Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Kirin on February 27, 2010, 02:35:00 AM
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Hmm - looks 'ok' http://www.gametrailers.com/video/taking-command-silent-hunter/62457 (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/taking-command-silent-hunter/62457)...
I loved SH2!!!
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I'm more owrried about them fixing the game play than anything. Especially on SH4, it took Ubisoft over a year to patch some basic glitches in the game. The mods to the games have always helped.
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My computer shudders at the thought of even trying to run SH5.
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Won't consider it until they remove the DRM strategy.
You have to be logged onto the internet in order to play the game... even in single player mode.
See bottom of this page
http://silent-hunter.uk.ubi.com/silent-hunter-5/requirements.php
Idjits.
:furious
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Granted its hard to find a soul who likes anything DRM (especially if you're not being paid by the publisher etc), I think the Steam platform is the lesser of all the evils in DRM out there. It originally had some bad rap and justifiably so, its been pretty solid for the last few years. I honestly don't buy many (if any) PC games in the store any more. A lot of the games I want come to Steam and a Steam sale will beat an in store sale the vast majority of the time. I got L4D2 on black friday for $35 which was $10 cheaper than the pre-purchase price. Just had to wait a couple weeks. I just picked up Empire Total War, Medieval Total War 2 + Kingdoms, and Rome Total War + Expansions for $23 last week.
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My computer shudders at the thought of even trying to run SH5.
I cant even run AH on my crappy PC.
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Granted its hard to find a soul who likes anything DRM (especially if you're not being paid by the publisher etc), I think the Steam platform is the lesser of all the evils in DRM out there. It originally had some bad rap and justifiably so, its been pretty solid for the last few years. I honestly don't buy many (if any) PC games in the store any more. A lot of the games I want come to Steam and a Steam sale will beat an in store sale the vast majority of the time. I got L4D2 on black friday for $35 which was $10 cheaper than the pre-purchase price. Just had to wait a couple weeks. I just picked up Empire Total War, Medieval Total War 2 + Kingdoms, and Rome Total War + Expansions for $23 last week.
I don't have a show stopping problem with DRM, in general. I DO have a problem at being restricted as to when I can play a standalone game. The idea that I won't be able to play SH5 while I'm riding in the car, or in a hotel that doesn't have internet connections.. or, I believe a submariner posted on another board that he wouldn't be able to play it while on station ( Oh, the irony!! )
I prefer to buy the box at a software store ( Almost qualify for my own personal parking space at Best Buy ) or I'll order it from Amazon. But I will have the disk in hand. Only exceptions I've had have been on games you can't buy the disks for .. or when I'm really being impulsive and I want to download it NOW!
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"stupid storm knocked out the cable/internet, crapola, what to do, I guess Ill sling some torpedos till things come back up... aww crap"
:furious
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This should cut out some of the market share for UBI. They should have a stand alone version. No doubt someone out there will find a way to hack the game. Just opening up a challenge to people who like doing that sort of thing.
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What about the people who dont have internet, use satellite with restrictions or use dial up on their main phone line and cant be on for long periods????
Nevermind being hijacked in a car, plane, or boat away from the WWW.....
There are so many reasons this idea is crapola!
Strip
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DRM hurts the legal buyers of the game much more than the pirates. The notion that people will buy the game if they cannot find a hacked version is silly - the vast majority of pirates will simply find another game. At the same time, honest buyers that are willing to give money are deterred by such measures, especially by continuous network connection requirement.
No way in hell that I will buy the game with such restrictions. In this particular case I really wish some hacker finds a way to override this DRM just to slap Ubisoft in the face. Damn hubris.
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DRM blows goats
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DRM hurts the legal buyers of the game much more than the pirates. The notion that people will buy the game if they cannot find a hacked version is silly - the vast majority of pirates will simply find another game. At the same time, honest buyers that are willing to give money are deterred by such measures, especially by continuous network connection requirement.
No way in hell that I will buy the game with such restrictions. In this particular case I really wish some hacker finds a way to override this DRM just to slap Ubisoft in the face. Damn hubris.
There was a hacked version of SH4, the KillerSub mod, it is SWEET! 5 inch gun firing at 1000s of rounds per minute, AA guns turned into phalanx systems, faster ships, etc...
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What about the people who dont have internet, use satellite with restrictions or use dial up on their main phone line and cant be on for long periods????
Though this is true, from a numbers aspect the percentage of the population that is prone to this (and play pc internet games) really is pretty small and by in large wouldn't hurt the bottom line for the game publisher.
I frequently check out the Steam hardware survey as it can give you some interesting numbers in terms of what kind of hardware gamers are using. In terms of internet speed, less than 3% of those surveyed are 56kbps or slower. But note that 22% were unspecified so this pool has a good amount of error in it.
http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/
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Though this is true, from a numbers aspect the percentage of the population that is prone to this (and play pc internet games) really is pretty small and by in large wouldn't hurt the bottom line for the game publisher.
I frequently check out the Steam hardware survey as it can give you some interesting numbers in terms of what kind of hardware gamers are using. In terms of internet speed, less than 3% of those surveyed are 56kbps or slower. But note that 22% were unspecified so this pool has a good amount of error in it.
http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/
While that is correct Fulmar it isn't the hardware requirements for me. Its the fact that some time I just don't want to connect to the intardnet for anything at all...especially a single player game...unless I am downloading an update.
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I must agree, DRM SUCKS. I would buy it if I could play without internet. It's not that I don't have internet, but when I am playing NOT aces high, it's because at that particular time, I probably DONT have internet, or at least reliable internet. So, a game that would otherwise be perfect for playing on that long plane flight (Silent Hunter II was a long favorite for this) is now not an option.
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While that is correct Fulmar it isn't the hardware requirements for me. Its the fact that some time I just don't want to connect to the intardnet for anything at all...especially a single player game...unless I am downloading an update.
Being in the minority doesn't come with a lot of advantages.
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Well, since I am always 'plugged in' it doesn't bother me at all. I couldn't live without the intardnet for more than a few hours. Those poor telecom technicians had some bad times with me when the net was down... :D
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Guys... tether your cell phone.
There's always an internet connection to be had, you just don't know it.
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Guys... tether your cell phone.
There's always an internet connection to be had, you just don't know it.
I don't have internet service on my cell phone ( greedy Verizon @#$!! want too much ) and I'll be #$!@# if I'm going to get that just to play a standalone game.
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I don't have internet service on my cell phone ( greedy Verizon @#$!! want too much ) and I'll be #$!@# if I'm going to get that just to play a standalone game.
You're on the internet right now, which is the only thing required to play. Oh noes! :)
People here are crying about a "what-if" scenario if their internet just happens to go out when they want to play. Just funny. It took a hurricane to knock out my cable for 2 days... and my phone's internet still worked just fine.
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I think it is more than that. I will not support a game which uses this type of DRM. It has nothing to do with whether or not I am connected to the Internet. I refuse to capitulate to extortion.
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I think it is more than that. I will not support a game which uses this type of DRM. It has nothing to do with whether or not I am connected to the Internet. I refuse to capitulate to extortion.
Extortion? Does it magically make you buy more things?
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Let's see. Coercing people to connect to the Internet in order to start the game. Extortion may be harsh, but it is not far from the mark. Forcing people to have an Internet connection, just to play the game, is extortion. You do have to pay for an Internet connection. Just FYI, 'extortion' does not neccessarily require any money to trade hands.
I chose not to support any game or company, which uses such a heavy-handed method. I vote with my wallet. You are free to vote however you feel like. It does not matter to me.
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Extortion? Does it magically make you buy more things?
Nothing magical about it. Today, if I buy a standalone game, I can play it whenever I want, whether I'm connected to the internet or not.
Just so happens that there are times and locations I visit where the internet is not available through public means. I do not subscribe to the services that would allow me to gain access to the internet no matter where I was.
To satisfy that requirement I would have to pay somebody more $$$.
