Patch 1.3

[stuntcow]

I also paid for my Delx Ed. and a collectors Ed. and am able to enjoy it as it is. I am waiting to see the next patch but will not complain the whole time about it. Would like to get what I played for and yet I still have a sim that I am able to play.

[orangenee]

If they do release another patch then yippee, if they don't, well we'll just have to make do, and hope some quality mods can sort some of the more annoying glitches or things not working as they should. I'd much rather they took their time over one patch and tested it properly than keep releasing patches that fix certain things but break others.

[CTU_Clay]

Originally Posted by Calbeck

At minimum, it should be the same size as the card, and preferably twice that. With 2G and XP, you might try a 1G aperature and scale back if you get bluescreens, but assuming the rest of the box is to basic specs you should be good.

As to 256M being "the norm", that was true of the benchmarks DragonRR1 referred to...which were conducted in 2002 using 32M and 64M cards. They didn't test beyond 256M at the time because no card on the market could be expected to use that much RAM under any but the most extreme circumstances. With 256M and 512M cards now being the norm, methinks it's time someone did a new round of benchmarking...

Are you saying, "If your video card is 256 MB, then your BIOs AGP aperature should be set to at least 512." (with 2 gb ram)

[Chock]

If it can be shown that any problems someone has with SH4 are actually an issue with the software's quality and not hardware-related, then they will have some recourse to seek a refund (certainly in the UK anyway, and many other countries too). This being the case, a patch is not going to be released as a personal favour to us, but as a necessity to protect sales revenue.

I do suspect that many claimed bugs are actually a failure to either use things properly, or a due lack of decent hardware. Personally I have not had stability issues with SH4 apart from the 'A' crash on the initial unpatched version, so I'm reasonably happy with it, although also aware that it needs some bits sorting.

Stuff such as destroyers not seeming very aggressive would not qualify as a bug, merely a boring game. The radar not working would qualify however, as it would fall under (in the UK) the Sale of Goods and Services Act (basically, a thing you sell has to do what you claim it will, or it's refund time) however, one caveat to the Sale of Goods Act is that it doesn't cover digital downloads, which is one reason why buying the box is better.

UBISOFT will be concerned with protecting volume sales (probably casual buyers more than obsessives like us on this forum). It's that, which will likely determine how many patch iterations there will be, although I daresay slagging off the devs on this forum will not exactly endear us to them, or encourage them to give of their best in working out solutions either.

[MaciejK]

Originally Posted by pythos

So if we don't get the patch, in my humble opinion we deserve it.

We deserve a game which is playable out of the box, beta-tested one and so on, running withou so many MAJOR issues and without being rushed to the stores. But I'm afraid it is the world we live in.

However - I agree with you - thousands of tons of whining,complaining and such won't do any good - only reasonable bug reporting will do. And in so called meanwhile - enjoy this IMHO great game.

M

[Faamecanic]

Originally Posted by Calbeck

SH3 is, currently, debatably superior, but only because of the efforts of dozens of modders working for years to improve on what was already a great game. The same will be true here as SH4 catches up in the modding zone.

And its funny that those modders made SH3 a SUPERIOR game all without the benefit of a SDK to give them access to the code for the games engine. A lot of changes the modders made would have taken the DEVs only an hour to do at most. Kudos for the modders fixing what the devs (and publisher) SHOULD have had right to begin with.

Look... I know if the devs could have spend 10 years on developing the ultimate sim, they would have. But UBI should not be let off the hook for releasing a half arsed half finished program.

Everyone points out the budget limits the time the devs were given...and given that logic you will doom the SH franchise eventually. I mean what will the next release be like, due to sales being lower this time with SH4 vs SH3 due to all the bugs at release? If Sales=the next versions budget...then SH5 should have a lot less money hence time for development (if at all).

