Ramblings of an SHIII addict

[schlechter pfennig]

First off, let me apologize in advance for this 'novella'.

I've always had an interest in submarines, ever since I was a kid. Had I known that the navy still had attack submarines, I would have been a squid instead of a 'Green Bean'. Alas, I was under the impression that the only submarines the US Navy had were boomers and, frankly, the idea of serving on a submerged ballistic missile platform was not at all appealing to me so, instead, I joined the Army and volunteered for Special Forces. Not that I regret that, because I don't. I got to parachute, rappel, cross-country and downhill ski, fire all sorts of firearms, crew-served weapons and heavy weapons, and blow up stuff. And they paid me to do that, too!

I've never had an interest in video games, a-la Super Mario Brothers, etc. Repetitive, same-old, same old, memorize-the-steps-needed games appeal to me slightly less so than weekly colonoscopies. I will confess to owning three flight simulator games --Red Baron II, Jane's F-18 and WWII Fighters (and also profess to purchasing the Saitek X-52 flight controller system)-- but, hey, I also like flying. I've also had chances to pilot some aircraft, too, including five minutes in the co-pilots seat of a C-130 (but I won't say much more about how I managed to do that one ::cough::cough:.

The first time I ever encountered a 'submarine simulation' was many years ago in my dim youth. I don't even remember the name of it --I think it might have been 'Silent Service' but I don't remember. What I do remember, and quite clearly, was spending over eight non-stop hours playing it. Had I owned a PC at that point in time I would have gotten a copy of that and played it until the floppy melted.

OK, let's fast-forward quite a few years now. February 2006 to be precise. I'd been reminiscing about that ol' sub game I'd played and, as a lark more than anything serious, I Googled for PC submarine games. And followed a link to a review about Silent Hunter III.

The reviewer could not have gushed more about Silent Hunter III. The more I read, the more I wanted the game. One description particularly stuck out to me: the reviewer had mentioned how none of the ships ever sank the exact same way. I suppose that one caught my eye more than anything else because, as a kid, I used to take my old ship models over to a nearby creek, ballast them with lead fishing weights, then 'torpedo' them with my BB gun and watch them sink.

So on 22 February 2006 I downloaded Silent Hunter III from Direct-2-Drive (which I'm glad I did, as buying it that way completely avoided the Starforce issue that plagued so many) . . . and my life hasn't been quite the same since.

There were so many things about the game that appealed to me, ranging from the Naval Academy tutorials (which made a tutorial still seem as if part of a career), the fact that I could directly control certain functions if I chose (like deck and flak guns) or simply leave them in control of the assigned crews), all the way to each patrol being different, never the exact, predictable, 'same-old same-old'.

Oh, looking back on it now I have to laugh when I compare the stock, 'vanilla' game to what I run now. For instance, I remember being so 'wow-ed' with my deck gun prowess, and enjoying the thrill of pounding merchants with that, that I'd actually bought Destroyer Command in order to enjoy that even more so (well, that and to try playing out a destroyer against U-boats in multi-player; but we all know how that turned out, don't we?)

After a while, though, even with as much fun as I'd been having, things slowly started losing their luster. What need was there of strategy and tactics, when destroyers and escorts were so laughably inept? Go ahead, make me laugh and try depth-charging me!

I don't remember how I originally discovered my first mod. I wasn't even aware of the concept of 'modding', and my first thought upon reading about it was wondering if that was even legal. Wasn't something like that the same as hacking and/or cracking proprietary files?

If I recall correctly, the first mod I installed was a nomograph. But I do recall how I installed it: directly copying and overwriting game files. See, I also wasn't aware of JSGME, either. (And what a program that is, too! Jaeson, IMO, is truly the unsung hero of SHIII, for his blood, sweat and efforts with JSGME and SH3 Commander)

I'm not sure how I stumbled across Subsim; another one of those fortuitous events, and one I have been eternally grateful for. Between the SHIII forum and the SHIII Mod forum, my eyes have been truly opened to a wonderful, amazing world.

If it came to awarding acknowledgements and kudos I wouldn't know where to begin, so I'll just say thank you one and all. I'm grateful for everyone, from the giganormous efforts of the GWX team who have intensely revolutionized Silent Hunter III for me, to JScones and his JSGME and SH3 Commander, all the way down to those whose mods have been just little things, perhaps a single sound file, but in actuality anything but 'little'.

