SHO Beta

[Dyderich]

I have been playing this for a few days....


Lots of bugs still - many critical errors that CTD

The online browser look just is not all that appealing to me - things get stuck (like when using protactor, etc.) which means you have to restart the game to unstick the item.....periscope dials can get lost, etc.

The ships in the game are ok...sometimes its ridiculous in how much damage a ship needs to take in order to sink....especially when you have half the ship under water and its still tugging away at 7 knots - yeah right - with your engine compartment 5-8 feet under water, you are not going to be doing 7 let alone 1-2 knots anymore. You are sinking and that is about it.

You end up paying for everything....need torpedoes...have to pay your prestige to get them...same with diesel.

You are stuck with Typ IIA/B at the beginning and then work into a Typ IIC as a mission (build a new sub)...have not gotten much past this yet as it takes a lot of credits to upgrade your own stuff to start with....but you need to unlock the new sub parts first, before you go to the shop to buy them and then stick them onto your drawing board plans for the new sub.

I guess once you have all the parts, you then pay for the construction and after the requisite wait, you have the new sub.

At this point, you are full in the sub pen. You have to pay actual cash to increase the sub pen beyond 3 subs - 1500 gold a pop. Gold is not cheap either and if you want to use a Typ VII sub you either do a lot of missions (I am on the primary Campaign now and have accumulated roughly 318 gold without using any of it yet as I want to see how long it will take to accumulate the necessary 6245 gold for a basic TypVIIA with no skills vs. 14,280 gold roughly for a fully skilled TypVIIA. The Typ VIIC no skilled sub is 7720 and fully skilled 16,240 gold. You can purchase gold at 5EU for 900, 2000 for 10EU, 5600 for 25EU, 12000 for 50EU and 25000 for 100EU. Quite expensive.

All items have a corresponding level requirement as well as either prestige cost or gold cost for purchases. The torpedoes get as costly as 50 gold per torp.
The T-XI G7es Zaunkoenig II is the 50 gold one. You can purchase PP-Pakets which gives Prestige points (highest is 5400 gold for 20,000 prestige).

You can also buy officers and crew with gold or regular prestige. The prestige pay will get you only a Rank 1 skilled person though, while the gold purchase nets you a fully skilled officer/crewman. The gold ranges from 1095 to 1215 per person. You can also go with a Officer Pakete which will cost either 2040 or 6790 depending on if you want Skilled 1 level or Skilled Max level crewmen.

The research items can also be purchased either prestige/gold. Gold version usually is the maxed out skilled version of the item - for example: Rudder, Batteries, Diesel Engine, Electric Engine, Deck Gun, Flak Gun, etc.

Again, some items require the restriction (level or operation, etc.) to be lifted first before you are able to purchase the item for construction or usage.

Overall, its an ok attempt, but I never got into Sub Hunter V much as it was way too restrictive and this game is too much similar to that version to make me feel like I am getting a great game. Since it is still Beta, I am hopeful but I do think they will stick with this version type. It would be just so nice to have a multitude of things available - as well as being able to just go out into the ocean and blow up random cargo ships whereas now you are restricted only to mission ships...you can sometimes go back to them multiple times until you finish off the entire convoy but its just not the same thing as it was in SH3 which to me was the epitome of Ubisoft's attempt at this series. If they just updated the graphics, etc. and utilized perhaps a new engine but kept with that concept and added to it, they would have the premire Sub Hunting game today I think IMHO.

Well, I am going to hit the bunker again....need to reload my paltry 5 torps for another run...I really hate coastal boats and their limited torp supply.

Good Luck, hope you all enjoy the game when it becomes available. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be a different animal in the final version :)

KptzS. Dyderich Von Ulm
U-5/U-7 Küste Flottille

[Sailor Steve]

Telling us here what's wrong with the beta is useless. That's the point of beta testing, to tell it to the developers so they can fix it. If these problems are in the finished version, that's a different story. The finished version should be better, if the beta testers do their job.

[longam]

Considering Ubisoft's track record on cutting development time short, this sounds close to the usual unfinished product with a few patches to come.

[desertstriker]

yep looks like it is a pay to win game to me.

[PL_Daritto]

Do any of you recently received an invitation to the beta-test? I'm looking forward a few months and nothing ...:down:

[StarTrekMike]

This is exactly what I feared would happen and sadly, exactly what I was expecting from a "F2P" browser based game.

Ubisoft is not going to back down from this sales model, that is the entire underlying basis of this game so I don't think beta testers are going to be able to change it's freemium nature on any meaningful level.

From the sound of things, this looks like something I am going to have to avoid, I already had my heart broken by the cancellation of a real Mechwarrior game in 2009 so that they could release Mechwarrior online (yet another "F2P" game) with no single player and nothing that made the originals interesting.

