There is a lot that VSTEP can learn from the reviews already written by some game sites on the web
Like this one for example:
By far the most disappointing aspect of the game is the lack of depth and realism, which is unforgivable for a simulator. There are a selection of controllable navigation lights, but only a fraction of what would be required on a real ship - plus there's no one telling you off for using the wrong ones anyway. The radar and chart displays are dire and have next to no functions other than basic visual display. The instructions claim that the radar is only for orientation, ignoring other roles and avoiding the need to add in other features.
Ship Simulator Extremes Review Ship Simulator Extremes
In contrast, Flight Simulator X has fully functional radios and GPS that behave in much the same way as the real things. Combined with fairly convincing air traffic control, they make for some attention-grabbing and often quite challenging situations, as well as offering plenty to learn and adding massive depth.
Site:
http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/pc/2010/09/05/ship-simulator-extremes-review/2 All sim and no game make Jack a dull boy
And even that niche audience may have come to expect more from their simulations these days. Playing Ship Simulator Extremes is like brushing your teeth. Other than the ebb and flow of waves and the sound of some birds, the game is lifeless. It's a sterile, clinical exercise in maneuvering a variety of vessels through a linear series of objective.
Although a sailing and marine simulator might potentially be rife with the joy of exploration in beautifully-crafted, diverse marine environments, Ship Simulator Extremes doesn't deliver that experience. Even if it is the greatest ship/sailing simulator the world over, it just isn't very fun to play. We can't recommend Ship Simulator Extremes for any but the most die-hard boat simulation fans, and we're doubtful that even that tiny niche of an audience would find the game to be compelling for long.
Site:
http://www.examiner.com/pc-game-in-national/ship-simulator-extremes-reviewShip Simulator Extremes is certainly better than its predecessor, but not significantly so. What you do get is the typical array of new items: plenty of ships to helm and a number of detailed environments. The mission structure is generally the same, with an emphasis on waypoint navigation with the occasional tow, goods transport, or use of water cannons. I do like the tie-in with Greenpeace, lending some authenticity to your nautical adventures. Objective locations are clearly marked on your map and usually helpful descriptions of what to do next accompany them. There is a fair amount of content here, although the promise of a future editor sweetens the long-term prospects of Ship Simulator Extremes. The free roaming mode remains too free: there is really no point to it. Unfortunately, the promise of cooperative multiplayer suffers a similar downfall: while you can play with others, you have to make up your own objectives. Ship Simulator Extremes needs to add more structure (like dynamic missions) to the freeform mode and robust online play to become a truly impressive simulation. The controls feature easy access to tools for anchoring and towing, but odd mouse-driven options and limitations for the keyboard make controlling Ship Simulator Extremes a bit more cumbersome than necessary. Autopilot cuts down on some of the boredom associated with straight, unimpeded navigation of the open ocean, and the graphics are generally excellent. Still, I have a lot of the same complaints as last time, and after refreshing my memory by reading that review, I’m a little astonished by how little the series has progressed in three years. The AI tries its best to sabotage your missions, controls are iffy, and the multiplayer mode feels incomplete. Fans of ship simulations might find another good time, but more significant improvements are required to reel in an expanded audience.
Site:
http://www.outofeight.info/2010/09/ship-simulator-extremes-review.htmlThat wasn’t the only glitch I came across either, during the very first Greenpeace mission I was asked to deploy a small speedboat and closely tail a container ship that was suspected of dumping oil barrels into the ocean for thirty seconds. As I got closer, it started flickering from one location to another – not only did that mean I was almost squashed by it when getting nearby, but also made it impossible to complete the objective as every time it moved away, the timer was reset. I guess it must have been one of those ghost ships you see on Scooby Doo.
Perhaps I’m being a little hard on it, you may think, it’s meant for a certain audience and maybe that audience isn’t me? Not at all, I’ve had countless fun with other simulators, including those that involve sitting back and waiting until you reach your destination. In this case, however, it all just feels unfinished. Even the most hardcore simulator fans out there will find it hard to enjoy, as there’s just not a whole lot of depth to the game. The most tricky thing I came across was mooring my ship when returning to port, and that was because I was unsure of which key to press – which wasn’t helped by the inability to bring up an options menu or command list without quitting my current game.