[Zmidponk]

Originally Posted by pythos

If we don't get a patch 1.3, and wonder why, all we need to do is look at the flack given to the Devs by most on this and other forums, and let's not forget that wonderful bit of satire called "Das Boot does SH4". If I were some sap that had not only some suit breathing over my neck to make the patches and other stuff for the game, but also got nothing but flack from my so called supporters I'd tell all involved to shove a 1/72 scale Gato up their nether regions, and go to hell.

Yeah, because it's so terrible for us, the end users, to actually expect a completed product that functions as it should, when that is what we have paid for.

That was sarcasm, by the way.

When the patch came out I mostly saw complaints, and more complaints. I myself got called a fan boy for suggesting for members here to take it easy when complaining.

Quite frankly, that is exactly what your post stinks of - fanboyism. To say that it is our fault if we don't get a patch 1.3, when all we're asking for is the devs to actually finish the game is ludicrous to the extreme.

The average poster here seems to have degraded, while the true kaleuns/skippers are out on virtual seas enjoying these games, that though buggy, are awsome in so many respects.

Is SH4 awesome? It has the potential to be. Thanks to the many bugs that still infest it, that is all it is - potential.

So if we don't get the patch, in my humble opinion we deserve it.

Then the devs don't deserve my money. If we don't get a patch 1.3, or 1.4, or 1.5, or however many patches it takes in order to finally get a completed product, I will be DEMANDING a full refund direct from Ubisoft.

For the devs, I hope you do put out a patch taking care of the outstanding issues this promising sim has.

So do I - then I might actually have a finished game to play.

[Calbeck]

Originally Posted by Faamecanic

Look... I know if the devs could have spend 10 years on developing the ultimate sim, they would have. But UBI should not be let off the hook for releasing a half arsed half finished program.

Nor is it "half-arsed" to begin with. This is NOT a "broken" game. It's missing SOME polish. And it remains THE best out-of-the-box sub sim ever created. You're to be lauded for having high standards, but don't hang a man simply because he falls one-tenth short of that mark.

Also, new and more appropriate sig. Playing with free camera mode and Easy Video Capture is FUN. -

[Iron Budokan]

Whether we get another patch isn't going to be influenced by what is said (or not said) on these forums.

I see now some people are already sowing the seeds of excuses: "We didn't get 1.3 'cuz too many people opened their yaps and complained."

C'mon, guys. Hate to burst your bubble, but it's not my fault the game isn't finished, and I'm not to blame because we may or may not get another much-needed patch. (And before you argue otherwise, NO, the game isn't finished. Fancy prettified graphics does not a game make. Period.) Here's another shocker for you: I'm not to blame because UBI stopped patching SH3 and never released an expansion pack that contained milch cows. I know it's shocking, but there you have it.

The only thing that matters to UBI are the sales figures. If sales have been strong (as they were with SH3) they will make another patch and continue to support the game. I for one hope we do get another patch because as I have argued on other threads this game has a TON of potential.

The game is unfinished and it's not the fault of the game player. So please, stop blaming the people who bought the game for the game's limitations. It's simply nonsensical to blame the consumer.

[Calbeck]

Originally Posted by CTU_Clay

Are you saying, "If your video card is 256 MB, then your BIOs AGP aperature should be set to at least 512." (with 2 gb ram)

Nope, it's the video card RAM that sets the aperature minimum, and twice that for maximum, with the proviso that you must subtract your aperature from your total system RAM to figure what the rest of the system is running on. Also note that this is ONLY for AGP cards and will likely have little or no effect --- or make bad juju --- with PCI-Express cards, assuming that for some weird reason you have a motherboard that mounts PCI-X but has a BIOS with an AGP setting.

In the above case, 512M should be the max setting for a 256M card, leaving 1.5G RAM for other system needs. This would be a good setup even under Vista.

[Harry Buttle]

Purchasers have a number of very good reasons to be complaining (that have been covered in detail already) and it is good that they complain.

If nobody complains, Ubi tick the 'its all good' box and move on. no patch.

