SH4 Review

Kapitan_Phillips · 03-24-07, 01:59 PM

Hey folks, I write this review for those who have the game *and* for those considering getting it. Its my first review, so be gentle

Reviewers Machine:

Windows XP Home SP2
2.9 GHz Processor
1024 MB RAM
nVidia GeForce 6200 256MB

Installation:

Installation was flawless for me. There were lots of bells and whistles in terms of optional extras (including an outdated version of DirectX) that I didnt bother with, I just wanted to get into the game. I followed the advice from this forum and rebooted after I installed, and then applied the 1.1 patch. Game time.

Startup:

The first notable improvement is the loading time. For SH3, which would take up to 5 minutes to load the main menu, SH4 does this in around 1-2. After which you are greeted by a concise main menu allowing you access to the games features. First stop, Options.

The options are divided into Sound, Graphics and Gameplay, like most games of today. I checked out the graphics options and ticked what I thought my modest computer could handle (more on that later) and applied the changes. So far, so good. The same with sound and gameplay.

I decided my first ingame stop would be the submarine school, to see how the sim looked and felt, and how it had changed from SH3. The school menu, easier to understand than its Atlantic counterpart (remember the "exam" button?), offered 4 options - Navigation, Artillery, Torpedoes and Convoy. Navigation, for starters, I thought.

Half expecting the load to take a long while, I began to flip through my recognition manual, and had barely gotten past the shiny front cover when the game initialised. Load times are massively improved. Up comes the command room.

Gameplay:

Right from the get go, an engine overhaul is evident. Things look bulky, well textured and lifelike. Until I try to move around. The FPS count plummeted as soon as my mitt touched the mouse. No worries, I thought, I'll tone down the options a little. So I did so, moving the sliders lower, unchecking some of the unnecessary boxes. Little did I know this would do little to improve my situation, so I turned everything to Low, and it still ran like a one legged horse. This game is NOT designed for those on a hardware budget. I looked in disbelief at the back of the jewel case - "256MB Card Recommended". My arse!

Aside from this obvious niggle, I moved around a little bit (which took some time) and checked out the stations. The first thing that'll strike you, if you played Silent Hunter 3, is how minimal they all seem. In the periscope views, you're treated to the TDC controls for setting up a torpedo shot, and the periscope view itself, and thats it. Granted, thats all you really need, but it just seems a bit..empty.

The same isnt true, however, for the Navigation Map, the one area where I got some respectable performance (:rotfl

. All the map tools appear to the bottom right, and you can draw all over the map as you see fit. Nice. But, to plot or edit your waypoints, you need to use the command bar. You can access the command bar from all the stations and it contains basically all you need to command your submarine. Imagine if you will the command bar from Silent Hunter 2. Now give it two layers, and voila, SH4 interface. A nice touch is that it can be locked and unlocked, so when the mouse is not using it, it slides down and takes up less of the screen, but bringing it up during an emergency just to give that one order thats not keymapped is a pain.

I braved the external view, and was treated to a Powerpoint presentation with a little submarine and the ocean in it. Odd, I thought, considering my specs should run this game comfortably, albeit without all the extras. It looks as though the devs left the game to be optimised for their machines (uberdeveloperboxes) and left those of us on a budget behind (sorry, but I'm not buying another video card just to play like I did for SH3.)

I didnt notice many bugs as far as graphics were concerned, but I noticed that the crew were very very quiet (and no, they weren't hunting wabbits) no doubt this can be fixed later, but still, missing that order reply could mean trouble. The sound in general is recycled SH3 stuff, from the translated crew. It would've been nice to have new sounds, and more of an atmosphere inside the submarine, but instead during a dive, I could only hear two "Ahooga!"s and not much else. The same is true for a crash dive, the "Ahooga!"s are a bit more frantic, but there's no kerfuffle to accompany it. Bit timid for an emergency, methinks.

