8K vs. 16K

[R48]

What advantage does the 8K or 16K have over one another?

[Hitman]

You mean the visibility mod?

Well, like the name says...8k gives you a horizon and visual limit of 8000 metres, while 16 k sets it around 16000.

Advantages of having it at 16k: 1) More physically realistic, 2) Improved gameplay since you can locate and track enemies from greater distances, 3) Looks better.

Drawbacks: 1) Vampire crew at night: To have them see so far as 16000 metres by day results in irrealistically far spotting distances by night, 2) Framerates drop, specially near land or heavy convoys.

More or less that sums it up. I personally use the 16K, as included in NYGM:up:

[R48]

Thanks, Hitman.

[CapZap1970]

When using the 16 Km mod, you can see farther, but can enemies spot you from same distance as you do?
CapZap

[poor sailor]

You also may look on this thread. The same question was there http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=105474&highlight=Thoughts+16KM

[P_Funk]

The enemy doesn't really spot you from as far away as you spot him since you're so low to the water and also since you don't have a big plume of black smoke coming up from your ship. So from 8 km to 16 km there isn't much difference in the enemy spotting you.

Me I couldn't live without the extra 8 km.

[Jimbuna]

Page 18 of the GWX manual explains the 16km Atmosphere mod. Because of the added strain on the cpu it should only be used on upper end spec computers :up:

[kaarlo]

Hei!

A new comment on an old discussion. SH 3-skippers debate whether 8k or 16 k range is more realistic. However, Kptl Werner mentions in his book "Iron coffins", that during good weather conditions the watch crew was able to see around 16 nautical miles, not km.

16 nm is about 30 km, so a "32 k" modell would be the most realistic one. But is this possible? Does the game engine allow that kind of range?

[Jimbuna]

32km is roughly the rendering envelope for the SH3 world.

If you can see them at 32km (smoke trails etc) they can see you.

Limitations of the game engine I'm afraid.

[asanovic7]

If you have slower machine that takes 16k very hard, you can search the misc folder in install folder for textures(tga) used by the game(don't recall right the names) or you can extract them from scenes.dat with s3d. You can play with them, lower their size or whatever(you just have to test ingame) with some program like photoshop or whatever and in that way raise fps, but cost is lower quality. You can do that then when you grasp the technique with all textures ingame, I guess but you have to test it.
You can also play with values in scenes.dat to lower the quality and again raise fps, but that is something for the pros like olc or someone else than me.. :rotfl:
Cheers!

[difool2]

Hei!

A new comment on an old discussion. SH 3-skippers debate whether 8k or 16 k range is more realistic. However, Kptl Werner mentions in his book "Iron coffins", that during good weather conditions the watch crew was able to see around 16 nautical miles, not km.

16 nm is about 30 km, so a "32 k" modell would be the most realistic one. But is this possible? Does the game engine allow that kind of range?

In SH1 you could easily spot (daylight good visibility) out to 24,000 yards. You'd typically see the tops of their masts.

[Sailor Steve]

And in AOD at about the same range you'd hear that wonderful "Smoke on the horizon, Herr Kaleun!"

[iambecomelife]

And in AOD at about the same range you'd hear that wonderful "Smoke on the horizon, Herr Kaleun!"

And then, as usual, you discovered that what you were HOPING was a 12,000 ton tanker was ACTUALLY one of those lame 1,500 ton tankers with the weird grey flag. :dead: An all too common "Aces of the Deep" experience.

[Badger Finn]

Have been using OLC uber gui with the waves in ya lens....

I quite like the shifting horizon feel of OLC's mod

Missed the zoom for about a patrol but no longer

Track with the observation scope now and then fine tune for the kill with the attack...

OLC's approach to the 8k - 16 works for me