[REL] Merchant Fleet Mod for Silent Hunter 3

[Robin40]

Originally Posted by Gryffon300

Not really, Robin40. You see, as explained above, I have ammended my Englishnames.cfg file so that it does NOT display in the scope, or the log as 'Blah Blah 07', or even 'Blah Blah 07X (or A or B)', as I edited the ORIGINAL Englishnames.cfg file when adding the new classes as per, say FK's ammended list.

The original file had the numerical suffixes, whereas the more recent add-ons to the list does not. It seemed natural, therefore to remove all suffixes so that the display & log would ONLY show 'Medium Merchant', NOT 'Medium Merchant 07', especially as some of the classes were simply the addition of , for example, American or Neutral versions of already existing British classes, in which case the 'new' classes would display without the '07', whereas the original British equivalent would.

On the other hand, as you yourself point out, in your post #574, details are held also in the cfg files in Roster/xyz (nation)/Sea, and include display names & start/finish dates. I presume that the 'display names' are referring to the Museum or something, because they certainly do not show up as such in 'scope or log as such.

Finally, it is intersting to note, in regard to my comments to Damo, re my doubts about the the re-skinning of British ships, that 'X' ship config files appear in the Sea Rosters of both the American and British fleets (possibly others - haven't bothered to check.) This would seem to lend credence to my belief that British ships were NOT being re-skinned, but that rather netral 'X's' were showing up in their roster (and hence legitimate targets).

Your thoughts?

I second Frau Kaleun's post

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Gryffon300

The original file had the numerical suffixes, whereas the more recent add-ons to the list does not. It seemed natural, therefore to remove all suffixes so that the display & log would ONLY show 'Medium Merchant', NOT 'Medium Merchant 07', especially as some of the classes were simply the addition of , for example, American or Neutral versions of already existing British classes, in which case the 'new' classes would display without the '07', whereas the original British equivalent would.

The most realistic would be to give it a name from the list so it shows up as 'Arlington Court-type freighter'. That's what they would actually be looking for in the ID book.

On the other hand, when you get credit it shouldn't give a type at all, just a name and tonnage.

I'm sure the game can't do both. I would go for a name, and someday probably will.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Cargo types are drawn from the list at the bottome of the second block from the top: [TEXT]. The last three lines are CargoTypes_eng and its German and French counterparts. I took the _eng list and created a separate notepad file, listed vertically and numbered them from 1 to 30. That way I could compare them to the numbers in each Ship Names listing and know exactly what is what.

If a class in the list has a particular number listed more than once, e.g.,

[C2]
CargoTyp=1,2,3,3,3,4,5,6,6,7,9,10,11,12,12,13,13,1 4,14,15,15,16,16,16,17,18,19,19,20,21,22,22,23,23, 24,25

does the repetition of certain numbers mean there will be a greater probability of Commander listing the associated cargo types for a sunk ship of that class? So for the above, C2, there would be a greater likelihood of a C2 ship showing up in the logs with "General Cargo" listed #3), as opposed to Coal or Timber (#1 & #2)?

[Sailor Steve]

Yes, exactly. It's balanced toward what that ship actually carried. C2s and other large freighters often carried mixed cargoes, and the game won't allow for more than one type, so 'General' is the only way to indicate that likelyhood.

[kurfürst]

Hi Kaleuns,

where can this Mod be downloaded?
The filefront links at the beginning of this thread are dead...

Thanks for your help!

Kurfürst

[Plissken_04]

Originally Posted by kurfürst

Hi Kaleuns,

where can this Mod be downloaded?
The filefront links at the beginning of this thread are dead...

Thanks for your help!

Kurfürst

Download it here

ftp://hartmuthaas.no-ip.org/Volume_1...IAMBECOMELIFE/


Username & Password in my Signature!!!


So Long

Maik

[kurfürst]

Perfect!
Thank You!

[Gryffon300]

OK. I give up. After wrestling with now eight abandoned carreers over the last month, I'm calling for help.

I'm running Windows XP Pro (32 Bit, I guess) on a core 2 duo with 2.95GB of RAM, a new mid-range GeForce graphics card & a new sound card.

