Question about GWX Contact Color Mod [Archive]

frau kaleun

02-08-11, 05:54 PM

I'd like to have all the stuff that gets added back into the game with GWX Contact Color, except for the colors that ID units as friendly/enemy/neutral.

Can I achieve this by only using the mod's data\Menu\Gui folder and its contents, and not using the the data\Air and data\Sea folders with all the unit-specific .tga files?

I'm not sure if there are files in data\Menu\Gui that also have to do with the icon colors. I'm pretty sure I could get just the tails back with just the ContLine.tga file, but I don't want to lose anything except the color-coding and I'm not sure what everything else in that folder does.

Thanks for any help/answers!

Jimbuna

02-09-11, 04:32 PM

You know something....it is that long since I even looked at the mod I am deeply embarrassed to say "I don't recall now".

Try what you initially propose, using only the Menu\Gui and let me know :oops:

frau kaleun

02-09-11, 05:05 PM

Hee.

Well, I found a mod for GWX2 that said it only returned the tails to map contacts, and the only thing it added back into the game was the old ContLine.tga file.

But I wasn't sure if there were other things that Contact Color returned besides the color, and I didn't play stock long enough to remember what things looked like before GWX.

So I guess I gots some experimentin' to do, lol.

Jimbuna

02-09-11, 06:37 PM

axx01

03-14-11, 08:43 AM

any expirience too share?

i've looked into it, sadly i could view only alpha chanels from the tga files.
contline.tga is definetly a countinous in this mod while gwx uses that leaky one.

\data\Menu\Gui\Units\ folder has far contact signs
\data\Air\ and \data\Sea\ folders have visuals' icons on high zoom

bearing.tga is the scale on uzo and periscope.

dashline.tga is the beaming line when a close target is selected on the map.

i haven't left port since i replaced gwx's contline.tga, neithe do i want to use contact colors.

i'll be in contact.

sink 'em all.

frau kaleun

03-14-11, 11:19 AM

I think the only thing you need to do to get the tails back on your contacts without adding the different colors as well, is to replace the GWX ContLine.tga file with the one from the stock game (or from the Contact Color mod, if you don't have a stock installation to copy files from).

Based on the mod mentioned above for GWX2, I removed everything from GWX3 Contact Color except the ContLine.tga file, and went into the game to see - I had the tails back on the map but all contacts were grey.

Granted I think I only went into one of the academy tutorials, but I'm sure I tried that before with different permutations of Contact Color and still had colored contacts (even if they were all neutral green). Replacing ContLine.tga and nothing else put back the tails but not the color so I'm pretty sure that does the trick.

If it turns out it doesn't work as planned once I'm out on patrol, I'm sure I'll be back asking about it again. :D

axx01

03-14-11, 12:34 PM

now i'm going out from kiel (7th/13th flotilla) and i have several fiendly or netural contacts, they have colored tail (blue & green) showing their course...
its a bit more than i was expecting :-?
i'm trying to get back only continous red warship sound contact lines.

if i get u rigth u'd rather looking for grey couse tails.

i'll need a decent tga editor or some thing... dl-ing gimp right now, or i'll use brute force & edit it with notpad :rock: i don't care. i suprise even myself how obsessed i am with this.

axx01

03-14-11, 01:35 PM

i think i got it, thx to gimp.
contline.tga in stock is a full whietish line.
gwx contline.tga is a partial blackish (left part missing)

so i've already created a new one by having stock's colors tured black, i think that'd be an all grey in game.
i am still working meanwhile i'm bkping sh3+gwx to be able to uninstall it inorder to install a stock version for testing, too much loading time in gwx to wait.

tricky thing'll be to get colored sound contact lines with grey coursetails :timeout:

axx01

03-14-11, 05:55 PM

done :|\\

https://docs.google.com/uc?id=0BwV6oiZCd3UqZTc0OThhMTAtZjJhNC00Nzg2LTg5YTI tMmZlYjZjMDQxMDA0&export=download&hl=en&authkey=CPK8o_EC
this is one of the combo version, installed into stock game, hence green visual contacts
these files should work with any mod

two combo versions (grey course tail, colored sound contacts) with different doted line style
two colored sound contact lines versions (no course tails) with different starting distace of contact lines from u-boat
and an all grey version

just for the record: i did try to make a colorblind-firendy version showing warship sound contacts with different dot style, can't do,:damn: four color chanels in the file and still :damn: sorry dudes (:ping:note: fequency in male population is 8% while in female it is 0.5%) here u go 21st century, good thing they cant blast througt the screen, right?

