Realism- and gameplay-related hardcode fixes for SH3.EXE

[Magic1111]

Originally Posted by h.sie

@Magic: V16A2 will come soon. Only some documentation left to do. I hoped nobody will discover the change I made to the first post, before release day.

Okay, thx h.sie!

Best regards,
Magic

[SquareSteelBar]

Originally Posted by Magic1111

...Where can I find V16A? It´s not on h.sie´s MediaFire Page...

It's named 'Wolfpack Alpha2 Patch-Kit.7z' in 'Testing' folder...

[h.sie]

Funny: my sh3 install (green pepper) does not need this huge sh3.dll to run. So I deleted it. sh3 still runs fine. Seems it contains only this starforce crap.

Edit: Looking with a debugger into the PE header of sh3.dll shows that it contains a code section named .sforce. This confirms my assumption.

[SquareSteelBar]

Interesting...

Version Info:

        VALUE "BuildSignature", "3.04.076.000, 14.06.05"
        VALUE "ProductGuid", "{EEA317B05D6EB2C5FFBDD5B59470FB4F}"
        VALUE "BuildGuid", "{6914a155-be7d-4c8c-85b6-0a410a8478ef}"
        VALUE "FileDescription", "Protection Library"
        VALUE "FileVersion", "3.04.076.000"
        VALUE "InternalName", "PROTECT.DLL"
        VALUE "LegalCopyright", "(c) Protection Technology, 2000-2005"
        VALUE "LegalTrademarks", "StarForce (R)"
        VALUE "OriginalFilename", "PROTECT.DLL"
        VALUE "ProductVersion", "3.04"
        VALUE "CompanyName", "UbiSoft EMEA"
        VALUE "ProductName", "SILENT HUNTER 3 PC DVD"
        VALUE "HomePage", "http://www.star-force.com"

[h.sie]

The Green Pepper version doesn't even load sh3.dll into RAM. Thus, it seems to be redundant and does no harm.

I'm using the latest stable version of H.sie patch. Not sure was it a stock bug or the patch, but when I go deeper than 160 m, my sonar guy stops responding to my nearest contact commands, it feels like all those commands stuck somewhere, cuz when I go up to about 150 m he then gives all requested answers that I was asking before.

What is the DD radar detection range ? I'm in 1943 March. Seems the DD do not react unless I'm at 6 km or less than 6 km away from him ?

I was at night while testing how close I can get to the convoy on surface..

[h.sie]

I did not change this, thus, it's stock behaviour very likely.

I'm with GWX, using all these mods:



With your latest stable patch + 4 GB switch on XP64bit

I always wonder is the 4 gb switch for SH3 works well if physically system has only those 4 GB, not more ?


And what about destroyers radar detection range ? I find it too short, as from documentary movie: "Convoy War for the Atlantic Eps2.The Hunt.avi"

I know that radar effective range was 16 km radius that were equiped on destroyers ?

[Dani]

@Stiebler
Regarding the problem of sending contact reports.

Last night I was playing a NYGM career with the V15G2 and your patch. Without the wolfpack patch.
The WO reports smoke on the horizon and I thought, great a convoy.
A look with the uzo shows it's a destroyer and around him I spot two more destroyers,so I lock on them, so that they show up on nav map. Then I send contact report and everything is working fine. It was a task force. I even think that it was possible to send the raport without spoting the other destroyers.

Now,later on I found a convoy(proper one,with merchants). The WO is reporting a ship or two and was locking on the others(as many as I can see) to speed things up. But when I wanted to report, NOTHING. I mean I get the message "Report send", but it didn't show in the message list. The command isn't functioning even if had 6-8 MERCHANTS in sight.
Only after a escort was reported I could suddenly send the contact report.

Sorry, if you had to read all this just to hear my idea.

What if the game is not recognising a group of merchants as a convoy until a escort is also present and spoted.I now you can't report a pair of lone merchants, but if you add a escort?
What are actualy the conditions you must meet so you got a working contact report button? Is there a limit of maybe 3 merchants and 1 escort? Or the merchant are actualy not important, since I could report the task force.
Can you maybe change this parameters and are there accessible?
Maybe one more proof for this theory, from hsie's post:

"As soon as the watch officer reports the first convoy ESCORT that comes in visible range, I can send a contact report."

Maybe I'm way off with this, but since you asked for an idea and I can't shake this one out of my head, there you go.

[rudewarrior]

Originally Posted by PapaKilo

Not sure was it a stock bug or the patch, but when I go deeper than 160 m, my sonar guy stops responding to my nearest contact commands...

When this starts happening, try removing your sonar guy into another slot, then place him back in. I have the same problem sometimes, and this fixes it. You will see the SO dump the list of contact commands all at once. That's what works for me.

[reaper7]

Originally Posted by Dani

@Stiebler
Regarding the problem of sending contact reports.

Last night I was playing a NYGM career with the V15G2 and your patch. Without the wolfpack patch.
The WO reports smoke on the horizon and I thought, great a convoy.
A look with the uzo shows it's a destroyer and around him I spot two more destroyers,so I lock on them, so that they show up on nav map. Then I send contact report and everything is working fine. It was a task force. I even think that it was possible to send the raport without spoting the other destroyers.

Now,later on I found a convoy(proper one,with merchants). The WO is reporting a ship or two and was locking on the others(as many as I can see) to speed things up. But when I wanted to report, NOTHING. I mean I get the message "Report send", but it didn't show in the message list. The command isn't functioning even if had 6-8 MERCHANTS in sight.
Only after a escort was reported I could suddenly send the contact report.

Sorry, if you had to read all this just to hear my idea.

What if the game is not recognising a group of merchants as a convoy until a escort is also present and spoted.I now you can't report a pair of lone merchants, but if you add a escort?
What are actualy the conditions you must meet so you got a working contact report button? Is there a limit of maybe 3 merchants and 1 escort? Or the merchant are actualy not important, since I could report the task force.
Can you maybe change this parameters and are there accessible?
Maybe one more proof for this theory, from hsie's post:

"As soon as the watch officer reports the first convoy ESCORT that comes in visible range, I can send a contact report."

Maybe I'm way off with this, but since you asked for an idea and I can't shake this one out of my head, there you go.

Possibly the easiest way to test if this is the case is to remove the escorts from the test mission and see if contacts can still be sent.
I may try that now and report back.

EDIT: Just tried that and had no problem sending a contact report. There were no Escorts in the Fleet.
So can safety say that Escorts are not required to be detected as a Convoy at least in single mission - maybe campaign uses different rules. (Using easy version).

[Stiebler]

@Dani, Reaper7:

Many thanks for your feedback.

I can confirm that it is not necessary to have an escort present in order to detect a convoy. In fact, some of my testing has been with two-ship 'convoys' that one can see sometimes in NYGM (also in stock SH3). These are always detected properly.

I have carried out a lot of testing on contact reports in NYGM recently, in connection with H.sie's Wolf-Packs mod. The results are very erratic; sometimes it is easy to report a convoy, sometimes not, and I do not understand why not. This is, however, an old problem that has been described many times by players of SH3 (not only with NYGM). With NYGM, I have found that there must always be at least one merchant ship in sight, before the first contact report can be sent. Afterwards, one needs only any single ship of the convoy in order to send a second report.

I have reinstalled NYGM completely for these tests - in three steps (NYGM_2.5, NYGM3_New, NYGM_3.5A), testing after each step, but again it is very hard to predict when the convoy report will be allowed.

All these same problems affect my 'Smoke-on-the-Horizon' mod, which uses the same code as that for Contact Reports.

Stiebler.

Originally Posted by rudewarrior

When this starts happening, try removing your sonar guy into another slot, then place him back in. I have the same problem sometimes, and this fixes it. You will see the SO dump the list of contact commands all at once. That's what works for me.

Thanks for the tip, will try this trick the next time on deep evasion

Edit:

Can somebody pls explain to me why radar of the destroyers has so short effective range ?

[Depth Charger]

Originally Posted by Stiebler

@Dani, Reaper7:

Many thanks for your feedback.

I can confirm that it is not necessary to have an escort present in order to detect a convoy. In fact, some of my testing has been with two-ship 'convoys' that one can see sometimes in NYGM (also in stock SH3). These are always detected properly.

I have carried out a lot of testing on contact reports in NYGM recently, in connection with H.sie's Wolf-Packs mod. The results are very erratic; sometimes it is easy to report a convoy, sometimes not, and I do not understand why not. This is, however, an old problem that has been described many times by players of SH3 (not only with NYGM). With NYGM, I have found that there must always be at least one merchant ship in sight, before the first contact report can be sent. Afterwards, one needs only any single ship of the convoy in order to send a second report.

I have reinstalled NYGM completely for these tests - in three steps (NYGM_2.5, NYGM3_New, NYGM_3.5A), testing after each step, but again it is very hard to predict when the convoy report will be allowed.

All these same problems affect my 'Smoke-on-the-Horizon' mod, which uses the same code as that for Contact Reports.

Stiebler.

Am using GWX and agree contacts erratic, I am seeing the same thing but I don't mind it at all - My best shot now if I cant get a lock on, is to go ahead of the convoy and line myself up almost like for an attack except I let them pass and only take a look with the periscope from very close and that normally sorts it. After that, I back away and can get a lock. Sometimes, I can also achieve this just by submerging and getting enough sound contacts. Its almost like you need to pass some sort of arbitrary threshold to get a lock-on. Worst case scenario if it wont, I just find another convoy. Have also engaged smaller convoys successfully.

Also agree that once you have the convoy "painted", then you can lock on easily for the rest of the reports. I pull back quite a bit and can TC at 128 in between reports and to pull ahead so I can meet the pack when it gets dark.

One thing I have also noticed that is that I cannot send a report if I am in radar range from 1943 onwards. I need to back off and wait until the lines clear off the map before taking a lock-on and then sending the contact report. Have you also seen this?

I must be clear though, Alpha 2 on lite, is working like a dream for me. Not every convoy is a hit and successful runs only happen a few times in a normal campaign from about mid 42 to mid 43 and even then, less than half of those mature into an actual strike.

But when they do, oh man, then it is magic! Earlier tonight, I had a wolfpack take down 9 ships in a large convoy and I got two as well. I honestly thought and hoped that it would actually break up at one stage but the last few ships doggedly kept on going in formation when we finally broke off and I assumed that the AI simply doesn't go that far. It's also great to see a whole clump of sunk ships on the map when you have a lead a good strike although you only get credit for your own hits which is fair...

As far as I am concerned, You and H.Sie can take the cake for this one.

DC

[h.sie]

Seems that Stiebler has found a solution for the "3-contacts-required-to-send-contact-report" - problem. If tests work without side-effect, I'll include his fix into the upcoming wolfpack mod.