubi, learn and just die!!!

[Bilge_Rat]

At least we have SH5 to tide us over for the next 10 years. It will probably be the last subsim we ever see.

At least the flight and land combat sim market is still alive.

[scrapser]

Silent Hunter 6... not going to happen.

Well that settles it for me. Unless some other company comes out with a decent sub sim it looks like I'll have to content myself with SH3 and SH4 since SH5 is nowhere close to what I want from a sub sim. I know the eye candy is wonderful but that's just on the surface...literally. I have no interest in the new features (and departures) introduced in SH5. I don't need to even start on the DRM aspect as that is moot unless I buy it.

I guess Ubisoft is leaving the SH franchise in a fizzled state of affairs. How fitting. Too bad too since they made one heck of a splash with SH3. I thought they were on to something there for a while. Oh well.

[Nisgeis]

This is maybe the best news around!!
You sad? Well, I'm happy. Ubi is the most fail company in the video game history. And if they feel bad.. go take a look over the fence, at Blizzard. Learn and die Ubi, learn and just die!!!

What's the point in learning then dying? How very Orwellian of you.

[ERPP8]

I'd buy it


Seriously I probably would

[Bilge_Rat]

Well that settles it for me. Unless some other company comes out with a decent sub sim it looks like I'll have to content myself with SH3 and SH4 since SH5 is nowhere close to what I want from a sub sim. I know the eye candy is wonderful but that's just on the surface...literally. I have no interest in the new features (and departures) introduced in SH5. I don't need to even start on the DRM aspect as that is moot unless I buy it.

I guess Ubisoft is leaving the SH franchise in a fizzled state of affairs. How fitting. Too bad too since they made one heck of a splash with SH3. I thought they were on to something there for a while. Oh well.

Long term SH5 is a better bet. SH3 is a nice game, but modders have taken it as far as it will go. SH5 has all the code of SH3, SH4 as well as many improvements and new features. It is also more moddable. Its a no-brainer really that it is the best platform to go forward.

[Zedi]

What's the point in learning then dying? How very Orwellian of you.

Actually you are right:
"Orwellian": describes the situation, idea, or societal condition that George Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free society.

[Sailor Steve]

Long term SH5 is a better bet. SH3 is a nice game, but modders have taken it as far as it will go. SH5 has all the code of SH3, SH4 as well as many improvements and new features. It is also more moddable. Its a no-brainer really that it is the best platform to go forward.
:yep: I completely agree. I've often lamented that SH4 got short shrift from modders because so many are still working on SH3, and 4 is by far the better platform. If SH5 lives up to its potential there may not be a need for any more in the series, because it's so open to modding that anything is possible.

I hope.:sunny:

[AVGWarhawk]

The real SH6

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q62/avgwarhawk/Disney2010368.jpg

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q62/avgwarhawk/Disney2010366.jpg

[Takao]

SHV will be a better bet, with the added caveat that it is properly patched before Ubisoft abandons it.

I'm wondering if 1.2, will not be the last patch. Barring a Type II, IV, and XXI add-on for purchase.

As for no SH6, no big loss. SHV killed my enthusiasm for the series anyway. I think Ubi has milked the SHIII engine for all it was worth.

[Stronghold]

Long term SH5 is a better bet. SH3 is a nice game, but modders have taken it as far as it will go. SH5 has all the code of SH3, SH4 as well as many improvements and new features. It is also more moddable. Its a no-brainer really that it is the best platform to go forward.
Normally, the bugs and the horrifying AI should be fixed (I have some reserves that this would happen completely, like it didn't happened in SH3 & 4, so why it should happen now?, but I sincerely hope I will be wrong in this area), and only then a playable and enjoyable finished game should be taken into consideration for modding. Fixing bugs is one thing, modding is a totally different one, due to hardcoding restrictions, so the modders cannot do miracles, they can only tune some aspects from the game.
I already feel tempted to open a thread called "Silent Hunter 7" with all this frenzy about a potential Silent Hunter 6. Or even Silent Hunter 7 or 8, which obviously have the "ludicrous" potential to be something like playing Call Of Duty and Postal combined in a WWII unfinished submarine environment. I anticipate that by looking at the scale of "evolution" and direction the series has already taken. But it would be interesting. That way we would have different maps to choose for multiplayer, something like: "Conning Tower claustrophobia bloodshed" or "Slaughter in the Engine Room" ... And maybe almighty god UBI will finally implement a long waiting and of a deadly importance feature from the immersion point of view: using and flushing the submarine toilet. I only hope that particular feature should not be buggy, otherwise it will not smell like springtime in the area.

For those about to play SH5: I salute you!
Fortunately, I will not join you this time in your immersion happiness state. I will wait to do so in SH12, I promise that with my hand on my boyscout necktie.

[u1950]

Ubisoft took a risk and it failed.

They banked on Silent Hunter 5 attracting casual gamers. Not only are the casual gamers not buying this game in anything like the hoped for numbers, but a percentage of the regular subsim community also voted with their wallets and refused to buy this game, primarily because of the DRM component.

I'll bet that this latest patch will be the last patch for this game, and I wouldn't expect to see a Silent Hunter 6 at all.
+1:salute:

[JScones]

I think the solution is simple.

Dan calls in some favours over at FUN Labs, and he and a couple of Mihai's leave the evil clutches of Fortress Ubisoft <cue dun dun dun music> for the greener pastures of FUN Labs <cue harp music and fluffy bunnies>. Just down the road, and they do FPS as well (Dan led one actually). :yeah::up:

Published through Activision. :yeah::up:

And look, they're advertising NOW (http://www.funlabs.com/)! Lions are only one step away from Wolves! :yeah::up:

Seems the SH series will be a perfect fit! :yeah::up::woot:

With the same devs involved, given that all problems with SH5 have been caused by Ubisoft, we would be in for a great treat of gaming perfection. :woot::yeah::up::woot:

Simple!

[JScones]

In all seriousness, not sure if it's been posted elsewhere, but the next AC title has been announced by Ubisoft and will be released in Fall this year.

The key statement from Ubisoft though was this: 'Ubisoft said it would release more games for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the upcoming fiscal year, saying that the consoles promise "sustained sales growth in games for gamers."'

Is that another nail I hear going into the SH coffin?

[609_Avatar]

Ubisoft didn't even try. They released a fundamentally broken game missing many features, then took two months to fix a few keybindings and UI features that should have been in from the beginning.

They haven't supported it at all, not even a little. The failure isn't on casual gamers for not buying the game it's on Ubisoft for utterly failing to market, support, promote or even finish the game.

Well said and I agree completely. And I'm really not happy that I can...

[jazman]

SH6? SH7? Should we start a pool to see which SH3 bugs will still be there?

[gimpy117]

I want WWI

[dsawan]

We need '60's era subsim with modified fletcher class destroyers and nuke powered subs. Only other thing is jpanese sub sim from WW2. japan did possess a huge sub fleet at start of war and wonder how effective they would have been had the copied German tactics and went after America merchant shipping.:)

[razark]

Is that another nail I hear going into the SH coffin?

Of course not! They wouldn't mess with an established series supported by a passionate fan base, would they?
:dead:

[Nisgeis]

The key statement from Ubisoft though was this: 'Ubisoft said it would release more games for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the upcoming fiscal year, saying that the consoles promise "sustained sales growth in games for gamers."'

Is that another nail I hear going into the SH coffin?

In the press releases about that, they said that they were going to drop the less popular titles and concentrate on releasing more of their popular series, like Assassin's Creed and Silent Hunter, with less time between releases. Whether or not they still see SH as a popular series, who knows.

[Sonarman]

Yes, in times of recession & recovery companies will always take the safest route relying on proven sales performance, hence Ubi's focus on key franchise titles. However they have made a mistake in forgetting what made Silent Hunter great in the first place, the realism. This is certainly true for the i-pod/ mobiles version and to a lesser extent the PC version.

What happens next depends on the management someone at Ubi Romania must have the guts/balls* to say "SH failed because we didn't have enough time/resources to complete it successfully, because we moved too far away from the established interface model and because it became the "poster boy" for our much hated new DRM system. Let's put that behind us with the next in the series look at what made SHIII so successful and critically acclaimed in the marketplace and focus on that for the next installment".

If they really wanted to expand on the franchise they should even say..." let's have a look at that old destroyer sim and what failed there too. We already have 75% of the assets from previous titles ready anyway... ships, 3d world, WWII technologies etc. This time we will brand it under the established "Silent Hunter" name with a subtitle rather than as an unknown property".

(* delete as appropriate --ouch!)


UPDATE
It looks like Ubisoft Romania won't be doing anything with SH for a while....

