[REL] Open Horizons II [Archive] - Page 17

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gap

10-27-13, 02:01 PM

Well - I am not so sure this is a good idea.
These ports are under axis control and thus at war with Britain.
To refuse some food and fuel to a boat fighting for them would be wrong and im sure refuelling was important.

I agree though, as suggested by Vecko, a forced stopover of a few days would be more realistic.

Re-arming, I agree is wrong and should only be allowed at some major bases

True: it should be possible only during refits from major u-boat bases and u-boat tenders (milk cows, replenishment ships, etc.).

Re-fitting is only allowed at your own base, so no issue here.

This is partly wrong: though not hosting u-boat bases, some Axis ports (Heligoland, a few Norwegian ports, Messina in the Mediterranean, etc.) had repair facilities which could perform minor repairs, if needed :yep:

Trevally.

10-27-13, 04:41 PM

I agree though, as suggested by Vecko, a forced stopover of a few days would be more realistic.

True: it should be possible only during refits from major u-boat bases and u-boat tenders (milk cows, replenishment ships, etc.).

This is partly wrong: though not hosting u-boat bases, some Axis ports (Heligoland, a few Norwegian ports, Messina in the Mediterranean, etc.) had repair facilities which could perform minor repairs, if needed :yep:

yip, sounds good
the fix I suggested is not the way forward here

xSmithyx

10-28-13, 06:31 AM

Hi there!

Got an issue with what I believe is Open Horizons (My assumption is on the fact that this is the only mod I believe that could cause the error).

On starting a new campaign and skipping the tutorial, I proceeded to Danzig Bay to 'Intercept the Polish Taskforce' and to proceed with the Baltic Operations macro objective.

After completing the 'Polish Taskforce' mission I sunk 12 ships totaling 51k tonnage. All of which were Polish ships. Some were in the 3 harbours in Danzig bay and some were traversing it. However none of them counted towards the macro objective and now I am sat here looking at the Eastern Coastal Waters missions without a nice Iron Cross where it should be sat in the Baltic Operations mission progress.

(See attachment for my mod soup)

Trevally.

10-28-13, 08:03 AM

plj

10-28-13, 08:33 AM

I dont have this issue .. had both goals cleared as soon as I sunk the merchant outside the bay and after sinking another 2 merchants in the bottom harbor had my tonnage cleared as well ..

I've don this campaign mission a gazillion times with different modlists, not ever this issue :hmmm:

xSmithyx

10-28-13, 08:54 AM

@Smithy,

I was going to just guess what the issue was and give you an answer.
However - that would be unfair

So I have gone into the code today and checked every part of the Baltic mission. Other than the spelling "balic" - I can see no errors

As I have spent some time on this - it would be a great help to me and others if you would post a screen cap of your captains log showing the ships sunk (individual messages - not the total) and one of you map showing the sunk ship icons

:salute:

I don't have the icons for the map for some reason, they never showed where I sunk the ship, however I can tell you that I sunk a Coastal Boat off the coast of Hela and one off Danzig. One Uekel between Hela and Danzig and the rest were in the harbours of Danzig and Gotenhafen.

As for the unfair answer, I can take that if it was something that I did wrong. Fairly new to SH5 modding so in all sense there is probably I something have done wrong.

vdr1981

10-28-13, 10:39 AM

:hmmm: I'm sailing again "Total Germany" campaign but I cant upgrade to type VIIB...This time I skipped "Skapa Raid", could this be a cause?Can someone remind me, I forgot from my last try few months ago, which is the date when game should offer me a new sub? Is this offer connected to tonnage or to successful missions?

Mikemike47

10-28-13, 10:58 AM

if you would post a screen cap of your captains log showing the ships sunk (individual messages - not the total) and one of you map showing the sunk ship icons

I don't have the icons for the map for some reason
xSmithyx uses Parts Magui V 3.01 according to his modlist.
Does Parts Magui V 3.01 and related mods have an option to show destroyed marks lilke New UIs for TDC does?

Trevally.

10-28-13, 01:14 PM

I don't have the icons for the map for some reason, they never showed where I sunk the ship, however I can tell you that I sunk a Coastal Boat off the coast of Hela and one off Danzig. One Uekel between Hela and Danzig and the rest were in the harbours of Danzig and Gotenhafen.

That's ok - the pictures you have post show what is wrong:up:

These ships (cargo and rare cargo) will count towards the mission objective. The tankers and small coastal ships do not.
So these ships are docked and although you got tonnage for them - not campaign points.

The coastal ship was not docked but did not count as a target.

When I made this mission - it was my plan the users would either attack the DDs, minelayers or subs. Where this is not the case I set the odd cargo or rare cargo to leave port and that would do.
I did not think about harbour raiding (I should have made the patrol area smaller to not include the ports).

I set ships in the ports to give them some life as I knew that someone would go look.

Now to my unfair answer - I thought you had rushed the patrol and got there before the war started (glad I was wrong):D

Now to the fix
TDW is going to look at the game code and we hope can make docked ships wake when attacked.
Or
restrict area as I said above.

Now watch me get banned for spam.

:D

Gap, Gap - have you seen all the spam:O:

gap

10-28-13, 01:18 PM

Gap, Gap - have you seen all the spam:O:

Simply intolerable :nope:

:Kaleun_Mad:

Off topic:

Trevally, I ad Targor are doing progress with the barrage balloons. Have you received Targor's PM? ;)

xSmithyx

10-28-13, 01:18 PM

plj

10-28-13, 02:01 PM

I wouldnt restrict ... as tonnage is tonnage in a tonnage war :D

It's the sensible thing to do with the element of surprise on your side I'd say. And with skeleton crews, these ships are just sitting ducks. It would be very unrealistic if an attack would insta-warp the crew out of their bars and brotels.

Trevally.

10-28-13, 02:22 PM

Simply intolerable :nope:

:Kaleun_Mad:

Keep your finger off the report button - he was only helping:D

Off topic:

Trevally, I ad Targor are doing progress with the barrage balloons. Have you received Targor's PM? ;)

:up:

Trevally.

10-28-13, 02:24 PM

Ah right. That explains it! Will restart and will sink the DDs that I spent most of the time evading. Thanks for the help Trevally!

*I just edited my old post to remove the pictures so the page is not 10 kilometers long*

:up:
If the chimney stack is smoking - its a fair target
So the cargos that do leave port will count

I wouldnt restrict ... as tonnage is tonnage in a tonnage war :D

It's the sensible thing to do with the element of surprise on your side I'd say. And with skeleton crews, these ships are just sitting ducks. It would be very unrealistic if an attack would insta-warp the crew out of their bars and brotels.

:up:

gap

10-28-13, 04:39 PM

Keep your finger off the report button - he was only helping:D

http://processwire.com/talk/public/style_emoticons/default/embarrassed.gif

This is one of the vessels where I plan to fit the new barrage ballons:
http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/2512/y4vv.jpg

Slightly modified from mtns's barge which, on turn, is based on the analogous SHIII unit. Was it by the GWX team? Should we ask them or Uekel for permission to use it?

Madox58

10-28-13, 04:47 PM

If you mean the small coal tender in GWX, it was by Rowi58.

gap

10-28-13, 05:02 PM

If you mean the small coal tender in GWX, it was by Rowi58.

Thank you privateer, I will get in touch with him at the right time. By the way, do you happen to know if also the other tender named Schute_M1, which is featured in MTNS but not in GWX, is by the same author?

Madox58

10-28-13, 05:26 PM

This is the only one I know about.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/downloads.php?do=file&id=814

gap

10-28-13, 05:46 PM

That is exactly the Schute_M1 barge that I was talking about, which seems a bigger variant of the one I am currently working on. At this point, I wonder if the latter is a SHIII stock unit :hmmm:

Brycey634

10-28-13, 07:28 PM

Hello everyone,
I've just got all my mods up and running, but when i was leaving port i noticed that one of the ships docked was completely white, and i figured it was just a missing texture that wasn't done yet, so i was like ok, that fine, but then i got my 1st contact, and once again, the ship was white. At this point i was confused, so i saved and restarted, still white, so i go into the museum and find several white ships in many nations, i seem to have all the texture files for the ships... Any idea on what my problem is? :06:(crew and guns and lights and flags all are there so i feel like it's not a game issue..?)
Example of white ship:

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab168/brycey634/Albino%20Ships/AlbinoShip_zps129d4fbe.png?t=1383006403

Trevally.

10-29-13, 07:56 AM

Example of white ship:

Remove all mods
upgrade your sh5 to v1.2
reinstall mods

:up:

Brycey634

10-30-13, 06:51 PM

Remove all mods
upgrade your sh5 to v1.2
reinstall mods

:up:

Thank you so much! would've taken me forever to notice that :O:

EDIT:
Now the HOSP ship is completely black (only ship I've seen black so far..)

Trevally.

10-31-13, 07:39 AM

Thank you so much! would've taken me forever to notice that :O:

Your welcome:up:

EDIT:
Now the HOSP ship is completely black (only ship I've seen black so far..)

Yes - its a sick ship:doh::O:

Targor Avelany

10-31-13, 09:44 AM

@gap & Trevally,

Finished with the barrage balloon.
gap is not getting the cookies as his message box is full. I think Trevally should have gotten it. If not, let me know, I'll send you the files.

gap

10-31-13, 10:54 AM

@gap & Trevally,

Finished with the barrage balloon.
gap is not getting the cookies as his message box is full. I think Trevally should have gotten it. If not, let me know, I'll send you the files.

Hi Targor, I have just made some space :up:

Now tat the GR2 model is ready, we should think about making barrage balloons realistically functional. I have had a look into privateer/GWX's Barrage Balloon and it got the following features:

Unit type: 306 (environmantal), likewise OH's "old" balloon.

Roster usage: American, British, German, Italian, etc. /Land, as opposed to OH, which uses barrage balloons as Environmental/Air units.

A sim file with an unit_Airplane controller (OH don't use any unit controller).

A zon file with an explossive (never seen this is SH5) controller, as opposed to OH's balloon which hasn't any zon file.

Our goals should be:

The balloons should be stationary: they should just float at mid air. They shouldn't move toward enemies, neither crash on the soil due to their zero speed.

Axis aircraft should recognize balloons as enemies: when given this chance, they should aim at balloons with their guns making them to explode, and -more important- they should do their best avoid collisions with the balloons.

Though damageable, balloons shouldn't get damage if their cable strikes the soil (thus making possible the setting of the same balloon model at various heights).

On collision with a ballloon or with its cable, an aircraft should receive fatal or serious damage, and the balloon itself should get "destroyed".

My plan:

Putting the balloon in the British\Air roster. I hope that this is enough for making allied aircraft to see balloons as enemies.

Not using any unit controller. I hope this is not going to prevent aircraft from shooting their guns at the balloons. Alternatively, we could place them into the British\Land roster and give them an unit controller appropriate for a land unit, but I am afraid that aircraft would start dropping their boms at them.

Adding collision spheres to the ballon and its cables for their full lenght (following as closely as possible the profile of the 1,400m-long cable is going to be a real pita though :dead:)

Adding a damage box to the balloon body with an explosive effect linked to it, and setting another damage box for the cables. As the cables are set as a child of the balloon, their destruction by collision might not be enough for the full model being removed from game. We have three possible workaround for this:

making the two boxes to overlap, so that any damage to the cables will (hopefully) affect the main model;
linking the main model to the cable damage box (experiments with this setting on FXU 0.0.22, have lead to high crash occurrences though);
setting the cable zone as critical with a very high chance (it works for ship zones on torpedo impacts, I have no idea if it can work in this case as well).

Another problem that you must ready to face, is the cables getting damage from "impact" with soil. Using a unit_land controller, or shortening the cable damage box so that it will only cover the top part of the model, are two possible workaround which come to my mind.

Any other idea guys :)

Trevally.

10-31-13, 01:00 PM

If this was a flight sim - then yes, that would all be great.
This being a subsim - do we need all this:06:

:hmmm:

Trevally.

10-31-13, 01:02 PM

gap

10-31-13, 01:35 PM

If this was a flight sim - then yes, that would all be great.
This being a subsim - do we need all this:06:

:hmmm:

I we can attain this level of realism, at least in part, why not aiming for it? Probably some of the planned features won't work, and we will scrap them anyway, but should we give them up before even trying? :hmm2:

On the other hand I am just curious to know how aircraft's AI will deal with those odd flying objects. As a matter of fact, most of what I do for this game is done out of curiosity. Please don't spoil it :D

Trevally.

10-31-13, 02:23 PM

I we can attain this level of realism, at least in part, why not aiming for it? Probably some of the planned features won't work, and we will scrap them anyway, but should we give them up before even trying? :hmm2:

On the other hand I am just curious to know how aircraft's AI will deal with those odd flying objects. As a matter of fact, most of what I do for this game is done out of curiosity. Please don't spoil it :D

:up:

Sure Gap - I know you enjoy this level of detail:sunny:

I will go ahead and add the new model by you and Targor as a direct replacement for my .dat one
It will then still be an easy upgrade/add-on to Rongels mega-mod either before release or after.

:up:

Does Rongels mega-mod have a name yet:06::D

Trevally.

10-31-13, 03:22 PM

@gap & Trevally,

Finished with the barrage balloon.
gap is not getting the cookies as his message box is full. I think Trevally should have gotten it. If not, let me know, I'll send you the files.

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/3681/kqgc.jpg

http://img801.imageshack.us/img801/9172/d7gp.jpg

http://img571.imageshack.us/img571/8406/zoms.jpg

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/9828/tzea.jpg

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/4315/cs76.jpg

:rock:

gap

10-31-13, 03:30 PM

:up:

Sure Gap - I know you enjoy this level of detail:sunny:

I will go ahead and add the new model by you and Targor as a direct replacement for my .dat one
It will then still be an easy upgrade/add-on to Rongels mega-mod either before release or after.

Ok, good plan :up:

Here are the files from Targor, ready for use in campaign.

http://www.mediafire.com/?q12s85k453er2df

I have:

resized the main textures to a more acceptable 512x512,
added 256x256 lowres textures,
placed all the textures in the Textures folder, so that they will be shared among the GR2 and the dat model
made the GR2 model to point to the new texture location, so that the model won't be rendered white when previewed in GR2 Editor
added cfg, sil, sns and eqp files (eqp and sns files are empty: added them just to avoid that TDW's mod validator will throw an error with them missing)
added a Names.cfg entry
made the balloon available as Air unit of the British roster
added my work in progress of the dat model (This is for Targor, you can delete it for now)

Something we should check is if the different textures I have created (three, for no roundel, early war roundel, late war roundel) are configured correctly, as I have rushed a bit with their setting. We should also verify that the LOD model is used correctly. If you want, I can send you a patch that will turn LOd model's skin in a bright colored one, so you won't miss it when looking the model from far away :03:

gap

10-31-13, 03:32 PM

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/3681/kqgc.jpg
:rock:

I understand that the landscape is snowy, and that the ballons might be half frozen, but probably those flying objects are missing their texture. Use the configured files I have posted below :03: :D

Madox58

10-31-13, 03:32 PM

Nicely done Guys!
:salute:

Targor Avelany

10-31-13, 03:37 PM

mwahahaahahaha!!!!!!! :up::yeah::rock:

Edit:
Ok, good plan :up:

Here are the files from Targor, ready for use in campaign.

http://www.mediafire.com/?q12s85k453er2df

I have:

resized the main textures to a more acceptable 512x512,
added 256x256 lowres textures,
placed all the textures in the Textures folder, so that they will be shared among the GR2 and the dat model
made the GR2 model to point to the new texture location, so that the model won't be rendered white when previewed in GR2 Editor
added cfg, sil, sns and eqp files (eqp and sns files are empty: added them just to avoid that TDW's mod validator will throw an error with them missing)
added a Names.cfg entry
made the balloon available as Air unit of the British roster
added my work in progress of the dat model (This is for Targor, you can delete it for now)

Something we should check is if the different textures I have created (three, for no roundel, early war roundel, late war roundel) are configured correctly, as I have rushed a bit with their setting. We should also verify that the LOD model is used correctly. If you want, I can send you a patch that will turn LOd model's skin in a bright colored one, so you won't miss it when looking the model from far away :03:

I might have to slightly re-do the files in that case. Or any of you can do it yourselves if you have the GR2 files: as it stands right now, the files take the texture from the same folder as they are themselves. To change that you need to put the textures in to the texture folders and then open the files in the GR2 editor and select it from the texture folder (just change the path). After that the file will look into the texture folder for the textures.