i'll make illustrations sometime with gwx too ...

i've no idea how to share it.
till i got one, i've uploaded here (https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwV6oiZCd3UqZTc0OThhMTAtZjJhNC00Nzg2LTg5Y TItMmZlYjZjMDQxMDA0&hl=en). i'd really appreciate some help with screenshoots.

feedback's :up: also :down: welcomed.

some documentation like this post should go with the files, but i'm way too off right now.

cheers.

axx01

08-16-11, 11:49 AM

now this is ok, though it's like i reinvented the wheel.
this has been done several times before i did it.

anyway i've just strated to play with manual targeting, thx for makman94's magui f.

but i had some problems, beside i get zero reality reward.
it's kinda hard to track sound contact with out they show up on the map.

so if this is the situation, i thought why not just get rid of the ships from the map insted of get rid almost everything.
to do so i made a one zero alpha pixel tga file. overwrote the \data\Sea\XXXX\XXXX_shp.tga files with it.
that did the trick, but still there was some problems. so i edited the maps.cfg at \data\menu\cfg

like this:

green i'm pretty sure about this one, it's the beaming line, i do not want this
yellow this may be better, if changed to a higher level

Mat1=0x09,0x0B,data/menu/gui/ContLine.tga
Mat2=0x09,0x0B,data/menu/gui/Units/shp.tga
Mat3=0x09,0x0B,data/menu/gui/Degrees.tga

...
[Map0]
MapID=Navigation_map
Position=0,0
...
InitialZoom=500
SymbolZoom=20;units are drawn as symbols from this zoom up
GroupsZoom=100;units are drawn in groups from this zoom up
CityZoom=10000;city names are displayed from this zoom down
...

i'm still working on a mod creator batch file. that collects data from current sh3 and creates a jsgme ready mod by actually modifying them. that should make compatibility issues easier both moders and users.

here's a link (https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0BwV6oiZCd3UqN2Q4ODFmMTgtM2IzMy00YTRkLWJkN 2YtOGI2ZTY0ZGJkNDI4) too, there's a readme, a .bat and the shp.tga.
modification on maps.cfg not ready that's what comes next, till then feel free use it.

axx01

08-25-11, 08:19 AM

i'm thinking about some thing like this:

take contacts.cfg then make
Single Contact Min Size=1
Small Contact Min Size=1
Medium Contact Min Size=5 ;<----i'm not sure what should be this one, yet

edit xx_menu.txt like comment Unknow lable, edit type of contact like a more general term for small convoy and single ship, and so on, nygm should give me some lead to do this, step.

but i'll defenetly keep the time of contact. and that's it. hopefully i'll have colour contact lines, no near contacts, not even ghosts of ships, but still have radio contacts, but only over map zoom 100.

ok there may be some kind of ghosts on the map, like, if i chose to keep beaming signs those may still remain on the map when a contact is selected.

i wonder where is contacts.cfg gone in gwx or it's just me who deleted it. i have reinstall it anyway, i've made a repair install unfortunatly while trying to make a multi-install of the game for testing with nygm too.

bytheway, i'll make another post or just edit this on, whether i managed to make this square.

fool

12-15-11, 06:57 AM

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/downloads.php?do=file&id=33

Rebel22777

04-09-12, 06:16 AM

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/downloads.php?do=file&id=33

GWX Contact colour - Could somebody please tell me where/how to install
this?

Thanks.

VONHARRIS

04-09-12, 07:22 AM

GWX Contact colour - Could somebody please tell me where/how to install
this?

Thanks.

You can find it here: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/downloads.php?do=cat&id=17&sort=date&page=4

Install it with JSGME.
Good luck.

Jimbuna

04-09-12, 07:43 AM

GWX Contact colour - Could somebody please tell me where/how to install
this?

Thanks.

Anything newer (model wise) that has been added since GWX was released is not included with this mod.

Rebel22777

04-09-12, 08:17 AM

Fubar2Niner

04-09-12, 08:36 AM

I'm a little lost here...
1. How does one add an additional mod to JSGME?
2. In trying and failing to add the colour mod, the game can not load anymore.
A clean install later and the same JSGME is blocking GWX from installing.
So I'll need to get rid of it first, run GWX and then add mods to JSGME when it comes back with GWX.
Does keeping the saved files from the previous install have anything to do with it?
Any help much appreciated.

Hi Rebel

Ok to answer your ?'s

1. Simply drag and drop the unzipped file into JSGME's left window\pane

2. A possible corrupt file? Or if using JSGME, the file has to be JSGME ready ie. no modders name before the install dirs... it must look like this for example.... data/sounds/... Or whatever, NOT, fubarblahblah/data/sounds.