"Today, Ubisoft announced that Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2 is being developed by Ubisoft Bucharest. The title will launch in Fall 2010 on Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation®3 system, the Nintendo Wii™ system, and Windows PC.

Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2 plunges fans into an explosive environment where they can become elite aerial soldiers in control of the world's most technologically advanced aircraft. The game will appeal to a wide array of gamers as players will have the chance to control exceptional pilots trained to use cutting edge technology in amazing aerial warfare missions.

"With over one million units sold worldwide, Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. has become a very successful brand for Ubisoft," stated Bogdan Bridinel, creative director at Ubisoft "This new H.A.W.X. game is directly inspired by Tom Clancy’s books, and it will enable fans to once again experience the excitement and intensity that established H.A.W.X. as a successful brand."
"

[Takeda Shingen]

What happens next depends on the management someone at Ubi Romania must have the guts/balls* to say "SH failed because we didn't have enough time/resources to complete it successfully, because we moved too far away from the established interface model and because it became the "poster boy" for our much hated new DRM system. Let's put that behind us with the next in the series look at what made SHII so successful and critically acclaimed in the marketplace and focus on that for the next installment".

If they really wanted to expand on the franchise they should even say..." let's have a look at that old destroyer sim and what failed there too. We already have 75% of the assets from previous titles ready anyway... ships, 3d world, WWII technologies etc. This time we will brand it under the established "Silent Hunter" name with a subtitle rather than as an unknown property".

Silent Hunter II was a duck. It was hardly critically acclaimed, in fact, it was a notorious disappointment. Furthermore, Destroyer Command didn't sell the first time. Why would they return to it?

[Sonarman]

Oops... I missed and "I". I meant of course to say SHIII not SHII. And you are right both SH2 & DC were dissapointing ducks, porked phesants etc... but there's the thing SH2 got a second chance and became the brilliant SHIII whereas DC got no second chance and was simply canned. DC should have been allowed a second chance too, branding it under the SH name would give it greater product recognition and 75% of the work is already done when you've built an SH.

[Feuer Frei!]

It is nice to "fantasise" and get all caught up in this thread.
I for one am...
but, with the announcement that Ubisoft is concentrating on more "profitable projects", well, is that a surprise to anyone?
Must say, not me...
I will not be a out and out Ubisoft champion, defending them to the hilt...
However, what i will do is say that first and foremost, they are a business, (sure some of you say, a bad one at that in the case of the SH5 saga) be that as it may,
they will go where the money is.
Niche games markets are not lucrative.


Good bye for now, Silent Hunter sequels (Ubisoft releases) :yep:

[Sonarman]

Silent Hunter 1-4: 1.5 million units
HAWX 1 : 1 million units

Yes, it's easy to see the way the wind is blowing.

The question is if Ubi drops the ball... who takes up the baton?

[Nordmann]

Silent Hunter 1-4: 1.5 million units
HAWX 1 : 1 million units

Yes, it's easy to see the way the wind is blowing.

The question is if Ubi drops the ball... who takes up the baton?

That's a good question, this is after all a niche market. I suspect if anyone would be willing to develop sub based games, it would probably be an indie developer. Most of the big names are too busy pumping out copy and paste console titles.

[Sonarman]

sorry... meant to be a new post not a reply

[STEED]

A whole world campaign with more sides like the British, French, Japanese and so on. And don't rush it out to make a fast buck!

[Sonarman]

Too much labour, too little return, unless you are willing to pay for it as DLC but even then much as I'd love to see it happen too it's very doubtful.

Besides the bigger you go the less detailed everything becomes.

[Hitman]

No matter how much you hate DRM, or don't enjoy what SH5 features (Which is both my case), the SH franchise ending is a tragedy to all of us. New games made new blood pour into our community, and much of it benefitted the older games as well as the new ones and kept them all alive.

Now, we all have voted with our wallet, be it as a direct punishment to UBI or simply as indiference for something we did not like or want to accept, but at the same time a bug-ridden and unfinished games franchise goes down rightfully, the only remaining WW2 submarine games franchise goes down shamefully.

UBI is the only responsable for this, because this is a private market and the losers and those who do not offer the public what they want are doomed. That's the beauty and also tragedy of the market, and it would have been unfair to rescue UBI with our wallets when they were not delivering what we requested.

But still it's a pity.

Farewell, Silent Hunter Series, you were a good and loyal companion, the last hero stadning by us. You decided to self-torpedo, and we regret it. But honestly ... it was deserved, at least in market terms.

Salute :salute:

[scrapser]

Long term SH5 is a better bet. SH3 is a nice game, but modders have taken it as far as it will go. SH5 has all the code of SH3, SH4 as well as many improvements and new features. It is also more moddable. Its a no-brainer really that it is the best platform to go forward.

I totally agree and if that day comes, only then will I buy SH5 as a platform for the modded version. But said mod should essentially be an updated version of SH3 (and SH4 if we're so lucky) with a full campaign and all available boats restored. I have no interest in one sub and only part of WW2. They can also lose the interactive interior since to me that's just a sideshow of sorts. I know a lot of people like it but this is just my preference.

[scrapser]

It is nice to "fantasise" and get all caught up in this thread.
I for one am...
but, with the announcement that Ubisoft is concentrating on more "profitable projects", well, is that a surprise to anyone?
Must say, not me...
I will not be a out and out Ubisoft champion, defending them to the hilt...
However, what i will do is say that first and foremost, they are a business, (sure some of you say, a bad one at that in the case of the SH5 saga) be that as it may,
they will go where the money is.
Niche games markets are not lucrative.


Good bye for now, Silent Hunter sequels (Ubisoft releases) :yep:

The only problem I have with your argument is if Ubisoft is a business and niche market games are not lucrative, why in hell did they put their foot in it? If they are going to do something...they should follow through to completion and know what they are getting into in the first place. They can't be that blind or stupid (although sometimes wonders never cease).

[Task Force]

Silent hunter 6 (If they ever make one.) should include both sides. With other nations included, not just america and germany It should include what the game already has (except bugs) and add onto it.

[Takao]

Other nations submarines...Dream on...

They only found room for 1 type of German submarine in SH5.

I had been hoping for the same thing in SH IV, I was really looking forward to some Japanese I-Boats. Sadly that was a no go. As a For Purchase add-on, what did Ubi release...U-boat Pacific missions! U-boats hardly even operated in the Pacific, and they were so pressed for material that they added a U-boat that was never even operational, the Type XVIII.

[Stronghold]

Is Silent Hunter the World's only dedicated Subsim series?
It's funny for me to see the way that so many members around here are talking about SH III, 4 or 5 as "submarine simulators". I have one little idea: Let's try to establish one objective fact: SH series are not submarine simulators, none of SH titles truly deserve that status. All we can say is that SH III (but only after heavy modding from the community, represented by GWX, NYGM, WAC, LSH "teams" and a lot of dedicated other groups or individuals) was somehow closest to that idea. A real submarine simulator was Sonalyst's Sub Command.

[Takeda Shingen]

It's funny for me to see the way that so many members around here are talking about SH III, 4 or 5 as "submarine simulators". I have one little idea: Let's try to establish one objective fact: SH series are not submarine simulators, none of SH titles truly deserve that status. All we can say is that SH III (but only after heavy modding from the community, represented by GWX, NYGM, WAC, LSH "teams" and a lot of dedicated other groups or individuals) was somehow closest to that idea. A real submarine simulator was Sonalyst's Sub Command.

I remember a number of posts from back in the day where Sub Command was considered too 'arcady', and they were touting 688(i) and Fast Attack as the real simulators. Everything is relative, and compared to what we see today, Sub Command and Dangerous Waters look pretty good. However, I would agree with your point in that the Silent Hunter series was always 'gamier' than the Janes and Sonalysts sims.

[Stronghold]

I remember a number of posts from back in the day where Sub Command was considered too 'arcady', and they were touting 688(i) and Fast Attack as the real simulators. Everything is relative, and compared to what we see today, Sub Command and Dangerous Waters look pretty good. However, I would agree with your point in that the Silent Hunter series was always 'gamier' than the Janes and Sonalysts sims.
Yes, those games that you were talking about put the emphasis on simulation, while the SH series, especially the latest incarnation is more arcadish than simulation oriented. One thing that I can't understand (due to my lack of knowledge in programming ) is why, for example, Sub Command is not being "reworked" by Sonalysts and sold on market again, with some updated graphics and modern day OS compatibility (with a new name, like "Sub Command 2" , for example). I would be one of the first to buy their product. I guess that way, they won't had to invest so much money in a game that already have a solid "basis", with no need of making the research of technology implemented in the game, historical events, campaigns and scenario scripting and so on again. And speaking of SH 5, the same logic: why didn't they just FIX, UPDATE and UPGRADE (with German submarines and why not, with both German and US submarines?) SH4 and then sell it on the market as SH5 - Battle Of "whatever they wanted", instead of making lousy experiments? Rhetoric questions, I suppose ... I have a feeling (I may be wrong, but this is what I think at the moment) that they didn't "conquered" the wallets of so many casual players from the market in the numbers they expected, but they surely lost a lot of submarine games dedicated "fans".

