Am I ready to start my war?

[FFIF]

Let's see if i have everything i need....

Silent Hunter III, check
GWX 3.0 Gold, check
Merchant Fleet Mod 3.2 with both skin packs, check
Radio Deutschland, check
Thomsen's Sound Pack 3.2, check

a lock and a "go away, im submerged" sign for my office door, check

SH Commander, check
a thorough reading of the GWX manual, ill do that between contacts:haha:

is there ANY other mod that the old salts on here can recommend i get before i throw the ropes off the pier?

I plan to run TC no higher than 256 for safety reasons and realism

I also plan to have Google docs up on my other monitor so i can run a "diary" of sorts, and of course import SHC info when i can. (i am not sure on that one if SHC exports txt files or some readable format for reading)

So unless you guys have a last minute mod i just HAVE to have....im going be shoving off soon..

[Fish In The Water]

is there ANY other mod that the old salts on here can recommend i get before i throw the ropes off the pier?

Fm NewInteriors:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=162631

Try it and you won't leave home without it! :up:

[STEED]

Don't forget to nip out to the Bernard shop and pick yourself up a Bernard, no U-Boat is complete without your Bernard on board. :haha:

[FFIF]

i tried instlling the new interiors mod and jsgme gave me a conflict with thomsons sound pack

"Commands_en.cfg" has already been altered by the "Thomsen's Sound Pack V3.2cg" mod.
"NSS_Uboat7_CR.dsd" has already been altered by the "Thomsen's Sound Pack V3.2cg" mod.

those are the two errors

any ideas?

[frau kaleun]

i tried instlling the new interiors mod and jsgme gave me a conflict with thomsons sound pack

"Commands_en.cfg" has already been altered by the "Thomsen's Sound Pack V3.2cg" mod.
"NSS_Uboat7_CR.dsd" has already been altered by the "Thomsen's Sound Pack V3.2cg" mod.

those are the two errors

any ideas?

The documentation included with New Interiors contains instructions for manually adding what it needs to your existing Commands_en.cfg file, so if you're comfortable with doing that you might be able to workaround that conflict.

The other file I don't know anything about, I've never used that sound pack so I'm not sure how big a conflict is involved and whether or not there's any way to get around it.

[Obltn Strand]

is there ANY other mod that the old salts on here can recommend i get before i throw the ropes off the pier?
GUI mos is nice addition if you're going to use manual targetting.

I plan to run TC no higher than 256 for safety reasons and realism

Heard gossip that 128 tc makes game work better.

[Gargamel]

IF you don't leave port soon, you'll just sit in dry dock tweaking your boat.

But.... I'd also get the fuel efficiency mod, as it makes the '2' key run at the most efficient rate, and the ';' gets changed from snorkel depth to decks awash, a very handy feature when approaching convoys on the surface at night.

Also check out the waterstreams and exhaust mod, nice little eyecandy.

Oh, and TDW's new ones,the Fire And smoke damage, and DC disturbance ones.

[King_Zog]

IF you don't leave port soon, you'll just sit in dry dock tweaking your boat.

The man speaks the truth!

Just having GWX installed is a good enough start.

You can easily enable/disable and change the order of installed mods through JSGME once SH3 commander is rolled back and you are in dock in between patrols.

Everyone has a different idea of which mods are essential to their game, and there are so many to choose from.

So don't worry too much about your mods and just play the game for now, then you'll have a better idea of what you'll want for your own personal build.

Otherwise you'll be forever tweaking and you'll never undock :D

[Sailor Steve]

Don't forget to nip out to the Bernard shop and pick yourself up a Bernard, no U-Boat is complete without your Bernard on board. :haha:
Steed, I don't like liars. You know full well that Bernard comes stock with every u-boat, submarine and surface ship. He's a required feature.

[Sailor Steve]

i tried instlling the new interiors mod and jsgme gave me a conflict with thomsons sound pack

"Commands_en.cfg" has already been altered by the "Thomsen's Sound Pack V3.2cg" mod.
"NSS_Uboat7_CR.dsd" has already been altered by the "Thomsen's Sound Pack V3.2cg" mod.

those are the two errors

any ideas?
JSGME is beautiful in telling you of any possible conflict. It's a warning that the mod wants to change something that has already been changed by a previous mod. You can check for yourself whether that change bothers you, but you need to learn what to look for.

