Silent Hunter 4-funny twist on the whiners

[Forward Observer]

The 4th installment in the Silent Hunter submarine sim franchise was released on Tuesday or Wednesday this past week,

This version moves the action back to the WW II US submarine fleet in the Pacific like the first game in the series. The middle two games were both about the German UBoat war--mostly in the North Atlantic.

Of course like any new game, the various fan forums are filled to no end with the usual mix of fanboys, whiners, and trolls.

A patch was issued within two days of release, and looking at the huge number of fixes and additions it contains, it is pretty obvious that tons of intended content were simply left out, or not made functional, to meet the release date.

Unfortunately, this seems to be the norm now, especially for game sequels. I have no doubt that the game will become very playable once they are through patching and the mod community has a chance to fix the rest just as they did for the previous SH games. (sounds kind of like a franchise we all know and love--doesn't it?)

Anyway, what my post is about is an absolutely hysterical and ironic fact that has also just been revealed by the developers in the last two days.

One of the complaints that many of the whiners have been posting about is that while in game some of the crew members turn to 2D figures, or their eyes pop out of their heads. They also start shouting strings of meaningless numbers.

It turns that this is part of the copy protection system and is actually intended. In other words these weird anomalies only happen if one is running a pirated copy of the game.

I find this to be hilarious, and a fitting comeuppance for those miscreants who have the nerve to complain when their stolen property doesn't work.

Cheers

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Haha that's great.

For an fps game they could make it so at a certain point in a level you always die no matter what if your copy is pirated...and everyone with a real copy thinks that part is easy.

[professorspatula]

I'm sure I remember reading about a developer or publisher saying how they might introduce some kind of degraded experience to those playing with a pirated game. IE everything starts well, then things get worse, so much so you have to get yourself a proper copy to sort everything out. Of course, I'm sure some crafty coders will be able to get around such things, or a few genuine customers come undone. There's usually the odd innocent who gets caught up. Anyway, seems the SH4 have gone down this path. But are they still running that awful Starforce software?

[Blodrast]

Cool, SH4 - must check it out! Thanks for the heads-up, FO.
And it is hilarious indeed.
Btw, this is not new in the least, somewhat similar things have been done in the past - I still chuckle sometimes when I fire up the good old Castles 2, where the way to check for an original copy is a message that tells you that there's an epidemic of theft in the "realm", and in order to prove you're worthy of a candidate for the King of Bretagne, you have to answer the following question...
You get two tries, and after the second failed one, they tell you that blah-blah, you failed in your quest, and show a screenshot with a hooded executioner beheading you :)
Not the same thing, sure, but in the same vein, a little.

[Husar]

Operation Flashpoint already had this kind of copy protection.
I once just tried to play it on teo computers with the same key etc and in the same MP session, there were objects missing on one computer etc.
I then knew they did not want me to use my copy on 2 computers.

[Forward Observer]

There is no Starforce.

Ubisoft has quit using this type of copy protection due to all the controversy. I read somewhere that Ubi actually took a poll across their various game forums, and as a result canceled the use of Starforce for all future games.

Someone actually brought a class action suit against either them or Starforce, but I don't know if it went to any sort of formal litagation.

Of course there is a way around Starforce for some of the games if one utilzes the no disk (you know what) option, but I understand that this can cause conflicts with the mods that have been developed---at least for SH3

It would be nice if they re-issued Silent Hunter 3 without it, and I think Ubisoft is missing quite a few additional sales by not doing so. I still play the original, but I would certainly buy a re-issue if they released it sans Starforce.

I recently had to replace a CD/DVD read/write drive that just quit working, and although i have no idea if Starforce had anything to do with it, I would just feel better if i could continue the play the game with my system totally free of that Draconian crap.

The publishers of the space sim X3 Reunion re-released their game without Starforce, and everybody I know that had the original went out and bought an additional copy of Starforce free edition.

Cheers

[Kekvit Irae]

I remember playing Pirates! Gold and if you got the copyright protection answers wrong, the game slowly became unplayable.

[TevashSzat]

The Sims 2 also used a system like this one where you cant enter build mode and your people turns into rabbits i think

[Kekvit Irae]

The Sims 2 also used a system like this one where you cant enter build mode and your people turns into rabbits i think

I haven't noticed a this.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Haha that's great.

For an fps game they could make it so at a certain point in a level you always die no matter what if your copy is pirated...and everyone with a real copy thinks that part is easy.

My copy of Battle for Middle Earth did that.


It was legally purchased.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Cool! I'm currently playing the predecessor SHIII and it's been great so far...
My current mission (I'm on my 13th or 14th patrol or so) has been amazing - I managed to sink all the escorts of a large convoy over several in-game hours, and just after I sunk the last one, night fell. Perfect conditions for a uboat, you might think, but there was one additional annoying little detail - the weather was too rough (11 m/s wind) to allow me to use the deck gun ... so I've been following the convoy for about 24 in-game hours to see if eventually the winds will slow down before I get too close to the Irish and Scottish coast, so I can start picking off all the merchants one by one.