[Fire_Spy]

"Niche" games they may be but let's have a look at another "niche" game - The X series by Egosoft.. Very difficult to get into, mostly because the documentation has never been adequate enough and the learning curve could best be described as a learning "cliff". They have a loyal bunch of gamers who frequent the egosoft forums and do much the same things that go on here at subsim. :shucks:

But Egosoft is not only still putting out patches for the last X3 game that came out, they are still adding content to it,a 2 yr old game! They have a healthy rapport with their customers and even have a special forum where you can sign up and help them make the game better.

Yes they are a smaller company but that should make Ubisoft feel even more ashamed of themselves. What they provide for people who buy they games isn't support... it's a travesty, one maybe two patches if we're lucky. Then it's on to the next best thing.

And whilst there are good game companies out there who do the right thing by the customer.. Ubisoft isn't one of them.

[Takeda Shingen]

One thing that I can't understand (due to my lack of knowledge in programming ) is why, for example, Sub Command is not being "reworked" by Sonalysts and sold on market again, with some updated graphics and modern day OS compatibility (with a new name, like "Sub Command 2" , for example)."

For Sonalysts, it is about the bottom line. They are passionate about their work, but the simulation market is just not lucrative when compared to their government contracts. I understand their stance, but it is a shame for us. Their expertise with these systems made for some very deep [no pun intended] simulations.

[Faamecanic]

I said nothing about bugs. Don't put words in my mouth. I said all along that gameplay features would (and did) suffer because of the cries of "I wanna see the torpedo room!" Buy it or not. It's true.



Damn right. It shows you exactly how much Ubi thought of the Silent Hunter series. They had a halfa**ed commitment to this title, and it shows. That's no one's fault but Ubi's.

Easy mookie....I agree with you most of the time bud.

I thought you were saying "I told you so" to the first poster and blaming the unfinished state of SH5 due to the fact the devs were giving "us" what we wanted "a sub interior we would walk around in". Sucking up development time. My bad.

What I also disagree with you on (bugs aside) is that the DEVS had PLENTY of time to come up with a crappy new UI.... that sucked up dev time. If they would have stuck with the tried and true UI, maybe they would have had the time to give us the interior, AND fix a few more bugs.

While I agree this DID suck up considerable time, I disagree that bugs that are carried over from SH3 made it to SH5 because the devs didnt have time to fix them.

[Bilge_Rat]

One thing that I can't understand (due to my lack of knowledge in programming ) is why, for example, Sub Command is not being "reworked" by Sonalysts and sold on market again, with some updated graphics and modern day OS compatibility (with a new name, like "Sub Command 2" , for example). I would be one of the first to buy their product. I guess that way, they won't had to invest so much money in a game that already have a solid "basis", with no need of making the research of technology implemented in the game, historical events, campaigns and scenario scripting and so on again.

Pure economics. When DW came out in 2004, it had no competition, was state of art, highly realistic, had no DRM, was sold at a reasonable price, yet sold poorly.

There was a thread in the DW forum recently on this issue, where a rep of Sonalyst took part. In addition to the fact that Sonalyst is making more money from its defence contracts, any new subsim would require a 3d command room to one or more platform. Irrespective of the potential national security issues, this would require a big investment in manpower, which the company is not willing to make.

but the question could be turned around to ask why do we need a new DW?

DW is highly realistic, even more so now with the new realism mods like LWAMI. It features many sub, air and surface platforms. It has no DRM and very few bugs.

Why arent there more subsimmers playing DW? It has everything the "community" supposedly wants...:hmmm:

[Sailor Steve]

Why arent there more subsimmers playing DW? It has everything the "community" supposedly wants...:hmmm:
For my part I'm not even remotely interested in a modern submarine, or any other ship for that matter. They would be cool to work on in real life, but the hunting and stalking of WW2 is what interests me, not what might happen if there's a WW3.

[danasan]

I think things became too technical after WWII. In a German WWII sub, almost everything has to be done manually. That is what I want to simulate. A handmade uboat war...

danasan

[mookiemookie]

For my part I'm not even remotely interested in a modern submarine, or any other ship for that matter. They would be cool to work on in real life, but the hunting and stalking of WW2 is what interests me, not what might happen if there's a WW3.

:agree: "Push a button and someone hundreds of miles away dies" is just a snooze to me. No thanks!

[kylania]

Why arent there more subsimmers playing DW? It has everything the "community" supposedly wants...:hmmm:

Besides the fact that I have better looking graphics on my abacus? I just really prefer the "pre-technology era" sub sim. Where you as the captain is the most important thing, not what some sonar computer tells you.

Fleet based modern naval sims are great. Harpoon, 5th Fleet, Fleet Command. If we could get one of those with SH5 level graphics that would be a pretty great game. But DW's series of 2D panels just doesn't do it for me.

[robbo180265]

Besides the fact that I have better looking graphics on my abacus? I just really prefer the "pre-technology era" sub sim. Where you as the captain is the most important thing, not what some sonar computer tells you.

Fleet based modern naval sims are great. Harpoon, 5th Fleet, Fleet Command. If we could get one of those with SH5 level graphics that would be a pretty great game. But DW's series of 2D panels just doesn't do it for me.

Yep I agree with you guys - modern warfare is not my thing at all.

[609_Avatar]

Have to agree. Modern warfare type subsims aren't that enticing for me. They'd have to have incredible graphics (in this respect I'll admit to being an eye-candy whore! :) ) for me to get into them. I bought DW and played it a little once and it just didn't grab me. I'm funny that way. :D

[danasan]

Honestly, SH5 graphics are incredible. If I have a look at the screenshots, wow... Almost photo - realistic.
But they are hardware - hungry as well.

I forgot the water...

I would be glad with a SH 4 or SH 5 graphics, a SH3 gameplay, and some innovations that work out of the box.

danasan

[Sonarman]

As far as modern subsims go I think is bottom line is DW is just too much hard work... after a day's hard work! A slightly lighter yet still realistic sim like the age old Red Storm Rising struck a nice game vs sim balance that others would be well to emulate.

[Faamecanic]

Yep I agree with you guys - modern warfare is not my thing at all.

Same here.

Plus I know after working with some MSFS addon payware developers, the money and time it takes to make a TRUE sim of a complex systems, such as those found on modern subs, is VERY costly and time prohibative.

Hence why you will see A LOT of MSFS payware addons that use the old steamer guages, or even some level of MFD/glass cockpit design. But the devs that make HIGH levle sims for modern aircraft are few and far between.

[Sonarman]

If, there ever is another SH game, I'd like to see it from a totally new perspective - Like playing as the Japanese, or the English!!


Ah hmm... don't you mean the British... old boy!

[TDK1044]

It is truly sad that a major Publisher like Ubisoft seems to have learned nothing in the five years since Silent Hunter III.

They threw Silent Hunter III onto the market as an unfinished, buggy mess that took 4 patches, a lot of modding, and over a year to fix. Silent Hunter IV was in a similar, some would say worse state, and now we have Silent Hunter V.

I think Rascal Flatts said it best......

God blessed the broken code
That led me straight to you

[Zoomer96]

I vote for WWII Pacific Theater. Perhaps add Dutch, British and even Japanese Campaigns and everything that would entail and work towards even more authentic simulation including graphic, and more intense AI!
However I wouldn't object to a Seawolf SSN 21 sort of scenario. Don't particularly care for the sonar scope scenario but I used to love running all over the ocean from enemy torpedoes and firing everything at anything that moved! :|\\

[JU_88]

Where did it all go wrong for Ubi?
I think they wasted too much effort in pushing the series towards the casual gamer crowd. Also the RPG elements of SH5 was a mistake, its not to say that such a project could never have worked, but it certainly wasnt feasable with the time a budget contraints of SHV.
The RPG element was very weak and not worth the sacrafices made elsewhere. (Type 9/ 43-45)

In the games industry trying new things is a risky business, ESPECIALLY when altering the formula of a well established franchise with a hardcore following. You risk alienating both that hardcore fan base and your casual gamer.

But I guess the games industry is a funny old beast, developers constantly strive to be innovative, otherwise they get shot down for being unorginal (in a market dominated by genre clones and zillions of sequels.)
But sometimes when you got a good formula that works, its best not to f**k with it too much.
So I guess they are somewhat damned if they do and damned if they dont.

