SH5: What IS the Truth?

[Dogfish40]

I've played SH3, and SH4 I love both sims. Right now, I've got SH5 tweeked in and I literally can't wait to get home every night to play it. It really is a great sim no matter what anyone has to say about bugs and the rest. You insert several of the bigger gameplay mods and go. You can mod as much as you like but to get the game really playable takes 3 or 4 of the bigger mods. Then you take it as far as you want to go. Considering the community took the time to create the mods in the first place should tell you that the game was worth working on.
Simply this, as soon as I get done with this message, I'm booting up SH5!!
Good Hunting!
D40

[USS Drum]

It doesn't have a campaign with randomly assigned missions like SH4 and 3 and it has a ton of bugs.

[Hinrich Schwab]

SH5 is an incomplete product completed by the mod community.

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by Schwartzritter

SH5 is an incomplete product completed by the mod community.

I think that was UBI's plan in the long run.

[Takeda Shingen]

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

I think that was UBI's plan in the long run.

Holy crap! How did you find your way in here?

[Hinrich Schwab]

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

I think that was UBI's plan in the long run.

Even as sharp as my criticism of Ubi has been, I would not go that far. I am especially critical of how support was dropped like a hot potato, but you imply shovelware, which was not the intent.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Werewolf13

All the reviews I have read pan SH5. The one common thread among them is bugs that crash it and features that ruin the experience.

Those reviews were written almost two years ago, when the game was new. There are certain things that are not to my liking, but a lot of people play it and love it, so there is certainly something there.

I looked anyway to see about buying it and pretty much backed off immediately. Amazon has it for $5 and other are offering a digital dl for $22 which put the notion in my head that it must not be all Ubi makes it out to be if commercial retailers are dumping it.

Retailers are dumping it because it's been taking up shelf space for nearly two years and they know they aren't going to get full price for it. The digital part is useless information because it doesn't take up space they need for something else. The higher price should tell you that.

So what's the truth. Does 5 still have bugs and playability problems or have they all been worked out by now?

A couple of people who hate it have answered you. You'll get a far different answer from the people who love it.

Originally Posted by Schwartzritter

SH5 is an incomplete product completed by the mod community.

That is also true of SH3 and SH4, and the truth is that none of them are completed yet, and show no signs of being so in the near future. There are still many flaws in all of them.

[Hinrich Schwab]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

That is also true of SH3 and SH4, and the truth is that none of them are completed yet, and show no signs of being so in the near future. There are still many flaws in all of them.

Touché.

However, With the flaws that still exist in 3 and 4, those games are much more complete than 5. I did not catch 3 or 4 in their respective initial releases. From what I read, 4 started out pretty rough. However, most of the issues were resolved. Mods aren't required the same way as in 5. My gripe with 5 isn't that it is buggy or whatnot so much as the fact that the mods pretty much patch the game. I know the same can be said for 3 and 4 to an extent, but it is so obvious with 5.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Schwartzritter

However, With the flaws that still exist in 3 and 4, those games are much more complete than 5.

I agree and disagree. SH3 and SH4 are both focused the way sub sims have always been focused - on recreating the campaign experience. SH5 tried to focus on the idea of rollplaying the captain. How well they captured that comes down to how the player feels about it. Those of us who have always like the campaign experience find SH5 lacking in that department, as well as some others. For some SH5 created a whole new genre, and they find it more to their liking.

I did not catch 3 or 4 in their respective initial releases. From what I read, 4 started out pretty rough. However, most of the issues were resolved. Mods aren't required the same way as in 5. My gripe with 5 isn't that it is buggy or whatnot so much as the fact that the mods pretty much patch the game. I know the same can be said for 3 and 4 to an extent, but it is so obvious with 5.

That's a good observation. On the other hand the mods that have been created so far do an excellent job with that 'patching', and if the problems still existing are opened up SH5 still has a chance of being the best of all of them.

As for SH3 in its initial release, here is a blast from the past.

[Kongo Otto]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

A couple of people who hate it have answered you. You'll get a far different answer from the people who love it.

Steve i think the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Also IMHO the biggest Flaw besides the SH5 game related bugs is the fact, that it lacks the Type II and Type IX Boats, which where like the Type VII a major part of the German U-Boats operations in WW2.
For me the Campaign modus from SH 3 and SH 4 is the greatest Immersion in the games and the lack of the same in SH5 is one of the great flaws after the flaw of lacking U-Boats which prevented me from buying it.
If these issues may be solved, i'll buy SH5 right away!