[edyzmedieval]

And to think that my fellow Romanians did that... Can't wait to slap them. :slap:

I will probably buy SHIV, if it's at a good price.

[Rodion Romanovich]

by the way, does anyone have any good tips for becoming more successful with the torpedoes launched from the aft tubes? I don't think I've hade more than 1 hit out of 10 fired - I'm a lot more successful than that with the bow tubes. Since I'm still a beginner at the game I'm still using the automatic torpedo aiming.

[Forward Observer]

by the way, does anyone have any good tips for becoming more successful with the torpedoes launched from the aft tubes? I don't think I've hade more than 1 hit out of 10 fired - I'm a lot more successful than that with the bow tubes. Since I'm still a beginner at the game I'm still using the automatic torpedo aiming.

I am by far no expert, but I tend to mostly use my rear tubes for putting a final fish in a crippled stationary vessel and usually at under 1000 meters.

I've had good luck with this when I was actively playing the game, but I haven't played a full campaign in quite some time. I still fire up a single convoy mission every now and then just for kicks.

There is a all encompassing freeware expansion/mod out now called GWX (Grey Wolves Expansion) and I just downloaded in the last few days. It comes with a very professionally done color manual on Adobe. I had to use the laser printer at work to print out a copy because it is 175 pages plus. It add all kinds of stuff from new vessels and ports to new campaigns and theaters of operations.

It comes highly recommended, so I may just get back into SH3 while I wait for them to fix all the problems with SH4


if you haven't done so you should visit subsim.com. You will find plenty of helpful advise on the forums--plus there are all kinds of FAQ's, tutorials, and mods that will either be available there or linked there.

Here is a link to the forum:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/

Cheers

[Yun Dog]

Yeh Im looking forward to this

and no starforce is a definite + when considering purchase

[a_ver_est]

Is the crew system reworked ? it was a pain in SHIII

[English assassin]

One of the complaints that many of the whiners have been posting about is that while in game some of the crew members turn to 2D figures, or their eyes pop out of their heads. They also start shouting strings of meaningless numbers.

A sub sim where your crew suddenly turn into crazed zombies cold be pretty cool. Horror at 50 fathoms. Mmmm, Zombies .

[doc_bean]

Zombies on a submarine ???

Would make a great movie

[Spino]

Geez Louise, SH4 is selling like mad! Sim fans everywhere must have been eagerly waiting this one...

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/new...hp?story=13221

PC
North America: 1. Silent Hunter: Wolves of the Pacific (Ubisoft), 2. The Sims 2: Seasons (EA Games), 3. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (THQ), 4. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Blizzard), 5. World of Warcraft (Blizzard).

Japan: 1. Shinkyouku Soukai Polyphonica -- 1 & 2 Box Edition (Ocelot), 2. The Sims 2 Seasons! Data Set (EA Games), 3. Lineage II: Interlude Masters Kit (NC Japan), 4. Battlefield 2142: Northern Strike (EA Games), 5. Heart no Kuni no Alice ~Wonderful Wonder World~ (QuinRose).

UK: 1. The Sims 2: Seasons (EA Games), 3. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (THQ), 3. Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific Collector's Edition (Ubisoft), 4. World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Blizzard), 5. Brian Lara Cricket 2007 (Codemasters).

The Silent Hunter series sequel Wolves of the Pacific snatches away the top PC sales spot from The Sims 2: Seasons in a surprise upset this week, while S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl also debuts to impressive sales numbers in the U.S. and the UK. Amazon additionally reports a steep rise in preorder interest for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Shivering Isles and Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, both of which will see release in the UK and the United States early next week.

Now that the 1.1 patch is out I'll pick up a copy after work. So what's the deal with SH4? We're still stuck playing at 1024x768 and there's no way to turn on anti-aliasing?!? Sounds like an incredibly bone headed decision in an age of widescreen LCDs and 3D cards which run circles around the ones available when SH3 was released.

[English assassin]

Geez Louise, SH4 is selling like mad! Sim fans everywhere must have been eagerly waiting this one...

Can't beat a sub sim mate.

[Zenicetus]

Geez Louise, SH4 is selling like mad! Sim fans everywhere must have been eagerly waiting this one...

Well, that and the fact that hardcore tactical sims are practically a dead zone in gaming these days, so any new release that's halfway decent, is going to sell to the hardcore sim fans. I do like subs, but I'd also love to see a new WWI biplane sim, a helo sim, a tank sim.... I'll take what I can get.