Sounds like extortion to me.
So.. I choose not to purchase the wares of this vendor.
If they want my $$$ they have to satisfy my requirements.
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Let's see. Coercing people to connect to the Internet in order to start the game. Extortion may be harsh, but it is not far from the mark. Forcing people to have an Internet connection, just to play the game, is extortion. You do have to pay for an Internet connection. Just FYI, 'extortion' does not neccessarily require any money to trade hands
By that logic, HTC extorts people. Gotta have that internet connection to play, especially since private hosting went bye bye.
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And how much $$$ did you pay for AH?
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And how much $$$ did you pay for AH?
I've paid hundreds over the years. I still have an account open, and I don't even have a gaming PC at the moment.
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By that logic, HTC extorts people. Gotta have that internet connection to play, especially since private hosting went bye bye.
Uh, actually no. Our game does not require an Internet connection to play. If you want to play online, then you need an Internet connection. If you want to play offline, you do not have to be connected to the Internet. You can install and play offline missions as well.
EDIT: By the way, using us as an example in a DRM discussion is really not a good idea. We give our game away. You can play forever offline and never spend a cent on it. We encourage people to give the game to others. We really have zero concerns about our game being pirated.
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Uh, actually no. Our game does not require an Internet connection to play. If you want to play online, then you need an Internet connection. If you want to play offline, you do not have to be connected to the Internet. You can install and play offline missions as well.
EDIT: By the way, using us as an example in a DRM discussion is really not a good idea. We give our game away. You can play forever offline and never spend a cent on it. We encourage people to give the game to others. We really have zero concerns about our game being pirated.
The last time I downloaded AH2 the entire offline experience consisted 4 aircraft circling the same base, no merging, not even shooting. Not much of a standalone experience. I wouldn't dare call that a game, more like a tutorial without instructions. No LAN play, online only. Internet connection required.
I wasn't nitpicking if it was a good DRM plan or not. There's much better ones out there, that's for sure, just the idea that it's extortion. Sounds pretty far-fetched.
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Offline missions are available to play in Aces High now and have been for some time. You can even create your own offline missions if you like. These are free options and available to anyone who wants to download them. They do not come with the base installation of the game.
So what are you going to do when you want to play this game and you have an online connection but there is a routing problem over the Internet? Or if they decide to pull the server down and not support the game anymore? There are just too many pitfalls in this scheme that make it a bad choice to support, from my perspective.
It is your money. You are free to vote however you like. I feel the same about my money as well.
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The last time I downloaded AH2 the entire offline experience consisted 4 aircraft circling the same base, no merging, not even shooting. Not much of a standalone experience. I wouldn't dare call that a game, more like a tutorial without instructions. No LAN play, online only. Internet connection required.
I wasn't nitpicking if it was a good DRM plan or not. There's much better ones out there, that's for sure, just the idea that it's extortion. Sounds pretty far-fetched.
I've only checked out one or two of the missions.
You should check it out. I think you would be in for a surprise. Particularly when those other planes start shooting back lol
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It is even more than that. For many years AH had an 8 player free online game. They also offered 2 weeks trial when such a thing was not common at all.
Even if I only intend to play a game on a machine that has constant internet connection I will not buy a game that sets it as a requirement - because they require something irrelevant. They may as well require that I wear a blue shirt when I play it. Sure I have plenty of blue shirts and I often wear one when I play, but what the f#$^ is it to them what I do if the game is a single player game? it is a totally irrelevant requirement.
It is not like I will go and burn Ubi$oft offices - I will simply not give my money to such arrogant fools. It only saddens me that a total bust may put the future of this series in danger. On the other hand, there are enough sub-missive (pun intended) players that will eat whatever is served to them and ask for seconds.
Bon-apetite.
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For the last few years I have absolutely enjoyed SH3 and SH4 with a group of friends on-line. APDrone has been there for the last year or so, and we have a good time whenever we run either of those games.......
A couple of folks within our group are really looking forward to SH5 coming out. Not a bad thing by any means, but I will not spend my money to purchase SH5. I travel regularly with my work and often find myself sitting in a location that does not have internet connectivity(and yes I'm talking about Hampton Inn and other hotels of that nature). SH3 and SH4 have been GREAT when burning off the stress of the day once I finally make it to a hotel. So just exactly how would I run SH5 when there is not an available internet connection? Granted, I may be one of the few who see this type of issue on a regular basis, but why would anyone spend their money for the right to play a game on their computer ONLY if they have an internet connection?
This whole idea of requiring a connection is ludicrous at best!
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Back to the game, is it just me or does that not look like much of an improvement over SH4? At least graphically?
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I watched the video, and the graphics do look good..But I think the novelty of running through the sub to annoy me, Because I bet in real life the captin did not run around the ship giving orders but rather gave them from the command room thingy ( or can you do that in the game? )
It does look good..but right now I mostly play AH2 and a bit of fall out 3.
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While that is correct Fulmar it isn't the hardware requirements for me. Its the fact that some time I just don't want to connect to the intardnet for anything at all...especially a single player game...unless I am downloading an update.
...and the fact that in some countries internet access is metered and merely having steam open while you play your single player game can end up consuming 5 to 10mb of data.
Not much for us in the US with unlimited but trust me, when your limit is 2gb a month it counts a lot.
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So what are you going to do when you want to play this game and you have an online connection but there is a routing problem over the Internet? Or if they decide to pull the server down and not support the game anymore? There are just too many pitfalls in this scheme that make it a bad choice to support, from my perspective.
Exactly what I was going to say Skuzzy. They could shut down the servers in 6 months if they wanted to. Not likely, but what about next year, or the year after? How long have people been enjoying SH3? I've been playing it for 5 years if I remember correctly, and it appears that I may be playing it for a few more. There is no way they will keep the servers running until everyone stops playing the game. The DRM idea is the dumbest move they could have made, and I'm sure they know it by now from all the feedback. I just hope this doesn't kill the series.
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We really have zero concerns about our game being pirated.
But the major studios do.
ack-ack
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Exactly what I was going to say Skuzzy. They could shut down the servers in 6 months if they wanted to. Not likely, but what about next year, or the year after? How long have people been enjoying SH3? I've been playing it for 5 years if I remember correctly, and it appears that I may be playing it for a few more. There is no way they will keep the servers running until everyone stops playing the game. The DRM idea is the dumbest move they could have made, and I'm sure they know it by now from all the feedback. I just hope this doesn't kill the series.
Ubisoft has already stated that for any reason they decide to bring down the servers they will release a patch to eliminate the online requirement.
ack-ack
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Ubisoft has already stated that for any reason they decide to bring down the servers they will release a patch to eliminate the online requirement.
ack-ack
Cool, at that time I might consider the game then.
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I'm still sailing in SH3. GWX 3.0 has me still in the game.
I'm on Patrol 5, March 20th 1940. Weserburg is weeks away and they have me set to patrol near Gibraltar. Doenitz will get a piece of my mind for sure.
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I was JUUUUUST about to get a friend of mine to set up a VPN so that I could d/l SH3. I have the disk from when it was released but it is Starforce infected version. Now I see that SH5 is coming out I will shelve plans to rebuy SH3.
The internet requirement is a pain the arse but not a game killer for me.
Is the release date March 4 or April 3??? - Edit...nm it is March 4...WOOT.
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For the last few years I have absolutely enjoyed SH3 and SH4 with a group of friends on-line. APDrone has been there for the last year or so, and we have a good time whenever we run either of those games.......
A couple of folks within our group are really looking forward to SH5 coming out. Not a bad thing by any means, but I will not spend my money to purchase SH5. I travel regularly with my work and often find myself sitting in a location that does not have internet connectivity(and yes I'm talking about Hampton Inn and other hotels of that nature). SH3 and SH4 have been GREAT when burning off the stress of the day once I finally make it to a hotel. So just exactly how would I run SH5 when there is not an available internet connection? Granted, I may be one of the few who see this type of issue on a regular basis, but why would anyone spend their money for the right to play a game on their computer ONLY if they have an internet connection?
