SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - [REL] FOTRS Ultimate Project

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- - [REL] FOTRS Ultimate Project (https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=226270)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins (Post 2408305)

Well, I'm behind everybody here, without a FOTRS install going. So let me take this opportunity to post a tutorial on how to make a separate FOTRS install, where the sames will be in FOTRS' own folder and you can't get mixed up between stock saves, TMO saves and FOTRS saves all in the same directory. That makes for headaches and cussing. We aim to keep it clean around here.:D:D

First line of defense for SH4 is always to start with a clean install. Install the game, add U-boat Missions, Multi-SH4 and JSGME with a \MODS subdirectory. Then copy the whole \Wolves of the Pacific shootin' match to another directory on another drive, preferably. Name it something like SH4 Pristeen and then why not write-protect the whole thing so you can't run it, which would make it not so pristeen after all.

That's the first thing you should do on installation of SH4! Get that backup saved on another drive and protect the thing!

So here you are with SH4 installed and you want to play some FOTRS to see how these guys are screwing up their precious FOTRS Ultimate Project. Your first step is to find your \SH4 Pristeen directory on your other drive and copy it to your Ubisoft directory. You DO have a Ubisoft root directory on your C: drive don't you? You aren't trying to run it out of \Program Files (x86)? If you are it's time to change that. Create c:\Ubisoft. Then when you install SH4 you'll have a \Wolves of the Pacific subdirectory. Here's my setup below.
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps9p2qoi3n.jpg

What's the SH4 Pristeen folder doing in there? It's gonna be my SH4 FOTRS folder! Eventually. In about fifteen minutes. Once it's in there I'm going to right click it, choose properties (last option) and you'll see this if you did your work right to begin with:
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...psb2xqeyxo.jpg

See the blue shaded box next to "Read Only (only applies to files in folder)? Click on the box to get rid of the blue shading. Then you see:

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...psqfzrhvla.jpg

Yes, you want to do that to every file. Press OK and wait for the job to finish, several minutes. Now we'll rename the SH4 Pristeen directory in our Ubisoft folder. I named mine SH4 FOTRS.

Next, we'll enter our shiny new directory and run MultiSH4.exe. Dialog box pops up thusly:
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...psvnym5vbm.jpg

It wants you to name a new folder. Very important: you can only use three letters. I chose FRS for the standard abbreviation for Fall of the Rising Sun. Now all my save game stuff will be in the FRS folder in My Documents.

You can run JSGME and then exit to create a \MODS subdirectory if you don't already have one. Then put your FOTRS goodies in there. I recommend FOTRS 1.3 and our FOTRS 2.0 add on mods for now. Now lets see how the Google Drive Folder works:

Highlight the mods you want to extract, right click them and choose download. See how it's making me a Zipped file of both? That's fine. Just save it in your \MODS folder and unzip it when you're done.
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...psdegbvqac.jpg

http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...psqifqutwp.jpg

There you go: drag 'em and drop 'em right in to MODS folder. Now download FOTRS 1.3 from the Subsim downloads area so we're sure we are all using the exact same files. Save it right to your MODS folder. YOU AREN'T DONE! FORTS comes in a compressed .rar file and you have to extract it just as you did the mods downloaded from our shared Google Drive account. <Insert 7-zip commercial here> Of course it extracts into the MODS folder as well, leaving it looking like this:
http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/a...psxxtu1kj2.jpg

Now you're ready to install the mods with JSGME. Install FOTRS 1.3 first and then the 2.0 mods. You now have a spanking new FOTRS installation and you're expected to test it to destruction while we cook up other things from v2.0 to plug into 1.3. And now I can start playing myself......starting tomorrow. Been a long day!

Thanks for the tutorial, RR. I've been doing this very thing for quite a few years now. I've got a separate SSD that I use for SH4 and as many different installs of what mod on SH4 that I need. :D :up:

I've been using Multi SH4 for along time now, the only problem I have is remembering which bloody folder is which. :haha:

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Great report !!:yeah:

Thanks. :D

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Did you notice an increased number of sub hunting groups? Maddy doubled them with v2.0. So, except for the occasional lag, the campaign runs well isn't it? I'll follow your example and add it too.:)

Yes, I've encountered quite a few pairs of Old SubChasers just sailing around looking for US Subs. :03:

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That's an interesting encounter with the WW1 freighters. Ok. the first may be loaded with ammo, hit a sweet spot, boom! But three on the second?:o The WW1 freighters I'm testing on single missions are sinking with just one. No matter where it hits. Even with Mark 10's. Are you sure you've waited enough time?

