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Old 01-23-14, 02:58 PM   #55
Brodie9666
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Join Date: Sep 2011
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vdr1981 View Post
Before I start to work on "simple" navigation patch can you guys confirm that you've watched this excellent Stoianm real nav tutorial where you can see that real nav with automated scripts for navigator isn't hard at all?
Ok i'll try and sum up my own personal noob experience, obviously I cant speak for everyone though...

I am for all intents and purposes a SH noob, although I have had some short lived experience with the SH franchise in the past, i've found that SH has stuck with me and has remained a franchise I have long intended to come and devote my increasingly limited game play time too.
After recently listening to an amazing audiobook called "Thunder Below!" by Eugene B Fluckey captain of the US Sub USS Barb during WW2 I decided that the time was ripe for me to get stuck into SH, SH5 being the latest (and, although I hope i'm wrong, possibly the last Silent Hunter game) I fire up Steam and downloaded the SH5 Gold Edition I bought during a recent Sale.
After a quick scan I found that there are many threads on the Steam SH5 Forum site which point new and potentially new SH5 players to this site for assistance, I however having found this site years before knew where to go, but upon my arrival, with it being so long since my last brief visit, I was essentially in the same boat as them, and let me tell you, its a daunting experience!

Firstly, I had to read up on what was wrong with the stock game, and then read up on which where the best potential fixes for it, all the while being concerned that the fixes I was looking at for the various different issues may all not be compatible with each other or even the game itself with it being the Steam version. I then had to download something called a JSGME and then watch a Youtube Vid on how to install and use it. By the time I had found several mods and all the associated patches and hotfixes that need to be applied with them I found that i'd been sat at the computer for nearly 4 hours and still hadn't even launched the game! I switched my PC off and went about my RL concerns somewhat disheartened and somewhat concerned by the fact that I may have chosen the wrong mod, or that the JSGME installation was done incorrectly or that I would be beset with CTDs due to everything being incompatible!

A few days later I came back (with some trepidation) and decided to seek advice and as such created THIS post. I went off having lost another day game time but hopefull that I would get some experienced and knowledgeable advice.
The next day I found that I had, I also found out that my initial mod selection was wrong and so proceeded to attempt to download the suggested mods.
(It should also be noted that all of this and the previous foray into Mod selection and downloads had to be performed in and around a SubSim Daily Download Limit, something else which added to the frustration!).

It was during this second attempt that I found your Mega Mod, and honestly bud, I cant tell you the relief I felt upon finding it! It was like you had read my mind! All concerns about incompatibility where gone, your instructions where clear and concise (although I had a bit of trouble understanding Step 6). It was perfect!
So now, finally after nearly 4 days I was able to fire up the game for the first time! It should be noted here by the way, that being nearly 40 and being married with kids I have learned to be patient. This whole process, for some who let say are younger and who are more used to the Purchase > Download > Play process all happening within the same day, may have given up and walked away at this stage. I will admit that my limited game play time (see wife and kids comment above for details :P) did significantly prolong the process.

So firing up the game for the first time...It's a complicated game, there is a lot to learn and rightly so, I dont want some arcade shooter, I want a decent somewhat complex game that I can get my teeth stuck into. But remember that from a noob perspective, not only do they have to learn the base game, but then learn how to use all the mods that come with your Megamod, often these have no instruction on how to use them. The SH5 Manual is no help obviously and as such I found that my intial excitement on being able to fire up the game quickly died as I was shortly back on the forums bewildered on how to control the game (or even how to get into the bloody sub - figured that out eventually - DOH!). I found that yet again, another nights game time was sucked up by reading forum pages and watching Youtube vids.

Now to (finally) answer your question, why not the Real Navigation? Well in short (ironic I know given the above essay!), it was just one more bloody complication in between me and playing the game, it was yet another noob barrier, I nearly cried when I saw that after everything I'd been through to get to this point, I would, in order to even leave the port, was going to have to watch a 3 part youtube video! It was just too much on top over everything else!

I'm sure its brilliant, and i'm sure once i've gotten past the near vertical learning curve that this game plus the megamod's additions have I will seek it out and apply to the game. I'm also sure that once i've mastered the controls and nuances of the game I will look back at this time and wonder why I found it so difficult, but for now, I have decided that I will put the game aside, yes even though I have still yet to leave port! and await your Real Navigation free version of your Megamod which I now see you are planning to release. (Thank you!)

This has been a huge post, and I apologise for my ramblings, but I hope its given you some insight into what is facing a SH new comer.
I would like to add, that I think what you are doing here with this MegaMod is VERY important, this mod has the potential to be THE standard "must have" mod all newcommers to the game will install. I can foresee Stickies on the SH5 Steam Forums with links to to it. I for one will be extolling its virtues once I have it installed and up and running.
People will after installing the base game simply follow the link Sticked to the Steam Forum to the Megamod's download page and click it (I suggest adding a link and instructions for the JSGME to your page, or and I dont know if this is even possible, creating an .exe version of your mod so that a new player would simply just need to click it and direct it to their SH5 installation folder!?). What you have potentially built here could be the all in one solution to the near impenetrable noob barrier which i'm sure perturbs many SH5 noobs!

"If you build it they will come!"

Looking forward to your noob friendly release sir, keep up the great work!

Last edited by Brodie9666; 01-23-14 at 03:39 PM.
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