This whole idea of requiring a connection is ludicrous at best!
Again that is another one of the reasons I will not be getting this game. I can't have a reliable connection in most hotels via my laptop and my company isn't going to pay for my air card to sit there and stay connected to some flapping server in Upbuttistan or anywhere for that matter when that server is checking my games registration every so often. It isn't a hardware issue or anything like that; it is simply that I will not pay for it.
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I watched the video, and the graphics do look good..But I think the novelty of running through the sub to annoy me, Because I bet in real life the captin did not run around the ship giving orders but rather gave them from the command room thingy ( or can you do that in the game? )
That did seem pretty stupid.
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http://www.tomshardware.com/news/ubisoft-drm-internet-crack-hack,9794.html
"Hackers have already found a way around Ubisoft's Internet DRM that's used on Silent Hunter 5 and Assassin's Creed II.
Last month, we found out about a new Ubisoft DRM scheme that requires PC gamers to be constantly connected to the Internet in order to play an authenticated game. With the highly anticipated Assassin's Creed II and Settlers VII being some of those titles protected under the new scheme, gamers voiced their concerns over such restrictive and potentially inconvenient DRM.
Of course, it'd be naïve to believe that pirates won't be doing their best in order to circumvent this protection. One of Ubisoft's first titles to use this new scheme, Silent Hunter 5: Battle of the Atlantic, released earlier this week – and it didn't take much time for pirates to crack the DRM.
In the release notes for the pirated version of Silent Hunter 5, the hackers instruct not to use the Ubisoft launcher or to block any connection to the Internet, and then use some modified files to run the game. At the end of the note, the hackers also urge gamers to support the companies that make the software they enjoy.
We cannot verify whether or not the cracked files effectively bypass Ubisoft's copy protection schemes, but it's clear that the pirates are tinkering with it."
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lol, that didn't take long...
I know that when/if I get SHV I'll get that crack too. It is almost essential if I want it on my laptop, just like the no-CD patches for legal software. I don't know why publishers even bother with this. Now that I think of it, in the case of SHV I will not buy the game with the current restriction. It might just be that the illegal crack just sold Ubisoft another legal copy of the game.
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I bought SH5 on Wednesday.
Pros:
1. The immersion in the simulator is there, aside from maybe B17 Flying Fortress a few years ago, nothing comes close.
2. You can choose your own path and your actions have an effect on the world war taking place. To what extent, I don't know yet, I haven't gotten far at all.
3. I really like the dialog options with the crew, a really nice touch.
4. You can outfit your boat with new equipment like you could in the previous SH versions.
Cons:
1. DRM obviously.
2. You have to choose English or German voices on install. I wanted to do what I did with SH3, use German voices and have English subtitles but without success.
3. No printed manual and the .pdf it does come with doesn't help with using the TDC.
4. The dialog options are minimal and you see the same discussions again and again.
5. I can't get my damn deck gun to be manned, even if I ask the Watch Officer to man it.
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5. I can't get my damn deck gun to be manned, even if I ask the Watch Officer to man it.
I still liked the glitch in SH4 where a majority of the time if you had the deck gun manned and were diving, if you went external view it would show the crew still manning it underwater. And this was after a years worth of patches form ubisoft.
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From what I've read the pirates haven't been able to crack the DRM completely. Yes, they have been able to start the game and play the single missions, but unlike typical "call home" DRM schemes that only verify the serial number or some such, the UBI DRM is actually an integral part of the game. A critical component of the dynamic campaign (mission generator I suspect) is actually on UBI's servers, so the game has to "call home" to get a new mission every time you are in port. It's sort of similar to Aces High in that you can play off-line missions, but the "campaign" (MA) is run on servers, even if it's a single player campaign. Unless the pirates get their hands on UBI's server-side software, or engineer the missing parts of the dynamic campaign themselves, Silent Hunter 5 is in effect uncrackable. I like it... It is far, far less intrusive than other DRM schemes like StarForce, yet much more effective.
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Indeed die hard, that it true.
However, since it downloads content from the server they should call the child by its name: it is a single player online game. SPO as opposed to MMO.
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The only people that heavy handed DRM hurts are the honest consumers. I've known people who will buy a game they want, but that has heavy handed DRM, and never even open the shrinkwrap. They just download a hacked version, sometimes even getting better performance out of it. Doing that the think they are legit, but I doubt the software publisher would agree.
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Indeed die hard, that it true.
However, since it downloads content from the server they should call the child by its name: it is a single player online game. SPO as opposed to MMO.
I'm not aware that Ubisoft has called the "child" anything other than Silent Hunter 5. I suspect it is noted in the system reqs that an internet connection is required for playing the game.
Karnak, I don't see how this DRM hurts honest consumers who's hardware match the system requirements.
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Yeah cause it totally doesn't make an honest user jump through hoops to play a single player game that they paid for. You know, whereas the people who download a cracked version don't have to and usually get a better gaming experience that with a DRM infested copy.
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No it doesn't make an honest user "jump through hoops" for a game they've purchased a license for (you do not own the game). As long as you have an internet connection the DRM is transparent and non-intrusive. No action is required from the user beyond registration during install. And in this case those who pirate the game are not able to play it even if the copy protection is removed.
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No it doesn't make an honest user "jump through hoops" for a game they've purchased a license for (you do not own the game).
That's why I'm staying away from more & more games. I used to be able to buy games. I owned them, I could install them as I like where I like and still was able to play them the extendend times I had no internet connection available at all. I could sell them if they sucked or I simply was done with them, and in times of financial hardship it allowed me to buy used games for a discount. Just as I do with books, or DVDs, a car and so on.
Though I can see why the industry doesn't like the latter one, I'm refusing to follow them onto that license path. For the amount of money I once bought a game I now get only a license and have to ask them for permission every time I wan't to play an offline single player game.
No thank you.
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That's why I'm staying away from more & more games. I used to be able to buy games. I owned them...
I don't think that was ever the case, even back on the C64. Ownership of the software has always remained with the copyright holder. You only own a license to use their software in accordance with the user license agreement.
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I don't think that was ever the case, even back on the C64. Ownership of the software has always remained with the copyright holder. You only own a license to use their software in accordance with the user license agreement.
I just took a look at my old boxed copies of Their Finest Hour and Elite (yes, wayyy back in time). The only things I'm not allowed to do according to them is to copy & distrbute them.
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I just took a look at my old boxed copies of Their Finest Hour and Elite (yes, wayyy back in time). The only things I'm not allowed to do according to them is to copy & distrbute them.
You still don't own the game. And how's that different with SH5?
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You still don't own the game.
I have the complete package, and nowhere there is any passage written that I bought a licence only. (And was no "license agreement" during install either).
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I'm pretty sure it says "copyright" or "©", and "all rights reserved" somewhere on the box. If you're using a copyrighted or patented work/product you are by law required to obtain a license to do so from the owner of the copyright or patent. It was common back then to just print the license in the manual or on a separate piece of paper, usual in small print because it was considered nothing more than a formality. It is only after the advent of the internet and massive copyright infringement that explicit licensing has become important for legal reasons. A copyrighted work is the property of the copyright holder, and that has been law since the Statute of Anne Copyright Act of 1709, the origin of all copyright law.
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and that has been law since the Statute of Anne Copyright Act of 1709, the origin of all copyright law.