If you are clean installing lose all your savegames, and clean your registry, REMEBER TO BACKUP YOUR REGISTRY FIRST !!!

Hope this helps shipmate :salute:

Bugger almost forgot........ Welcome aboard Kaleun

Best regards.

Fubar2Niner

Jimbuna

04-09-12, 08:49 AM

Hi Rebel

Ok to answer your ?'s

1. Simply drag and drop the unzipped file into JSGME's left window\pane

'Unzipped' :o

:03:

Fubar2Niner

04-09-12, 09:38 AM

'Unzipped' :o

:03:

OOPs sorry Rebel.

As my good friend Jim enlightened me about... unzipped;

In the case of .rar files, uncompress by using winrar or 7-Zip.

Thanks Jim :up:

Best regards.

Fubar2Niner

Rebel22777

04-09-12, 10:23 PM

'Unzipped' :o

:03:
An ambiguous post if ever I've seen one....:O:

The colour mod (unzipped) did not want to be dragged into the left pane but I drag his sorry behind into the MODS folder instead. None of the mods worked but after updating the JSGME to 2.6 they all kicked in, incl the colour one.

Ps - Off topic - taking the new install out for sea trials, I ran into a convoy (after losing them twice :oops:). Crept in, surfaced right in the middle and hit a Fiji class and her ammunition carrier. Bad idea, the escorts all have crystal balls. No matter how deep or green I go...:dead::dead::o Even with only 75 rpm on the dials... But I have a save and I'll keep practicing my escape!!

Awesome mod!!:rock:

Thanks for the help Herren Fubar (+ welcome) and Jimbuna.

Frenchy849

04-10-12, 03:20 AM

PROTIP:Use silent running because they're probably hearing your dudes loading torpedoes.

Rebel22777

04-10-12, 03:35 AM

PROTIP:Use silent running because they're probably hearing your dudes loading torpedoes.
Good point, but that was the scary part. I was on silent, doing 1 knot, about 60 -75 rpm at 60 metres. And diving...Uncanny... :timeout:
So, I gave up, loaded the tubes, went up sent a Black Swan running with damage and then his relief, a Flower, went to the bottom after a few hairy rounds.
My crew is absolutely messed up, red !!! everywhere. Beginner's luck plus reloading saves and one hell of a learning curve. :|\\

Jimbuna

04-10-12, 07:01 AM

PROTIP:Use silent running because they're probably hearing your dudes loading torpedoes.

They can't hear torpedoes being loaded.....try sneaking up on one and turn your gramaphone to full blast whilst actively pinging.

Frenchy849

04-10-12, 09:32 AM

They can't hear torpedoes being loaded.....try sneaking up on one and turn your gramaphone to full blast whilst actively pinging.
Well,why is silent running here then?
EDIT:If it's a joke,then I don't get it.

Jimbuna

04-10-12, 10:53 AM

Well,why is silent running here then?
EDIT:If it's a joke,then I don't get it.

No joke...they can hear propellor noises and pick you up with active pinging (dependant on your cross-sectional profile and depth etc).

Try it :03:

Wolfstriked

04-10-12, 01:47 PM

They can't hear torpedoes being loaded.....try sneaking up on one and turn your gramaphone to full blast whilst actively pinging.

You sure?I was testing a few nights ago and they would wander off,switch off SR and they were right back above me.Turn SR on again and vice versa.SR also shuts down the water pumps so its not just torpedo loading/repairs work noise that shuts down.

Jimbuna

04-10-12, 03:14 PM

You sure?I was testing a few nights ago and they would wander off,switch off SR and they were right back above me.Turn SR on again and vice versa.SR also shuts down the water pumps so its not just torpedo loading/repairs work noise that shuts down.

I'm never sure....not been around that long :hmmm:

Your noise signature is applicable to what I posted earlier.......start actively pinging the escorts and turn your garamaphone up high.

If I'm wrong you can always reload the previous save.

Wolfstriked

04-10-12, 04:20 PM

Not sure what you mean about pinging the escorts.Did subs have asdic also?:hmmm:Only play the TypeIIa so that may sound like a stupid question.

My take is that silent running On/Off switch is the only other factor determining if you will be heard by hydros with the other being keeping rpm low.Silent running means your prevented from repairs,loading torps and pumps stop.I think that gramaphone is like the depth checker ping,meaning no effect in game.

