Ramblings of an SHIII addict

sharkbit · 04-29-10, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

....in the hopes of some day being able to start a career with all my "must have" mods and see it through until... until... well.....

You know what will happen frau.....just when you think you have the game modded just the way you want it and are all settled in with your career and hoping to see it through the war...BAM! One of the great modders releases another "must have" mod that you will want to replace one of your other "must have" mods with.

One thing I've learned is SH3 is an ever evolving and changing entity.

I hought I had the game modded the way I wanted it last year, took a short break from the game, and started back a few months ago. I ended up tinkering with different GUI's that have been released in the meantime. I think I've found one I'm going to stick with for a while (Hitman's), at least until the next work of art comes out that I like.

frau kaleun · 04-29-10, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharkbit

You know what will happen frau.....just when you think you have the game modded just the way you want it and are all settled in with your career and hoping to see it through the war...BAM! One of the great modders releases another "must have" mod that you will want to replace one of your other "must have" mods with.

Multiple installs FTW!

schlechter pfennig · 05-01-10, 09:07 PM

OK, I'm pretty sure that I've made my feelings regarding SHIII clear.

But now I'd like to expound my feelings about SH5.

First off, I need to make clear two things: one is that I don't own SH5, nor have I played it at all. And, two (and Ubi, I really hope you pay attention to what follows, although, based upon experience . . . ::sighs:: ) I'm not ever going to own it or play it.

Last year, when I first found out about the as-then upcoming release of SH5 I was ecstatic . . . and bummed.

Ecstatic because, based upon the trailers I'd seen it looked fantastic! And because I felt sure that, after three years of following everything that had evolved on this forum, and paying attention to the mods that had been developed, and paying attention to our wistful 'wish-lists', that SH5 would be everything we'd ever dreamed SHIII could be, and much more.

And bummed because I knew my current rig was waaaaaay too old to handle running SH5. Although I didn't know what SH5 would require vis-à-vis hardware it didn't take a rocket scientist to understand that what I had wasn't going to even meet the minimum requirements. Heck, it wasn't enough to have run SH4!

As the weeks went by I kept replaying the trailers and keeping up with the tidbit releases with a sense of wistful anticipation. One day I called my XO (i.e. wifey

) over and showed her the trailer. She asked me if I was going to buy it when it came out and I told her I'd love to, but that I wouldn't be able to run it even it I did.

I didn't make a big deal of it but, a few weeks later, she said that if I needed a newer PC in order to run it, then if I wanted maybe we should look at buying one with our tax return.

OK Ubi, point number one: one of your (potential) customers was willing to shell out big bucks for the single, sole reason of being able to run your PC game.

I had no idea what the cost of the game would be but, if it was anything at all like I was hoping it would be --SHIII with all the bugs removed, with all the graphics and increased realism the supermods bring to it, with all the 'broken things' (like torpedo planes, torpedo boats and destroyers not being able to fire torpedoes), etc.-- I would have been willing to pay US$200 - US$250 for it.

OK Ubi, point number two: at least one of your (potential) customers would have paid mucho top dollar for your product.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending upon one's viewpoint) we hadn't as yet filed our taxes when SH5 was released. So, to salve and ease my 'addiction' I'd started checking up on reviews . . . and found myself both bitterly disappointed and utterly disgusted.

OK Ubi, please please please, I implore you, pay close attention to the following editorial. And, as well, remember something very important: we don't need you, but you need us.

Let's start with the DRM. Obviously you haven't learned anything since the Starfarce debacle. Yes, I agree that software creators have concerns regarding theft and piracy. But, in my opinion, you seem to have been more concerned with software piracy protection then you did about game content and development.

I work in a company that has CADCAM software. Each seat is roughly US$50 grand. Trust me, if anyone's gonna worry about a product being pirated they should be. And do you know how they control that? With a simple USB dongle, coded to each seat.

That's right Ubi. You could have still enabled customers to play SH5 without needing the DVD in the tray, and with the ability to install it on multiple PCs, too. But you'd need to have that dongle in the PC in order to play the game.

Instead, you've chained us to the requirement of having a permanent Internet connection. So what happens if my cable goes down? I can't watch TV, so I might want to relax and play my favorite game . . . not. What if I'm traveling and I'm somewhere that doesn't have Internet access? Not everyone does, you know. And more to the point, if something goes down at your end, everyone's screwed.