Trevally.

10-31-13, 03:47 PM

I understand that the landscape is snowy, and that the ballons might be half frozen, but probably those flying objects are missing their texture. Use the configured files I have posted below :03: :D

Just testing your new ones now - I am getting no unit info in ME2:hmmm:

I will see how it goes

Nicely done Guys!
:salute:

:agree: They look good guys - well done

mwahahaahahaha!!!!!!! :up::yeah::rock:

Edit:

I might have to slightly re-do the files in that case. Or any of you can do it yourselves if you have the GR2 files: as it stands right now, the files take the texture from the same folder as they are themselves. To change that you need to put the textures in to the texture folders and then open the files in the GR2 editor and select it from the texture folder (just change the path). After that the file will look into the texture folder for the textures.

Testing now:up:

Madox58

10-31-13, 03:47 PM

gap

10-31-13, 03:50 PM

mwahahaahahaha!!!!!!! :up::yeah::rock:

Edit:

I might have to slightly re-do the files in that case. Or any of you can do it yourselves if you have the GR2 files: as it stands right now, the files take the texture from the same folder as they are themselves. To change that you need to put the textures in to the texture folders and then open the files in the GR2 editor and select it from the texture folder (just change the path). After that the file will look into the texture folder for the textures.

Already did it Targor: have a look into the files I have just posted. In any case if the textures are assigned through cfg file, the path stored in the GR2 file doesn't matter. I think the missing textures in Trevally's screenies are from... he missing the texture files :03:

P.S: well done mate :up:

gap

10-31-13, 03:53 PM

Just testing your new ones now - I am getting no unit info in ME2:hmmm:

Check that I didn't mistype anything :hmm2:

Targor Avelany

10-31-13, 03:55 PM

Already did it Targor: have a look into the files I have just posted. In any case if the textures are assigned through cfg file, the path stored in the GR2 file doesn't matter. I think the missing textures in Trevally's screenies are from... he missing the texture files :03:

P.S: well done mate :up:

Awesome :)
Nicely done.

Also, please don't delete the link yet or the files. I'm not at home atm and cannot download it, but I'm really interested to see them: we will be working on more stuff down the line and I would prefer to understand all the little details and so I can finish up the file without wasting your time.

Trevally.

10-31-13, 03:56 PM

Check that I didn't mistype anything :hmm2:

Yes something is up:hmmm:
I have no control over unit height speed direction etc in ME2

In game - they are there where I put them - all facing north (default)
no textures

Spell check.....:D

Trevally.

10-31-13, 03:58 PM

Found it "BBalloon" in .cfg:up:

testing.......

gap

10-31-13, 04:03 PM

One thing about all the wires.

Only one went all the way to the ground to my knowledge. The others were used to capture the Balloon on bringing it down much like K-Ships.

The Balloons I jumped from in England were WWII issues and had the side ropes. Only the main line went all the way down.

Don't know if the SAS still uses those as a jump training platform.
:hmmm:

You might be correct. My main source of information when I modelled the ballon was this nicely done webpage:

http://www.bbrclub.org/The%20MK%20VII%20Series%20I%20Kite%20Balloon%20-%20Its%20construction%20and%20make%20up..htm

It says:

At the join of gores B and C were 5 rigging patches used to attach picketing lines, that were in turn attached to handling guys, to enable the balloon to be handled on the ground. When bedded down the picketing lines were either securely fastened to large concrete blocks in a diamond shape of the picketing lines would be attached to screw pickets, that were like huge corkscrews twisted into the ground.

Nowhere it states that picketing lines were secured to the soil while the balloon was flown. Correcting this mistake will be quite easy. How long should they be (more or less)? :hmm2:

Trevally.

10-31-13, 04:05 PM

Found it "BBalloon" in .cfg:up:

testing.......

nope - the b must have been for barrage:D

Madox58

10-31-13, 04:07 PM

From what I saw they were only long enuff to allow the ground crew to grab and control the Balloon on bring it down.

Now if you shorten what you have? You could see about placeing the obj-pendulum controller on them to give it some life.
:up:

Not sure if that works with GR2 files but it is a thought.

gap

10-31-13, 04:10 PM

Found it "BBalloon" in .cfg:up:

testing.......

:up:

Let us know, and make sure to post some screenies when you get their textures to show correctly (they should if I didn't make another of my n00b errors :doh:)

Madox58

10-31-13, 04:13 PM

:up:

Let us know, and make sure to post some screenies when you get their textures to show correctly (they should if I didn't make another of my n00b errors :doh:)
Danged slackers!! :stare:
:haha:

Trevally.

10-31-13, 04:13 PM

:up:

Let us know, and make sure to post some screenies when you get their textures to show correctly (they should if I didn't make another of my n00b errors :doh:)

Nope - no joy
I can't see the error and have no control in ME2
Models are being drawn but no textures

gap

10-31-13, 04:17 PM

nope - the b must have been for barrage:D

Wait, I think I know what is going on: the GR2 file name and the model name must be identical. Rename the GR2 file and all the accessory files to Barrage_Balloon, and change the path in the cfg file accordingly :hmm2:

Brycey634

10-31-13, 04:33 PM

Your welcome:up:

Yes - its a sick ship:doh::O:

Alright, thanks again!
Also, great mod, loving it so far :salute:

gap

10-31-13, 04:34 PM

Awesome :)
Nicely done.

Also, please don't delete the link yet or the files. I'm not at home atm and cannot download it, but I'm really interested to see them: we will be working on more stuff down the line and I would prefer to understand all the little details and so I can finish up the file without wasting your time.

I think you are talking about the dat unit, don't you? In any case no problem, the link is there to stay :up:

From what I saw they were only long enuff to allow the ground crew to grab and control the Balloon on bring it down.

so, let's say 100 feet?

Now if you shorten what you have? You could see about placeing the obj-pendulum controller on them to give it some life.
:up:

Not sure if that works with GR2 files but it is a thought.

Will do it with the dat version of the balloon which will be fitted aboard ships. The GR2 version is only for land usage, and won't have any swinging. :up:

P.S: can you explain with some more detail what happened when you tried using the obj_pendulum controller on your balloons? I still hope using it on the root bone of ship-borne balloons :88)

Madox58

10-31-13, 04:41 PM

I didn't have all the ropes just a grounding cable.
When attached to a ship?
The controller started a sway on ship movement that caused it to all go bad!
:haha:

I had a bunch of videos at one time that showed Air Craft hitting the balloons and everything went boom.
:yep:

Also had videos where the ships were destroyed by the balloons swaying to much.
:har:

That was SH3 though! What failed in SH3 does not mean it will produce the same results in SH5!

Targor Avelany

10-31-13, 05:00 PM

gap

10-31-13, 05:17 PM

I didn't have all the ropes just a grounding cable.
When attached to a ship?
The controller started a sway on ship movement that caused it to all go bad!
:haha:

Was the controller attached to the balloon or to the connecting node on the ship? I wonder if the pendulum controller is applied to the lower object, no matter where it is placed and/or if relative masses are taken into account :hmmm:

I had a bunch of videos at one time that showed Air Craft hitting the balloons and everything went boom.
:yep:

Also had videos where the ships were destroyed by the balloons swaying to much.
:har:

LOL, we must be prepared to face this sort of problems Targor :o

That was SH3 though! What failed in SH3 does not mean it will produce the same results in SH5!

I bet it will produce even MORE EPIC results!!!

at least at first. I can bet on it :)

Yep, the SH5's law goes beyond Murphy's most catastrophic previsions :doh:

Targor Avelany

10-31-13, 05:26 PM

Was the controller attached to the balloon or to the connecting node on the ship? I wonder if the pendulum controller is applied to the lower object, no matter where it is placed and/or if relative masses are taken into account :hmmm:

LOL, we must be prepared to face this sort of problems Targor :o

Yep, the SH5's law goes beyond Murphy's most catastrophic previsions :doh:

I get home and I'm downloading fraps :)))))))))

Madox58

10-31-13, 05:28 PM

I don't remember what I did but I know I did alot of different things back then.
:haha:

You tend to remember 90% of things that didn't work after a few years.
Given it's been somewhere around 5 years or more?
I'm lucky I even remember seeing ships flip over!!
:har:

gap

10-31-13, 05:29 PM

Nope - no joy
I can't see the error and have no control in ME2
Models are being drawn but no textures

Wait, I think I know what is going on: the GR2 file name and the model name must be identical. Rename the GR2 file and all the accessory files to Barrage_Balloon, and change the path in the cfg file accordingly :hmm2:

@ Trevally

another possible source of problems I have spotted: all the stock units using multiple diffuse/AO maps, have their configurable textures stored in the same folder as the GR2 file, and GR2 file itself is set to point straight to that path.
I will upload an update correcting the issue in a few minutes :up:

gap

10-31-13, 05:43 PM

I get home and I'm downloading fraps :)))))))))

:D

I don't remember what I did but I know I did alot of different things back then.
:haha:

You tend to remember 90% of things that didn't work after a few years.
Given it's been somewhere around 5 years or more?
I'm lucky I even remember seeing ships flip over!!
:har:

yep, fair enough.

On a side note, the keyframe animation on the dat balloon works nicely (@ Targor, the controller is already in the dat file within the package I have uploaded before). I have discovered that the keyframe node must follow immediately the mesh label: put another node in the middle, and it won't work.

I doubt it can be used to balance effectively ship's pitch and roll, as they are pretty random, and their amplitude varies with wave height. Nonetheless, this sort of animation can be used for adding some extra swinging to the balloon. Setting it to give the impression of a natural movement takes time though :yep:

Madox58

10-31-13, 05:44 PM

Found an old test image. Notice the truck?
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/privateer_2006/Sub/SH3Img23-1-2007_7.jpg

gap

10-31-13, 05:58 PM

Found an old test image. Notice the truck?

Nice screenie. I think I should redo the suspension cable as shown in it, and make picketing lines much shorter, as per your previous suggestion :up:

On a side note: was that truck moving?

Madox58

10-31-13, 06:00 PM

gap

10-31-13, 06:35 PM

@ Trevally

another possible source of problems I have spotted: all the stock units using multiple diffuse/AO maps, have their configurable textures stored in the same folder as the GR2 file, and GR2 file itself is set to point straight to that path.
I will upload an update correcting the issue in a few minutes :up:

Okay, I have reconfigured all the names/settings as per stock units, and double checked that I didn't introduce any wrong reference/mistyped name. Now everything should work as supposed. :up:

Download link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?9hxu2l6rdgs3id5

Sorry for the inconvenience guys. :88)

gap

10-31-13, 06:39 PM

Nope. Static model as a Land Unit.
I did the cable with the arc as an eye candy thing.
I've often thought about going back and adding to the effect for GWX 3.
But it was our last release as a Team and I really don't want to change it.
I have explained how to do things like that many times over.
S3D and other Tools allow it and make it all possible so it just takes that one Guy to do it.

Once we finish our work on the balloon, nothing prevents from importing this model into SHIII. With Trevally's and Targor's permission indeed. We have taken a lot from SHIII, and it is about time that we pay back for all the goodies we stole from you, GWX guys :03:

Madox58

10-31-13, 06:40 PM

gap

10-31-13, 07:02 PM

http://www.angelfire.com/il/kcdiana/images/churchlady.jpg

You didn't steal anything. The GWX Team gave it all to the Subsim community. (What we did anyway)
We knew down the road other Modders would look back and use what we figured out.
Some of us knew we would go forwards and try to assist in any way we could.
It's my pleasure to assist as a GWX Team Member and on my own accord.
It's all about makeing the Games better.

I couldn't agree more, and personally I am not lesser grateful for your precious assistance than I am for previously released stuff that we got permission to use. Nonetheless there was a time, I think, that we SH5-ers were accused to steal files and ideas from GWX. But I can be wrong anyway: my mind refuses to remember the details of conflict-related events, when they are not restricted to historical battles and to mod conflicts :D

Madox58

10-31-13, 07:07 PM

You forgot to mention you'd send me money?
:har:

gap

10-31-13, 07:10 PM

You forgot to mention you'd send me money?
:har:

Sure, give me the number of your credit card! :Kaleun_Wink:

Madox58

10-31-13, 07:12 PM

Hey. You can't blame a Guy for trying to get his Wife off his back!
:D
:O:

gap

10-31-13, 07:15 PM

Hey. You can't blame a Guy for trying to get his Wife off his back!
:D
:O:

As you prefer. Give me your wife's phone number then :D :O:

Madox58

10-31-13, 07:19 PM

I'm an ex-ParaTrooper with Combat experience and she scares me!
:o
You sure you want that number?
:har:

gap

10-31-13, 07:52 PM

I'm an ex-ParaTrooper with Combat experience and she scares me!
:o
You sure you want that number?
:har:

You are lucky mate, I just LOVE women with a strong personality
...but I don't want to deprive you of the rare pleasure of being a submissive lover :D

Trevally.

11-01-13, 01:06 PM

Still no placement control with the unit:hmmm:
Textures are now working:yeah:

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/1373/pjd9.jpg

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/7189/vq87.jpg

Rongel

11-01-13, 01:31 PM

That looks just amazing! Great work all of you :yeah:

gap

11-01-13, 02:26 PM

Still no placement control with the unit:hmmm:

What do you mean exactly by "no placement control"? Is this with my last upload of yesterday? In my settings nothing has changed respective to the previously used balloons, except for roster assignation: British instead of Environmental, but I don't see how this could be related with the problem you are talking about :hmm2:

Textures are now working:yeah:

Have you checked if the assignation of different textures through ME2 works as supposed?

P.S: currently working on the wires: I am making picketing lines much shorter (and maybe I will add a swinging animation to them), and the suspension cable will feature a catenary bending :sunny:

P.S: maybe we should add the normal map to balloon's materials... the map is ready and included among the files I have uploaded, but still not featured in te GR2 file settings

Trevally.

11-01-13, 03:18 PM

What do you mean exactly by "no placement control"? Is this with my last upload of yesterday? In my settings nothing has changed respective to the previously used balloons, except for roster assignation: British instead of Environmental, but I don't see how this could be related with the problem you are talking about :hmm2:

When placing a unit we get the option to adjust speed heading etc - this panel is blank when selecting this unit.
I have not seen this before.

I can manually edit all setting.

Have you checked if the assignation of different textures through ME2 works as supposed?

Panel is blank - but this is not an option with non convoy units
So other than perhaps date - not control over the tga files

P.S: currently working on the wires: I am making picketing lines much shorter (and maybe I will add a swinging animation to them), and the suspension cable will feature a catenary bending :sunny:
Nice:up:

P.S: maybe we should add the normal map to balloon's materials... the map is ready and included among the files I have uploaded, but still not featured in te GR2 file settings

Would be worth a test I am sure - they do look good as is

Here are some turned to get a better light effect
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/5282/osks.jpg

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/2168/2wcb.jpg

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/1317/u7aa.jpg

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/3397/w9w2.jpg

gap

11-01-13, 03:55 PM

When placing a unit we get the option to adjust speed heading etc - this panel is blank when selecting this unit.
I have not seen this before.

I can manually edit all setting.

Okay, I have just checked the unit in ME, and the same happens on my end. I will investigate why this is happening :up:

Panel is blank - but this is not an option with non convoy units
So other than perhaps date - not control over the tga files

I am not sure that camo dates are applied in game. From my own experience, only the default skin (set in the GR2 files) is used in game. But the camo selection in ME for single units seems to work, at least in historical missions: I have checked it out when a while ago. Should not work in campaign (as you are saying), in theory there are two workarounds:

- setting barrage balloon fields as an "air convoy" (but would it really work :hmmm:)
- creating proxy units for each skin we want to use (I am sure about the effectiveness of this method)

Would be worth a test I am sure - they do look good as is

Here are some turned to get a better light effect

beutiful! :up:

The effect of normal maps would be especially noticeable with side lightening, as in the set of screenies you have posted before. Not really needed as those balloons willl be normally seen from far away (no stock plane has bumpmaps by the way), but since we are at it, we can test it anyway :up:

More important, we need to test that the LOD model is working as supposed. Tell me when you are ready, and I will send you a patch for easing the test :03:

gap

11-02-13, 04:56 AM

@ Trevally

Final version of the balloons, fixing the problem of unit properties tab in ME2 being blank:

http://www.mediafire.com/?5e4enqb125rs8a7

included in the package, a test patch turning LOD model's skin into a bright red one. Enable it on top of the main mod whenever you want :up:

Trevally.

