The STARS of SH4: no really... big dipper

[DigitalAura]

I've never paid much notice to the stars before in a game, but last night I noticed the appearance of the Big Dipper! I chuckled and thought, sheesh, that's rich. Then I noticed that all the stars of the cosmos were arrayed: The north star, Cassiopeia, and every silent 'hunter's favourite, Orion (the hunter).

I also noticed that the stars track across the sky in a convincing manner, which leads me to ask is this just more fabulous eye candy or are they actually navigable?

Kinda makes you wish there was a sextant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Marine_sextant.svg)tool in your bag of goodies, eh?

[Inner Sound]

DA I've wondered about that too. Wondered if the makers have got the visuals built inside of one of those online star and planet packages. Wih the phases of the moon and risings of Venus and Mars all accurate to the game date. Would love to know.

[Highbury]

The stars aren't navigable. Just a pretty sky texture that moves. The world is a Mercator Projection, not a true "spherical world" so it would not allow for astral navigation.

[SteamWake]

Yes flat earth but they got the celestial sphere more or less correct.

Been discussed many times.

[Inner Sound]

The stars aren't navigable. Just a pretty sky texture that movesHeehaw, I understood that bit !

Good to know tho - if surviving crew of USS Corkscrewer and I find ourselves adrift in a fauxrubber dinghy we'll know not to log in to SH4 for signposts !

[Scurvy]

Lurking around and I found this thread and I gotta mention one thing.

My seven-year-old daughter was watching me play SHIV a few days ago. I happened to find the Big Dipper and use it to locate the North Star.

I showed her how to find Polaris, by following the outside of the "dipper".

Last night, I took my wife and daughter out for dinner and, after getting home just after dark, my daughter looked up in the night sky and said, "Hey, Daddy...I found the North Star" and pointed right to it.

Heh. Taught my child a real-world survival skill from a video game!!!

[Pisces]

The stars or the earth are not the problem with celestial navigation in SH3 or 4. Sunrise and sunset are accurate to the time if you know at what coordinates you are. It's the measurement tools that fall short. Mods have been made to measure star and sun elevations above the horizon. Like what a sextant does. (very generally speaking) However they had nowhere near the accuracy or resolution as required to get your fix within a few minutes of arc. Also, there were some issues with the clock flipping timezones in odd locations and unstable behaviour with savegames. (but maybe that's just in SH3, I can't remember)

The 'best' solution sofar (imho) was by using an external planetarium program that displayed the heavens based on the players location in a savegame. But that requires getting out of the game, and obviously doesn't use the stars displayed in the game.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=135215&highlight=Stellarium

[vanjast]

Stars are navigatable, and have been since SH3, where some have claimed 100m accuracy.

A sextant is available albeit in the OBS Scope. This mod http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/downloads.php?do=file&id=25 has it. This mod is based on scope/world angular accuracy in the stock game, so probably not compatible with the major mods, but should be compatible with Websters GFO mod. You can load this mod for a quick check, then unload to continue with your game - JSGME should ensure no problems.

The clock switching time is based on standard time zone clock setting at sea - read up on it. there seems to be a problem with loading saved games, but I've never come across this problem.
It might have something to to with the game engine since SH3 days, so it's an idea to follow the saving game guidelines, which I think is in the stickies.

I had intentions of persueing the RealNav mod further but Real Life had made it difficult. Some others have made additions/mods which you might find usefull, but the workable basics/ground work has been laid by all those involved.

:D

[I'm goin' down]

It was clear night and I saw Jody Foster in a worm tunnel heading for Vega! Or was that a movie I was dreaming about? Oh! Upon reflection, it was a movie. It was Taxi Driver. I am sure of it. (She co-starred with Danny DaVito.) Here first words (and famous movie lines) on Vega were "You talkin' to me? You must have been, because I don't see anyone else here."

The sound was bouncing off the atmophere like no tomorrw when she was in the worm tunnel. I even heard her broadcast, "Houston, we have a problem." (Or was I dreaming again?) Oh, yes, it was another dream. She did say that line in a movie? Yes! She was co-starring with Ryan O'Neal in Saving Private Ryan (or was it Gilligan Island?), or did he star in Das Boot?

Hey! Who invited those men in? Why are they dressed up in those nicely pressed white coats! Their badges say, "Happy Dale Sanitarium"! Are they in the Navy? Wait! Wait a minute guys. Let's talk about this! NO. NO. That's not true! I have never, ever talked in tongues. I can't. It is common knowledge that the only language I speak or know is Pig Latin. That proves I am not crazy.

[SteamWake]

It was clear night and I saw Jody Foster in a worm tunnel heading for Vega! Or was that a movie I was dreaming about? Oh! Upon reflection, it was a movie. I was Taxi Driver. I am sure of it. (She co-starred with Danny DaVito. Here first words (and famous movie lines) on Vega were "You talkin' to me? You must have been, because I don't see anyone else here."

The sound was bouncing off the atmophere like no tomorrw when she was in the worm tunnel. I even heard her brodcaset, "Houston, we have a problem.' (Or was I dream again?) Oh, yes, it was another dream. She did say that line in a move. She was co-starring with Ryan O'Neal, in Saving Private Ryan (or was it Gilligan Island?), or did he star in Das Boot?

Hey! Who invited those men in? Why are they dressed up in those nicely pressed white coats! Their badges say, "Happy Dale Sanitarium"! Are they in the Navy? Wait! Wait a minute guys. Let's talk about this! NO. NO. That's not true! I have never, ever talked in tongues. I can't the only language I know is Pig Latin. That proves I am not crazy.

Wow... uhh Houston aint the only one with a problem :har:

[I'm goin' down]

For historical reference purposes, Cary Grant referred the crazy family members to a sanatorium of the same name in the 1944 comedy directed by Frank Capra, starring Grant, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre and Pricilla Lane. His two aunts were poisoning strangers with elderberry wine and Uncle Teddy was burying them in the basement. He had them hauled off to "HappyDale Sanitarium."

Review:
- by Heather Doughty
A film adaptation of the popular stage play, Arsenic and Old Lace is a hilarious movie perfect for people of all ages. The story of Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant), the youngest of three brothers who were raised by two dear, but eccentric, spinster aunts, who have a nasty little habit of "putting poor souls" out of their misery with a little arsenic-laced elderberry wine. It is delightful to watch Mortimer go from a nice, normal, newlywed to a nervous, neurotic mess as he tries to figure a way out of the predicament his well-meaning aunts have placed them all in. Throw in one brother who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt, another who is a psychopathic killer fashioned after Boris Karloff, and Peter Lorre as Dr. Einstein, a slightly intoxicated make-shift plastic surgeon, and you'll be laughing the entire way through. All of the performances were wonderful, but Cary Grant's facial expressions, double takes, and hilarious body language are a joy to watch. A truly classic, funny movie.

"No, I'm not drunk, Madame.......but you've given me an idea!" - Mortimer, seething in frustration as he tries to get past the operator, so that he can get his family committed into the HappyDale Sanitarium.

"Insanity runs in my family. It practically gallops!" - Mortimer, trying to explain to his new bride why it would be best for her to leave him and never look back.