Campaign:

The campaign interface is fun, and I like the intro videos for the year you start, it gives you a good idea whats going on. The fully 3D commanders room is also cool, and you can click various hotspots to access the different career functions, like crew management, submarine aces, upgrades and promotions. Unfortunatley I havent had chance to explore the various new objectives availiable, because of the games performance on my machine, but I'd imagine these would add even more to the experience.

Conclusion:

You're probably sick of reading by now, so I'll round off with a few words and some pros and cons:

Pros:

Stunning Graphics
Varied Missions and things to do
Nice multiplayer ideas

Cons:
Resource Muncher
Crew seems mute
Niggly little bugs and inconsistencies

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little review, but by no means only take what I've said to make your decision, use what everyone else thinks too, I just thought you'd appreciate an opinion of someone who cant afford the best computer but still loves a good sim.

NefariousKoel · 03-24-07, 02:07 PM

Wow, Phillips, that 6200 video card is holding you back.

Video Card RAM isn't the main factor in video card performance. In your case, a 6200 is just a bit better than integrated video but only a bit. I usually recommend a minimum 6600/7600 series card for 3D gaming.

Kapitan_Phillips · 03-24-07, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NefariousKoel

Wow, Phillips, that 6200 video card is holding you back.

Video Card RAM isn't the main factor in video card performance. In your case, a 6200 is just a bit better than integrated video but only a bit. I usually recommend a minimum 6600/7600 series card for 3D gaming.

You try telling my dad that :rotfl:

pja8 · 03-24-07, 04:41 PM

Using a 6600GT 128mb with low settings, my FPS is between 15-30 at best both inside and outside the sub. Your 6200 is the problem and a 6600 GT would not solve it. I am considering getting a 7600 GT or waiting till I upgrade my whole computer. Which at present is a 1gig with AMD 3400XP and AGP interface.

I think this game proves what I have known for a while. It is time to say good bye to the AGP interface and build myself a whole new computer because all games this year will want 2gb and at the very least 7600gt to get even middle of the road performance.