In the case of the rather 'niche' silent hunter the risk was too great.
What ever the Romainians good intentions, they were never make subsims trendy again.
With something like submarine warfare, its VERY difficult to ignite intrest amonst the current gaming generation, who just aren't really intrested in the first place.

A valiant effort to create the RPG/Subsim, but imho a 'story driven - dynamic campaign' cant be easy to achieve.
A story is always linier, a 'dynamic anything' is not.

[Méo]

Although I have no sales numbers or financial data, I'd say that spending time and effort in the iphone version was a much greater mistake than the RPG elements.

(I don't know if that's what you meant by ''pushing the series towards the casual gamer crowd'')

[JU_88]

Although I have no sales numbers or financial data, I'd say that spending time and effort in the iphone version was a much greater mistake than the RPG elements.

(I don't know if that's what you meant by ''pushing the series towards the casual gamer crowd'')

Not sure, but I reckon that was handled by another team.

[L.T]

Personaly i think they should re think the SH concept.

They know there is atlantic buffs and there is pacific Buffs

They know that online campaigns are something that pull people in

They know that there is alot of people out there wanting to sail the DD`s etc...

I hope that if it comes it will be named "Silent hunter total war"

They will use generic internals that the mod team can upgrade to the "real stuf"

There will be 1 playable sub for 4 nations that use the generic internal (where the dials and crews are what makes them different)

US
UK
Ger
Jap

A dedicatet server that can run a dynamic world...(Ubi host this so its only leagal players that can use it)

The same will be for Destroyers..

1 generic internal

4 nations

it works like the sub side

The game will come with 1 lets go play complete box with all above. They work on the title as platform and give the modders the tools to "upgrade" the game. UBI makes changes to the platform modders adds ships gfx sounds etc....

UBi send out (sell) year based mod packs

Out of BOX 1939 (silent hunter total war)

1940 Merchant hell (game expansion 1)

1941 Stalemate (Game expansion 2)

1942 Changing tides (Game expansion 3)

1943 Death from air (Game expansion 4)

1944 winners and loosers (Game expansion 5)

1945 The few brave left (Game exspansion 6)

These packs will consist of the new ships for the year. Radio stations upgrades to the subs "nation newspaper" new GFX stuf changes to the navys and the allies / axis.

Ubi get money for the expansions, they host the dedicatet server online campaign where you need to buy your way in by "the start box" and the expansions. (they have to make money)

This way we get a semi mmo, they earn cash etc....

I have loads of more ideas lol....online ranks where a player can rise to become the one sending others out on missions. (this will be determined by factors. Realism level. How many times you have died doing campaign and tonnáge sunk)

So a player playing campaign in 100% realism dont die doing the year campaign and have a high score will have a chanse to get promotet. He can turn it down.

The ones not playing 100% wount have the same options.(lets be fair, the hardcore players should be the ones promoting and showing others why 100% realism are fun :03: and there is benefits)

The rank system dont have anything to do with special items, its about rank and what choises that comes by the rank. (a player can in theory end up being OKM big boss and send out mission orders) Or us navy boss...royal navy etc....all races(<--woops left over from eve online.. NATIONS) have there own system...based on ranks

I could come with more way more...but in general i think people understands what im trying to say...:har:

L.T

PS.

The game is deigned so you can bind player createt ships to the generic internals (that way there will be a easy way to create and make playble ships "russians subs" etc)
The mod structure is like combat flight simulator series

Before any ships can be used in the online campaign they will be checked by the Server team to rule out cheats. Ships not aproved cant be used online.

Player made ships and internals when send in for aproval comes in 2 parts

Ship+internal (complete pack)

ship+generic internal (ship using generic internal)

cant stop lmao

Rank system also are a key factor for what you can use.

You start in a destroyer, climping in rank and as one of the few you can end up commanding a taskforce on your prime BB flagship...

Top spots are only limitet in numbers (there were only so many BB`s)

Inactivity for a commander for a period of time (lets say 2 months) will put him on a "leave list" and hes command will be offered to the next one in line..

A returning commander will be offored a position on a capital ship if one is free...(You have to promote online activity and its not fair someone can hold a spot for extended period of time)

The online campaign is played by Uplay login

The offline game part only will require 1 registration through Uplay then its "offline" all leagal buyers can register for the online campaign and will recive hes command doing the registration.

The online campaign..

Start year 1939

Major historical events will be presant but you have a choise to make a difference..

Germany and Japan will loose the war, but you have a chanse changing things by your and your commanders planning etc...

Major battles are set in stone (Bismark, coral sea etc) But if you can assist doing these events you might be able to save the Bismark etc...

(this needs abit tweaking and more thought)

In general all the events will take place, but you as player have a chanse to change to battle outcome, but not how the war ends...

No super ships will be in there. The ships build and used will be there, but those never seing battle wount be availiable...

The campaign is to place you in ww2 naval warfare, where you matter. We all know how it ended, but the campaign will give you room to se how your actions would change the battlefield.

Surface ships only comes with a 100% realism choise (to make sure that subs dont end up in disadvantage)

Subs will have more realism options.

You can join server in "movie" mode. This option gives you the tools to record using a tool cammera provided using this mode. All kills and deaths will be listet on the ranking boards with a M so all can se that the player have been recording movie clips doing that patrol...(kills made doing M mode wount count on the promotion ladder)

Users of external cammeras will be flagged with an icon. They can use external to se everything, the player escorts can se there location. Not speed or depth, but there location (fair have to be fair) This have to be distance based so icon shows within a specific distance..

Simulation

Subs comes with the stations like SH5 with 3d movement

Surface ships comes with the stations like destroyer command, but with freecam you can walk around the ship.

The stations on surface ships are 3d modeled but not the entire ship like the submarines

Surface ships will come with generic stations that modders can change to resemble the real thing.

there will be generic stations for each ship type

Players can make playable tankers, Libertys etc

If a mod team wants to add another nation to the campaign lets say russian, they have to make a specific ammount of ships for the nation...and send in the campaign layers so the server team can add the nation campaign into the online campaign...

The game comes with the tools needed to create items, ships and campaign files..

The requirements for polys and data etc will be with the game manual...

All mods can be testet and used offline...

When logging in you can choose start from base or start from hot spot....

If you run 100% realim you can choose ofline AI

When you log of the AI will take over folowing the course. The AI will avoid engagements and only work strictly deffencive on the way to course end making sure that the boat wount be lost.

You will always have the option to go to a hotspot or return to port...

[Méo]

Not sure, but I reckon that was handled by another team.

Make sense, anyway money was invested in this project and I would be very curious to know if it's been worthed. :hmmm:

[Faamecanic]

Where did it all go wrong for Ubi?
I think they wasted too much effort in pushing the series towards the casual gamer crowd. Also the RPG elements of SH5 was a mistake, its not to say that such a project could never have worked, but it certainly wasnt feasable with the time a budget contraints of SHV.
The RPG element was very weak and not worth the sacrafices made elsewhere. (Type 9/ 43-45)

In the games industry trying new things is a risky business, ESPECIALLY when altering the formula of a well established franchise with a hardcore following. You risk alienating both that hardcore fan base and your casual gamer.

But I guess the games industry is a funny old beast, developers constantly strive to be innovative, otherwise they get shot down for being unorginal (in a market dominated by genre clones and zillions of sequels.)
But sometimes when you got a good formula that works, its best not to f**k with it too much.
So I guess they are somewhat damned if they do and damned if they dont.

In the case of the rather 'niche' silent hunter the risk was too great.
What ever the Romainians good intentions, they were never make subsims trendy again.
With something like submarine warfare, its VERY difficult to ignite intrest amonst the current gaming generation, who just aren't really intrested in the first place.

A valiant effort to create the RPG/Subsim, but imho a 'story driven - dynamic campaign' cant be easy to achieve.
A story is always linier, a 'dynamic anything' is not.

Well said :yeah:

I say UBI screwed up in pushing "More, better and Different" and the Devs screwed up by saying "YA...we can do that!"

Instead...why didnt they do as you said, and TOOK WHAT WORKED and update the graphics. Example... Take almost ALL the great that was GWX (gee maybe ASK the modders responsible what they did) to include FIXES they did, and update the graphics to SH4 or 5 level and release. (Dont have a cow other modders here....Its just I have played all mods and IMHO think GWX struck the best balance out of all supermods...ALL of you modders ROCK!! ).

