[WIP] Earlier Campaign Start Date

[Skweetis]

Judging by my nosing around in the MESSAGES.TXT file, it seems the intention of the devs was to have the campaign start before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I'm going to see what all is involved in moving the campaign start date forward, it looks like the Pearl Harbor attack .mis files are there as well.

Failing that, I may just move the campaign back the evening of the 7th of Dec/41.

Im hoping that the decision to move the campaign start date to the 10th, was to get more casual players right into the thick of things as soon as possible, and not because an earlier start date was broken.

Anyway, Im going to look into the feasability of doing this, so if anyone has any input or information, that would be great.

If it is possible, then I'll move forward with this and make it a [WIP] Thread.

Cheers all.

Edit: Damn, mods, im sorry I was in the wrong forum when I posted this, damn multiple tabs in ie7! Please move when you get a chance.

[elanaiba]

Look in data\UPCData\UPCCampaignData\CareerStart.upc

[Iron Budokan]

I would like this mod. I much prefer to start on Dec 7, not Dec 10.

[Skweetis]

I'll be looking into this further this weekend. Im making fair headway on one of my other projects, but will probably have to take a break from it.

I really hope that I can get this to work though.

Cheers!

[jmop]

I would like this mod. I much prefer to start on Dec 7, not Dec 10.


War wasn't declared by Japan or Germany until until Dec 10th?

[Egan]

I would like this mod. I much prefer to start on Dec 7, not Dec 10.


War wasn't declared by Japan or Germany until until Dec 10th?

Yes, but some people like to be at sea when it all kicks off. Was the case in SH3 as well.

[Skweetis]

Okay, It was much easier than I thought. Thanks to elanaiba for pointing me in the right direction.

I have modified data\UPCData\UPCCampaignData\CareerStart.upc.

what has changed:

There are now two start dates for 1941 based on fleet: 1941 Pearl Harbour starts on Dec 8th 1941 as per stock SH4, but if you choose 1941 Manilla, you start on Dec 5th, 1941. (due to the IDL its Dec 4th at Pearl Harbour.) I've tested it well and it works fine, you now get the earlier messages from the messages.txt file.

What remains to be done:
Edit the message received regarding the attack on Pearl Harbour. Currently there is an entry in the file, but the body of the message is empty (or rather just says "Message Content")

Add a briefing movie for the Manilla start date. This I will need help from someone else, as I do not know how to make .bik movies. Any assist on this would be GREATLY appreciated.

So what I need from you skippers out there, is some accurate historical messages to send on the day of the Pearl Harbour attack. I would like to make this as authentic as possible.

Now Im off to report my post and change the subj to WIP....

Cheers

[MadMike]

Here are some war messages from-

http://www.subsowespac.org/communiques.shtml

TOP SECRET
NAVAL MESSAGE
SEALED SECRET PRIORITY
FROM: CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
TO: CINCPAC
DATE: 27 NOVEMBER 1941
THIS DISPATCH IS TO BE CONSIDERED A WAR WARNING X NEGOTIATIONS WITH JAPAN LOOKING TOWARD STABILIZATION OF CONDITIONS IN THE PACIFIC HAVE CEASED AND AN AGGRESSIVE MOVE BY JAPAN IS EXPECTED WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS X THE NUMBER AND EQUIPMENT OF JAPANESE TROOPS AND THE ORGANIZATION OF NAVAL TASK FORCES INDICATES THAT AN AMPHIBIOUS EXPEDITION AGAINST EITHER THE PHILIPPINES OR KRA PENINSULA OR POSSIBLY BORNEO X EXECUTE AN APPROPRIATE DEFENSIVE DEPLOYMENT PREPARATORY TO CARRYING OUT THE TASKS ASSIGNED IN WPL46 X INFORM DISTRICT AND ARMY AUTHORITIES X A SIMILAR WARNING IS BEING SENT BY WAR DEPARTMENT X SPENAVO INFORM BRITISH
RELEASED BY
REAR ADMIRAL ROYAL EASON INGERSOLL
ASSISTANT CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS



NAVY DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
WASHINGTON DC
NAVAL MESSAGE NAVY DEPARTMENT
TO: ALL U S PACIFIC COMMANDERS
FROM: CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
DATE: 1545 HOURS 07 DECEMBER 1941
// FLASH // // FLASH // // FLASH // // FLASH //
JAPANESE MILITARY FORCES HAVE ATTACKED U S NAVAL BASE AT PEARL HARBOR X U S PACIFIC FLEET SEVERELY DAMAGED X YOU ARE ORDERED TO COMMENCE UNRESTRICTED SUBMARINE WARFARE AGAINST ALL JAPANESE MERCHANT AND MILITARY ASSETS X LONDON SUBMARINE AGREEMENT HAS BEEN RENOUNCED BY WASHINGTON X SQUADRON COMMANDERS WILL IMMEDIATELY ISSUE ORDERS OF DEPLOYMENT
RELEASED BY
REAR ADMIRAL ROYAL EASON INGERSOLL
ASSISTANT CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS


TO: ALL U S NAVAL PERSONNEL
FROM: SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
DATE: 1630 HOURS 16 DECEMBER 1941
SUBJECT: MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS TO BE MADE AVAILABLE TO ALL U S NAVY PERSONNEL
THE MEN OF THE U S NAVY ARE NOW AT THEIR BATTLE STATIONS CONFRONTING OUR ENEMY X DESIRING ONLY PEACE WAR HAS BEEN FORCED UPON US BY THE FOULEST TREACHERY THAT HISTORY RECORDS X IN SELF DEFENSE AND IN SELF RESPECT WE HAVE DRAWN THE SWORD X THAT SWORD WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO ITS SCABBARD UNTIL OUR ENEMIES WHO WOULD DESTROY LIBERTY HAVE THEMSELVES BEEN DESTROYED X UNDER THESE GRIM CONDITIONS WHICH CALL FORTH OUR RESOLUTION OUR COURAGE AND OUR SPIRIT OF SELF-SACRIFICE WE FACE UNAFRAID THESE DANGERS WHICH LIE AHEAD X THE YEARS WHICH CONFRONT US HOLD DANGER AND HARDSHIP FOR ALL OF US X WE FACE THEM BOLDLY AND CONFIDENTLY X TO ALL OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY AS SECRETARY I SEND MY HOPES FOR A SWIFT AND SPEEDY VICTORY IN THE NOBLEST CAUSE FOR WHICH FREE MEN COULD FIGHT
GOD BLESS YOU ALL
FRANK KNOX
SECRETARY OF THE NAVY



NAVY DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
WASHINGTON DC
NAVAL MESSAGE NAVY DEPARTMENT
1500 161241
TO: ALL NAVAL COMMANDS PACIFIC FLEET
FROM: CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
DATE: 16 DECEMBER 1941
INFO: SECNAV, CINCLANT, CINCAF
UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY EFFECTIVE THIS DATE ADMIRAL HUSBAND E KIMMEL IS HEREBY RELIEVED OF HIS CURRENT DUTIES AS COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE U S FLEET AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF U S PACIFIC FLEET X VICE ADMIRAL WILLIAM S PYE WILL ASSUME TEMPORARY COMMAND OF THE U S PACIFIC FLEET
RELEASED BY
ADMIRAL HAROLD S STARK
CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS



// SECRET //
TO: Commanding Officers, SubPacFlt
FROM: Rear Admiral Charles A. Lockwood
DATE: 14 June 1943
SUBJECT: MARK VI MAGNETIC INFLUENCE EXPLODER
RMKS 1) Under the direct orders of Admiral Chester Nimitz CinCPacFlt, effective this date, ALL MK VI MAGNETIC INFLUENCE EXPLODER MECHANISMS are to be DEACTIVATED. The influence exploder is being deactivated because of probable enemy countermeasures, the ineffectiveness of the exploder under certain conditions and due to the impracticability of selecting the proper conditions under which to fire.
Rear Admiral Charles A. Lockwood
Commanding SubPacFlt

// Sends //



Yours, Mike

[akdavis]

There is also a "PearlHarborAttack" mission file in the campaign folder, but it is clearly incomplete/abandoned. There is only the Japanese CV fleet and waypoints to take it through its historical course. The start date is wrong (Dec. 7 when the fleet sailed before that date) and there are no other objects, or events, triggers, etc.

http://img78.imageshack.us/img78/7993/pearlharborattackmw4.jpg

Hopefully fleshing this out would allow for a full simulation of the period just before and after the attack. However, I'm not exactly sure how the "battle" missions in the campaign folder work. Are they just an additional layer that is only active for a narrow period of time?

[Egan]

I would have thought that the task forces in the various specific Mis file would last only from the time they spawn to the time they run thoughout all their waypoints. Isn't that how it worked in SH3? Unless ships were set up to loop they would vanish once all their orders were complete.

using separate Mis. files for this sort of thing is a much much better way of doing stuff. So much easier to add new battles.