Please note that I live in Germany ;)
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And the Statute of Anne was English. It is still the origin of copyright law everywhere. Even in Germany. ;)
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And the Statute of Anne was English. It is still the origin of copyright law everywhere. Even in Germany. ;)
This is true, but not the "it's law since part." :)
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You miss the point entirely Die Hard. Lets put it this way. Do you own a laptop? Do you like to play games on that laptop? Would you like to play SH5 on that laptop? Are you ever in a physical location lacking an internet connection? Well then too bloody bad, you ain't playing the game you spent $50 on. Nowadays, 100% of my gaming is done on my laptop. (I don't think I even remember my desktop password) and most of that gaming is done sitting in a car waiting for someone, waiting for an appointment somewhere, or those few times in a meeting where I am just honestly not listening and have to need TO listen. NONE of these places come standard-equipped with internet, and I am not paying extra to get ClearWire or something else that CLAIMS to have reliable service around the world, but god only knows how true that is.
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I'll never understand people who go to great lengths to rationalize the use of DRM, regardless of how intrusive or inconvenient it is.
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You miss the point entirely Die Hard. Lets put it this way. Do you own a laptop?
Yes.
Do you like to play games on that laptop? Would you like to play SH5 on that laptop?
Sure.
Would you like to play SH5 on that laptop?
Yeah, why not.
Are you ever in a physical location lacking an internet connection?
No. Never. And people who do are going the way of the dinosaur.
I'll never understand people who go to great lengths to rationalize the use of DRM, regardless of how intrusive or inconvenient it is.
Do you consider AH to be intrusive or inconvenient because it requires an internet connection to get the most out of? Why don't you guys release your server-side software so that people can set up their own servers? The answer is obvious... You make your living on the subscriptions. There is nothing wrong with that. Ubisoft do not release the whole dynamic campaign because they make their living on selling the game. Faced with a growing piracy problem Ubisoft have decided to use the same methods as MMO's to protect their games. There is nothing wrong with that.
This DRM is not intrusive or inconvenient, at least not to me, and it works (unlike other DRM schemes).
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This is true, but not the "it's law since part." :)
How is the Statute of Anne not a law?
It is law and has been law since 1709. I never said it was law everywhere. I'm sure there are 3rd world countries where copyright law still does not exist.
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Quote from: Serenity on Today at 05:01:39 AM
Are you ever in a physical location lacking an internet connection?
No. Never. And people who do are going the way of the dinosaur.
This DRM is not intrusive or inconvenient, at least not to me, and it works (unlike other DRM schemes).
Ok.. you are either employed by an internet provider/cell phone company or hold significant stock in such, or, perhaps, work for some company providing such DRM services.
How anybody can support requiring a CONSTANT internet connection to play a STANDALONE version of a game is completely beyond my comprehension.
I manage 5 computers in my house. EVERY piece of software is licensed, registered and legitimate. This includes the OS, Office suites, anti-virus, photoshop elements, and a myriad of games and music.
I play by the rules. I have no problem justifying dropping $50 to purchase ( license ) a game for my enjoyment. The company deserves to be paid for their product. And if I'm subscribing to an on-line game, I have no problem with the online requirements.. duh, it's an ONLINE game.
The problem with SH5 is that it ISN'T an online game. It makes NO sense to require a law-abiding customer to be constantly logged in to play in solo mode.
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Ok.. you are either employed by an internet provider/cell phone company or hold significant stock in such, or, perhaps, work for some company providing such DRM services.
I'm an attorney. Litigation mostly.
The problem with SH5 is that it ISN'T an online game. It makes NO sense to require a law-abiding customer to be constantly logged in to play in solo mode.
Actually it is; they've purposely made it an online game... Even if you're playing alone online.
Why do I support it?
1. Unlike other DRM schemes, it works.
2. Unlike other DRM schemes it doesn't mess with your drivers or operating system.
3. Piracy is a big problem for the PC as a gaming platform. I support the game industry's efforts in curbing piracy because PC gaming will die if game makers turns to those God awful consoles. It's already happening; the piracy-ridden PC is becoming unprofitable as a gaming platform.
If you're travelling a lot a mobile broadband connection is what you need. As long as I have cell phone coverage I have an internet connection. Anyone still on dial-up are dinosaurs and not even worthy of consideration for the gaming industry. As a demographic they're insignificant.
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A lawyer...what a stunning surprise :rolleyes:
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You don't like lawyers?
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Anyone still on dial-up are dinosaurs and not even worthy of consideration for the gaming industry. As a demographic they're insignificant.
obviously you dont get out of the city much :huh :rolleyes:. there many, many, many, many, many, rural areas that are still stuck with dial-up. did i mention, many rural areas. this is a very ignorant and elitist statement on your part. oh wait, your a lawyer :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
NOT
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Many rural areas without cell phone coverage?
(http://www.gumlabstelecom.com/sites/default/files/gl-cell-phone-coverage-map.png)
Even if you're in one of those few white and red areas with no coverage there are broadband satellite internet available at affordable prices.
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So, assuming the piracy argument is valid, and please do not bother with all the stats. They can be drawn anyway you need them to be drawn.
Instead of going after the pirates, let's just impose restrictions on everyone to make it more difficult and inconvenient to use the software.
Like I said, I will never understand the mentality that supports that approach, nor will I support it.
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Die Hard don't believe every map that you see that shows the "alleged" wide spread availability of cellular telephone service all over the nation. My parents live just 45 minutes from I-65 here in Alabama and their cell phone service is non-existent in their home area. They aren't the only ones and it is that was for 20-30 minutes driving time on the highways around them.
Also satellite service is still cost prohibitive for most people living and working in rural areas. So don't go there. While I am sure they are going about it correctly with a limited or transparent DRM system...it still limits my ability to have fun on my time or when I have time available. No thanks Ubisoft!
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Instead of going after the pirates, let's just impose restrictions on everyone to make it more difficult and inconvenient to use the software.
In what way is it more difficult and inconvenient?
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Also satellite service is still cost prohibitive for most people living and working in rural areas.
If you can afford satellite TV you can afford satellite broadband. You need the same equipment (a dish and a box). The subscription starts at around $50 a month depending on provider and speed plan (WildBlue has a $36/month offer right now).
If you can't afford $50 bucks a month how can you afford buying games? And if you can't afford buying games why should Ubisoft consider your needs?
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Because 50 dollars is a one time purchase of a game, and could have been saved up for many months of pay.
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In what way is it more difficult and inconvenient?
difficult: Today, I start SH3 on my computer, go to single player mode and play. No internet, no login ids, nothing. Just play.
SH5: Start SH5 then, A: if I'm on my home network I log into their website ( or it may be automated..whatever ) and play my single player mode.
B: If I'm not on my home network, and am on a laptop or some computer somewhere that isn't in range of wifi internet, I have to interface my cellphone via bluetooth, cable or god-knows what sort of hardware to connect to the Ubi-Motherland to play? I don't even know how to do that.. of if I even CAN with the hardware I own.
That would qualify as difficult.
inconvenient: To be able to use the cellphone provider that my family uses ( Verizon ) I would have to pay $30/month additional online fee to connect in to the internet with the phone.. PLUS, and additional $30/month to connect my cellphone to my computer for data transfer 'feature' fee that the leeches charge.
That would qualify as inconvenient
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When an Internet connection is interrupted, you have a rock on your desk called a "software license" you paid for but cannot make use of. That is the difficult and inconvenient part.
Making it an Internet connection a requirement for a game which does not need an Internet connection in order to actually play the game is a DRM method I will not support and there is no amount of rationalization which will persuade me otherwise.
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See Rule #4
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SH5: Start SH5 then, A: if I'm on my home network I log into their website ( or it may be automated..whatever ) and play my single player mode.
It's automated.
B: If I'm not on my home network, and am on a laptop or some computer somewhere that isn't in range of wifi internet, I have to interface my cellphone via bluetooth, cable or god-knows what sort of hardware to connect to the Ubi-Motherland to play? I don't even know how to do that.. of if I even CAN with the hardware I own.
Do you play games outside your own home? Do you ever play games on your laptop while not being in range of a wifi?
I have one of these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnO0KT1e-_8
I also have a broadband subscription on my iPhone and can tether it to any blue tooth equipped PC.
I travel a lot so I consider these things essential work tools.