Now that the 1.1 patch is out I'll pick up a copy after work. So what's the deal with SH4? We're still stuck playing at 1024x768 and there's no way to turn on anti-aliasing?!? Sounds like an incredibly bone headed decision in an age of widescreen LCDs and 3D cards which run circles around the ones available when SH3 was released.

Yeah, that worries me (although I did go ahead and order the game). I just upgraded from a monitor that ran 1280x1024 native to a new 1600x1200 monitor, and I'm wondering what it's going to look like. Makes me glad I didn't opt for a full widescreen monitor.

[Whacker]

Well, that and the fact that hardcore tactical sims are practically a dead zone in gaming these days, so any new release that's halfway decent, is going to sell to the hardcore sim fans. I do like subs, but I'd also love to see a new WWI biplane sim, a helo sim, a tank sim.... I'll take what I can get.

Do NOT pick up Lock-on Modern Air Combat, it's crippled by Starforce. I had a DVD drive fail on me, which after some thinking I was able to pretty squarely pin on Starforce drivers.

Helpful list: http://www.glop.org/starforce/list.php

On a side note... I fully support the right of game publishers to protect their investments (in a reasonable manner), but at what point does fair use step in? If I want to use a nocd for personal use so that I don't have to bother with swapping out 5 cds all day long, should I be penalized for that? I understand that this is also used by pirates, but what about legitimate game owners? What's the balance point? "Sucking it up and swapping the DVDs" is not a valid answer in my view.

[Spino]

Well, that and the fact that hardcore tactical sims are practically a dead zone in gaming these days, so any new release that's halfway decent, is going to sell to the hardcore sim fans. I do like subs, but I'd also love to see a new WWI biplane sim, a helo sim, a tank sim.... I'll take what I can get.

That's a very good point. The sim market is pretty lean on new offerings right now. The only other 'new' sim I can think of is 'IL-2 Sturmovik: 1946', and that's really more of an expansion pack crammed into a gold version of the series than a brand new sim.

Yeah, that worries me (although I did go ahead and order the game). I just upgraded from a monitor that ran 1280x1024 native to a new 1600x1200 monitor, and I'm wondering what it's going to look like. Makes me glad I didn't opt for a full widescreen monitor.

I just hit the Subsim forums and it appears the 1.2 patch will address the lack of anti-aliasing in the game but there's no word on being able to select other resolutions. I also believe you can manually adjust the default resolution in the config file but it might not work perfectly.

Last December I upgraded from a 19" trinitron CRT to a 22" widescreen LCD and am absolutely in love with the extra real estate, crisp text and 'flicker-free-no-more-eyestrain-induced-headaches' viewing. The downside is that I hate the fact that I cannot run some games at my LCD's native resolution (1680x1050), let alone run them in any sort of widescreen resolution.

Take heart, I believe there are two WW1 sims in development right now. And if you bought MS' Combat Flight Sim 3 you can download this great mod and take care of your biplane jones ASAP...

http://www.overflandersfields.com/

[Forward Observer]

Well, that and the fact that hardcore tactical sims are practically a dead zone in gaming these days, so any new release that's halfway decent, is going to sell to the hardcore sim fans. I do like subs, but I'd also love to see a new WWI biplane sim, a helo sim, a tank sim.... I'll take what I can get.



Yeah, that worries me (although I did go ahead and order the game). I just upgraded from a monitor that ran 1280x1024 native to a new 1600x1200 monitor, and I'm wondering what it's going to look like. Makes me glad I didn't opt for a full widescreen monitor.

The developers have promised to try to add FSAA, but there has been nothing promised yet about a resolution fix. Both SH2 and 3 had the limited resolution issue, but it was eventually overcome by the modders.


I too lament an up to date replacement for the ancient Red Baron 3D or Panzer Commander, but in addition to the WWI air combat sims in the works, there is also a high fidelity WWII tank sim under development. It will initially only be devoted to the Eastern Front, but since a good portion of the the major tank action WW II took place in the East that won't be all bad.


Cheers

[Goofball]

Can't beat a sub sim mate.

Reeeeeaaaaaalllllly?

Not even with, say, a Giant Squid sim?

[Whacker]

Reeeeeaaaaaalllllly?

Not even with, say, a Giant Squid sim?

Ask, and ye shall receive my son. (Just don't let Dave see it!)

http://www.thepcmanwebsite.com/media/squid_hunter/

[Rilder]

Silent hunter 4 is a very fun game, difficult to if you play DID(dead is dead), I haven't been able to get past 6-7 patrols...

[English assassin]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Goofball
Reeeeeaaaaaalllllly?

Not even with, say, a Giant Squid sim?

Ask, and ye shall receive my son. (Just don't let Dave see it!)

http://www.thepcmanwebsite.com/media/squid_hunter/

I seriously hope for your sake that this is a game in which squids are hunters. Because if its a game in which hunters chase squids the ten tentacled ones are NOT going to be amused...