Works for me still. It's big though, might take a minute to download, unless you're on dialup, then probably like 5 minutes.

Cant agree more!

Yeah the pic is 2Mb big, 5000*2500.

I've decided NOT to buy it the second they announced DRM (just mentioning it without trying to turn this one into another DRM-bashing thread)

I really admire your optimism and I really, REALLY, wish that you are right and I am wrong. I have been looking forward to SHV since the minute I found out that they were making it.
To explain my (pessimistic) standpoint: (this is copy/paste of my words from another thread) We have been kept in darkness about major SHV "improvements" an being spoon-fed bullcrap eyecandy images and videos. I DO NOT CARE ABOUT AN EYECANDY! That's why I still play SH3. What I do care about is playability and (more importantly) re-playability. Without it any game amounts just to it: eyecandy.

In addition: Introducing the element of crew background/history is not a bad idea but only if you create hundreds of characters with their bios (and seriously they would have to be better than "Steck sie rein") so the game does not repeat itself every time you play it. Considering how much (little) time the devs had to develop this game (resulting in one sub and limited campaign) the bios are probably very low on their priority list. I'd be perfectly ok with game based on SH3 with some improvements but based on the info released that is just NOT the case. At least in my book.

i see some new modding possibilities here (where i can imagine to become a modder myself): we can mod the speech files (or text parts) of the crew to give them new characters. i see a mod called :"the mean XO" or an anouncement "new Ensign available - a tough guy" or "new jokes for the XO mod" etc.

second: "He is also is the man who must set the explosives to scuttle the boat and prevent capture by the enemy." - does that mean we will have the possibility to scuttle the boat? i hope the devs heard us and made in this feature?.

third: "Passive abilities of the radio guy:
• Direction Finder Radio - A veteran radio guy knows how to tune the radio in order to increase its range.
• Direction Finder Radar - A veteran radio guy knows how to tune the radar in order to increase its detection range and response time.

Active abilities:
• Safe communications - The radio guy will be extra careful while sending radio messages, lowering the chance to being DF-end, avoiding being spotted by any enemy aircraft.
• Fake message - The radio guy will send a fake SSS message and track any enemy who will respond back, being able to ambush them later. This trick is not always a success.
• Radio orders – will access: play radio music, play gramophone music, send contact report, request orders and status report."

this sound very promising to me: the radio guy will be able to detect other ships using their radar? and he can send fake messages? i am not sure this is realistic...

seems some updates are still to come. but as to know, i just wait for the mod tools and their abilities. the stock game will disappoint most of us...i think.

:-?

but this was the same in the former versions...

They had about 1.5 years didnt they? That's not too bad for a sequel.

About the 1 sub, I remember reading in Neal's interview with them, the 1 sub was a consious decision they made because they wanted to model every aspect of the interior, since you have full control over the camera for the first time.

So they cut it down to 1, work very hard on that, and maybe we'll see more later, who knows.

I just mention the visuals since thats a standard issue improvement with every sequel, but if you read their interviews their MAIN focus wasnt the visuals or the crew, it was the events of the war, and you playing a more direct role in how things play out.

Well that sounds to me like you patrol this or that grid, shoot a torpedo at this ship or not, and things around you change, which in turn adds replay, because the next time you play through and get to that point again, maybe you try a different approach.

I just cant relate to trashing a game that isnt even out yet. I dont get that.

If you really hate eyecandy so much , you should at least be playing AOD.

Noone hates eyecandy but if it is at the expense of the gameplay and other simulation related aspects of the game , how could i not hate it for taking time of the devs that could have gone improving vareous aspects that need to be taken care of.

Very true.

You make some very good points here. Also, let me point out that I am not "trashing the game". Expressing one's opinion (which in my case happens to be negative, granted, based on limited amount of information) is not exactly "trashing". If I wanted to trash something I would not pick on the game itself but about the way it is being marketed. And THAT would deserve some serious bashing...

As a matter of fact I still do. BTW you misunderstood me because I DO NOT hate eyecandy.

^ here is what I hate. Thanks BulSoldier I couldn't say it better myself!

I'm sorry, I have DLC on the brain so much plus the talk of DRM I was thinking we as disc owners would get a sub downloaded every week. I need to stop sniffing glue. :doh:

Eyecandy at the expense of gameplay is fine.

Just don't call it a "simulation." Cuz it ain't. :O:

Exactly my point.

Well all Im saying is its hard to have an opinion on something we know so little about. If you dont like something they've announced of course that your opinion, totally fine, but there's so many people saying they arent buying the game at all, saying the game sucks, that its not even a sim, and not only is the damn game not even out, but we havent even seen 1 review yet!

I never get like that with games because ive been surprised way too many times in my life. I could sit here all day and say that I think it sucks the game ends in '43, but I havent played the game yet, Im going to assume they made that decision for a good reason. Its their job to make good games, they know damn well bad games will not sell well, and they need this game to sell big time. Making a great game is their top priority.

The thing about all this is maybe the game isnt that great, maybe im wrong, which Ill be totally fine with. Ive got plenty of games to play, its not that big of a deal to me.

But one thing I wont do is form an opinion on something I know so little about. I need to see reviews first.

So until then ill just remain in the middle, causiously hopeful that it will be a good game, but if its not thats fine too, but I wont say its bad right now, thats crazy to me.

Again, I tend to agree and disagree.
1) most of the people who are leaning towards "not buying the game at all" do it for different reasons then "saying the game sucks". IMO most of them (myself included) are concerned about DRM.
2) you are right that the game might be perfectly OK ending in '43 and with only one sub. On the contrary I really enjoyed playing past '43 when every patrol became fight for bare survival instead shooting merchants like fish in bowl. Also, progressing between types of the subs gave me a sense of advancing which with only one type available just disspeared.
3) here is where I disagree with you the most: people who CREATE the game (devs) and people who MARKET IT (UBI) are two different groups of people. While the former might have our best at their hearts, the later just wants to MAKE MONEY.

What ever happened to taking it to a PM and quit stepping on the thread?

I'm sorry about that, maybe I got little bit carried away.
On the other hands I believe I have made some points for other members to react to.

Yeah I was just thinking that this got derailed fast, happens in every single topic now, all of them end up DRM arguments. Im sure this one will too at some point, it's annoying. It tends to happen when games get close to release, there's pandemonium everywhere.