What mods?

[Darkranger85]

Hey all,

I just got SHV and I have read the reviews and people cursing up and down saying it's the worst game ever and all that.

I played SHIV and I liked it (minus a few things) so I thought I would give this a try too. What I would like to know is, what mods do I need to download to fix the problems everyone complains about?

I heard that this game is more "arcade" like, and I hope that isn't too the extreme. Cause I want a decent amount of detail, however on the other hand I was never quite able to figure out targeting solutions in SHIV, so I hope I can get the hang on it on this one.

Thanks guys!

[Dogfish40]

Welcome DarkRanger85!
I think you'll find that this forum is comprised of Silent Hunter fanatics. Players of the entire series have come to SH5 to play, and the Modders have done an excellent job of getting this sim rolling. I had been in the Pacific with SH4 before playing this and I haven't been able to put SH5 down to continue my SH4 campaign (that poor crew, just sitting there in digital limbo).
1. The new UI_TDC by The Dark Wraith (TDW)
2. FX update 0.0.19 by TDW
3. IRAI 0.0.31 by TDW
4. Dynamic Environments V2.1
Also, 5. Open Horizons II series will give you even more campaign power. I am not going into detail, I'll just say that these are Five of the larger popular mods that will get your game really flying. (My opinion of course)
There are many many more that you will want to try out for taste of course. Have fun.
Good Hunting Herr Kaleun.
D40 :salute:

[Trevally.]

(that poor crew, just sitting there in digital limbo).


:haha:

So are mine - poor souls

[Darkranger85]

So is the game still fairly detailed?

I played the tutorial and there wasn't even a firing solution, just point and click "fire." I'm hoping that was just for the tutorial.

And I can't seem to find the UI_TDC mod.

[TheDarkWraith]

you'll find most, if not all, the mods in the SH5 mods forum :up:

[Raven_2012]

Hey all,

I just got SHV and I have read the reviews and people cursing up and down saying it's the worst game ever and all that.

I played SHIV and I liked it (minus a few things) so I thought I would give this a try too. What I would like to know is, what mods do I need to download to fix the problems everyone complains about?

I heard that this game is more "arcade" like, and I hope that isn't too the extreme. Cause I want a decent amount of detail, however on the other hand I was never quite able to figure out targeting solutions in SHIV, so I hope I can get the hang on it on this one.

Thanks guys!

I've read that on many sites from game play reviewers up to the critics. They rate the game as low as 5 out of 10 stars. For a long time I didn't want to buy the game or try it because of those reasons, and also heard it was a system hog. My pc isn't the greatest thing, so I never gave it a shot.

A few weeks ago I was browsing through steam and they had it, and it was around $20. So I said what the hell, I would give it a shot. The game ran smoothly on max settings, and the game turn out to really good. I couldn't understand why those other people gave it bad reviews.

On the bad side, the UI sucks in the stock game. If a player wants to give orders to his officers, you have to run up to each of them and give them the orders. That was the biggest flaw in game, but a good option if your walking around the boat.

The first and only mod a player should start out with to bring this game up to par is, NewUIs_TDC_6_9_0_ByTheDarkWraith. It brings the game back to the players. As far as other mods, its option and up to the player to decide what they want from the game.

I would also try MightyFine Crew Mod 1.2.1, it changes the looks of your crew. I hate the stock XO with the patch on his eye.

[Darkranger85]

Cool, thanks for the input! :)

Another thing I'm wondering is this.

Is SHIV better than 5 in general? I know I have only played the first mission but it just seemed as if 4 was more immersive and 'real' feeling than my first impressions of 5.

Of course, so far I haven't used the TDC in 5. And that's what I liked, looking up the ship in the manual and making the calculations. Also, are you able to change subs?

[Sailor Steve]

Cool, thanks for the input! :)

Another thing I'm wondering is this.

Is SHIV better than 5 in general? I know I have only played the first mission but it just seemed as if 4 was more immersive and 'real' feeling than my first impressions of 5.

Of course, so far I haven't used the TDC in 5. And that's what I liked, looking up the ship in the manual and making the calculations. Also, are you able to change subs?
To be fair, people said the same thing about SH4 compared to SH3. And there were complaints about SH3, with nothing to compare it to. If SH4 was exactly the way you liked it, SH5 may take a little getting used to. It's different in aim and in scope. That said, many of the mods are aimed at correcting that very difference, so it can be played more like its predecessors, but if you're willing to accept the changes it is a fine game in its own right, even without those mods. Give it a chance, and you might like it.

[Darkranger85]

I think I made up my mind.

I like Silent Hunter 4 way better.

I can't figure out how to fire a torpedo at an enemy for the life of me. I read a post on how to do it and the post confused me more than I was to begin with.

The nice dials and such on 4 was far more user friendly. :(

[Webster]

I think I made up my mind.

I like Silent Hunter 4 way better.

I can't figure out how to fire a torpedo at an enemy for the life of me. I read a post on how to do it and the post confused me more than I was to begin with.

The nice dials and such on 4 was far more user friendly. :(

its a fairly coomon feeling that the games UI sucks so use TDW's sh3 or sh4 UI mod so the controls and other things you are used to are the same as sh3 or sh4 style.

that is the first thing you need to do before deciding if you like this game or not.

Ubi changed the sh5 UI to a FPS style that is unrecognised by anyone used to sh3 or sh4 & the auto targetting sucks IMO

[jason210]

The nice dials and such on 4 was far more user friendly. :(

I used to think like you. I still like SH4 a lot, but the graphics and 1st person walkthrough of SH5 have seduced me! I can't leave the game along now. Of course, you need to add the mods as everyone keeps saying, and bear in mind that many people are still developing and improving the mods, so it is a work in progress. There are also a few bugs.

Here are the mods I'm using:

Accurate German Flags
Capthelms SH5 Audio Mod
IRAI_0_0_30_ByTheDarkWraith
Equip_Upgrades_Fix_1_4_AFFOE_151
SteelViking's Interior Mod V1.2
FX_Update_0_0_19_ByTheDarkWraith
Dynamic Environment SH5 Sounds V2.1
Dynamic Environment SH5 Basemod (normal ) V2.1
Stormys DBSM SH5 v1.3 optional louder engine sounds
NewUIs_TDC_6_9_0_ByTheDarkWraith
OPEN HORIZONS II_full v1.6
TDW_Mines_Subnets_Detectable_in_hydro (OH II v1.6)

This is a small list compared to some people but believe it these few mods make ahuge difference.

The NewUIs_TDC_6_9_0_ByTheDarkWraith adds all the dials you had on SH3 and Sh4.

I have my realism set to 73%. That is, no duds, manual targeting on, map contacts update on, and external view on. It means that you can easily measure the range of the target on the map, and you can also work out its speed. The ability to plot your solution easily on the map is cheating in a way, because you are working with information that a commander would have to gather manually. But it's definitely not a point and click technique!

Using this method, if you want to esimate the speed of a target, just draw a line with the ruler tool along it's path, and time how many metres it travels in 1 minute. If you multiply that number by 0.032, you have the speed in knots. You can then put this stuff into the TDC if you wish, but I don't do that - I actually have a physical tool I use, a plastic dial, that allows me to calculate the correct angle at which to fire the torpedo.

If you start doing solutions like this, you can learn a lot and then later you can try doing it with 100% realism.

[TheDarkWraith]

Using this method, if you want to esimate the speed of a target, just draw a line with the ruler tool along it's path, and time how many metres it travels in 1 minute. If you multiply that number by 0.032, you have the speed in knots. You can then put this stuff into the TDC if you wish, but I don't do that - I actually have a physical tool I use, a plastic dial, that allows me to calculate the correct angle at which to fire the torpedo.

If you start doing solutions like this, you can learn a lot and then later you can try doing it with 100% realism.

You should enable navigator assist. This way you can compare your results to what the navigator calculates also. I like more data than minimal data :yep:

[jason210]

You should enable navigator assist. This way you can compare your results to what the navigator calculates also. I like more data than minimal data :yep:

Cheers. But what is navigator assist?

[quink99]

I actually have a physical tool I use, a plastic dial, that allows me to calculate the correct angle at which to fire the torpedo.


Jason, would you care to tell us a bit more about this "physical tool" and any reference as to how to obtain one or futher information

Thanks

[jason210]

Sure. I'm not sure if they exist commercially but I made this whizz wheel after my own design. All it does is work out an angle - that could be a gyro angle on the angle off the bow of the U-boat - based on the velocities of the target and the torpedo. It also takes into account the targets relative bearing. You only need these three data for a solution.

I like it because it is simple and you don't have to worry about range or feeding the TDC with data. I've been playing with it tonight and I hit a destroyer doing 25 knots with a single torpedo from 3500 metres away! However, for some reason the torpedos are getting there too early, and passing in front of the bow. This can easily be compensated for, but I would like to know the cause. It's certainly not caused by inaccuracy of the instrument -- something is happening that I haven't accounted for.

I plan to make a kit for this device available soon, for those who are interested.

Here's render of an earlier version I made of it:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/42312567/wheel.jpg

I also have a digital version that runs in DirectX, but you'd need a second computer for that! An app would be nice though...

