So real it's uncanny...

nodlew · 12-24-09, 01:39 PM

I just watched a film on YouTube about the U-Boat war--Battlefront, a three part vid that has a lot of great action and commentary by the people that were there on both sides. The thing that made my jaw drop was that on every specific point that was mentioned by the real participants in the war--whether regarding strategy, history, or technology---SH3 with the GWX mod is in complete agreement. From the speed of convoys, to the best tactics for engaging them, the best tactics for evading destroyers, the behavior of convoy escorts...in every detail the game mirrors the historical reality. I cannot think of any simulation I have ever played that the same can be said of. And I've played a ton of them--tank sims, flight sims. Never played The Sims. Love sims, but don't go for The Sims.
And it was really cool to see real footage of merchant ships blowing up and being able to identify at a glance the type and approx. tonnage of the ship.
This game has a steep learning curve, but in the process, you really do learn a lot. For one thing, it's done wonders for my knowledge of geography.

GoldenRivet · 12-24-09, 02:35 PM

you said it friend

flag4 · 12-24-09, 03:05 PM

Hello Nodlew

check out these dvd titles

U-Boat War: http://www.amazon.co.uk/U-Boat-War-D...684233&sr=1-12

Grey Wolves vol. 1-3

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grey-Wolves-...1684233&sr=1-9

Grey Wolves narration is a bit dull/lacklustre, but the footage more than makes up for it. U-Boat War is a brilliant 3 part'er, 156 minutes in total with interviews from all who were involved - land, sea and air. maybe you could find a cheaper copy on e-bay though!

and this, from Nova, is a brilliant documentary, Hitlers Lost Sub

http://www.amazon.co.uk/NOVA-Hitlers...1684711&sr=1-1

and if you have not yet, then read the book which in my opinion is un-put-downable!!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shadow-Diver...1684797&sr=1-3

now, get your christmas money out and treat yourself!!

Jimbuna · 12-24-09, 03:57 PM

Welcome aboard nodlew

Brag · 12-24-09, 08:46 PM

Sh 3 with GWX is an inredibly good simulation of a period in history

ppk · 12-26-09, 12:59 AM

I think the only other game I played that was as consistently realistic as SH3 with GWX was Falcon 4. Of course it had to be heavily modded too; the stock game wasn't all that good. However it was such an absolute pain in the ass to mod (no jgsme here!) that the whole installation/patching process could take hours and came to be known as ''the falcon dance''... I guess that says something about user un-friendliness.

nodlew · 12-27-09, 08:47 PM

Wasn't there a kind of Super Mod for that game where they completely overhauled it and tried to make everything as detailed and realistic as possible...to the point where to take off you actually had to know the proper routine?

maxextz · 12-29-09, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brag

Sh 3 with GWX is an inredibly good simulation of a period in history

i agree its a fine sim.

coasterdigi · 12-29-09, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nodlew

Wasn't there a kind of Super Mod for that game where they completely overhauled it and tried to make everything as detailed and realistic as possible...to the point where to take off you actually had to know the proper routine?

Yes, but that's not at all uncommon in any kind of hardcore flight sim (if you want to see another ridiculously detailed sim, check out DCS Black Shark). Being a pilot is all about being familiar and proficient with tons and tons of minutiae, and, unlike a sub or ship sim, the pilot is often the only person aboard the aircraft, so they've got to do everything.

When I was working on getting my license, I can remember spending hours sitting in a dry (powered down) cockpit going over flows, which are essentially procedures that should be able to be done very quickly and by muscle memory--especially in an emergency.

...although, it's a hell of a lot more difficult with a mouse.

Kimmers · 12-29-09, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Never played The Sims.

oh you kidding me. although i've outgrown it, thats a classic

TomcatMVD · 12-29-09, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nodlew

Wasn't there a kind of Super Mod for that game where they completely overhauled it and tried to make everything as detailed and realistic as possible...to the point where to take off you actually had to know the proper routine?

The stock game already comes with the option to do a "Ramp Start" for each mission. This requires you to "turn on" the plane. From spooling up the engine up to waiting for the inertial navigation system to align.

Quote:

Originally Posted by coasterdigi

When I was working on getting my license, I can remember spending hours sitting in a dry (powered down) cockpit going over flows, which are essentially procedures that should be able to be done very quickly and by muscle memory--especially in an emergency.

I'm a student pilot myself! Although talking about a "powered down" cockpit sounds more like you're talking about your commercial certification. (?)

Cheers!

nodlew · 12-29-09, 10:43 PM

I had that game (Falcon 4.0). But for some reason, I just couldn't get into it. I think it was the graphics. By the time I got my hands on it, they were so outdated that I just said, "Nah.".

Il-2, on the other hand, can still make me say "Whoah!" Still a beautiful-looking game with an awesome damage model, terrific gameplay.