11-02-13, 05:20 AM

Thanks Gap:up:

I am starting to day to make OHIIv2.3
I only have about 1 hour free today :arrgh!: so will only get the file structures set.
One a full upgrade to v2.3 and the other a upgrade only version.

Hope to have more time tomorrow

gap

11-02-13, 05:25 AM

I am starting to day to make OHIIv2.3
I only have about 1 hour free today :arrgh!: so will only get the file structures set.
One a full upgrade to v2.3 and the other a upgrade only version.

Hope to have more time tomorrow

Do you need help with balloon barrage placement in campaign? I have quite good information on their historical usage by location and -in some cases- by date, in England and abroad :salute:

Trevally.

11-02-13, 05:44 AM

yes - thanks Gap, that would be good

gap

11-02-13, 05:47 AM

yes - thanks Gap, that would be good

Okay, today I will try gathering and summarizing all the information I have available :up:

Trevally.

11-02-13, 05:47 AM

The balloons are red from a distance
The tangle cables do need to be reduced

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/1158/ctzg.jpg

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/7087/qb55.jpg

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/2889/5mjv.jpg

Trevally.

11-02-13, 05:49 AM

Okay, today I will try gathering and summarizing all the information I have available :up:

:up:

Cybermat47

11-02-13, 05:57 AM

Those balloons look great!

gap

11-02-13, 06:12 AM

The balloons are red from a distance

Okay, if you have enabled the test patch, this is good news actually: it means that the LOD model is used already, without need of any special setting.
You can disable the patch now; should we experience lagging in the vicinity of some dense barrage balloon fields, I will further reduce the number of their vertices :up:

The tangle cables do need to be reduced

I will reduce the picketing lines (i.e. the lateral wire cables) to a length of about 100 ft (30m): this is the altitude at which balloons were secured before being deployed. As for the central suspension cable, unless there is a special reason for shortening it, it will be bended but not reduced in length, so to allow a realistic max operation altitude of about 4,500 ft (1,370m).

stoianm

11-02-13, 06:15 AM

lol.. I just finished to install sh5... and to install all mods.. now.. I see.. I must to restart.. again... what this patch is fixing?

Trevally.

11-02-13, 06:16 AM

Okay, if you have enabled the test patch, this is good news actually: it means that the LOD model is used already, without need of any special setting.
You can disable the patch now; should we experience lagging in the vicinity of some dense barrage balloon fields, I will further reduce the number of their vertices :up:

Yes - the LOD was working
for lag, I need to test in a larger port with some ships and perhaps an air raid or two:D

I will reduce the picketing lines (i.e. the lateral wire cables) to a length of about 100 ft (30m): this is the altitude at which balloons were secured before being deployed. As for the central suspension cable, unless there is a special reason for shortening it, it will be bended but not reduced in length, so to allow a realistic max operation altitude of about 4,500 ft (1,370m).

:up:

Rongel

11-02-13, 06:23 AM

lol.. I just finished to install sh5... and to install all mods.. now.. I see.. I must to restart.. again... what this patch is fixing?

Good to see you back stoainm! You have been away for some time!:yeah:

stoianm

11-02-13, 06:25 AM

Good to see you back stoainm! You have been away for some time!:yeah:
Good to see you too. Yes.. I was lost on sea.. for few years.. but now I am back, ready to hunt some convoys! :)

gap

11-02-13, 06:26 AM

Yes - the LOD was working
for lag, I need to test in a larger port with some ships and perhaps an air raid or two:D

In any case, they should not affect rendering smoothness more than the previous balloon model did. Despite the feeling of better detail, the new meshes have a smaller number of vertices, edges and polygons, and the LOD model further reduces these numbers to about one half compared to the main model :yep:

gap

11-02-13, 06:28 AM

lol.. I just finished to install sh5... and to install all mods.. now.. I see.. I must to restart.. again...

:yeah: :woot:

what this patch is fixing?

Which patch? By now this game is a collection patches, reworks, tweaks, fixes and hotfixes :O:

stoianm

11-02-13, 06:30 AM

the new version of OH2.. that trevally.. it is working now.. I should stay until he will finish?

Good morning.. gap!:)

gap

11-02-13, 06:33 AM

the new version of OH2.. that trevally.. it is working now.. I should stay until he will finish?

Yes, I think this would be a good idea :03:

Good morning.. gap!:)

Good morning to you stoianm! Here in the old Europe is about lunch time :)

stoianm

11-02-13, 06:41 AM

Yes, I think this would be a good idea :03:

Good morning to you stoianm! Here in the old Europe is about lunch time :)

Tnx.. may the force to be with you too... btw.. I forgot to tell you.. that I am Darth Vader (http://starwars.com/explore/encyclopedia/characters/darthvader/).. in my free time.. so, u want a fight with me? :D

Trevally.

11-02-13, 06:46 AM

lol.. I just finished to install sh5... and to install all mods.. now.. I see.. I must to restart.. again... what this patch is fixing?

Welcome back pal:sunny:

gap

11-02-13, 06:47 AM

Tnx.. may the force to be with you too... btw.. I forgot to tell you.. that I am Darth Vader (http://starwars.com/explore/encyclopedia/characters/darthvader/).. in my free time.. so, u want a fight with me? :D

always ready for a good fight against the dark side of the Force http://www.greensmilies.com/smile/smiley_emoticons_star-wars-yoda3-rot.gif

http://www.world-of-smilies.com/wos_starwars/starwars023.gif

stoianm

11-02-13, 06:51 AM

Welcome back pal:sunny:

Hi mate.. glad to see you here.. I hope you left some ships.. for me.. to hunt in Atlantic.. did you sink them all? :)

stoianm

11-02-13, 06:52 AM

always ready for a good fight against the dark side of the Force http://www.greensmilies.com/smile/smiley_emoticons_star-wars-yoda3-rot.gif

http://www.world-of-smilies.com/wos_starwars/starwars023.gif
:haha:.. I found you unchanged.. the same gap! :salute:

THE_MASK

11-02-13, 08:15 AM

hello stoianm

stoianm

11-02-13, 09:00 AM

hello stoianm
Hello sober... how are you?

Silent Steel

11-02-13, 09:05 AM

Still no placement control with the unit:hmmm:
Textures are now working:yeah:

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/1373/pjd9.jpg

http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/7189/vq87.jpg

Fabulous :o

Silent Steel

11-02-13, 09:09 AM

lol.. I just finished to install sh5... and to install all mods.. now.. I see.. I must to restart.. again... what this patch is fixing?

Aaaah, at long last... Welcome back Stoianm :up:
GOOOD to see you're back

There still are a few ships left for you :arrgh!:

stoianm

11-02-13, 09:25 AM

Aaaah, at long last... Welcome back Stoianm :up:
GOOOD to see you're back

There still are a few ships left for you :arrgh!:

Hi mate.. glad to see you here.. do you think I need an examination before they will give me the command of a new Uboat? Can you put a good word for me at Donitz?.. to be sure that I will pass the exam! :)

Trevally.

11-02-13, 11:33 AM

Fabulous :o

Yes Gap and Tragor did a fantastic job:up:

gap

11-02-13, 11:48 AM

Targor Avelany

11-02-13, 12:25 PM

I agree with what gap said. My input to all this awesomeness is minor and most of the thanks should go to people who has done the real work :) :woot:

Trevally.

11-02-13, 12:43 PM

Yes Gap and Tragor did a fantastic job:up:

...and Trevally; let's remember that this project was started by him. Without his imputs I would have ignored the existence of those UFO's, and I would have missed a good template to start from for the modelling of the new meshes.
Special mentions also go to TDW and privateer for making the editing of GR2 files possible, and to BIGREG for giving us the idea to convert the balloon into a GR2 object (do you remember, Trevally?).

I agree with what gap said. My input to all this awesomeness is minor and most of the thanks should go to people who has done the real work :) :woot:

Group hug:D

http://www.visionfromfeeling.com/img/smilies/grouphug.gif (http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=cRx6OcuI3-UeSM&tbnid=Uv7K1cAB-yiiAM:&ved=0CAgQjRwwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.visionfromfeeling.com%2Fsmili es.html&ei=fTl1Uv_GJZPwhQf98oCwBg&psig=AFQjCNEMQwf1E1ap-Ghpbry1v2fNFdHSvA&ust=1383500541711970)

Madox58

11-02-13, 01:08 PM

Guess I should finish optimizing the New K-Ship model so we have something better to do then pat each other on the back.
:hmmm:
:D

Trevally.

11-02-13, 01:23 PM

Guess I should finish optimizing the New K-Ship model so we have something better to do then pat each other on the back.
:hmmm:
:D

:D

:yeah:

gap

11-02-13, 01:50 PM

Guess I should finish optimizing the New K-Ship model so we have something better to do then pat each other on the back.
:hmmm:
:D

That one was in my todo list :yeah:

I agree with what gap said. My input to all this awesomeness is minor and most of the thanks should go to people who has done the real work :) :woot:

There are no minor imputs here. I think our balloon is a perfect example of team-working, where different skills were equally essential for its completion. Shame on us that it took so long :O:, but I am sure that works on the next project will be much faster!

End of the group-solidarity time. I am currently too busy gathering information for Trevally (found some awesome pictures btw), for wasting my time on it :D

gap off

Madox58

11-02-13, 02:02 PM

The New K-Ship is a much better version then We did for GWX.
It's not my 3D work but I have permission from the creator to use it.
:rock:
@gap

Check your e-mail! I have sent important information!

Targor Avelany

11-02-13, 09:45 PM

also, if anyone will have more detailed pictures/information on WW2 mines, send it my way, as I'm currently gathering info on that so we can make new mines in gr2

gap

11-03-13, 04:59 AM

The New K-Ship is a much better version then We did for GWX.
It's not my 3D work but I have permission from the creator to use it.
:rock:
@gap

Check your e-mail! I have sent important information!

Wow, this might be a major breakthrough mate. Please keep on your brilliant work :yeah:

also, if anyone will have more detailed pictures/information on WW2 mines, send it my way, as I'm currently gathering info on that so we can make new mines in gr2

Hi Max, have you had a look into the Grenades, mines and bobytraps (http://www.lexpev.nl/manuals/index.html) website already? I am sure that you will find there all the information that you need for :salute:

Silent Steel

11-03-13, 05:18 AM

...do you think I need an examination before they will give me the command of a new Uboat? Can you put a good word for me at Donitz?.. to be sure that I will pass the exam! :)

With your experience this shouldn't be necessary but of course I'll recommend you next time I see Donitz.

Targor Avelany

11-03-13, 12:37 PM

@gap & Trevally,

I have decided Type 17 (Mark XVII) mine will be the best choice for our new sea mine. So far from everything I was able to find, this was the most used sea mine by British during WW2. If you have other suggestions or information that contradicts mine, please let me know!

gap

11-03-13, 02:56 PM

Targor Avelany

11-04-13, 10:09 PM

decided since it is being made for the OH, I'll post the screenies here:

Here is what I've got so far:

http://imageshack.us/a/img819/1551/u6tw.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img855/3603/cohb.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img690/3276/u4mn.jpg

gap

11-05-13, 03:55 AM

Looks awesome Targor, love the details :yeah:

At this moment I have just a couple of suggestions: the two poles should be identical (two perfect hemispheres) and, for the record, from real photographs I get only 32 bolts fixing the top cover. :salute:

gap

11-05-13, 08:40 AM

@ Trevally on barrage balloon usage:

http://www.nevingtonwarmuseum.com/united-kingdom---balloon-command.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Auxiliary_Air_Force#Barrage_Balloon_Organisa tion_of_the_Auxiliary_Air_Force

The above links have most of the information you need for placing the balloons in campaign. :yep:

You might also find the following general information useful:

Types of balloon
Disregarding the Admiralty Type Mk. VI spherical balloons employed as offensive means during the so called Operations Albino and Outward [1], [2], [3], [4], [5] (on a side note, similar balloons were also used for carrying propaganda leaflets beyond the enemy lines [6]), and the American D-7 and D-8 low pressure ballonet type balloons [7], [8], which afaik never crossed the Atlantic, three main types of defence balloons served in the British forces:

the Low Zone Mk. VII and Mk. X ballonet type Kite Balloons, used mostly or exclusively at home for land or coastal defence, and represented in game by our model;
the Low Zone Mk. IV Kite Balloons, routinely used for the defence of British installations outside UK, in "hot climates" around the Mediterranean and as far as the British Raj [9], [10].
the Ultra Low Altitude Mk. XIII Balloons, similar in shape to Mk. IV balloons but probably smaller; they were employed aboard British and American landing crafts (both nations apparently used the same design) and by troops disembarked from them during Italy, North Africa and Normandy landings [7]; this model might also be the one most commonly used aboard merchant convoy vessels.

Unless noted otherwise, the information reported below is relative to the Low Zone Mk. VII ballonet type balloon.

Balloon usage
Air defense ballloon could be:

anchored to the soil for defending cities and military/civil strategic installations. The main purpose of these balloon fields was not to pose a direct threat to attacking aircraft, but interdicting them from flying at low altitude, thus reducing their bomb-dropping accuracy and making them better targets for the air defence batteries which were often associated with balloon barrage fields [12] [13], [14].
tethered aboard drifters, barges, tugboats, and (occasionally) sailboats. These vessels were often docked in harbours and estuaries and were meant both for defending coastal installations and shipping against air raids, and for interdicting the laying of minefields by low-flying aircraft [13], [14], [15], [16]. Small merchant ships and motor boats could also be manned as supply vessels, used for the servicing and delivery of pre-inflateed balloons to convoy shipping passing through particular chokepoints or leaving from major ports [17], [18].
towed by sea-going vessels, especially tugs, patrol boats, minesweepers and small merchants, for their own defense and the defense of escorted convoys [15], [19], [20]. The balloons employed for this purpose might have been of the LZ ballonet type [21], or (arguably more often) of the more handy ULA Mk. XIII type [16], [22].
towed by LST/LSM landing craft (only ULA type, see above).

Balloon barrage flying orders
The general rule prescribed to Balloon Squadrons in Libya, Egypt and the Middle East was as follows [23].

Land-based balloons:

bedded down or hauled at an altitude of 100 ft during day time;
flown at a ruling operation height of 2,000 ft at night;
flown at a maximum operation height of 2,500 or 4,500 ft in case of air raids.

Ship-borne balloons: flown at an altitude from 1,000 to 2,000 ft (2,000 ft being the standard height for Mk. XIII balloons flown aboard merchant vessels [15]).

The above provisions had several exceptions, especially concerning the usage of balloons around strategic targets, which was allowed also during day time [23].
Though not being relative to home defence, it is possible that a similar set of rules was also applied to barrage balloon fields in England. It must be nonetheless noted that, at least over London, barrage balloons were flown during the day as well as at night. Historical photographs and footage clearly in same moment of the day different balloons might have been flow at different altitudes, as shown in many photographs and in historical footage [24].