SHIII+GWX3.0+SHIII Commander+SJGME+some modest sound mods + (initially) MFM3.2 + 1 skins patch. CTD's on loading resolved up until tried to commence patrol in Oct 39 (Patrol 3). Deleted Skins, 16k atmosphere etc etc.

Game played fine, with resume after save no probs, but always refuses to put to sea for 3rd patrol. Deleted skins (Sept). No go. Now deleted MFM & loads & plays fine. BUT THIS IS NOT FINE! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!! HOW DOES SAILOR STEVE STAND THIS!! (I think he is in the same 'boat'.) THIS IS A VIOLATION OF MY HUMAN RIGHTS!! Wahhhhh!!!!

I am going to suggest something, which I will copy across from a SHI thread (because I don't know if enough people will ever see it otherwise - sorry if its not the done thing). Here goes:

One thing that occurs to me from this thread, as well as the SHIII Mods Forum.

Lots of people struggle with CTD and installation issues. Now, a lot of it revolves around stupidity and failing to read instructions, but some are clearly system/hardware related (like SHII being unplayable on nVidia cards, due to text getting graphically murdered.) Scattered through all these threads are lots of hints and tips about 4Gig patches, 3 Gig switches, optimising page file settings etc, programs to minimise background apps, and switching off interrupting programs (like firewalls).

These things would appear to be important to know about regardless of which game one wishes to play, or which platform/OS/or hardware configuration you have, but the LOWER your computer's spec, I would say the MORE IMPORTANT these tweaks become. My guess is that the majority DON'T have a 64 Bit OS with 8Gig of RAM and anther 4 Gig on their graphics card.

So, would it be possible for someone with computer smarts to compile a SEQUENTIAL list of recommendations to optimise hardware performance ESPECIALLY relevant for those wishing to run additional Mods - hence requiring much more of the system?

I have seen something like this done for an individual, where a kind poster was trying to step someone through a series of 'do this, then that and get back to me for the next step if that doesn't work' - sort of an escalating list from the simple to the more intrusive to get the whole show working to it's max capacity.

That, I think, could be a really useful sticky on its own, or accompanying any supermod release etc. For example, in my own case, I don't know whether the 4Gig/3Gig 'fixes' would even be appropriate for my machine (with 2.95Gig of RAM), and I don't even know what setting virtual memory/page files from the 'current' default 'custom' level to Min=max="recommended" does, but I did it anyway.

Anyway, with help I think I have got my 32 Bit (whatever that means) XP Pro machine to maybe 90% optimised, and I run (mostly) SHIII+COMMANDER+SJGME+MFM3.2+1 (sometimes 2) Skins+ a bunch of little mods. Not bad, but still not as stable as I would like.

Maybe it could be better with a few more tweaks, and a coherent step through would certainly save a lot of frustration for a lot of noobs/computer non-geeks who want to spend their time battling battleships, not wrestling with CTD's & buggy installations. I sometimes feel like I am oh, so gingerly!, trying to push a wheelbarrow with a squirming three-year-old across a tightrope over a chasm. The support & assistance has been great, but I wonder if a step-through would have saved us all time?

Even if someone was to say, "Your system could be upgraded to Windows 7 at modest cost", or "Install more RAM", it may solve the problem. I know that there may be differing advice for different Operating Systems, but I really would like to exhaust all possible practical tweaks to my existing system before I have to start ordering a mega gaming box. (Can't afford that at the moment anyway.)

Regardless of the advice to me and the outcome, I think for other noobs less patient than I, some Hardware/Firmware tweak step-through that is esily available would get players hooked into this great SH Modding world with a whole lot less trauma. I'll be more than grateful for anything you guys have to offer, even if its only sympathy.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Gryffon300

HOW DOES SAILOR STEVE STAND THIS!! (I think he is in the same 'boat'.)

