Overall I have been a bit disappointed in SH4 vs SH3. As it stands now SH4 1.4 is still quite buggy and generally has a very "arcadey" feel stock, much more so than SH3. However, the big mods (ROW, RFB, etc.) are excellent and help restore the SH3+GWX sim feel to it and fix many of the problems. There is still a long way to go though and there isn't a full GWX-type complete package that does everything. So you kind of have to hunt and peck for the mods that have what you want and hope they don't cause problems with each other.
There is no comparison in gameplay imho between the AI and realistic feel of SH3+GWX vs SH4 and the current mods right now. Destroyer/aircraft AI is weak, traffic needs alot of work, ports (ugh), torpedo/deck gun damage. weather, etc. - all works in progress and far off from SH3. Graphically SH4 is better (I would say marginally but that's relative to everyone) but that's about it.
The most important thing is that I have yet to feel close to the tension/excitement of my u-boat in SH3 tracking down convoys, running the channel, or raiding ports to name a few.
That said, SH4 is very inexpensive right now (I paid $18 new at BB), so if you are a fan of SH3 at all it's a no-brainer to pick it up and play around with it while the mods mature. I would imagine alot of serious captains will be sticking to SH3+GWX for quite a while though.
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