The change of scenery to the Pacific is refreshing, but unfortunately it is pretty much the only thing that has changed since the last version. The new graphics are nice, but what is really needed is a better damage model and other gameplay improvements. [June 2007]
This is one of the slowest games I've ever played...Rash or even casual actions will be your undoing in Silent Hunter. Every move requires careful planning. [May 2007, p.58]
This is the first silent hunter game I've played since the original in 1996. Love that one and this one is wonderful to play in 2020. There are a few minor issues but nothing game breaking. Wanted to check out the earlier editions but just couldn't bring myself to play as the axis.
First of all, I must warn you that the original box version of the game is very unstable and buggy. Patching to 1.4 is a must simply to make it not crash to tabletop. Patching/modding further - highly recommended to get the full flavor. But once you do that - it's one of the greatest sims out there. Definately worth the effort!
I tried builds like this:
BAD: 0) SH-IV 1.0 - this is simply unstable build.
SO-SO: 1) SH-IV patched to 1.4 - the very least to not crash the game. Some annoying bugs remain though.
BAD: 2) SH-IV ver. 1.5 (with the U-Boat missions add-on) - the game gets buggy again!
GOOD: 3) SH-IV 1.5 patched with one or more of the following:
GOOD: 3.1) Webster's GFO 1.1 - fixes the bugs, hence the name "Game Fixes Only".
GREAT: 3.2) TMO 2.5 - fixes the software bugs AND changes the game balance to make it MUCH more realistic. It's feels like a very different game with TMO.
USE WITH CAUTION: 3.3) OTC 1.5 (optical targeting correction) - enhances the optics in the game, making them much better. But the zoomed bridge view is annoying. (Though it can be easily reversed to FOV=75 by using the S3D editor). Although this mod is called "Optical Targeting Correction" - it needlessly changes some sounds in the game, making them (IMAO) much worse than in TMO.
BTW manually tweaking things in the game is highly desired - there's a tool called "Silent Editor" for that. Learn to use it. It's not rocket science. Well OK, submarine science isn't that far off, but it's worth it ;-)
With the mods: this game is a true SIMULATOR, realistic as a computer game can be.
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However, a fundamental con is:
It gets repetitive over time. Much like a real war campaign, I guess. Subsequent missions/patrols aren't that much different from each other, and after maybe 30 hours of playing it or so you start getting the feeling that you're just getting more of the same. But it's something that's fundamental to simulating warefare - it's not an RPG with a fancy storyline and tons of different characters (although there are nice upgrades to your sub, they don't change the gameplay experience much, they just make you a bit better). It's a warship simulator, that provides you with the experience a submarine captain would get, year after year of service during a war.
Although describing it as the best submarine sim available could quite easily be a backhanded complement considering the genre’s paucity, SH4 is a genuinely absorbing and fun game that manages, largely successfully, to straddle the never-land between hardcore and arcade gaming.
Silent Hunter features countless bugs you'll find on every machine, and this is unforgivable. It's a betrayal to a loyal fanbase and a detriment to gaining new fans. Unfortunately, it's also an exact replay of what happened two years ago when Silent Hunter III shipped. Deja'vu all over again, as Yogi Berra once said.
Would score it at 9.5 once modded but only rates 5 out of the box. Enjoyable but realistic end of the sim market, an understanding of submarine warfare in the second world war highly recommended. Bit like marmite you love it or hate it.
Being my first submarine sim (and my entry to the silent hunter series) I don't have much to compare this game to. However from my time with it I think it is a solid game. Whilst there are things that should be there (like proper tutorials and explanations on the differences between the different submarines) this game has been fun to play. Obviously this game is not for everyone, the game play is extremely slow, so slow that even on 8000+ time compression I still do spend a lot of time waiting for something to happen. However when something does happen, that is where the game is most fun. The combat isn't the best but it is extremely satisfying when you land you first manually aimed torpedo hit (even more satisfying given that there is no tutorial on how to do it). Overall this game is obviously for a niche audience and could be better. But it isn't a bad game (and is also relatively cheep).
One of these funny games which entertain only specific group of people. It really is funny and enjoyable... but only if you have enjoyed previous games in the series. For me, a veteran who played and enjoyed Silent Hunter I it was fun and nice, but... Still, if you don't want to wait 10 hours before the action begins, it's not a game for you. It's a mix of realistic gameplay, pretty graphics and lame bugs, making it somewhat nice compilation, but only as far as you have time and like this kind of simulatons.
After numerous patches this game still contains game crippling bugs. Silent Hunter 3 is still the high water mark for the series. I'd also like to point out how unhelpful and unfriendly the official forum for this game is.
SummarySilent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific takes players to the depths of the Pacific Ocean as the skipper of an American submarine. Immersed in this intense environment with the help of amazing graphics and sound, players will engage in massive battles with enemy units, manage and evolve an entire submarine crew, and earn promotions and com...