How much has Silent Hunter REALLY cost you

swdw · 03-23-08, 11:06 PM

Just thinking. Not counting the game itself, how much money would you think you've spent because of the game on things like books, research materials, DVD's, hardware upgrades and other misc stuff.

Torplexed · 03-23-08, 11:37 PM

Well...I already owned the vast majority of my sub books and DVDs before the SH series came along. I only upgrade my computer about every 4 years anyway. This game is far cheaper than some other typical leisure activities venues like attending a movie, going out for dinner or your average ball game nowadays. Plus, there are other game titles I've decided not to purchase due to interest in this one.

Compared to some forms of entertainment, this game is a money-saving bargain.

Dantenoc · 03-24-08, 12:48 AM

It's hard to say.... about $200 for a video card (to be able to play it) and now I'm ready to spend about $250 for a replacement one (to be able to keep playing it).

about $70 for an extra Gig of RAM

heck, those were upgrades I made on a new computer that I bought just to be able to play SHIV (I could play SHIII on the old one, but not SHIV)

So now were in excess of a thousand dollars... then theres a couple of movies (like the original uncut version of Das Boot)

But, on the other hand, it was all an investment that has been usefull for other games and programs as well, so that brings the cost down a lot.

More to the point: I'd be willing to pay $99.99 easily for the game if it was bug free, more robust and with a decent book of a manual. I'd even be willing to pay $199.99 for a collectors edition that included some extras like laminated charts and maps, a cool cronometer, and other gadgets of the day like a nomograph or slide rule... maybe even a captain's cap?. It's a niche product that will NEVER appeal to the casual masses, but they could still market it effectively if they really tried, by making it an elite product.

CCIP · 03-24-08, 12:56 AM

You know, it's gotten really confusing to be honest

I own two computers on both of which I periodically play SHIII/IV, but they're multipurpose little beasts. Video editing for example is another big reason I keep buying techy stuff. Go figure if my latest computer purchases had been more for video editing or subsimming, or work for that matter! Tricky math there.

But I've certainly catered both my recent computer purchases, both of about $1000, to be able to run my favorite subsims specifically

(and edit video. and store my music collection. and be able to take with me to classrooms to put up powerpoints for my students. and and.)

LukeFF · 03-24-08, 01:07 AM

I've purchased about 200 dollars in reference books for modding, plus various hardware upgrades that were more for my other games, but nonetheless also give SH4 a little boost.

Kpt. Lehmann · 03-24-08, 01:18 AM

Well, I think that working so much on SH3 thrashed my last PC to death. It died January '07 IIRC... (Nearly immediately after the release of GWX version 1.01.)

...so I had the current one built for about $2700.

I think that I'm on my 5th or 6th keyboard now. (I don't pound the keyboard... I should just quit buying the cheap ones I guess.)

3-4 mouses, mousi, meese, mice, or whatever you call them.

Loads of reference books/material.

Two copies of SH3.

One copy of SH4.

I've no desire to add all that up.

...and that's just the monetary bit.

The rest I file under, "What was I THINKING!"

JSF · 03-26-08, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torplexed

Well...I already owned the vast majority of my sub books and DVDs before the SH series came along. I only upgrade my computer about every 4 years anyway. This game is far cheaper than some other typical leisure activities venues like attending a movie, going out for dinner or your average ball game nowadays. Plus, there are other game titles I've decided not to purchase due to interest in this one.

Compared to some forms of entertainment, this game is a money-saving bargain.

Excellent response....same here.....Even though I did purchase a new video card to enhance the overall gaming experience but that includes games like FEAR and Doom3. I would have bought the card irregardless.

DrBeast · 03-26-08, 08:10 AM

The only games I've been playing the last few months were SH4 and Flight Simulator X, but still I wouldn't say I bought the upgrades for those games only. For the sake of convenience though, let's say I spent 70 Euro on a graphics card to better enjoy Dave's work on ROW in November, and another 345 Euro for an emergency upgrade about a week ago (motherboard, CPU, RAM, graphics card, hard disk). The result so far is a bit disheartening: though the game runs MUCH better in general, I experience a very weird slowdown whenever I hit a ship and I zoom my camera close to it. It's a massive slowdown that persists well until the ship is sunk. And it also seems the old hard drive hates the DVD-ROM's guts; whenever they're both connected (both PATA devices so they share the same cable), I experience random resets.

swdw · 03-26-08, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrBeast

The result so far is a bit disheartening: though the game runs MUCH better in general, I experience a very weird slowdown whenever I hit a ship and I zoom my camera close to it. It's a massive slowdown that persists well until the ship is sunk. And it also seems the old hard drive hates the DVD-ROM's guts; whenever they're both connected (both PATA devices so they share the same cable), I experience random resets.

