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I agree with GSpector. There is HUGE room left to flesh out the crew and make them an active and vital part of the experience. SH4 got rid of SH3's problem of having to tell each crewmember to tie his shoes and brush his teeth, which was not fun. But in solving that problem, it has largely turned the crew into non-entities. I don't really even need them to run the boat.

The crew can and should be a major part of the immersion experience. I mean, these are your brothers in arms, breathing the same stale air and trapped in the same tin can. It should feel like it. There should be discipline cases, and guys who freak out, other guys who you know you can always depend on, and surprising heroes that emerge. Guys should get pissed off when they DON'T get the medal or promotion they deserve. Some guys shouldn't get along with each other, affecting performance. I'm hoping some real attention will be paid to this in future generations of the game.

I remember playing a game called "50 Mission Crush" on the Apple II. It was simple simple graphics, but I really felt it when that young airman who had finally mastered the turret gun got critically wounded with flak over Berlin and bled to death on the return journey. Or when our crew all bailed out over the North Sea, and my navigator who had been with me from the beginning never showed up again. And then on my next mission, my new navigator was green and got us so lost we nearly ran out of gas trying to find our target. SH should feel like THAT.