Cold Waters....

It's been over two years since I got Cold Waters. It was being updated and seemed to be well on it's way to being more than the sum of it's parts. It seemed to be the sub sim to beat. Being a game that's been on my gaming back burner since I got it I expected to find a much improved version of the game to get into this year. Maybe that wait built too great an expectation. It's moved from development to officially released and then updated, patched and added onto. Most games that I get, that are published but 'still in development' are usually good to their game and community. Yes there was a big update that added a campaign area but not much else since in the 'quality of life' of the game.
It seems that those behind it have made their money and moved on super fast, pretty much dropped like a hot potato. IMHO.

The last year has seen the company hopping between a few of their other games leaving all behind it as is. One of those games is another sea war game(WW2 era 'war on the sea'). Like the gamers who got into Cold Waters those that got behind this new game seem to have been apparently waiting a long time as well(official responses in that videos comments are interesting).

I both like the game and consider it a disappointed. Again that's a me thing. The community is great and there are some mods out; But I'm not much for modding a game that I expected to be 'finished'. Case in point, the beginning tutorial; Your asked via text to turn the camera around your sub by left clicking and moving your mouse to move the camera. Only it's the right mouse button you need to actually press to change the camera.....

Yes there are alternatives to the mouse click viewing but still that's a big mistake in a tutorial that can confuse. How many of those kinds of mistakes combine to stop a gamer from playing...Not many!.

I've such mixed feelings about the game it's strange to see Cold Waters ranked so highly in sub sim lists. Then again there is such a wide array of sub sims that it's listed with that it's ranking does and does not make sense. The genre is starved of titles. Any sub sim list is a wide range of time periods, operational area's, wars and real life technical developments. That when even a half baked scrap of a game hits the scene it makes a big splash. I'm not saying Cold Waters is that but it kind of is a big fish so people take it with it's flaws(flaws a lot paper over).

The game in general is good to look at. Models in game are great. But there's a lot in game that when combined lacks finesse. What stops me from playing it the most is frustration. Every time I try and get into this game and do it properly I'm frustrated by the menus, controls, game systems, lack of in game information. There are some great touches like the backdrop/splash-screen art, the style  and flavour. Yet there is lack of finesse with the likes of the odd glitched out smoking wreck.

Sub sims are complicated but playing this game seems to be more about the game hampering a players progress than helping. At least in my view. All that despite the improvements that have been put into the game since it's 'launch'.

The one thing that Cold Waters makes me think of is playing Silent Hunter III or SSN again! Heck I've had more fun in the 90's on a C64 playing Silent Service II than Cold Waters today!!!!!!!!

Maybe it's been too long since I was really into a sub sim. Maybe I've turned all arcadey in my casualness. I just can't get into this game. I want to, but it's not happening. Maybe another chance or two this weekend but I can foresee a spring clean removal from my PC for this title.