[Sailor Steve]

Looks nice. Here is one made by Hitman several years ago.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/411/previewhq1.jpg/

[lees72]

I used to think like you. I still like SH4 a lot, but the graphics and 1st person walkthrough of SH5 have seduced me! I can't leave the game along now. Of course, you need to add the mods as everyone keeps saying, and bear in mind that many people are still developing and improving the mods, so it is a work in progress. There are also a few bugs.

Here are the mods I'm using:

Accurate German Flags
Capthelms SH5 Audio Mod
IRAI_0_0_30_ByTheDarkWraith
Equip_Upgrades_Fix_1_4_AFFOE_151
SteelViking's Interior Mod V1.2
FX_Update_0_0_19_ByTheDarkWraith
Dynamic Environment SH5 Sounds V2.1
Dynamic Environment SH5 Basemod (normal ) V2.1
Stormys DBSM SH5 v1.3 optional louder engine sounds
NewUIs_TDC_6_9_0_ByTheDarkWraith
OPEN HORIZONS II_full v1.6
TDW_Mines_Subnets_Detectable_in_hydro (OH II v1.6)

This is a small list compared to some people but believe it these few mods make ahuge difference.

The NewUIs_TDC_6_9_0_ByTheDarkWraith adds all the dials you had on SH3 and Sh4.
.
I didn't buy SH5 at first because of all the bad press, now the modders have sorted things out I guess I'll give it a go.
I guess patience is a virtue after all!

[jason210]

I didn't buy SH5 at first because of all the bad press, now the modders have sorted things out I guess I'll give it a go.
I guess patience is a virtue after all!

Yay. Again, was just like you, although my nephew actually bought it on Steam when it came out, so I got to see first hand how bad it was. Basically, it was an unfinished Alpha release!

I bought mine just before last Christmas from Amazon for less than a fiver. You can buy from Amazon through Subsim and they get some kind of benefit from that.

It's a totally different game now.

[jason210]

Looks nice. Here is one made by Hitman several years ago.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/411/previewhq1.jpg/


Ah yes, I know that one. Very elegant. Is it based on a real instrument used by the Kriegsmarine?

[Sailor Steve]

Hitman has shown pictures of a real one, which he did his best to reproduce as exactly as possible. The funny thing is that I can't find the thread with the links to download and build it.

Several SH3 mods put it onscreen in the game, and I'm sure I saw one in SH5 somewhere.

[TheDarkWraith]

Several SH3 mods put it onscreen in the game, and I'm sure I saw one in SH5 somewhere.

We call it the Attack disc here in SH5. It's currently in my UIs mod and Reaper7s.

[Sailor Steve]

I knew I'd seen it, but couldn't remember. :rock:

[quink99]

Jason,

Sign me up for your firing angle computer kit. It looks like just what many of us having been fantasizing about for a long time now. Good luck with it!

Does it only work for the standard 90 degree firing angle or will it work from any AOB?

Thanks,
Quink

[Capt_Mag]

I think I made up my mind.

I like Silent Hunter 4 way better.

I can't figure out how to fire a torpedo at an enemy for the life of me. I read a post on how to do it and the post confused me more than I was to begin with.

The nice dials and such on 4 was far more user friendly. :(
I recently got SH5 and I have to say that I agree with you, at least as far as the vanilla version is concerned. The UI is dreadful, moving around the boat is awkward, the lack of a career mode is mindboggling and the number of bugs and spelling errors are grating. I can't understand why they released such a rushed product. That the graphics are gorgeous doesn't help much. That's just my personal opinion of course and I certainly understand if the new features/UI is appealing to others.

I'm a bit apprehensive about using mods as I never have used them with the previous games, but if I'm to enjoy SH5 it seems as a necessity.

[misha1967]

I recently got SH5 and I have to say that I agree with you, at least as far as the vanilla version is concerned. The UI is dreadful, moving around the boat is awkward, the lack of a career mode is mindboggling and the number of bugs and spelling errors are grating. I can't understand why they released such a rushed product. That the graphics are gorgeous doesn't help much. That's just my personal opinion of course and I certainly understand if the new features/UI is appealing to others.

I'm a bit apprehensive about using mods as I never have used them with the previous games, but if I'm to enjoy SH5 it seems as a necessity.

I get your apprehension about mods, trust me I do, and I've been around since the first SH.

However, it really isn't all that bad. Using JSGME, you basically just find the mods you like, download them and place them in a MODS folder, and then use JSGME to enable them one at a time. If one gives you trouble, JSGME keeps a backup so you can disable it and be right back where you were before you started. AS long as you follow one rule: Disable in the exact reverse order they were ENabled. Last in, first out. You'll be fine.

The only "difficult" thing, at least for me, about downloading the mods is making sure that the directory structure is copied exactly into the MODS folder, but I've found that an easy way to do this is to extract to your root, then find the first folder that has the mod name AND has a "data" folder beneath it, then just cut and paste the whole tree into your MODS folder.

Sounds technical? It really isn't, once you've messed it up once or twice and, again, JSGME makes it easy to clean up messes.

My whole point being that yes, vanilla SH5 is pretty awful and "arcadey" in my opinion, but it's gorgeous and it doesn't take a lot of modding to fix it. I know some of our mod soups look daunting, but that's just because people like me love to accessorize beyond what's really "necessary" and because we know it's easy to get rid of ones we don't like. It's addictive! Just keep it simple to start off with, TDW's New_UIs are essential if you want to get that old SHIII and SHIV feel back and is a great place to start, then add as you go along. :DL

To compare to earlier SH versions. I loved (and still love) SHIII, but that one was close to what I wanted straight out of the box (once the looooooong patching process from Ubi was done), so it took me a long time to "go modding." After all, what I had was perfectly playable, if not perfect. And then, one day, I decided that what the hey, why not try it out for size? I could always reinstall the basic package if I didn't like it and I put on the GWX mod.

Man! It was like a whole different game!

Never looked back.

Yes, I agree, it isn't an easy leap to make, but it's worth it and, once you've made it, you'll find it more than well worth your time.

And the efforts and support from the modders and everybody else here if you run into a snag are the things that legends are based on.

Try it out. SHV is gorgeous to look at to begin with, and with a very minimum of playing around with modding, it's everything that SHIII and SHIV ever were, only better. What do you have to lose? A few bucks?

Try it and don't hesitate to come back here if something is giving you a headache. You'll never find yourself at a shortage of help :DL

[Capt_Mag]

I get your apprehension about mods, trust me I do, and I've been around since the first SH.

However, it really isn't all that bad. Using JSGME, you basically just find the mods you like, download them and place them in a MODS folder, and then use JSGME to enable them one at a time. If one gives you trouble, JSGME keeps a backup so you can disable it and be right back where you were before you started. AS long as you follow one rule: Disable in the exact reverse order they were ENabled. Last in, first out. You'll be fine.
Thanks! :) I've tested one (small) mod and it worked fine. I also found a list of the order the mods should be loaded in JSGME.

My whole point being that yes, vanilla SH5 is pretty awful and "arcadey" in my opinion, but it's gorgeous and it doesn't take a lot of modding to fix it. I know some of our mod soups look daunting, but that's just because people like me love to accessorize beyond what's really "necessary" and because we know it's easy to get rid of ones we don't like. It's addictive! Just keep it simple to start off with, TDW's New_UIs are essential if you want to get that old SHIII and SHIV feel back and is a great place to start, then add as you go along. :DL
Thanks, I saw TDW's mod, but it seemed complicated (but I guess I'll figure it out). Your efforts are greatly appreciated!

Try it and don't hesitate to come back here if something is giving you a headache. You'll never find yourself at a shortage of help :DL
Thanks! I'll do that if I don't brick my computer in the process. :O:

[gradenko_2000]

Is there like an external Windows application that has an attack disk that can be manipulated? I'm trying to crunch through the manual and it seems a little excessive to have to open up SH5 and a patrol just to practice with the disk.

[misha1967]

Is there like an external Windows application that has an attack disk that can be manipulated? I'm trying to crunch through the manual and it seems a little excessive to have to open up SH5 and a patrol just to practice with the disk.

That disc, actually, is built right into TDW's awesomely awesome NEW_UI mod, and it's fully manipulable in-game. It even comes with an instruction manual in the download if I remember correctly.

On the issue of that awesome mod, it looks daunting at first but it really isn't. The file contains a whole bunch of individual mods, each in their own individual folder tree, ready to cut and paste into your MODS directory as you see fit. Just enable the "base" mod folder (which is simply called NewUIs_TDC_6_9_0_TheDarkWraith) first and then add (or not) the additional ones as your heart desires.

The only reason it looks complicated, and I agree, is because the download file contains so many other mods, but once you extract the whole thing and start exploring the folder trees, it should become pretty clear. Plus, by including everything in one file, TDW saved us a lot of time hunting down other components. :DL

[quink99]

Is there like an external Windows application that has an attack disk that can be manipulated? I'm trying to crunch through the manual and it seems a little excessive to have to open up SH5 and a patrol just to practice with the disk.


Everything that mischa says regarding TDW's world class MOD is absolutely true but I imagine that if you gotten far enough with his most recent version, NewUIs_TDC_6_9_0_TheDarkWraith, to be practicing with the attack disk then that probably goes without saying.

Addressing your specific question, I don't believe that there is an external Windows application available for the attack disk. I agree with you completely that it is badly needed and I hope someone will correct me and tell us where we can find such an application. It would work so well as an aid to practicing along with the disk's manual.