Silent Hunter 5 is out!

[FengZ]

This game is getting slammed big time over at Gamespot...with average user rates in the 1s and 2s (out of 10).

Seems like the DRM is not the only problem. This game appears to be more "arcade" like than before. And physically walking to your radio man or navigator to issue orders sounds ridiculous (the captain's role sounds more like a gopher). Thus, i'll be skipping this one unless they patch it and remove the DRM stuff...

I bought the 3rd installment back in 06 and liked it a lot...but it just takes way too much time to play this game Maybe that's why Ubi went w/ the point-n-shoot for the 5th version...lol

-fz

[wiltzei]

What a pity, I was kinda looking forward into this. I tought this´d be the pinnacle of submarine simulation, except that "game" where you could control boats, subs and planes.

..but it just takes way too much time to play this game Maybe that's why Ubi went w/ the point-n-shoot for the 5th version...lol
-fz

So, it´s basically the same thing as starting 747's engines with Ctrl+E in FSX...

[Lionheart]

I have to say, I played SH4 perhaps 4 maybe 5 times.

SH3 I played alot but just freaked over all the nazi stuff in the game, like the red nazi thing on the game bootup.

SH1 and 2 were awesome. I loved those games. The Officers Edition of SH2 was brilliant. You could sit on the bottom of the sea floor and deploy oil and debris to fool the enemy.

SH3 was amazing with graphics and details, a VC control room, etc. Brilliant.

But then in SH4, it took me perhaps 2 hours to go to the war zone from the command base. ????
I would fast forward and bing... I am sunk by a plane or run into a small island, each time... And, their fast forward was very slow, so that was after ALOT of fast forwarding.. .

I finally quit playing it. I never really saw action.


What was cool about SH3 was you could have your own war music (vintage song downloads for the phonograph) for when you are on those long cruises in the sea. That was a pretty fair game.


So I see they changed things around alot again for SH5.. lol.. man..



I miss sitting on the sea floor, hearing the ships go over, missing me, lol.. That was good fun.



Bill

[SPman]

I still like Aces of the Deep. I've got SH3, but with windows 7, you've got to go through so much **** to install it, I can't be bothered....

[Lionheart]

Do you guys think that the gaming industry is driving itself into a corner?

So many games, but so many odd requirements are coming about, all from anti-piracy steps.

How far will it go? Will the gaming industry take a major dive soon in the market from low sales?




Bill

[Snuffy]

This game is getting slammed big time over at Gamespot...with average user rates in the 1s and 2s (out of 10).

Seems like the DRM is not the only problem. This game appears to be more "arcade" like than before. And physically walking to your radio man or navigator to issue orders sounds ridiculous (the captain's role sounds more like a gopher). Thus, i'll be skipping this one unless they patch it and remove the DRM stuff...

I bought the 3rd installment back in 06 and liked it a lot...but it just takes way too much time to play this game Maybe that's why Ubi went w/ the point-n-shoot for the 5th version...lol

-fz

Well lets face it, they did finally cave into the community wanting a walk though sub. Unfortunately, they just incorporated it all wrong. The idea of being able to walk from one end to the other end of the sub is cool, but the reason for doing so isn't what the community had in mind I'm sure.

[Snuffy]

Do you guys think that the gaming industry is driving itself into a corner?

So many games, but so many odd requirements are coming about, all from anti-piracy steps.

How far will it go? Will the gaming industry take a major dive soon in the market from low sales?




Bill

Actually Bill the way I see it ...

For the last two nights after work now, I've gone to various stores in my area trying to find software, (yes a game in particular,) hoping that I would find the object of my search in a bargin bin or something.

I will tell you one thing I have noticed. In the past when going PC game shopping I was treated to 3 maybe 4 Aisles of games, and half an aisle of console stuff ... the last two days has been telling. Only half an aisle of PC games in most stores, INCLUDING CompUSA a real computer store.

On the other hand, there were 3 or 4 aisles of console stuff ...

I think the end result will be that the console will ultimately win out in this contest and trying to find true PC games will be a thing of the past and all us true PC gamers will become dinosaurs.

[FengZ]

Do you guys think that the gaming industry is driving itself into a corner?

So many games, but so many odd requirements are coming about, all from anti-piracy steps.

How far will it go? Will the gaming industry take a major dive soon in the market from low sales?




Bill

IMO, i don't think so. The gaming industry is actually expanding like crazy. With games like Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age, MW2, etc...this industry is just printing money. And investors like businesses which can print money. Just one successful game can make millions (sometimes billions) for a company...so the risk-to-reward will constantly draw in investors. Our studio constantly gets contract offers to work on next-gen games...and their budgets for pre-production are going up and up....right now it's higher than working on a major blockbuster films.

I don't know if you guys remember, but MS was actually working on Halo Online. I heard the budget for the "demo" was already up in the 60-80million range. That's crazy right? But not really...cuz on day one of release, the name "Halo" alone will probably generate a 100-200million day-one sale....so 80m seems very small....

