[REL] Alternate Sinking Mechanism

[Bilge_Rat]

This mod will modify the way ships sink in SH5. It is based on my "Longer Sinking Times" mod for SH4.

The HP damage generated by each torpedo has been reduced by roughly 50%, but the various ship's compartments have been tweaked so the flooding damage generated by each torpedo remains about the same. This roughly doubles the amount of Hit Points each ship has and makes it less likely it will sink from HP depletion and more likely it will sink from progressive flooding, since it now takes roughly twice as many torpedoes to deplete all the hit points. This also has the added benefit of delaying the "Unit destroyed" message in many cases.

The flotability factor of various ship's compartments has also been adjusted to accelerate sinking when much of the ship is flooded. This makes it less likely that a ship will hang around when its deck is already under water.

new info on version 2: v2 bumps up the torpedo damage to 60% of stock. It was 50% in version 1. Basic SH5 ships seem to be more resistant to damage than SH4 ships and the small increase seems to help. I did not want to bump it up too high so it will still work well against imported SH4 ships. I left both versions up since they both work. v2 will result in faster sinking times.

This mod is compatible with TDW's FX update mod and with stock SH5 v1.2. Instal after FX update and Open Horizons II, let it overwrite the Zones.cfg file in both.

All feedback will be appreciated.

link to version 1:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/ph23vc7ptrp7pjr/AST_SH5_v1.zip

link to version 2:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/554h0pa7qwq0h7a/AST_SH5_v2.zip

[Trevally.]

Thanks Bilge_Rat, downloading now:DL

[arnahud2]

Thanks too,

SH5 needed this correction. You did it, so :yeah:

Cheers

[LemonA]

It would be not badly to have a video to look at this new sinking behaviour.
(Any details about the sinking time before and after?)
Mod fully compatible with TDW's UI v6.9.0?

[Echolot]

Thank you, Bilge Rat.

:sunny:

[Bilge_Rat]

It would be not badly to have a video to look at this new sinking behaviour.
(Any details about the sinking time before and after?)
Mod fully compatible with TDW's UI v6.9.0?

No video, but you can use this mission originally posted by Trevally to test, which is what I used in tweaking the mod:

https://rapidshare.com/files/3435443383/Sinking_Tests.7z

I tested it with and without TDW's FX, IRAI and UI mod and there should not be any conflict. The file has all the specific custom tweaks TDW had made for his FX mod so it is fully compatible, but it should work as well with imported SH4 ships.

In terms of sinking times, it is on par with Arclight's BRF and TDW's FX mod. The big difference is that you will see much less ships instantly going up as torches and burning from stem to stern. However, even ships which appear to have little damage may later on sink either from progressive flooding or from damage caused by ongoing fires from TDW's FX mod.

From my testing, 50-60% of merchants still go down with one torp, although you may have to observe it for some times to see if it will go down on its own or will require another torp.

It is relatively easy to adjust the sinking times and/or torpedo damage, so I posted this as a WIP until I get more feedback.

[pedrobas]

Any feedback from this mod?:cry:

[Bilge_Rat]

I have a new version I will be uploading soon. I bumped up the torpedo damage slightly. Native SH5 ships are tougher than SH4 ships even though the torpedo.ZON and Zones.CFG file is identical in both games. What also makes it more complicated is the fact that crew abilities can bump up torpedo damage, this is a real balancing act.

[pedrobas]

I have a new version I will be uploading soon. I bumped up the torpedo damage slightly. Native SH5 ships are tougher than SH4 ships even though the torpedo.ZON and Zones.CFG file is identical in both games. What also makes it more complicated is the fact that crew abilities can bump up torpedo damage, this is a real balancing act.
Thanks for the info :up:

[Bilge_Rat]

version 2 is up, detail in first post. Unless someone sees any major problems, this is final.

[volodya61]

version 2 is up, detail in first post. Unless someone sees any major problems, this is final.
Thank you, Bilge Rat!
I'll test this one))

[89]

Many thanks, a very nice mod!

I like the sinking behaviour, I've also noticed tha ships were visibly rocked by impacting torpedoes (I do not think this was the case with vanilla SH5 or other mods). Sinking looks good, ships do not tend to sink at 90 deg angle as much, the angles at which they go down look much more plausible.

The improvements that would make this mode better would be disabling underwater explosions that look completely unreal and happen almost always onece ship goes underwater.

And heavier listing would be great too, HMS Bahram like capsizing is still impossible.

But very nice mod, many thank for sharing it!

[Bilge_Rat]

Many thanks, a very nice mod!

I like the sinking behaviour, I've also noticed tha ships were visibly rocked by impacting torpedoes (I do not think this was the case with vanilla SH5 or other mods). Sinking looks good, ships do not tend to sink at 90 deg angle as much, the angles at which they go down look much more plausible.

