What there is to like about SH5
 

I know there have been a hundred posts about what's wrong with Silent Hunter 5, but I want to know what people like about the game. I know it's not up to a lot of people's standards and some people have condemned it to the 9th circle of hell for it sins, but even those people have to see something that was done right in the game. Plus, if the developers do browse these forums it'd be good for them to see what they did right and what we want to not change and see again in subsequent Silent Hunters.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion and obviously has reasons for feeling the way they do, but I'd like to keep this thread more towards the positive aspects. Thank you guys :yeah:

Some of the things I like is of course the graphics, duh. But when your sub, the ocean, ships, and harbors look as good as they do I feel makes it easier to immerse yourself. I know it kills the imagination in some regards, but when I'm walking through my sub or standing on the conning tower it makes me feel like I'm really there.
I also like the crew interaction as limited as it is. It's a first attempt at making you feel like the captain of these men and its a lot better than the management system in SH3 (I don't think it was the captain's job to tell his men when they needed to go to sleep).
The campaign missions are good too. I know the tonnage requirements are far from realistic, but I like having a goal or an objective instead of patrol grid XYZ for at least 24 hours. Maybe this is because I am a casual gamer, but it makes me feel like I'm more involved in the overall war effort in the game.

These are just a few things, but I just wanted to get the ball rolling.

I LOVE the Dynamic shadows , I was asking the developers for those Dynamic shadows since SH3 , and now I am really really :D HAPPY :rock:, I know the settings of the stock shadows are blurred , but with some tweak can be improved



http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/4597/tttthhhh.th.png

.

what did you tweak to get the shadows that way? my shadows are horribly grainy in game :(

I cannot tell you this settings are the most perfect of the Whole world because still give a little blurred effect , please zoom the image below

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/5952/270510.th.png

.

What are the effects of these changes? I'd like to have clear shadows but if it'll kill my fps then I don't think I want it

I like the polish attempt at the whole interface, a whole world map, the more structured campaign while still being dynamic, it adds a lot more meaning... The immersion is still there but it is very hard to look past some issues because there are some really good things here but many less realized ones that appear to have been cut off...

I really think the dev cycle was cut short... what’s the point of not having a spread angle but a salvo option? Why the leading of shots with the periscope? It's like having half a calculated shot and dumb firing... I can't hit anything! And why muck up a good option to walk around the boat by making it mandatory to do fundamental delegated tasks?

So I think its easier to criticize, especially when core features are missing... But that being said I am enjoying it. It has even more potential than SH3 for immersion. IT could have more staying power too if the modders fully embrace it...

It’s clear the designers had really good intentions for this iteration but I think their time managed skills did them in... this often results in unfinished work left in the code and file structures, and that’s a big win for us if the moders are motivated! As many have been already :) But I'm looking for the first total conversion... I loved GWX early versions that I could still use easy targeting, I prefer that to push me further into the war campaign...

Perhaps if I was a first timer to the series I would really love it if only I wasn’t forced to walk around the boat to do the simple stuff... Then I could sit back and enjoy the mods as they come in and learn more about sub commanding and manual targeting... But SH3 had SO much attention I would frankly prefer a direct port into SH5's rendering engine...

Whatever happened to the Super SH with both US and German campaigns?

I could catalog a huge list of great features and lovely details, but it all comes down to one word: immersion. For me, that's the biggest deal. The devs did a really good job improving the graphics, adding many tiny details and, most importantly, allowing Herr Kaluen complete access to these beautiful boats! :rock:

Already, what important features were left out, or more simply unattached, have been fixed and, in many cases, improved by the wonderful group of modders on this forum. :salute:

I am loving this game! And, I'm not looking back. :yeah:

I think the problem with the auto targeting is that to make it work you can't lock on to your target. You line up the crosshairs with where you want your torpedo to hit and if you look on your mini-map it automatically lines up the shot...BUT, if you Lock Target it switches to the TDC and if the TDC is turned off you have to do the line up the numbers. I've slowly taught myself to manually target thanks to the guides here on Subsim, and *cough* having map updates on - but gotta learn somewhere,( http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=164131) and it takes a little more time, but I actually miss less and it feels more rewarding.

I didn't know about the the Super SH, but that might be because things were cut to make the deadline. I do agree it does seems rushed as if to make a release date the developers weren't planning on (which is probably even more frustrating and heartbreaking for the devs than for us).
I still like it though, and even the mods out now make the game greater, I can't wait to see what happens given time.

Well aside from it obvious flaws, it bascially plays like stock SH3 with 2010 graphics - which is not a bad thing at all.
It just could be better, but dont let the comments put you off the game as its not that bad.
Its just that the standards and expectations of those at subsim are much higher and your average Joe :D.

Yeah, how does that affect the fps. I know a simple trick that lowers the negative affect of things like shadows, but it only helps a little bit. If you run a search in the SH5 folder for shadow, open all the files, and save them without compressing them. You need GIMP or PhotoShop to open them.

Edit: You know what, I could just make those changes to the .cfg file, decompress the proper .dds files to try to help the fps, and release this as a little shadow improvement mod. I will have to test it out my self though first. tonschk, would you mind if I did that, I would credit you for having the original idea of course?

2nd Edit: Bad news guys, it destroyed my fps even with my trick. I might try to find a middle ground that would make them look a bit better but still not eat up the fps.

Hello there, yes of course no problem :yeah: , I bought a EAH5870 V2 , specifically to play SH5 , and those new setting can reduce the FPS of this video card but only when become warm ( 70 C ) , I am swapping the stock video card cooler and adding also a huge passive heatsink ( 300x150x15mm ) at the back of the GPU PCB

http://www.birminghamaluminium.com/heatsink_detail/39

.

Don't mind me. Bumping because it's nice to see a positive thread for a change. :sunny:

The visual part is what makes me to love it. I love the slim and minimalist UI, the ocean, the visual effects and the 3D sub. I hate everything what is scripting related, I hate that I'm forced to use mods I don't like just to play it as it should be played.. like a sim. This game was never tested at 100% realism by devs as is impossible to play it at full realism without mods, or.. maybe their intention was to downgrade SH to a arcade game for kids and retards.

My biggest respect for those who developed the visual part of SH5, my full hate and anger for those who developed the rest and took the decision to release it as a finished product. I think the scripting part of SH5 was done in a week or less, is so badly done.

Anyway, bugged or not.. I like it, is the first one from the series that makes me play it every day, even made me to quit WoW :D And using mods it really make it enjoyable and playable.

I Agree :yeah:, the Three popping out gauges on the bottom right of SH3/SH4 interface already looks a bit silly to me , the minimalist SH5 UI looks slim and smart

.

I too enjoy the minimalist UI.. however I have started playing with it not there (ie: numpad Del) So it really does seem like I am captaining a U-boat. Want to see Fuel levels, check the Dials, Depth? Dials again, etc.

Also, Tonshck are you saying I must buy an uber Video Card to use those settings :haha: