I cannot shake the sim urge, fortunately lets play vids got rid of the urge to fly things, unfortunately lets play vids of SH made me want more - id like to get quite involved in it so if one is more arcadey than the other then id like the more serious one
I'd say grab IV with the Trigger Maru mod and all the radio stations. Head over to subsim.com to grab the goodies you need.
III is a little too long in the tooth now and V had some bad "dumb it down to appeal to a wider market" decisions that can't be fixed with mods.
All three of them are great!... Talk to Nefaro he is the house Grog on SH series, knows what the cool mods are and such!
III was my favourite. I had a blast trying to get out of Kiel and through the English Channel with the RN chasing me down.
I still really enjoy SH III too. Install the Grey Wolves mod for it and it's a great game.
I have SH IV, but haven't played much of it. But thanks for the Trigger Maru mod mention, Silent Disapproval Robot. I'm downloading the mod now.
Get sh4, there's a battle of Atlantic mod that adds Europe operations if you have uboat missions dlc. The mod even lets you use late war uboats like the type XXI. Plus you can do pacific if that's what you want.
My knock with sh4 series is, it models sub warfare so well that I get board with all the cat and mouse. I would have loved a macro strategy game added where you subsim and coordinate wolfpacks.
You can't go wrong with SH3 or SH4. For U-boots I think SH3 is better, if you like Pacific or you are not sure take SH4 with U-boot DLC. SH5 is rubbish, even with mods its worse than SH3 or SH4.
cool, 4 it is, its a bargain on steam
however, Trigger Maru needs 1.5 and theres lots of negative reviews on steam saying youre sold 1.2/1.3 and you cant upgrade or mod it
did you get it from steam or elsewhere chaps?
I loved 3,4 and 5. Apparently I'm alone in that I liked 5. But to me, I found it realistic enough. In other words, a lot of mods add stuff serious sub simmers want. 5 had everything I needed and was realistic enough that I couldn't tell that anything was off. I liked being able to walk around the boat too. But 4 is good. I had the hard copy. Truthfully, with all 3 I got to the point someone above did...I got bored. Have to stalk convoys forever, then once I hit, it would take forever to deal with the escorts. THATS what a lot of people love about them though
So if you want a realistic sub sim, I think V is fine unless you really know what you're doing and when something isn't truly authentic I guess. Unless I'm missing something
Quote from: Silent Disapproval Robot on May 27, 2015, 03:22:20 PM
I'd say grab IV with the Trigger Maru mod and all the radio stations.
Seconded.
Just check the Trigger Maru ReadMe for a few optional changes you can do. IIRC, the author turned off External Views in the text files, for more realism, but who doesn't want to ogle the superb external cam in this series?? That, and many other (optional) adjustments, are easy text edits.
I also usually lower the base air patrol spawn percentages. They were too high in vanilla and remain so in the mod, last I checked. With default, once you get within something like 300 or 400nm of a Japanese airbase, you'll begin to get random air patrols spawned on you every few hours of game time. I got sick of diving six times a day, at some points, to avoid them when I wasn't terribly close to a base. This has been a regular issue in all the Silent Hunters, so SH4 isn't anything new in this respect.
Anyway....
Silent Hunter 4 with Trigger Maru. It's the most complete, bug-free version of SH out there.
Make sure you get the SH4 expansion with it, as that also includes the last patch to the vanilla game and the latest TM Mod!SH5 isn't bad but it has too many problems vanilla and I don't think there's a single 'MegaMod' that fixes the problems. Last time I played SH5, I had to go through the fookeen Mod Soup nightmare just to fix vanilla bugs and round out content. It was a pain in the ass. Not to mention it uses Ubisoft's login bullshit (even though you can set it to play offline afterward).
SH3 is far past it's prime, has two really annoying & unfixed bugs that drive me nuts, doesn't run in widescreen properly, etc, etc. It's been surpassed awhile back. It's sim modelling isn't as good as the latter ones, either. Just skip it. If you're one of those die-hard 3rd-Reich-Only players, then get SH5.
Quote from: undercovergeek on May 27, 2015, 05:53:43 PM
cool, 4 it is, its a bargain on steam
however, Trigger Maru needs 1.5 and theres lots of negative reviews on steam saying youre sold 1.2/1.3 and you cant upgrade or mod it
did you get it from steam or elsewhere chaps?
SH4 had an expansion (Uboats/Wolves of the Pacific or some such) which contained the last update along with it (1.5 IIRC). You
need that expansion, too, for the latest and greatest goodies. As a bonus, you'll be able to also run some German boats in the Indian and Pacific Oceans too.
Quote from: undercovergeek on May 27, 2015, 03:17:48 PM
Gentlemen submariners, what say you? Silent Hunter III, IV, V?
Silent Hunter III with
The Grey Wolves (http://www.thegreywolves.com/) Freeware expansion.
I've only played SH 4 but love it. Nothing like lighting-up a fat Jap tanker. Except for lighting-up two. I never could get any of the mods to work though. The U-Boat add-on is great too.
Did someone say Genetlemen Submariner?
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.guim.co.uk%2Fsys-images%2FGuardian%2FPix%2Fpictures%2F2014%2F6%2F25%2F1403686378427%2FTwenty-Thousand-Leagues-U-011.jpg&hash=d8c9e8a59baac3fee5e2da43ad0807566b0989a9)
SH4, and I managed to get a copy with the aforementioned U-Boat added bits at Gamersgate for a song a while back; might be a spot to watch if / when it goes on sale again.
Nobody seems to like SH5
Among many flaws vanilla SH5 doesn't have TDC, so you can't prepare the torpedo attack yourself. It is a huge NO. How could they cut the best and the most entertaining part of subsim. And If I remember correctly flooding of torpedoed ships haven't been made properly. I've played all SH games and SH5 was a huge disappointment for me.
Quote from: salazarus on May 28, 2015, 03:24:04 AM
Among many flaws vanilla SH5 doesn't have TDC, so you can't prepare the torpedo attack yourself. It is a huge NO. How could they cut the best and the most entertaining part of subsim. And If I remember correctly flooding of torpedoed ships haven't been made properly. I've played all SH games and SH5 was a huge disappointment for me.
Wasn't it because they had screwed the mechanics up in SHIV? Or was it SHIII? I remember one of them (sure it was IV) where the community were taring them a new one because the TDC did not work properly resulting in an awful lot of misses
So rather than fix it, they cut it with the attitude "How d'ya like them apples?" <- this is pure speculation. I have no idea why they cut out TDC - but there was uproar regarding a previous version that had a TDC that didn't work.
I dunno - I liked SH5.
Quote from: JudgeDredd on May 28, 2015, 03:28:10 AM
Quote from: salazarus on May 28, 2015, 03:24:04 AM
Among many flaws vanilla SH5 doesn't have TDC, so you can't prepare the torpedo attack yourself. It is a huge NO. How could they cut the best and the most entertaining part of subsim. And If I remember correctly flooding of torpedoed ships haven't been made properly. I've played all SH games and SH5 was a huge disappointment for me.
Wasn't it because they had screwed the mechanics up in SHIV? Or was it SHIII? I remember one of them (sure it was IV) where the community were taring them a new one because the TDC did not work properly resulting in an awful lot of misses
So rather than fix it, they cut it with the attitude "How d'ya like them apples?" <- this is pure speculation. I have no idea why they cut out TDC - but there was uproar regarding a previous version that had a TDC that didn't work.
It worked properly in SHIV but you had to make sure you had opened the outer torpedo hatches before you fired or the 2 second delay would ensure that your shots nearly always missed astern. The professionally irate crowd just couldn't cope with this and wouldn't stop whinging about having to actually press an extra key to open the hatch before firing.
Pfft. I'd always open the doors first anyway as a matter of course. It's just common sense!
I prefer to leave them shut - see if they go off
I had the SH 4 problem of constant rain and cloudy weather until one of the patches fixed it. I thought, "Damn it rains a lot in Japan". Also had very little problem penetrating into harbors to sink ships at anchor even in very shallow water. The update with the U-Boat add-on fixed a lot of this.
I play sh5
Quote from: jomni on May 28, 2015, 02:52:17 AM
Nobody seems to like SH5
I like SH5. It just has more problems and requires far more Mod searching & installation to get around them. I had to dig high & low for numerous smaller mod fixes and then there were some headaches putting it all together. Not so with SH4.
Not only is SH5 buggier and less mod-coherent than the others, it uses Ubi's annoying DRM. Once you get past those hoops, it's a good sim.
Quote from: Sir Slash on May 28, 2015, 09:03:07 AM
I had the SH 4 problem of constant rain and cloudy weather until one of the patches fixed it. I thought, "Damn it rains a lot in Japan". Also had very little problem penetrating into harbors to sink ships at anchor even in very shallow water. The update with the U-Boat add-on fixed a lot of this.
I remember that.
The exact same thing still happens in the old SH3. It will start raining and then never stop the rest of your patrol. ::)
Thankfully that eventually got fixed in SH4, along with your engine room crew members getting stuck in the diesel/electric rooms when you submerged/surfaced forcing you to drag them back & forth manually every time you did so (or lose their efficiency bonuses).
SH4 was the one with the most post-release work done and, therefore, the least buggy. The only big complaints about it were Axis Fanboys who absolutely refused to sail in American boats. Evidently an issue in some circles. ;D
Quote from: Silent Disapproval Robot on May 28, 2015, 06:06:10 AM
Quote from: JudgeDredd on May 28, 2015, 03:28:10 AM
Quote from: salazarus on May 28, 2015, 03:24:04 AM
Among many flaws vanilla SH5 doesn't have TDC, so you can't prepare the torpedo attack yourself. It is a huge NO. How could they cut the best and the most entertaining part of subsim. And If I remember correctly flooding of torpedoed ships haven't been made properly. I've played all SH games and SH5 was a huge disappointment for me.
Wasn't it because they had screwed the mechanics up in SHIV? Or was it SHIII? I remember one of them (sure it was IV) where the community were taring them a new one because the TDC did not work properly resulting in an awful lot of misses
So rather than fix it, they cut it with the attitude "How d'ya like them apples?" <- this is pure speculation. I have no idea why they cut out TDC - but there was uproar regarding a previous version that had a TDC that didn't work.
It worked properly in SHIV but you had to make sure you had opened the outer torpedo hatches before you fired or the 2 second delay would ensure that your shots nearly always missed astern. The professionally irate crowd just couldn't cope with this and wouldn't stop whinging about having to actually press an extra key to open the hatch before firing.
That .. and high angle-off shots (in which the torpedo had to turn sharply after leaving the tube) weren't modeled from the periscope (where the solution measurements are taken) but, instead, from the front of the boat where they left the torpedo tubes.
So, if making one of these ill-advised shots you had to adjust the torpedo heading a bit. Of course, you generally want to be pointing close to your projected shot angle in the first place.
This was an issue with all the Silent Hunters though, IIRC. I don't think it was recognized until in SH4. I guess people were taking desperate side shots more often, in all the shallow seas.
Quote from: Nefaro on May 28, 2015, 01:04:57 PM
Quote from: Sir Slash on May 28, 2015, 09:03:07 AM
I had the SH 4 problem of constant rain and cloudy weather until one of the patches fixed it. I thought, "Damn it rains a lot in Japan". Also had very little problem penetrating into harbors to sink ships at anchor even in very shallow water. The update with the U-Boat add-on fixed a lot of this.
I remember that.
The exact same thing still happens in the old SH3. It will start raining and then never stop the rest of your patrol. ::)
Thankfully that eventually got fixed in SH4, along with your engine room crew members getting stuck in the diesel/electric rooms when you submerged/surfaced forcing you to drag them back & forth manually every time you did so (or lose their efficiency bonuses).
SH4 was the one with the most post-release work done and, therefore, the least buggy. The only big complaints about it were Axis Fanboys who absolutely refused to sail in American boats. Evidently an issue in some circles. ;D
SH4 was the most fun I ever had in a submarine game. I got it years ago on steam with all the uboat add-ons, I think. The S-boat patrols were the most fun, I thought.
Quote from: MengJiao on May 28, 2015, 02:03:23 PM
Quote from: Nefaro on May 28, 2015, 01:04:57 PM
Quote from: Sir Slash on May 28, 2015, 09:03:07 AM
I had the SH 4 problem of constant rain and cloudy weather until one of the patches fixed it. I thought, "Damn it rains a lot in Japan". Also had very little problem penetrating into harbors to sink ships at anchor even in very shallow water. The update with the U-Boat add-on fixed a lot of this.
I remember that.
The exact same thing still happens in the old SH3. It will start raining and then never stop the rest of your patrol. ::)
Thankfully that eventually got fixed in SH4, along with your engine room crew members getting stuck in the diesel/electric rooms when you submerged/surfaced forcing you to drag them back & forth manually every time you did so (or lose their efficiency bonuses).
SH4 was the one with the most post-release work done and, therefore, the least buggy. The only big complaints about it were Axis Fanboys who absolutely refused to sail in American boats. Evidently an issue in some circles. ;D
SH4 was the most fun I ever had in a submarine game. I got it years ago on steam with all the uboat add-ons, I think. The S-boat patrols were the most fun, I thought.
Yep!
I wasn't a fan of those slow little S-boats. I'd usually start with one of the earlier fleet boats after modifying some stuff. Lower air patrol rates a bit, raise Japanese sonar sensitivity to make sure I'd get DC'd pretty closely if I was taking short range shots at convoys.
The large variance in water depths, around all those islands, made it pretty damn hairy afterward.
I enjoyed 5 aswell...with a decent mod soup and some user made fixes it's great. Though you need a non steam version.
Quote from: mikeck on May 27, 2015, 06:18:13 PM
I loved 3,4 and 5. Apparently I'm alone in that I liked 5. But to me, I found it realistic enough. In other words, a lot of mods add stuff serious sub simmers want. 5 had everything I needed and was realistic enough that I couldn't tell that anything was off. I liked being able to walk around the boat too. But 4 is good. I had the hard copy. Truthfully, with all 3 I got to the point someone above did...I got bored. Have to stalk convoys forever, then once I hit, it would take forever to deal with the escorts. THATS what a lot of people love about them though
So if you want a realistic sub sim, I think V is fine unless you really know what you're doing and when something isn't truly authentic I guess. Unless I'm missing something