WOW...that would have been hard. No instead UBI and the devs want to redesign the whole friggin sim (with mostly crap UI, TDC...) and fail miserably at all of them. It just doesnt make sense :nope:

[wh1skea]

.....IF....and thats a big if, there is a Silent Hunter 6, if its not a global campaign (like Koei did with PTO IV for the PS2), it should be in the Pacific, with fleet boats. Even things up a bit.....4 U-Boat titles to 2 Fleet Boat titles just doesn't seem right, especially considering Silent Hunter series started in the Pacific. Suggested features to add (aside from the problems that have yet to be fixed in past SH games):

1) The ability to choose your gameplay type. Choose arcade and get renown and buy new equipment for your sub. Choose simulation and have BuShips issue you new equipment like radar. Gun configuration would still be the skipper's choice either way.

2) Take time for refits at Mare Island. Maybe make it to when you get ready for transfer, you have to "trade up" in San Francisco.

3) I know its just eye-candy and does nothing really for gameplay, but have paint wear visible over time. Not necessarily during the patrol, but when you start a new patrol, until you get fresh paint, the paint is more worn than it was the last patrol.

4) Better selection of merchant vessels. SH4 seemed to not include the Japanese Standard Freighters such as the 2A Class.

5) The ability to control the port and starboard props individually from the engine room.

6) The refit option that you had in SH4 should be made to just be refuel. No reload of torps unless playing arcade mode.

7) Better randomizing of new commands. Getting stuck with USS Drum when you upgrade to a Gato or USS Balao when you upgrade to a Balao can be aggrevating. Also the ability to be randomly assigned your command, instead of choosing what you want to command, also the risk of being downgraded to an older class depending on availability of new boats.

8) Automatic crew rotation. The added ability to set your XO, OOD, and other positions. Also automatic transfer after 5 patrols in a boat. Most skippers didn't do more than 5 patrols before being transferred to a new command.

And I'm sure there is more I would like, I just can't think of it right now.

[Kpt. Weyprecht]

The most worrying about this thread is that we are so many to say that there would better be no SH6 at all... I know the old argument of keepind the series alive despite it's flaws isn't very convincing anymore but SH was the only subsim series alive. If a different company takes over (maybe not EA though) it's fine. If they change the name and instead of a SH6 we get some other title, it's fine too. But what if Ubi scuttles the series and the subsim genre with it? On the other hand, any big company, Ubi or not, wolud try to attract casual players and we are likely to get another dumbed-down and eyecandy-oriented games. While I'm crossing fingers for Dr.Sid and his ComSubSim, it seems that for ww2/ww1 based games a basis from a professionally developed software is still necessary even if it has to be almost entirely re-written, as SH3 with the Supermods compared to the Danger from the Deep project (best whishes for you guys, I'm just saying that the amount of work needed for an entirely indie project is so much greater).
I'd like an indie sim to take over the SH series if it runs aground (and I know XPlanes manages to be a match to MSFS in the air sim world) but if this is not possible, I'd feel better to know that the genre stays afloat before we scuttle SH.

And as for a whishlist, I think British subs are definitely what a new game needs, and Dutch boats would be more than welcome. Simply, if they are to make any sense, a serious model of sub physics is needed so that operations in shallow waters become interesting.

[janh]

The most worrying about this thread is that we are so many to say that there would better be no SH6 at all... I know the old argument of keepind the series alive despite it's flaws isn't very convincing anymore but SH was the only subsim series alive.

See it the other way around: As long as the SH series remains alive, this will "poison" the niche market. There is not much more room than for one company that does serious submarine simulations for each time frame (WWI, WWII, modern). And even there one area might be eating the other ones plate since there seem not to me many interested people, compared to the millions that prefer "trivial", simpler games like Tom Clancy's franchise or adventures like Assassins Creed on a console.

So as long as there is the SH series, we seem to get mediocre to disastrous products, which even we are starting to put back on the shelf. Now, would it be that bad to make room for a new team to give it a try? Probably a new team would, if the niche market would be free and promising again?
Not that I would like Ubisoft to give up on that, but at least to return to providing quality for $ and stop chaining customers. And abandon the strategy to release "franchise based on the same core more frequently", but take more time to finish and debug developments that contain ground-braking progress! If not, then I would say "let them rip!".

[thehiredgun]

That they have the uboats come out of Coby or Penang into the Pacific

[Sailor Steve]

Keep wishing. That's probably all you'll ever have.

[Madox58]

And humm some Armstrong music while your at it.
'Wish Upon a Star' and 'What a Wonderful World'.
Even the Bookies in Vegas have hedged bets against any SH6.
:haha:

[darqen27]

Anyone heard anything about this?

[Sailor Steve]

No, because there isn't anything to hear. Nothing has changed.

WELCOME ABOARD! :sunny:

[Bilge_Rat]

I'm still waiting for all those super-realistic sub simulations that were supposed to pop up once the SH series was killed.

Any news on those? :ping:

[darqen27]

Yeah I've dove headfirst into Silent Hunter 4 and 5 and brought my old destroyer command back out of the box in the last month, I have to say I'm addicted to the Silent Hunter series now, never knew about all these mods...

They have really change the games for me...

[mookiemookie]

Hey do I get bonus points for pointing out this is a necro after the 3 or 4 posts above me didn't? :smug:

[Sailor Steve]

I have said this before and I will repeat myself. I see only one way for a Silent Hunter 6 to exist:
You're arguing with a post made two years ago. The poster janh hasn't even been on the forums since November 2010.

[Sailor Steve]

Hey do I get bonus points for pointing out this is a necro after the 3 or 4 posts above me didn't? :smug:
I didn't consider it a necro because the member who brought it back did so specifically to ask if there was any new information. He didn't respond to an old post, and he asked a fair question. Necro value is zero, and you should lose points for bringing it up. Hinrich Swab, on the other hand, turned it into a necro by answering an old post as if it was yesterday, so I get points for pointing it out. Get the point? :O:

[Hinrich Schwab]

I didn't consider it a necro because the member who brought it back did so specifically to ask if there was any new information. He didn't respond to an old post, and he asked a fair question. Necro value is zero, and you should lose points for bringing it up. Hinrich Swab, on the other hand, turned it into a necro by answering an old post as if it was yesterday, so I get points for pointing it out. Get the point? :O:

Necropost deleted.

[Admiral Von Gerlach]

I have learned in life and in game development, Never say Never....

i have seen series reborn to great success, titles resurrected, dead horses brought back to glorious life and there is every chance with the continual advances in both computing and game engines to see a full on surface, air and sub surface sim in the Silent Hunter theme..... someday not too far off

in the meantime there are two excellent SH 4 mods to watch, the Japanese Campaign, there has never been one before on any platform in any sim....and the Wolves of the Kaiser the amazing mod coming to life also for SH 4, and the mod work on SH V is spectacular and very good....so there is plenty of life in the lady yet....

Never say Never...i will look foward to SH 6

[Sailor Steve]

Necropost deleted.
Don't forget that just because I whine about something doesn't mean I'm right. I'm not the boss here, and I sometimes just get cranky in my old age. I don't want to drive anybody away or cause trouble. Now that I've said my piece it looks like it's time for me to apologize. Again. Third time today.

I'm sorry I took such a hard stance. :oops:

[Hinrich Schwab]

Don't forget that just because I whine about something doesn't mean I'm right. I'm not the boss here, and I sometimes just get cranky in my old age. I don't want to drive anybody away or cause trouble. Now that I've said my piece it looks like it's time for me to apologize. Again. Third time today.

I'm sorry I took such a hard stance. :oops:

Nothing to apologize for. I neglected to look at the date of the post. It is that simple. :)

[Admiral Von Gerlach]

But as i said it is a worthy thread as such thought and speculation is the heart beat of future hopes and dreams.

[U570]

I reckon, we should put our heads together and make our own Silent Hunter 6, just change the name so UbiSoft doesn't sue... What does everyone think?

[Sartoris]

Looking at all of the great Kickstarter projects popping up it makes me wish there was at least one dedicated to our hobby. :nope:

[darqen27]

Looking at all of the great Kickstarter projects popping up it makes me wish there was at least one dedicated to our hobby. :nope:
I'm already backing the Shadowrun Returns project, if someone wanted to do Silent Hunter 6 / Super Cool Sub game that has nothing to do with SH series(and it wasnt Ubi) I would back that as well

[mookiemookie]

I reckon, we should put our heads together and make our own Silent Hunter 6, just change the name so UbiSoft doesn't sue... What does everyone think?

Go ahead. When you raise enough money to hire all the coders, programmers, art directors, testers, etc. and then get them to all work together on schedule and under budget and then get the project published, we'll all be behind you 100%. Heck, I'll even buy two copies. :woot:

[Sailor Steve]

Now I have an answer for the $450 Million thread!
:rotfl2:

[Bilge_Rat]

Go ahead. When you raise enough money to hire all the coders, programmers, art directors, testers, etc. and then get them to all work together on schedule and under budget and then get the project published, we'll all be behind you 100%. Heck, I'll even buy two copies. :woot:

I'll buy THREE!...

