SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - [REL] Bordinstrumente

Current version 2.3
-------------------

Gentlemen,

as a homage to oakgroove´s Bordinstrumente-Mod and Captain America´s Instruments Patch I renamed my old Manometer Mod to "Bordinstrumte Patch" in order to better describe the changes. The data are based upon Diving Duck´s Open Hatch Mod and I tried to merge the improvements of the Big Mods GWX, LSH and NYGM into one modifikation, so every player of these special Big Mods should benefit from the improvements from each other.

First of all, I´d like to thank the Devs of Ubisoft´s really great U-Boat-Simulation and, of course, all modders in the huge commnunity all over the world, which keep that old game still alive and remaining exiting. Be it Captain America, be it oakgroove, be it Diving Duck or the whole modder teams of the Big Mods, every single improvement was I great input for my personal playing experience. In a certain way, this is an attempt to give back a little bit of what I have received from all of you. Last but not least I like to thank Skwasjer for his marvellous S3D-tool. Without it, I couldn´t have done all these changes, so once again: Thanks, Skwasjer!

There is a quite extensive description of the content of the mod in the documentation folder, regrettably only in german at the moment. Because of all the pictures in it, I hope it will be self-explaing. Nevertheless I´ll try to describe the work in the following:

1. Authentic 300kg/cm² Manometer.

The compressed air gauge (i.e. Manometer) was a little bit offset by stock. The maximum pressure of compressed air (CA) was 205kg/cm² in reality, but the original dial only went to 200kg/cm². Oakgroove then exchanged the dial from a modern 600kg/cm² disk, but the real value of 200kg/cm² maintained. Beyond, oakgroove had to deal with the different minimum / maximum indicator positions of both 2D- and 3D-gauges. That´s why he changed the numbers into a non-continous row. In fact, this manometer went from -30 to +630 kg/cm². As a result, the instrument was rather useless. The kaleun could see if CA was used, but didn´t know how much nor did he know how much reserve left (really important in real life!!!).

When I was trying to figure out the function, I found some pictures of U-995 in Laboe as well as from U-505 in Chicago, where original instruments (250kg resp. 300kg) were mounted. Then I found a picture from a matching manometer in the internet, corrected the values in the .sim-files and now we finally have a compressed air gauge that shows the correct values!

You may take a look onto the discussion of the Marinesims-Forum about that mod, at least to have a look onto some explaining pictures:

http://www.marinesims.de/wbb2/thread...0e0424902a4b13

If you use this mod, you will find out how sophisticated the consumption of compressed air is simulated ingame. You will find out which amount of CA you will need in which situation. Once recorded, you will be able to estimate the remaining diving / surfacing ability of your submersible boat. In fact this information was as important as the status of the hull, the engines, the batteries or the oxygene (remember "The Boat") for the boat´s surviving ability.

2. O2-Dial in command room.

Since h.sie once changed the CO2 gauge into a more important and more real O2-Instrument in his patch 1.5 et seqq., he added a new graphic for the "FBAC"-(slideout) dials. Unfortunately this was only for the 2D-GUI. I´ve integrated the dial into the 3D command room, so now, both 2D- and 3D-instroments have the same design (and show the same values). I higly recommend the use of h.sie´s patch 1.6B. Without it, this change would remain useless.

https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/e6...4g44ki487g.jpg

3. Authentic 125m / 200m depth gauge.

The research of historical sources (books, films, KTBs etc.) led to the result, that both type VII and IX boats originally had ("only!") a 200m depth gauge mounted in the command room. Depth gauges of the same range were also located in the bow and stern room, as well as in the conning tower.

https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/7b...yxb6yx6o7g.jpg

Up to now, there is no proof that the well known 260m depth gauge was authentic. The only thing I do know from an exibition about the making of the movie "The Boat" is the depth gauge beeing artificially made from a station clock! Of course, if there come to know sources about the authenticity of that 260m depth gauge, please let us know.

Another thing is how the crew could have measured depths below 200m - and such deep depths were mentioned quite often. It seems that there was a second small "depth gauge" in the command room, what actually was nothing else than another manometer in technical sense. E.g. we know that the pumps had pressure gauges to measure the water pressure outside the hull. So maybe, if the measuring range was sufficient (what at least I have never seen yet) one could have read the true depth from that instrument.

Ingame, the player now can read deeper depths than 200m only from the small numeric display! That´s not really authentic either but gives a feeling about the historical way of controlling the boat in such deep depths and, btw, shows that usually the boats didn´t dive in such spheres. What we know from Ulrich Gabler, former CE (LI) of U-564, founder of a bureau of U-boat construction and professor of the Hamburg University in the 50´s or 60´s, the U-boats usually evaded from depth charges at depths between 160m and 180m, but not deeper! That was sufficient, at least in the early phase of the war. Controlling the boat at depths below 200m isn´t possible anymore by clicking on the dial, but only by giving the orders "D" or "S", what technically means "rudder hard up" resp. "rudder hard down". Please be aware, that the construction depth was 80m to 100m, and there is no guarantee by the dockyard to reach any deeper depth. Dive at depths below the guaranteed depth at your own risk!