My boat is much smaller. I have a six-year-old single-core system, maxed out at 4 Gigs of RAM, of which it can only use two. My video card is an ATI 4650 1 GB, which is the absolute best I can mount in an AGP slot. How do I stand it? I don't. I can't run FlakMonkey's new interiors, MFM, GWX Advanced Damage or LSH3 until I can afford a whole new system. I just live with it.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Yes, exactly. It's balanced toward what that ship actually carried. C2s and other large freighters often carried mixed cargoes, and the game won't allow for more than one type, so 'General' is the only way to indicate that likelyhood.

Thanks, that seemed to be the only obvious reason to have the CargoTyp configured that way, but you never know.

Another question, though, regarding the Used Ship Names list or whatever it's called - when it looks at names that have been used, does it only look at whether a name has already been used for a ship of the same class, or does the use of a name mean it never gets used again in your career even for ships of a different class?

What I mean is, suppose there are two ships called the SS Whatever, and one is listed under [CLASS1] and the other is listed under [CLASS2]. I sink a [CLASS1] ship and Commander pulls the name SS Whatever from the list and puts that in my log, and the name 'SS Whatever' goes in the list of names that have been used. Does that mean it will never get used again, even for a ship of [CLASS2], or will Commander 'know' somehow that when it was used the first time it was pulled from the list for a different class?

I don't see how it could know, since the names in the Used Names file aren't sorted by class at all, but I'm not sure.

[iambecomelife]

Originally Posted by Gryffon300

OK. I give up. After wrestling with now eight abandoned carreers over the last month, I'm calling for help.

I'm running Windows XP Pro (32 Bit, I guess) on a core 2 duo with 2.95GB of RAM, a new mid-range GeForce graphics card & a new sound card.

SHIII+GWX3.0+SHIII Commander+SJGME+some modest sound mods + (initially) MFM3.2 + 1 skins patch. CTD's on loading resolved up until tried to commence patrol in Oct 39 (Patrol 3). Deleted Skins, 16k atmosphere etc etc.

Game played fine, with resume after save no probs, but always refuses to put to sea for 3rd patrol. Deleted skins (Sept). No go. Now deleted MFM & loads & plays fine. BUT THIS IS NOT FINE! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!! HOW DOES SAILOR STEVE STAND THIS!! (I think he is in the same 'boat'.) THIS IS A VIOLATION OF MY HUMAN RIGHTS!! Wahhhhh!!!!

I am going to suggest something, which I will copy across from a SHI thread (because I don't know if enough people will ever see it otherwise - sorry if its not the done thing). Here goes:



Even if someone was to say, "Your system could be upgraded to Windows 7 at modest cost", or "Install more RAM", it may solve the problem. I know that there may be differing advice for different Operating Systems, but I really would like to exhaust all possible practical tweaks to my existing system before I have to start ordering a mega gaming box. (Can't afford that at the moment anyway.)

Regardless of the advice to me and the outcome, I think for other noobs less patient than I, some Hardware/Firmware tweak step-through that is esily available would get players hooked into this great SH Modding world with a whole lot less trauma. I'll be more than grateful for anything you guys have to offer, even if its only sympathy.

I highly recommend only using one of the light versions of the MFM, no skin mods, and a fresh installation. When you use the MFM with GWX you're skating on thin ice because combined the mods have hundreds of units.

Also, I got GWX to work with the MFM on my install by manually deleting a number of units that GWX added that were redundant (for example, the Prince of Wales, Rodney, etc - one model per class is enough). Not sure if you feel comfortable going into the data\sea and roster folders & doing that - if you mess up you can ruin your install - but that's another way to improve stability.

Links to the "light" beta versions are below:

http://www.gamefront.com/files/13794...M_Beta_4_1_rar
http://www.gamefront.com/files/16730...nterim_Beta_7z

[Robin40]

Originally Posted by Gryffon300

OK. I give up. After wrestling with now eight abandoned carreers over the last month, I'm calling for help.

I'm running Windows XP Pro (32 Bit, I guess) on a core 2 duo with 2.95GB of RAM, a new mid-range GeForce graphics card & a new sound card.

SHIII+GWX3.0+SHIII Commander+SJGME+some modest sound mods + (initially) MFM3.2 + 1 skins patch. CTD's on loading resolved up until tried to commence patrol in Oct 39 (Patrol 3). Deleted Skins, 16k atmosphere etc etc.

Game played fine, with resume after save no probs, but always refuses to put to sea for 3rd patrol. Deleted skins (Sept). No go. Now deleted MFM & loads & plays fine. BUT THIS IS NOT FINE! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!! HOW DOES SAILOR STEVE STAND THIS!! (I think he is in the same 'boat'.) THIS IS A VIOLATION OF MY HUMAN RIGHTS!! Wahhhhh!!!!

I am going to suggest something, which I will copy across from a SHI thread (because I don't know if enough people will ever see it otherwise - sorry if its not the done thing). Here goes:



Even if someone was to say, "Your system could be upgraded to Windows 7 at modest cost", or "Install more RAM", it may solve the problem. I know that there may be differing advice for different Operating Systems, but I really would like to exhaust all possible practical tweaks to my existing system before I have to start ordering a mega gaming box. (Can't afford that at the moment anyway.)

Regardless of the advice to me and the outcome, I think for other noobs less patient than I, some Hardware/Firmware tweak step-through that is esily available would get players hooked into this great SH Modding world with a whole lot less trauma. I'll be more than grateful for anything you guys have to offer, even if its only sympathy.

Go to

http://www.lsh3.com/dl/v5/LSH3_V5.1_Installation_EN.pdf

This is the installation manual of LSH3

There is everything it is needed for every OS

You can apply it to SH3-GWX

See sections
SH3-Installation
4GB-PATCH - Installation for all Windows versions

And remember that in one of my previous posts I already suggested to use MFMInterimBeta (see post#611 of
iambecomelife)

[Gryffon300]

iabl - I think I would like to give the full MFM version a go. Happy to prowl about in the sea & roster folders to delete redundancies. (I'm a bit of a plodder, but as you recommend a clean install for the lite version anyway: not much to lose.)

Anything in particular to look out for, or is it just a matter of common sense in eliminating 'obvious' duplications (a bit like with the additional class names lists)?

Robin40 - yes, mate that's EXACTLY what I had in mind. That manual is a very fine peice of work, and a tranlation to boot! Fantastic. I will give all that a go. Thanks. (Still think we need something like that resident in these threads .)

One final thing though: I am turning off Firewall & Anti-virus; & running End-it-all & GamePro to close down unnecessary background apps prior to launching the game. In the same vein, does anyone use and/or recommend a registry cleaner, like CCleaner 3? Been toying with the idea - seems a good program may help squeeze a bit more juice out of the thing.

SS - "God grant me the courage to change the things I can; the serenity to accept the things I cannot; and the wisdom to know the difference."

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Another question, though, regarding the Used Ship Names list or whatever it's called - when it looks at names that have been used, does it only look at whether a name has already been used for a ship of the same class, or does the use of a name mean it never gets used again in your career even for ships of a different class?

@ Sailor Steve, et. al. - forget I asked this, I don't need to do the thing I thought I was gonna do to make something work the way I hoped it would work provided the answer to this question turned out to be what I hoped it was.

Originally Posted by Gryffon300

Anything in particular to look out for, or is it just a matter of common sense in eliminating 'obvious' duplications (a bit like with the additional class names lists)?

I recently considered something like this however I am using one of WB's 'extra ships' mods and since he includes modded GWX campaign files as well as extra ships, it occurred to me that some of those warships might be specifically scripted into them in such a way that removing them from data\Sea and whatever roster(s) they were on would cause problems when the game tried to spawn a ship that no longer existed. Same thing with GWX in general, I don't know what if any scripting would be borked by removing certain ships just because they appear to be redundant.

Again I don't know if it's an issue, but I'd make sure that it isn't one before I started deleting ships' folders from data\Sea and their .cfg files from various rosters.

[reaper7]

Yaaah finally after months of many failed attempts to get the Merchant ships Mod working I finally have it.
Had to move from Windows 32bit to Windows 64bit but it works perfectly including the museum.
Now time to put out to sea and get me some new merchants .