List of sources:
[1] Military History Now - Death From Above: The Bomber Balloons Of WW2 (http://militaryhistorynow.com/2013/05/23/death-from-above-the-bomber-balloons-of-ww2/)
[2] What Lies Beneath Rattlechain Lagoon? - Operation Outward (http://www.whatliesbeneathrattlechainlagoon.org.uk/page_id=476)
[3] Wikipedia - Operation Outward (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Outward)
[4] Raoul E. Drapeau on IEEE power&energy Magazine - Operation Outward: Britain's World War II offensive balloons (http://magazine.ieee-pes.org/september-october-2011/operation-outward/)
[5] The Balloon Barrage Reunion Club Website - Free Balloon Operations in World War Two (http://www.bbrclub.org/free_balloon_operations_in_world.htm)
[6] Lee Richards - The “M” Balloon Unit: British Balloon Distribution of Aerial Propaganda During WWII (http://www.psywar.co.uk/psywar/reproductions/mballoon.pdf)
[7] skylighter.org - Barrage Balloons in World War II: from Camp Tyson to Omaha Beach (http://www.skylighters.org/barrageballoons/)
[8] The Army Air Forces in World War II, Vol. VI: Men and Planes, Chapter 3: Air defense of the United States (http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/VI/AAF-VI-3.html)
[9] BBRC - Sqdn/L Robert Wallis Beresford 978 Squadron India (http://www.bbrclub.org/75282_squadron_leader_robert_wal.htm)
[10] BBRC - Various pictures of Sqdn Ldr Beresford and his Crew (http://www.bbrclub.org/Various%20pictures%20of%20Squadron%20Leader%20Bere sford%20and%20his%20crews.htm)
[10] Maj Franklin J. Hillson on Airpower Journal - Summer 1989 - Barrage Ballons for Low-Level Air Defense (http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/apj/apj89/hillson.html)
[11] Air Minister Sees Barrage Balloons (http://www.britishpathe.com/video/air-minister-sees-barrage-balloons) ("Pathé Gazette" newsreel, 1938)
[12] Air Attack On Dover Harbour (http://www.britishpathe.com/video/air-attack-on-dover-harbour/) ("Pathé Gazette" newsreel, 1940)
[13] Beaten Back (http://www.britishpathe.com/video/beaten-back) ("Pathé Gazette" newsreel, 1940)
[14] BBRC - Barrage Balloon Vessels: an Introduction (http://www.bbrclub.org/Barrage%20Balloon%20Vessels.htm)
[15] BBRC - Balloon Barrage Vessel A Y Alessie: a short pictorial history (http://www.bbrclub.org/Balloon%20Barrage%20Vessel%20A%20Y%20Alessie%20a%2 0short%20history.htm)
[16] Leonard C. Bacon - Hull's Own Airforce Station (17 Balloon Centre - RAF Sutton on Hull), Chapter 2: Things Ballonatic (http://www.17balloons.co.uk/pages/page-05.html)
[17] WW2Talk forum - Gasmasks, barrage balloons, sandbags and wardens’ rattles 1938, post#7 (http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/37211-gasmasks-barrage-balloons-sandbags-and-wardens%E2%80%99-rattles-1938/)
[18] RN Department Office of Naval Intelligence, Nov 1918 - Kite Balloons in Escorts (http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/onipubno46.htm)
[19] uboat.net - Allied warships - HMS Nubian (F 36) (http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4427.html)
[20] Barrage Balloons for Convoys (http://www.britishpathe.com/video/barrage-balloons-for-convoys/) ("Pathé Gazette" newsreel, 1940)
[22] War44 forums - Kite Balloons that Beat the Dive Bombers (http://www.war44.com/merchant-navy-during-wwii/1899-kite-balloons-beat-dive-bombers.html)
[23] BBRC - Battle Orders - Balloon Barrages and Squadrons in Egypt, Libya and Levant (http://www.bbrclub.org/BATTLE%20ORDERS-BALLOON%20BARRAGES%20AND%20SQUADRONS.htm)
[24] Balloon Barrage (http://www.britishpathe.com/video/balloon-barrage) ("Pathé Gazette" newsreel, 1941)
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/balloons-issue-title-heres-how
worldwar-two.net - Barrage Balloons (http://www.worldwar-two.net/weapons/barrage_balloons/1/)
Traces of World War 2 - RAF - 902 Balloon (http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/902_Balloon_squadron.html)
John Penny - A short history of No.11 Balloon Centre at Pucklechurch, 1939 to 1945, and RAF Station Pucklechurch, 1945 to 1959 (http://fishponds.org.uk/puckle.html)
War44 forums - Barrage Balloons (http://www.war44.com/war44-general-forums/1673-barrage-balloons.html)
Ottawa Citizen, 12 Dec 1939 - Balloon Barrage Placed Over The Firth Of Forth (http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2194&dat=19391212&id=c_0uAAAAIBAJ&sjid=v9sFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7059,3759817)
The Glasgow Herald, 18 Apr 1942 - Firth of Forth's Protection from the Air (http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19420418&id=hFpAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cFkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6112,6319948)
Matrix Games Forums - Barrage balloons (http://www.matrixgames.com/Forums/tm.asp?m=1630098&mpage=1&key=�)
US War Department - Barrage Balloon: Operation of Matériel and Employment of Personnel (FM 4-117, June 1 1942) (http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/ref/FM/PDFs/FM4-117.PDF)
US War Department - Barrage Balloon Site Installations (FM 4-184, April 13 1943) (http://www.cgsc.edu/carl/docrepository/FM4_184%20_1943.pdf)
BBRC - Balloon Command: Development of Balloon Command in the first and second world wars (http://www.bbrclub.org/development_of_balloon_command.htm)

Trevally.

11-05-13, 08:48 AM

decided since it is being made for the OH, I'll post the screenies here:

Here is what I've got so far

Looking good Targor:up:

@ Trevally on barrage balloon usage:

thanks Gap - I will read through this tonight:yeah:

gap

11-05-13, 09:20 AM

thanks Gap - I will read through this tonight:yeah:

Make sure to watch the dramatic footage of the German raid on Dover of August 1940. It records the destruction of a barrage balloon, and the downing of several planes by the British coastal artillery. :-?

I hope we can recreate a similar scenery in game :sunny:

Targor Avelany

11-05-13, 11:25 AM

gap

11-05-13, 12:18 PM

Yep. Started over yesterday in order to make sure to stay as close as possible to correct numbers.

:up:

Personally I would go for the following figures:

- diameter: 40"
- central belt height: 8", or whatever fits better the pictures and drawings we have available.
- total height (only mine body without the two caps): 20" + belt height + 20"
- horns: 11 horns of 6" (2 on the top cap, 5 on the top hemisphere, 4 on the lower hemishpere)
- color and markings: as visible from this picture: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1NdL_8bK4So/S9TAPxE2V7I/AAAAAAAAASc/aciYBBx7mBM/s1600/DSC00267.JPG

Targor Avelany

11-05-13, 12:24 PM

:up:

Personally I would go for the following figures:

- diameter: 40"
- central belt height: 8", or whatever fits better the pictures and drawings we have available.
- total height (only mine body without the two caps): 20" + belt height + 20"
- horns: 11 horns of 6" (2 on the top cap, 5 on the top hemisphere, 4 on the lower hemishpere)
- color and markings: as visible from this picture: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1NdL_8bK4So/S9TAPxE2V7I/AAAAAAAAASc/aciYBBx7mBM/s1600/DSC00267.JPG

That is pretty much the route I have decided to take :)

Madox58

11-05-13, 04:42 PM

Cybermat47

11-05-13, 05:36 PM

The mod's coming a long way :)

Targor Avelany

11-05-13, 06:13 PM

Given you have problems with mines already?
I'd slim the model down by doing graphics work for all the bolts and nuts!
Those things will produce a massive amount of verts to render!
:o
Even haveing the LOD version once you get to close?
I'd expect problems.
Here's what I did for bolts on the 12 pounder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUn-Pa0DPSg

I was pretty much thinking along the same lines. It will have to be as low poly mesh as possible.

But I want to start with a pretty :)

Madox58

11-05-13, 06:18 PM

Do a high poly model then low poly it.
Do a norms burn and the low poly will be fantastic if one looks at it in Game.
:up:

Aside from maybe a cool screen shot? Not many are going to really zoom on it often enuff to make the issue lesser then the model.

gap

11-06-13, 12:35 PM

Given you have problems with mines already?
I'd slim the model down by doing graphics work for all the bolts and nuts!
Those things will produce a massive amount of verts to render!
:o
Even haveing the LOD version once you get to close?
I'd expect problems.
Here's what I did for bolts on the 12 pounder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUn-Pa0DPSg

@ privateer

awesome work on that gun :up:

@ Targor Avelany

Re bolts and nuts: what about using the same mesh for each single bolt, linket to the main model through dummy bones and prt file? :hmm2:

Katze

11-07-13, 04:07 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBeast http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/smartdark/viewpost.gif (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?p=1936248#post1936248)
OH II V2.0
- Campaign: Arctic Convoys
- - Mission: PQ/OP Convoys
- - - Objective: Tansport Crew to Bear Island to Setup Weather Station

The Mission Objective marker is no where near Bear Island.
I am unable to launch Crew from Marker area.
I waited at marker for 3 days game time.
If I go to Bear Island I am unable to lauch Crew at island.

Please advise!
Hi TheBeast:salute:

I have checked this mission (script only) and everything looks ok.
The area is 10km radius that you should drop off your supply boat.
Ensure you are inside this area - come to dead stop on surface and goto bridge. You should get an option to launch supply boat.
http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/787/bearisland.jpg

I will add this to my list for checking for the next patch.
Any firther info would help.

Cheers
Trevally:up:

I just encountered the same mission problem noted above; the indicator icon was about 500km SSW of Bear Island and the description was as above (Deliver meteorological supplies).
I went to the location shown on the above map near Bear Island at dead stop and no completion, so I was heading back to the indicated mission marker thinking that maybe if I come to dead stop near the marker the mission would complete.
When I was near it I encountered a convoy and after sinking one ship I got skill points and an Objective Complete for a Patrol objective.

I'm thinking that the bugged objective mission is not the Bear Island drop off as shown above, but that there might be a Patrol objective mission out there with a description that incorrectly has the same as description as the Bear Island delivery/drop off.

Could that be the case?

Trevally.

11-07-13, 05:00 PM

I just encountered the same mission problem noted above; the indicator icon was about 500km SSW of Bear Island and the description was as above (Deliver meteorological supplies).
I went to the location shown on the above map near Bear Island at dead stop and no completion, so I was heading back to the indicated mission marker thinking that maybe if I come to dead stop near the marker the mission would complete.
When I was near it I encountered a convoy and after sinking one ship I got skill points and an Objective Complete for a Patrol objective.

I'm thinking that the bugged objective mission is not the Bear Island drop off as shown above, but that there might be a Patrol objective mission out there with a description that incorrectly has the same as description as the Bear Island delivery/drop off.

Could that be the case?

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/594/9aab.jpg

Here is the only mission I could find in the area you suggest?
can you show your save game?
here:-

C:\Users\User\Documents\SH5\data\cfg\SaveGames\000 0000a\Campaign-2010-03-11_1458\CampaignMission.tsr

your save game number
your campaign start date

Targor Avelany

11-07-13, 05:14 PM

@ privateer

awesome work on that gun :up:

@ Targor Avelany

Re bolts and nuts: what about using the same mesh for each single bolt, linket to the main model through dummy bones and prt file? :hmm2:

I'll see what I can do. My problem is atm is doing spikes - trying to decide how thick they should be and what type base: round or a bolt shape. Both have their challenges in implementation on a round surface. I also have been extremely short on time (more then usual) :shifty:, so please accept my apologies for the delay.

Katze

11-07-13, 05:39 PM

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/594/9aab.jpg

Here is the only mission I could find in the area you suggest?
can you show your save game?
here:-

C:\Users\User\Documents\SH5\data\cfg\SaveGames\000 0000a\Campaign-2010-03-11_1458\CampaignMission.tsr

your save game number
your campaign start date

Hi,
this would be the latest under
\Documents\SH5\data\cfg\SaveGames\00000007\Campaig n-2013-10-24_2221

The CampaignMission.tsr shows:

[Text]
Patrol the specified area=New patrol area assigned. Reposition and continue operation
Fail1B=Reposition to new designated area. BDU
Fail2B=Reposition to new area. Be more aggressive. BDU
Fail3A=Cease all operations and return to base. BDU
MissionBriefing=Patrol the specified area
MissionTitle=Patrol the specified area
Reposition and patrol the designated area=Reposition and continue patrol operations
Patrol the designated area=Patrol the designated area

Screenshot before completion (http://members.shaw.ca/angryangels/downloads/SH5Img@2013-11-07_14.25.30.jpg)

Screenshot after complete (http://members.shaw.ca/angryangels/downloads/SH5Img@2013-11-07_14.27.05.jpg)

Hope the information helps!

Mikemike47

11-07-13, 07:07 PM

Katze

11-07-13, 07:44 PM

I should have included, running Open Horizons II_full v2.2, yes.

On a related note, I noticed the South African flag is upside down when viewed in-game, and wasn't sure if it was a stock image until I just noticed it in the OH 2.2 data folder (\data\Textures\TNormal\tex\SouthAfrica.dds ).

I flipped it vertically for my own use but would be another minor thing to correct for the upcoming version 2.3. I never would have noticed but running my latest campaign at full realism I'm trying to ID ships before blowing them from the Atlantic and had a tough time finding it was from South Africa as it was upside down and the orange band looked like red to me.

Trevally.

11-08-13, 04:06 AM

Starting at post # 4135, TheBeast quote reference states OHII v2.0. We are at version OHII v2.2. Is the problem occurring for other fellow captains at v 2.2?

I did not spot the version OHII v2.2 references without having to compare other files or the pictures being shown.
We are waiting patiently for version 2.3:up: Trevally. Take whatever time you need to do it right.:Kaleun_Salivating:If you need any type of help with the skills I got, please let me know.

Thanks guys:)

To fix this should not be hard - the hard part if finding the correct mission.mis file that is wrong. Looking that the save game tsr file did not help, but it was worth a try:oops:

next attempt should be to scan the mission folder with a text editor looking for any files with "bear island" in it.
Text-crawller is the one I used to use as it can scan subfolders.

the folder that needs to be scanned is (not at my games PC so guessing here) data/campaign/campaign projects/missions/artic convoys

so if anyone has some time to try this and identify any .mis or .tsr file that has bear island - that would be great

:up:

Trevally.

11-08-13, 04:08 AM

Katze

11-08-13, 10:33 AM

Good find Katze - I will add this to the fixes for v2.3:yeah:

Thanks for all your hard work! Looking forward to the next version. Do you have a list of expected new features? I noticed the talk about external cargo and the new mines / balloons; anything else?

Trevally.

11-08-13, 01:12 PM

:up:
here is my to do list and update log:-

add gaps balloons
cargo ?? see rongel

I will thin the minefield out - all those groups are in 50s.
Only ever 6 or 7 groups within render range at one time = 350 units.
Not to bad
I will change them to groups of 20 - less than half.
If I adjust their spacing - the need to avoid is still there - without the fps drop.
Originally Posted by Katze
On a related note, I noticed the South African flag is upside down when viewed in-game, and wasn't sure if it was a stock image until I just noticed it in the OH 2.2 data folder (\data\Textures\TNormal\tex\SouthAfrica.dds ).
I flipped it vertically for my own use but would be another minor thing to correct for the upcoming version 2.3. I never would have noticed but running my latest campaign at full realism I'm trying to ID ships before blowing them from the Atlantic and had a tough time finding it was from South Africa as it was upside down and the orange band looked like red to me.

OHII full v2.3
03/11/2013
Added Serge65 fixes for aeroplane guns - Thanks Serge
Added war start radio messages as campaign messages
Added Rongels fixes for PT boat burning, rendering NMFMPC_Z and some terrain. - thanks Rongel
Added Sobers terrain fixes from v2.2 - Thanks Sober
Fixes bad spelling in Baltic area
Added more risk to the Scapa raid
Added some lithuania ships to Memel adjusted the jumpers
Increased fps when in wilhelmshaven
Removed convoys leaving Kiel when player in port (TG, MN, WA & TP)
Greatly reduced traffic leaving Kiel when player in port(TG, MN, WA & TP)

@ Gap
How did you get on with the reduction in cables?

Katze

11-08-13, 04:51 PM

:up:
here is my to do list and update log:-

add gaps balloons
cargo ?? see rongel

I will thin the minefield out - all those groups are in 50s.
Only ever 6 or 7 groups within render range at one time = 350 units.
Not to bad
I will change them to groups of 20 - less than half.
If I adjust their spacing - the need to avoid is still there - without the fps drop.
Originally Posted by Katze
On a related note, I noticed the South African flag is upside down when viewed in-game, and wasn't sure if it was a stock image until I just noticed it in the OH 2.2 data folder (\data\Textures\TNormal\tex\SouthAfrica.dds ).
I flipped it vertically for my own use but would be another minor thing to correct for the upcoming version 2.3. I never would have noticed but running my latest campaign at full realism I'm trying to ID ships before blowing them from the Atlantic and had a tough time finding it was from South Africa as it was upside down and the orange band looked like red to me.

