Tom Chick's Silent Hunter 4 review in Gamespy

RocketDog · 05-11-07, 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neal Stevens

Like he suggests, one should not excuse this too much, but with SH4 being the only subsim worthy of the name "simulator", it's not a great idea to crucify it. It's going to be very interesting to see where the Silent Hunter series goes from here.

Yep, that's the rub. Microsoft gave up on WWII flight sims and cancelled Combat Flight Sim 4, probably in part because of the roastng it got on various flight sim forums and in some reviews. It just wasn't a good product. I hope Ubisoft doesn't pull the plug on subsims in total because of the mixed reception of SH4. If only they could have commissioned Maddox's crowd at 1C to do it instead... sigh...

Cheers,

RD.

Jeffg · 05-11-07, 06:53 AM

I agree on the review,I think that a manual should come out from the UbiSoft as a add-on for the sim or someone else write one that will help all of us out.
Jeffg

SteamWake · 05-11-07, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeffg

I agree on the review,I think that a manual should come out from the UbiSoft as a add-on for the sim or someone else write one that will help all of us out.
Jeffg

Thats what Subsim is for

Quote:

Sub Porn

???

Chock · 05-11-07, 07:36 AM

Sub Porn

I think he's refering to the fact that subs are long and hard and full of seamen.

DanCanovas · 05-11-07, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chock

Sub Porn

I think he's refering to the fact that subs are long and hard and full of seamen.

:rotfl:

tater · 05-11-07, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Dynamic campaigns in submarine sims are as old as PC gaming itself, and this one offers the latest and arguably best. Radio traffic keeps you informed not just of local sighting, but also the historical events of the war

Why does this reviewer think the campaign in SH4 is dynamic? It is not dynamic at all. Not even a little.

tater

RickC Sniper · 05-11-07, 02:40 PM

"That's a pretty cool interactive protractor on the navigation map and those dials on the attack periscope sure do look cool. Maybe next time Ubisoft can help players use them."

Valid point. This isn't a game that's going to recruit many noobs to the genre.

My game has crashed exactly once. I'm still scratching my head at why it's been labled unstable.

Onkel Neal · 05-13-07, 03:18 AM

I think he must have been playing with the review copy; the one I started my review with did invoke a number of crashes. Once I got 1.2, things became pretty stable. No CTDs to date.

It's pretty ironic, Ubi really wants to rope in the "casual" gamer but the substandard manual and tutorials defeat that purpose. Thankfully, the Romanian devs did not skimp on the realism and gave the game plenty of scalability.

XanderF · 05-14-07, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tater

Quote:

Dynamic campaigns in submarine sims are as old as PC gaming itself, and this one offers the latest and arguably best. Radio traffic keeps you informed not just of local sighting, but also the historical events of the war

Why does this reviewer think the campaign in SH4 is dynamic? It is not dynamic at all. Not even a little.

tater

"Dynamic" in this context doesn't mean "full strategic war going on in the background, with every action or event effecting everything else". It just means...well...dynamic.

If you go to the same co-ordinates on the same hour of the same day...you aren't ALWAYS going to see the same exact ships there. The convoys are 'random', air patrols are 'random', etc.

It's not "static", it changes every time you play, ergo it's "dynamic".

Which is true of both Sh3 and Sh4 (and 'Aces of the Deep', 'Silent Service', etc).

Skubber · 05-14-07, 08:27 AM

I think the reviewer hit it right on the head. The game is sooo close to being sublime.

It still could be.

Forget about the manual and tutorials for newbies. It's too late for that.

If they just get the various gameplay issues sorted, and the few atmosphere-killing graphical flaws (transparent crew, laser-beam lighthouses, you-know-this-old-saw-by-now) ...

... if they could just fix these few things, SH4 could still be the most excellasubadocious sim ever created.

Sailor Steve · 05-11-07, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteamWake

Thats what Subsim is for

(doesn't mean perfect, etc)

scrapser · 05-11-07, 11:22 AM

I read that review and agree with it wholeheartedly. I waited 10 years for a new Pacific Theater sub sim and after seeing what was possible with SH3, I could hardly wait for SH4. I bought the game immediately when it came out and almost as quickly put it on the shelf when I realized it was still a rough draft.

I now patiently await reading from others here that patch 1.X (and maybe a few mods) has finally addressed the major issues with SH4 (and there are several to be sure). Only then will I wade in and get my feet wet.

As far as the interface is concerned, I think it comes down to how quickly people acclimate. If it continues to keep nagging you then something's wrong. I still wonder who's bright idea it was to change the keyboard mapping to be different from SH3 (what were they thinking?).

Anyway, I have no doubt SH4 will be improved eventually. I look forward to that day.

scrapser

AhhhFresh · 05-11-07, 07:19 AM

I think it's a pretty fair review since he seems to be reviewing from the perspective of somebody who is familiar with sims, maybe even sub sims, who is not a diehard Silent Hunter fan

Wolves of the Pacific had a chance to be a game that brought a lot of new blood into the subsim market.... it's really purty and just feels real... it also does an amazing job of giving you a personal stake in your sub and crew.

