Is Uboat worth picking up now?

[Sparky2005]

Hey subsimmers, long time no chat

Want to get back into subsims again. I was going to buy SH5. Had it on DVD back in the day but all my physical games media is long gone. So was going to buy it on Uplay but thought I'd check out the modding scene first and have read a few people having to fight that storefront to get the mod working. TBH I don't want to deal with Uplay suddenly updating and breaking things.

So, also had my eye on UBOAT. The RPG aspect looks cool even if the sim aspect is heavily simplified. Judging by Steam it looks like it had a somewhat rocky launch but people seem to like it now and the devs seem like they're working hard on it.

Anyone still playing? Would you recommend picking it up?

[Cybermat47]

Can’t comment on UBOAT I’m afraid, but if you get SH5 on Steam and install the Wolves of Steel mod, Uplay will just be a bad memory.

[Sparky2005]

Originally Posted by Cybermat47

if you get SH5 on Steam and install the Wolves of Steel mod, Uplay will just be a bad memory.

That's awesome, thank you! Will do that

[Laffertytig]

Uboat will eventually eclipse the silent hunter series (I've played them all since SH1) if it keeps goin the way its goin.

I bought it last year when it first came out on early access and it was very buggy as well as arcady but the difference between then and now is night and day.

Check out the historical tdc mod for example, fantastic stuff!

Cant recommend enough

[XenonSurf]

Also you can get UBoat on GOG, no need to deal with Steam and Uplay. Prices may differ however.


XS

[Lite_ly Salted]

Getting this title while it's in early access is a surefire way of paying half (or less) price for what is shaping up to be a AAA title. Couldn't recommend it more.

[Coral]

I have not played a sub sim for awhile and I am thinking of getting back into this area. I plan to play only single player for awhile. So the question is which one do I buy- uboat or wolfpack and why?

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Coral

I have not played a sub sim for awhile and I am thinking of getting back into this area. I plan to play only single player for awhile. So the question is which one do I buy- uboat or wolfpack and why?

Buy both in the great covid lockdown ! WHY U ask? WEll... you've got the time during the great lockdown-as evidenced by record captains checking in after years to ... and you're supporting the depressed economy! AND: Welcome aboard: Sparky2005!

[Fidgety]

I can promise you, the game is a bug ridden mess and not worth your money. Please trust me, the devs are incapable of fixing game breaking bugs and spend their time adding usless planes to the game that modders would happily do for free if they had the means to.


Dont get wrapped up in what any fan boys say or maybe even the devs alts accounts.


You cant play a full campaign.


Just read the steam forums to confirm what I'm saying and look for save loading crash etc.


Complete waste of money. Almost a scam but not quite due to being early access. The reason I say almost is you have to realize these problems have been going on for 5 years of crappy development. DONT HOLD YOUR BREATH AND DONT WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY!

[JU_88]

Originally Posted by Fidgety

I can promise you, the game is a bug ridden mess and not worth your money. Please trust me, the devs are incapable of fixing game breaking bugs and spend their time adding usless planes to the game that modders would happily do for free if they had the means to.


Dont get wrapped up in what any fan boys say or maybe even the devs alts accounts.


You cant play a full campaign.


Just read the steam forums to confirm what I'm saying and look for save loading crash etc.


Complete waste of money. Almost a scam but not quite due to being early access. The reason I say almost is you have to realize these problems have been going on for 5 years of crappy development. DONT HOLD YOUR BREATH AND DONT WASTE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY!

Right, and dont believe the thousands of steam reviewers 'Most positive' score either, i guess they are all conspiring fan boys and devs alt accounts etc.

The last patch they added 2 new planes and about 15 new ships, first time they added any new units for over year, and how many fixes were included int hat very same patch?, have you even read the patch notes? it will take you 20 minutes to read it because thats how long it is, (and that's just one patch.) I wont even copy and paste it here its so long the mods would likley delete my post.

Almost every two months they have release a patch with new features and very long list of fixe, with hotfixes being applied in the days and weeks afterwards
and by the way i made those two 'usless planes' for the team for free. so they didnt even spend much of their own time on them.
As for modding support, it was added within the first 9 months of EA, the reason few will make mods for an EA game is obvious to anyone with half a brain.
constant patches and fixes will break them.

if you hate the game maybe get a steam refund, your are free to trash the game in respect to what you dont like about it, the game is certainly not with out it faults, but please refrain from spreading misinformation. Doesnt make you look good, neither does writing in caps.

[Harddrivegames]

Ahoy!

I think that, right now, this game is worth supporting it's development by spending the early access price.

Check on www.isthereanydeal.com for deals in the various legal videogame shops, such as GoG.

As a game, it's playable and fun enough, still as others say too, is still arcade-ish, but with signs to become a serious sim over time.

I have started a few months ago a videogames channel, and while i'm learning the ropes on writting and video making, i have chosen this game to start off because.. well, i love sims and submarines.

Also because even if it is in early (very early) access state, it shows a lot of promise:

- They have put a LOT of effort by rendering the entire interior of a VIIIC Uboat, every lever is there to look at it, and this shows me that they are serious about this sim.

- The RPG and crew management focus seems a very inmersive idea, wich puts you even deeper into the simulation and that is also very promising.

So, Early access games are a bet. You pay for chances of that game not becoming what promises, not finished at all, or other outcomes.

I dont support early access games easily, but this is, in my opinion, worth risking the coin, because... how many developers are going to try to make a serious subsim nowadays?

For the record, the only other two games i had supported while they were developed have been Kerbal Space Program and Universim.

So in short: Its a playable mock up of a game, if you buy it now it has to be because you want to support their ideas and willing to bet some coin.

[SDFilm]

Using version B128

The UBOAT UI feels very clunky; I try to do basic things such as find a torpodo fire button, reading skipper's log messages etc and instead I'm forced to take a tour of the uboat by foot. For example it gave me a warning that my compressed air level was too low; instead of giving me a quick order button from the engineering officer's planel I instead had to walk around the boat and operate the compressor by hand, which is pretty awesome with the fact that you're able to do that but it's also inconvenient in what could be the heat of battle. I'm not writing it off as a terrible game as there could just be some hotkeys that I've missed, but at least from the first impressions it feels more centered on boat management rather than intuitive combat.

I'm enjoying it. Worth picking up for sure IMHO.

[GoldenRivet]

Originally Posted by SDFilm

I try to do basic things such as find a torpodo fire button,

There is a large red button on the torpedo control panel marked "FIRE", in an effort to declutter the screen you must first open the torpedo control panel by clicking the torpedo control panel icon at left of the screen. two clicks. piece of cake

Originally Posted by SDFilm

reading skipper's log messages etc and instead I'm forced to take a tour of the uboat by foot.

Incorrect - simply click the officer nearest the captains bunk (usually the radio or sonar officer) and enter first person view and walk 3 feet to the logbook. Any officer may access, enter and read entries. this is the real world equivilant of telling someone "Mark in the log we are moving to attack!" and they do it while you are fiddling elsewhere

Originally Posted by SDFilm

For example it gave me a warning that my compressed air level was too low; instead of giving me a quick order button from the engineering officer's planel I instead had to walk around the boat and operate the compressor by hand

There are quick order buttons for Search light on/off, gyrocompass on/off, ventillation on/of, electric compressor on/off, diesel compressor on/off, normal, red and blue lighting. Just press and hold tab, the icons appear, then you click one. done.

Originally Posted by SDFilm

but at least from the first impressions it feels more centered on boat management rather than intuitive combat.

Directly the first sentence from the game description on steam.

"UBOAT is a simulator of a submarine from WWII era, It is a survival sandbox with crew management mechanics."

so... yes. It is centered on boat management.

the game however is easily modded.

i find it is nearly identical to SHIII play style with just a couple of mods.

One of those mods is the TDC mod, which adds a beautiful and very intuitive SHIII-esque TDC that is 100% functional.

I think many players who try to incorporate the split hull view more into their boat management regimen will enjoy the game to a greater degree.

We are used to subsims where we are the only character on a ghost boat other than a few animatronic bots of sorts. We issue an order, and mindlessly and unseen, ghosts aboard the boat carry out the order.

In U-boat... yes, you or one of your sailors have to actually walk to the conning tower to look through the binoculars, you cant - as in prior subsims - just be laying in the bunk and press B and instantaniously you are teleported to binocular view. this is not our grandpappy's subsim.

Its come a long way since release. B128 i stable, i honestly cannot recall the last time i had a crash. More little options and tweaks and mods are being added very frequently.

I HIGHLY suggest spending a few minutes and watching the tutorials posted by Litely Salted. He has done a remarkable job of sorting out the nuance of the interface and the game in general

[SDFilm]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

There is a large red button on the torpedo control panel marked "FIRE", in an effort to declutter the screen you must first open the torpedo control panel by clicking the torpedo control panel icon at left of the screen. two clicks. piece of cake



Incorrect - simply click the officer nearest the captains bunk (usually the radio or sonar officer) and enter first person view and walk 3 feet to the logbook. Any officer may access, enter and read entries. this is the real world equivilant of telling someone "Mark in the log we are moving to attack!" and they do it while you are fiddling elsewhere



There are quick order buttons for Search light on/off, gyrocompass on/off, ventillation on/of, electric compressor on/off, diesel compressor on/off, normal, red and blue lighting. Just press and hold tab, the icons appear, then you click one. done.



Directly the first sentence from the game description on steam.

"UBOAT is a simulator of a submarine from WWII era, It is a survival sandbox with crew management mechanics."

so... yes. It is centered on boat management.

the game however is easily modded.

i find it is nearly identical to SHIII play style with just a couple of mods.

One of those mods is the TDC mod, which adds a beautiful and very intuitive SHIII-esque TDC that is 100% functional.

I think many players who try to incorporate the split hull view more into their boat management regimen will enjoy the game to a greater degree.

We are used to subsims where we are the only character on a ghost boat other than a few animatronic bots of sorts. We issue an order, and mindlessly and unseen, ghosts aboard the boat carry out the order.

In U-boat... yes, you or one of your sailors have to actually walk to the conning tower to look through the binoculars, you cant - as in prior subsims - just be laying in the bunk and press B and instantaniously you are teleported to binocular view. this is not our grandpappy's subsim.

Its come a long way since release. B128 i stable, i honestly cannot recall the last time i had a crash. More little options and tweaks and mods are being added very frequently.

I HIGHLY suggest spending a few minutes and watching the tutorials posted by Litely Salted. He has done a remarkable job of sorting out the nuance of the interface and the game in general

Thanks!
I'll check out the TDC mod since I'm really looking for an updated Silent Hunter. It feels like SH is in the middle of two extremes, with the other side being Cold Waters which is about as simplified as you can get while still being realistic.