I think, partly, I like the WWII era better as well. Firing Sidewinders from 4 miles away and watching your enemy go "poof" in the distance is not nearly as visceral as watching him disintegrate before your eyes under a stream of .50 cal bullets. Or watching a 10,000 ton behemoth on the horizon jump out of the water and fill the sky with fire and debris.

Strange, I never tried Sub Sims, or Naval warfare sims in general before. I think I had the old game "Battleship" stuck in my head. And I guess I didn't think riding around for days in a submarine with nothing to do would be very engrossing. Wrong about that. I take log entries. Bitch about the weather. Manage my crew. Plot new courses to, hopefully, better hunting grounds. Sometimes I stop all engines and just wait for days (weeks) for the weather to clear up. Then, all of a sudden, you're being shot at by a plane, diving, taking on water, figuring out where to stow the dead crewmen, or staring at a massive convoy heading right for you, picking out the fattest targets, setting torpedoes up...all very absorbing to me.

Kimmers--if the Sims was set in WWII and my Sims were fighting the Germans, I would play it. But watching a bunch of Sims wandering around a Sim House, occasionally using the Sim Lavatory and feeding the Simdog, ain't my thang. My nieces love the game. That there is the surest clue that I myself would hate it.

nodlew · 12-29-09, 11:20 PM

Sorry have not responded until now. In general, I save money on DVD's by watching YouTube. I am afraid (translate=delighted) that the days of "buying" things seem to be becoming passe. The internet is an incredible cornucopia of free stuff. Free programs, free movies, free reading material. You might not get the best of the best. I'm sure Professor Smith's five volume history of The Battle of Jutland is far superior to Wikepedia, but Wikepedia can tell me all the essentials--in fine detail, and costs nothing compared to the $100 dollars for Smith's opus.
And I am...how to put this?...almost without financial resources of any kind.

Sailor Steve · 12-30-09, 10:19 AM

Good points. But your 'Professor Smith' would love me. When it comes to the technical details I just have to have all those stupid books. Though I've had my ups and downs as well. I spent some time homeless, and I'm currently "between positions" as they say.

TomcatMVD · 12-30-09, 01:57 PM

Come to thing of it... the Falcon game that allowed you to perform a full "Ramp Start", was Falcon Allied Force, basically, the version following Falcon 4.0.
As for The Sims series... I guess is one of those games you just have to install, to see what all the fuzz is about... but that's pretty much all there is about them... install them, try them, uninstall them, and go hunting tonnage.

BTW, speaking about WWII genre... I just got my hands into Brothers in Arms Hell's Highway... it seems like a truly recommendable game for the buck.

12-24-09, 01:39 PM	#1
nodlew Engineer Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Virginia Posts: 202 Downloads: 572 Uploads: 0	So real it's uncanny... I just watched a film on YouTube about the U-Boat war--Battlefront, a three part vid that has a lot of great action and commentary by the people that were there on both sides. The thing that made my jaw drop was that on every specific point that was mentioned by the real participants in the war--whether regarding strategy, history, or technology---SH3 with the GWX mod is in complete agreement. From the speed of convoys, to the best tactics for engaging them, the best tactics for evading destroyers, the behavior of convoy escorts...in every detail the game mirrors the historical reality. I cannot think of any simulation I have ever played that the same can be said of. And I've played a ton of them--tank sims, flight sims. Never played The Sims. Love sims, but don't go for The Sims. And it was really cool to see real footage of merchant ships blowing up and being able to identify at a glance the type and approx. tonnage of the ship. This game has a steep learning curve, but in the process, you really do learn a lot. For one thing, it's done wonders for my knowledge of geography.

12-24-09, 02:35 PM	#2
GoldenRivet Subsim Aviator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 8,726 Downloads: 146 Uploads: 0	you said it friend __________________

12-24-09, 03:05 PM	#3
flag4 Watch Officer Join Date: May 2007 Location: as far away as possible Posts: 1,625 Downloads: 147 Uploads: 0	Hello Nodlew check out these dvd titles U-Boat War: http://www.amazon.co.uk/U-Boat-War-D...684233&sr=1-12 Grey Wolves vol. 1-3 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grey-Wolves-...1684233&sr=1-9 Grey Wolves narration is a bit dull/lacklustre, but the footage more than makes up for it. U-Boat War is a brilliant 3 part'er, 156 minutes in total with interviews from all who were involved - land, sea and air. maybe you could find a cheaper copy on e-bay though! and this, from Nova, is a brilliant documentary, Hitlers Lost Sub http://www.amazon.co.uk/NOVA-Hitlers...1684711&sr=1-1 and if you have not yet, then read the book which in my opinion is un-put-downable!! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Shadow-Diver...1684797&sr=1-3 now, get your christmas money out and treat yourself!! __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] ' We are here on Earth to fart around. Don't let anybody tell you any different.' Kurt Vonnegut

12-24-09, 03:57 PM	#4
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 190,473 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	Welcome aboard nodlew __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!