Yeah, I waited quite awhile before having to finish it of with with my last bow torpedo.

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I'm working on it. You can forget sinking a Takao with one eel...:O:

Right, I did fire four but the other three just blew the ship up more. :yep:

That's a great tutorial for MultiSH4 RockinR!! Excellent step by step instructions!:up:

Propbeanie, you've given an great explanation of the way those pesky (but very atmospheric) creaking sounds are used in-game. I also had my suspicions about their length, but, that's about it.:D

My desktop PC died last night, probably a serious motherboard problem.:/\\!!
My financial situation (thanks to Greek politicians:nope:) does not allow me to fix it immediately, it'll have to wait for a while...

After a big, lengthy depth-charging, I managed to divorce my wife from Facebook and get full access to her laptop. Everything runs fine, but I had to turn down almost all the graphic options to get SH4 run smoothly. This means I'm no longer in position to test graphic enhancements. One thing I noticed though is that FOTRS v2.0 while more graphically enhanced, runs much faster on the little laptop than v1.3. Good work Maddy!!

So, I'm damaged but still on patrol. Thanks for the laptop Rosi!!:/\\k:
Yeah, I'll wash the dishes and sweep the floors immediately, like I promised...:wah:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Dave (Post 2408314)

I only use the SEA, SUBMARINE and UPC Data folders of ISP. No SCENE.dat or CFG.

That's exactly what I envision. I need plugin modules to do just the one thing they say they do, not be an octopus that changes all aspects of the game. We'll be asking mod authors permisson for each mod that we seek to change to comply.

Our vision is to put control in the players' hands to play FOTRS Ultimate the way THEY want to, not the way we force them to do.

Team, please welcome Neal Stevens aboard as observer. I have invited Florida Sailor to work on AI modules. I'd like a stock module, a TMOwTw level module, a TMO difficulty module and a super-difficult AI module that players can plug in when desired, even in the middle of a campaign! We're going to put his TMO with Training Wheels mod on steroids here with some serious player control of how difficult the enemy in this game is.

I'll be asking TorpX permission to dissect ISP to only extract the section on ship acceleration for use as a plugin module for FOTRS Ultimate. I'll be asking CapnScurvy for permission to extract his periscope and binocular corrections only from OTC for the same use. I'd like to see if he can make a perfect recognition manual for FOTRS Ultimate with all corrections used in OTC, also.

The core of FORTS Ultimate will be as pure Maddy as we can possibly make it. The plug-in modules will be as varied and plentiful as we can make them with each plug-in having a single selectable effect on gameplay so the player is the one with the power to shape his own game.

Okay, I propose to toss a monkey wrench in the gearing here. What's the most frequently asked question from someone with five mods or more? Of course it's "What order do I install these mods in?"

I propose a numbering system for mods, changing the name of the mod. Supermods would be in the 100 series of mods. Any two mods with exactly the same number are incompatible: you can install one of them but not both. So all base supermods would have a number of 100: 100 FOTRS Ultimate, 100 TMO 2.5, 100 GFO, 100 RFB 2.0. 100 will be the lowest number so it is always installed first. All have the same number, meaning choose one, chump! Kapeech? Patches by the same author might have a number of 110. Multiple patches would be numbered in order of install.

200 series would be major subsidiary mods that act like supermods, in that they also modify every aspect of the game. About the only one right now (and EVER I hope) is RSRDC. There are several versions of RSRDC for the different supermods and stock. So it would be 200 RSRDC for stock, 200 RSRDC for RFB, etc. The 200 means it's installed after 100. Sharing the same number means choose one, chump.

I don't seem to have any 300 series mods, so I forgot what they are......old age sucks. Lets make them ship physics and sinking mods.

400 mods are keyboard layout and plotting mods. We'll go 400-449 for keyboard and 450-499 for plotting mods.

500 mods are radio and gramophone mods: big and ugly but compatible with everything. Unfortunately they change the big octopus file that contains a million things and we'll have to be very careful how we implement these. I've found a program, JTxE, which allows modification of individual lines in a configuration file and I'll be playing with that to see if we can automate the process and open up universal plugins for 500 mods. Otherwise, it's a minefield. Be careful.

600 series: deck gun and torpedo mods

700 series: missions and scenarios

800 series: sounds and visuals like 800 Sober's Explosion mod.

This way, no matter what we come up with, the player knows what order to install the mods. He knows which are incompatible with which others.

Sure, there will be some changes. It's the vision that counts. As we go forward we can perfect the scheme further. Maybe others will catch on even with mods never intended for FOTRS and we'll start something everyone will use and never again have to answer the question "I have ten mods. What order should they be installed in?"

Heck, I'm going to have to work up a chart of everybody on board and what they're working on.... We've created.......a MONSTER!!! The ghost of Kapt. Lehmann is haunting me and he's not even gone. Justice is a cruel thing....... I'm off to actually play some FOTRS!

Quote:

Heck, I'm going to have to work up a chart of everybody on board and what they're working on.... We've created.......a MONSTER!!!

Look at the bright side, RR. After all the work is done, and you put out the final links for release and download, you can shout, "It's alive." :rotfl2:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins (Post 2408423)

I'll be asking TorpX permission to dissect ISP to only extract the section on ship acceleration for use as a plugin module for FOTRS Ultimate. I'll be asking CapnScurvy for permission to extract his periscope and binocular corrections only from OTC for the same use. I'd like to see if he can make a perfect recognition manual for FOTRS Ultimate with all corrections used in OTC, also.

That can not so easily done.
For myself FORTS V2.0 is particularly interesting for SH4 V1.4 as Maddy and colleagues have built there all the beautiful ship models - I love as the beautiful US destroyer. :woot:

Now to the actual problem - Maddy`s ships have very different sizes and / or proportions. Then we can all the extra models (with own game files) do not forget ... that means a lot of work.
Such extensive customization already impressed me greatly. :stare:

I myself have recently started with the modifying SH4 ... just go my first steps and I am rather something like a collector for a modder. :88)

Times more question - is working with someone via FORTS V2.0 the museum? Perhaps it is the sheer mass of the ships contained ... or there is an error that will be first found. :hmm2:

I did not want to discourage you, but you should be the impasses and the problems associated with be aware.

So forward RR - You're a first-class "arsonists".
Or I say it with the words of my german Bundeskanzlerin Merkel "Wir schaffen das..." :woot:

Mod announcement and You Tube movie. We're public now. No backing out is possible!:o:o:o

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins (Post 2408488)

Mod announcement and You Tube movie. We're public now. No backing out is possible!:o:o:o

Nice, RR. Hopefully we can live up to the standards set by AOTDMadmax. :D :up:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bleiente (Post 2408439)

Now to the actual problem - Maddy`s ships have very different sizes and / or proportions. Then we can all the extra models (with own game files) do not forget ... that means a lot of work.
Such extensive customization already impressed me greatly. :stare::hmm2:

Darn! I was afraid that might be the case. It wouldn't be fair to ask CapnScurvy to measure all those ships for us and put the dimensions in a perfect recognition manual, as he's working on what could be the best supermod ever released for SH4. I don't want to get in the way of that.

We'll put the manual on the back burner.

Can you find some way to put in pouls sound mod and tmo smoke??:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rabid Wolverine (Post 2408536)

Can you find some way to put in pouls sound mod and tmo smoke??:D

I can now speak only of and for FORTS V2.0, since it actually represents the most interesting version with all new content in particular the beautiful ships.
FORTS V2.0 has already an extensive Soundmod well as its own and also very good smoke and fire Mod.

Feel free to use the enhanced sounds from "Ralles ModSoup for TMO_RSRDC_OTC", there is a revised and refined sound version of FORTS V2.0... to find:

...\Ralles ModSoup for TMO_RSRDC_OTC V1.1\Data\Sound
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=225443

Bleiente, can I put you in charge of working up a JSGME file to insert 2.0 smoke and fire into FOTRS 1.3? You're right. It's one of the most awesome parts of FOTRS 2.0 and we need it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins (Post 2408588)

Bleiente, can I put you in charge of working up a JSGME file to insert 2.0 smoke and fire into FOTRS 1.3? You're right. It's one of the most awesome parts of FOTRS 2.0 and we need it.

I do not think the materials. and particles.dat from FORTS V2.0 works in V1.3.
However, I have found something in LURKER what might also be applicable here.
With TMO_RSRDC_OTC and Ralles Modsoup it certainly works in full. I just do not uploaded because me there is no consent of LURKER ... but pointed out, where you can find it.

Please Look here:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bleiente (Post 2408238)

Has it turns out that LURKER had in 2008 created a stunning good "fire and smoke Mod".
Test images in MarineSims.de:
http://www.marinesims.de/wbb2/thread...505#post308505

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bleiente (Post 2408366)

Those who can not wait or want - there are explicitly following files under MOD / Data / Library from LURKER's OMEGU_v300_pkg for TMO_RSRDC_OM:
Materials.dat
particles.dat

So it's not my work - have found it just.
Furthermore, I am also happy because I wanted to edit these two files it myself ... would have taken but because my experience is still very modest. :88)