Commands_eng.cfg controls the command keys (i.e. 'C' = 'Crash Dive'). Thomsen's Sound Pack has already changed it, and if you want to know what it changed you need to make a copy of the original and of Thomsen's and compare them side-by-side. Then you need to do the same with Thomsen's and with FM New Interiors.

NSS_Uboat7_CR.dsd can only be opened with Silent 3ditor. I'm pretty sure the .dsd files control the sounds themselves.

The main point is that none of these "conflicts" is likely to cause problems with the game itself. They mostly change little things that may or may not annoy you, and the only way to find that out is to play the game and see if you even notice the changes.

[Sailor Steve]

IF you don't leave port soon, you'll just sit in dry dock tweaking your boat.
Otherwise you'll be forever tweaking and you'll never undock :D
As someone who has been playing for six years and has never finished a career, I can vouch for the above statements. Every time a new mod comes along that affects the way the harbors look and act I start over. :damn:
:rotfl2:

[Fish In The Water]

IF you don't leave port soon, you'll just sit in dry dock tweaking your boat.

You say that like it's a bad thing... ;)

Don't worry they won't start the war without you. Besides, tweaking your boat is half the fun! :haha:

[Gargamel]

You say that like it's a bad thing... ;)

Don't worry they won't start the war without you. Besides, tweaking your boat is half the fun! :haha:

After a 9 week cruise in the South atlantic where the only boats you saw shot back..... it's the only fun after a while :D

[Wreford-Brown]

But.... I'd also get the fuel efficiency mod, as it makes the '2' key run at the most efficient rate, and the ';' gets changed from snorkel depth to decks awash, a very handy feature when approaching convoys on the surface at night.

Fuel efficiency mod is here: http://www.mediafire.com/?mc1nmyyzbzm

[FFIF]

got it WB beautiful work.....im bout to start my first patrol

[Wreford-Brown]

got it WB beautiful work.....im bout to start my first patrol
Good hunting!

[FFIF]

just one question i am assuming that the best way to save your game (other than in port) is to be free of contacts and on the surface and have TC at x1. Is this the correct way to do it to minimise any save gave foulups?

[Fish In The Water]

just one question i am assuming that the best way to save your game (other than in port) is to be free of contacts and on the surface and have TC at x1. Is this the correct way to do it to minimise any save gave foulups?

Yes, and saving fairly frequently (throughout the patrol) is also a good idea. That way if you happen to hit a bad save, you don't have to roll back that far to try another one.

[Gargamel]

Fuel efficiency mod is here: http://www.mediafire.com/?mc1nmyyzbzm

It's one of my must haves! Few times i've started over from scratch, your page is on my to do list.

[Wreford-Brown]

just one question i am assuming that the best way to save your game (other than in port) is to be free of contacts and on the surface and have TC at x1. Is this the correct way to do it to minimise any save gave foulups?

All of that is really good advice and will minimise the chance of messing up a savegame.

Most of my mid-patrol CTDs seem to have been caused by the old version of the no-CD mod. Another modder looked into it, released an updated version and I haven't suffered from a CTD since then.

[TheBeast]

I originally bought SHIII the day after it released and was only able to complete 1 patrol objective on my first time out of port before real life took over. I was never able to get back to it and forgot all about it after going through a few complete system upgrades.

Well, I finally retired. After playing SHIV for a year and moving on to SH5 for another year. I decided, what the heck lets give SHIII a go.

What is the link for GWX Gold?

Regards!

[FFIF]

I originally bought SHIII the day after it released and was only able to complete 1 patrol objective on my first time out of port before real life took over. I was never able to get back to it and forgot all about it after going through a few complete system upgrades.

Well, I finally retired. After playing SHIV for a year and moving on to SH5 for another year. I decided, what the heck lets give SHIII a go.

What is the link for GWX Gold?

Regards!

here is the link for GWX http://www.thegreywolves.com/

It is simply the best megamod ive ever seen for a game.

Good to see you back on SHIII! I played a LOT of SHIV myself and loved the sim, but i longed to be driving u boats. And SHV is just a train wreck IMO, so im back on SHIII all modded up and running at 80+ fps. I cannot stand stuttering frame rates in sim games, my obsession started with MS Flight Sim.