I could have lived with that, I suppose. Lived with it not, of course, the same as being happy about it. But that's not the main reason I'll never buy, own or play SH5.

I was anticipating SHIII on steroids. You'd had three years to follow postings on Subsim. Three years to listen to our gripes and suggestions. Three years to analyze mods and supermods. Three years to learn what your customers wanted.

And from what I'm seeing and hearing, you just went your merry ol' way and did what you wanted to do.

We wanted a simulation; you gave us an arcade game. We wanted a dynamic campaign; you end things in the middle of the war. We wanted the ability to control all aspects of our boat if we wished to do so; you don't even give us a compass, the ability to check our depth under keel, or even historic nav maps!

I'm not going to list all the problems we, and I, have with your product. Far too many people have already done so. I do, however, want to address one topic I keep seeing: that of patiently waiting for SH5 to be modded.

SHIII, from what I've seen, read about, and understand, was a huge departure from the norm. So I'm understanding (not happy, mind you, but understanding) about the holes and bugs the released/patched final version contained. And, yes, the modded versions make a good product much, much better.

But you've had years to learn all that, too. I shouldn't have to wait for Subsim's modding community to fine-tune and fix your product. Enhance and polish, oh yes. But require them to repair and refit such a pooch-screwed release for you? No way!

So, in closing, I hope that someone at Ubi pays heed to all we've posted about Silent Hunter on here. Because I'm very much afraid if they don't, we've seen the last of submarine simulations from them.

Jimbuna · 05-02-10, 05:37 AM

Two posts I have enjoyed reading....really excellent 'ramblings'

Just one small question/observation....why the black text?

schlechter pfennig · 05-02-10, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Two posts I have enjoyed reading....really excellent 'ramblings'

Just one small question/observation....why the black text?

Thank you, I'm quite flattered.

Erm . . . the black text isn't intentional; it's a result of writing it in Word then cut-and-pasting here.

Platapus · 05-02-10, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schlechter pfennig

OK, I'm pretty sure that I've made my feelings regarding SHIII clear.

But now I'd like to expound my feelings about SH5.

First off, I need to make clear two things: one is that I don't own SH5, nor have I played it at all.

To be honest, I stopped reading at that point. I do not understand how someone can make a long post complaining about a game they have never played.

You, of course, have freedom of choice in not buying SH5. However, until you buy a copy and played it, your "feelings" about the game are just repeating rumours.

I know that I am being blunt and rude. But, to me, your opinions on a game that you have never played, lack any credibility.

I know that I am being a jerk about this. But I honestly don't understand how anyone can critique a game they have not bought/played.

MILLANDSON · 05-02-10, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Platapus

I know that I am being a jerk about this. But I honestly don't understand how anyone can critique a game they have not bought/played.

Aye, I feel the same. If you've not played a game and have first hand experience of it, warts and all, you can't really give an informed opinion on it. All you are doing otherwise is rehashing what other people have said, which in turn might not be informed opinions.

KL-alfman · 05-02-10, 12:44 PM

having no compass, no full rudder-control, no KM grid-map and an immortal crew shows me (though haven't played) that this might be sort of a simulation but not a naval one of WW2.

schlechter pfennig · 05-02-10, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Platapus

To be honest, I stopped reading at that point. I do not understand how someone can make a long post complaining about a game they have never played.

You, of course, have freedom of choice in not buying SH5. However, until you buy a copy and played it, your "feelings" about the game are just repeating rumours.

I know that I am being blunt and rude. But, to me, your opinions on a game that you have never played, lack any credibility.

I know that I am being a jerk about this. But I honestly don't understand how anyone can critique a game they have not bought/played.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MILLANDSON

Aye, I feel the same. If you've not played a game and have first hand experience of it, warts and all, you can't really give an informed opinion on it. All you are doing otherwise is rehashing what other people have said, which in turn might not be informed opinions.

Fair enough. Although I might point out that criticizing a post you haven't fully read is the same, no?

I don't feel you're being a 'jerk' Platapus. You've expressed your opinion in a mature, polite and courteous fashion. I'd never consider someone a 'jerk' because of that, no matter how opposite their opinion might be of mine.