...unless of course it does not meet my exact and demanding criteria of what a 100% realistic submarine simulationtm should be. In that case, not only will I buy NONE!, but I will denounce your project on every forum as a bug ridden "ARCADE" excuse of a game!..

...and gamers wonder why developpers avoid simulations like the plague. :doh:

[darqen27]

I'll buy THREE!...

...unless of course it does not meet my exact and demanding criteria of what a 100% realistic submarine simulationtm should be. In that case, not only will I buy NONE!, but I will denounce your project on every forum as a bug ridden "ARCADE" excuse of a game!..

...and gamers wonder why developpers avoid simulations like the plague. :doh:
I've just decided to invest in a different market

:damn:

[Cheetah]

I would enjoy having a silent hunter 6 ... if it is made properly and actually runs through a testphase. But I guess it wont happen with Ubisoft .. hopefully another publisher will get this franchise to a new or former glory.

[vonbaron]

How 'bout combining all the work done in the series and making Silent Hunter 6 a global naval simulator? Most of the models have already been built. A player could chose a German, American or maybe even Japanese or British Sub? Hell, why not throw in a playable surface vessel too, a sub-chaser or whatever?
I agree 100% :)

[misha1967]

I'll buy THREE!...

...unless of course it does not meet my exact and demanding criteria of what a 100% realistic submarine simulationtm should be. In that case, not only will I buy NONE!, but I will denounce your project on every forum as a bug ridden "ARCADE" excuse of a game!..

...and gamers wonder why developpers avoid simulations like the plague. :doh:

It's brilliant because it's true. And since I'm brilliant as well, I know just how to square that circle. Hear me out.

We've got The Company paying the bills during development. Then we've got the Dev Team who are directly responsible for the end product. Complicating things are that ours is a niche market without the millions of projected sales, so the Company, at some point, has to push the Dev Team to get something out there already or it's going to be red ink all over the place.

Introducing Kaleun Misha's new variable, the Modders.

It has already been established over the years throughout the various SH iterations that there is this horde of Modders with entirely too much time on their hands, a good idea of what the Dev Team wants to accomplish and good communications between the two.

In the past, that has led to the Company pushing the product out of the door before it was even halfway finished, much to the dismay of the Dev Team, leaving the Modders to finish the job based on what communications they are privy to with the Dev Team.

They do a damn good job, and they have done so through all of SH's iterations, on their own time for absolutely no pay other than the satisfaction of seeing their anticipated sim achieve the true potential that the Dev Team was aiming for from the beginning.

But it's been based on "I heard from so and so with the Dev Team that the way these parameters works is that they...", which is all random even though it leads to spectacular results.

Kick out the random bit, Ubi. Charge your Dev Team with a vision, a budget and a preferred release date and then, on TOP of that feel free to enlist as many trusted modders to help out. Since they're usually doing their job post-production for absolutely free, it should hurt payroll that much to throw some goodies their way just to show your appreciation. The Modders don't do it for money, they do it because they love, love, love the "niche". Obviously, the standard non-disclosure agreements have to be drawn up, but that's boilerplate. Have the lazy, underworked gits in legal do that

See, Ubi, what you have now is an incredibly talented Dev Team with a vision, aided 24/7 by Modders more than happy to be part of the process for next to nothing, a group so closely in tune with the original Dev Team that they could be twins, and they'll be more than happy to take over the tweaking, busy-work, testing etc. for not much more than a mention in the credits.

We've seen it before when modded map tools became standard in later patches.

Because, you see, we Modders (and I'm not much of one but I can handle tedious simple work and unload that from those working on more important details) are going to do it anyway when you release a half-finished product, so why not get us included before that happens. Let US deal with the "mission creep" for free while your dev team does the meat and bones. It's not like it's going to cost you anything since the U-boat sim community ISN'T one of those who expect a brand new release every six months, we just want it done RIGHT.

It's still your IP, an drawing up non-disclosure forms to keep any "rebel" modders from going off the plantation should take Ubi's legal team all of ten minutes.

And when, at the end, we have the ultimate u-boat simulator with all theatres of operations, more options and tweaks than you can shake a cat at, you, Ubi, will be raking in all of the glory for a very small investment.

Use that approach in other sims and you might soon have cornered the market completely.

It's like open source, only with controls and the parent company still making money off of their initial investment.

What's not to like? Particularly that your reputation for "serious" games will no longer be along the lines of "push out the door unfinished" and you will STILL be raking in the profits.

Think about it, Ubi.

[Sailor Steve]

Wow, Misha, you are brilliant! :rock:

Of course it'll never happen, because the Powers-That-Be at UBI have shown an inability to do anything that makes sense. But we can dream, and I think your dream is a good one. :sunny:

[misha1967]

Thanks, Sailor Steve, and I really think it could happen.

It's not rocket science. Ubi gets their product to market faster and in a complete version, giving them rave reviews, they don't give up an inch of their intellectual property, and their Dev Team, always on the clock, gets immense support from the Mod "auxiliaries" at no cost to Ubi.

And, on top of that, as a result of close work between the Dev Team and the Mod Squad, Ubi gets to release a sub sim that not only is flawless right out of the box, it's got built in variants to make the game challenging for years.

I mean. Obviously Ubi still has an interest in the franchise or they'd have ditched it after SH3 With this, and with a bit of legal text sent to participants in the Ultimate Silent Hunter Project, they'd have resources they could pull on that would make Bill Gates green with envy. I speak only for myself and the very minor mods I've contributed with, I'm no TDW, Trevally, Stormy, Stoianm, Gap etc, but I'd be doing it anyway. Offer to put my name in the credit roll would make me positively ecstatic, and that doesn't hurt Ubi's bottom line in the least.

Because we do it because we love it. We and the Dev Team can create a Silent Hunter that covers everything, from casual "sink some ships" to "full immersion U-boat war" and everything in between. We just need to be let in on the trade secrets (with a vicious non-disclosure agreement attached, obviously) and since I, speaking for myself again, am not in it to make money, I just want the most awesome WWII U-boat sim in the history of mankind, I'd be positively thrilled to just see my username scroll by quickly in the credits.

It can be done, Ubi. Now DO it!

[popflynn]

Just reading your last re modders and open source.....

and maybe I am being a trifle niaive.....

but would it be possible to make an open source **6 (subsim), there

seem to be enough capable modders out there, that would certainly

put a bee in ubi's bonnet, if the community decided to make their own

subsim. Especially if UBI have decided there isn't going to be a *6.

My main complaint re SH6 is there is no 'adversarial role', in the game.

[finchOU]

I think there would be too many Cheifs and not enought Indians...if you opened it up to every modder that wanted a shot. I would say hire less then 10 modders/simers to help developement. I thinking polling and what not could help for specific desires and realistic developement goals. The problem beyond the basics (Everything we had before, plus Wolfpacks of course ;))...is everyone has different views on what should be implemented...graphics vs gameplay vs realism vs expanding the demographic. Done right, it could include all of those...and not peg them against each other. Options are always good...but too many can make too huge of a game to run..... its always an interesting paradigm.

Did I mention wolfpacks? (tho historically too little too late with the code broken and radio direction finding...blah blah blah...I still want some semblance of them)

If this does happen..aka subsim modders in actual hands on developement...just stand by for the in fighting!! :rotfl2: Everybodys wishlist thread...hehe. (sorry for the SP...my spell checker is not working)


Forgot to add....compitition from another company would be nice...tho you have to respect UBI for actually making a game for a small market...even tho they try hard as hell to expand the demographic...much to the chagrin of the realism freaks like me!

[Diopos]

...
If this does happen..aka subsim modders in actual hands on developement...just stand by for the in fighting!! :rotfl2:
...!

Let me put my Ubi cap on for a minute.
Why pay modders when thay already do the job for free?

:hmmm:

.

[finchOU]

Well pilgrim....I'll tell you why. Because this is a niche market....they NEED the support of the communtiy PRE devlopement to make sure that the game simulates.....Modders dont "sell" more copies of the game...in that...the game is priced high for so long...so for maximizing profit, its critical to release something that people will want to buy at full price. Mods come in time to make it better. Does that make sense? As far as paided verse not paided....I think its critical to pay a few vice not pay everyone becuase too many ways to skin the cat for developement will overwhelm and you need good plan and focus.....I just think that would be too hard with everyone trying to submit their MOD...and consequently people will get butt hurt when there MOD or inputs "dont make the finial version". So have 10 dudes take the wishes of Thousands and focus on implementing whats needed ..vice every nit picky thing...or over imput of the same thing.."cause I think I can MOD this better than that guy". I guess that is my point.