Leaving port used to be the ho-hum drudgery necessary to get to the real action: torpedoing and sinking ships. Now I spend the first hour at TC1, real-time, steering my boat by rudder and eyeball instead of just plotting out the necessary course and 'speed sprinting' using time compression. Waiting for the locks and Wilhelmshaven, instead of being a begrudged 'time-waster', instead is a time for reflection and introspection. I watch my berth slowly disappear behind me; in the early part of the war I'm filled with eager anticipation, while in the latter part I watch port slowly fade in the distance while I feel melancholy, wondering if I'll ever see home again, if we'll make it back this time. I listen to the cry of gulls, the splash of my bow waves, the low rumble of the diesels, their smoke training aft of my churning, frothy wake.

Returning to port used to be nothing more than a necessary, to-be-hastened step prior to garnering my richly-deserved renown, and 'spending' that on nifty upgrades, and again hastened by the gods of time-compression. And now, just like leaving port, returning is something I do slowly and leisurely at TC1, real time, and finished only once I've backed into my berth and have come to all stop. And, again like leaving port, the feelings evoked upon returning differ depending upon what stage of the war it is. Early in the war I'm filled with a sense of triumph and success, even if I am jonesing for fresh vegetables, eggs and milk (and, hopefully, even fresher female companionship!). Finding out I've been reassigned and having to leave my boat to my exec (and a wholehearted, fervent Thank You to Jaeson for that Commander ability!) is frustrating yet understandable. Later in the war, however . . . all I feel is dull relief in seeing my berth. Just getting home alive is a major victory. (Hell, sometimes just getting out of the sub pen without getting plastered by bombs is a major victory!) I'm tired and battered, as often as not my boat is damaged and just as battered, and all I'm looking forward to his a long hot shower then dropping off in my bunk, able to sleep without fear of discovery. And when I do get transferred (assuming I've lived that long) it is with a sense of mingled shame and gratitude.

I catch myself giving the minesweeper crew a cheery wave as they turn about after guiding us out. What a thankless, boring job they have! And the formerly-boring task of assigning 24 U-boat war badges, well . . . I picture giving each crewman a little congratulation speech as I award them. Quite often, while at sea, I'll drop TC to 1 and just stand on the bridge for up to an hour, enjoying the waves and swell as we knife through them. That's especially relaxing in an odd sort of way when the sea is truly wild and rough, bow rising and falling with metronomic regularity, the whump as the bow slices down and spray lofts up in a soaking spray.

But then there's escorts and destroyers and aircraft . . . and depth charges, which are no longer anywhere near as 'ho-hum' as they had been. Being spotted now is no longer a minor irritant and annoyance, something that interrupts attack runs. Oh no! Escorts and destroyers are, most definitely, on my poopy list. There is no more maniacal 'hit-and-run' tactics. I've truly had to learn tactics and strategy, and patience to boot, for failure in any of these areas leads to a very quick death. I've spent up to six hours, real time, desperately trying to evade relentless destroyers intend on my demise, and the entire time my belly has been knotted, my heart pounding. I've never had any sort of game evoke what I feel as, yet again, I hear the pinging sharpen and increase, hear the thrum of churning screws overheard and followed by the dull, powerful explosions all about me.

Back in February 2006 I'd thought I'd found the submarine simulation of my dreams. I was wrong, though. I didn't find it at Direct-2-Drive . . . I found it here, in this community.

Thanks to each and every one of you who have relentlessly toiled to make a good game an even greater simulation!

[KL-alfman]

Originally Posted by schlechter pfennig

I've never had any sort of game evoke what I feel!

absolutely right

[frau kaleun]

Ditto.

I've had this game for, what, six months now? And I'm still working out the kinks in the hopes of some day being able to start a career with all my "must have" mods and see it through until... until... well, right now I'd be happy to get past October 1939.

There's no way I'd still be plugging away at this thing if there wasn't something about it that compels me to keep playing (and trying to play). I'm not even a gamer, and never have been. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of games I've bought, installed, and actually played over the years. And I've got two games on my rig now that I haven't loaded up even once because I'd rather play SH3.

[lafeeverted]

There is something very addictive about this game. Every patrol can be like the first time you watched Das Boot!

I stumbled upon Sh2 shortly after it was released and couldn't believe there was a U-Boot game. I was sucked in like nothing before. I read a lot, my U-Boot library has grown significantly over the years and includes a few special items.

I must have watched or listened to Das Boot 15 times or more putting the sound mod together for SH2, I know every whisper, sneeze and creak in that movie! Sh3 keeps pulling me back in. I was so excited for SH5 to come out but after reading about it I found myself checking back on the SH3 forums to see what was happening and couldn't wait to start playing again after seeing all the amazing things that have been done.

