Reading that report, it seems that Ubi is actually coming to a realization of who they are and what they represent. They are not appropriate for the publication of simulations and they are realizing that. I predict that they will go with their strengths and abandon the simulation market as they should for their own and our benefit.

I see some straightforward logical thinking in that report that makes a lot of sense for them. And we win if they do as I posit above.

Ducimus, I would say if the modders find SH5 to be as open as has been promised - maybe even able to add the PTO - then would we really need "another sim" in the next five years anyway? The GFX are as good as they get, content, interface and gameplay can hopefully be modded (after a few patches to fix hardcoded functions).

If this engine would be DRM-free and loaded with two, three types of Fleet Boats, three types of German boats, and an acceptable amount of surface ships for both theatres this would be endless. I mean, people are still playing SH3, but THAT one definitly has limits in the engine, like resolution and FSAA support. SH5 with all GFX options enabled will be "current" in looks for many years.

As pay to play goes, since i saw it mentioned here, i have to say, i won't go there for a singleplayer games. You have to draw a line somewhere, and there is where i construct a reinforced concrete wall.

An MMO, i can understand, it really is a service, and your playing in an online persistant world. But for a singleplayer game, all for the sake of pretending to stop piracy..... that is a resounding "f*ck no!" from me. I would rather see the entire PC gaming market DIE then pay to play single player games. Id sooner go out and get an Xbox360, and park my ass on the couch. Heck, it would be a boon, i wouldnt have to continualy upgrade my computer anymore, id be saving in the long run.

And speaking of the long run, its entire possible that in the future, the entire nature of the internet will change if Net neutrality goes away like some people want. Thats going to screw things over bigtime, for everyone, including Ubi's DRM.

Its just a game...In fact a pretty crappy one right now...:hmmm:, but just a game just the same....

Aye, to the end user its just a game but the industry is big, very big business these days.

Bigger then music.
Bigger then movies.

About $45 to $50 billion world wide and still growing.

If any company believes 'Pay to Play' is the way forward, they are very much mistaken. Yes, people will pay for an MMO, because with the multi-player aspect it is reasonable, but not for single-player. In actuality, anyone running such a scheme will probably make a lot less.

Some claim that this is necessary to keep PC gaming alive, yet to be honest, it doesn't look anywhere near dead. I really cannot understand how many consumers believe consoles to be superior, with their 3 or more years worth of out of date hardware! They are limited is so many ways, and always will be. This is an undeniable fact.

Take for instance the economic recession of last year, the number of console games being sold, and thus profits, fell off drastically. Why? Because £40 to £45 for an inferior product is damned unreasonable, when the same product is available on PC for half that price!

"Pay to Play" (paying a monthly fee to access a single player game) might just work for me, provided certain conditions are met. For example, Ubisoft would have to make me see the value in it... they're not going simply package SH5 up and make me rent it as is on a monthly basis. If they keep adding content, fixing bugs, etc., I'll be more than happy to pay them on a regular basis. I need to see that value first, though. Don't hold it against me when I say I'm not holding my breath. Ubisoft would need to prove themselves to me before I'm willing to commit.

While we're on the track of renting... I'd love to see a single authorization each month to confirm that my "Ubisoft account" is active. Rhapsody does the same thing for my "To Go" subscription. Plug my MP3 player in once a month, and I'm verified for another 30 days. Why can't Ubisoft do the same? Rhapsody's gotten $15 a month from me for the last few years. Ubisoft ought to be drooling at the prospect.

Well, I guess it means that eye-candy isn't the core of a good simulation. I bet you if you made a poll, graphics is ranging far behind any features for most of the "simulation players" at subsim. Realism probably also is much further up on the list. Graphics only has to be reasonable, and SHIII surely still is. If someone managed to add the SHV wolfpacks and dynamic campaign features to SHIII, that probably would be the olymp for most subsim gamers. Better graphics is nice if everything else is in its right place, but the real immersion for a simulation player comes from realism.