SH5 failed IMHO to listen to that niche market demands/wishes ...instead went for trendy new different feel to expand the demographic. You cant fail you base consumer and expect to succeed. You cant take things that were available in the past and not put them in and expect to suceed. Half of Simulation IMHO is learning History....something lost on "Games" these days.

[THE_MASK]

Well pilgrim....I'll tell you why. Because this is a niche market....they NEED the support of the communtiy PRE devlopement to make sure that the game simulates.....Modders dont "sell" more copies of the game...in that...the game is priced high for so long...so for maximizing profit, its critical to release something that people will want to buy at full price. Mods come in time to make it better. Does that make sense? As far as paided verse not paided....I think its critical to pay a few vice not pay everyone becuase too many ways to skin the cat for developement will overwhelm and you need good plan and focus.....I just think that would be too hard with everyone trying to submit their MOD...and consequently people will get butt hurt when there MOD or inputs "dont make the finial version". So have 10 dudes take the wishes of Thousands and focus on implementing whats needed ..vice every nit picky thing...or over imput of the same thing.."cause I think I can MOD this better than that guy". I guess that is my point.

SH5 failed IMHO to listen to that niche market demands/wishes ...instead went for trendy new different feel to expand the demographic. You cant fail you base consumer and expect to succeed. You cant take things that were available in the past and not put them in and expect to suceed. Half of Simulation IMHO is learning History....something lost on "Games" these days.Luckily they had a backup plan , that is awesome tools to make SH5 how we want it . Except for the GR2 which TDW is working on now .

[tonibamestre]

A solution I see, is to create an account from ALL NAVAL SIM ENTHUSIASTS,rent a couple of programmers with a lead designer and start working on an accurate and high level Simulator.

[PL_Andrev]

A solution I see, is to create an account from ALL NAVAL SIM ENTHUSIASTS,rent a couple of programmers with a lead designer and start working on an accurate and high level Simulator.
Rent???
Do you know what you're talking about?
What about source of minimal (!) 2500 euros per man per month?
For 10 programmers it is 25.000 euros per month.

But some had similar, but cheaper idea of real sub simulator... and unfortunately no effects:
http://dangerdeep.sourceforge.net/gallery/

[Julhelm]

Is Danger from the Deep even in development any more? It's the Jet Thunder of subsims. IMO any indie subsim should be less ambitious and more like Silent Service than trying to be like SH.

[iowa101]

I know I'm late to the topic and my opinion is most likely going to be ignored. But here is what I think we need to change.

WW2 was not fought below the waves but above them also, here at subsim you guys having the love and compassion for this game have added, changed and enhanced every aspect that you can. I'd like to see a choice given to the player, Do they play as a Submarine, or Surface ship. In my opinion the Submarine sim is a fantastic idea that for me gives me freedom to well....experience the war. For me the beauty of this game is the time period, but what I love more is the amount you guys here at Subsim, not UBI has done to make it better.

I get to sail the world in a battleship, Submarine and even a carrier that ok don't do much but move and turn.

If we see a new game, then UBI needs to understand what we expect from such a game, to many of us like me are new to the forums, we look at all these mods and wonder why UBI never has this much umph shall we say when developing their games.

I'm newish to the forums and with that comes an uncertainty. I like to know what this game can provide and so even if it takes a new game to show us just how much they can push the envelope then so be it. But I'd rather have them listen to Subsim members and try to incoorpirate what you guys know so that they gain more than they have out of previous games.

[DaDeathProject]

I too have dreamed of a WW2 navy sim game. Sounds like too high of hopes to me. Oh well. I do wish for a better SH with number 6.

There are some aspects of 5 I like but others I don't. Perhaps take the fun of SH4 with some good stuff from SH5 (depends what one defines good and if there is any) then you might have SH6

[Takeda Shingen]

Don't want to squash any discussion, but the SH team has been dismantled and most, if not all of the devs have moved on to other companies. There will not be a Silent Hunter 6. There are also no submarine simulators in development, consideration or being discussed in any manner by any professional developers. If there is going to be a new sub sim released anytime in the forseeable future, it will have to come from the enthusiasts themselves.

[mookiemookie]

Is Danger from the Deep even in development any more? It's the Jet Thunder of subsims. IMO any indie subsim should be less ambitious and more like Silent Service than trying to be like SH.

It's dead. All these people that say "oh, well the community should do it, we can do it best, we can make a subsim that's hyper realistic, has all the features we want and none of the bugs"....welp, there was your chance. And you see how well that turned out.

[DaDeathProject]

Don't want to squash any discussion, but the SH team has been dismantled and most, if not all of the devs have moved on to other companies. There will not be a Silent Hunter 6. There are also no submarine simulators in development, consideration or being discussed in any manner by any professional developers. If there is going to be a new sub sim released anytime in the forseeable future, it will have to come from the enthusiasts themselves.

You're kidding me :wah:

[GT182]

IF someone or a group of someones were to make an SH6 simulation, I sure hope they're smart enough to stay away from from any dealings UBI. I for one will NOT buy anything with UBI's name on it.

And if UBI was to put out an SH6 simulation, I'm sure they wouldn't sell very many seeing what they did to the Silent Hunter series.... game wise and copyright protection wise. Going with Steam was the ultimate insult.

[sidslotm]

I suppose this all comes down to one simple fact, hard cash. The capital investment must be recouped very quickly on product launch for the investor to enter into profit. I suspect the SH5 returns for Ubi were not very dynamic.

I sometimes wonder how the effect of pirated copies affects the capital outlay. For example, you buy a pack of potatos from the store and they are the cheapest in town, but how many bad spuds in the bag would it take before the cheapest become over priced.

http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=344;6;394;-1;42&sku=292543 I found this SH5 at HMV today, talk about cheap, supply and demand at work I recon.

As a fan of the Silent Hunter series, yes all of em, I cannot help but feel that SH5 as good or bad as it is, from what ever side of the fence your on, lacks in some way. I recently bought a copy of "darkest of days" a fps based around the battle at Antietam during the American civil war, also the battle of Tannenburg in WW1, boy how gaming has moved on. Ubi will have to find a whole new experience in submarine warfare to be the money spinner it has the potential to be. Maybe new blood to head up the managment team to re-think this great sim to a new level of playability.

[Sailor Steve]

talk about cheap
A little on the high side, I'd say.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B002U0KBT8/ref=sr_1_cc_1_olp?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1334782218&sr=1-1-catcorr&condition=new

[theluckyone17]

It's dead. All these people that say "oh, well the community should do it, we can do it best, we can make a subsim that's hyper realistic, has all the features we want and none of the bugs"....welp, there was your chance. And you see how well that turned out.

It's not quite dead yet. tx2rx modified gun_shell.cpp eight weeks ago, intending to prevent escort ships from being damaged by their own fire. There was a slew of activity about eight months ago.

Looks like a typical niche open source product, from my experience. It's being worked on, but by too few and far too slowly for the general populace. I suppose it depends on your definition of "dead."

[mookiemookie]

It's not quite dead yet. tx2rx modified gun_shell.cpp eight weeks ago, intending to prevent escort ships from being damaged by their own fire. There was a slew of activity about eight months ago.

Looks like a typical niche open source product, from my experience. It's being worked on, but by too few and far too slowly for the general populace. I suppose it depends on your definition of "dead."

I stand corrected. For a while there I was checking in ever so often to see if progress was being made, and I didn't see anything substantial so I just kind of wrote it off.

[Takeda Shingen]

You're kidding me :wah:

I wish I was. Unfortunately, the series is dead.

[sidslotm]

A little on the high side, I'd say.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B002U0KBT8/ref=sr_1_cc_1_olp?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1334782218&sr=1-1-catcorr&condition=new

Dam, the plastics case must cost as much,

[Julhelm]

It's dead. All these people that say "oh, well the community should do it, we can do it best, we can make a subsim that's hyper realistic, has all the features we want and none of the bugs"....welp, there was your chance. And you see how well that turned out.
Yeah, like I said any indie subsim effort would have to be something less ambitious akin to Silent Service. First of all the hyperrealism crowd who posts on forums is much too small an audience to focus on, and second I don't think people realise just how much hyperrealism features suck up dev resources. If UBI's 50+ strong team (that comprises some of the most competent talent)can't get a hyper-realistic sim out on budget and playable, how on earth is any team with less resources going to be able to do so?

The obvious answer is to dial back the simulation fidelity to something that is manageable, even if it makes hardcore simmers butthurt.

[Sailor Steve]

The obvious answer is to dial back the simulation fidelity to something that is manageable, even if it makes hardcore simmers butthurt.
But we already have Aces Of The Deep. It was more realistic than any of them, and almost twenty years ago. Unless by "realism" you're talking about eye candy. The only need for a new subsim would be to get it right for a change.

[PL_Andrev]

I'm so sorry but you're wrong - hard simulations are dead now.

