I agree with Sailor Steve about the bias and the number of times this comparison is made. Before I get into my own speech, I will state outright that I still prefer III. That being said, 5 has grown on me, thanks exclusively to the mod community. The DRM chased me away as I cannot stand intrusive programming that borders on malware. Once it was disabled with offline mode, I jumped.
The biggest difference between the two is that SHIII can be played outside the box. SH5 pretty much demands mods (Watching the stock AI casually fly a Hurricane past your boat without engaging is almost comical) While stock III does still have its fair share of issues (Crash Dive bug, submerged saving bug) the only thing that demands attention is the overzealous fatigue model for the crew. SH5 virtually requires TheDarkWraith's UI mod to restore the same functions present in III.
On the surface, SHIII is geared for the hardcore subsim player while SH5 is more casual in its approach and focuses more on player immersion (crew interaction). Everyone has said that 5 has the potential to surpass III and I agree with this. However, it is the mod community that will make this happen. Quite frankly, I do not see it happening for at least a year or so.
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