Sorry for the rambling, it just looks like the Silent Hunter franchise has finally fallen victim to ubi's push for F2P at all cost.

[biosthetique]

Pay to win?....You can win for free!

[Seeadler]

Screen made ​​with the latest beta, find the mistake :03:
http://foto.arcor-online.net/palb/alben/91/3063991/3539373634323633.jpg

[d4n1066]

Screen made ​​with the latest beta, find the mistake :03:
http://foto.arcor-online.net/palb/alben/91/3063991/3539373634323633.jpg
If that's a Type VII C, then I believe that big ring should be on the right side, not left. Or it could be that other ship on the horizon that doesn't show on the map.:hmm2:

[Seeadler]

If that's a Type VII C, then I believe that big ring should be on the right side, not left.
Correct, the model is mirror-inverted, either wrong modelled or an error during the conversion into the internal model format. Devs want to investigate it:)

[Julhelm]

That looks really good for a browser game tho.

[d4n1066]

Do you still need a beta key, or can we already try it?:hmmm:

[Capt_Morgan]

I hate Uboats

[Seeadler]

Do you still need a beta key, or can we already try it?:hmmm:
German version is open-beta since May, no key needed.
International closed-beta (with key) is not started yet.

[Feuer Frei!]

I hate Uboats

Thank you for that insightful post.

[Rockin Robbins]

I don't hate U-Boats but have no particular fascination with them. They were a weapon inappropriate for the war they were used in. Actually they alone were sufficient to account for the defeat of Germany.

On second thought, I may just LOVE U-Boats. Copying the techniques of German U-Boat captains made victory possible for the US in the war where submarines WERE appropriate.

[Seeadler]

International Open-Beta starts today ... when they are done with the server maintenance :ping:

[cherbert]

International Open-Beta starts today ... when they are done with the server maintenance :ping:


Excited.

How do you know?

I managed to work my way through the German beta without knowing a word of German. It actually looked (and felt) like it could actually be not too bad a game!

[bondematt]

It's bad, but it's the fun kind of bad *shrug*. Like War Thunder or World of Tanks.

I'll be playing at least.

[dcb]

Just logged out after playing ~1 hour of the tutorial. The good news is that I encountered no glitch, the game is stable and 100% playable. Add to this a community manager that knows his (her?) job and provides prompt advice via chatbox. As for the game itself, I'm still just at the tutorial, so I cannot have a definite impression about it.

Anyway, I already encountered something odd: in the evasion part of the tutorial, the escort had just passed my sub, I was in its baffles (as indicated by the yellow detection marker), then suddenly, in a matter of just one second, it turned 180 degrees and headed towards me, of course leaving me no time to order evasive maneuvers or kill the engine. "Sub detected' - and here I went again to the beginning of the evasion part of the tutorial.

Oh, and another annoyance. Time compression (x4 is the maximum) is obtained via... TC points, which can be (and are) depleted. I suspect here a way of getting players pay for this "commodity" - in a free game, as advertised. Free it may be, but painfully slow unless one does not acquire TC points. Anyway, let's wait for the final product, to see how these TC points can be acquired freely, just by meeting game objectives, vs. paying real cash for them.

[desertstriker]

Oh, and another annoyance. Time compression (x4 is the maximum) is obtained via... TC points, which can be (and are) depleted. I suspect here a way of getting players pay for this "commodity" - in a free game, as advertised. Free it may be, but painfully slow unless one does not acquire TC points. Anyway, let's wait for the final product, to see how these TC points can be acquired freely, just by meeting game objectives, vs. paying real cash for them.
the TC point regenerate over time. i finished the tutorial or it it 95% complete i still get the occasional popup.

[Seeadler]

Oh, and another annoyance. Time compression (x4 is the maximum) is obtained via... TC points, which can be (and are) depleted.

That's not correct, time compression (max. 4x) cost you nothing, it's always available. But there are jump points to be faster than 4x to skip just a greater distance, which would take even with 4x time compression hours/days and these points are decreasing based on distance and count of jumps

I am at the level-cap of 35 since weeks, unlocked/played all campaigns, built three Type VII subs and have no real money spent on this game.

The jump points range is big enough if you done correctly plan your operations due to the amount of fuel and the jump points are replenished every 10 minutes to a few points while playing.

[Pisces]

I'll give it a shot, but need to get my Uplay account sorted first. The email-adres that is is assigned to is gone since last year due to switching ISP.