I'll show you what it works:
Our games are not for fun. They are for money only.
Developers pushes only two issues:
1) graphic effects (for kids)
2) simply control (for kids)
This is true because kids are best clients for developers.
Then all 'global' developers are not interested to make game not for kids.
:down:

After spectacular failure of SH5 it will be very hard to produce new sub-sim game.
Other productions like Battlestations, Actuw, PT-Boats or bugged Naval War do not help.
Success is needed.

At second side - game market hates emptiness so we have still a chance.
But do not await more complicated game than World of Tanks...

[finchOU]

But we already have Aces Of The Deep. It was more realistic than any of them, and almost twenty years ago. Unless by "realism" you're talking about eye candy. The only need for a new subsim would be to get it right for a change.


Yeah...what he said...This has been my main complaint of the Genre. We had a great sim in AOTD to pretty much use as "START HERE" when making a uboat sim from scratch. I think too many devoplers are trying to reinvent the wheel or get cute with fluff...and not enough BASIC siming and gameplay aspects. I think its hard for those who have played AOTD to swallow such a pill of these "newer" prettier but less immersive and playable sims. The newer player.....has no basis of comparison. I think its good that initial comparison from SH3 on crack to stock SH5 showed at least a big disparity for more people to realize just how bad it has become. AOTD was damn good out of the box...had maybe two patches and no MODs that I know of. It was a rockstar of immersion. I just wish people would realize that just because it's pretty...doesnt mean it will hold your attention if the gameplay sucks. There were aspects of AOTD that were gamey and not realistic ..but there was so much other good stuff that it really hooked me in and made you feel part of the hunt. I assumed, incorrectly, that once another Uboat sim came out...it would be even more immersive with better graphics.....we are getting there...but its really unbelievable that we were basically taking two steps back for one step forward for soooo long...to now, i think, were I think we have a chance to see something special in overly modded SH5 to maybe a new sim in a couple of years. SH5 stock...is just sooo damn gamey...point and clicky...and cheesy....so much to be desired.

[tonibamestre]

This is why my friend...... hardcore simmers from the entire planet need to start collecting a quite good ammount of money, and dedicate it to the only task of developing an ultimate Naval Simulator, born from our multiple ideas and left it over a development team desk.

Gentlemen !!! Lets evolve NAVAL SIMULATION.

[Satch93]

my only wish would be a more accurate simulation of the atlantic theatre with maybe more boat types and hopefully less equipped with bugs.

[mookiemookie]

This is why my friend...... hardcore simmers from the entire planet need to start collecting a quite good ammount of money, and dedicate it to the only task of developing an ultimate Naval Simulator, born from our multiple ideas and left it over a development team desk.

Gentlemen !!! Lets evolve NAVAL SIMULATION.

Good luck.

[Sailor Steve]

Gentlemen !!! Lets evolve NAVAL SIMULATION.
You've convinced me! I'll head it up. Start by sending me money. Five dollars from each of our 70,000 members should be a good start. :sunny:

[reignofdeath]

You've convinced me! I'll head it up. Start by sending me money. Five dollars from each of our 70,000 members should be a good start. :sunny:

If my calculations are correct herr kaluen, you shall be one rich invisible man :hmmm: devious plan!:up:

[Julhelm]

Something more constructive would be to petition Sid Meier to make a new Silent Service just like he did Pirates! Then we'd probably end up with something playable and fun for a change.

[limkol]

@Sailor Steve,

I've got your money and am ready to send it to you. Just give me your bank account number and your access code number and I'll transfer the funds right away :03:

He he he only joking... if anyone from the FBI is reading this:DL

[Trevally.]

All this talk about SH6 and getting a team together to make a new sim is just not going to happen.
Why dont we all just pick our fav game (SH3, 4 or 5) and start modding the bits we don't like. All three games are very moddable.

We could then start up a forum where we can share our work:hmmm:
We could call it subsim:O:

[0rpheus]

All this talk about SH6 and getting a team together to make a new sim is just not going to happen.
Why dont we all just pick our fav game (SH3, 4 or 5) and start modding the bits we don't like. All three games are very moddable.

We could then start up a forum where we can share our work:hmmm:
We could call it subsim:O:

You're crazy T, it'd never happen! :D :har:

[reignofdeath]

You're crazy T, it'd never happen! :D :har:

Obviously he is crazy, Subsim? Who would even want to go to a site named "Subsim.com" and not "Callofdutyawesomequickscopeshotsinthafaaace.com"??

[finchOU]

All this talk about SH6 and getting a team together to make a new sim is just not going to happen.
Why dont we all just pick our fav game (SH3, 4 or 5) and start modding the bits we don't like. All three games are very moddable.

We could then start up a forum where we can share our work:hmmm:
We could call it subsim:O:


Can we dust off AOTD and upgrade its graphics while wer are at it.....thats all I really want.

[P_Funk]

I'll settle for a dynamic campaign. Thats all I want, that all I've ever wanted. Its the main reason I passed on SH5.

[Ktl_KUrtz]

Devote the whole game to the Rockall Banks, late 1940.
"Heaven"!

[0rpheus]

I'll settle for a dynamic campaign. Thats all I want, that all I've ever wanted. Its the main reason I passed on SH5.

Well, since you asked...

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=194683

Rather suspect its not what you (or anyone else, for that matter) wanted out of 'SH6', but there it is...:nope:

[PL_Andrev]

Officially Silent Hunter 6 in production:
Link to trailer here:
http://gameshadow.com/games/silent-hunter-online/announcement-trailer/?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=256&utm_content=Top%20%28bar%20-%20Watch%29

[limkol]

Just seen the trailer. They've still not fixed the destroyers AI then!
Quote: 'the destroyer is turning away':)

[salac_78]

Meh,Destroyer command 2 for the win. Aint gonna happen

[Herr-Berbunch]

Officially Silent Hunter 6 in production:
Link to trailer here:
http://gameshadow.com/games/silent-hunter-online/announcement-trailer/?utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=256&utm_content=Top%20%28bar%20-%20Watch%29

Not even the slightest lilt of German. :damn:

[Sonarman]

Something more constructive would be to petition Sid Meier to make a new Silent Service just like he did Pirates! Then we'd probably end up with something playable and fun for a change.

You obviously didn't try "Railroads", what a disaster and I think Pirates!, though still fun, has been watered down more and more with every incarnation since its inception on the C64. I don't think Sid Meier would be interested in revisiting Silent Service and as for his Microprose compatriot Bill Stealey, he has been working on a semi-sequel to M1 Tank Platoon which also looks like a complete mess.

[Sonarman]

As for Silent Hunter Online...

Whilst I too am annoyed at Ubisoft for there failure to address many of the shortcomings in SH5 I am willing to give the new game a chance, no it probably won't have a full 3d interior and the quality of graphics of SH 4 & 5, but neither did the original Silent Hunter, Red Storm Rising or Iron Wolves and they were still highly thought of playable, enjoyable games. The worst part for me is that it probably won't be be very moddable and that we wont get to see all of the great endeavours of the Subsim modding community as a part of the new game.

Being free to play will open up the series to those who wouldn't have tried it before. Being Flash based will allow non pc users to play, dramatically expanding the user base.

Yes, addons will cost money (shock) but we are starting at a zero price point and the $40-$50 we would have paid for a retail game will probably buy quite a lot of the available addons. As we are dealing directly with the publisher all profits instead of the usual 25-33%ish will go directly to them, hopefully encouraging further development of the game to include playable surface units etc.

At the very least Ubisoft surprisingly still seems to see some value in the series, some SH vets like Dan has been involved at project inception & the new team will bring fresh energy and direction to the series. Plus it will be a lot harder for Ubisoft to simply wash their hands of an always on MMO game!

[salac_78]

Gaming industries are pushing everything online now.Single player is being fazed out slowly but surely.In a real world i have enough interactions with people,so sometimes when i want to relax and pretend to be somebody else i play simulations.It is me time...alone time.Oh money,how i loathe thee

[kylania]

Yes, addons will cost money (shock) but we are starting at a zero price point and the $40-$50 we would have paid for a retail game will probably buy quite a lot of the available addons. As we are dealing directly with the publisher all profits instead of the usual 25-33%ish will go directly to them, hopefully encouraging further development of the game to include playable surface units etc.

If it's anything like other FTP games out there, $40-50 will get you almost nothing. Perhaps one u-boat and a week's worth of "decent" play. They all say they are "free" but you end up sinking hundreds of dollars into it just to stay competitive. The rest will be endless struggling of xp/coin/whatever grind. Then more grind. No thanks. Silent Hunter is officially dead. Would have been better to just have let it fizzle out with SH5 than what's going to happen with SHO.