Like some others I would rate SH3's replay value to be pretty high. I mean you've got the campaigns which last a long time plus you can vary it somewhat by the choice of boats/equipment you buy. Also changing the realism does give you a chance to try new skills and game play with a slightly different flavour. But without the mods, like others have said, there is just so many times one can get a kick out of seeing a merchant explode and sink. But as a casual player I still get a kick out of the game.
My biggest beef was with how little could be done in the editor. I mean making maps is fun I suppose but altering assets and importing models is difficult and selecting hex as a primary way to edit assets was a really poor choice. This I think prevented a lot of people -myself included - from delving into modding the game. I probed around the files and quickly ascertained the game was only moddable to a point. Therefore I never got this value added feature from the game. I was cheezed about that actually.
The talk about SH4 got me thinking though. I mean, I'm sure the developers have all kinds of wonderful plans to make the game the greatest in the world. But like most games I'm sure time will run out, pressure will be put on by the distributor, and once again we'll get a title that is incomplete. Frankly this is starting to piss me off. Fine, we've got modders willing to add onto the game, but will this cycle of releasing half baked titles ever cease? Personally I've made it a policy not to purchase a game right when it comes out. I'll wait until the feedback starts to appear on the forums and I'll wait until the games are patched and stable before even considering to buy them. Then I'll make sure the editor tools are there and that they are stable too, and that the game is moddable beyond just placing a few boats and one of five available triggers on a friggin' map. Developers should take a lesson from ID and Doom 3 which is truly moddable.
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