Home again and loving SH5!

[misha1967]

Sorry, I just have to wax poetic for a bit here. Bear with me.

Having been a crazed, grognard simmer since computers got powerful enough to sim anything other than Lunar Lander, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when Aces of the Deep came out (remember that one?).

Then came the Silent Hunters and things just got better. I thought I'd reached the pinnacle when SH3, after heavy modding because she wasn't much to write home about in her early release form, made it to my computer.

But I found Subsim.com and the most outstanding community of incredibly talented people and it just kept getting better to the point where I finally though "OK, this is it. It just doesn't get any better than this." With a fully modded GWX version of SH3, I was there.

How wrong I was.

Yes, I anticipated eagerly the release of SH5 once the first mentions of what it was going to include came out, but then it was released and turned out to be a horrid, arcade cluster-fnjord of a mistake. Pretty, yes, no doubt about it, but I already had "pretty" with my modded SH3. I just didn't need a "point and click" sub "simulator."

But I was happy still. I had my SH3 which, thanks to the modders here was about five steps beyond awesome already, so life was good.

And then the modders went to work on SH5 as well.

The result, as it stands now, is everything SH3 ever was and so much more. You see, I'm big on "immersion", which is a particularly apt word when you talk about sub sims

And SH5, as it is now thanks to modders, has that in spades compared with even the most heavily modded versions of SH3. Your crew isn't just icons on the screen that you haul from here to there anymore, they're actually fully animated characters that you can talk to. Your boat isn't just a collection of "stations" anymore, it's actually a living, breathing environment you can walk through while listening to their conversations in the background, hearing the radio blaring, the gramophone playing or whatnot. When you have water flooding your boat, you're actually wading through it...

I could go on and on...

You can play it the "old way" by jumping between stations or you can actually walk between them. Gauges work, people talk, it's a living environment.

And that's what "simulation" is all about for me. You live it through the screen.

And none of that would have happened if it hadn't been for the tireless work of this forum's modders (with the help of the devs, I hasten to add). Thanks to them, I can actually pretend to be the captain of a real Uboat without the danger of being killed.

Immersion. I can listen to period-accurate radio, get historically accurate updates on what is going on with the world, I can even spend time on the bridge enjoying a sunset, the list goes on...

Every other sim I've ever played has always had this "let's just fast forward to the next bit of action" factor in there. This one doesn't. I can do that, to be sure, but never before have I had the feeling that switching on time compression might deprive me of something.

That, I tell you, is an accomplishment. And if it hadn't been for the dev team who just wouldn't give up on the franchise while keeping it open to modding and, much more so, by the modders constantly working to make a good thing even better, this would have never happened.

I'm loving every minute of it and I just want to say "thank you" to everybody who helped out turning this thing into a jewel.

[francho1961]

I share his opinion Commander.... good hunting and happy weekend.

[danhall86]

Sounds like you've had a great experience of the game misha1967. You've just helped to convince me that SH5 is the subsim i need to buy.

If it's not too much trouble, could you tell me what patches and mods you've added to your game to get it to that point? I'm just about to delve into the whole experience and its a bit overwhelming understanding where to start.

Would be hugely appreciated!

[quink99]

I have never played any other sub simulation game other than SH5 so I have no other basis for comparison other then my simulation past: flight Simulator FSX. SH5 has won me over completely and without reservation. I've never looked back.

It might not have been so had it not been for the outstanding SH5 community who supports this game and offers a warm, always present, helping hand to all who need it.

Come on in, the water's fine.

[THE_MASK]

I am middle aged so i like the slow pace of SH5 . If i get bored i go and get shot in the head by snipers a few times playing BF3 then come back to SH5 . I like it .

[misha1967]

Originally Posted by danhall86

Sounds like you've had a great experience of the game misha1967. You've just helped to convince me that SH5 is the subsim i need to buy.

If it's not too much trouble, could you tell me what patches and mods you've added to your game to get it to that point? I'm just about to delve into the whole experience and its a bit overwhelming understanding where to start.

Would be hugely appreciated!

For sure!

