Actually Ducimus is still working on TMO and will be releasing a final 2.0 version in the coming weeks. Since he is one man working on a huge super mod it gets less updates but he has done a great job.

I have both games and I prefer playing SH4 (with the Real Fleet Boat and Run Silent, Run Deep mods). Here are a few reasons:

• The graphics in SH4 are very good, especially the environmental stuff, like sea and sky. It does take a stronger computer to run at full graphic detail than SHIII, so that might be a consideration if you have an older computer.
• Radar was more advanced in the U.S. fleet boats, and it was the primary method of acquiring targets. I like using the combination of radar and sonar when plotting an attack, especially when an "end around" is required to set up a convoy strike. If you prefer working mainly off the hydrophone, you may like SHIII better.
• The Pacific map is much more tactically interesting to me, with all those little islands and choke points for navigation lanes. The map is dynamic too, with shifting areas of control between the Japanese and the Allies as the war progresses and Japan is gradually pushed back to the home islands. The European campaign map is much more static by comparison, and I end up always going to the same areas to hunt convoys.
• SH4 has the occasional special mission in addition to tonnage goals, like dropping off insurgent supplies, or picking up downed air crew, or photographing harbors. The RSRD mod makes this even better.

About the only thing I don't like in SH4 is the long transit times to base, even with time compression, due to the size of the theater.

have only played SH3+GWX so far, but I'm really looking forward to install SH4.
water, environment and ships look so much better and once I like to get all the "luxury" (ice-cream!!) on a fleet-boat.
(SH5 does not interest me at all)

Unfortunately, no ice cream machine mod, but it's fun taking a spin in a Fleet Boat just to see how the other half lives.

Once you have used 10 torpedo tubes (6 bow+4 stern) just to take out one target, you will never go back...:arrgh!:

SHIII vs SH IV
 

It's been a long time since I've played SH3, although not with all the new MODS.

I prefer SHIV though, because I'm on the allied side. My father was a WWII vet as well as my uncle. Playing the German side in a WWII game just isn't my cup of tea.

Nah, given that most U-boat engagements were executed in the absence of other assisting boats, it isn't much of a loss in the grand scheme of things. We've just had to settle for an imperfect arrangement.

I don't have anything good to say about SH5/Ubisoft's DRM... so I won't comment about that.

My thoughts are, that as long as its got diesel and electric engines/mostors... as a player, you are well taken care of whatever your taste is, be it ATO or PTO regardless of SH5's current state or existence.

Yes, Trigger Maru Overhauled is what I like. It's much harded then stock sh4, (which is good) but I don't like how airplane contacts are set up, but overall I really enjoy it.:salute:

As for the choice between sh3 and sh4, I prefere sh4 because of the vast territory and islands you can explore. Plus my first subsims were Silent hunter 2 and before that Silent Service 2. There are U-boat campaigns in sh4 also:up:

this I call fire-power! :D

(felt unbeatable with 4+2 in my type IXB .....)

Hey, I miss the "Narwhal"

I a fleetboat man all the way.
First in my option a Fleetboat is a better fighting machine than a U boat (ducks and runs for cover)
Second the PTO is a far more interesting theater. Many more great battles and invasions. You can participate in all of them if you study history.

Get the U boat addon if possible, it's worth it. The 1.4 mods are a little short of the 1.5 mods.

Sh4 is very stable and you can do all the figuring you want for plotting and firing solutions.
With TMO you have a very challenging game.
With RFB a very realistic one. With RSRD all the invasions and battles are recreated very well.

There are a lot of guys that don't like SH4 mostly because it's Fleetboats.
They love their U boats.

Magic

+2 on that one. Let's put it this way. If either SH3 or SH4 were alone in the world, I'd be very happy with either of them. I think computer hardware has to progress to the next level before we're able to properly configure wolfpack attacks or some of the more complex parts of submarine simulation. What is much worse than no wolfpacks? Badly executed wolfpacks.

One of the reasons SH3 and SH4 are so similar is that hardware didn't progress much between the two releases. There was an increase in graphics capability and that is what we got.

Now with SH5 we have a "solution" without a problem. Computers are just about the same as they were with SH4 and there are no awesome new capabilities to exploit. Therefore we get more of what we have plus a heaping helping of badly executed "The Sims" and the Sword of Damocles three servers which can be shut down at any time without notice. This is called progress nowdays I guess.

I keep SH3 and SH4 on my hard drive. There are things about each that i love/hate, but i still enjoy playing both. My SH3 is stock, no mods at all. I play that once in awhile, but most of the time if i want to command a U-Boat i'll just use my Operation Monsun install.

My SH4 is heavily modded, i have spent many long nights tweaking,editing and debugging it and my install is still a long way from being finished. Instead of just downloading a megamod and being happy to play it, i downloaded all the megamods and picked them apart so i could use just the parts i wanted.

I would advise anyone not to do this, you will spend far to much time modding and much less time actually playing the game!

Things i really like about SH3 are the crew member control and detail and since most of my Subsimming has been for the Allies, its kinda edcational for me to see things from the German side.

Now SH4 has many things i like, The Water looks really good (with mods), Its a Fleetboat, so it takes me back to SH1 and i have some knowledge of the history. I really prefer the Pacific theatre, its huge and there are so many cool places to see/visit.

So i have to say that I prefer SH4 over SH3, but i wouldn't say either is better than the other.

RR, we all know your feelings about SH5, but why do you have to drag it into every thread? Aren't tempers already frayed enough here at Subsim? Could we agree to keep discussions about SH5 on the SH5 forum ?

Cmon Bilge,
members are entitled to post whatever they wish within forum rules (obligatory), good manners (optional) and good humor (hopefully). In the SH5 forum, if you "rant"about /critisize the game it is almost certain that another member (fed up with so called "SH5 bashing") will suggest to post elsewhere. Well this suforum is "elsewhere".

I respect RR, love to hear his thoughts on SH4 and agree with him on many issues. I don't agree with him on SH5, but I respect his opinion. Members are of course able to post where they wish, within the rules and no one is obliged to follow my reccommendantions (no one does anyway :ping:).

However, I think we all see what a zoo the SH5 forum is turning into, (without blaming any side). I like to drop by the SH4 forum to discuss SH4 and get away from the madness. I just think every one will be better served if we keep all the SH5 ranting and raving (again without pointing fingers at one side more than another) on the SH5 forum and not have it spill over in every other forum.