OHII full v2.3
03/11/2013
Added Serge65 fixes for aeroplane guns - Thanks Serge
Added war start radio messages as campaign messages
Added Rongels fixes for PT boat burning, rendering NMFMPC_Z and some terrain. - thanks Rongel
Added Sobers terrain fixes from v2.2 - Thanks Sober
Fixes bad spelling in Baltic area
Added more risk to the Scapa raid
Added some lithuania ships to Memel adjusted the jumpers
Increased fps when in wilhelmshaven
Removed convoys leaving Kiel when player in port (TG, MN, WA & TP)
Greatly reduced traffic leaving Kiel when player in port(TG, MN, WA & TP)
@ Gap
How did you get on with the reduction in cables?

Looks awesome; I look forward to the airplane gun fix and fps fixes for Kiel and minefields.

Madox58

11-08-13, 05:34 PM

so if anyone has some time to try this and identify any .mis or .tsr file that has bear island - that would be great

:up:
Missions\Artic_Convoys_M\AC_PQ_Commando files

That's stock SH5 though.

Trevally.

11-08-13, 05:38 PM

Missions\Artic_Convoys_M\AC_PQ_Commando files

That's stock SH5 though.

Thanks privateer - I will check that one out:yeah:

gap

11-10-13, 05:56 AM

@ Gap
How did you get on with the reduction in cables?

I am working on it :up:

Targor Avelany

11-10-13, 02:45 PM

http://imageshack.us/a/img29/5143/xd11.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img14/1690/h8om.jpg

Madox58

11-10-13, 02:47 PM

That's purtty!
:up:

gap

11-10-13, 03:33 PM

@ Targor :o

simply awesome!
(I mean your model and privateer's new avatar ;))

THE_MASK

11-10-13, 03:44 PM

Regarding the scapa raid . Should it be fairly easy to enter the harbor during the raid thru the eastern passage like historically . Then after the raid date is cmpleted add lots of nets , dds etc .

Katze

11-12-13, 12:19 PM

Thanks guys:)

To fix this should not be hard - the hard part if finding the correct mission.mis file that is wrong. Looking that the save game tsr file did not help, but it was worth a try:oops:

next attempt should be to scan the mission folder with a text editor looking for any files with "bear island" in it.
Text-crawller is the one I used to use as it can scan subfolders.

the folder that needs to be scanned is (not at my games PC so guessing here) data/campaign/campaign projects/missions/artic convoys

so if anyone has some time to try this and identify any .mis or .tsr file that has bear island - that would be great

:up:

Thanks for looking into that.

While you're checking missions in the Arctic Convoys campaign can you also check Soviet Waters please?
The marker appears north of Trondheim even though the description is to patrol north of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, and my first mission marker ( To "Intercept convoy and sink at least 1 escort" ) was further West of that.

Arctic Convoys -Soviet Waters screenshot (http://members.shaw.ca/angryangels/downloads/SH5Img@2013-11-12_09.00.50.jpg)

When I did encounter a convoy and sink 3 ships near the Soviet Waters marker the kills didn't count for the Soviet Waters mission tonnage. I had already failed the intercept mission at that point.

I'm heading off to north of Murmansk but perhaps the mission marker should be moved to north of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk? I will see if tonnage counts over there.

Thanks!:up:

Trevally.

11-16-13, 11:04 AM

@ Targor
Mines are looking great:yeah:

Thanks for looking into that.

While you're checking missions in the Arctic Convoys campaign can you also check Soviet Waters please?
The marker appears north of Trondheim even though the description is to patrol north of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, and my first mission marker ( To "Intercept convoy and sink at least 1 escort" ) was further West of that.

Arctic Convoys -Soviet Waters screenshot (http://members.shaw.ca/angryangels/downloads/SH5Img@2013-11-12_09.00.50.jpg)

When I did encounter a convoy and sink 3 ships near the Soviet Waters marker the kills didn't count for the Soviet Waters mission tonnage. I had already failed the intercept mission at that point.

I'm heading off to north of Murmansk but perhaps the mission marker should be moved to north of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk? I will see if tonnage counts over there.

Thanks!:up:

:up:

I will move this

volodya61

11-16-13, 11:46 AM

:up:

I will move this

I asked you to do it more than a year ago :O: :03:

Trevally.

11-16-13, 12:08 PM

I asked you to do it more than a year ago :O: :03:

:D

Ah - this is good, I must be running out of things to fix:O:

Trevally.

11-22-13, 09:05 AM

@ Targor & Gap - any updates guys:06:

:salute:

Targor Avelany

11-22-13, 11:50 AM

@ Targor & Gap - any updates guys:06:

:salute:

Sorry for the wait, Trev. It has been pretty busy RL wise for me, so able to work only about 10-20 minutes a day on the model.
Run into some problems with properly reducing poly count (the high polygon model is done, but I doubt we want a 22k quad poly count model in the game), proper uvw unwrapping & creating a normal map that will work properly. Sorry for the delay.

Trevally.

11-23-13, 05:30 AM

Sorry for the wait, Trev. It has been pretty busy RL wise for me, so able to work only about 10-20 minutes a day on the model.
Run into some problems with properly reducing poly count (the high polygon model is done, but I doubt we want a 22k quad poly count model in the game), proper uvw unwrapping & creating a normal map that will work properly. Sorry for the delay.

Thanks for the update Targor:up:
Take your time:yep:

Aktungbby

11-24-13, 04:13 AM

great job

Welcome to the surface Distillery! on the occasion of post #1!:Kaleun_Salute:

gap

11-24-13, 05:27 AM

Thanks for the update Targor:up:
Take your time:yep:

Sorry for the delay Trevally. Today I will start work on the planned updates, I hope to get them ready in a few hours. :salute:

On a side note, I have found some further information on balloons' physics. Apparently they were flown exactly as a kite, and they relied on hydrogene filling them as well as on wind force, for generating the lift needed to keep them flying. Depending on gas purity and on wind speed, they would have had a positive pitch (nose up) between 3 and 11 degrees, and the tension of their cable would have varied between 780 and 1120 lbs.

This is obviously clashing with my previous idea of balloons simply floating at mid air, and their cable hanging from them, free to form a catenary curve. Should I take the above information into account? :hmmm:

Sources:
http://www.britishpathe.com/video/balloons-issue-title-heres-how
http://www.bbrclub.org/Theory%20of%20Barrage%20Balloons.htm

Run into some problems with properly reducing poly count (the high polygon model is done, but I doubt we want a 22k quad poly count model in the game), proper uvw unwrapping & creating a normal map that will work properly. Sorry for the delay.

I suppose you want to finish your model by yourlsef, and I won't take away from you the pleasure of doing it, but keep me informed anyway in case you need for help with any of the above tasks. :)

Re. poly reduction, have you tried using Softimage Mod Tool? Its Polygon Reduction tool is quite powerful. It lets you to customize many options, rendering the results on screen in real time :up:

Trevally.

11-26-13, 08:55 AM

Ahoy Gap:ahoy:

Wind facing balloons with curve would be nice.
Perhaps only the tethering cable:yep:

Have you managed to shorten the tangle ones?

gap

11-26-13, 11:17 AM

Ahoy Gap:ahoy:

Wind facing balloons with curve would be nice.
Perhaps only the tethering cable:yep:

Have you managed to shorten the tangle ones?

The tethering cable should have been pretty tense while the balloons were flow at operation altitude (= no arching; se description in my previous post). If you agree, this is what I will do:

- straightening the tethering cable;
- giving the cable + the balloon a positive pitch angle (3 deg should be enough);
- shortening the picketing lines;
- bending picketing lines toward the rear of the balloon.

Doing the above changes and re-importing the modified model in GR2 Editor should be doable in a few hours and, barring any unforeseen delays, I should be able to finsh with them within the day. I am sorry for the delays, but lately I have been absorbed by a .303 cal Lewis machine gun model that I am creating from scratch:

the real thing:

http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/weapons/lightweapons/lightmachineguns/lewisa104538-v6.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/18/Indian_Navy_seaman.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Royal_Navy_Motor_Torpedo_Boats_on_patrol%2C_1940._ A60.jpg

My model (50% ready):

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/459/s0ae.jpg

I am going to test if we can create working GR2 guns. If I succed, it is about time to replace most of the 20mm guns fitted aboard merchant ships with lower caliber guns :yep:

I have been also working on better flags for OHII + some new nations, and, most important, on a database of all the ships sunk by u-boats during WWII. For each vessel, I am taking note of any piece of information which might be relevant to the game (ship class, specs and appearance, gun armament, flag state, owner and special/flags markings displayed, date, route followed, convoy/escorts she was sailing with, torpedo/shell hits, sinking time, sinking mechanics, etc.). This is obviously a long therm projects, but I hope it will help us making OHII even more appealing and realistic. :sunny:

Silent Steel

11-26-13, 11:48 AM

:o

You guys are fabulous :Kaleun_Applaud:

Aktungbby

11-26-13, 12:39 PM

This is obviously a long therm projects, but I hope it will help us making OHII even more appealing and realistic.

If you can manage the tinkling sound of the brass hitting the deck it will be 'your finest hour' :salute: many thanks in advance.:up:

gap

11-26-13, 12:40 PM

:o

You guys are fabulous :Kaleun_Applaud:

If your comment refers to one of the projects I talked about in my previous post, then I must credit the awesome pile of information freely available on the web. :sunny:

For the lewis gun:

- bluerints:
http://www.arizonamodels.com/manuals/Lewis-Plan.jpg
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/7771/lewissamplerc7.jpg
http://s9.photobucket.com/user/allanflowers/media/Lewis.jpg.html

- general information and specs:
http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_30cal_MG.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_gun
http://world.guns.ru/machine/usa/lewis-e.html
http://www.allworldwars.com/Lewis-Automatic-Machine-Gun-1916.html
http://www.canadaatwar.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=2651
http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/weapons/lightweapons/lightmachineguns/lewisgun.htm

- scanned manuals:
http://www.fenrir.com/free_stuff/lewis/index.htm#index
http://www.forgottenweapons.com/light-machine-guns/lewis-light-machine-gun/

For WWII nations and ensigns:

- Sovereign states by year (+ Non-Sovereign Territories):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_sovereign_states_by_year

- historical ensigns:
http://www.fotw.us/
http://www.rbvex.it/
+ various wikipedia articles

For vessels hit by u-boats during WWII:

- hit ships database:
http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/
http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/warships.html
http://uboat.net/allies/warships/war_losses.html
http://home.comcast.net/~cshortridge/site/

- sunk ship specs:
http://www.wrecksite.eu/

- historical house flags of the main world shipping companies:
http://www.fotw.us/
(I am still looking for a good reference for funnel markings, any help by the communiy much appreciated)

- WWII convoys (including escorts):
http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/

P.S: I forgot to mention that I am also taking note of the goods transported on each ship (grouped by categories, i.e: "war supplies", "produce", "general cargo", "bulk cargo", "combustibles", etc.). Rongel might be interested into this :03:

If you can manage the tinkling sound of the brass hitting the deck it will be 'your finest hour' :salute: many thanks in advance.:up:

We can give each gun its distinguishing sound, if it is that what you mean. The stock game only features two or three muzzle flash sounds IIRC ;)

Targor Avelany

11-26-13, 12:57 PM

I suppose you want to finish your model by yourlsef, and I won't take away from you the pleasure of doing it, but keep me informed anyway in case you need for help with any of the above tasks. :)

Re. poly reduction, have you tried using Softimage Mod Tool? Its Polygon Reduction tool is quite powerful. It lets you to customize many options, rendering the results on screen in real time :up:

Yeah, I definitely enjoy it :) The main reason why I'm working on it by myself is that I need as much practice in modeling as possible. And you can't get it if you don't model.

Thanks for the update Targor:up:
Take your time:yep:
Thank you, Trevally :)
I'm just trying to make a good bake for normal map with as low amount of polys/verts as possible.

I'm close to being done. Texturing itself is nothing special and easy. It is the UV coordinates and the normal map that I'm currently fighting.

ET2(SS) Pallak

11-26-13, 12:59 PM

My secondary objectives, marked by the yellow icon, given when a mission is selected in the bunker, i.e. "Patrol the specified area", do not actually show the area to be patrolled. In vanilla sh5, these areas were highlighted by a striped gray circle, but this is now gone.

Do these objective work like the "Patrol within 108 nm of designated area" missions in sh4? If so, how close to the objective marker do i have to be, and for how long?

Or am I looking to sink tonnage in these areas? I ask because one went away when I sunk half of a large convoy while near one of these markers, which also completed the main mission objective. So i guess I don't really know whether I completed the secondary objective or it just went away while completing the main objective.

Also, is there any rule of thumb for estimating how much tonnage needs to sunk to complete objectives, because it doesn't list it any more?

My apologies if this has already been covered, I could not find any posts about the objectives that were very specific. (Or maybe not specific enough for a ex nuke like me. Ha!)

BTW, great work by everyone who authors and contributes to these mods. This mod community takes barely playable, incomplete games and turns them into completely immersive masterpieces. Honestly, I don't know why UBISOFT doesn't hire you guys to make their games actually good to start with. :subsim:

My mod list: (in case im having these issues due to incompatibiliy...)

Accurate German Flags
BMD BG VID
SteelViking's Interior v1.2
SteelViking's Interior v1.2.2 Patch
Equipment Upgrades Fix 1.4 by the beast
Equipment Upgrades Fix 1.4 Patch 1
Equipment Upgrades Fix 1.4 Patch 1 hotfix
EUF_UBoat_FX v0_0_3 by th ebeast
AI sub crew 1_0_2 by TDW
NewUIs_TDC_7_4_2 by TDW
Manos Scopes-patch for 16x9
IRAI_0_0_39 by TDW
R.E.M. by xrundel the beast 1.2
Reworked Morale and Abilities v.1.1
MightyFine Crew Mod 1.2.1 Alt faces
MCCD_1.04_MFCM_1.2.1_compatable
Speech fixes and additions(english version)
OPEN HORIZONS II_full v2.2
Sobers Terrain fix for OH2 v2.2
NOZAURIO'S SKIN (Standard No Emblem) v-1.1.0
TheDarkWraith_DC_Water_Disturbances_2_0_SH5
gap - Alternative Cursors & KM Map Tools v2 - 1. Base Mod
gap - Alternative Cursors & KM Map Tools v2 - 3. Shadowed Cursors

gap

11-26-13, 01:10 PM

Yeah, I definitely enjoy it :) The main reason why I'm working on it by myself is that I need as much practice in modeling as possible. And you can't get it if you don't model.

I give you a couple of additional reasons for you to keep on your good work: there are not enough 3d modellers focusing on SH5, and the models you have been working on so far, are of outstanding quality :up:

Read my offer of assistance as a sort of moral support more than anything else, but don't forget that I am still in debt with you for all your help on the balloon model :salute:

Targor Avelany

11-26-13, 01:53 PM

I give you a couple of additional reasons for you to keep on your good work: there are not enough 3d modellers focusing on SH5, and the models you have been working on so far, are of outstanding quality :up:

Read my offer of assistance as a sort of moral support more than anything else, but don't forget that I am still in debt with you for all your help on the balloon model :salute:

And I appreciate all the support, gap :)
And believe me, if I can't figure something out - I will ask :arrgh!:

Aktungbby

11-26-13, 01:58 PM

gap

11-26-13, 02:10 PM

And I appreciate all the support, gap :)
And believe me, if I can't figure something out - I will ask :arrgh!:

:up:

Madox58

11-26-13, 02:11 PM

@ gap,
There's the MG 34 I did in the downloads section your are welcome to use if you wish.

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n12/privateer_2006/MG34_Rear.jpg

It includes the AO mapping also if I recall right.
:hmmm:

I still have the 12 pounder also. I was never happy with the texture as useing a mouse to do it was a pain!
So I'm ordering a Graphics Tablet to do better texture work.
:D

It's a VT Realm and I've seen good reviews on it.

ET2(SS) Pallak

11-26-13, 03:06 PM

You're pretty much on it already; I get within 40 (a 1600 sq. mi. area!)miles of the objective flag and set up a submerged cruise at one knot to allow Benno to do his thing in addition to a 'hidden enemy' report; or sit still (submerged)and really increase the sonar range(100 for convoys/25 for singles) anything sunk will fulfill the objective. The Kapitän's log will reflect mission fulfillment. No need to apologize for asking...that's what its all about! And welcome aboard formally on yer second post...we seem to have missed ya' the first time Herr Kaleun!:Kaleun_Salute:

Thanks Aktungbby. :up: It's always easier to complete an objective when you know what it is.