As to rehashing others opinions, yes, I can't deny that's what I've done. However, I'm not basing my choice on what Amazon reviews say, or any other site. I've based them upon what people here, at SubSim, have had to say. And at the risk of possibly inflating some peoples' egos

I have a deep respect for what the majority of Captains here have to say.

Am I wrong in any of the following?:

I require a permanent Internet connection to play, which means if, for any reason, UbiSoft's servers are down, or my cable Internet is down, or I'm located somewhere where I can't get Internet access, I can't play a game I've purchased?
There is no compass; there is no ability to check depth under keel? The navigation maps aren't historical, KM grid maps?
I can't quickly get to stations (i.e. shortcuts), instead I have to 'walk' everywhere I need to go?
The game stops at the end of the "Battle of the Atlantic", instead of ending when the war does?
There is no dynamic campaign such as found in SHIII but, instead, there are missions to patrol and work your way ever upwards?

OK, these are just a few but, to me, they are all 'show-stoppers'. I don't have to own the game first in order to decide I don't want to own it.

Yes, the graphics I've seen are simply amazing. And so is a lot of others things, too, although, to me, they all fall into what I consider 'eye-candy'. Fluff without substance.

SHIII set a bar four years ago for a submarine simulation. That's what I was hoping for with SH5. Based upon the comments, opinions and reviews by our fellow subsimmers, that's not what we've gotten. We've gotten a submarine game, instead.

Yes, I've no doubt that, as the years progress, our fantastic, dedicated modders will do for SH5 what they did for SHIII. But they shouldn't have to fix, repair and refit SH5. Enhance and augment, yes yes. But I'm not going to pay for a product, nor subsidize a company, that did such a terrible job to start with.

Zedwardson · 05-07-10, 08:31 AM

Well, I decided to buy a U-boat sim recently, mostly since I saw SH5 on a store shelves, so I went to the reviews. But sadly there is a few showstoppers.

1. Not very historical
2. Requires Internet connection to play

I came across a review of SHIII and SHIV, and found out that they are what I wanted, even if SHIII graphics are a bit older, they are not BAD, and I just adore playing a DiD and try to build up a crew and boat and survive the war. I bought both SHIII and SHIV, and might pick up SHV when there are some mods for it.

Now if SHV was going to be a updated SHIII with updated graphics and say, a more complete set of ships with a side option to play missions, then I would of bought SHV in a heartbeat.