Site:
http://ironhammers.org/?p=2298That isn't to say that I found Ship Simulator to be boring per se, but even with the relatively short missions in the campaigns there were long periods of abject nothingness to deal with. Let's just stipulate that the “Extremes†in the title refers to the endpoints of a level-of-activity continuum that is inordinately wide. In other words, there is an extreme difference between the interest level of docking a ship and the nearly hypnotic passing of the featureless water landscape while cruising along between activities. You get this in airplanes too, of course, which is why they have autopilots and the sims typically have an accelerated time mode.
Site:
http://www.gamingnexus.com/Article/Ship-Simulator-Extremes/Item2762.aspxShip Simulator Extremes is a good platform that has a lot of potential. The desire to include too many ship types, and perhaps too many environments I feel leaves a few other areas lacking. The mission designs are basic, rather easy, and not very inspiring. Ship handling skills can be important, but you can also fudge your way through and just try to accomplish the bare minimum amount of maneuvering to reach the destination waypoint and get a poorly positioned mooring line to the wharf. While damage can be accumulated for poor ship handling, there is no visible damage model — you just end up sinking. Unfortunately, you’ll find that much of Ship Simulator Extremes just doesn’t live up to the last word in the title. Slapping an exciting word on a title might guarantee you some buzz, but you have deliver on the promise. The sim misses the mark because it misses in too many areas. A mission editor is promised in the coming weeks that might open the sim up to more creative minds (hopefully). Personally though, I wish I could have waited for it to go on sale on Steam for 80% off if that ever happens.
Site:
http://www.simhq.com/_naval/naval_029b.htmlAs the educational tool that the developers claim it can be used as, Ship Simulator Extremes does a decent job of conveying the difficulties of a captain’s job. As a game though, it lacks the fun factor that would have made the experience more tolerable. It is stuck awkwardly in between the realms of immersive simulation and full-fledged game. The restrictions on what you can do with your boat hinders its immersive qualities, while the ridiculously slow pacing of the more game-oriented missions make it lack the excitement it is supposed to generate. Hardcore enthusiasts may find a couple of things to like here, but everybody else should stay clear from this game.
Site:
http://diehardgamefan.com/2010/09/28/review-ship-simulator-extremes-pc/So, even if many of those reviews are positive, they seem to fall back on one single thing that SSE doesn't deliver,
realism. I think that VSTEP should be very careful to take those reviews for granted when they start pulling the next Ship Simulator version out of the box I think it's about time to start listen to all the hardcore fans, those who prefer a simulator that delivers realism, not an
arcade or a
racing sim where everything is minimized, and every single operation that can be done on board a ship and the bridge is excluded.
I mean, why is this board visited by people that got gaming experience from Flight Simulator? Well, they visit this board to tell about another simulator, a typical hardcore simulator called FSX...and they got all the rights to do that, comparing SSE with any simulator out there. The same list of missing things that SSE doesn't yet have is written again and again from one member to another..and you find that list in almost every review written out there.
I find this press release at IGN posted in July a little bit funny. The headline says
Ship Simulator Extremes Continues its Dedication to Realism
..uhm..realism?
The first line in the article says..
Ship Simulator Extremes is known for its extreme dedication to realism and accuracy.
Oh really? It also says...
All game content has been created with blue prints and in collaboration with seasoned maritime captains worldwide
Wow...that mus be a lot of people involved, even worldwide?
Ship Simulator Extremes offers exciting missions all over the world...
Uhm..all over the world? Where is Norway then...I mean, anyone can clearly see that this statement is completely out of scale. We cannot sail all over the world yet..
Why I quoted the press release article at IGN is because I want to warn about one thing..and that is
forget hyping the game skyhigh, because people will find it out anyway, thanks to the game reviewers. 
So my point is, credits to all game reviewers out there, credits to all who complains about bugs, credits to all those who share their wishes, credits to even those who freaks out, credits to those who didn't buy the hype and credit to myself for pointing this out yet again...
In long term time will tell where this game end, so VSTEP,
listen carefully to your audience this time, because next time there is enough of clever people out there that know when to spend or not to spend money on this sim/game when a new title comes out.