I can't put my finger on any one thign that makes it so great. Realsim is key.Trying to, and being able to use RL tactics is certainly a selling point for me. One minute you are cruising along and then you get a contact and all hell can break loose. The hunt is on, hopefully not for you! The thrill of a successfull torpedo attack and the sickening feeling of a prolonged depth charge attack are equally exciting. I find myself thinking about gyro angles and firing solutions at work.

Many thanks to all who have made this game so much better

[maillemaker]

SH3 is a highly compelling game to play. Especially if you play DiD.

First, you are motivated to try and make it to the end of the war, to see if you could do it.

Second, you invest hours upon hours in the game, building up a powerful crew and u-boat. One feels compelled to build them to be even more powerful.

Third, the rewards are random, which, as has been proven psychologically, are more stimulating than rewards given consistently (this is why people are often compelled to keep pushing elevator buttons until something happens, even though it has no real effect).

It is highly configurable, which makes the game appealing to a broad audience.

But honestly, a lot of the draw is just the fun in watching **** blow up. Every time I get the chance I like to watch the fireworks happen as a ship slowly succumbs to my assault.

Steve

[timmy41]

Great post. I hope those that made this game EXCELLENT from mediocre read it.

[sharkbit]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

....in the hopes of some day being able to start a career with all my "must have" mods and see it through until... until... well.....

You know what will happen frau.....just when you think you have the game modded just the way you want it and are all settled in with your career and hoping to see it through the war...BAM! One of the great modders releases another "must have" mod that you will want to replace one of your other "must have" mods with.

One thing I've learned is SH3 is an ever evolving and changing entity.

I hought I had the game modded the way I wanted it last year, took a short break from the game, and started back a few months ago. I ended up tinkering with different GUI's that have been released in the meantime. I think I've found one I'm going to stick with for a while (Hitman's), at least until the next work of art comes out that I like.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by sharkbit

You know what will happen frau.....just when you think you have the game modded just the way you want it and are all settled in with your career and hoping to see it through the war...BAM! One of the great modders releases another "must have" mod that you will want to replace one of your other "must have" mods with.

Multiple installs FTW!

[schlechter pfennig]

OK, I'm pretty sure that I've made my feelings regarding SHIII clear. But now I'd like to expound my feelings about SH5.

First off, I need to make clear two things: one is that I don't own SH5, nor have I played it at all. And, two (and Ubi, I really hope you pay attention to what follows, although, based upon experience . . . ::sighs:: ) I'm not ever going to own it or play it.

Last year, when I first found out about the as-then upcoming release of SH5 I was ecstatic . . . and bummed.

Ecstatic because, based upon the trailers I'd seen it looked fantastic! And because I felt sure that, after three years of following everything that had evolved on this forum, and paying attention to the mods that had been developed, and paying attention to our wistful 'wish-lists', that SH5 would be everything we'd ever dreamed SHIII could be, and much more.

And bummed because I knew my current rig was waaaaaay too old to handle running SH5. Although I didn't know what SH5 would require vis-à-vis hardware it didn't take a rocket scientist to understand that what I had wasn't going to even meet the minimum requirements. Heck, it wasn't enough to have run SH4!

As the weeks went by I kept replaying the trailers and keeping up with the tidbit releases with a sense of wistful anticipation. One day I called my XO (i.e. wifey ) over and showed her the trailer. She asked me if I was going to buy it when it came out and I told her I'd love to, but that I wouldn't be able to run it even it I did.

I didn't make a big deal of it but, a few weeks later, she said that if I needed a newer PC in order to run it, then if I wanted maybe we should look at buying one with our tax return.

OK Ubi, point number one: one of your (potential) customers was willing to shell out big bucks for the single, sole reason of being able to run your PC game.

I had no idea what the cost of the game would be but, if it was anything at all like I was hoping it would be --SHIII with all the bugs removed, with all the graphics and increased realism the supermods bring to it, with all the 'broken things' (like torpedo planes, torpedo boats and destroyers not being able to fire torpedoes), etc.-- I would have been willing to pay US$200 - US$250 for it.

OK Ubi, point number two: at least one of your (potential) customers would have paid mucho top dollar for your product.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending upon one's viewpoint) we hadn't as yet filed our taxes when SH5 was released. So, to salve and ease my 'addiction' I'd started checking up on reviews . . . and found myself both bitterly disappointed and utterly disgusted.

OK Ubi, please please please, I implore you, pay close attention to the following editorial. And, as well, remember something very important: we don't need you, but you need us.