Rebel22777

04-10-12, 07:20 PM

They can't hear torpedoes being loaded.....try sneaking up on one and turn your gramaphone to full blast whilst actively pinging.

Jimbuna, are you saying that active pinging will disrupt the sub's profile on the surface ship's equipment, therefore making it harder to pinpoint your exact position and depth...

My take is that silent running On/Off switch is the only other factor determining if you will be heard by hydros with the other being keeping rpm low.Silent running means your prevented from repairs,loading torps and pumps stop.I think that gramaphone is like the depth checker ping,meaning no effect in game.

Or that the gramophone and pinging has no effect in the game?

In real life, I would have thought that any noise, especially radio, pinging, dropping a wrench or loading torpedoes would be a death sentence, especially close to a ticked off escort as diesel subs on silent were the proverbial hole in the water and active pinging was the only real detection threat as I understand it.

In the veteran players' opinion, how was the game programmed vs reality?

Wolfstriked

04-10-12, 07:33 PM

Jimbuna, are you saying that active pinging will disrupt the sub's profile on the surface ship's equipment, therefore making it harder to pinpoint your exact position and depth...

Or that the gramophone and pinging has no effect in the game?

In real life, I would have thought that any noise, especially radio, pinging, dropping a wrench or loading torpedoes would be a death sentence, especially close to a ticked off escort as diesel subs on silent were the proverbial hole in the water and active pinging was the only real detection threat as I understand it.

In the veteran players' opinion, how was the game programmed vs reality?

Ahh something to test...I'll try to sneak by silent running but gramaphone blasting away and depth pinging like mad.

Jimbuna

04-11-12, 06:25 AM

My take is that silent running On/Off switch is the only other factor determining if you will be heard by hydros with the other being keeping rpm low.Silent running means your prevented from repairs,loading torps and pumps stop.I think that gramaphone is like the depth checker ping,meaning no effect in game.

When you select silent running repairs, eels, pumps etc. stopw working....the revolutions of your propellor drop to about 200 rpm IIRC giving you a speed of approx 2 knots. This is still not enough for some escorts with veteran/elite crews and dependant upon conditions such as your depth and sea state etc. Best to manually set your rpm to about 100 rpm which gives you a speed of approx 1 knot....that is how the game engine interprets the parameters.

Or that the gramophone and pinging has no effect in the game?

Correct...that is one of the weaknesses of the game engine IMHO.

Rebel22777

04-11-12, 06:59 AM

That is what I thought you meant but I just couldn't believe it.
So, they only use ping when I am below 100rpm and still stick to me?
They must have space age technology...:yep:

Jimbuna

04-11-12, 07:32 AM

That is what I thought you meant but I just couldn't believe it.
So, they only use ping when I am below 100rpm and still stick to me?
They must have space age technology...:yep:

Not necessarily, a lot of factors/parameters are taken into consideration by the game engine to determine what strategy will be used against you.

If a surface vessel detects your presence an escort may well go 'active' to get a definitive fix on you but sometimes they remain passive because they know of your whereabouts due to the noise your propellors are emitting.

Rebel22777

04-11-12, 08:35 AM

Not necessarily, a lot of factors/parameters are taken into consideration by the game engine to determine what strategy will be used against you.

If a surface vessel detects your presence an escort may well go 'active' to get a definitive fix on you but sometimes they remain passive because they know of your whereabouts due to the noise your propellors are emitting.

That is what I am trying to understand - the parameters that the game is using.
So, they don't hear torpedoes being loaded, the radio or pinging. But they do hear props at below 100 when not pinging.
How do I get out of the circle when at 1 knot? Because at that speed I'm going nowhere very fast...Is it really just playing the merry go round until they leave?
Imagine this psycho - after he ran out of depth charges, he kept charging my position, over and over, after the convoy and the other escorts had long gone. I just reloaded the save after about 4+ hours on time comp.

Jimbuna

04-11-12, 08:51 AM

How do I get out of the circle when at 1 knot? Because at that speed I'm going nowhere very fast...Is it really just playing the merry go round until they leave?

That's the $million question....part of the game of cat and mouse/hunter and hunted...just as it was in real life.

There are dozens of opinions and preferences on how to avoid/survive....start a post asking the question and I'm confident you'll receive a large number of different tips/strategies.

One tip: after the escort has passed over you and your in his baffles, he is deaf and that is one opportunity for cranking up some speed to change direction and or change course.

