Now, it is a little different from your conclusion about the situation. If people that were loyal customers and bought the previous releases of SH, but now stay away, then Ubissoft will likely feel that. That is if there are fewer new gamers attracted to this game (maybe the targeted "casual/arcade gamers") then old hands staying away from it waiting for an improvement. And that is quite likely given the fact that SH is a niche type game. So if many people have voted with their walled so far, chances are Ubi may start to think the situation over. The major question is only: Will they attribute the finding to the right cause, or put it down to easy excuses like "economic downturn", "pirates" etc.? (Note that this discussion comes without a car: But assume that 50% of the Ferrari owners would in the future not buy another Ferrari anymore, for whatever reasons-- Could that be a signal?)

You see, that's what I've been saying all along. There have been loads of posters here who talk about the online protection, how wrong it is , how they're not going to (or can't) buy the game until it's removed - all of which I sympathise with.

Trouble is - how many of those same posters have taken the next step and actually told UBI how they feel ?

I know of 2.

It would take just a few minutes to e mail UBI and tell them exactly what's what - so why is no-one doing it? Until you contact UBI - they'll put the low sales down to it being a niche game , pirates , economic downturn, invaders from mars etc etc etc.

They don't even read their own forums - what makes you think they read ours?

So .. wait a minute. Then GWX for SH3 was something illegal.. or..?

Here - I'll make it easier for you guys:

UBISOFT
1st Floor, Chertsey Gate East,
London Street,
Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 8AP


Drop them a line and tell them how you feel. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain:up:

:haha: Nope. SH3 & SH4 use a different SDK and, in most part, are open source creations. Therefore creating/developing tools for that platform for the mods released is no biggie at all. DAT format is easily createable using freely available tools.

SH5 however, is a completely different beast. The tool used to create the bulk of SH5 files is closed source and was always designed that way. The ONLY way to alter/read/tweak/create these files is by using the source code from the SDK. There's no way around that.

The SDK used for SH5 is utilised in many PC games and a HUGE amount of Console games. The reason? Because the studios know that the file structure can't be modified/altered and re-released. They like that security.

TBH, I reckon UBI went this path initially with the view to bring SH5 to consoles as the coding and architecture could be easily ported thanks to the SDK used. ;)

Two things. First off, two of the seven poll questions begin with "I haven't bought this game" and secondly, :har:

That's ridiculous. There are many here like me, who are tracking the progress of SH5 and haven't decided to buy it yet, due to the state it's in. What's more, some of us, like me, have been playing the precursor games like SHIII and SH4 for years. We have an investment of time and money in the series up to this point, as well as participation in the subsim community (although until this release, I was more active on the Ubi forum). For anyone who has played SH3 and SH4 extensively over the years, it's easy to make judgments based on hearing what others are experiencing with this release. And judgments naturally lead to public comments.

If there is any faint chance that Ubi is paying attention to what's said on forums like this, the people here who don't yet own SH5 might serve as leverage to continue the patch releases (and/or make a change in the DRM method). We're people with money in our pockets, waiting to buy the game. We can't be leverage for a better game, if we keep our collective mouths shut.

Despite my strong reservations about DRM I eventually did buy the game ($15 + SH) online. Even at that relatively small price I feel cheated.
What's the point of playing a game that doesn't really work?
The only thing going for this game is the visual panorama. It is fabulous. However, you can only ride on top of the sub for so long before you want to play it- and then it falls apart.
I am not just disappointed with the patch, I am angry. The continual delays, the false promises, and a result that marginally improves on the original. It is disgraceful, and a slap in the face to the purchasers who had faith in the company and the devs. The modders can only do so much, and if it is the company's policy to shove the product out the door half-finished expecting it to be cleaned up by the modders.....
I will take back my words if the company plans another patch to fix SH5, but I'm not holding my breath.
Too little, too late.

But have you contacted UBI and told them how you feel guys?

Otherwise - what's the point?

I have not contacted UBI directly, but I presume the devs watch these forums and provide feedback to the company. There again, I'm probably delusional.

I certainly wouldn't assume that at all. I have contacted UBI and told them how unfair I think their online protection is, I've also had a good moan about their lack of customer support.

If you are unhappy with them - let them know, don't assume that they may read these threads because I doubt they do.

Doing nothing achieves nothing IMO.

Quite right sir.

I'm not convinced that contacting Ubi by email or snail mail serves any purpose. First, how does one prove "intent to purchase" in an email? I can prove a positive (i.e game purchase) with my registration for SHIII and SH4, but how do I prove a negative... the fact that I'm holding my money back? I could easily just be another Angry Internet Man who doesn't like their current DRM, and is enjoying a bit of Ubi-bashing in my free time. I'm sure their PR departments have been flooded lately with people upset about the choices they've made recently with PC games, not just SH5 alone.

The one tangible message I can send, is not buying the game until it's patched to the point where I think I'd have fun playing it. My personal decision doesn't mean much, but along with everyone else holding back on buying the game, I think it does send a real message.

It serves the purpose of insuring they hear your voice and the reason why you're not buying the product in question. Just not buying it will leave them to decide for themselves what that reason may be. I totally agree that not buying it sends them a message but is it the one you want? Make sure by telling them the reason in addition to not buying it. Make sense?

To paraphrase the Edmund Burke quote from one of the loading screens - "All that is necessary for the forces of Ubisoft to win in the world is for enough good men to do nothing."