I actually used sober's mod list as a template (you can see it by clicking on the link in his signature), adding whatever I liked as I went along, and I'll likely be adding more. It's a great place to start, particularly because the load order in his "mod soup" is tested and working, and load order is something that can trip you up.

Great place to start!

Anyway, as to my own, here it is:

Generic Mod Enabler - v2.6.0.157
[C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\silent hunter 5\MODS]

Accurate German Flags
RemoveLogoIntroTheDarkWraith
sobers green spinning thing SH5
No Damn Bubbles, No Damn Halo Mod
Dynamic Environment SH5 Basemod (realistic version) V2.1
Dynamic Environment SH5 Waves (normal version) V2.1
Dynamic Environment SH5 Sounds V2.1
MightyFine Crew Mod 1.2.1 Alt faces
MCCD_1.04_MFCM_1.2.1_compatible
sobers multi color mod V2
sobers see thru wake fix
sobers_realistic_underwater_FX2
sobers NO water drops V1
sobers 3D deck spray mod V7
Window_Lights_Redone_V1
NOZAURIO'S SKIN (Standar No Emblem) v-1.0.0
Pascal-sh5-Crew-Uniforms. 12.2011
SAS special abilities simplified V1 (MCCD) SH5
FX_Update_0_0_19_ByTheDarkWraith
IRAI_0_0_30_ByTheDarkWraith
IRAI_upgrade_to_v_0_0_31
NewUIs_TDC_6_9_0_ByTheDarkWraith
German U-Boat Crew Language Pack
Speech fixes and additions (german version)
Trevally Automated Scripts v0.6
Trevally Harbour & Kiel Canal Pilot v2.8
Stormys DBSM SH5 v1.3 Basemod
Stormys DBSM SH5 v1.3 additional crew sounds beta6
Grossdeutscher Rundfunk
Trevally Tutorials - All v0.2 (for TDW UI)

Only thing left out (but that's because I'm on patrol and, generally speaking, you should never add mods while patrolling. Some won't do any harm, but the risk is too great in my opinion) is Manos' scope mod, which you absolutely MUST have if you intend on using the RAOBF in TDW's newUI.



EDIT: Of course, if you don't much feel like going through mine or sober's "soups", they're a bit long, you could check out this thread as well. As a matter of fact, you ought to regardless of what you choose. It's a great overview of how to get a good, functional mod soup with most of the bells and whistles without hitting 40 or so mods. Remember, you can always add more later!

[Sailor Steve]

I'm not going to point out what SH5 still lacks for me, because I'm fussy and particular in all the wrong ways. I just want to make a couple of rude, snarky comments.

Originally Posted by misha1967

Lunar Lander,

I LOVED Lunar Lander. I only played it in the arcades, though, never on a computer.

I thought I'd died and gone to heaven when Aces of the Deep came out (remember that one?).

Remember it? I still play it from time to time.

Of course I agree. The modders have the talent and the taste to stick with things until they work properly and wonderfully, and despite any complaints about the stock game if it wasn't for Dan and his team there wouldn't be anything to mod.

And Neal created and still maintains the best site on the web.

[THE_MASK]

If SH5 gives me just a hint of what it must have been like for those poor men in there german submarines then it works for me .

[misha1967]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

I LOVED Lunar Lander. I only played it in the arcades, though, never on a computer.

Thanks, Sailor Steve, you just made my day. At least now I know that I'm not the ONLY Ancient Mariner around in here

Seriously, though. I first played that one on a steam-powered mainframe back in the early 80s!

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by misha1967

Thanks, Sailor Steve, you just made my day. At least now I know that I'm not the ONLY Ancient Mariner around in here

Actually before I switched to "Rock 'n' Roll Grandpa", "Ancient Mariner" was my title.

[Dogfish40]

Originally Posted by misha1967

Thanks, Sailor Steve, you just made my day. At least now I know that I'm not the ONLY Ancient Mariner around in here

Seriously, though. I first played that one on a steam-powered mainframe back in the early 80s!

Yeah, Misha's list is close to mine basically and you can't beat Dyn Env with all of TDW's stuff and the Mighty Fine Crew stuff. Pack all that together with a few x,tras for taste and you're on your way.
Good Hunting Herr Kaleuns

[Maki4444]

Exactly