[FFIF]

seperate question for the old salts...

Ive downloaded the fuel effencincy mod, and ive been running at 1/3, is this historically correct for an outbound trip to the patrol area? Having to go the long way around england, it looks like an easy 2 week trip just to get to my patrol area at 8 knots.

[TheBeast]

here is the link for GWX http://www.thegreywolves.com/

It is simply the best megamod ive ever seen for a game.

Good to see you back on SHIII! I played a LOT of SHIV myself and loved the sim, but i longed to be driving u boats. And SHV is just a train wreck IMO, so im back on SHIII all modded up and running at 80+ fps. I cannot stand stuttering frame rates in sim games, my obsession started with MS Flight Sim.
Thanks:rock: I kept omitting the "the" in address when I was trying to go there.

[frau kaleun]

seperate question for the old salts...

Ive downloaded the fuel effencincy mod, and ive been running at 1/3, is this historically correct for an outbound trip to the patrol area? Having to go the long way around england, it looks like an easy 2 week trip just to get to my patrol area at 8 knots.

If you are in a Type VII, 7-8 knots is by far the most fuel-efficient speed.

Yes, it will take longer to get to your patrol grid at 1/3 ahead than at a higher speed.. however you will burn less fuel in covering that distance and have more left over once you get there. That means you'll be able to stay on station longer and/or patrol a much larger area should you decide to go looking for targets somewhere else. You will also have more fuel on hand to use in pursuit of targets or escape from danger should you need to crank up the speed temporarily in those situations.

As a test, set your speed at 8 knots and ask your navigator to give you your maximum range at current speed. He will reply by reporting a distance in kilometers. That's how much distance you can get out of your remaining fuel if you remain at the current speed.

Now increase your speed to 1/2 ahead, full ahead, and flank speed, each time stopping to ask again for maximum range at current speed. You'll see that the maximum distance you can travel on remaining fuel at a given speed decreases as the speed goes up. The same thing happens if you drop below 7-8 knots. At higher speeds, you begin to burn more and more fuel for every kilometer you travel; at slower speeds, you travel shorter and shorter distances for every liter of fuel you burn.

7-8 knots (in a Type VII, at least) is that "magic" spot on the dial where you get the maximum distance possible out of every drop of fuel on hand. :yep:

[desirableroasted]

seperate question for the old salts...

Ive downloaded the fuel effencincy mod, and ive been running at 1/3, is this historically correct for an outbound trip to the patrol area? Having to go the long way around england, it looks like an easy 2 week trip just to get to my patrol area at 8 knots.


2 weeks out, 2 weeks on station, 2 weeks home... but at 8 knots you have plenty of fuel for that.

[Weiss Pinguin]

You'll find, however, that 8 knots is insanely slow after a week or so of time-compressioning your way around the Atlantic :88) Also, in bad weather running at 8 knots means you'll actually be making 5-6 knots or less if the seas are bad enough. I usually run at 10-13 knots in transit, and slow down when I reach my grid.

[frau kaleun]

Also, in bad weather running at 8 knots means you'll actually be making 5-6 knots or less if the seas are bad enough.

True, but I'm pretty sure that ordering the engines to turn for 8 knots is still the most fuel-efficient setting, even if the weather state reduces your actual speed.

That said, I've never had a problem with making 10-12 knots on the way out and in, depending on how far off my assigned grid is; as has been said many times before, in GWX the last thing you should ever run out of is fuel. But I would hate to be out on patrol and realize that I only had enough fuel to make it home at 8 knots all the way if I started back immediately when I've still got plenty of ammo left and, in theory, could've found more targets for it if only I'd been more careful with my fuel consumption from the start.

[FFIF]

i asked for a fuel status report and it said at 8 knots i had a range of 34486 km??? is that sounding right? and this is with the fuel eff. mod and GWX

[frau kaleun]

i asked for a fuel status report and it said at 8 knots i had a range of 34486 km??? is that sounding right? and this is with the fuel eff. mod and GWX

As noted above, the last thing you should ever run out of in GWX is fuel, provided you aren't trying to tear out to the mid-Atlantic and back with a realistic-length patrol in between whilst running at full or flank speed 24/7. :D

The fuel loadout was increased in GWX, I don't know by how much... but this was done to make up for the fact that the game figures distances based on a "flat world" map and doesn't take into account the curvature of the earth. So distances from some points to other points are greater than they would be in real life, and the amount of fuel GWX gives you was increased to compensate for that.

