Anyone else burned on all SH titles?
 

Not sure where to post this, so im sticking it in general games. But, for awhile now, i've realized im pretty much burned out everything that is Silent Hunter.


SH3:
For some reason, i just can't go back. For one, it looks like crap now. Even though my monitor is a 4:3 aspect ratio, the game looks all fuzzy. Then the super long loading times, and... blah.. just blah. I love some parts of this title, but ultimately it plays out the same.
Find ships, chase them, sink them.

SH4:
Work work work work work work work work work. My ass should have festering, bleeding, ulcer like bed sores from the amount of sitting at a desk i've undured for this game. Frankly, I have given up ever playing this game. I don't want to anymore. I try, i see something i don't like, im back to work on it again. Every time i've quit and restarted on this game, my endurance has gotten shorter, each and every time. I suspect I may have one more go left in me, but that won't be for a very long time. But again, this game plays out the same way.
Find, chase, sink.

Sh5:
You know, i REALLY like the interactive crew, the fully rendered interiors, and the graphics. But this game is more borked then SH4. Despite the bells and whisltes, gameplay is the same.
Find, chase, sink.

So lets talk about the game play:
In terms of game play and challenge, each and every SH title is essentually the same. In fact, THEY ARE ALL IDENTICAL. The core game play, is all derived from SH3. (or perhaps SH2? I don't know, never played it). But the core mechanics of the simulation, and the AI of the simulation, IS THE EXACT SAME FOR ALL THREE GAMES, and neither has any depth or complexity to them. Well, ok.. so Ubi added thermal layers in SH4, i guess that's new. But from my standpoint, each and every game is the same, all that changes is the bells and whistles. When people complain about the AI, I just laugh. Because once you learn how it works, evading it becomes nothing more then an exercise in repetition.

I wish i didn't feel this way, i really do. I WANT to play, and I want to enjoy myself. I remember how fun and engaging SH3 used to be for me. I wish i could recapture that. But knowing these game's like i do, (and i know these games file structure like the back of my hand, probably better then most), i just can't.

I have that with any game I try to mod. It's never a lot of work, just some small projects like tweaking the flotation or scopes, but the more I learn about how it all works under the hood the more it loses its magic.

Played SH5 a bit at release, quite enjoyed myself in fact, even before any mods or patches were out (well, patch). Then I started on a little modding and I haven't touched a SH since.

So yeah, I think I understand where you're coming from.

Your dilemma describes why I never became an auto mechanic by trade. I simply enjoyed being a hobby-mechanic that went under the hood for the occasional spot of fun.

Being under the hood of a vehicle constantly would sap any desire I ever had to work on one as a recreational activity. More of the same, stale crackers.

I'm starting to develop the same level of apathy towards video games in general. Re-hashes and repetitions seem to be what people want, and game companies try re-boxing products that have sold well in the past. After hearing what a "great" game Assassin's Creed was, I picked it up. I never finished it because I very quickly realized something... It was doing the same *** **** thing over, and over, and over, again.

I have to agree with you Ducimus and Gereke.

Especially on the SH titles I've been getting more and more loth to play them. Of course its the nature of submarine warfare to go out and sink stuff. But for some reason the game just lacks that Oompf factor to keep me coming back.

Since then I've tried expanding to games like HOI2 (now 3), as well as trying to find a way to play DW on mac just because it's still having to do with submarines, just something different.

Maybe it is time to drag that telescope out,camping stuff and go on a road trip.Some were say Bagdag AZ.

I'm burnt out on all games period lately. On top of that it seems like every AI is always predictable or cheats likes crazy.

I burned out around eight months ago when one of my mods caused me about four weeks of grief. Load... CTD... adjust mod... load... CTD... adjust mod... load... works great in 1939... load 1944... CTD :damn::damn::damn:

I completed the mod, released it and bought myself a copy of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. After six months of completing STALKER and it's pre/sequals (and more importantly not even trying to mod the game) I thought I'd fire up SH3 and ended up falling for it again.

