Hello esteemed submarine friends
Thank you for this refreshingly open debate and the many constructive opinions from all camps!
For the last remaining SH3 fans - but also for many new SH3 players - this discussion and subsequent decisions are elementarily important.
I think it is important for all SH3 programmers, modders and designers to know that it still makes sense to invest valuable private time in SH3 in 2021 to keep our valuable game alive.
Topic SH3.EXE / Copyrights:
The last "officially valid original SH3.EXE - Version 1.4b - without Starforce protection!" file was published by UBI itself already in September 2005.
It is part of the last recommended UBI SH3 update packages "EMEA-DVD", "EMEA-DL", "US-DVD", "US-DL".
These original UBI files can still be downloaded today at:
https://www.silenthunteriii.com/uk/updates.php.
Further information from UBI Forum Manager "kleaneasy" here:
https://forums.ubisoft.com/showthrea...D-Drive-Forums
From this update package only five files (Sh3.exe, MISSIONENGINE.DLL, SIMDATA.DLL, UTILS.DLL & STATEMACHINE.DLL) are relevant for the game to work.
These five files were also published separately under the name "Silent Hunter 3 v1.4b [ENGLISH] No-DVD/Fixed EXE - RELOADED" - "tolerated" by UBI until today - at GameCopyWorld
Conclusion: There is no doubt about the free availability and worldwide legal use of these files for free SH3 modding projects today - objectively seen = THE USE IS LEGAL - already since 2006!
I repeat here our LSH3-Statement Edition 2020 on the subject of UBI:
To install the free supermod "LSH3-Edition-2020", a valid license from Ubisoft© for the original game "Silent Hunter III ©" is mandatory!
The LSH3 team distances itself explicitly from illegally acquired game licenses and/or pirated copies!
This is a small excerpt from our "LSH3-EDITION-2020-INSTALLATION_EN.PDF".
https://www.lsh3.com/v20/dl/LSH3-EDI...LLATION_EN.pdf
I recommend all SH3 professionals to also read the following pages here:
- Pages 3 and 4 "Preface - information to better understand the "old" game today".
- Page 18 "Contacts - list of SH3 contacts still available today".
- Page 19 "Epilogue - Acknowledgements to the SH3 Community".
For me personally it is very important that also here in SUBSIM the vision and ideology of LSH3 can be understood and hopefully accepted.
Topic Hosting at SUBSIM:
Since 2007 we/LSH3 have been hosting our free original LSH3 files ourselves.
This way we ensure that our original LSH3 files always remain "free" - freely available to the whole world.
This way we also keep control that there will only be genuine and verified LSH3 files available at
www.lsh3.com.
(My LSH3 server is located in Europe>Switzerland>Basel. We are not subject to US or EU DRM for the time being).
Friends, long story short:
Let's finally end the tiresome topic of "SH3.EXE" after 15 years!
Neal, I am looking forward to your answer from UBI and especially to your final decision regarding SUBSIM.
Even if we/the LSH3 team are still relatively unknown at SUBSIM:
Let's become friends and let's work together - because we are the last SH3 gurus worldwide.
Also our SH3 winter is approaching!
With love and respect
LSH3-Urmel / Ariel
Translated with
www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)