Let's start with the DRM. Obviously you haven't learned anything since the Starfarce debacle. Yes, I agree that software creators have concerns regarding theft and piracy. But, in my opinion, you seem to have been more concerned with software piracy protection then you did about game content and development.

I work in a company that has CADCAM software. Each seat is roughly US$50 grand. Trust me, if anyone's gonna worry about a product being pirated they should be. And do you know how they control that? With a simple USB dongle, coded to each seat.

That's right Ubi. You could have still enabled customers to play SH5 without needing the DVD in the tray, and with the ability to install it on multiple PCs, too. But you'd need to have that dongle in the PC in order to play the game.

Instead, you've chained us to the requirement of having a permanent Internet connection. So what happens if my cable goes down? I can't watch TV, so I might want to relax and play my favorite game . . . not. What if I'm traveling and I'm somewhere that doesn't have Internet access? Not everyone does, you know. And more to the point, if something goes down at your end, everyone's screwed.

I could have lived with that, I suppose. Lived with it not, of course, the same as being happy about it. But that's not the main reason I'll never buy, own or play SH5.

I was anticipating SHIII on steroids. You'd had three years to follow postings on Subsim. Three years to listen to our gripes and suggestions. Three years to analyze mods and supermods. Three years to learn what your customers wanted.

And from what I'm seeing and hearing, you just went your merry ol' way and did what you wanted to do.

We wanted a simulation; you gave us an arcade game. We wanted a dynamic campaign; you end things in the middle of the war. We wanted the ability to control all aspects of our boat if we wished to do so; you don't even give us a compass, the ability to check our depth under keel, or even historic nav maps!

I'm not going to list all the problems we, and I, have with your product. Far too many people have already done so. I do, however, want to address one topic I keep seeing: that of patiently waiting for SH5 to be modded.

SHIII, from what I've seen, read about, and understand, was a huge departure from the norm. So I'm understanding (not happy, mind you, but understanding) about the holes and bugs the released/patched final version contained. And, yes, the modded versions make a good product much, much better.

But you've had years to learn all that, too. I shouldn't have to wait for Subsim's modding community to fine-tune and fix your product. Enhance and polish, oh yes. But require them to repair and refit such a pooch-screwed release for you? No way!

So, in closing, I hope that someone at Ubi pays heed to all we've posted about Silent Hunter on here. Because I'm very much afraid if they don't, we've seen the last of submarine simulations from them.

[Jimbuna]

Two posts I have enjoyed reading....really excellent 'ramblings'

Just one small question/observation....why the black text?

[Grim Nigel]

Originally Posted by schlechter pfennig

I've spent up to six hours, real time, desperately trying to evade relentless destroyers intend on my demise, and the entire time my belly has been knotted, my heart pounding. I've never had any sort of game evoke what I feel

I can relate to this experience. There has been no other simulation/game that creates such intense feelings of triumph, excitement, fear, sorrow, arritation, anger, amazement, suprise, terror... in fact almost every type of human emotion in varying degrees.

On a number of occasions I found myself gripping tightly onto my chair while being depth charged lol

[schlechter pfennig]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Two posts I have enjoyed reading....really excellent 'ramblings'

Just one small question/observation....why the black text?

Thank you, I'm quite flattered.

Erm . . . the black text isn't intentional; it's a result of writing it in Word then cut-and-pasting here.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by schlechter pfennig

OK, I'm pretty sure that I've made my feelings regarding SHIII clear. But now I'd like to expound my feelings about SH5.

First off, I need to make clear two things: one is that I don't own SH5, nor have I played it at all.

To be honest, I stopped reading at that point. I do not understand how someone can make a long post complaining about a game they have never played.

You, of course, have freedom of choice in not buying SH5. However, until you buy a copy and played it, your "feelings" about the game are just repeating rumours.

I know that I am being blunt and rude. But, to me, your opinions on a game that you have never played, lack any credibility.

I know that I am being a jerk about this. But I honestly don't understand how anyone can critique a game they have not bought/played.

[MILLANDSON]

Originally Posted by Platapus

I know that I am being a jerk about this. But I honestly don't understand how anyone can critique a game they have not bought/played.

Aye, I feel the same. If you've not played a game and have first hand experience of it, warts and all, you can't really give an informed opinion on it. All you are doing otherwise is rehashing what other people have said, which in turn might not be informed opinions.

[KL-alfman]

having no compass, no full rudder-control, no KM grid-map and an immortal crew shows me (though haven't played) that this might be sort of a simulation but not a naval one of WW2.