It's not rocket science.
inconvenient: To be able to use the cellphone provider that my family uses ( Verizon ) I would have to pay $30/month additional online fee to connect in to the internet with the phone.. PLUS, and additional $30/month to connect my cellphone to my computer for data transfer 'feature' fee that the leeches charge.
Have you checked with other service providers?
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See Rule #4
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Why would you need fast wireless internet to play SH5? Do you actually play games at any GPS coordinates on Earth, or just your little islands out there in the Pacific?
No... everyone cannot afford this. However they are such an insignificant demographic that the loss of their business is insignificant to the gaming industry, and the increased revenue from curbing piracy more than makes up for it. If you are in such dire straits that you can't afford $50 a month then playing games is perhaps not what you should be spending your time on.
I never said fast. There area many places NO WIFI other than the 3G service through a cell phone exists here.
And more people are in that line where they cannot really afford that extra $50. College students are a great example. Of course, you strike me as the type who sided with the bankers when the economy went down, saying they did NOTHING wrong. As soon as I find my ignore list, you get to be the first name on it! You're disgusting.
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See Rule #4
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Do you play games outside your own home? Do you ever play games on your laptop while not being in range of a wifi?
Yes, SH3, SH4, Simcity
Have you checked with other service providers?
Where we live, Verizon has the best coverage. We had Sprint when we started but there are dead spots in places like in the gym where my daughter does gymnastics where we spent a lot of time.
We have cellphones to communicate in times of emergency or need. Not as an extension of our office.
So changing providers just to pay less to play a game in solo mode doesn't make much more sense.
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It's your choice. That's the beauty of a free economy. :)
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What do you think Ubisoft considers their priority: Making more money by curbing piracy, or considering the wishes of people who can't really afford to buy their games?
Welcome to the real world.
thanks for clearing up their business policy, i won't be buying their game because of that.
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thanks for clearing up their business policy, i won't be buying their game because of that.
Beauty of a free economy.
By the way, can you name a company that make considerations for people who can't afford their product/services?
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goodwill and salvation army
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Good try, but since those organizations don't have any paying customers your answer doesn't fit the question.
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Goodwill has no paying customers?
http://locator.goodwill.org/?gclid=CPSXw6f-p6ACFQUMDQodogLSZg (http://locator.goodwill.org/?gclid=CPSXw6f-p6ACFQUMDQodogLSZg)
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This thread is about silent hunter 5 anyway, IMO I don't think that having to connect to the internet to play the game is fair. This is they want it to be to protect their product, so be it.
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Goodwill has no paying customers?
http://locator.goodwill.org/?gclid=CPSXw6f-p6ACFQUMDQodogLSZg (http://locator.goodwill.org/?gclid=CPSXw6f-p6ACFQUMDQodogLSZg)
Not in this context no. The stuff they sell are not really their product, it is donated by the public. The services they offer are free, so everyone can afford them.
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Beauty of a free economy.
By the way, can you name a company that make considerations for people who can't afford their product/services?
Diehard you said name a company. I did. Salvation Army helps people. If you give stuff to Goodwill is it technically yours anymore? If Goodwill is selling other peoples stuff do they give the money back to the people that gave it to them since it is not technically Goodwill's?
Does Goodwill only sell things that are given to them?
You can answer die hard but I won't reply. Your a attorney huh? Good for you.Like to argue? :D Like to win? :D
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I said "name a company that make considerations for people who can't afford their product/services."
Answer the whole question.
If everyone can afford their services there is no consideration for people who can't afford it, because they don't exist.
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1. Unlike other DRM schemes, it works.
Yeah it might work at hampering piracy. It will also cause their PC sales to suffer from people not buying any Ubi games. Since most people don't like to be treated like a criminal when they haven't/didn't do anything wrong. I was looking at some of the future games that they will be putting out and some of the appeal to me. However if this DRM stays in place they will never be able to pry my wallet open for it. I refuse to be treated like a would-be-pirate.
While RoF has a similar DRM to this, it works for them since it is a Niche product that I feel needs all their profits. They have even patched out the 100% online requirement either because they feel it has been long enough or they have gotten their money out of it. Ubisoft's DRM is going to be carried on all of their games from here on out. Their games are much more mainstream than NeoQB's which will make the hackers come out of the wood work to attempt to crack it.
I honestly don't like they fact that you pay full price for a game, that when you boil it down, isn't even really a full complete game smacks me a slightly foolish. It tells the publishers that they can do what they like and your consumers will take it like some lemming. There is a thread on ubi's own forums that is 47 pages long at last count is full of people saying that they have lost their money. There are also a number of first time posters the have signed up for the forum to voice their concers/complaints. When you take that along with the posts all over other forums dedicated to gaming, including the SubSim boards which are dedicated to submarine sims, it doesn't bode well for ubi. People are also leaving warnings on the individual game pages about the DRM scheme, which is make some people both cancel their preorders and not preorder.
Personally I don't really have a dog in this fight. I'm not able to buy games like I used to and it's looking like BF:BC2 will be my only purchase for a while.
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Oh god I can't believe we have let this thread get to 7 pages long. Die Hard is right and wrong on both counts. We are all right and wrong as well. Ubisoft fudged us all with this DRM and they don't care. Its just one more way to eliminate the simulation market from viability and make it so we all end up playing the squeaker games and doing what they want us to do.
For the record Die Hard...I can afford just about anything that I want/need...I don't live in a rural area but when I go to my hunting area and am sitting around at night after the kids are asleep and am hanging out waiting on sleep to come I play SH on my laptop; when I travel all over the world and am sitting in airports in small out of the way areas with ZERO cell phone service or am in a building/area with ZERO wifi or cell phone service...sometimes in the middle of NYC, Chicago, etc...I may want to play or continue the mission in the campaign I am on. However in this current incarnation it doesn't work that way for me. I am not going to spend money on it; however I am going to make my voice heard by spending my money in a different way instead of funding their ridiculous DRM.
IF they made this a one time check then I might be all over it...otherwise its my money and I will spend it my way.
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Speaking of inconvenience (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98927-Ubisoft-DRM-Authentication-Servers-Go-Down).
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Way to go Ubisoft. That is one of the funniest things I have read in a while. Doesn't surprise me in the least however.
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Speaking of inconvenience (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98927-Ubisoft-DRM-Authentication-Servers-Go-Down).
:rofl
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lol here is a conspiracy theory for you:
Hackers attacked the Ubisoft servers to embarrass Ubi and cause an uproar that will end up in them patching all games to remove this online DRM. Then the hackers can remove the rest of it at their leisure...
I can't say I am sad for Ubisoft :devil
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Not a conspiracy, the auth servers were DOS'ed ;)
Steely
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I personally think the BS with copyright and DRM on products you legally buy (especially with music/media that you physically "own" ie. an actual CD, DVD, Blu-Ray etc) is complete rubbish, but if you knowingly buy software that has some type of DRM, internet based or not, you really don't have anything to complain about.
Attacking the UBI servers to prove a point or to force UBI to discontinue its use of this DRM is not only retarded, but I would think would only reinforce UBI's views about its need. Surely anyone who owns these games but can't log in to play them should be blaming the pirates, not the company
Tronsky
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I personally think the BS with copyright and DRM on products you legally buy (especially with music/media that you physically "own" ie. an actual CD, DVD, Blu-Ray etc) is complete rubbish, but if you knowingly buy software that has some type of DRM, internet based or not, you really don't have anything to complain about.
Attacking the UBI servers to prove a point or to force UBI to discontinue its use of this DRM is not only retarded, but I would think would only reinforce UBI's views about its need. Surely anyone who owns these games but can't log in to play them should be blaming the pirates, not the company
Tronsky
Who said it was pirates that did this? Why wouldn't it be POed gamers with a point to prove.
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What point would that be?
Denying themselves the ability to play - or worse denying someone else the ability to play because you have an axe to grind?