[himmelreiter]

[...]I am at the level-cap of 35 since weeks, unlocked/played all campaigns, built three Type VII subs and have no real money spent on this game.[...]
I have to concur with Seeadler. You don't need any real money for this game if you play carefully and don't need additional commodities. I funded my account just to buy a few additional boat pens. That's all.
For daily duty I just use my earned prestige points and that's in-game enough to reach the (actual) campaign cap phase IV.

[Pisces]

Does this game allow for manual targeting at all?

[bondematt]

Your torpedo will shoot at the bearing of the scope unless you target a ship and get a torpedo solution. So you can aim manually, but you'll be either doing a ton of math, or just winging it.

[Pisces]

Yeah, I figured that. I seems the solution is lost after some time or some event or something I do in the gui unknowingly. Need to redo the solution all the time to get the propper lead going.Which means waiting.

Also, I can't seem to edit the placement of map drawing tools. Do I need some key-combo or is it a once-and-for-all placement deal?

[cherbert]

I know the devs have probably been forced to apply all this pay to play dynamics into the game but aside from that I love what they have done and they do seem to care about attention to detail.

For a web game I love how I can fire it up so quickly and get into the action wherever I am.

The wolfpack feature is so much fun. I was in a wolfpack the other night with 4 other players and had 4 destroyers coming down on us protecting a convoy of merchant ships. It was tense, exciting and a very rewarding social experience as we were all on Skype together planning our strategies.

I hope the game maintains a healthy player base as I am confident the devs are listening and have lots of plans for the future.

I like this game very much - I have played Silent Hunter since Silent Hunter 1. I have played Silent Service since the days of the Commodore 64 and Amiga versions. I played Aces of the Deep and all the other submarine sims that have come and gone.

You don't have to have a 100% accurate simulation in which to enjoy a submarine game and have fun with your friends. There are still people in this community who stubbornly turn their back on Silent Hunter 5 despite the enormous progress in fixing it that has been achieved. The same stubbornness is directed toward this game and I feel those people are really missing out if they could only just accept that not every game has to be the complete simulation that hey want it to be and just give it a chance.

[Seeadler]

Also, I can't seem to edit the placement of map drawing tools. Do I need some key-combo or is it a once-and-for-all placement deal?
You can drag them with the mouse like the dragging the chat window or other gui elements

Go with cursor over the top bar with the three dots, left click - hold - drag
http://foto.arcor-online.net/palb/alben/91/3063991/6662366235396461.jpg

[Cybermat47]

I hate Uboats

BOOOOOOO!

[Pisces]

You can drag them with the mouse like the dragging the chat window or other gui elements

Go with cursor over the top bar with the three dots, left click - hold - drag
http://foto.arcor-online.net/palb/alben/91/3063991/6662366235396461.jpgNo, not the button panel. I meant the actual drawn lines, circles,protractors and markers. I can't grab the endpoints/center and reposition them, like I could in SH3, 4 and 5.

[blkdimnd]

No, not the button panel. I meant the actual drawn lines, circles,protractors and markers. I can't grab the endpoints/center and reposition them, like I could in SH3, 4 and 5.

As far as I know you can't drag the lines :wah:

[StandingCow]

Wait time - 7 days and 12 hours....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya5-EOTn6w8

[desertstriker]

weird... server capacity must be garbage i do not think there are that many people online...

[Seeadler]

This is a server problem we had once before in the closed-beta.
It was fixed the next day by the BlueByte server-admin's.

[Madox58]

:o

I'd pretty much given up hope I'd get a key.
(Ya, invite the Guy that tears our files apart!)
:haha:

But I got it today.
:woot:

Silent Hunter 1 - 6 and I got 'em all!
:rock:

:hmmm:
Do you think the Devs know what they've done?
:D

[biosthetique]

Ho mein got!...It just hit me!...Verdammt!...I am just realizing that if Subsim would come to disappear how would we get mods for SH online?

A wind of panic just grabbed me!....

[biosthetique]

weird... server capacity must be garbage i do not think there are that many people online...
It seems that the hours are counted in minutes.

An hour ago, I was at 32 days from playing, now I am at 8 days.

Time is passing by very very fast!

[Madox58]

I guess if Subsim would come to disappear how would we get mods for SH online?

They sent me a key so all is not lost yet Mate.
:D

(I figured out the files for SWTOR this is just a new thing to look at for me)

[biosthetique]

It's bad, but it's the fun kind of bad *shrug*. Like War Thunder or World of Tanks.

I'll be playing at least.

I hope the gameplay won't be like WT or WoT, illustrated by a world of colorful insults in relation to the players, their family, etc...