Thank you for the welcome. Good hunting! :Kaleun_Cheers:

gap

11-26-13, 04:06 PM

@ gap,
There's the MG 34 I did in the downloads section your are welcome to use if you wish.

It includes the AO mapping also if I recall right.
:hmmm:

Wow awesome model :yeah:

I have just had a look into it, and yes, it comes with a self illumination map. I like especially the work you have done on the diffuse map: makes the model to look much more detailed than it actually is.

On a side note: why didn't you make it serviceable? Given the current granny format limits I doubt we can create working playable gus in SH5 (I am more positive about AI guns, as they don't seem to contain animation data), but I alway thought that things were easier for SHIII. :hmm2:

I still have the 12 pounder also. I was never happy with the texture as useing a mouse to do it was a pain!
So I'm ordering a Graphics Tablet to do better texture work.
:D

It's a VT Realm and I've seen good reviews on it.

Never had one (I wish I had though): all my graphis works are done my pointing and clicking, and my right index got a "loser graphic designer's bumb" :88) :D

Madox58

11-26-13, 04:19 PM

They could be made playable in SH3 and SH4. I just have no desire to follow through on that at this time.
:D

I'd think it could be done in SH5 at some point in time.
:03:

I just don't have the time to do as much as I did in the past.
I'm more a thinker and find tricks and what might work kind of Guy now.

Just like the animations stuff. I figure out what's going on, explain it, then move on as once I know what's what and why?
It bores me.

gap

11-26-13, 04:46 PM

They could be made playable in SH3 and SH4. I just have no desire to follow through on that at this time.
:D

I'd think it could be done in SH5 at some point in time.
:03:

As I wrote in my previous post, looking at stock guns and at how SHIII-IV guns are working in SH5, I think that AI guns are already possible. Playable guns have animation data though, and their controller contains references to animatin frames (in seconds). Remove those references, and AI gunners won't follow guns' movement. Alter them beyond a reasonable limit, and the guns will be totally out of aim. This was the case of some Flaks, which were firing costantly firing under their target, no matter how many promotion points gunners were given :yep:

Just like the animations stuff. I figure out what's going on, explain it, then move on as once I know what's what and why?
It bores me.

I canunderstand you :haha:

gap

11-27-13, 07:00 AM

@ Trevally

Is this okay?

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/8573/vphm.jpg

List of changes:

added a +3 deg pitch to the balloon;
added a slight bending to the tethering cable;
picketing cables shortened to about 100m;
picketing cables arched backwards, simulating the windforce effect;
added some randomness to the bending of tethering and picketing cables (lateral and longitdinal), for a more natural effect.

If there are not other suggestions, I am ready to import the new meshes in game :salute:

Madox58

11-29-13, 01:33 PM

@ gap

If you could send me a copy of your obj files I can finish that little program real soon.
The test version works very well and just needs a few final adjustments.
:03:

gap

11-29-13, 03:56 PM

@ gap

If you could send me a copy of your obj files I can finish that little program real soon.
The test version works very well and just needs a few final adjustments.
:03:

No problem :up:

Which one do you want? The lighthouse, the barrage balloon, the 100lb bomb, the Lewis MG, or all of them?

Madox58

11-29-13, 03:58 PM

Send them all.
Better to check a bunch then just one.
:up:

gap

11-29-13, 04:04 PM

Send them all.
Better to check a bunch then just one.
:up:

Okay, just give me the time to pack them :salute:

Madox58

11-29-13, 04:06 PM

If you have anything that won't import? Send them also.
That's the whole purpose.

gap

11-29-13, 04:17 PM

Some models have more than the max two materials allowed by SH5 for granny objects. Should I split them in multiple meshes, or do you prefer me to send them as they are?

gap

11-29-13, 05:29 PM

Ok, here are the barrage balloon, the US bomb and the light house:

http://www.mediafire.com/download/kipxpydenza74ek/gap%20models.rar

The balloon is ready for import in game; the light house would need a little rearrangement of its meshes/materials (see my previous post), and the bomb needs a good poly reduction.
The balloon and the light house come have a normal map; I didn't create one for the bomb yet.
All the models come with diffuse texture with overlayed self occlusion map.

gap

12-01-13, 06:00 AM

Up

(just in case Trevally missed that: I am still waiting for his green light :03:)

@ Trevally

Is this okay?

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/8573/vphm.jpg

List of changes:

added a +3 deg pitch to the balloon;
added a slight bending to the tethering cable;
picketing cables shortened to about 100m;
picketing cables arched backwards, simulating the windforce effect;
added some randomness to the bending of tethering and picketing cables (lateral and longitdinal), for a more natural effect.

If there are not other suggestions, I am ready to import the new meshes in game :salute:

Targor Avelany

12-01-13, 10:01 PM

gap

12-02-13, 07:08 AM

Hmmm... Can anyone explain why this happens on import?

If you look closely, the letters are "mirrored".
Have no idea why after import the texture coordinates are like insideout.

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/5912/3tke.jpg

I suppose you have tried playing with the 'Flip V texture coordinates' checkbox (GR2 Editor's import options) already. If it didn't help, can you please list your 3ds export settings?

If nothing works, flipping the object along the x/z axes should do the trick. :salute:

P.S: ignoring the mirrored markings and some non-matched texture seams, your model looks :yeah:

Trevally.

12-02-13, 10:19 AM

Up

(just in case Trevally missed that: I am still waiting for his green light :03:)

Sorry for the long silence (TW RomeII:arrgh!:)

Updated balloons look great:up:
The cables and fight height means that all balloons will be 1500m
The data from your links show min 600m and max 1200m:hmmm:

:sunny:

gap

12-02-13, 12:51 PM

Sorry for the long silence (TW RomeII:arrgh!:)

:up:

The cables and fight height means that all balloons will be 1500m
The data from your links show min 600m and max 1200m:hmmm:

Let's see... :hmm2:

Our sources state 5,000 ft (=1,524 m) as maximum theoretical height, 4,500 (=1,372 m) as maximum operation height, and 2,000 ft (=610 m) as ruling operation height. The lowest cable coordinate in our model is actually -1,368 m; as long as you set the balloons to an altitude of ca. 1,370 m or lower, the rigging cable will correctly reach the ground level.

If you set altitudes much lower than the maximum height stated above, a big portion of the cable will be hidden under the ground level. This shouldn't pose problems, as our model has not (yet) collision spheres. Nonetheless it might cause the balloon to "crash" on soil, when we will make it collisionable/destructible. Should this happen, we will devise a workaround.

Time to import back them updated model now :salute:

Targor Avelany

12-02-13, 01:06 PM

I suppose you have tried playing with the 'Flip V texture coordinates' checkbox (GR2 Editor's import options) already. If it didn't help, can you please list your 3ds export settings?

If nothing works, flipping the object along the x/z axes should do the trick. :salute:

P.S: ignoring the mirrored markings and some non-matched texture seams, your model looks :yeah:

I'll try the flipping part. The problem is that the coordinates change ONLY in GR2, like instead of them looking on the texture not from inside-out but outside-in. If I export the mesh again, the coordinates are back correctly in 3ds max. annoying.

I'll post the export and import options when I get home and I have another idea that I will try with UVs.

The texture is something I'm still working on. There is couple of problems with normal map too, which I will throw towards privateer when I send him the file today.

Trevally.

12-02-13, 01:18 PM

the rigging cable will correctly reach the ground level.

Ah ok thanks - I thought we did not want the rigging to touch the ground:up:

gap

12-02-13, 02:02 PM

I'll try the flipping part.

Yep, since your model has not front/back, this is surey the easiest solution. :know:

The problem is that the coordinates change ONLY in GR2, like instead of them looking on the texture not from inside-out but outside-in. If I export the mesh again, the coordinates are back correctly in 3ds max. annoying.

It looks like that SH5 and 3ds use different x or z coordinate conventions :hmmm:

I'll post the export and import options when I get home and I have another idea that I will try with UVs.

The texture is something I'm still working on. There is couple of problems with normal map too, which I will throw towards privateer when I send him the file today.

normal or AO map?

Ah ok thanks - I thought we did not want the rigging to touch the ground:up:

Should this cause problems, I will shorten the cables :up:

Targor Avelany

12-02-13, 02:09 PM

Yep, since your model has not front/back, this is surey the easiest solution. :know:

Well, not really, but it is asymmetric.

It looks like that SH5 and 3ds use different x or z coordinate conventions :hmmm:

something like that. I think that is one of the major reasons when I was working on the UXb import (and still do), I had problems w/ export from S3D and import into GR2: if you remember the most obvious thing was the planes were light up on the wrong side: when the sun would be on the left side of the boat, the right dive plane would be highlighted and vice-versa.

normal or AO map?

normal. If you noticed, the areas around horns look odd (a bit flat and out of place). For some reason that only happens when normal map is applied and I haven't been able to figure out why. Otherwise the smoothing works properly and those areas look natural.

Madox58

12-02-13, 02:34 PM

Try flipping the textures left to right in your paint program.

And the Normals question had me check on some old code I had from way back around 2009.
I was working on a converter for a mass conversion of textures to SH4 type (Green)normal textures.
That worked fairly well until the project was ended.

I then started a tool to do SH5 type (Blue)normal textures which was never finished.
I still have all that code and working examples of the builds so I may do some more work on it.

Targor Avelany

12-02-13, 02:40 PM

Try flipping the textures left to right in your paint program.

Did. The problem is as I described it: the pov of where the textures are taken are from outside-in. I will take screenshot from the GR2 editor and it's showing the UV map and it "seems" correct, but the image speaks for itself.

Madox58

12-02-13, 02:48 PM

What does the original texture look like?
Can you post a shot of that?

Targor Avelany

12-02-13, 02:51 PM

What does the original texture look like?
Can you post a shot of that?

not atm. I will send you the whole file today when I get home: the originals high and low polys, the textures, and the GR2 file.

Madox58

12-02-13, 03:03 PM

:up:

gap

12-02-13, 04:49 PM

Well, not really, but it is asymmetric.

One reason more for flipping your model before importing it in GR2 Editor: supposing that Goblin reverses the whole object symmetry (rather than only its textures, which would make little sense), flipping the model should put everythig back in place :03:

I think that is one of the major reasons when I was working on the UXb import (and still do), I had problems w/ export from S3D and import into GR2: if you remember the most obvious thing was the planes were light up on the wrong side: when the sun would be on the left side of the boat, the right dive plane would be highlighted and vice-versa.

Possible, but why the same doesn't happen with your lifeboat and with the barrage balloon? :06:

normal. If you noticed, the areas around horns look odd (a bit flat and out of place). For some reason that only happens when normal map is applied and I haven't been able to figure out why. Otherwise the smoothing works properly and those areas look natural.

Might be a problem with the normal map itself. How did you generate it? I am using the NVidia plugin for photoshop. So far it gave decent results but I have only tested it on some reskins of stock objects. I am going to try setting the balloon model to use its normal map. I will keep you informed in case I notice anything wrong with it.

And the Normals question had me check on some old code I had from way back around 2009.
I was working on a converter for a mass conversion of textures to SH4 type (Green)normal textures.
That worked fairly well until the project was ended.

IIRC SHIV normal maps have a couple channels switched. Creating SHIV normals maps from "regular" normal maps and vice-versa can be done manually in any photo-editing program, or with a photoshop macro for mass-conversion...

Something I have always wandered is: do dat units imported from SHIV to SH5 require 'green' or 'blue' normal maps?

I then started a tool to do SH5 type (Blue)normal textures which was never finished.
I still have all that code and working examples of the builds so I may do some more work on it.

Should not be necessary: as far as I can tell, normal textures generated by photoshop + dds plugin, or by XNormal (just to mention a couple of programs), should be ready for use in SH5 without further processing :know:

Targor Avelany

12-03-13, 02:03 AM

privateer,

PM sent with the package.

@gap, your pm box is full :)

gap

12-03-13, 05:24 AM

@gap, your pm box is full :)

I have just made some free space :up:

Trevally.

12-03-13, 06:44 AM

halfway through fixing the traffic speed issue.
ahhhh this is a long slog - even with ++
:arrgh!:

Trevally.

12-03-13, 07:58 AM

update

OHII full v2.3
03/12/2013
Added Serge65 fixes for aeroplane guns - Thanks Serge
Added war start radio messages as campaign messages
Added Rongels fixes for PT boat burning, rendering NMFMPC_Z and some terrain. - thanks Rongel
Added Sobers terrain fixes from v2.2 - Thanks Sober
Fixes bad spelling in Baltic area
Added more risk to the Scapa raid
Added some lithuania ships to Memel adjusted the jumpers
Increased fps when in wilhelmshaven
Removed convoys leaving Kiel when player in port (TG, MN, WA & TP)
Greatly reduced traffic leaving Kiel when player in port(TG, MN, WA & TP)
Added Rongels fix for Taihosan
Fixed the full speed issue with single ships
Fixed the South African flag is upside down when viewed in-game. thanks to Katze for the information
Fixed typo in Distant_Waters\MissionBriefingText.tsr
Fixed mission markers for Soviet Waters in Arctic Convoys

Just balloons and mines to go:yeah:

gap

12-03-13, 08:31 AM

halfway through fixing the traffic speed issue.
ahhhh this is a long slog - even with ++
:arrgh!:

comparing the maximum speeds of SH5 ships (taken from stock and OH's ship cfg files) with max speeds of the most common u-boat targets, I have noticed a general overrating of the said factor in game. WWII merchants rarely exceeded 11.5 knots. Going by my -still partial- findings, the one notable exceptions to this rule were T2 class tankers (15 knots), C1 freighters (14 knots), C2's (15.5 knots), and a few other "modern" vessels (15 ships in total out of a sample of 88 ships taken into account so far).

I will tell you more as I add more ships to my statistics database :salute:

Added more risk to the Scapa raid

I think you should really read the following account, taken from "Wolves without teeth: the German torpedo crisis in World War Two (http://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1599&context=etd)" by David Habersham Wright
(I know you enjoy reading stories :03:):

It was a calm and cloudy October afternoon as U-47 slid out of her bearth at Kiel.

Standing on the conning tower next to his first watch officer, the boat’s captain, Kapitänleutnant Günther Prien, took a last look at the numerous ships, piers, cranes, workshops, and storage buildings that formed the landscape of the Reich’s premiere naval base, before turning his attention to the sea and the difficult task that lay before him. To the eyes of the crowd that invariably gathered like clockwork on the pier to watch the departure of one of the Reich’s famous “Grey Wolves,” U-47 was setting out on a patrol presumably like any other. She would doubtless go out into the North Atlantic somewhere and hopefully sink a few plump merchantmen and then return home either to Kiel or Wilhelmshaven where the adulating crowd would once again crowd the piers, flags waving and band playing, to welcome the heroes home.

Only Prien, his officers, and a few select others in the Reich knew that this was no ordinary patrol and that the very nature of this mission, certainly the most daring ever attempted by the Kriegsmarine to date, would either make the men aboard U-47 instant celebrities or, perhaps more likely, merely the newest set of martyrs to perish for the Fatherland.

At first glance, U-47’s mission seemed so unreasonable, so dangerous – some might even say ludicrous – that as he gazed back at the now thinning crowd of well wishers gathered on the distant pier, Prien may well have wondered whether anyone would have believed his intentions had he made them known. All he had to do was successfully guide his boat undetected into Scapa Flow, the principal home of the Royal Navy, do what damage he could, and then get out again, preferably in one piece. Although simple enough in objective, in practice it was anything but. The Flow was accessible only by a few key entrances, over which the British had in the years before the war towed and then sunk several large barges known as block ships. Inside the actual harbor, as well as in its approaches, there flowed powerful and unpredictable currents capable of throwing U-47 or any other unfamiliar vessel off course and into the block ships or surrounding rocks. During the previous war, before the U-boat defenses had been in place, Scapa Flow had been the end of two other boats. In 1914 U-18 had managed the treacherous currents only to be rammed and sunk by a trawler upon entrance. In his approach four years later Oberleutnant Joachim Emsmann in UB-116 had been detected by hydrophones and destroyed by shore detonated mines with a loss of all hands.