Some of the tone taken by complainers is harsh, but then they did put down the cash to buy the game - they bought the right to be furious at the state of SH4 both on release and post 1.1, they still (IMO) have the right to be angry with the state of SH4 post 1.2.

I still wouldn't recommend purchasing SH4 to a friend, though I believe it will be OK post 1.4 patch and some modding.

[TDK1044]

Silent Hunter 4 was unfinished at release because of an unrealistic production schedule. If you follow the timeline, the Devs had less than 14 months to build this game, and in my opinion it should have been at least an 18 month development schedule in order to release the game at the standard that patch 1.3 should put it.....if Ubisoft produces a patch 1.3.

[SteamWake]

Fly envious time til thy run out thy race
Call on the lazy leaden-stepping hours
Whose speed is but the heavy plummets pace
And glut thyself with what thy womb devours
Which is more then what is false and vain
And merely mortal dross;
So little is our loss
So little is thy gain

It all makes sense to me now.

[Faamecanic]

Originally Posted by Calbeck

Nor is it "half-arsed" to begin with. This is NOT a "broken" game. It's missing SOME polish. And it remains THE best out-of-the-box sub sim ever created. You're to be lauded for having high standards, but don't hang a man simply because he falls one-tenth short of that mark.

Also, new and more appropriate sig. Playing with free camera mode and Easy Video Capture is FUN. -

I hardly call this game 9/10's finished. Maybe more like 6/10's....

To list just a few of the problems still exsisting with SH4 even after patch 1.2

1) Save game corruption. After not suffering from this to date... I just lost my career last night. Got to the Please wait screen while loading my career...and "SH4 has generated an error and must close". When I save my games I save surfaced, no other ships in visual range, no radio or grammaphone playing...

2) AI that is still wonky. Most DD escorts very rarely hunt for me. Especially with convoys. Occasionally I get the lone DD that hunts me like true hunter.... but not very often.

3) Merchant AI... in convoys merchants coming to a STOP, coupled with DD's not hunting me isnt very sporty...its like fish in a barrel.

4) A submarie that acts like its on Rail road tracks even in rough waters...this ruins the immersion for me.

And there is much much more that still needs to be fixed... but that stuff has been hashed and re-hashed here.

Again what I find most alarming is that a GOOD majority of these bugs can be fixed by Modders with NO SDK! Which means that if UBI would just fund the Devs to fix this game, it shouldnt take very much to do so. Again look at what the GWX team did FOR FREE with NO SDK for SH3. There is no excuse for NOT realeasing the SH4 with all bugs that do NOT require modding of the game engine (which would require MUCH more time and money) in a state which the modders will take this sim to.

Just look at the reviews on SH4... its killing the sales of SH4... and Ubi sits and wonders why

IMHO UBI and other game publishing companies are abusing the fact that modders will fix the game/sim FOR FREE. And this is unexcusable.

[Faamecanic]

Originally Posted by TDK1044

Silent Hunter 4 was unfinished at release because of an unrealistic production schedule. If you follow the timeline, the Devs had less than 14 months to build this game, and in my opinion it should have been at least an 18 month development schedule in order to release the game at the standard that patch 1.3 should put it.....if Ubisoft produces a patch 1.3.

And thats my point TDK...I dont blame the Devs. You can tell they were pressured to release with a VERY compressed development schedule.

Its UBI that is to blame. Much like the CRAPTASTIC release of NFL HEAD Coach by EA SPORTS. For those that have played it you know what I mean. It was a GREAT idea, and you can see where the devs (Tiburon) wanted to take it. But it was sooooo buggy that sales plummeted shortly after release. So EA blames Tiburon, and the fan base gets hosed because EA will not release another one (or even PATCH the original!!) due to bad sales.

I dont know about you all, but it seems to me this is getting worse and worse as time goes on. Early release of games/sims, bugs cause opening sales to be low, publisher will not fund patches due to low sales, game is either modded by moders or game dies a horrible death.