Take a complete break from modding for six months and see how you feel.

Burning out on things one once was attached to, clinged to, addicted to - isn't it like that with most things in life? Living means changing. Only few habits and hobbies and interests remain unchanged for long times to come. Heck, even love can fade out, and may even turn into hate one day.

I'm still playing SBP. But even my strong love for that title has faded a bit since April 2006, when it was released. It's natural. Same is true for Falcon 4. Chess. Photography. Writing.

Have you noted that I post even less often than five years ago, and postings smaller in size than they once were!? :88) :D

Lucky you. SH1 was the basis for the SH3 concepts, especially the "find and sink" that you've grown tired of. SH2 was basically a series of Single Missions, strung together to make a "campaign".

While I still love the random campaign myself, I have to agree about SH3's loading times. I keep planning to continue my current patrol, and keep finding reasons not to.

I can really understand your problem with SH4. Too much of a good thing can ruin your life. On the other hand, my biggest complaint about SH4 is that it doesn't have all of SH3's cool mods. I'd probably be truly in love if it ever got to that point.

I still don't have SH5, but I can see that it still doesn't have all the things I would want in a subsim.

So I don't feel burned out at all. I love these games. I just don't seem to be playing them much. :dead:

Burning out on games, yeah, that's happened to me several times. The good thing is, after 6 months without playing any games, all I have to do is load SH3, Age of Empires, or Battlefield 1942 and oh gog, it's love all over again. :rock:

Same for me: Not burned out, just... doing other stuff instead :haha:

It's not so much that i can't stand Finding, chasing, and sinking ships. (though i am tired of it because its become repetitive ) What i can't stand, is there's nothing in between. Or in other words, the simulation itself, is cut and dry, standard fare regardless of title. The procedure the same, in all three.

Honestly, i find myself wishing the simulation portion of Silent hunter, had alot more depth and complexity. Piloting/driving the boat itself is not a challenge, you press a key and you go. Diving the boat is not a challenge. You press a key and down you go.

There is so much not modeled, or rendered. Id love to be able to set the down angle on the dive planes. I'd love to be able to pump water from aft to fore, or vise versa. I want to have the option to blow or flood the saftey/negative tank. I want real fuel ballast i can turn a valve and convert to normal ballast. I'd love to try and be able to achieve neutral boyancy on my own if i wanted to. I don't want exacting detail on every little job on a boat, but id really love exacting detail on operating the boat in general.

*click* just doesn't do it for me anymore. If the game .. im sorry, the SIMULATION portion of teh game had more depth and complexity, it would make the Find/chase/sink portion, much more compelling.

You want more depth in a game? You've come to the right place brother :D (Ok sorry lame pun.. I'm tired and can't think straight what do you want from me :O: )

I don't really know how to word his out so I'll give an example of what I think you want.

In my example, flight sims will take the place of subsims. Now today there are so many combat flight sims its crazy, from arcadish to simulations. This is the Silent Hunter series (detract the "so many" part). It is focused on combat only, with minimal regards to piloting the boat. As you say its a cut and dry submarine combat simulator. You could almost call it a Submarine Commander simulation in that you're just giving orders. (SH5 takes this to the extreme.. and drops the ball somewhat).

Now what I think you want, is something like Flight Simulator, but for submarines. In that, you want to focus more on piloting and naviguating the boat. Focussing on such minute details as trim tanks, piloting the boat so precisely at periscope depth that you don't broach, etc, etc. However you want this with a slight combat twist, as opposed to what it is now (Combat with a slight naviguation twist).

I hope this makes sense, but am I at least grazing the surface of what you're coming to expect from silent hunter games?

^ Sub sim equivalent to the DCS series would be niiiice. :yep:

Yeah it would be nice.

As an aside, it occured to me, you know what the difference between SH3 and SH4 REALLY is, in terms of what you do as a player in regards to the simulation?

How you shoot salvo's, and the 3:15 rule becomes the 3 minute rule. That's pretty much it.