About the bugs: Well i cant remember a Silent Hunter Game after SH1 which had no bugs. SH2 had bugs, then the community Mod "Operation Messerwetzer" came out, SH3 had a pretty amount of bugs therefore the Supermods like GWX, LSH, NYGM and WAC where made, SH4 had its share of Bug, then RFB and all the other Supermods came. As you said Steve all parts of the SH series are far from beeing complete, but again imho all of them have their eligibility.

If people like the way SH 5 is atm, well then go out there and sink them all!
And if people want to play SH 3 and/or SH4 well then "Sink 'em all"

I think we should overcome this thinking in categories, its not about SH5 or SH3/4 ITS ABOUT SUBMARINES AND U-BOOTS
So please no more "Mine is bigger then yours" Contests.

This was just my personal point of view, nobody is forced to agree with.
So and now i'll get me one of those tasty Bavarian Beers out of my Fridge.

[Dogfish40]

Since this was said awhile back, and well said, I think it needs repeating to a degree ('cause I'm going on memory here). A lot of posts here refer to silent hunter as a game. It's not a PC game out of the box. I play most PC games out of the box and never have to insert a mod at all. However, most PC games (or any "Games" for that matter) open up a complete free map for me to "live" in. Most games I have to follow a certain path and usually can not wander too far off the "road" I'm being led. 1st person shooters like (my favorite) "Brothers in Arms, Hells Highway". As good as that 'game' is, I'm going to play it the same way basically every time with a few variations. That's cool for what it is.
The Silent Hunter series is a simulation and I can play this sim completely different if I choose to. When I bought this game I was relieved that there were mods to change things around. I've looked at many of our Kaleuns mod lists and have never seen two the same yet. That won't ever happen with a "Game" because everyone plays the same game.
I'm really glad that Sh3,4 and 5 are around. It makes PC playing even more interesting than typical console type games.
Good Hunting Kaleuns!

[THE_MASK]

I can only take so much of being shot in the head playing BF3 .

[Werewolf13]

Originally Posted by Dogfish40

I've played SH3, and SH4 I love both sims. Right now, I've got SH5 tweeked in and I literally can't wait to get home every night to play it. It really is a great sim no matter what anyone has to say about bugs and the rest. You insert several of the bigger gameplay mods and go. You can mod as much as you like but to get the game really playable takes 3 or 4 of the bigger mods. Then you take it as far as you want to go. Considering the community took the time to create the mods in the first place should tell you that the game was worth working on.
Simply this, as soon as I get done with this message, I'm booting up SH5!!
Good Hunting!
D40

I played SH3 and SH4 for a number of years and then took a break. Fired it up a week ago and remembered why I liked it so much. Which is why my interest in SH5.

So far I am hearing SH5 is a no go unless one installs a mod or 3.

Unfortunately since 1979 when I played my 1st PC game I have been want to rarely install any mod. If a game can't stand on it's own buying it just isn't in my future. Probably a bit of a silly attitude but it's just the way I am.

Thanks for the replies guys. Appreciate your perspectives.

[jason210]

I'm new to SH5. I've been playing it recently with the following mods:

Accurate German Flags
Capthelms SH5 Audio Mod
NewUIs_TDC_6_9_0_ByTheDarkWraith
IRAI_0_0_30_ByTheDarkWraith
Equip_Upgrades_Fix_1_4_AFFOE_151
SteelViking's Interior Mod V1.2
TDW_Mines_Subnets_Detectable_in_hydro (OH II v1.5)
FX_Update_0_0_19_ByTheDarkWraith
Dynamic Environment SH5-V2.1

I have found that with these mods, it's a very enjoyable game, with many features that you don't find in the other two. However, I have also noted that features present in the other two are not present in SH5 - mostly small stuff. I have also noted what appear to be bugs, again mostly small niggling things.

No doubt more things will turn up as I continue to play it, but as it stands now with these mods its most definitely an enjoyable simulation.

[Bubblehead1980]

Have the mods been able to make a campaign worth playing as of yet? Have they been able to extend the war past 1943?