Well there is a way to insert triggers but it ain't pretty

I already knew it was impossible to insert single mission triggers and special map areas into the career mode - I had come to that realization back in 2006. But like hungry cat that keeps coming back to inspect the feathers of a bird it ate to see if any meat is left, I keep coming back to this topic hoping someone has found a way. Yes, I love the new art. I love the increased dial details, ships in harbors and so forth. I love all that window dressing. But what I am starved for, after playing this game for 3 years, are improvements to the fundamentals of the game – and some small aspects of this have been increased such as mods improving DCs, sonar detection rates, U-boat damage and so forth. Attempts have been made to create enemy ships firing torpedoes, and even enemy AI (a bit) but nothing seriously along these lines succeeded – cause let’s face it, having an AI U-boat running around in a harbor on the surface is more window dressing (like adding ships to a harbor) than a change in the game playing dynamic.

But there is a messy way to change some of the peripheral dynamics of the career mode by adding in single mission triggers, events, and map zones (though this would still not get at the most important dynamics of SH3 – such as AI, ship physics and so forth). What is that messy method? Create a vast array of single mission-careers, as was seen in SH2, but on a far larger scale. Create them in special folders linking to areas of the world and per flotilla. Then use something sort of like Commander to choose these missions somewhat randomly, but always connected to your flotilla and date of play.

I know, it looks ugly on the surface. But if you consider it in depth, you will see that it is actually better than the standard SH3 career system. I have likely played the standard career system hundreds of times (a thousand?) over these the years. And when I think back on it MOST OF THE MISSIONS WERE REPEATS OF THE OTHERS! If I begin with a Type II I tend to spend most of my time in AN, and not only that, but I tend to spend a lot of time in the same Quadrant numbers, game after game, after game. It is not hard to understand why this is so, if you check out the Flotilla file that controls these. Three call outs per month. What a choice! If I have a Type VII, guess where I will tend to be??? Yep, you guessed it: AM. Around the time of the historical Norway invasion my AN numbers tend to be those near Norway. Basically I find that depending where I am, I am often doing the same mission over and over, with the same _RND and _SCR ship tracks in nearly every mission. Obviously some Mods have improved some of this a bit, but not really. The system is too simplified and is like using a broom for a paintbrush.

Ok, I agree that SH2 didn’t work because there were only a few such missions, the sea outside the target area was not populated, and everyone had to follow the same identical train track. But what I am thinking about building (though really this would have to be a major group effort) would be up to 200 missions (or more) that would create a series of main tracks with lesser sub tracks, all accessed through a random loader (sort of like Commander) but with all the tracks still connected logically as per dates and flotilla. Actually even 200 mission types would be greatly more diversified than the standard SH3 career mode. Moreover, one could finally add loving detail to the missions, recreate special historical factors, and actually have BdU mission orders that actually say something. Heck, BdU could even begin to radio something more than the same repeated radio logs we all use in messages_en or _de.
As for the missions, we could introduce mine laying – not with U-boats dropping real mines - but we could have missions where you had to navigate an area at a specific depth and along a specific path. We could introduce random missions of espionage (real U-boats got roped in to many of that type of missions) and we could also introduce such mundane, but realistic missions such as ‘weather watching’ missions in the central Atlantic. I mean we could actually bring more of the Atlantic war to life. We could even make the U-boat patrol-line system more real to life in terms of zones and time factors.

Of course none of this would work unless we had a good front-end package built along the lines of Commander. I don’t think there is a way to get SH3 to carry over its single mission generated renown to the next mission (and in the system I am thinking about we would use renown mainly to open up new missions, as was done in SH2). But perhaps a front-end package could not only make this possible, but even still effect the ability to improve our U-boats). There is more. We could still use some of the better Campaign maps with many (though not all) of the same ships for oceanic background. What we would be adding to each mission would be mainly fine tuned specifics for place and time, along with BdU communications. It is even possible that we could make the weather in the mission areas resemble the real war, or at least follow lines of winter and summer, and latitude. We could EVEN force U-boats to come ALL THE WAY BACK TO BASE!!!

We could better create the aspect of allied plane attacks – with enough research even recreating the dates, and at least the size of Allied attacks. We could better create the random mining that Allied planes did around German harbors during the nights. We could make ‘Neutral Ship’ mean something more detailed than what it now does – I will explain perhaps more of that in another post. We could make convoys more meaningful. We could make battles such as Norway much more meaningful than even the recent Mods have done. Over all we could ramp up the SH3 game to a new level, still avoid train-tacking – actually increase random play parameters to improve the FUN factor of the game. We could even add such things as changing target values as the war proceeds, such as: “hit this convoy and try to sink as many tankers as possible, while the next month the mission might want more concentration on troop ships. It is possible the fatigue issue could be better handled.

The truth is the SH3 career system was added at the last moment as an afterthought, and it plays like that: a blunt afterthought. Once this new mission system was built – it could continue to be added to and could grow and alter more towards increased realism. There would be difficulties but the talent here on Subsim could more than overcome them. IT IS EVEN POSSIBLE that with enough missions and a flexible enough front-end loader, that we could create a game where what you accomplish actually could influence the war to some degree. But that would likely require many or tracks and missions.

Just some thought…

[rik007]

It seems a lot of work to me...

I said it wasn't pretty. But I doubt we will see another U-boat game to replace it anytime soon. Based on SH4 - I'd hate to see what Ubi would produce with an SH5.
That leaves SH3. I think most people have left it simply because it was too predictable.

Perhaps its time to move on once and for all.

[tater]

Mcoca's Automated Campaign Editor can be scripted to create entire campaigns on the fly. I suppose that a front end could pass it data from a previous patrol log, and have it not use certain (now sunk) ships, etc. It's pretty robust.

Fascinating idea, actually. Mind you, I'm coming from SH4, not 3, but a huge problem in SH4 is that so many large warships were attacked by subs. When a large warship is gone, it should be gone forever, never to be seen again (only sister ships). In the Atlantic, the US simply built ships of all kinds faster than the u-boats managed to sink them, so for campaign purposes, they might as well contain infinite ships in a class. Not at all true of the IJN. Such a system has a huge amount of potential, but it's a stunningly huge amount of work.

tater

I just finished the book Halsey's Typhoon ( a good read about how a major US fleet was blody slammed by a large typhoon - flipping 3 DDs Tango Uniform - destroying about 150+ aircraft and setting many carriers on fire - and killing 800+ men - all in all more damage than Midway). But the thing that got me was what Halsey had just to guard his oilers and supply ships ( in size about the that of a large convoy) - 40 destroyers just to keep an eye on them. Can you imagine running a sub into a supply task force with 40 DDs? That wasn't even beginning to count what was defending his really important ships.

The problem with auto scripting is it tends to be like all other auto scripters - it creates junk. To really create the system I was speaking about would take more Art and knowlege of history, than mere auto scripting could handle. SO the front end I had in mind was merely a package to move single mission data into files where it could be compiled for career purposes. Actually I think Commander with major tweaks would do it.