thanks for your replies gentlemen.
I like SH4, love its graphics, and really appreciate the concepts... but i thought it had too many unexcusable bugs to begin with and game play was ruined as a result. I WILL BE GIVING SH4 ANOTHER CHANCE.
sounds like it has come a long way in a short time.
about the quality of every GWX version out there; and the business practices of Ubi...
Kpt. Lehmann
IS the guy standing over eveyones shoulder that tells when it has to be released, the thing is... in his true leadership ability which is NOT numbers driven he leads his dev team to produce a highly reliable quality product and deliver it "when it's ready" NOT
when we hit the big X on the calendar regardless of quality.
i know as a group of freeware modders, him and his dev team enjoy the luxury of not having to really work with a deadline, or worry about profit margin or "other titles" that require work too etc. UBI doesnt have that luxury, but i also think that Ubisoft and other game developers should be a bit more responsible regarding the quality of their releases.
for example, I just played Bioshock (PC). One of the most detail oriented first person shooters to date. Now... given that FPS games are
probably easier to code than simulations (i dont know either way). there was not ONE game stopping bug in bioshock, not ONE sound glitch, not ONE single issue or crash to desktop in approximately 16 continuous hours of game play, saves, loads etc.
its a brand new unpatched release, what gives? why isnt it constantly screwing up and crashing?
Microsoft Flight simulator X is another example, some folks complained about how it runs on their computers, but since i meet the recommended reuirments i had no issues with the sim. I dont believe i have
ever had a single crash to desktop, i dont have any game stopping issues, and the game doesnt CTD every time i level off and try to hold altitude. the air traffic controller voice doesnt repeat over and over "You are cleared to land, land, land, land, land, land" It was a brand new title in a genre that had history... The Microsoft Flight simulator line of sims has been around for a similar length of time as the Silent service/ silent hunter series... why doesnt the initial unpatched version of FSX constantly crash and screw up? why doesnt it have issues that more or less stop or at least seriously affect game play?
my final question is simply this... what makes SH4... or any other SH series for that matter any different from FSX or Bioshock or Call of Duty or IL2?
and i dont want to hear about "lower fan base" or "FPS and Flight sims are more popular than sub sims."...
...those things are not the issue, my dad told me when i was very young that "anything worth doing is worth doing right... if you're sole job in life is only to build chain link fence posts, then by all means, build the strogest, straightest and most reliable fence posts you can." its the ethics of the gaming companies thats the issue with me.
again thanks for your replies, and thank you for renewing my interest in SH4... once i clear my desk of other projects i will give it another shot.