[FFIF]

ok i understand the fuel numbers now, and i have arrived at my assigned patrol grid now. I am guessing this will be a pretty lame duck patrol, since it is still mid august 1939, and we arent at war yet. I will spend a couple weeks in the general area and then head back. By then it should be around the first few days of September, and i bet they will turn me loose to attack on the trip home. So far i have had two contacts the whole trip out, im blaming the weather for that, since it has been horrible. Ive used the opportunity of contacts to practice getting close and in good positions to fire.

[stokeyblokey]

Don't forget the time spent in port! If I remember correctly it is 28 days so you should do a short first patrol to make sure you can be back out and ready when the balloon goes up :salute:

[FFIF]

Thats true, but since im already out here, and about 3 weeks from the start of the war, i might as well stay out here for awhile since in my virtual world, we are not sure exactly when the war will start, and the trip home will be weapons free. Then ill get back to port and from then on it will be ON.:D

[stokeyblokey]

Ah, true enough kaleun :salute:

I took U-46 out for a brief tour of the Baltic but returned to port after hearing the radio messages telling us to relocate...obviously tensions were coming to a head and we wanted out of the confined waters of the Ostsee before the shooting started


But then I am early 1941 and speaking to you via magic radio :haha:

Have fun on that first patrol!

[Gargamel]

Thats true, but since im already out here, and about 3 weeks from the start of the war, i might as well stay out here for awhile since in my virtual world, we are not sure exactly when the war will start, and the trip home will be weapons free. Then ill get back to port and from then on it will be ON.:D

Actually, if your running GWX, you should take a quick spin out in the harbor, and then dock again. This will then allow you to modify your boat, as changing things prior to your first patrol have been known to cause problems.


I also have edit the renown reward for hitting my patrol zone, and so, using SHC, I edit my first PZ for somewhere either in the baltic or North Sea so I can take a spin, do some test dives, then return to port.

[FFIF]

Actually, if your running GWX, you should take a quick spin out in the harbor, and then dock again. This will then allow you to modify your boat, as changing things prior to your first patrol have been known to cause problems.


I also have edit the renown reward for hitting my patrol zone, and so, using SHC, I edit my first PZ for somewhere either in the baltic or North Sea so I can take a spin, do some test dives, then return to port.

good advice...ill have to try that with a career after this one. I just returned to port and it is august 20, 1939. I figure about 3 weeks or so in port (hope the SHC randomiser is good to me) then i can get back out there and start blowing things up

[Salvadoreno]

I know this is true for nygm but not sure if gwx models this, but if in a large storm don't u burn more fuel going at 8 knots? Ie burning more fuel going against those huge waves. I always thought that was a cool little feature to add more realism to the uboot game



Edit. O and for the OP can you post your mod loadout when u are done?:up:

[FFIF]

I know this is true for nygm but not sure if gwx models this, but if in a large storm don't u burn more fuel going at 8 knots? Ie burning more fuel going against those huge waves. I always thought that was a cool little feature to add more realism to the uboot game



Edit. O and for the OP can you post your mod loadout when u are done?:up:

the storm does slow you down in gwx but youre still turning for 8 knots, storm or not, and yes it is a realistic feature:03:

as for my mod loadout, it is probably shorter than most

GWX 3.0 Gold
GWX Captain America's Officer Icons
GWX Enhanced Damage Effects
GWX VIIC41 Player Sub
GWX No Medals On Crew
GWX Main Movie Das Boot
GWX Alternative Loadscreen Full Circle
GWX 16km Atmosphere
GWX Merged Campaign
Merchant Fleet Mod 3.2
MFM Skin Pack 1
MFM Skin Pack 2
Radio Deutschland (i love the music in this mod)
Thomsens Sound Pack 3.2
WB's Decks Awash/Fuel Economy
TDW's Water Disturbance 4.0

and of course SH3 Commander with its various tweaks

and thats it, i think that all that pretty much makes this sim perfect.:up:

[Gargamel]

Well, if you're comparing making 8 knots in flat water and in a storm, then yes I believe it's modeled in the game. I believe it runs off of RPM's, not speed. So the energy to maintain 8 knots when your looking up at the water about to knock you off the bridge is greater than fishing weather.