As might be expected, U-47’s approach was not easy. In the darkness of night Prien was led astray by the sight of a half sunken wreck, which he took to be one of the blockships guarding the entrance to Kirk Sound – his intended route into the harbor – but which in actuality denoted the far more hazardous Skerry Sound. As U-47 slid into the Skerry Sound, she was immediately grasped by one of the aforementioned currents, which threw the boat into the nearby shallows where she temporarily ran aground. Thanks to the efforts of the boat’s chief engineering officer, Oberleutnant Johann-Friedrich Wessels, U-47 managed to free herself from the sandy bed and, with the engines running full speed, was able to struggle against the current back to the entrance of the Kirk Sound. Prien’s ill luck continued. Once in the correct passage, U-47 again ran aground, this time on the anchor cable of one of the block ships, but was soon able to free herself after Prien ordered all the ballast tanks blown. To make matters worse, once having passed the last of the block ships and upon entering the harbor at midnight, U-47’s conning tower was suddenly illuminated by the headlights of a passing car, which came to a stop, turned around, and sped off back in the direction of Scapa Flow. Unlikely as it seems, it would appear as if the driver of the car had in fact not spotted them, or else had neglected to report the matter, for no alarm sounded as U-47 cruised into Scapa Flow. Indeed, the most pressing problem was not detection, but rather the lack of targets present.

Though Prien could not have known it, in response to the heavy Luftwaffe reconnaissance of the harbor in the days preceding the foray, the bulk of the Home Fleet had been removed from Scapa Flow and sent to Norway the day before, which was thought to be safer from future Luftwaffe incursions. Accordingly Prien spent the next thirty minutes wandering aimlessly around the harbor, looking for targets. Just as the crew was beginning to suspect that the entire mission might be a failure, the boat’s First Watch Officer (I-WO), Oberleutnant zur See Engelbert Endrass, reported two large shapes roughly 4,000 meters ahead of them. These shapes, which Prien mistakenly took to be the two warships Royal Oak and Repulse, were actually the battleship Royal Oak and the 6,900 ton seaplane transport Pegasus.

Prien immediately ordered an attack. Estimating the distance at 3,000 meters, and setting the running depth for the torpedo at 7.5 meters, Prien plugged the coordinates into the Vorhaltsrechner, the boat’s fire control system. He and his superior, Karl Dönitz, had already decided that U-47 would carry only the G7e electric torpedo, which although slower than the other type, the G7a air torpedo, had the advantage of leaving no telltale wake that might alert the English to the boat’s presence. Prien planned to fire two of his four shot spread at the front ship, and the other two at the rear one. At 0058 hours he gave the order to fire. Only three of the four torpedoes left their tubes, however, owing to a failure of the firing mechanism on tube four. In the attack room Prien’s second officer, Oberleutnant zur See Amelung von Varendorff, set his stopwatch and counted off the seconds. After three and a half minutes one of the torpedoes struck Royal Oak on her starboard bow, though the resulting disturbance, which was attributed to internal causes, was so inconsequential that most of Royal Oak's crew simply returned to sleep after being roused. The other two torpedoes veered sharply off course, and nothing more was heard of them. While the torpedo crew worked to reload the bow tubes and correct the faulty torpedo in tube four, Prien swung the boat around to try a shot with the stern torpedo, which also missed.

Needless to say, these first two salvos had been a definite disappointment for the Germans. Three torpedoes had missed or malfunctioned, while the one success had seemingly resulted in such little damage as to elicit no activity from the British. With three of his bow tubes by now reloaded, Prien decided to swing back around for another salvo, which would be aimed at the Royal Oak. With the distance by now only 1,500 meters, Prien gave the order to fire at 0123 hours. Again von Varendorff ticked off the seconds on his stopwatch. One hundred and eighty seconds later a huge explosion rocked the British ship, columns of water rising up against her side as men and debris were flung high into the air. If Prien had been slightly miffed that his first attack had gone unnoticed, he was not disappointed by the results of the second. All around U-47 the harbor sprang to life. Signal lights flashed around the boat while on the shore cars sped down the road at top speed.

Numerous searchlights were flipped on, though fortunately for the men on U-47 they were all aimed towards the sky, searching in vain for the German aircraft which the British thought had to be the culprit. Though he still had five torpedoes remaining, Prien determined that if he was ever going to escape the harbor the time to do so was now, as the chaos he had caused would hinder an organized response. Besides, it was far too bright to attempt any further tactical maneuvering.

The tale of U-47’s escape was just as eventful as her entrance. The changing tide prevented U-47 from exiting the harbor the same way she had come in. Instead she had to slip out through the narrow southern channel between the blockship Minich and the coast of the islet of Lamb Holm. Fighting against a ten knot current, U-47 again had to maneuver past the rusted hulks of the blockships, as well as an unidentified vessel which Prien later claimed was a destroyer that temporarily gave chase, signaling them in Morse code before suddenly turning away. With skillful maneuvering on the part of the boat’s helmsman, Obersteuermann Wilhelm Spahr, U-47 evaded these obstacles and before long was back on the open waters of the North Atlantic, heading home to Wilhelmshaven and to a hero’s welcome. [...]

Just balloons and mines to go:yeah:

Working on balloons as we speak :up:

Mikemike47

12-03-13, 08:57 AM

update
OHII full v2.3
03/12/2013
Added Sobers terrain fixes from v2.2 - Thanks Sober Memel terrain included in this one?
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2061548&postcount=3326

@Trevally
Have these been included and not listed yet?
Memel navigation map (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2061822&postcount=3345)- you could not duplicate, I do not recall what others said.
Other Memel data (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2062321&postcount=3354)

NML Grif's .sim (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2055708&postcount=3267)

OPEN HORIZONS II v2.2 - ORP Gryf and HMS Rocket no reflection patch (http://www.mediafire.com/download/9ep6c50rwab010o/OPEN+HORIZONS+II+v2.2+-+ORP+Gryf+and+HMS+Rocket+no+reflection+patch.rar)

Hospital ship texture (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2093035&postcount=3656) - Did not spot if this was addressed any further in future posts.

Are jumpers, ships jumping out of the water, as in "Added some lithuania ships to Memel adjusted the jumpers" ?
If jumpers are ships jumping out of water, I saw that in Grimsby port in England, too. I never reported it. Expecting it was my mod soup. I can get that data for you about Grimsby later in the day.

gap

12-03-13, 09:30 AM

Working on balloons as we speak :up:

I have the usual UV map corruption when I try reimporting the modified model :-?

I can't go on without Targor's and/or privateer's help...

gap

12-03-13, 09:43 AM

NML Grif's .sim (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2055708&postcount=3267)

I don't think Volodya has released his ORP Gryf / Enhanced Funnel Smoke compatiility patch yet. If needed, I can create one myself :up:

OPEN HORIZONS II v2.2 - ORP Gryf and HMS Rocket no reflection patch (http://www.mediafire.com/download/9ep6c50rwab010o/OPEN+HORIZONS+II+v2.2+-+ORP+Gryf+and+HMS+Rocket+no+reflection+patch.rar)

After the release of the ship reflection mod by TDW (has anyone actually tested it btw?), this shouldn't be needed anymore :hmmm:

gap

12-03-13, 09:49 AM

Exciting history in Scapa Flow, imagine how distressing was the time elapsed between the shooting and the impact of the torpedo, this time it was an eternity. Mainly the result of the first salvo of fire ...

yep, it might have done the difference between returning home and being a dead war hero. Prien was brave and lucky at the same time :yep:

We should aim to this level of suspance in game. RSD is a huge step forward towards this goal, and I am also looking forward to Rongel's update of his torpedo failure mod, compatible with TDW's patches :up:

Targor Avelany

12-03-13, 11:23 AM

I have the usual UV map corruption when I try reimporting the modified model :-?

I can't go on without Targor's and/or privateer's help...

I'm pretty sure that after privateer figures out the needed adjustments to the file you need before importing in order for it to work, you wont need anyone!!! :))) :har:

gap

12-03-13, 12:50 PM

privateer,

PM sent with the package.

@gap, your pm box is full :)

Hi Targor, I have received your files. :up:

My remarks:

flipped meshes: in your PM you said: "So far none of the conversations on the axis worked". Yet, by looking at the geometry of your model, I am pretty sure that flipping your object around its x axis (only x), should solve the issue. Flipping the mine around x and z (in case this is what you have done so far) would be the same as turning it by 180 deg around its y axis, and it wouldn't obviously fix the issue. Unfortunately I can't test my theory, due to the usual UV map corruption issue.
I am eagerly waiting for privateers' obj exporter :03:

"odd" corners: for better comparison, I have taken screenshots of your model rendered on Wings3d with and without diffuse and normal maps.

http://imageshack.us/a/img22/2871/2njp.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/22/2njp.jpg/)

My impression is that the worst contribution to the unpleasant effect comes from non-matching UV map seams. The normal map only contributes in minimal part (only noticeable when the diffuse texture is not mapped on the model, i.e. bottom left render). I have also noticed that the horns are integral part of the mine body, thus the flattening of the faces that they are joined to. Personally I would separate horns from the body, and I would make the body perfectly symmetrical; you can then combine body and horns in a single composite object (similar to what we have with balloon's body and fins). Advantages of this method:

bodie's UV mapping would be easier, without too many junctions between different map regions (ideally just one junction along one of the meridians);

bodie's geometry would be perfectly regular, with no flat faces requiring to be smoothed;

there would be an increase of one vertex per horn, but a general reduction of edges and polygons to be calculated in game;

smoothing groups: I have noticed that you reteined them in your low poly model. I only use them while I work on a model, and then I replace them with bevelled edges, when they absolutely necessary. Reason is that S3d ignores smoothing groups, and GR2 Editor refuses importing objects containing them. Is another Wings3d-related issue, or you have found a workaround to this? :hmm2:

Targor Avelany

12-03-13, 01:21 PM

Hi Targor, I have received your files. :up:

My remarks:

flipped meshes: in your PM you said: "So far none of the conversations on the axis worked". Yet, by looking at the geometry of your model, I am pretty sure that flipping your object around its x axis (only x), should solve the issue. Flipping the mine around x and z (in case this is what you have done so far) would be the same as turning it by 180 deg around its y axis, and it wouldn't obviously fix the issue. Unfortunately I can't test my theory, due to the usual UV map corruption issue.
I am eagerly waiting for privateers' obj exporter :03:

"odd" corners: for better comparison, I have taken screenshots of your model rendered on Wings3d with and without diffuse and normal maps.

http://imageshack.us/a/img22/2871/2njp.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/22/2njp.jpg/)

My impression is that the worst contribution to the unpleasant effect comes from non-matching UV map seams. The normal map only contributes in minimal part (only noticeable when the diffuse texture is not mapped on the model, i.e. bottom left render). I have also noticed that the horns are integral part of the mine body, thus the flattening of the faces that they are joined to. Personally I would separate horns from the body, and I would make the body perfectly symmetrical; you can then combine body and horns in a single composite object (similar to what we have with balloon's body and fins). Advantages of this method:

bodie's UV mapping would be easier, without too many junctions between different map regions (ideally just one junction along one of the meridians);

bodie's geometry would be perfectly regular, with no flat faces requiring to be smoothed;

there would be an increase of one vertex per horn, but a general reduction of edges and polygons to be calculated in game;

smoothing groups: I have noticed that you reteined them in your low poly model. I only use them while I work on a model, and then I replace them with bevelled edges, when they absolutely necessary. Reason is that S3d ignores smoothing groups, and GR2 Editor refuses importing objects containing them. Is another Wings3d-related issue, or you have found a workaround to this? :hmm2:

Thank you gap :)

I'm hoping that privateer will be able to help with the texture issue. I will test if flipping the geometry on x and will let you know if it worked.

Yep, the texture is the main culprit for the "flattening"
The detaching of the horns should be easy, while I still will be ale to place them on the same texture.

In regards to smoothing groups, I believe it is not the issue of wings 3d, but more the interpretation of information by GR2, as I had no issues with smoothing group import into GR2.

Madox58

12-03-13, 01:52 PM

gap

12-03-13, 01:59 PM

I'm hoping that privateer will be able to help with the texture issue.

If you mean the UV map corruption issue, I am quite confident about privateer fixing this and other issues. At this point he is my last hope, as I am tired to disturb you every so often, and Trevally is waiting for us :)

I will test if flipping the geometry on x and will let you know if it worked.

I am pretty sure that this is the culprit. At this point I am curious to hear from silentmichel or by BIGREG (he seems to have disappeared btw), as they have imported tons on unsymmetrical objects in game...

Yep, the texture is the main culprit for the "flattening"
The detaching of the horns should be easy, while I still will be ale to place them on the same texture.

yes, you can combine them with the remaining meshes, no need to import them as separate objects. Reworking the body geometry and remapping its texture might take a bit longer, but it will pay you back (matching texture edges can be a nightmare at times)

In regards to smoothing groups, I believe it is not the issue of wings 3d, but more the interpretation of information by GR2, as I had no issues with smoothing group import into GR2.

I am learning something new: so far I was sure that GR2 Editor couldn't import smoothing groups at all. Have you noticed if they make any differences once imported in a granny file? In dat files they don't make any difference (I suspect that S3d just ignores them).

One last note: the GR2 file you sent me opens correctly in GR2 Edit. v .374.1, but it is not renderes in Goblin's viewport :hmmm:

Targor Avelany

12-03-13, 02:04 PM

@ gap,

I see the problem with your files as I stated in the PM. Doing some testing to give you an easy fix.

@ Targor Avelany,

gap is correct on his observations on your files. It's the disconnection of those plates causeing the weird look with the normal texture.
I'd disconnect any part of the horns that you don't want a rounded or smoothed edge on. Sides from tops and so on.

Thank you, privateer. That is pretty much what I'm going to do when I get home :up:

Now I just need to understand why the heck the lettering looks weird-mirrored.

Madox58

12-03-13, 02:13 PM

You may need to flip both the UV's and the texture left to right.
Working on gap's import problem at the moment.
It should be easy to adjust after a few tests.

volodya61

12-03-13, 02:17 PM

Hmmm, maybe this weekend? :O:
..I hope Volodya won't mind if you use it, as it seems unlikely that he will release his mod in the next future :)
I don't think Volodya has released his ORP Gryf / Enhanced Funnel Smoke compatiility patch yet..

Sorry guys.. I'm in the hospital last weeks (some money was received for the next surgery).. and as you remember, too much files were corrupted on my HDD and I'll have to make all editing works from scratch.. it will be the best solution than search of problematic files.. I think I'll be back closer to Christmas and 'll start whole work (at least I hope so :03:)..

:salute:

Targor Avelany

12-03-13, 02:27 PM

If you mean the UV map corruption issue, I am quite confident about privateer fixing this and other issues. At this point he is my last hope, as I am tired to disturb you every so often, and Trevally is waiting for us :)

I am pretty sure that this is the culprit. At this point I am curious to hear from silentmichel or by BIGREG (he seems to have disappeared btw), as they have imported tons on unsymmetrical objects in game...

yes, you can combine them with the remaining meshes, no need to import them as separate objects. Reworking the body geometry and remapping its texture might take a bit longer, but it will pay you back (matching texture edges can be a nightmare at times)

I am learning something new: so far I was sure that GR2 Editor couldn't import smoothing groups at all. Have you noticed if they make any differences once imported in a granny file? In dat files they don't make any difference (I suspect that S3d just ignores them).

One last note: the GR2 file you sent me opens correctly in GR2 Edit. v .374.1, but it is not renderes in Goblin's viewport :hmmm:

I'll send you a different one. The problem has something to do with renaming the bones.

There are 3 main issues that I see with importing at the moment:
1) inability to use non-3ds max file exports.
2) I'm still having issue with the way SOMETIMES the meshes become inverted along the x axis (what what I can say at least).
It applies to S3D and Sh3/Sh4 (learned that while working on the IXb) and now it somehow/somewhat happens in Sh5: and that really annoys me because I do not understand why all of a sudden.
3) renaming and deleting: this issue applies to all parts: bones, materials and mesh names. Sometimes it works and sometimes it just messes up the entire file in the weirdest ways - gaps example is very appropriate.

Targor Avelany

12-03-13, 02:29 PM

You may need to flip both the UV's and the texture left to right.
Working on gap's import problem at the moment.
It should be easy to adjust after a few tests.

