You might want to give OM a try

[I'm goin' down]

I have played them all. TMO, RFB, FOTRS and GFO are all really good. (My preference is TMO, primarily because the AI of the dds. I have a death with.) But I started playing OM, with OMEGU and KIUB on top of it, and I have concluded it is the best supermod out there. Several things about it are really quite cool. You have to learn how to use the TDC for U-Boats. It has different characteristics than the American Subs. Like RSRDC, lurker, who created both, has outdone himself. He has a variety of alternative careers to choose from. He intentionally does not ID targets, so you have to check each target's flag to see if it an enemy of the Germany. Enemies of the Reich are different in 1939 than in 1941, so sinking a neutrel does not do anything for you in terms of promotions, renown, etc. The crew set up is different and has to be deciphered as it is in German, although you can set up the mod to use English with some English labels for the TDC items. Manual targeting with the KIUB dial in different and interesting to figure out. There are a variety of torpedoes, and one has a mine laying capability. The deck gun crew can actually hit something. In some missions, you can activate the Luftwaffe to help locate targets. Everything else in the mod is first rate. A few mods fill in some gaps.

You can play the American side with this mod, which I have not yet tried. And if you do, you can activate a version of RSRDC. This makes OM the best of both worlds.

If you have the game set up using PTO, use multi SH4 to set up and run OM, etc. Then you can try it without deactivating the PTO set up. There is a learning curve, so be patient.

[Armistead]

I keep saying I am, looks interesting. I would have to learn how to shoot, last I played uboats SH4 wasn't sure how it all worked. I have it loaded and played 30 minutes when it came out, but was engrossed in the PTO.

How's the AI... Any good hedgehog attacks.

[I'm goin' down]

I have not made it long enough to take on many large convoys and have not caught up to any TF's. It took me awhile to figure out manual target using the TDC, and using the KIUB mod. When I have challened a convoy, the dds picked me up early, so I dived to avoid them. I haven't figured out a good strategy to penetrate their defenses. However, there are a lot more air attacks, and when they are accurate, you spend a lot of time repairing the boat. I would say the AI of the dds is above average, but the mod has many more variables that creates problems. One difficulty is allied air support; another is the requirement you actually sink the enemy target (not just a neutral) to get credit, there are a ton of different ships, and you have a lot of time before your boat goes down, so you can try to repair it before you give up.

[Gereke]

OM is a great mod for sure. I enjoy the Type VIID Minelayer quite a bit. It's a nice little deviation from strictly conducting the usual anti-shipping patrols. The STROG is one of my favorite places to drop "presents".

[I'm goin' down]

copies from a post in another thread that I wrote.

Here is the easiest ways to get started. Line up at 90 degrees to target's course. If the target is, say, at 70 degrees to your starboard (to your right) and is moving from right to left, its Aob is 20 degrees. (It is important that you understand this concept: bearing (70 degrees) + Aob (20 degrees) = 90 degree angle.) With the TDC light in the off position, set the Aob to 20 degree left (not right!), as the Aob from view from the target's bow is on the left side. Activate the TDC (i.e. turn on the light). Lock on the target if you want and the Aob dial will move as the target closes on a 90 degree Aob. Fire when ready (i.e. say, fire when the target is at a bearing of 10 degrees (bearing (10 degrees) + Aob (80 degrees = 90 degree angle)) to be consistent with the O'Kane method; however, since the TDC is tracking the target you are not confined to firiing at that bearing.

Here is the copy of one of my posts in the ATO forum that should help you understand the counter intutive Aob dial setting in ATO. This is where i made the conceptual breakthrough. Short version -I was setting the Aob in the exact opposite direction. You may need to think about this. Try to visualize it. This example is related to firing when the target's Aob is 90 degrees, as in an O'Kane attack or fast 90.

"The left side of the Aob dial on your U-Boat says, "Bug Links." Translated this means bow of the ship left. When a target is approaching the bow of you your ship from starboard (i.e. it is moving from right to left) [as in my example above], the Aob viewed from the target's bow is to its left (port). This means that the Aob dial on the UBoat, as viewed from the bow of the target, should be set to 90 degrees Bug Links (bow left.)

The right side of the Aob dial says, "Bug Recht." Translated this means bow of the ship right. When a target is approaching the bow of you your ship from the port (i.e. it is moving from left to right), the Aob viewed from the target's bow is to its right (starboard.) This means that the Aob dial on the UBoat, as viewed from the bow of the target, should be set to 90 degrees Bug Recht (bow right.)