Wolfstriked

04-11-12, 01:11 PM

That is what I thought you meant but I just couldn't believe it.
So, they only use ping when I am below 100rpm and still stick to me?
They must have space age technology...:yep:

I think the reason its easy to stick to you by ping is that you are going so slow that they can just swing around and reacquire you with ease.As Jimbuna pointed out,you can wait till they make their attack run to add speed and change course to try to fool them into your location.I usually stand in command room and listen to where the sound is coming from and then wait.Once I hear the ship speed up I go flank and turn to a different heading.

And hearing torpedoes loading or repairs being done is actually modeled.When you turn on silent running those things stop so your noise output stops and when you turn silent running off its like allowing your boat to make the normal amount of noise it makes.Hope to not confuse.:rotfl2:

Rebel22777

04-11-12, 10:54 PM

And hearing torpedoes loading or repairs being done is actually modeled.When you turn on silent running those things stop so your noise output stops and when you turn silent running off its like allowing your boat to make the normal amount of noise it makes.Hope to not confuse.:rotfl2:

Logically that would be the case. Escorts use hydrophones to listen for noise and active ping to find you. The reason that I'm trying to "get" this is that there have been times when I have gotten out of the circle of death and then the escort just spins around and here they come!
A random turn? Perhaps, but hard to believe when they not just turn but turn and head straight for you whilst you're silent and stopped. :hmmm:

Has any sound mod added extra sounds that can be heard on the hydros in addition to props?
Does anyone know how the escorts ping in the game? A cone from the bottom of the ship down or a cone forward perhaps? Knowing that may solve some of the variables.
I have an assignment to kill before I can play cat and mouse again...:wah:

PS I have found the descriptions of sonar and hydros in the GWX manual (B15). Makes for some interesting read, well worth it.:up:

Wolfstriked

04-12-12, 11:48 AM

Logically that would be the case. Escorts use hydrophones to listen for noise and active ping to find you. The reason that I'm trying to "get" this is that there have been times when I have gotten out of the circle of death and then the escort just spins around and here they come!
A random turn? Perhaps, but hard to believe when they not just turn but turn and head straight for you whilst you're silent and stopped. :hmmm:

Has any sound mod added extra sounds that can be heard on the hydros in addition to props?
Does anyone know how the escorts ping in the game? A cone from the bottom of the ship down or a cone forward perhaps? Knowing that may solve some of the variables.
I have an assignment to kill before I can play cat and mouse again...:wah:

PS I have found the descriptions of sonar and hydros in the GWX manual (B15). Makes for some interesting read, well worth it.:up:

Its a game engine and so has quite a few things different than reality.One thing it has though is unpredictability which is of utmost importance. I think probably they spotted something with ASDIC.Reason is that when they hear you they start there left and right towards your area and you say they head straight for you instead.They jink to avoid getting a torpedo shot at them because they decided to head straight for a sound which gives no definite range and might just be a uboat with a torpedo waiting in silence.

The ASDIC is very weird in that the cone sticks out like 90percent degree on the sides.If you play with very little realism and click on an escorts icon on map it shows what I think is the arc of their sensors.

Halgarre

04-16-12, 09:56 PM

I've installed GWX 3.0 and so far I'm loving it. I'm on my second patrol, the first was the 5 day shakedown. I haven't played in a couple of years and I'm trying to get back up to speed where I was when I quit playing. I'm on easy mode right now (covers head with arms knowing boots are going to come flying) and I'm wanting to know if the GWX Contact Color Mod is compatible with 3.0?

I promise to turn it off when I get back up to speed :D

Edit: As others have said I just want the tails. I want to keep the gray until positive ID.

Jimbuna

04-17-12, 06:31 AM

I'm wanting to know if the GWX Contact Color Mod is compatible with 3.0?

Yes.

frau kaleun

04-17-12, 07:15 AM

Edit: As others have said I just want the tails. I want to keep the gray until positive ID.

IIRC I think I found a way to do that, pretty sure I made a little mini-mod just for that purpose. I will look when I get back to my home PC, if I don't post something here about it this evening PM me to jog my memory.

frau kaleun

04-17-12, 04:31 PM

Well, found it and have uploaded it to Gamefront where if memory serves it should be available for 7 days.

http://www.gamefront.com/files/21574908/GWX+3+Grey+Tails.7z

That's the link they gave me from the upload, but currently it says the file is unavailable so I don't know if it just takes a while to get set up for download or if there's an actual problem with it.

Anyway assuming I get the upload sorted, the mod will put the navigational tails back on the unit icons on the nav map but will keep them all grey so you still have to determine friendly/enemy/neutral status yourself.

Edit: getting a download button now so apparently it's there for anyone who wants it.