Haven't been here for almost a year...is SH5 finally playable?

[Commie]

I remember the optimism of some who expected the end years of the war in an expansion, the game to be constantly polished etc. and their snide comments against the "hold out crowd".

So have they been vindicated? Did this game get patched? Is there an expansion on the horizon?

Does the game at least have enough mods to make it approach modded SHIV or SHIII in playability?

[Sailor Steve]

Welcome back. First, I would remind everyone that the "hold-out crowd", of which I am still one, made their own fair share of snide comments.

That said, there's good news and bad news.

The Bad: The importation of ships is still not solved, so players are still limited to variations of the Type VII u-boat, and a tiny handful of Allied merchant types, almost all of them American.

The Good: As many will tell you, there are a large amount of mods that make the game much more enjoyable and fully playable. A mod has been created that extends the campaign to the end of the war. TheDarkWraith (formerly Racerboy) has created a great many mods that allow you to choose almost any User Interface you can think of, among a great many other improvements. There are many other mods, which a quick look at the Mods forum will show.

Good/Bad: The DRM has been modified so you now only have to log into the UBIsoft servers when you start the game. But you still have to do that, which I still find repressive. If that doesn't bother you, you'll probably have a great time.

Bottom line: There are still a lot of folks who won't buy it because of the DRM, there are a lot of people who have played it and even with the mods dislike it and won't play it, and there are even more who are having a great time.

I'm sure when all the people who enjoy it have checked in you'll be able to make a good judgement.

[StarTrekMike]

To be honest, it is still not as deep as SHIII or SHIV but it is getting better with every new mod release.

I bought it and after adding mods that suited me, I love it...I think it is a very good time once you have the mods that you like on it.

stability is a issue with me, but I am sure that it will be all ironed out in due time.

I say for the very small price this game is going for, even if it sits on your hard drive for awhile before you play...you should buy this game.

Mike

[ivank]

I bought it for less than 10USD for the purpose above. It is good to have the game and just wait for the mods. I personally would like to see more U-boats, when that happens and RUB comes out I will start playing. For now I play SHIII and work on the Surface Warfare Mod for SHIV

[musides]

The Bad: The importation of ships is still not solved, so players are still limited to variations of the Type VII u-boat.

Whoa! Are you saying I won't be able to get my Type IX boat? I appreciate and respect the Type VII, don't get me wrong, but the Type IX is my boat! Tell me it isn't so. I just bought this game a couple of days ago since it was $9. Huge fan of SH3. I suppose I can still enjoy the game in a Type VII, but :wah:

In any event, FWIW after only a few days of ownership, I am enjoying bits and pieces. It is quite immersive with the visuals and walkthroughs, which is nice.

[Drewcifer]

Well it doesn't have everything Sh3 has. Thats just a simple fact. Alot more time and development and the great GWX set that game apart from its peers.

However I think you'll find that Sh5 is maturing into something worthy of your time, not to mention the stunning graphics and the realism awarded as you literally walk thru your own boat. All of the rough edges have been polished down by mods, and it is a good subsim at this time, with GREAT potential. I think you will see that given more development time.. that which sh3 has enjoyed sh5 will be known as the best of the sh series.

[Bilge_Rat]

SH5 had now been out a year.

Those who hated it when it came out will still hate it.

Those who thought it had potential, but a lot of rough edges will be surprised by how far it has come.

It is better in some areas than SH3/4, worse in others.

However, it has improved to the point where you can enjoy it as a simulation and spend more time appreciating what it does right rather than noticing what it does wrong.