For a captain such as myself who learned on an American sub this is counter intuitive. However, it now makes sense, plus it worked. I sank the submarine in the tutorial with four shots, all hits. The Aob was set at 90 degrees Bug Links (bow left) when the target crossed the wire at 10 degrees heading right to left at 7.5 kts.

Bottom line, once you have the target's Aob, input it in the TDC with scope locked on the target. With the TDC activated the Aob dial will move in relation to movements of the scope. For an O'Kane shot, when the Aob is either 10 degrees or 350 degrees, depending on the target's heading, fire the torpedoes.

Kiub-- the "dial" used to calculate the target's range, speed and Aob. Kiub means Kreigsmarine Interface for U Boats. Read Karamazovnew's tiutorial. It is somewhat difficult to follow, but if you practice, you will figure out how to use it. Now, get your ass back on the line and sink some ships.
__________________

[Platapus]

I tried the U-boat missions a few times, it just did not speak to me as well as SH3 does. I have not tried any of the Uboat mods yet so that may make a difference.

Perhaps the Asian U-boat theater is not my cup of tea. :nope:

[I'm goin' down]

I tried the U-boat missions a few times, it just did not speak to me as well as SH3 does. ....Perhaps the Asian U-boat theater is not my cup of tea. :nope:


I was not comparing OM to SH3, as I have no expereience playing it. SH3 may be more advanced than OM. But OM stands up exceedingly will to any of the supermods in the PTO for SH4. You may have a good point vis a via SH3. Luker, who designed OM, notes that if you do not sink 10,000 tons (or complete the mission?), you will not get promotions, renown, etc. Plus the mod gets harder as the game progresses as the enemy gets stronger. I guess what he is saying is that you may not be as successful with the same tactics in 1943 as you were in 1939, probably because their are more warships and accurate air patrols to deal with.

[Gereke]

The tonnage requirements vary between certain amounts. Sometimes it could only be 2,000, other times 10,000. The role they play is to keep you from simply going to each patrol point, hanging out for the 48/72/96 hours, moving on, RTBing without firing a shot and getting a promotion. You do gain renown for simply reaching patrol grids and staying there for the required time. You just won't ever gain enough to earn promotions very quickly, if ever. The tonnage "requirements" are different at each objective and I think according to the readme file are random.

Promotion requirements are given to you by clicking the "promotions" book on the desk in the office. It lists each rank available and will state "You must complete at least 3 (or more depending on rank) at a level of "Good/Excellent/Outstanding" to reach this rank".


The only thing I dislike about "OM" isn't actually the fault of the mod itself, but rather the SHIV game engine, is the fact that the boat doesn't ventilate while snorkeling. CO2 continues to rise and you still have to surface from time to time to reset the CO2 counter. It's a petty annoyance, but I have been killed once or twice as a result. Surfacing to get "fresh air" real quick and "RADAR SIGNALS DETECTED", then as I'm crash diving catching some bombs or depth charges.

Bugs not caused by the mod itself aside...

The late war is a real bitch, as it should be. Aircraft are pretty savvy at picking up your snorkel on radar so snorkeling has it's hazards. It's not like SH3 where you can snorkel around and be pretty much safe from air attack. (Never once got attacked by air while snorkeling in SH3/GWX)

The escorts are good, and there are escort difficulty options that you can activate with JGSME if you wish to have a greater challenge.

Resupply from Milk Cows is done well too. Instead of them being "static" entities that hang out in the same spot for months at a time, they move around and are only available in each location for a short period of time. Radio messages from BDU are sent out letting you know when and where they'll be available. It makes doing long range missions a little more challenging because you aren't guaranteed to have a supply boat available when you may need it.


@Platapus,

OM is comparable to GWX in it's scope of operations, so if you don't ever want to go near Asian waters in a U-boat, you don't have to. The Atlantic Theater is your playground :)

[I'm goin' down]

The only thing I dislike about "OM" isn't actually the fault of the mod itself, but rather the SHIV game engine, is the fact that the boat doesn't ventilate while snorkeling. CO2 continues to rise and you still have to surface from time to time to reset the CO2 counter. It's a petty annoyance, but I have been killed once or twice as a result. Surfacing to get "fresh air" real quick and "RADAR SIGNALS DETECTED", then as I'm crash diving catching some bombs or depth charges.

Very infomrative post. :salute: As for the portion I quoted, I have gotten to the point of using a snorkel. Can a fix be modded into the game for it?

[Gereke]

Lurker mentions this problem in the OM readme , and he noted that he was unable to do anything to fix it.

Given the type of attention to detail lurker put into his mods, if it was at all something he could have remedied, he would have.