The ingame 400m depth gauge of the type XXI seems to be authentic. Concerning the type II boats, we know the "Vesikko" boat in Suomi / Finland which in fact was the first prototype of the type II. This boat is equipped with a 60m and a 125m depth gauge. The construction and the diving ability of the type II seem to be unchanged, so the type IIA and IIB boats pobably had the same gauges. For the type IIC and IID the hull was improved to reach deeper depths, so maybe these boats used the 200m gauge too, but this is only speculation. Unfortunately I have found only one photographic template for the 125m depth gauge but none for the 60m gauge. If someone could help out, this would be very appreciated.

4. Depth rudder gauge

When I was wondering about which indicator was authentic, the one from oakgroove or the one from GWX, I found the answer: both! The one from oakgroove was used in the type VII boats, the other in the type IX, like in U-505 (which was the original, I assume). The type II dial and indicator from oakgroove remained untouched, and as I didn´t have more information, the ones from GWX are still used for the typeXXI. Beyond, the markings for the typVII dials were changed to assymetric values (-35/25, -30/30, like in the original, thanks goes to wurmonkel), and the indicators were a litle bit different, too (the after beeing shorter). Many thanks to JPB for this model.

5. Rudder gauge

The maximum rudder position for all boats is +/- 40°. This is not a new findiung, Philipp Thomsen already has published a mod in 2008 called Thomsens Dials mod. He changed the display value of the type VII and IX boats from 35° to 40°, beeing set when "hard to..." is ordered. But in fact, the real values weren´t continous, so the rudder position did not match with the shown numbers on the dial. I calibrated the dial, so if you order e.g. 30° by clicking on the gauge now, the rudder will turn to 30° and the helmsman will give the appropriate answer.

The rudder gauge of the type XXI already has a maximum value of 40°, the .sim-values were just a little bit corrected for the indicator exactly matching with the numbers.

6. Speed gauge

This instrument shows the speed in knots (nautical miles per hour, in german: "Seemeilen"), but the game calculates with meter per second. The correct conversion for the ranges of both ingame instruments are: 20kn=10,29m/s and 24kn=12,35m/s. All instruments were checked and corrected, if necessary.

7. Control lights

Every boat has charge control lamps in the command room above the machine telegraphs which indicate if the engines are running "normal" or if they are charging the batteries. Because this function is restricted to the starbord engine, only the right light turns from green to red when battery charging is ordered. Unfortunately the lamps were completely switched off in the typ IX command room. In the conning towers, where lamps atop ot the telegraphs are situated too, they were showing reversed lights: red for normal, green for charging status. Now they are glowing in the same colours like in the command room.

Furthermore, every boat is equipped with battery warning lamps, mounted below the battery gauges. Originally they only worked in the type VII boat, but here only the lamp sockets were enlighten, not the lamps themselves. Now, at least the lamps glow how they should. Although, the lamp sockets couldn´t get switched off... I don´t know how to do that.

https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/d8...zedpeewn7g.jpg

8. Battery gauge

The dial values as well as the indicators are finally exactly adapted to the dial disk and positioned into the middle.

9. 3D TDC range gauge.

Due to mixed .sim-values, the 3D range gauge couldn´t be used at all. Only few mods have been corrected this bug partly. I have corrected the gauge of every TDC.

10. 25m Depth gauge

There have been some slight adaptions to synchronise 2D- and 3D-display.

11. Amperemeter

The original Amperemeter dials in the radio station of the type II boat are mirrored. Therefore, the old "neutral" graphics from Manometer Mod (oakgroove) were used again to "heal" that small deficit. That´s why those graphics are used for the battery gauge again. The offset glasses have already been repaired by Diving Duck´s Open Hatch Mod.

12. Controlling instruments

We have to distinguish between pure display instruments which only can be read, and controlling instruments, which allow handling. These are the controlling instruments in the boat:

1. Machine telegraph
2. Compass
3. Side rudder
4. Depth gauge instruments

In reality, the knotmeter was a pure display instruments, the runnig step was generally set by the machine telegraph. Due to controversial discussion about the ability of ordering special engine records, the knotmeter stays controllable. Besides, the great idea of LGN1 about controlling the maximum speed ("3x crazy", "3x Wahnsinnige") via the maximum value of the knotmeter should be maintained.

13. Depth gauges in the conning tower.

Originally there was only one interior graphic for all turms, but now every Uboat class has its own appropriate depth gauge - with an appropriate indicator!

14. Mirrored machine telegraphs

Due toe La Vache´s finding (nochmals danke!), the orientation of the starbord engine telegraph was changed, as the propeller shafts were counter-rotating.

https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/ee...6o3i4zwe7g.jpg

15. Revolution counters.

Same same with the revolution counters: Both now show mirrowed values. The new graphics for both instruments were designed by wurmonkel, many thanks to him!

https://www.mediafire.com/convkey/eb...yk7nm0ww7g.jpg

Download:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/8x...e_patch_2.3.7z

Some work remains, e.g. 60m depth gauge for the type II, television compass, side rudders and so on, but for now, the most important changes are done. Have fun and enjoy the game!