SH4 v 1.5 vs SH5 Curious..

[Rockin Robbins]

You'll be glad you did.

[Scape]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

This is strictly subjective, and weird because I play them both. SH4 is definitely the better game - better looking, better crew management, cool stuff like the extra crew at Battle Stations. What keeps me playing SH3 as well are two things:

1) All the new mods that are still being made for SH3 and not SH4. The new harbors, the new interiors, the Canal locks, things like that. I know they're simply eye candy, but what a feast. I like the game to play right, but I like just cruising and looking at the sights as well, so that sort of thing appeals to me.

2) SH3 Commander. The adjustable values are important, but the career options, multitude of crew names keep me believing it's real. And the ship names. I live for having my targets get real names. And of course I've been devoting all my time to improving that, so I'm obviously biased.

If SH4 had anything like the attention that's been paid to SH3, SH3 would be gathering dust on the shelf and I'd feel no guilt at all. We're hoping that in the long run SH5 will fill that spot.

But for now, I play u-boats in both 3 and 4, and each time I switch I say "Yep. This one's the best."

I'm giving SHV a wide berth till the DRM is sorted out and they have had time to properly patch and mod it with something like GWX is.

However, I am kinda curious about the real difference between SHIII GWX and SHIV. Never picked up SHIV and I thought it was too unstable and the Pacific war wasn't really a grabber for me. I assume there have been total conversions for SHIV to run in the Atlantic but do they have similar dynamic campaigns like SHIII GWX? And what REALLY are the differences from the two besides load times?

I LOVE SHIII w/GWX 3.0 and all the extra mods (thank you JSGME for making it so simple!) I know the water effects are better in SHIV can anyone give me a thorough breakdown of the pluses and minuses?

Thanks!

[cptroyce]

In regard to your suggestion about SH3..I d/l (from direct2drive) and when opening the sim(this is stock no patches or anything yet) I can't get any sound and the graphics are stretched (I have a 24" HD screen and use 1920X1080 and don't see where to change the resolution). Do I need a patch to get SH3 up and running or do I need to reinstall for some reason?

No problems with SH4 at all.

Royce

[Admiral8Q]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

Together, they make great compliments to each other. Appreciating one makes you appreciate the other more.

Agreed! I'm into sh4 right now because I miss the ss2 and sh1 atmosphere where it all began for me. But sh2 multiplayer was a blast for me also, probably because you had human controlled destroyers in dc. Playing dc taught me a lot about what the dd's can see and do also.

I have yet to try sh3 with the mods, I did find it redundant in stock. I can't wait... though I'm into sh4 now.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Scape

However, I am kinda curious about the real difference between SHIII GWX and SHIV. Never picked up SHIV and I thought it was too unstable and the Pacific war wasn't really a grabber for me. I assume there have been total conversions for SHIV to run in the Atlantic but do they have similar dynamic campaigns like SHIII GWX? And what REALLY are the differences from the two besides load times?

The only supermod for u-boats is Operation Monsun, and its follow on extras like OMEGU. Lurker has done a brilliant job with his campaign (he is also the author of RSRDC for the Pacific), and it's up there with the best of them. With SH4 you get an automated crew management, which means no more moving them around yourself all the time. It also includes a radio as well as the gramophone, which is cool. Calling battlestations puts everybody on alert and fills each compartment with all the available crew, which means that the best enginemen come in and take charge, along with the same for every other compartment. Visually you see extra guys turning wrenches and such. Small things, but they make a big difference.

With SH4 when you recieve a radio message you no longer have to press 'M' to go to the radio room. A clipboard appears on the screen with the message.

There are some small annoyances that have yet to be corrected, if they even can. One is the time. In SH3 you were shown Greenwich Mean Time, or Zulu Time as they call it today. If you put the cursor over the time it would also give you the local time, which changed as you crossed time zones. In SH4 you get the time at your home base, and that's it. Again a very small thing, but it bugs me.

Overall SH4 is better. It's as simple as that. As I said above, the only thing that keeps me playing SH3 is the visuals of GWX* and the viscerals of SH3 Commander. If SH4 had those I would never look back.

*And FM's New Interiors, and the new Wilhelmshaven with working locks, and the raising-and-lowering RDF and radar and flags, and my own Ship Names mod and Loading Screens mod, and all the little things that I wish SH4 had as well.

[Wilcke]

I have to jump in and also give kudos and highly recommend NYGM 3.3c for SH3. It is awesome!

The link below will take you to the web page where you can download and get instructions on how to set it up. Still fully supported by Stiebler, check out his stickied thread here at subsim.

http://www.subsim.com/mods1/nygm/

[joea]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

If it didn't eliminate your legal fair use rights to copyrighted materials to sell, lend or give away your game and if you weren't victim to Ubi's willingness to continue the expense of running its three servers to cover the entire world, then it might be worth a look.

As it is now, with the DRM you have no right to lend, sell or give the game away and if they shut down the servers tomorrow, which they have full rights to do, your game is just wasted space on your hard drive plus a drink coaster with a hole in the middle.

If SH4 is a great game, and it is, there is no reason to jump on the Titanic. Loud and obnoxious voices are screaming that she can't sink, but I assure you she will and probably sooner rather than later.

Gaaaahhhhh!!! I recall a hue and cry when I skimmed some of the forums on SH5 when I knew I was going to upgrade but forgot about it til today. Really glad I can run SH4 now, and SH3 with GWX. Really will have to think about getting SH5 now.