First issue sounds like a sound related one. Between the exploding, screaming, sinking, and underwater explosions there's a continuous string of sounds being played.Try turning down the number of 3D sound channels. Also try turning off the sound delay. Last, see if there's an update for your sound card driver.

Next one on the compatibility. Check the jumper positions. If you're using cable select, go to the master/slave positions- typically HD as master and DVD as slave. Otherwise grab a seperate cable and put the DVD drive on it. You can also try going into the BIOS and manually defining the types to see if it stops the issue.

Had a friends computer where I got rid of his problems by making the DVD the master and the HD the slave as nothing else worked- go figure.

DrBeast · 03-27-08, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swdw

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrBeast

The result so far is a bit disheartening: though the game runs MUCH better in general, I experience a very weird slowdown whenever I hit a ship and I zoom my camera close to it. It's a massive slowdown that persists well until the ship is sunk. And it also seems the old hard drive hates the DVD-ROM's guts; whenever they're both connected (both PATA devices so they share the same cable), I experience random resets.

First issue sounds like a sound related one. Between the exploding, screaming, sinking, and underwater explosions there's a continuous string of sounds being played.Try turning down the number of 3D sound channels. Also try turning off the sound delay. Last, see if there's an update for your sound card driver.

Next one on the compatibility. Check the jumper positions. If you're using cable select, go to the master/slave positions- typically HD as master and DVD as slave. Otherwise grab a seperate cable and put the DVD drive on it. You can also try going into the BIOS and manually defining the types to see if it stops the issue.

Had a friends computer where I got rid of his problems by making the DVD the master and the HD the slave as nothing else worked- go figure.

Hm, turning down 3D sound channels is next on my to-do list. Soundchip drivers are already up to date. I'm also going to try out ATi's newest set of Catalyst drivers, though I have a feeling I'll return to my good old Omega display drivers.

Regarding the resets: I've checked the jumpers, HDD is set as master, DVD as slave. Issue continues. Also tried cable-select, with the same drive configuration and the jumpers set appropriately, no dice. New motherboard only has one E-IDE port, so separate cables is out of the question. But...I asked around yesterday, and a guy told me to use the DVD as master and HDD as slave, as well. It has to do with some motherboards not supporting UDMA 133 but only up to 100, so you essentially "force" the HDD to work on 100, and that solves the problems. My motherboard's manual claims it supports 133, but who knows. It's worth a try!
Cheers for the advice!

JoeCorrado · 03-24-08, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swdw

Just thinking. Not counting the game itself, how much money would you think you've spent because of the game on things like books, research materials, DVD's, hardware upgrades and other misc stuff.

New video card and power supply. The new monitor I was going to buy anyway. LOL

jetthelooter · 03-25-08, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swdw

Just thinking. Not counting the game itself, how much money would you think you've spent because of the game on things like books, research materials, DVD's, hardware upgrades and other misc stuff.

just the cost fo the game. ive always been fascinated by submarines in WW2 and WW1. most of my sub stuff would have been purchased regardless of the game.

if nuclear subs didnt exist and fleet subs were the norm i would prolly have joined the navy instead of the army heh.

the gato class subs are just beautiful boats while i find the new nukes ugly as spit and lifeless. i just wish i had been born earlier with enough money to buy a gato class when the govt put them up for sale.

DavyJonesFootlocker · 03-25-08, 12:09 PM

SH4 didn't cost me one cent. I got it free at my pal's store as a free gift.

But it did cost me my time spent in game time when I should be modeling and animating. The wife also threatened me to spend the rest of my days in the dog house if I don't just grow up and stop playing kiddie video games. Whadda she know anyway?

swdw · 03-25-08, 12:24 PM

Just had to ask. After buying the game I've been spending money re-acquiring books I used to have for research and will be buying the Silent Service DVD's. Wound up going from a 1950 pro to the HD 3870 for the game.

(Video work made me choose ATi over nvidia)

If it wasn't for the fact I know a bunch of great freeware / open source programs, there would have been money spent there to support modding

It's one of the reasons I put the modding tools thread up- try to give pointers to free software for those who wanted to try their hands at modding.(which BTW has some new freeware audio tools listed as of Sunday)

Already had Vegas Pro 8 which lets you do a bunch of stuff, so that wasn't related to SH4

(Hey CCIP- know what you mean about keeping a system beefed up for video / audio. I'm gonna have to get a 2nd drive of 500GB or larger because I'm falling behind on getting my video's edited. Have eaten up a bunch of the space on my 320GB internal and 250GB external storing the videos so far. Will also need to add another 2 GB to speed up the editing / rendering process.)

Nisgeis · 03-25-08, 02:24 PM

I bought SH4 on pre-order and had it the day of its release. I installed it, started a new mission and was dismayed that I got 5spf (5 seconds per frame). The game was unplayable on my machine

. The only game I actually wanted to play was SH4, so I saved up and ten months later, in December I bought myself a new PC, so that cost about US $2000 at the exchange rates of the time.

Because it took me so long to get a PC capable of playing it, that's why I'm asking all the stupid questions now and not a year ago.

03-23-08, 11:06 PM	#1
swdw Grey Wolf Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 921 Downloads: 75 Uploads: 0	How much has Silent Hunter REALLY cost you Just thinking. Not counting the game itself, how much money would you think you've spent because of the game on things like books, research materials, DVD's, hardware upgrades and other misc stuff. __________________ "There are only two types of ships- submarines...... and targets" Unknown "you wouldn't catch me on a ship that deliberately sinks itself"- comment to me from a surface sailor. System: AMD 6300 3.5 GHz \| 32GB DDR3 \| SATA 300 320GB HD, SATA III 1TB HD, SATA III 1.TB HD \| ASUS Sonar DS sound card NVIDIA 1660 Super OC \| Windows 10

03-23-08, 11:37 PM	#2
Torplexed Let's Sink Sumptin' ! Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 5,823 Downloads: 43 Uploads: 0	Well...I already owned the vast majority of my sub books and DVDs before the SH series came along. I only upgrade my computer about every 4 years anyway. This game is far cheaper than some other typical leisure activities venues like attending a movie, going out for dinner or your average ball game nowadays. Plus, there are other game titles I've decided not to purchase due to interest in this one. Compared to some forms of entertainment, this game is a money-saving bargain. __________________ --Mobilis in Mobili--

03-24-08, 12:48 AM	#3
Dantenoc Captain Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ensenada, B.C., Mexico Posts: 504 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	It's hard to say.... about $200 for a video card (to be able to play it) and now I'm ready to spend about $250 for a replacement one (to be able to keep playing it). about $70 for an extra Gig of RAM heck, those were upgrades I made on a new computer that I bought just to be able to play SHIV (I could play SHIII on the old one, but not SHIV) So now were in excess of a thousand dollars... then theres a couple of movies (like the original uncut version of Das Boot) But, on the other hand, it was all an investment that has been usefull for other games and programs as well, so that brings the cost down a lot. More to the point: I'd be willing to pay $99.99 easily for the game if it was bug free, more robust and with a decent book of a manual. I'd even be willing to pay $199.99 for a collectors edition that included some extras like laminated charts and maps, a cool cronometer, and other gadgets of the day like a nomograph or slide rule... maybe even a captain's cap?. It's a niche product that will NEVER appeal to the casual masses, but they could still market it effectively if they really tried, by making it an elite product. __________________ Going to U-boot school : http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=88922 http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=90234 http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=88961 http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=97682

03-24-08, 12:56 AM	#4
CCIP Navy Seal Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Waterloo, Canada Posts: 8,700 Downloads: 29 Uploads: 2	You know, it's gotten really confusing to be honest I own two computers on both of which I periodically play SHIII/IV, but they're multipurpose little beasts. Video editing for example is another big reason I keep buying techy stuff. Go figure if my latest computer purchases had been more for video editing or subsimming, or work for that matter! Tricky math there. But I've certainly catered both my recent computer purchases, both of about $1000, to be able to run my favorite subsims specifically (and edit video. and store my music collection. and be able to take with me to classrooms to put up powerpoints for my students. and and.) __________________ There are only forty people in the world and five of them are hamburgers. -Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart)

03-24-08, 01:07 AM	#5
LukeFF Silent Hunter Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Riverside, California Posts: 3,610 Downloads: 41 Uploads: 5	I've purchased about 200 dollars in reference books for modding, plus various hardware upgrades that were more for my other games, but nonetheless also give SH4 a little boost. __________________ ROW Sound Effects Contributor RFB Team Leader

03-24-08, 01:18 AM	#6
Kpt. Lehmann GWX Project Director Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: The Republic of Texas Posts: 6,994 Downloads: 124 Uploads: 0	Well, I think that working so much on SH3 thrashed my last PC to death. It died January '07 IIRC... (Nearly immediately after the release of GWX version 1.01.) ...so I had the current one built for about $2700. I think that I'm on my 5th or 6th keyboard now. (I don't pound the keyboard... I should just quit buying the cheap ones I guess.) 3-4 mouses, mousi, meese, mice, or whatever you call them. Loads of reference books/material. Two copies of SH3. One copy of SH4. I've no desire to add all that up. ...and that's just the monetary bit. The rest I file under, "What was I THINKING!" __________________ www.thegreywolves.com All you need is good men. - Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock

03-26-08, 08:10 AM	#8
DrBeast The Old Man Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Somewhere Out In Space Posts: 1,408 Downloads: 36 Uploads: 0	The only games I've been playing the last few months were SH4 and Flight Simulator X, but still I wouldn't say I bought the upgrades for those games only. For the sake of convenience though, let's say I spent 70 Euro on a graphics card to better enjoy Dave's work on ROW in November, and another 345 Euro for an emergency upgrade about a week ago (motherboard, CPU, RAM, graphics card, hard disk). The result so far is a bit disheartening: though the game runs MUCH better in general, I experience a very weird slowdown whenever I hit a ship and I zoom my camera close to it. It's a massive slowdown that persists well until the ship is sunk. And it also seems the old hard drive hates the DVD-ROM's guts; whenever they're both connected (both PATA devices so they share the same cable), I experience random resets. __________________ Let the Beast inside you free!

03-25-08, 12:09 PM	#13
DavyJonesFootlocker The Old Man Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Stink Drunk in Trinidad Posts: 1,572 Downloads: 138 Uploads: 0	SH4 didn't cost me one cent. I got it free at my pal's store as a free gift. But it did cost me my time spent in game time when I should be modeling and animating. The wife also threatened me to spend the rest of my days in the dog house if I don't just grow up and stop playing kiddie video games. Whadda she know anyway? __________________ "Silence means death. Stand on your feet. Inner fear your worst enemy."- Sepultura. My Silent Hunter 5 mantra is this......"Torpedo missed, sir!" A P-400 is a P-40 with a Zero after it. A proud member of the Wikipedia Haters Club

03-25-08, 12:24 PM	#14
swdw Grey Wolf Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 921 Downloads: 75 Uploads: 0	Just had to ask. After buying the game I've been spending money re-acquiring books I used to have for research and will be buying the Silent Service DVD's. Wound up going from a 1950 pro to the HD 3870 for the game. (Video work made me choose ATi over nvidia) If it wasn't for the fact I know a bunch of great freeware / open source programs, there would have been money spent there to support modding It's one of the reasons I put the modding tools thread up- try to give pointers to free software for those who wanted to try their hands at modding.(which BTW has some new freeware audio tools listed as of Sunday) Already had Vegas Pro 8 which lets you do a bunch of stuff, so that wasn't related to SH4 (Hey CCIP- know what you mean about keeping a system beefed up for video / audio. I'm gonna have to get a 2nd drive of 500GB or larger because I'm falling behind on getting my video's edited. Have eaten up a bunch of the space on my 320GB internal and 250GB external storing the videos so far. Will also need to add another 2 GB to speed up the editing / rendering process.) __________________ "There are only two types of ships- submarines...... and targets" Unknown "you wouldn't catch me on a ship that deliberately sinks itself"- comment to me from a surface sailor. System: AMD 6300 3.5 GHz \| 32GB DDR3 \| SATA 300 320GB HD, SATA III 1TB HD, SATA III 1.TB HD \| ASUS Sonar DS sound card NVIDIA 1660 Super OC \| Windows 10

03-25-08, 02:24 PM	#15
Nisgeis Ocean Warrior Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 2,909 Downloads: 77 Uploads: 11	I bought SH4 on pre-order and had it the day of its release. I installed it, started a new mission and was dismayed that I got 5spf (5 seconds per frame). The game was unplayable on my machine . The only game I actually wanted to play was SH4, so I saved up and ten months later, in December I bought myself a new PC, so that cost about US $2000 at the exchange rates of the time. Because it took me so long to get a PC capable of playing it, that's why I'm asking all the stupid questions now and not a year ago.