But it's a game that requires a fair bit of investment to really get into it... to even be marginally competent at it you need to have a good understanding of how subwarfare in WWII worked. Couldn't a more effective tutorial gone a long way in this? That's a fair point to penalize I think.

The interface... it works, but it doesn't strike me as very "newbie friendly"... it does most of the things that need to be done (though I needed to use a mod to get back in things like "range at this speed") but I'm not sure it's very easy to pick up. I find the 3D control access to be confusing and tempermental... a great way to let you feel like a real sub skipper in theory... but the execution falls pretty short I think.

I would say it's a pretty good, if short, review.

05-11-07, 02:40 PM	#7
RickC Sniper Undetectable Join Date: Sep 1999 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,221 Downloads: 132 Uploads: 0	"That's a pretty cool interactive protractor on the navigation map and those dials on the attack periscope sure do look cool. Maybe next time Ubisoft can help players use them." Valid point. This isn't a game that's going to recruit many noobs to the genre. My game has crashed exactly once. I'm still scratching my head at why it's been labled unstable. __________________ Support Subsim http://www.subsim.com/store.html

05-13-07, 03:18 AM	#8
Onkel Neal Born to Run Silent Join Date: Jan 1997 Location: Cougar Trap, Texas Posts: 21,385 Downloads: 541 Uploads: 224	I think he must have been playing with the review copy; the one I started my review with did invoke a number of crashes. Once I got 1.2, things became pretty stable. No CTDs to date. It's pretty ironic, Ubi really wants to rope in the "casual" gamer but the substandard manual and tutorials defeat that purpose. Thankfully, the Romanian devs did not skimp on the realism and gave the game plenty of scalability. __________________ SUBSIM - 26 Years on the Web

05-14-07, 08:27 AM	#10
Skubber Officer Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Rochester, NY, USA Posts: 239 Downloads: 36 Uploads: 0	I think the reviewer hit it right on the head. The game is sooo close to being sublime. It still could be. Forget about the manual and tutorials for newbies. It's too late for that. If they just get the various gameplay issues sorted, and the few atmosphere-killing graphical flaws (transparent crew, laser-beam lighthouses, you-know-this-old-saw-by-now) ... ... if they could just fix these few things, SH4 could still be the most excellasubadocious sim ever created. __________________ "I wish to have no Connection with any Ship that does not Sail fast for I intend to go in harm's way." - Captain John Paul Jones, 1778

05-11-07, 11:22 AM	#12
scrapser Captain Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 530 Downloads: 12 Uploads: 0	I read that review and agree with it wholeheartedly. I waited 10 years for a new Pacific Theater sub sim and after seeing what was possible with SH3, I could hardly wait for SH4. I bought the game immediately when it came out and almost as quickly put it on the shelf when I realized it was still a rough draft. I now patiently await reading from others here that patch 1.X (and maybe a few mods) has finally addressed the major issues with SH4 (and there are several to be sure). Only then will I wade in and get my feet wet. As far as the interface is concerned, I think it comes down to how quickly people acclimate. If it continues to keep nagging you then something's wrong. I still wonder who's bright idea it was to change the keyboard mapping to be different from SH3 (what were they thinking?). Anyway, I have no doubt SH4 will be improved eventually. I look forward to that day. scrapser __________________ Gaming Computer Specs: CM Stacker 930 DFI LP UT X58-T3eH8 i7 920 CPU TR 120 Extreme HS (lapped) 6 GB OCZ Platinum 1600 (8x175 = 1400) BFG GTX 295 Silverstone DA1000W PSU Sony GDM-FW900 24" Wide Screen CRT WinXP Pro 32-bit Last edited by scrapser; 05-11-07 at 02:51 PM.

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05-11-07, 06:53 AM	#2
Jeffg Exec Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: ponte vedra beach,fl Posts: 250 Downloads: 1670 Uploads: 0	I agree on the review,I think that a manual should come out from the UbiSoft as a add-on for the sim or someone else write one that will help all of us out. Jeffg

05-11-07, 07:36 AM	#4
Chock Sea Lord Join Date: May 2005 Location: Under a thermal layer in chilly Olde England Posts: 1,842 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Sub Porn I think he's refering to the fact that subs are long and hard and full of seamen.

05-11-07, 07:19 AM	#13
AhhhFresh Mate Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 52 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I think it's a pretty fair review since he seems to be reviewing from the perspective of somebody who is familiar with sims, maybe even sub sims, who is not a diehard Silent Hunter fan Wolves of the Pacific had a chance to be a game that brought a lot of new blood into the subsim market.... it's really purty and just feels real... it also does an amazing job of giving you a personal stake in your sub and crew. But it's a game that requires a fair bit of investment to really get into it... to even be marginally competent at it you need to have a good understanding of how subwarfare in WWII worked. Couldn't a more effective tutorial gone a long way in this? That's a fair point to penalize I think. The interface... it works, but it doesn't strike me as very "newbie friendly"... it does most of the things that need to be done (though I needed to use a mod to get back in things like "range at this speed") but I'm not sure it's very easy to pick up. I find the 3D control access to be confusing and tempermental... a great way to let you feel like a real sub skipper in theory... but the execution falls pretty short I think. I would say it's a pretty good, if short, review.