The improvements that would make this mode better would be disabling underwater explosions that look completely unreal and happen almost always onece ship goes underwater.

And heavier listing would be great too, HMS Bahram like capsizing is still impossible.

But very nice mod, many thank for sharing it!

Thanks, glad you like it. I tried to get ships to capsize, but still have not found the variable or if it is even possible. It is easy enough to do in SH4, but sinking seems to work differently in SH5.

[Trevally.]

Thanks, glad you like it. I tried to get ships to capsize, but still have not found the variable or if it is even possible. It is easy enough to do in SH4, but sinking seems to work differently in SH5.

I have had a BB capsize with me and posted pics - but can't find them:hmmm:

I do have these from SH5:up::-

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/3320/50694329.png

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/2305/81164150.png

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/3440/10554618.png


EDIT: This is an imported SH4 ship. Could this be the same issue as was there with the mag torps - as in they worked for SH4 ships but not SH5

[89]

Thanks, glad you like it. I tried to get ships to capsize, but still have not found the variable or if it is even possible. It is easy enough to do in SH4, but sinking seems to work differently in SH5.

What about the massive explosion which happens almost always when stricken ship is about to disappear underwater? Is that solvable? It's like ships hit points are depleted when it starts drowning and instead of drowning it decides to blow up.

I have had a BB capsize with me and posted pics - but can't find them:hmmm:

snip


EDIT: This is an imported SH4 ship. Could this be the same issue as was there with the mag torps - as in they worked for SH4 ships but not SH5

Hmm, very interesting! We nee to show this finding to TDW ;)

[TheDarkWraith]

Hmm, very interesting! We nee to show this finding to TDW ;)

More peeking around inside the sh5.exe and shcollisions.act keeps bringing up a string - "DMG_" that the game constantly does string compares and searches on other strings looking for it. These searches happen when the game says unit collided with something (could be ocean bottom, water, another unit, etc.). SH3/4 units have a DMG_col_ node attached to the root node. SH5 ships do not have a DMG_col_ node attached to the root node. This was part of the problem why magnetic torpedoes didn't work on SH5 (GR2) style ships. Now it makes me wonder if the sinking mechanics are looking for this DMG_col_ or maybe even just DMG_ node attached to the root node :hmmm:

[Bilge_Rat]

I wont pretend that I understand the difference between SH5 GR2 and SH4 DAT ships, but yes they do sink differently even though the SH4 and SH5 zone cfg files are 99% identical.

[Rongel]

I remember that I have seen stock SH 5 ship capsize years ago. That was when there wasn't any imported ships in the game yet. I really can't remember the ships name, but I have a feeling that somebody else wrote about it too here. It was a nice sight, worked just like it should. Never seen it again though.

[Cyril]

Nice mod.
Cleares one of the items I have found very annoying namely the problem, that a ship can continue sailing more or less full speed, when its deck is under water. Very often when I attack a convoy, I select my goals carefully and try to hit them in the machinecompartment to have them stop. The plan is then, that the convoy should continue moving and the escort abandone the ships hit, so I can surface my boat and sink the stopped ships with my deckgun. But many times I find, that the ships hit by a torpedo just continue sailing full speed in the convoy even with the deck under water :x

I have never seen a ship capsize in all the years, i have played SH1-2-3-4-5, but i am looking forward to do so :DL

thanks Bilge_Rat

[finchOU]

^^^^^^what he said^^^^^^^^^^

Basically looking for the same thing....a realistic way to slow flooding ships to a crawl after torpedo damage. I feel this is not modelled in a the game that well (or SH3 for that matter). I know the anwser is "it depends"...but should a ship thats going 10 knots...slow to mabey 5 knots while taking on water...listing...sinking ...aka more surface area the ship needs to push through the water.

Obviously not all ships in a convoy are maxed out at the top speed of the convoy..but most convoys are matched with similular speed ships no??

wiki convoy...under ww2 tactics....." allocating vessels to convoys according to speed, so that faster ships were less exposed"

meaning that even if a convoy is at 10 knot, ship X wouldnt neccesarily be faster than say 15 knots undamaged? I have yet to see significant speed drop with flooding. They just seem to speed along at the same speed as the convoy. Even bad weather (rough seas) caused ships to become straglers.

[gazzmetrik]

Thanks for this awesome mod! I used your similar one back when i was a fleet boat captain. :yeah:

[Glock30Eric]

tagged to DL on my bootcamp.

[GT182]

I don't have this mod installed yet, but I've only seen a very few ships keep on sailing while sinking. 98% of them coast to a stop before they completely sink. Just as my last ship sunk came to a complete stop and then sank.... a Queen Elizabeth Battleship.

Here's proof....