05-01-10, 09:07 PM	#3
schlechter pfennig Commander Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 462 Downloads: 53 Uploads: 7	Continued ramblings vis-a-vis SH5 OK, I'm pretty sure that I've made my feelings regarding SHIII clear. But now I'd like to expound my feelings about SH5. First off, I need to make clear two things: one is that I don't own SH5, nor have I played it at all. And, two (and Ubi, I really hope you pay attention to what follows, although, based upon experience . . . ::sighs:: ) I'm not ever going to own it or play it. Last year, when I first found out about the as-then upcoming release of SH5 I was ecstatic . . . and bummed. Ecstatic because, based upon the trailers I'd seen it looked fantastic! And because I felt sure that, after three years of following everything that had evolved on this forum, and paying attention to the mods that had been developed, and paying attention to our wistful 'wish-lists', that SH5 would be everything we'd ever dreamed SHIII could be, and much more. And bummed because I knew my current rig was waaaaaay too old to handle running SH5. Although I didn't know what SH5 would require vis-à-vis hardware it didn't take a rocket scientist to understand that what I had wasn't going to even meet the minimum requirements. Heck, it wasn't enough to have run SH4! As the weeks went by I kept replaying the trailers and keeping up with the tidbit releases with a sense of wistful anticipation. One day I called my XO (i.e. wifey ) over and showed her the trailer. She asked me if I was going to buy it when it came out and I told her I'd love to, but that I wouldn't be able to run it even it I did. I didn't make a big deal of it but, a few weeks later, she said that if I needed a newer PC in order to run it, then if I wanted maybe we should look at buying one with our tax return. OK Ubi, point number one: one of your (potential) customers was willing to shell out big bucks for the single, sole reason of being able to run your PC game. I had no idea what the cost of the game would be but, if it was anything at all like I was hoping it would be --SHIII with all the bugs removed, with all the graphics and increased realism the supermods bring to it, with all the 'broken things' (like torpedo planes, torpedo boats and destroyers not being able to fire torpedoes), etc.-- I would have been willing to pay US$200 - US$250 for it. OK Ubi, point number two: at least one of your (potential) customers would have paid mucho top dollar for your product. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending upon one's viewpoint) we hadn't as yet filed our taxes when SH5 was released. So, to salve and ease my 'addiction' I'd started checking up on reviews . . . and found myself both bitterly disappointed and utterly disgusted. OK Ubi, please please please, I implore you, pay close attention to the following editorial. And, as well, remember something very important: we don't need you, but you need us. Let's start with the DRM. Obviously you haven't learned anything since the Starfarce debacle. Yes, I agree that software creators have concerns regarding theft and piracy. But, in my opinion, you seem to have been more concerned with software piracy protection then you did about game content and development. I work in a company that has CADCAM software. Each seat is roughly US$50 grand. Trust me, if anyone's gonna worry about a product being pirated they should be. And do you know how they control that? With a simple USB dongle, coded to each seat. That's right Ubi. You could have still enabled customers to play SH5 without needing the DVD in the tray, and with the ability to install it on multiple PCs, too. But you'd need to have that dongle in the PC in order to play the game. Instead, you've chained us to the requirement of having a permanent Internet connection. So what happens if my cable goes down? I can't watch TV, so I might want to relax and play my favorite game . . . not. What if I'm traveling and I'm somewhere that doesn't have Internet access? Not everyone does, you know. And more to the point, if something goes down at your end, everyone's screwed. I could have lived with that, I suppose. Lived with it not, of course, the same as being happy about it. But that's not the main reason I'll never buy, own or play SH5. I was anticipating SHIII on steroids. You'd had three years to follow postings on Subsim. Three years to listen to our gripes and suggestions. Three years to analyze mods and supermods. Three years to learn what your customers wanted. And from what I'm seeing and hearing, you just went your merry ol' way and did what you wanted to do. We wanted a simulation; you gave us an arcade game. We wanted a dynamic campaign; you end things in the middle of the war. We wanted the ability to control all aspects of our boat if we wished to do so; you don't even give us a compass, the ability to check our depth under keel, or even historic nav maps! I'm not going to list all the problems we, and I, have with your product. Far too many people have already done so. I do, however, want to address one topic I keep seeing: that of patiently waiting for SH5 to be modded. SHIII, from what I've seen, read about, and understand, was a huge departure from the norm. So I'm understanding (not happy, mind you, but understanding) about the holes and bugs the released/patched final version contained. And, yes, the modded versions make a good product much, much better. But you've had years to learn all that, too. I shouldn't have to wait for Subsim's modding community to fine-tune and fix your product. Enhance and polish, oh yes. But require them to repair and refit such a pooch-screwed release for you? No way! So, in closing, I hope that someone at Ubi pays heed to all we've posted about Silent Hunter on here. Because I'm very much afraid if they don't, we've seen the last of submarine simulations from them. Last edited by schlechter pfennig; 05-02-10 at 11:24 AM. Reason: changing the text color cuz I was a doofus and didn't change it the first time

05-02-10, 05:37 AM	#4
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 190,552 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	Two posts I have enjoyed reading....really excellent 'ramblings' Just one small question/observation....why the black text? __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!

05-02-10, 12:44 PM	#8
KL-alfman Grey Wolf Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Weimar Posts: 930 Downloads: 86 Uploads: 0	having no compass, no full rudder-control, no KM grid-map and an immortal crew shows me (though haven't played) that this might be sort of a simulation but not a naval one of WW2. __________________ Life, Liberty and Property!

05-07-10, 08:31 AM	#10
Zedwardson Sparky Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 154 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Well, I decided to buy a U-boat sim recently, mostly since I saw SH5 on a store shelves, so I went to the reviews. But sadly there is a few showstoppers. 1. Not very historical 2. Requires Internet connection to play I came across a review of SHIII and SHIV, and found out that they are what I wanted, even if SHIII graphics are a bit older, they are not BAD, and I just adore playing a DiD and try to build up a crew and boat and survive the war. I bought both SHIII and SHIV, and might pick up SHV when there are some mods for it. Now if SHV was going to be a updated SHIII with updated graphics and say, a more complete set of ships with a side option to play missions, then I would of bought SHV in a heartbeat.