Well I've argued before that what the SH series lacked in general was competition. Not one serious contender to supplant AOD besides UBI. Competition kind of creates a checks and balance system as to not release a buggy or incomplete game. Something I don't think UBI had done once with the Silent Hunter series.
I can't speak to programming or development aspects of making a Sim from scratch. What I can tell you is that if someone did start a SH6 type of Uboat sim from the ground up...where would be issues with the community. Too many Chiefs and self described experts trying to via for selfish inclusions and endless streams of "suggestions". I think the only way it works with a community so dedicated to the cause.....is to poll the crap out of the community as to focus in one direction. Release a statement of what they are going to build with exactly what features. Then let it be and let development go and do their thing. The biggest let down with the Silent Hunter series IMHO has been the lack of progression (or straight up regression (post MODs to new game development) of core game play aspects, lack of testing (buggy incomplete games), over focus of graphics and RPG specifics, and general lack of support post release. I always felt that after playing AOD in my younger years....that the next step in Uboat sims would be amazing. While the graphics didnt disappoint. ......most everything else did.
If I was a first time PC gamer that didn't know any better, didn't know of SUBSIM.com and MODs, and played SH5 stock. I'd be turned off within hours....never to return to WW2 subsims.
So I think Silent Hunter series or UBI needs to die. The progress has been lackluster based on where it started in Dynamix's AOD. Which they obviously didn't play or refused to follow. Had they just made AOD with better graphics, it would have been a huge success in SH2. SH3 was much better (MODs made it AOD part 2...without some easy immersion that AOD had.... victory flags, bar inport with news, attempt a wolfpacks). SH4 ...buggy (i hear), then SH5.. .which was a huge step forward in graphics (at least for the series, and a huge step back in core aspects and was boarder line unplayable out of the box. It proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the series has been completely comfortable in its unchecked (read: competition) post release "let Subsim fix it" mentality...and that the series was more or less done. As harsh as it sounds...and as much as everyone owes UBI for trying .... it's the truth. Am I telling anyone anything they don't know? Probably not. Am I an untalented (at least programming wise) whiny person complaining on the WWW? you bet. But I've spend a lot of money on crap...and I've still yet to see the type of quality I used to see in a sim released in the 90's. I do heart
...as I'd would have left uboat sims had I not discovered it while struggling to grasp how bad SH2 was. It gives me hope.... maybe when someone with passion, a bank roll, and community backing can reinvent the Uboat sim. It's hard to see with our 'got to have it now' world view....but maybe. I'm still hopeful that when I retire in 30 years or whatever I could be engrossed in a Sim as much as I was in AOD. Until then....Don't give up the Ship! hehe