Buying Silent Hunter 5 was a choice, unfortunately the DRM was part of that choice
Tronsky
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lol here is a conspiracy theory for you:
Hackers attacked the Ubisoft servers to embarrass Ubi and cause an uproar that will end up in them patching all games to remove this online DRM. Then the hackers can remove the rest of it at their leisure...
Yeah, but no need to do that because all the legal customers will do the denial of service attack for the hackers. An authentication server going down with a new game by the legit players alone is no new news. I gave this a pretty good chance of happening and it did happen once again just like so many times before. The publishers seem to have a lousy learning curve.
Either way, about the copy protection scheme, I refuse to buy an offline game which requires you to be online. This trend has got to stop before it becomes a standard. On occasion I would like to play games offline in the future too instead of ending up with a brick on my hands when there's no net available. Fortunately technical problems rarely keep me out of the net - I've chosen my ISP based on reliability and that's something I'm willing to pay a little extra for. Though, the connection doesn't come with me beyond the home. Even more so the reliability of the authentication servers is something I can't help and that's bad.
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I had been disappointed with SH5 since it was announced it would only include type VII boats and the campaign ended in 1943.
Granted during the end war uboats stayed operational simply to tie up allied resources if nothing more, but the challenge is more entertaining then blasting yet another unarmed cargo ship with the deck gun during happy times.
Since SH5 had been cracked does this mean AC2 was also? do they not use the same drm?
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I had been disappointed with SH5 since it was announced it would only include type VII boats and the campaign ended in 1943.
WHHAAA???
I haven't read anything about it until now, needless to say I'm shocked that they would do that.
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Another Ubi slip:
The collectors edition of SH5 has been called back since in the supplied manual on p.27 you can see a Swastiska!!! (as part of a Nazi stamp) No display of Swastiskas in Germany allowed - no matter how small or how historical... :huh
Also always funny are RC warbirds with either taped over Swastiskas or daisy flowers as replacement... :rolleyes:
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Well so far SH5 looks like a bad console port of an arcade game. Not impressed, going back to SH3 with greywolves mod.....
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Well so far SH5 looks like a bad console port of an arcade game. Not impressed, going back to SH3 with greywolves mod.....
I just survived the most exhausting attack ever about 100KM East of Southend in GWX 3.0.
I was patrolling near Dunkirk in preparation for Dynamo, the GWX3.0 Manual states that heavy shipping will be around Dunkirk from May 26th to June 10th. Well all I found was Destroyer Patrols. On May 29th I get Convoy reports heading down the East Coast of England and head out to intercept. I found a twelve ship convoy at 8kts with three Black Swan Frigates. I infiltrated the convoy and sank there largest ship, a Whale Processing Ship.
I was in really shallow water, and boy did pay the price. 5 KIA, 4 Petty Officers and 1 Sailor. I managed to creep over to the sunken ship, and sat down beside her to fix my flooding problem. By this time it was 4 AM (Real Time), I had started playing at 3 PM the day before, so I went to bed and left the game running. I woke up at 9:30AM and one of the frigates was still there pinging me! I had to make a run for it now I had a little better odds, he was close with his charges but I snuck away.
Hull Integrity was down to 40% when I finally limped back to Wilhelmshaven. My conning tower was destroyed. I'm on patrol 8 now. August 1940.
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I still play SH5. I use the external camera, map updates, no duds, stable gun, and easy mode TDC. Everything else is 'realistic' .. fuel, air, etc.
Capt. Yarbles took his S-boat out of Cavite, headed north along the coast, found himself a task force (!!)
2 Kongo Battlewagons, 2 heavy cruisers, and a wad of DD's and dayum if I wasn't parked right on the intercept.
Well.
We went deep and silent and waited patiently.
Got lucky . . the thermal layer was at 175' and we waited at 195', near our max.
Came up sneakin, just as the forward screen passed over us, left to right.
Put my full shot of 4 mk 10's broadside into the first Kongo at 700 yards hoping to slow it down at least ..
..it was goin full speed, the tight spread holed her mid-ship.
I dont have any idea what the Captain was thinking as he cranked hard to Port away from my boat ..the battlewagon listed sharply and tipped over ..was gone in seconds!
I went hard right, deep, full speed ..matching course with the enemy.
Hoped I could reload and smack one of the cruisers around with luck.
Turns out all the heavies did a circle to their left off main course and I got out ahead of them with 3 of the screen DD's
crawlin all over me but none got real close.. they blew up a bunch of water where I had been.
'Tube One Ready Sir' .. music .. but .. need more! .. just kept jammin and eyeballin the juice meter ..hopin we could sustain
our run until I had somethin to unload.
'2 Ready .. then 3 ..it was agonizingly slow.
(realistic load times an such turned on, no dud torps tho ..I hate settin up a shot and havin it bounce)
The remaining Kongo crept up alongside us, makin more speed for sure than we were.
I checked number 4 ..thouht to myself 'self ..that will be ready about the time we get the first 3 off'
Was gonna lose the 2nd Kongo if I didn't shoot NOW.
Periscope depth, the Kongo was ahead and 1200 yards out, 30 degrees to Port.
Carefully I picked the torpedo settings .. leading the TDC by 4 degrees and praying the big beast didn't see the fish
until it was too late for her.
Full shot out the tubes, 4 ready just as I started firing.
The Kongo saw them too late. Even so, she was goin hard left and the mid ship target area slipped aft.
I went deep and stayed on course.. took the external camera over to see what was up with the Kongo.
!!
I had blown 2 of her props off along with holing her in that area
..she was slowing, aft down to the rails, going hard to Port.
Cut engines to 1/3, hard to Port, intending to cut her circle and hoping the battlewagon would slow further so I could have time to reload at least 2 of my last 4.
One of the heavy cruisers cut in front of the battlewagon, forcing her to slow to a crawl.. As soon as I had a fish up, I put it
right into her midship, port side from 600 yards out.
She was dead in the water and the rear turret was takin water.
Another fish up, and I put that one right close to the previous ..mid ship.
With that, the Kongo was done. She slid aft under the waves, slowly.
I went deep and silent, creeping away for an hour or so.. amazed.
An S-boat.
Sheesh :)
-GE aka Frank (cant wait till I get a Balao)
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Is this game worth buying? or should I wait?
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I would say wait. Not because of the DRM, but because of the bugs. Check in over at subsim, there's a lot of development and modding in the works. Give it time and it will shine.
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Anyone watching this game know if the DRM might be departing anytime soon?
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Not likely. Ubi and EA are set on this DRM scheme. Likely most games will have this kind of DRM in the near future.
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WHHAAA???
I haven't read anything about it until now, needless to say I'm shocked that they would do that.
Smells like an addon to cover rest of the years for extra $$$$$
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Not likely. Ubi and EA are set on this DRM scheme. Likely most games will have this kind of DRM in the near future.
That surely will mark the end of PC gaming.
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It will not be limited to PCs, but since PCs are the great Pirate Playground, that's where it starts.
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Greyeagle has me wanting to buy it now.
Any decent mods yet?
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Greyeagle has me wanting to buy it now.
Any decent mods yet?
I think GE meant to say SH4. The Pacific Silent Hunter Version, the last game not the latest.
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I just purchased SH5 from amazon :noid Could not resist :D
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Im thinking about getting Silent Hunter 4. Ive played and loved 1-3 but im not sure if my laptop has the juice to run it.
What do you think?
Intel Core 2 duo 2ghz
4g ram
Ati Mobility Radeon 3450
vista 32 bit
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I just purchased SH5 from amazon :noid Could not resist :D
I still refuse to buy SH5... so I spent my $50 on Battlefield Bad Company 2, and I can't get it to run on my computer.. :rofl :rofl :rofl
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Im thinking about getting Silent Hunter 4. Ive played and loved 1-3 but im not sure if my laptop has the juice to run it.
What do you think?
