Why do you play Silent Hunter?

[Wild_skipper]

I started playing with silent hunter 3 becuase i'm a big uboat fan after that i was playing sh4 i loved to change from a uboat to a american sub but when i first played it i hoped that they would make a game with the same graphics and with the german side again wich they did but know i hope that they are going to upgrade that again to an atlantic campain because sh4 grapichs + uboats =

[GeoffBelding]

I have always enjoyed the stalking element of the game, a similar feeling to a sniper, or a suadron of tanks hidden in the trees, I imagine.

I can take great care to approach ships that can fight back, and come from the deep to periscope depth just in time to fire off a series of torpedos that can do great strategic damage to te enemy.

Then to disappear back into the deep without being sunk is very tense but
ultimately very satisfying!

I have about 3,500 hours in my flight simulator log, but nothing tries to shoot you down in that world.

Hope that helps.

Geoff

[me262]

I like to play the german uboat kapitan. its inevitable that I will get my *ss kicked, but that is part of the fasination, I get a lot of pleasure trying to do the almost impossible sink the allies and survive. No one would bother climbing mount everest it it was 60 metres high.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Nice thread

Posted this in SH3 Forums as well

- History.
- Immersion.
- Customization: mods & game settings.
- The great community here.
- Made me aware of SUBSIM.


RDP

[swampa]

I like playing Subsims. Submarines I like every thing about them love them

[THE_MASK]

I dont really play it , i just look at files .

[Kirby_TFS]

I used to fly several different types of plane sims, and fps army combat sims. Playing onnliine usually included playing with people that used cheats. Got really tired of playing against the aim bots etc. It got so bad that I would only play the scripted games and quite playing online. But that got boreing after you've beat the game several times on all the levels. Then I bought SH3 and loved the dynamic feature of the game. No cheating just you againt the enemy, and not fast paced. I guess one of the features I love the most about both SH3 and SH4 is all the mods that are available. They are not created as a cheat, but as an enhancement to the game and to improve on the great games that UBI gave us. You know it is this community that keeps me comming back to read the fourms and watch for mods each and every day. What a great bunch of guys.

[Digital_Trucker]

Some of my first games were sims of one sort or another. Mostly helo and sub sims. While flight simulators (and shoot 'em ups and RTSs) require good reflexes and quick action, sub sims are a thinking man's game. Not that you don't have to make quick decisions, mind you, it's just a different kind of process. I enjoy the thrill of the chase and even the frustration of the SNAFUs. And, not least of all, by any means, the comraderie of the folks that tend to gravitate to sub sims is a major factor.

[Triad773]

I like to try and experience history on a more tangible level. I am a history buff and have come to appreciate what simulations can teach those who are interested in digging deeper.

I had JUST posted this yesterday on my humble forum:

Please keep in mind that it is originally published for those who are not familiar with these aspects of simulation.

Some might call them 'video games,' but programs written for the computer to immerse the user in historical events, using data from machines that are to be 'acted out' go a long way toward experiencing on some level, real situations past. Or, more concisely by interacting with known facts (maximum speed of a given object, weight, mass, etc.,) the user experiences similar predicaments to what historical figures may have experienced.

But with the specialized requirements of today's high-end gaming PC, to make simulation programs run well requires a robust computer that need not only advanced video cards and memory, and sometimes specialized peripherals. Flight and driving simulators require a wheel or joystick, and foot pedals. Communities of enthusiasts have sprung up around the globe who share their passions with others via web-based forums on the internet. These 'virtual communities' serve a purpose that may be lacking in many individual's lives. This is by no means a put down, but a recognition of the often alienating nature that life can take on. Some with perhaps erratic schedules, lack of funds for going out more, or just finding it easier to discuss their favourite pastime with an individual from Finland than finding someone who shares their interests locally. With these facts in mind, I feel it is pretty difficult to find any fault for individuals who choose to use a portion of their off-time with computers than local people- though finding locals who share your passions can be harder, it would be preferable. Beyond that, the enrichment that comes from engaging in a good computer simulation is rewarding from the small historical facets you find. If you want the basic facts, it's easy enough to read about the subject: but to experience on some level what a famous (or obscure) historical person faced gives insight to the surrounding circumstances.

As far as programs written for gaming consoles (X-Box, PS-3,) there is the capacity for good graphics and peripherals to enhance the experience, they lack the scalability and upgrade potential that computers (and in particular, desktop computers- not so much laptops) offer. The particular PC-based simulation market I am familiar with is that of 20 to 60 year olds with some disposable income that they spend on computers and peripherals. I observed a couple of polls on a web forum that asked what the ages were of its members. This was a fairly popular forum with participants from all over the world. My sampling of the poll showed a bell curve whose peak was 40-50 year olds. These are often considered potentially hard-core 'simmers.' They tend to have and spend more money on equipment to play a simulation than the average computer user. This market, being definitely a 'niche' market has only a limited general appeal. To simulation developers, this means that they often have to strike a balance between playability and accuracy. Going too much one way will make their user base unhappy, while making it too daunting turn away more casual players. As software companies strive to make money for their shareholders, the motivation to make console games by selling more volume instead of having a core of long-term users is very attractive. Thus there is the possibility that over time console games will replace computer-based simulation programs.

