SH4 Recommended now?

[Sierra6.0]

Came from Silent Hunter 3 in 03, but haven't been able to play since a computer crash (dang star forge).

When SH4 was released, there were a number of game killing bugs reported and I've heard SH5 is a disaster.

But the call of the ocean is coming again, and I'm itching to command a boat once again.

So is SH4 recommended now? Which version? Which mods? I finally have a PC to push high frame rates (i7, 2GB Radeon vid card), so any texture/graphics mods recommended).

So should I go with SH4 or SH5, or try to get SH3 running again?


As for my history, I started with Silent Service on the Atari ST, then moved to Silent Service II on the IBM (enjoyed 1 better). Moved up to Command Aces of the Deep when moving from Dos to Win95, and finished with Silent Hunter 3. I'd prefer the pacific theater, if SH4 is now in a recommended state.

Thanks guys.

[Torplexed]

Welcome to Subsim.

I'd recommend SH4 with one of the supermods, like Real Fleet Boat (RFB) , or Trigger Maru Overhauled (TMO). You can even play U-Boat captain in the Atlantic with in Operation Monsun.(OM)

I haven't played SH5, but apparently you only get the Type VII U-Boat to command, and it sounds like you need to add a mod soup to get it running in a way that players find desirable.

[MKalafatas]

One of the "old heads" could give a more credible answer, but my feeling is yes --- I recommend SH4. The bugs have been worked out and the game is terrific. Think someone mentioned they bought it recently for $9.

If you get one new, it should be v 1.5. If not, you can patch it to v 1.5.

Since you go so far back with sub sims, you'll definitely enjoy it.

The most popular mods are the Trigger Maru Overhaul II (TMO), and the Run Silent, Run Deep Campaign (RSRDC), both available in the downloads section. There are also good sound mods for the radio, depending on your tastes in music and/or news.

Welcome aboard.

[Sierra6.0]

Thanks everyone. I'm thinking of Steam since I was forced to use it for Skyrim. It is $9 for the main game and $9 for the "u-boat" expansion. No gold version though.

Thanks for the help. I'm getting itchy to see the waves of the Pacific on my 50" plasma via HDMI, so I may pull the trigger tonight, too bad my crappy Internet connection is going to require a darn near all day download!

[Sailor Steve]

SH4 has been good for at least four years. Too bad you didn't find this out sooner. The mods recommended by Torplexed are both excellent.

Where are you in the world? SH4 Gold can be purchased fairly cheap on any Amazon site, and if you use the link at the bottom of the page Subsim.com also gets a cut.

[Flaxpants]

SH4 is a beautiful game, especially with the aforementioned mods. Better to get the gold edition if you can though.

[Rockin Robbins]

SH4 Gold Edition may not be the PERFECT submarine simulator, but it is the best in the world. Sure wish they had updated SH3 in a similar manner because SH5 was no substitute or improvement on SH3, but instead is a whole different kettle of fish. And those fish smell really bad......

I heartily recommend SH4 as a worthy stable-mate with SH3, but without the save game scrambler and micromanaged crew system. Yes, they lost some goodies in the translation, but they made some new ones too. I think you'll enjoy it.

Just remember: you are not playing SH3. A fleet boat is NOT a U-Boat. Just because they are both submarines does not translate into everything working the same. You'll have some frustration with the TDC. You'll have some frustration with the HUD layout and game controls. Neither is better or worse than the other. The devs just made some very arbitrary choices that made the games very different. It's all good!

[Bilge_Rat]

Right now, SH4 is in its golden age and has been taken about as far as you can with the engine/code. There are no game killing bugs, super mods (RFB, TMO, OTC, FOTRS) to suit everyone's taste and realistic dynamic campaigns (RSRDC). It is probably at 95-98% of what even the most demanding grognard would want.

What more could you ask for?

[Diopos]

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

...

What more could you ask for?

Well I'll just pretend you didn't ask ...

.

[Traveller]

I have to agree with all the above said. Silent Hunter 4 really is the best of all 3 now. There is no comparison compared to when it was first released.

The Silent Hunter 3 game engine is now creaking with age. The OM super mod for SH4 really is better in my opinion. Besides, the SH4 modding community seems to be more easy-going compared to what I remember from my SH3 modding days. And I don't even want to think about Silent Hunter 5... even after all the hard work modders have put into it, it's still a complete disaster.

I think SH4 still has much, much potential. The OM mod is very good in it's current state, but I feel it could be greatly improved upon. I think there now needs to be more focus on modding and improving the U-boat side of SH4. And I plan on helping to do that!

[Daniel Prates]

Most experienced players would not trade SH4 (with supermods as TMO or RSRD) for anything newer that ubisoft or other company may throw in the stores. So yeah, stick to SH4 and it`s excellent community improvements.

[sharkbit]

Take the plunge. It is worth it.

It took a few years before I got it because my old computer couldn't handle it.
There are some excellent supermods(TMO and RFB with companion RSRD campaigns to go along with each). I've played both TMO and RFB. I kinda lean toward TMO. Haven't tried OM yet.

Like Rockin' Robbins said though, Fleet Boats are not U-boats. That was the hardest thing for me to get use to after SH3, especially the US TDC.

To me, SH4 will never replace SH3. I play both as the mood suits. Both have different flavors. If I had to say, I probably play SH3 a little more than SH4 though.

Enjoy.

[daveinfla2002]

Have been playing silent hunter ever since sh2 came out...like to play sh3 and 4...thinking of trying some super mods...posting here to get more great downloads from all u great sub simmers.....Thanks

[barkmann44]

I've heard that steam has problems I got mine from d2d for 9.95 and can redownload it anytime.

[Rockin Robbins]

D2D is not anything I would recommend. That's how I went, and I regret it. You only get a one or two time install key. If you mod and play as much as I do you'll have to reinstall once every couple of months or so. D2D forces you to either find another way (which I did) or continually try to get their customer service to issue you another key.

As many on the site can attest, getting a new key can be a time-consuming hassle. And with D2D you STILL have SecuROM in its full glory, wasting computer resources, checking your machine every time SH4 runs for its list of blacklisted software, which is not allowed on your machine.

This list makes no sense whatever. One of the prohibited programs is Microsoft's Process Explorer, a Windows Task Manager, amped up so you can do some additional analysis functions. It's especially useful in analyzing lag. Because its author, Mark Russinovich, was the discoverer and revealer of Sony's infamous music CD computer trojan, and SecuROM is a Sony product, Process Explorer is prohibited as a kind of revenge. I sneer in Sony's direction and won't be found with one of their products again. Process Explorer has nothing to do with computer piracy or stealing games. Keeping it from running on your machine makes you less secure, not more.

You can avoid this monkey business by purchasing SH4 Gold, which does not have SecuROM at all. That alone is a compelling reason to avoid the Direct2Drive download.

No, I am NOT afraid to share a room with an opinion.......