03-24-07, 01:59 PM	#1
Kapitan_Phillips Silent Hunter Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Swansea Posts: 3,903 Downloads: 204 Uploads: 0	SH4 Review Hey folks, I write this review for those who have the game and for those considering getting it. Its my first review, so be gentle Reviewers Machine: Windows XP Home SP2 2.9 GHz Processor 1024 MB RAM nVidia GeForce 6200 256MB Installation: Installation was flawless for me. There were lots of bells and whistles in terms of optional extras (including an outdated version of DirectX) that I didnt bother with, I just wanted to get into the game. I followed the advice from this forum and rebooted after I installed, and then applied the 1.1 patch. Game time. Startup: The first notable improvement is the loading time. For SH3, which would take up to 5 minutes to load the main menu, SH4 does this in around 1-2. After which you are greeted by a concise main menu allowing you access to the games features. First stop, Options. The options are divided into Sound, Graphics and Gameplay, like most games of today. I checked out the graphics options and ticked what I thought my modest computer could handle (more on that later) and applied the changes. So far, so good. The same with sound and gameplay. I decided my first ingame stop would be the submarine school, to see how the sim looked and felt, and how it had changed from SH3. The school menu, easier to understand than its Atlantic counterpart (remember the "exam" button?), offered 4 options - Navigation, Artillery, Torpedoes and Convoy. Navigation, for starters, I thought. Half expecting the load to take a long while, I began to flip through my recognition manual, and had barely gotten past the shiny front cover when the game initialised. Load times are massively improved. Up comes the command room. Gameplay: Right from the get go, an engine overhaul is evident. Things look bulky, well textured and lifelike. Until I try to move around. The FPS count plummeted as soon as my mitt touched the mouse. No worries, I thought, I'll tone down the options a little. So I did so, moving the sliders lower, unchecking some of the unnecessary boxes. Little did I know this would do little to improve my situation, so I turned everything to Low, and it still ran like a one legged horse. This game is NOT designed for those on a hardware budget. I looked in disbelief at the back of the jewel case - "256MB Card Recommended". My arse! Aside from this obvious niggle, I moved around a little bit (which took some time) and checked out the stations. The first thing that'll strike you, if you played Silent Hunter 3, is how minimal they all seem. In the periscope views, you're treated to the TDC controls for setting up a torpedo shot, and the periscope view itself, and thats it. Granted, thats all you really need, but it just seems a bit..empty. The same isnt true, however, for the Navigation Map, the one area where I got some respectable performance (:rotfl. All the map tools appear to the bottom right, and you can draw all over the map as you see fit. Nice. But, to plot or edit your waypoints, you need to use the command bar. You can access the command bar from all the stations and it contains basically all you need to command your submarine. Imagine if you will the command bar from Silent Hunter 2. Now give it two layers, and voila, SH4 interface. A nice touch is that it can be locked and unlocked, so when the mouse is not using it, it slides down and takes up less of the screen, but bringing it up during an emergency just to give that one order thats not keymapped is a pain. I braved the external view, and was treated to a Powerpoint presentation with a little submarine and the ocean in it. Odd, I thought, considering my specs should run this game comfortably, albeit without all the extras. It looks as though the devs left the game to be optimised for their machines (uberdeveloperboxes) and left those of us on a budget behind (sorry, but I'm not buying another video card just to play like I did for SH3.) I didnt notice many bugs as far as graphics were concerned, but I noticed that the crew were very very quiet (and no, they weren't hunting wabbits) no doubt this can be fixed later, but still, missing that order reply could mean trouble. The sound in general is recycled SH3 stuff, from the translated crew. It would've been nice to have new sounds, and more of an atmosphere inside the submarine, but instead during a dive, I could only hear two "Ahooga!"s and not much else. The same is true for a crash dive, the "Ahooga!"s are a bit more frantic, but there's no kerfuffle to accompany it. Bit timid for an emergency, methinks. Campaign: The campaign interface is fun, and I like the intro videos for the year you start, it gives you a good idea whats going on. The fully 3D commanders room is also cool, and you can click various hotspots to access the different career functions, like crew management, submarine aces, upgrades and promotions. Unfortunatley I havent had chance to explore the various new objectives availiable, because of the games performance on my machine, but I'd imagine these would add even more to the experience. Conclusion: You're probably sick of reading by now, so I'll round off with a few words and some pros and cons: Pros: Stunning Graphics Varied Missions and things to do Nice multiplayer ideas Cons: Resource Muncher Crew seems mute Niggly little bugs and inconsistencies Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little review, but by no means only take what I've said to make your decision, use what everyone else thinks too, I just thought you'd appreciate an opinion of someone who cant afford the best computer but still loves a good sim. __________________ Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into.

03-24-07, 02:07 PM	#2
NefariousKoel Ace of the Deep Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: No-good Missouri scum Posts: 1,223 Downloads: 43 Uploads: 0	Wow, Phillips, that 6200 video card is holding you back. Video Card RAM isn't the main factor in video card performance. In your case, a 6200 is just a bit better than integrated video but only a bit. I usually recommend a minimum 6600/7600 series card for 3D gaming. __________________ "When Gary told me he had found Jesus, I thought, Yahoo! We're rich! But it turned out to be something different." - Jack Handey

03-24-07, 04:41 PM	#4
pja8 Nub Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 2 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Using a 6600GT 128mb with low settings, my FPS is between 15-30 at best both inside and outside the sub. Your 6200 is the problem and a 6600 GT would not solve it. I am considering getting a 7600 GT or waiting till I upgrade my whole computer. Which at present is a 1gig with AMD 3400XP and AGP interface. I think this game proves what I have known for a while. It is time to say good bye to the AGP interface and build myself a whole new computer because all games this year will want 2gb and at the very least 7600gt to get even middle of the road performance.