SHIII will always be better, and lets hope SHV is better then SHIV :):)

glad I stuck with III, punted on IV, and now wanting V. :D

SH5 is using SH4 as a base.

I hated SHIV for so long but I kept plugging away at it for a change of pace every now and then. The TDC is a bitch to get a hang of with so many steps it seems less accurate than the far simpler German system.

But I found watching Youtube video's and understanding the conflict better and better helps allot. The more I get it, The more I get into it. And oddly enough I started to enjoy the experience. All I can say is try and try again and it will grow on you. Its a totally different war and a totally different experience!

While it will Never replace SHIII GWX it does co-exist with it quite well.
In fact I am really enjoying the new war with different technology's and different doctrine's.

Its not the knuckle busting Atlantic and once under the Jap's are easier to lose than their British counterparts but they can spot pretty well especially at night so you end up getting under more it seems. And while they may lacking in ASW skills and doctrine they definitely dont give up and occasionally you will find a world class sub hunter that can really latch onto you.

I wont give up either now...They are both a part of me.:arrgh!:

yup. I and other modders have been busting our balls to try and make that experience come to life. As submarines go, the PTO is a story all of it's own. Sure the Japanese weren't up to par with the allies ASW, but the PTO is also the theater were you see more stories of Daring-do, heroism, and aggressive action then in the atlantic. I could cite many examples, but i don't care to make a huge wall of text. At any rate the information is out there, if anyone really want's to know. But the thing is, you really have to make an effort to try and read up on it. The essence or spirit of the pacific submarine war isn't handed to you on celluloid.

Doen't mean it will be the same !!!! :p

Number one reason I never got in ShIV was not because it was US subs and PTO, hell I was really looking forward to it at the time.
My problem was that it just seemed to lack the atmostsphere of SH3,
And this was largley due to SHIVs technical short comings.

I think the draw distance problems irritated me most of all, especially when my watch starts calling out ships which I can not actually see for myself (becuase they have not been rendered yet).
Frustrations such as this constanlty remind you that you are just playing a game.

There is plenty of enjoyment to had with the PTO, the problem for me lay with SHIVs representation of it.
Though it was still pretty solid product, it somehow it just didnt feel right to me. (The Uboat add-on suffered from the exact the same problems.)

From what I have seen, the modders here have done SHIV proud, but sadly for me I still have that bitter after taste in my mouth from playing stock 2 years ago. My loss i guess....

I do hope they build another PTO Subsim over SHV the next few years. (but as a stand alone game - not an Add on)
There is so much more that can still be done with it. :up:

Biggest problem for me was the fact that it was a winning war for the US subs. As a result you'll be shooting far less torps than you do in SH3.

Atlantic was a battle... Pacific was a turkeyshoot.

The fact I have widescreen monitor only limits my fun of SH3.. when peering trhough the sehrohr and click the torp selection is screwed again.

All in all I find myself commanding a IXD2 most of the time.

What is that SH4 you speak of so much, fellows?

Never bought it, never seen it. I knew before it was released that Pacific was not the theatre for me. We had a thread here "Would you pay SH4 when it's released" and I said "No I wouldn't". And I didn't. Now I see it was a right decision to make. :)

I myself keep going back to SH3. I use GWX + ManosGUI (with OLC) + SH3Commander and thanks to those guys, SH3 feels like a whole new experience beyond what was presumably intended by Ubisoft. My only gripes are lack of stock mission variety and lack of transparent water (I know they probably are shallow gripes, but that's how I feel).

I actually like SH4 interface (I only use GFO) and still able to appreciate the art of manual targeting although XO's input kinda bumps me off a little. I also like the tenacity of the DDs. However, my *major* gripe is that I can slip into a port and wreak havoc without notable retribution from the destroyer guards; after 2 times reaping more than 100,000grt per-patrol only because I eventually got bored chasing convoys and did harbor raids, I transferred back to the Atlantic.

Well not really mate, because you got to look at the big picture.
The future of the Silent Hunter franchise relies on the support of all subsimmers regardless of theater preference.
E.g if enough of the PTO fan base boycott ATO based SHV, they are potentially harming the possibility of a PTO based SHVI.
and visa versa.
$50 is not large some of money to part with once every 3 years.
You reap what you sew.

To be honest I don't know what the ATO/PTO issue is, but you made me curious to check it immediately. The boycotte you mentioned sounds quite alarming. :)

I didnt really like SH4... It lacks the same feel... sh3 felt more like it should... Maby it is because I never got into the PTO... always been more intrested in the ETO/ATO...

The german part or SH4 also (no offence to any of the modders, you did great) felt kind of shoved in, but not really part of the game...

Bought them both very recently! I am much more pleased with SHIII and uninstalled SHWOTP. SHIII just seems more involved and real. IMO

After taking a hammer to the SH IV disk months ago...I bought it again.:damn:
SH IV's major fault is the cartoon look and feel vs SH3's "real" grafix rendering.

I still play both...but SH3 still gets top billing in the CD tray.