[Sailor Steve]

good advice...ill have to try that with a career after this one. I just returned to port and it is august 20, 1939. I figure about 3 weeks or so in port (hope the SHC randomiser is good to me) then i can get back out there and start blowing things up
Here's how you do it the realistic way. Make that first patrol on August 1. Cruise around the harbor (or not - I like to is all) and dock. Go to Commander and change the Days In Base to 18. Give all your POs qualifications, as they have them in real life. That's what a petty officer is. Upgrade whatever you want to, and start your second patrol. You will be one of the 14 u-boats that was actually sent out on August 19. Go to your assigned grid and wait for the war to start. After your first "real" patrol is over, reset the Days In Base to Random, and you're good to go.

I also do this with careers I start later in the war. That way you don't always start the first patrol on the 1st of whatever month it is.

[Gargamel]

You will be one of the 14 u-boats that was actually sent out on August 19.

I read Blair, but I'm a little fuzzy on this. Did BDU know that war was that imminent and they hurried them into position, or were they planned deployments to synchronize with the start of war, or was BDu just aware that war was imminent and they were getting boats into place jus in case?

[frau kaleun]

I read Blair, but I'm a little fuzzy on this. Did BDU know that war was that imminent and they hurried them into position, or were they planned deployments to synchronize with the start of war, or was BDu just aware that war was imminent and they were getting boats into place jus in case?

From what I've read, they (meaning the KM higher-ups) knew that an incursion into Poland was imminent, and IIRC by mid-August they had been informed of the date it was expected to begin. Nobody knew for sure how England and France would react, but of course they knew that both countries were bound by treaty to come to Poland's aid in the event of aggression by Germany.

Given what Hitler had already gotten away with over the previous few years, it was no doubt hoped (and maybe to some degree expected) that the rest of Europe would look the other way or perhaps send a strongly worded letter to Berlin and that would be it.

Nevertheless, the possibility of war with England (and France) was always a potential result of aggression against Poland, so as many boats as could be made ready were sent out in order to have them on station should that possibility become reality. I think I even read somewhere about various people being called back early from leave when their superiors got word of what was coming, they were really scrambling to be as prepared as possible for the potential fallout.

For the KM, war with England was a "worst case scenario" they knew they might have to deal with and at a great disadvantage given the current state of the KM vs. the Royal Navy. So, yeah, they were very much trying to get as much of a jump on things as they could.

[FFIF]

well it is all moot in this case, i deployed, got to my assigned patrol area, did some practice attack runs, and made it home.

which leads me to another question, on the next patrol will my nav map show the location of minefields. GWX's manual has quite a few pages showing you where they are but i was wondering if this was true in the game also.

[frau kaleun]

well it is all moot in this case, i deployed, got to my assigned patrol area, did some practice attack runs, and made it home.

which leads me to another question, on the next patrol will my nav map show the location of minefields. GWX's manual has quite a few pages showing you where they are but i was wondering if this was true in the game also.


The map doesn't, but there is a pull-down harbor chart in GWX that will show you the location of anti-sub defenses in Axis harbors.

When it comes to mines laid by the Allies, you're on your own. I can tell you that the area around Helgoland is mined very shortly after the start of the war. With British harbors and coastal areas it should go without saying that you need to proceed with caution.

I've also heard that the area between the Faroes and Britain were mined, but I've passed through there many times (mostly on the surface) without incident. I stay in the deepest part of the passage, the mines are (I assume) more likely to be found nearer the coastlines on either side.

[Fish In The Water]

Here's how you do it the realistic way. Make that first patrol on August 1. Cruise around the harbor (or not - I like to is all) and dock. Go to Commander and change the Days In Base to 18. Give all your POs qualifications, as they have them in real life. That's what a petty officer is. Upgrade whatever you want to, and start your second patrol. You will be one of the 14 u-boats that was actually sent out on August 19. Go to your assigned grid and wait for the war to start. After your first "real" patrol is over, reset the Days In Base to Random, and you're good to go.

Good idea, still meaning to give this a try...

Cheers for spelling 'er out Steve! :salute: