I can't choose a Silent Hunter at this point...
 

Greetings fellows!


After some years of playing SH series, I got a bit tired and started to try other naval simulators looking for something new, good and different, but after a lot of attemps, in the end I allways came to the conclusion that (sadly) Silent Hunter games are the best of their genre by far, so I took a long break of naval sims...


Now I really want to play SH again, but the point is that I don't know what one of them choose to play regularly. I don't feel entirely comfortable with none of them, probably caused by the time spent.


Silent Hunter 3: Probably the best, but the most played so I still feeling tired of it. Also, I don't feel like a graphic whore, but a lot of years had passed yet, and after seeing the beautiful of SH4 & SH5, it's starting to look a bit ugly for me.


Silent Hunter 4: Pacific theater it's a very nice change, but some bugs made it a bit annoying for me (bugs and realism issues like planes flying like UFOs and/or crashing in water, a ***8220;phantom convoy***8221; half-sunked wich causes brutal lag, the weird acting of escorts, how easy it is to attack a port...). Also I find german TDC funnier to use than the US system.


Silent Hunter 5: Like in the other ones, modders are doing an amazing-unpaid-fantastic work, and I am sure that they will lead SH5 to be the simultor that we all wanted it to be (thank you, guys!). But at this point, when I play SH5 I have the feeling of an unfinished-buggy game :(


(I don't want to offend nobody with this opinions, which are totally subjective, and are only my point of view. Also this are only the bad points, these games are some of my all-time favourite ones).


This summer I have been playing the three of them, trying to choose one to keep playing regularly, but every time I play a few hours of the campaign I regret and start a new campaign in one of the others.


Oops, this post is getting too large, so let's go to the topic... I don't want you to tell me what SH to play, but I would like to know your points of view, what is your favourite SH to play at this point, and why do you like it above the others, or even if you found other naval games that you like more, if you are so kind :)


Thank you and sorry for my bad english.

I presume you've got GWX and all that for SH3? I must confess I haven't played SH3 for some time, I have got a campaign in the Med waiting for me to get back to it but there's just not enough hours in the day.

There's always Dangerous Waters for a REAL change of pace, but the graphics are not the strong point, but they're not meant to be to be honest. :yep:

Silent Hunter 4 is my favourite barring the first. Mind you, I've never played 5 so I can't comment on that.

Yeah, Dangerous Waters might be fun for you to try. Very different game; much more of a study sim than the Silent Hunter series.

Yup! I always use GWX3 & SH3 Commander with Silent Hunter 3, they're two great pieces of hardware :up:

I tried a bit Dangerous Waters, I like a lot the complexity of the systems, but I find the navigation itself a bit poor... not to mention about the graphics... :haha:

Anyways, I plan to give another chance to it someday, multiplayer in the same vessel and the ability of play with a destroyer are very interesting.

Thank you. :DL

Also check out this topic on some thoughts for SH3 vs. SH4...

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=188241

The most FUN I had playing this series is when they mated
SH2 with Destroyer Command. You could command just about
any sub or ship you wanted too. I had hours of enjoyment
playing DC vs. SH2 or vice-versa when all the players were
human (both sides) This was NEVER done again and I think
its about time that a game is produced that gives players
that option again. NOW it could be done in 1 game, not 2...

That sounds truly funny!

A new game like that would be awesome.

SH3 is the game I lost my virginity on (bias disclaimer), and with GWX and commander I feel it blows away SHV by a long shot. I have a laundry list of gripes with SHV that diminishes it amongst the other 2.

SH4 was a great change getting to play as "the stars and stripes" but the bugs you allude to got me too. It's not as clunky feeling as SHV but not as dangerous as SH3. Almost too easy to get away, whereas in SH3 you would eat depth charges for a good while before they quit.

If I only had to choose one I would go with SH3 as I feel most comfortable with it, and the mod choice is more robust. The geniuses here seem to have it more figured out.

Yes soopaman2, at the end I always came to the same conclussion, very sad...

I just took this couple of screenshots yesterday, testing again SH5...

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/3797/sinttulovgz.jpg
http://img810.imageshack.us/img810/8539/sinttulorbz.jpg

"And I think to myself, what a beautiful game" ...very very sad the unplayable it is... :down:

Nice screens (but no Anti-Aliasing?! Try turning down particle effects or using D3D antilag to boost your fps so you can run AA, it makes such a difference!).

I play more SH5 now than 4, and I was a confirmed fan of 4 (still am). 4 has the excellent TMO mod, which for me is really all I need to get the most out of it (RSRD is great too, but I prefer a somewhat more 'gamey' setting with more DDs etc).

5 on the other hand.. stock is terrible, and you have the annoying Ubi connection at startup, which can cost you game time if the server goes down (fortunately that's not often). The stock campaign is awful, only one sub class etc etc, lots of mods to make it 'work' properly.

But when it does, it's awesome. Get Open Horizons II to fix the campaign, TDWs New UIs with TDC for more UI & TDC options, Dynamic Environment for the eye candy, IRAI to boost the AI and all the rest is optional. Granted, the installation can be a bit of a nightmare with so many mods (check my list below!), but once you get it right, you get a better interface, hugely improved graphics, extended campaign, really nasty planes and destroyers and all kinds of good stuff - and the extra immersion from having an (almost) full sub to wander around in does add an awful lot to the game too.

With the recent developments from Privateer & TDW, we may start to see more submarines and ships added over the coming months, which will kill the last big objection (the DRM isn't really an issue any more) to SH5. It's more effort now, sure - but it's worth it. If you want less hassle (one install, one mod to add) then go SH4. I've never seen that many bugs in 4, for the record, which I mostly attribute to Ducimus' excellent work on TMO.

SH5 and SH4 for me, also what 0rpheus said about the mods for SH5. Open Horizons II and be warned when using the IRAI mod I find for me the AI are the hardest ive come up against in all the SH games when trying to get away after an attack. I have a great hatred for thos cunning Brits :nope::D