[biosthetique]

Anyway, I already encountered something odd: in the evasion part of the tutorial, the escort had just passed my sub, I was in its baffles (as indicated by the yellow detection marker), then suddenly, in a matter of just one second, it turned 180 degrees and headed towards me, of course leaving me no time to order evasive maneuvers or kill the engine. "Sub detected' - and here I went again to the beginning of the evasion part of the tutorial.

Crazy Ivan Heh?

[nikimcbee]

Anticipated wait time 1 month 3 hrs.:yeah::haha:

[biosthetique]

You don't have to have a 100% accurate simulation in which to enjoy a submarine game and have fun with your friends. There are still people in this community who stubbornly turn their back on Silent Hunter 5 despite the enormous progress in fixing it that has been achieved. The same stubbornness is directed toward this game and I feel those people are really missing out if they could only just accept that not every game has to be the complete simulation that hey want it to be and just give it a chance.

Interesting!....I have played all the SH's and then some, I have played SH5 and I did not like it not because of the reasons you mentioned, but because I feel SHIII a lot warmer and real in terms of emotions. A bit like comparing a beautiful a color picture (SH5) and a master painting (SHIII)!

[nikimcbee]

down to 7 days...:yep:

[biosthetique]

I waited 2 hours and I am playing now!

[gvogt12000]

There is a 7 hour wait to play the game now. I'm number 70 in line.

[pfullarton]

I'm not even getting into the game, I have click play now, registered, got a black screen at first, refreshed then got the splash and 'loading sounds' down by the progress bar, but no progress.

Refreshing again and I get one or the other. Anyone know of any issues with Chrome?

[Laffertytig]

very weird, it took me all off two minutes to get started.

are there any plans to enable a realism mode. i really dont want things like detection zones and stealth meters visible:down:

ps i take it back, load times are screwed. after logging out then back in again wait time is 1 day 10 hours:huh:

[himmelreiter]

are there any plans to enable a realism mode. i really dont want things like detection zones and stealth meters visible:down:

It doesn't offer different a realism switch at the moment.

[Julhelm]

What's unrealistic about detection zones and stealth meters? Surely if you hear some escort go from one side to the other you can guess he's blind in his baffles, or assume if your boat goes real slow, you're stealthier.

[Sailor Steve]

Yes, they knew how to be quiet. They didn't have a meter that told them how quiet they were being. That's what's unrealistic about it.

[Julhelm]

How is it unrealistic? It's just a visual representation of something the skipper would have in his head, as are the detection circles. Maybe the average gamer doesn't understand that escorts are blind in their baffles or that subs don't increase their noise output in a linear fashion.

[TorpX]

How is it unrealistic?
Groannnn...................

For Pete's sake, isn't it obvious?

It reduces something that should be tricky, stressful, and very uncertain, to something akin to Tic Tack Toe. :nope:

[Julhelm]

It's no more unrealistic than vision cones in stealth games or tactical padlock views that are standard in flight sims, and nobody every complains about those.

They're obviously designing this as a game to cater to a wider audience and in doing so are erring on the side of fun gameplay.

[Sailor Steve]

Those things aren't realistic either. Some things are necessary for some players to be able to enjoy the game. Some things are good to have. I'm not arguing that. Your question was "What's unrealistic about it?"

If it's an option, great. If it's a constant part of the game then people who want the realism of not knowing for sure can't ever have that. That's what's unrealistic about it.

[flag4]

...is it possible to go on the bridge?

ive just started. other than having to wait 21 days and %^&* hours to get on it, its ok for Arcade type playing.

[col_Kurtz]

...is it possible to go on the bridge?

ive just started. other than having to wait 21 days and %^&* hours to get on it, its ok for Arcade type playing.
Yes. Surface and have a look on the right side of your screen (not sure, about mid of it). There is a red handy switcher with ladder. Switch up.
:salute:

[disgrace86]

got to play once, now every time I log in it says something about an error with facebook for some reason and goes back to main menu. Idk it's cool that they are keeping it going...just gonna miss the regular style SH.

[Aktungbby]

Correct, the model is mirror-inverted, either wrong modelled or an error during the conversion into the internal model format. Devs want to investigate it:)
ALSO all smoke should go in the same direction including the explosion smoke of the target as the stack smoke.:Kaleun_Wink:

[Laffertytig]

It's no more unrealistic than vision cones in stealth games or tactical padlock views that are standard in flight sims, and nobody every complains about those.

They're obviously designing this as a game to cater to a wider audience and in doing so are erring on the side of fun gameplay.

got no problem with that but the best way to do that is have ingame options to cater for more people.

this game has kept me interested for all of 30 mins, its already gotten old real fast.

[Julhelm]

Well it's a beta so supposedly if people complain about the lack of options on their forums they'll put them in. The online nature of the game also means it literally will never be in a 'finished' state like typical boxed release.