Simulation has been around before the popularity of personal computers. Before the PC, there was Risk, Stratego, Battleship, Gettysburg, and many other board games by a variety of publishers. The PC has nearly eliminated that market by now. But there are some common elements: a well developed simulation, or war game, or other historical game should basically steer the user towards repeating history, but not force them to. There should be some possible alternative outcome, otherwise why waste your time? To this end, a number of simulations I am into mirror this ethos.

Bringing simulation more into the 'real world,' consider what the pilot of those remote-control unmanned aircraft the US is using: what do you think that pilot is looking at as he sits in a comfortable chair in some air conditioned facility with a set of controls and a few computer screens in front of him? Then switch to the enthusiast sitting in his (or her) bedroom or basement playing a flight simulation. There is less difference as time goes on. Certainly the unmanned aircraft pilot has more telemetry giving him (or her) real-time data that has not only more real, but of more immediate importance. Crash that expensive bird, and it's game over. No reset button on that aircraft!

As a potential recruiting tool, the US Army in conjunction with commercial software developers have developed first-person shooter type games that they are evidently hoping to get some young people interested in joining up. They have even gone so far as to schedule matches with teenagers and people who are Army personnel. I think that is a mis-use of the medium myself. But then I am not into first person shooters either.

So as you look around the forums here, you will see a variety of information that is scattered about under different threads and categories. You may see a review and screen shots of a simulator in this thread, a video that I or others made in another thread, historical elements explored, or enhanced screen shots in yet another. To bring the point full circle then: if they are just video games, then why is it they have the capacity to engage, entertain and demonstrate elements of history all at the same time? The value comes not from participating in some virtual sense, but what is done with the experience. If it inspires further reading on more granular historical subjects, then its value is inherent. I believe computer simulations transcend their medium on some level.

I hope that you have found this article thoughtful, if not illuminating as to why someone would be interested in sitting in front of a computer once they got home after a day job where they, sat in front of a computer all day (likely doing something rather uninteresting).


I am quite sure that is probably too much info, but it's from the gut- the way I feel about the topic.

See http://triad773.com/forum/index.php?topic=74.0 for original post.

PS- I have already learnt a TON from SHIV. Looking forward to more.

Cheers

Triad

[CDR Resser]

It all started when I read Richard O'Kane's book Clear the Bridge on a lark after seeing it on the shelf at the public library at the age of 10 or 11. I haven't been able to put it down since. I usually read it twice a year. I have tried to read everything about WWII subs that I could get my hands on ever since. I had ammassed a sizable collection by the time GATO first came out for one of the early desktop computers, and I had to have it. I have played virtually all of the others since then, from Silent Service to Aces of the Deep and all of the Silent Hunter series.
I am consumed with the desire to experience some of the same things that I have read about since I was a child. This is a chapter of history that absolutely fascinates me.
If I could get a boat and a crew I would be on patrol today.

Respectfully Submitted;
CDR Resser

[DavyJonesFootlocker]

I play it for a lack of a better idea. Nah, just kidding. Actually I had SH4 but never played it due to my old card- an ATI X800 Pro- which never made the grade. When I got my new card I started playing it and got hooked. It's worse than crack cocaine! But man, it rocks!

[Jinx_]

Defiantly the dymanic campaign is a big reason, also because it is a fun change of pace from other games i.e. shooters and whatnot.

[TDK1044]

I play SH4 because it's mentally challenging and hugely enjoyable. The player has the upper hand and the element of surprise during an attack, but is then very much the underdog in attempting to escape the persuing destroyers.

This combination makes you think through every scenario before starting an attack, and sometimes helps you to have the courage not to attack at all. In that sense, I think the game is all about character and judgement....a kind of Naval version of Chess if you like.

[Boris]

Thanks for all your replies guys, you've all been a great help

I won't be needing any more material, but I guess you can keep posting for interests sake...

[CCIP]

Aw, I missed the boat!

:p

I think the backstory of mine is kind of neat. I've been a simmer for a few years, so on the surface it looks like I just basically extended my hobby into submarines from planes and such, but actually it goes back further than that. Back when I was about 8 or 9 years old, my dad got an Atari computer, and we used to play games together every once in a while. Our favorite game was Silent Service II. I didn't know any English at the time and didn't understand a lot of things, but somehow that didn't pose a problem! My dad was the captain, I was the XO - I wasn't good at driving the sub, but I got good at identifying ships and suggesting tactics.

Unfortunately nowadays my dad hates PC games and won't even go near when I'm playing SHIII/IV... but back when I first saw screenshots of the in-development SHIII, it brought back a lot of good memories and I knew I had to get it. Never regretted it As much as it got to be a pretty serious and technical hobby on its own, for me it's also a secret little escape back to my childhood!