Intel Core 2 duo 2ghz
4g ram
Ati Mobility Radeon 3450
vista 32 bit
I guess it should work. SHIII runs perfectly on my laptop with a stinking Intel GM965 integrated graphics. SHIV has the same graphics engine. I played it on my old desktop - nice game but SHIII is better, especially with the GW mod.
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thx Bozon. Ill give it a try then. Same drm crap software?
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I have been keeping an eye on Silent Hunter V,and according to a lot of the old timers on the Subsim forum,including Neal Stevens,the web page honcho,Silent Hunter V is another one of Ubisofts get it out the door,and then start patching it till they get it right.The DRM thing is just another annoyance,that the hackers will crack quickly,and the decent players have to put up with the BS.I play Order of War and it has Steam for it's annoyance.I just try to pretend it's not there.I'm still playing SH IV Modded up nicely,so I'm in no hurry for SH V to be brought up to standards.In my opinion the modders at Subsim keep Ubisoft afloat.Computer games are becoming fewer and farther between.The gaming consoles are taking over the market.,I'm going to miss the good old days when we had to use Memmaker to free up enough memory to play DOS games!Anyway stay away from Silent Hunter V for now.Check back in about one month and it might resemble a decent sim.
ID
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I think GE meant to say SH4. The Pacific Silent Hunter Version, the last game not the latest.
DOH! Yea, should have noticed the names of the Battleships.
lol
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Ubisoft's upgrade to the current DRM method.
(http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss327/Allaire69/ubibutdish.jpg)
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That surely will mark the end of PC gaming.
Doubt it.
People said the same of Steam.
Took a few years for people to buy into it but they did. I'd be interested to see the statistics on PC games purchased via retail v. online.
Bet their closer than they've ever been.
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So there is two versions of SH4?. Is the first one in german subs and the second one the wolves of the pacific thing? If so.. who would you recomend i get?
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Doubt it.
People said the same of Steam.
Took a few years for people to buy into it but they did. I'd be interested to see the statistics on PC games purchased via retail v. online.
Bet their closer than they've ever been.
Personnel preference for me is that I will always buy a hard copy over digital download, The DRM does suck and it really is a pain in the ass. especialy in the UK if you move house or change your ISP, you wont have any Internet for around 2 weeks.
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So there is two versions of SH4?. Is the first one in german subs and the second one the wolves of the pacific thing? If so.. who would you recomend i get?
Not to my knowledge.
I think my post confused you.
SH4 - Pacific (unless there is a mod to make it Atlantic)
SH3 & 5 Atlantic.
As far as I am aware.
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Doubt it.
People said the same of Steam.
Took a few years for people to buy into it but they did. I'd be interested to see the statistics on PC games purchased via retail v. online.
Bet their closer than they've ever been.
That's only because the young numpties of today are more than willing to give up whatever they need to give up in order to satisfy some short-term desire.
I am one who has been turned away by the gaming industry and their insatiable need/desire to treat me like a criminal. I do not trust any software they create to not totally wreck my personal computer. Call me whatever you feel you need to, but there is a basis for that belief. At one time, I used to spend $500.00+/year on games. I have not spent a nickle on a game in 3+ years and will never do it again. That is what DRM/Steam has done for me.
At the end of the day, it simply is not worth the worry.
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Doubt it.
People said the same of Steam.
Took a few years for people to buy into it but they did. I'd be interested to see the statistics on PC games purchased via retail v. online.
Steam is a whole different thing than this gotta-stay-online-to-play-offline BS. It's an online store, not a copy protection per se. Though, I prefer boxed games over digital copies; I'd be willing to pay for good boxed material.
Although I don't normally use Steam, because their prices have a huge euro extra. I can get a boxed copy for 4/5th to 3/4th of the price on Steam. For example SH5 is 50 euros on Steam while the boxed version is 32 to 33 euros from online or 44 euros from a local store. The collector edition is a bit cheaper than the boxed version, but it doesn't have the box or other materials - just the overpriced digital stuff (including a strategy guide, which used to be referred as "manual" in the past, whereas the manual nowadays is more often totally useless than useful). I only used Steam during the christmas discounts when they had huge discounts that I really couldn't pass - nor would i really care what happens to couple of euros.
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So there is two versions of SH4?. Is the first one in german subs and the second one the wolves of the pacific thing? If so.. who would you recomend i get?
I think you are confused with Grey wolves (GW3.0) which is a highly recommended mod for SHIII.
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is the multiplayer coop?
wow amazon have droped the price in the UK to £12.95 for silent hunter 5
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Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific is American fleet boats in the Pacific. Silent Hunter 4: Wolves of the Pacific: U-Boat Missions is an expansion pack that adds (buggy) U-Boat campaigns in the Atlantic. The only reason I bought the latter is due to all of the top mod packs (Trigger Maru Overhaul [that's the one I use], Real Fleet Boat, ect.) require it. Never done a mission in the Atlantic myself.
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There is a mod to make SH Wolves of the Pacific into a Atlantic campaign.Operation Monsoon.I tried it.I prefer skippering a Balao class sub.
ID
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So there is two versions of SH4?. Is the first one in german subs and the second one the wolves of the pacific thing? If so.. who would you recomend i get?
There is an add-on to SHIV (Pacific) which lets you use a U-boat in the pacific.
I like the premise of using an American boat, but the gameplay, campaign, and user interface of SHIV is actually worse than the old SHII I used to play.
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Aye harr...
I saw 2 versions on sale in the store but i guess one is just the add-on :joystick:
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SH3 with the GWX 3.0 (Grey Wolves Expansion 3.0) has kept me playing SH3 way beyond its normal shelf life.
it is a super mod with super PDF manual.
I recommend buying/downloading SH3 and downloading GWX3.0 if you are looking for the Atlantic U-Boot campaign.
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Ive got SHIII and played it for 100s of hours. Love it.
That was before i got a lappy with vista. First i had trouble with the gamshadow or whatever its called. Secondly i have a problem running the game. When its installed and im starting it up i can hear the game in the background but the mouse cursor just draws many more cursors on the screen and the sub that moves across the bottom of the screen to indicate that its loading just turns into some brownish foggy bar.
IIIIIIII dunno if its a vista of hardware problem. If it is a vista problem its the first issue ive had with vista actually
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That's only because the young numpties of today are more than willing to give up whatever they need to give up in order to satisfy some short-term desire.
That is what DRM/Steam has done for me.
At the end of the day, it simply is not worth the worry.
Odd comments from a technical guy to be parnoid about software taking over and destroying his beloved PC.
Yeah I'd be one of those numpties, because I like Steam and I don't buy a game unless it is on Steam.. I like being able to go online, download a game and play it without having to worry about the DVD getting a scratch and never be able to load again. Or having to make sure DVD X is always inserted before starting. My PC and laptop now don't even have DVD players, with fast internet and USB sticks they are old tech.
<S>...-Gixer
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Odd comments from a technical guy to be parnoid about software taking over and destroying his beloved PC.
Just because we know how to "fix" them doesn't mean we want to spend hours doing it. :)
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Just because we know how to "fix" them doesn't mean we want to spend hours doing it. :)
Then you must be trying to "fix" what isn't actually broken because all my years i've never experienced a game decide to take over the PC and destroy it. Only time I've achieved that is by overclocking and I've corrupted the data or fried something.
In my past profession in IT with servers and mainframes, that's a different story but more often then not it's due to poor projects and/or badly implemented changes.
<S>...-Gixer
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It's not that it's broken or trying to take over, it's that they perform other actions than being a game.
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It's not that it's broken or trying to take over, it's that they perform other actions than being a game.
It only takes actions if you let it. People follow the sheep and get paranoid over what they don't fully understand. They get paranoid about their gmail web account becuase they read somewhere on internet that it can be tracked/hacked. Yet happily download GB of movies and music from torrents a month.
They get paranoid because Steam might somehow secretly record system specs of their PC and save it to a database. Yet they throw out their monthly credit card bills with ordinary trash or have a laptop waiting to be stolen only secured by desktop logon. :rolleyes:
It's just a frig game, if you don't understand by a XBOX.