Like it or not, i do think this whole DRM thing is here to stay. Remember when the first internet stores opened up like 10 years ago? Everybody was like "don't buy anything online...you can't trust it...etc." And now people buy stuff from Amazon, Steam, iTunes w/out hesitation....the population has be "trained" to trust it.

Ubisoft is using big games like Assassin's Creed 2 to implement this DRM stuff. They are not stupid. They know people will hate it. But they also know gamers will buy AC2. So they are hoping 3-4 games down the road...people will just get used to it.

I believe in 5 years, all games will have some type of DRM installed....and nobody will even remember a game w/out it....

-fz

[GT182]

HAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!! UBI,When will you learn????

I don't think they'll ever learn. They sure haven't from all the flak they've received in the past.

And all the sub simulations they put out have all been broken right out of the box. It's taken 3 or more patches to get SH3 and 4 worth playing. So why would 5 be any different?

I've been to several stores here and have not seen SH 5 on the shelves. Either these stores won't carry it or there's been a "rush to disappointment". WorstBuy probably has it but I don't go there. :d

Edit:
BTW.... what's the price for SH5? I bet it's at least 50 bucks.

[arrowmaker]

I've never played any of these games. Hopefully though, if I did, I would make a better captain than this guy.

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[Lionheart]

I've never played any of these games. Hopefully though, if I did, I would make a better captain than this guy.

LOLOLOL....

Brilliant.. I have heard of this incident.


Thanks Feng for the informative view into the present gaming industry and its future.



Bill

[GT182]

Feng, if gamers keep up the pressure on UBI, hopefully DRMs will disappear. Notice I said hopefully.

Just got back from the Mall. Checked at Game Stop and they got in only one copy in of SH5. That was gone as fast as they put it out. The guy behind the sales desk said he agrees with all of us against the DRMs in it and having to have an account, and the need to be online to play. Also said he'd heard it was unplayable and hoped the idiot that bought it was having fun kicking himself for buying it. That brought out a laugh fom me and that other 4 looking for it. None said they'd buy it, but if they did they'd only play it once it was cracked. They want nothing to do with UBI's DRMs and having to be online to play it.

It's selling for 49.95 at Game Stop. One more reason not to buy it just yet. As soon as I can, I prefer SOH have the 50 bucks instead of UBI. :d

[arrowmaker]

I've just listened to this weeks FSBreak, and in it the guys do briefly discuss DRM. Whatever it's merits DRM justs seems to p**s off legitimate purchasers. Perversely it seems, if what the guys said is correct, that some games with heavy DRM are only happily enjoyed by pirates who have somehow overcome the protection. If this is true then it seems to be a bit of a kick in the teeth to those of us who have actually paid for something only to find it unplayable, without one issue or another.

[gigabyte]

I posted the following on the Live Ubisoft facebook page yesterday, so far no response or comment...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have over a dozen Ubisoft titles in my game collection, and was really looking forward to Silent Hunter V, but there is no way I will spend another cent on UBISoft titles with the type of DRM you are now using. Too bad I was a loyal customer until now, but instead of protecting the brand from pirates you have laid down a ganutlet and they will take it up, no doubt about that, and in the end Ubisoft and the honest customers will be the loosers.

[FengZ]

I've just listened to this weeks FSBreak, and in it the guys do briefly discuss DRM. Whatever it's merits DRM justs seems to p**s off legitimate purchasers. Perversely it seems, if what the guys said is correct, that some games with heavy DRM are only happily enjoyed by pirates who have somehow overcome the protection. If this is true then it seems to be a bit of a kick in the teeth to those of us who have actually paid for something only to find it unplayable, without one issue or another.

Pirates will always find a way to make the game work, but with DRM, it's getting harder and harder. DRM is just the start of what will eventually become "all server based" gaming. Right now, games like Assassin's Creed 2 are already storing saved games online and requires a constant internet connection. Silent Hunter 5 requires you to be online in order for the missions to complete.

It's true that DRM is causing a lot of headaches (servers down, lost saved games, etc.). But most leaps in technology or functionality will have it's rough starts. In about 1 or 2 years, DRM will be pretty solid and most big games will have it (btw, Ubi is not the only one. Big big big publisher EA is doing it now too...take a look at Command and Conquer 4...and yup, it's getting slammed just as hard for including DRM).

In any case, DRM is just a start. I believe eventually all you have to install is the client side host files (basically the game engine). Everything else (content, saved games, accounts, etc.) will all be stored on the publisher's server. This will make pirating extremely hard....it's like pirating WoW....it's do-able...but just way too much trouble to make it work...so most people play WoW by paying instead...

Also, when it comes to gamers, the ones which complain inside forums are actually a very tiny % of the overall user base. Most popular PC games sell in the 300,000 - 500,000 copies range. But even the most popular forums have only a few thousand people registered. And out of that, maybe under 500 are active. So even though the forums are complaining, the majority of the buyers out there are just "accepting" it. This is the hopes of the big publishers...

-feng