Help please - how do SH3 and SH4 compare?

Ducimus · 12-26-07, 01:29 AM

I suspect SH4 will see one more patch, possibly two.

I think some patching to the base game, or additional features for the base game will be included in the uboat expansion - as incentive for everybody to want to buy it. Otherwise, they'd be cutting their sales short if they targeted just uboat missions. Thats my theory anyway.

After that expansion is released, i suspect they'll be one more patch after that. Of course this patch will be targeted at fixing bugs in the expansion, and probably won't have anything to do with the base game.

Now if you want to compare the games, heres my unbiased, objective evaluation:

- From a technical standpoint, SH4 is the superior title of the two. Better graphics, better load times.

- From a modding standpoint, Sh4 is a mixed bag. Somedays im grateful for how things work in Sh4, and the next day i'll be cursing it, swearing that SH3 was easier to mod for. From a modding standpoint, its a 50/50 coin toss. Certain aspects which were trivial to mod in SH3, are seemingly hardcoded in SH4, and its maddening. Conversly , some of the file structure changes makes modding certain aspects a little more robust. Again, coin toss, some days i hate it, others i don't.

- From a immersion standpoint, in terms of atmosphere, as much as it pains me to say it, i think SH3 has the upper hand here. The reason for this, is quite simply because Sh3 was 3 or 4 years in development. Sh4, was only 1 year in develpment. Hence the base game of SH3 (sans mods), has some atmospheric polish in it that Sh4 lacks. Its in this area where i think people looking to make a uboat mod, or otherwise create an atlantic theater in Sh4, will ultimatly be sorely disappointed. In terms of a uboat sim, all they'll really get for their efforts, is fancy graphics with quicker load times, at the cost of things that really helped with immersion in sh3.

- From a theater standpoint, there really is no way to compare. You either like apples, or you like oranges, so i just wont get into this aspect of Sh3 vs sh4.

12-26-07, 01:29 AM	#5
Ducimus Rear Admiral Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 12,987 Downloads: 67 Uploads: 2	I suspect SH4 will see one more patch, possibly two. I think some patching to the base game, or additional features for the base game will be included in the uboat expansion - as incentive for everybody to want to buy it. Otherwise, they'd be cutting their sales short if they targeted just uboat missions. Thats my theory anyway. After that expansion is released, i suspect they'll be one more patch after that. Of course this patch will be targeted at fixing bugs in the expansion, and probably won't have anything to do with the base game. Now if you want to compare the games, heres my unbiased, objective evaluation: - From a technical standpoint, SH4 is the superior title of the two. Better graphics, better load times. - From a modding standpoint, Sh4 is a mixed bag. Somedays im grateful for how things work in Sh4, and the next day i'll be cursing it, swearing that SH3 was easier to mod for. From a modding standpoint, its a 50/50 coin toss. Certain aspects which were trivial to mod in SH3, are seemingly hardcoded in SH4, and its maddening. Conversly , some of the file structure changes makes modding certain aspects a little more robust. Again, coin toss, some days i hate it, others i don't. - From a immersion standpoint, in terms of atmosphere, as much as it pains me to say it, i think SH3 has the upper hand here. The reason for this, is quite simply because Sh3 was 3 or 4 years in development. Sh4, was only 1 year in develpment. Hence the base game of SH3 (sans mods), has some atmospheric polish in it that Sh4 lacks. Its in this area where i think people looking to make a uboat mod, or otherwise create an atlantic theater in Sh4, will ultimatly be sorely disappointed. In terms of a uboat sim, all they'll really get for their efforts, is fancy graphics with quicker load times, at the cost of things that really helped with immersion in sh3. - From a theater standpoint, there really is no way to compare. You either like apples, or you like oranges, so i just wont get into this aspect of Sh3 vs sh4.