Let me know. I will also try when I get home.

By flipping, you mean that I should mirror the UVs from left to right and the texture (so the letters on the texture are "mirrored"), correct?

@gap,
also, if you do need for me to import things, do not ever hesitate to bug me. :)

gap

12-03-13, 02:36 PM

Now I just need to understand why the heck the lettering looks weird-mirrored.

You may need to flip both the UV's and the texture left to right.

I am afraid this won't help either: I can be wrong, a simple algebraic rule teaches us that a negative number times a negative number gives a positive number; in grammar, a double negation is equal to an affirmation, and I am pretty sure that flipping both the texture and its UV map would result in... nothing. :doh:

As I said before, there are two easy solution for the flipped lettering:

- pre-flipping only the lettering in the diffuse texture, so that it will look normal when mirrored in game. This would leave object's geometry still mirrored though.

- flipping the whole object around x or z (not both, due to what I have stated above about double negations). Talking about not moving objects, the choice about axis to be flipped is unrelevant, but ships and planes should be flipped on their x axis (flip z an they will move backwars :D)

In any case, the lettering should look "wrong" when rendered in 3ds/max, to look good in Goblin/GR2 Editor

@ gap,

I see the problem with your files as I stated in the PM. Doing some testing to give you an easy fix.

:sunny:

gap

12-03-13, 02:48 PM

@gap,
also, if you do need for me to import things, do not ever hesitate to bug me. :)

Thank you Targor. The answer to your kind offer depends on how long it will take to privateer releasing at least a beta version of his tool :)

gap

12-03-13, 02:56 PM

Sorry guys.. I'm in the hospital last weeks (some money was received for the next surgery).. and as you remember, too much files were corrupted on my HDD and I'll have to make all editing works from scratch.. it will be the best solution than search of problematic files.. I think I'll be back closer to Christmas and 'll start whole work (at least I hope so :03:)..

We are looking forward to your return to the subsim family mate. I wish you a quick recovery from your surgical operation :salute:

There are 3 main issues that I see with importing at the moment:
1) inability to use non-3ds max file exports.
2) I'm still having issue with the way SOMETIMES the meshes become inverted along the x axis (what what I can say at least).
It applies to S3D and Sh3/Sh4 (learned that while working on the IXb) and now it somehow/somewhat happens in Sh5: and that really annoys me because I do not understand why all of a sudden.
3) renaming and deleting: this issue applies to all parts: bones, materials and mesh names. Sometimes it works and sometimes it just messes up the entire file in the weirdest ways - gaps example is very appropriate.

fully agree on the points # 1 and 3. Talking about the point # 3, I think the "problem" has always been there, but we didn't notice it before, because we have worked mostly on symmetrical objects so far... :hmm2:

Targor Avelany

12-03-13, 03:21 PM

We are looking forward to your return to the subsim family mate. I wish you a quick recovery from your surgical operation :salute:

fully agree on the points # 1 and 3. Talking about the point # 3, I think the "problem" has always been there, but we didn't notice it before, because we have worked mostly on symmetrical objects so far... :hmm2:

Possibly. It always has been in the SH3/SH4 from what I saw when worked on importing meshes from SH3 to SH5 of the XI-B. I had to re-do all the dive planes to correctly import them into the gr2. One of this days I'll send you the file to look at :) and hopefully continue the work on it.

And I'm still happy that we can do at least something. my knowledge not even close enough to start thinking about importing meshes without TDW and privateer and many others who worked on figuring GR2 out and building the GR2 editor.

Madox58

12-03-13, 04:44 PM

Got a good import with a little work.
You do have Meshlab installed don't you?

Targor Avelany

12-03-13, 04:45 PM

Got a good import with a little work.
You do have Meshlab installed don't you?

yes

Madox58

12-03-13, 04:53 PM

gap should have it also.
The problem of the screwed up UV's with his obj files was fixed useing Meshlab and an unfinished version of the sorter program.
I also had to edit a few areas that are not coded into the sorter yet.

I'll do the same steps several times and get it documented so I don't forget it all this time!
:o

Targor Avelany

12-03-13, 05:24 PM

gap

12-03-13, 05:25 PM

Possibly. It always has been in the SH3/SH4 from what I saw when worked on importing meshes from SH3 to SH5 of the XI-B. I had to re-do all the dive planes to correctly import them into the gr2. One of this days I'll send you the file to look at :) and hopefully continue the work on it.

:up:

And I'm still happy that we can do at least something. my knowledge not even close enough to start thinking about importing meshes without TDW and privateer and many others who worked on figuring GR2 out and building the GR2 editor.

I definitely agree with you :yep:

gap should have it also.
The problem of the screwed up UV's with his obj files was fixed useing Meshlab and an unfinished version of the sorter program.
I also had to edit a few areas that are not coded into the sorter yet.

I'll do the same steps several times and get it documented so I don't forget it all this time!
:o

:sunny:

Madox58

12-03-13, 05:32 PM

Would a new thread be better suited to explain things?
I don't want to clog this one up any more then we should.
(Or have already done)
:)

gap

12-03-13, 05:43 PM

Would a new thread be better suited to explain things?
I don't want to clog this one up any more then we should.
(Or have already done)
:)

I agree; a new thread or one of these: :yep:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=188290

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=198840

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=200794

pigzippa47

12-07-13, 03:58 AM

THE_MASK

12-07-13, 04:18 AM

Trevally.

12-07-13, 06:20 AM

Hi all, I just returned to SH5 after a 10 month hiatus. I was having an issue with objectives not triggering once completed. I thought I'd give it another go.

I completed two objectives today in the Mare Nostrum campaign, both objectives triggered when completed, which is nice, EXCEPT that the campaign did not end when I returned to base. I have all the required points to complete.

I'm using Open Horizons from late 2012, not sure of the version but it was current in February of 2013.

I also have MMM v0.5basemod and Krupp leveling mod +torp vanilla morale
I have used JSMGE, as well as DarkWraith's OptionsFileEditorViewer.

Any help is appreciated

The campaigns end by historical date . Just go shoot some ships until the campaign end date comes around . Look at the first few posts of OH2 to see the campaign dates .

Yes - there may still be more objectives to come
see here for full list:-

Mare Nostrum 15/03/41 - 01/12/41
Flotilla 23rd
Transfer from 2nd flotilla Kiel 15-03-1941 with new boat.
Bases - La Spezia (15-03-1941 to 31-05-1941) Salamis/Piraeus (01-06-1941 to 01-12-1941)
Stock boat issue - VIIC

Breakthrough Gibraltar
01/03/41 - 01/09/41

Deliveries for Malta
01/03/41 - 01/09/41

Siege of Tobruk
01/04/41 - 01/12/41

Middle East Supplies
01/06/41 - 01/12/41

10th Flotilla
01/09/41 - 30/11/41

East Mediterranean Convoys
01/09/41 - 01/12/41

Targor Avelany

12-08-13, 11:44 PM

Just finishing up with zone file and to do some testing.

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/1312/u3hz.jpg

gap

12-09-13, 08:08 AM

Just finishing up with zone file and to do some testing.

Looks awesome Targor, I am glad to see that all the problems flawing the previous version were ironed out :yeah:

Trevally.

12-09-13, 08:13 AM

Looks great Targor:up:

When you test it - can you also test with large groups to check performance

gap

12-09-13, 08:43 AM

When you test it - can you also test with large groups to check performance

Good remark. Going by what Rongel has stated about dat units and game lagging, I bet that this new model will have a lesser impact on PC performance, but it must be tested anyway. By the way, are you working on a LOD model of the mine, Targor?

Targor Avelany

12-09-13, 09:57 AM

Thank you, guys.

Trev, how large of a cluster are you talking about? 30-40?

gap, yep, I need to decide how low-poly should I go and primarily finish with this model, but yeah, I think I will have the LOD model.

gap

12-09-13, 10:22 AM

gap, yep, I need to decide how low-poly should I go and primarily finish with this model, but yeah, I think I will have the LOD model.

Well, I suppose it depends on how "high poly" is the base model and on GR2 LOD distance (never found the parameter for it). Seeing the lagging caused by the previous mine model, I would suggest stripping down the LOD as much as possible i.e, besides poly reduction, no normal map assigned and (if you don't plan to give the new model configurable multiple skins) heavily compressed/reduced in size diffuse-AO map. :salute:

Trevally.

12-09-13, 12:41 PM

Targor Avelany

12-09-13, 12:45 PM

if you can test with 200 mines, 2 ships and land all within 30km radius:up:

Ok, once I finish w/ the .zon file, I'll test it with that number. Will be amusing to see the results, tehe
Especially when someone runs into one of those :har:

Targor Avelany

12-10-13, 09:49 AM

gap

12-10-13, 10:20 AM

Trev, would it be possible to ask you to create a test mission? I seem to have some problems with understanding how to create minefields. If you can just use the .dat mine to create the mission, that is going to be perfect.

Aren't mines dealed with as any other unit in game? To arrange them properly you should group them in a "convoy" and pick the wanted spacing and number of rows/columns from the appropriate ME menu :salute:

Targor Avelany

12-10-13, 11:21 AM

Aren't mines dealed with as any other unit in game? To arrange them properly you should group them in a "convoy" and pick the wanted spacing and number of rows/columns from the appropriate ME menu :salute:

Not sure. I tried that, but that means that I have to set up the chain and the mine separately.

Plus, I think I messed up somewhere with the size... My mine is bigger then uboat atm. Kind of a scary sight.

@Trevally, what were the measurements for the original mine in gameworld? 1m diameter? or bigger/smaller?

gap

12-10-13, 01:08 PM

Not sure. I tried that, but that means that I have to set up the chain and the mine separately.

I don't get you. Isn't the chain part of the mine model? If not, you can join the two parts using a prt file with a MergeCtrl controller appropriately set (same as bolts, if you decide to add the to your model) :yep:

Plus, I think I messed up somewhere with the size... My mine is bigger then uboat atm. Kind of a scary sight.

:haha:

@Trevally, what were the measurements for the original mine in gameworld? 1m diameter? or bigger/smaller?

2.5 m, if I got it right (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2111067&postcount=3765).

The diameter of your mine should be 1 m (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2137640&postcount=200) = 0.1 units in Wings3d. I think Wings uses the same unit as 3ds Max :up:

Targor Avelany

12-10-13, 01:16 PM

I don't get you. Isn't the chain part of the mine model? If not, you can join the two parts using a prt file with a MergeCtrl controller appropriately set :yep:

That is why I am asking, because I am not exactly sure how it is done with .dat files for original mine. So far - it is not directly part of the mine. Also it is not mentioned in eqp file.

2.5 m, if I got it right (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2111067&postcount=3765).

The diameter of your mine should be 1 m (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2137640&postcount=200) = 0.1 units in Wings3d. I think Wings uses the same unit as 3ds Max :up:
Perfect. In that case everything makes sense. I'm off by about 0.1.

gap

12-10-13, 01:36 PM

That is why I am asking, because I am not exactly sure how it is done with .dat files for original mine. So far - it is not directly part of the mine. Also it is not mentioned in eqp file.

I have just had a look into OH's mines. There are three of them: Floating_Mine, Floating_Mine_Chain and Floating_Mine_Chain_16. The first one has no chain, the second and the third have the chain as a child of the main model, directly in the same dat file (dunno what is the difference among _Chain and _Chain_16 though). I have no idea whether the the three of them are used in campaign or not, and how/where. Better waiting for a reply by Trevally on it.

As for adding the chain to your model, you have three ways:

- adding it straight to the same GR2 file (likewise the original dat models), if you have still empty meshes;

- using the MergeCtrl method that I told you before;

- through eqp file.

If you have time, you could experiment a bit with the ObjectPendulum or the FollowParent controllers (the latter is the controller actually used on the dat _Chain mines), so to keep the chain more or less perpendicular while the rest of the model is swinging. :up:

Targor Avelany

12-10-13, 01:47 PM

I have just had a look into OH's mines. There are three of them: Floating_Mine, Floating_Mine_Chain and Floating_Mine_Chain_16. The first one has no chain, the second and the third have the chain as a child of the main model, directly in the same dat file (dunno what is the difference among _Chain and _Chain_16 though). I have no idea whether the the three of them are used in campaign or not, and how/where. Better waiting for a reply by Trevally on it.

As for adding the chain to your model, you have three ways:

- adding it straight to the same GR2 file (likewise the original dat models), if you have still empty meshes;

- using the MergeCtrl method that I told you before;

- through eqp file.

If you have time, you could experiment a bit with the ObjectPendulum or the FollowParent controllers (the latter is the controller actually used on the dat _Chain mines), so to keep the chain more or less perpendicular while the rest of the model is swinging. :up:

Awesome. Lol, I kept looking at the Floating_mine and completely ignored the other two :)

gap

12-10-13, 02:03 PM

Awesome. Lol, I kept looking at the Floating_mine and completely ignored the other two :)

I thought as much! I even started thinking that you had not OH on your system :D

P.S (in case you didn't see it before):

...you can join the two parts using a prt file with a MergeCtrl controller appropriately set (same as bolts, if you decide to add them to your model)

Making the bolts external to your model would enable you to use the same mesh for all of them, thus avoiding unnecessary load on the gpu. The only annoyance would be creating as many bones as the bolts you want to add, and the trigonometry required for placing them on a perfect circle and at a regular spacing :)

Targor Avelany

12-10-13, 02:07 PM

I thought as much! I even started thinking that you had not OH on your system :D

P.S (in case you didn't see it before):

Making the bolts external to your model would enable you to use the same mesh for all of them, thus avoiding unnecessary load on the gpu. The only annoyance would be creating as many bones as the bolts you want to add, and the trigonometry required for placing them on a perfect circle :)

I saw it :)
I think making the chain that way will be a good idea. I think the mine can live without the bolts though :)

Trevally.

12-10-13, 02:19 PM

Targor Avelany

12-10-13, 02:43 PM

Hi guys:salute:

here is a test mission for your mines:-
http://www.4sync.com/archive/H8aqoxp-/MineTest.html

I use the chain 16m mine for OHII
this is because a floating mine will take out traffic

mine size - yes 2 to 2.5m
:up:

Yay!
And I totally need to take screenies of video of the extra-giant sea mine... Just for LOLs :)

gap

12-10-13, 03:40 PM

Yay!
And I totally need to take screenies of video of the extra-giant sea mine... Just for LOLs :)

:up:

@ Trevally

Giving the last touch-ups to the revised balloon. Mostly small texture improvements and material property settings. Work on the model and on its importing is finished.

gap

12-10-13, 03:56 PM

I saw it :)
I think making the chain that way will be a good idea.

Just found a good base texture for the chain among the stock files:

data\Textures\TNormal\tex\Mine_Chain.dds :salute:

Targor Avelany

12-10-13, 08:31 PM

well, here are the results....

The models load, the is no lag, the game does not crash.
Looks good too.

But....
1) I somewhere messed up with collision.. Boat just goes through the mines.
2) all of the mines are ABOVE the water. I thought that they were supposed to be kind of all over the place (under the water, tipping out)
3) And I still need to add chain. Which I will. And will move the center of the object lower, almost same as the original mines.

gap

12-10-13, 09:04 PM

well, here are the results....

The models load, the is no lag, the game does not crash.
Looks good too.

:Kaleun_Thumbs_Up:

But....
1) I somewhere messed up with collision.. Boat just goes through the mines.

Have you added all of the below items to your model?

1. a collision model;
2. a collisionable object controller in the zon file;
3. one or more collision spheres surrounding entirely the object;
4. a damage box set to type 221 (Mines) or any other custom zone you might want to use
5. the torpedo explosion effect triggered by the assigned damage box (for Zone 221, i.e. 'old' OH's mines, it is stored in data\Library\Mine_Explosion.dat)

2) all of the mines are ABOVE the water. I thought that they were supposed to be kind of all over the place (under the water, tipping out)

Hehe, as usual, floatation is your Achille's heel :O: There are chance that you need to move the vertex coordinates of your model a bit lower. Also make sure to set the its obj_hydro controller correctly :up:

3) And I still need to add chain. Which I will...

I guess you are going to need some kind of trick for getting the FollowParent controller to work on a granny object :hmmm:

...And will move the center of the object lower, almost same as the original mines.

:sign_yeah: