Some thoughts from one of the mainstream

boadle · 04-27-07, 05:59 AM

On a regular basis, I pick up the latest 'hardcore' sim from Game, and plan to invest several months in it, and immerse myself in the atmosphere, knowing that this is 'as real as it gets'.

I've picked up all three previous versions of SH with this intention, as well as MS Flight Simulator et al.

However, my good intentions often fall away after a few hours, and I revert to World War II Online, or Stalker, or even BF 2. The reason for this is generally what I perceive as a lack of 'humanity'. With SH, The technical stuff is great, and the sense of poring over nautical maps, and the radio stuff, and the attention to detail; all highly commendable, and I know your current 'hardcore' audience lap this stuff up.

My issue with SH 1 - 4, and the major stumbling block to 'mainstream' gamers, I feel, whose only real exposure to Submarine fare is The Hunt for Red October, Das Boot etc, is the lack of human interest.

The modelled characters go some way to addressing this, and were badly needed, but the game is crying out for enemy sailors abandoning ship, clambering into life jackets, drowning in their metal coffins. I need to see the effect of my aggression on real people, and I need to see the effect of my enemies, on my crew. I need to see men scambling around my boat, putting out fires, scalded by jets of steam, even bringing me cups of coffee and telling me how much they miss their girl back home.

Why can't I walk around my boat? Maybe the next iteration should be fully First Person?

We want to feel like we are Sean Connery, not just some trigonometry machine.

I work in the games industry (Free Radical - boy, have we got some crackers in the works for FPS fans), so I am aware of the cost (in financial, and human resource terms) of character modelling, rigging and texturing, of motion capture sessions and voice acting. However, I feel that in order to capture the elusive mainstream, SH and the ilk need to address this aspect.

Other that this, your game looks great. Congrats.

04-27-07, 05:59 AM	#1
boadle Swabbie Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 7 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Some thoughts from one of the mainstream On a regular basis, I pick up the latest 'hardcore' sim from Game, and plan to invest several months in it, and immerse myself in the atmosphere, knowing that this is 'as real as it gets'. I've picked up all three previous versions of SH with this intention, as well as MS Flight Simulator et al. However, my good intentions often fall away after a few hours, and I revert to World War II Online, or Stalker, or even BF 2. The reason for this is generally what I perceive as a lack of 'humanity'. With SH, The technical stuff is great, and the sense of poring over nautical maps, and the radio stuff, and the attention to detail; all highly commendable, and I know your current 'hardcore' audience lap this stuff up. My issue with SH 1 - 4, and the major stumbling block to 'mainstream' gamers, I feel, whose only real exposure to Submarine fare is The Hunt for Red October, Das Boot etc, is the lack of human interest. The modelled characters go some way to addressing this, and were badly needed, but the game is crying out for enemy sailors abandoning ship, clambering into life jackets, drowning in their metal coffins. I need to see the effect of my aggression on real people, and I need to see the effect of my enemies, on my crew. I need to see men scambling around my boat, putting out fires, scalded by jets of steam, even bringing me cups of coffee and telling me how much they miss their girl back home. Why can't I walk around my boat? Maybe the next iteration should be fully First Person? We want to feel like we are Sean Connery, not just some trigonometry machine. I work in the games industry (Free Radical - boy, have we got some crackers in the works for FPS fans), so I am aware of the cost (in financial, and human resource terms) of character modelling, rigging and texturing, of motion capture sessions and voice acting. However, I feel that in order to capture the elusive mainstream, SH and the ilk need to address this aspect. Other that this, your game looks great. Congrats.