<S>...-Gixer
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It only takes actions if you let it.
My point exactly. And I'd rather spend my time playing a game rather than forcefully not letting it do things it ought not do. :) And, in this case, the only way to force it to is to rely on the hackers to crack the game, something that ought not be happening or needed in the first place.
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Starforce was known to grant itself tier 0 access on your computer, it was also known to kill some optical drives. As to your comment about scratching the DVD you are allowed by law to make ONE archival copy. You use the copy and store the original until you need to make another backup, which is something that the devs keep forgetting about. Personally I choose not to buy any software that has anything to do with any kind of cloud based computing.
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Starforce was known to grant itself tier 0 access on your computer, it was also known to kill some optical drives.
I'm a Victim of the dead DVD-ROM here.
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Odd comments from a technical guy to be parnoid about software taking over and destroying his beloved PC.
Yeah I'd be one of those numpties, because I like Steam and I don't buy a game unless it is on Steam.. I like being able to go online, download a game and play it without having to worry about the DVD getting a scratch and never be able to load again. Or having to make sure DVD X is always inserted before starting. My PC and laptop now don't even have DVD players, with fast internet and USB sticks they are old tech.
<S>...-Gixer
Obviously you never dealt with root kits, or Starforce or Steam installations that completely disable a corporate LAN due DOS attacks from it. Good on you. I wish I lived in such a wonderful place. I do not need software to make more work for me. For me, no game is worth the risk.
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Obviously you never dealt with root kits, or Starforce or Steam installations that completely disable a corporate LAN due DOS attacks from it. Good on you. I wish I lived in such a wonderful place. I do not need software to make more work for me. For me, no game is worth the risk.
No corporate LAN should be connected to something like steam in the first place, or allow users to download from the net. Security is the start to "such a wonderful place" though I guess for a gaming company it's not that big a priority since the only impact at most is a local corporate LAN,this website or game.
Technically we come from two different backgrounds, mine is (or use to be) EFT switches,stock exchanges, bank networks, VOIP and Telco. Neither of those environments in all my experience allow users to as much as change the clock on their desktop let alone download files from the web,blindly surf any site they want or play LAN games etc.
Seems to me the root cause of your problems is security, change control/management and users rather then oddball software attacks from software that shouldn't be there in first place.. For a corporate LAN that is..
<S>...-Gixer
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Did I say it was our LAN? Did I say it was a LAN I ran?
You have no idea what I do or how I go about doing it. You have no idea what my background is either. Your assumptions, so far, have been consistently wrong. As such, quit trying to tell me how to do my job. If I need advice, I will ask someone who would take the time to understand the situation and not make blatantly incorrect assumptions without doing thier homework first.
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It only takes actions if you let it. People follow the sheep and get paranoid over what they don't fully understand. They get paranoid about their gmail web account becuase they read somewhere on internet that it can be tracked/hacked. Yet happily download GB of movies and music from torrents a month.
You really don't get it do you?
What starts as a small concession, or worse - without your knowledge, and lasts long enough becomes the norm. Can you explain to me why I need to download a no-CD patch to almost every game? The CD requirement does not prevent piracy, it is just a nuisance to the legal owners. Yet this is the norm in the industry and the norm for customers: 1. buy the software 2. install 3.install no-CD 4.use the software. It is just the custom.
The software companies have very detailed and draconian demands of how I am allowed to use their software. At the same time, their software includes more than what I intended to buy and more often then not, it is OK for them to put thing in there without asking me. I don't care if it is "safe" or "not used for spying, really would we lie?" they have no right to install stuff not really required to run their software. In particular, things that will not be removed when I uninstall the main software.
Take SHIII: I had the DVD, but the last time I installed the game I installed a cracked version. Not only it does not have starforce, it does not install ANYTING. That is right NOTHING is written outside of the game directory. unzip and launch. No crap in the registry, no crap in the drivers, delete the directory for a clean uninstall (except for save files). Now why the #$% does the original not work this way? If there is absolutely NO good reason to install anything outside the game directory, why do they? Why do we accept it?
We are just trained to drool and hit "yes" during installation. We are trained to accept anything that the software company demands, no matter how absurd it is and at the same time that we have no rights over what we buy and the company has no responsibility for what its software does on my property. We are trained not to protest and not try to punish software companies. Moto: "thank you sir! may I have another!"
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played a bit of it and I find it quite fun, only problem is at the moment the auto TDC for getting a torpedo solution is to easy, and turning it off I cant hit nothing :lol Just need to master the manual calibration for torps
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played a bit of it and I find it quite fun, only problem is at the moment the auto TDC for getting a torpedo solution is to easy, and turning it off I cant hit nothing :lol Just need to master the manual calibration for torps
I recommend you go to the SubSim forums and look up the "Dick O'Kane method."
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See Rule #4
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Yes, you're able to tear apart one example. One. However, if Starforce isn't needed, why is it there? If it's just there to be there, it's an excessive threat to the machine. If it's there to do it's job, then it's taking excessive measures that I don't want on my computer.
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If it's there to do it's job, then it's taking excessive measures that I don't want on my computer.
Sorry but I still find it hilarious that you think Starforce is evil, yet willing to use peer to peer torrents and cracks that contain executable files from mainstream pirate sites.. I'd bet 9 out of 10 people using torrents have absolutely no idea how they work or full understanding of the risks. If your going to use torrents then always do so on a stand alone rubbish PC that you can afford to trash. Never your main PC or laptop.
<S>...-Gixer
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I couldnt resist buying Silent Hunter 5 for under £20 in a bargain shop. It's pretty good, no hassle with drm so far. There is no steam or starfox or what have you that i've seen. Just a game and ubisoft account reg.
The graphics are very tasty, the AI seems slightly better than SH4.
Pros:
-great visuals
-being German again like U-boats should be
-european map, much better than pacific for imersion
-3d interior and full first person freedom on the sub - no more warping between crew stations, gotta run there
-totaly stunning water
-no more artillery fights with warships, they are strong and you take damage quickly
-no major FPS hit over SH4
Cons:
-dumbed down sub control - either at surface, peri depth, 40m or crash dive to deck. No elevation control by degrees
-poor control of rudder. either 1degree deflection or full deflection
-Same annoying crew reports - rudder left, rudder left, rudder center, we're in shallow water sir, ahead full, ahead half, rudder left over and over
-um...well thats about it really. Its pretty dang good.
PS: i also picked up a copy of SH3 as a replacement for only £1.50, sweet.
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-dumbed down sub control - either at surface, peri depth, 40m or crash dive to deck. No elevation control by degrees
Hold down CTRL for more or less precise depth and speed control.
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Thanks Fishu! Is there any way to control the rudder better?
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Thanks Fishu! Is there any way to control the rudder better?
Check out http://www.subsim.com whether the UI mods have got it working. Obviosly many are dissapointed with the lacklustering UI and have been busy modding the more familiar and functional UIs from SH4 or SH3.
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Skidrow has once again proven that the copy protections are mostly causing annoyance to the legit users instead of the illegit ones, as they have finally cracked Ubisoft's latest copy protection. They've released Assassin's Creed II with the crack. However, the game itself isn't tampered with, but only the Ubisoft launcher. Therefore this crack apparently renders the copy protection useless in all of the games using the online copy protection, along with the updates.
It does also work with Silent Hunter 5, removing the Ubisoft launcher delay and most of all the synchronization of saved games in the game, which is totally useless and cannot be disabled easily like the one in the launcher.
Once again the legit users are royally shafted. The illegit users can play offline whereas the legit users cannot, whether it be because of ISP or Ubisoft server meltdown. :furious
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From what I understand, the campaign mission generator is on the Ubi-servers. No crack can solve this unless it can fool the servers to think this is an original copy that is connecting to them. You still have to be online because this is an online-game by definition: not all the software is installed on your end.