12-24-09, 08:46 PM	#5
Brag Navy Seal Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Docked on a Russian pond Posts: 7,072 Downloads: 2 Uploads: 0	Sh 3 with GWX is an inredibly good simulation of a period in history __________________ Espionage, adventure, suspense, are just a click away Click here to look inside Brag's book: Amazon.com: Kingmaker: Alexey Braguine: Books Order Kingmaker here: http://www.subsim.com/store.html For Tactics visit:http://www.freewebs.com/kielman/

12-26-09, 12:59 AM	#6
ppk Machinist's Mate Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 125 Downloads: 21 Uploads: 0	I think the only other game I played that was as consistently realistic as SH3 with GWX was Falcon 4. Of course it had to be heavily modded too; the stock game wasn't all that good. However it was such an absolute pain in the ass to mod (no jgsme here!) that the whole installation/patching process could take hours and came to be known as ''the falcon dance''... I guess that says something about user un-friendliness. __________________ When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back into you. Friedrich Nietzsche U-46 (VIIB) - 62 ships for 395,532 tons in Apr40 [DiD]

12-27-09, 08:47 PM	#7
nodlew Engineer Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Virginia Posts: 202 Downloads: 572 Uploads: 0	Falcon 4.0 Wasn't there a kind of Super Mod for that game where they completely overhauled it and tried to make everything as detailed and realistic as possible...to the point where to take off you actually had to know the proper routine?

12-29-09, 10:43 PM	#12
nodlew Engineer Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Virginia Posts: 202 Downloads: 572 Uploads: 0	Now that I think about it.... I had that game (Falcon 4.0). But for some reason, I just couldn't get into it. I think it was the graphics. By the time I got my hands on it, they were so outdated that I just said, "Nah.". Il-2, on the other hand, can still make me say "Whoah!" Still a beautiful-looking game with an awesome damage model, terrific gameplay. I think, partly, I like the WWII era better as well. Firing Sidewinders from 4 miles away and watching your enemy go "poof" in the distance is not nearly as visceral as watching him disintegrate before your eyes under a stream of .50 cal bullets. Or watching a 10,000 ton behemoth on the horizon jump out of the water and fill the sky with fire and debris. Strange, I never tried Sub Sims, or Naval warfare sims in general before. I think I had the old game "Battleship" stuck in my head. And I guess I didn't think riding around for days in a submarine with nothing to do would be very engrossing. Wrong about that. I take log entries. Bitch about the weather. Manage my crew. Plot new courses to, hopefully, better hunting grounds. Sometimes I stop all engines and just wait for days (weeks) for the weather to clear up. Then, all of a sudden, you're being shot at by a plane, diving, taking on water, figuring out where to stow the dead crewmen, or staring at a massive convoy heading right for you, picking out the fattest targets, setting torpedoes up...all very absorbing to me. Kimmers--if the Sims was set in WWII and my Sims were fighting the Germans, I would play it. But watching a bunch of Sims wandering around a Sim House, occasionally using the Sim Lavatory and feeding the Simdog, ain't my thang. My nieces love the game. That there is the surest clue that I myself would hate it.

12-29-09, 11:20 PM	#13
nodlew Engineer Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Virginia Posts: 202 Downloads: 572 Uploads: 0	Flag4 Sorry have not responded until now. In general, I save money on DVD's by watching YouTube. I am afraid (translate=delighted) that the days of "buying" things seem to be becoming passe. The internet is an incredible cornucopia of free stuff. Free programs, free movies, free reading material. You might not get the best of the best. I'm sure Professor Smith's five volume history of The Battle of Jutland is far superior to Wikepedia, but Wikepedia can tell me all the essentials--in fine detail, and costs nothing compared to the $100 dollars for Smith's opus. And I am...how to put this?...almost without financial resources of any kind.

12-30-09, 10:19 AM	#14
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Good points. But your 'Professor Smith' would love me. When it comes to the technical details I just have to have all those stupid books. Though I've had my ups and downs as well. I spent some time homeless, and I'm currently "between positions" as they say. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

12-30-09, 01:57 PM	#15
TomcatMVD Weps Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: MVD, UY Posts: 359 Downloads: 7 Uploads: 0	Come to thing of it... the Falcon game that allowed you to perform a full "Ramp Start", was Falcon Allied Force, basically, the version following Falcon 4.0. As for The Sims series... I guess is one of those games you just have to install, to see what all the fuzz is about... but that's pretty much all there is about them... install them, try them, uninstall them, and go hunting tonnage. BTW, speaking about WWII genre... I just got my hands into Brothers in Arms Hell's Highway... it seems like a truly recommendable game for the buck. __________________