which mods. help?

[notreallysure]

Just started playing SH4 again (with UB add-on) and I was looking, in vain, for some kind of help to guide me through the plethora of no doubt fantastic mods available - posts that might provided a recommended list of mods, or even a description of what each mod does? What is the RFB mod, for example, and what does it do? Or the Mara mod? Sorry if these are stupid questions. Can anyone kindly point me to a post, or place, which might guide a newbie to the SH4 mod options? Many thanks.

[Webster]

first off just start with my GFO mod
found here: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=151796
it will fix many issues with the game and add a lot of extra game content without altering the game or the difficulty levels.

beyond that, take a look at my list of my mods
found here: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=139472

the vast majority of them are designed to make small but important changes to the game to help your enjoyment but read each mod thread to see what it does for you.

after you get good at the game and are ready for a challenge then read the threads on manual targeting and start looking into the big mods like TMO, RFB, and FOTRS, they are all mods that make many changes and alter the difficulty of game play and attempts to make things more realistic but in their own different ways. each has its own flavor so when you are ready, you should try them all and see what you like best. many people play both RFB and TMO on separate installs.

FOTRS is a mod that you use by itself without other mods because you cant use other mods with it unless specially made to do so. this makes it not as popular but its still a great mod worth using, you just have to play it as-is.

[THEBERBSTER]

I recommend Scaf with Max optics

Link below.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=126016 (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=126016)

This is extremely accurate when using the ‘Stadimeter.

Each target has a ‘Hotspot’ in the ‘Recognition Manual’

Check out the ‘Readme’ that comes with the mod.

My mod list

Game Fixes Only Mod v1.1

New Orders Bar Menu

Webster's No Crew Fatigue

Webster's Improved US Torpedo v2

Magnified Hud Dials for v1.5_Large

Bigger Better Protractors

Extra Allied naval bases for Stock SH4 + UBM v3.0

Webster's Ship Manuvering Fix

3000 Yard Bearing Tool (1920x)

SCAF for SH 1.5

MaxOptics3 for SCAF 1.5

Webster's New sonar view for v1.5

Eye Patch for Stock

shSpeech

SOBERS COMPASS MOD VERSION COLOUR

Webster's Eliminate Floating Plankton

Webster's Upgraded Deck Gun v1

I only play at a 'medium ' level as I am fairly new to SH4 3rd Patrol

If you are playing with your contacts showing

Use the 3 minute time on the 'Stopwatch' to get the speed.

Identify the target and send the mast height to the TDC

Pause the Game

Use the protractor and draw out the angle from the target to the U-boat to get the AOB.

Take the ruler and measure the 'Range' from the target back to the U-boat

Unpause the game

And enter all three in to the TDC and start the Pk.

The 'Attack Map' will now show what adjustments you need to make as to where the white marker is.

The importance with Scaf is to keep updating with the 'Stadimeter.

I adjust the 'Speed' up or down and send it to the 'TDC' the PK monitors this and the Attack map confirms where the white marker is relation to the Target

The AOB angle will increase the closer the ‘Target’ gets to the U-boat.

The PK is already monitoring this so it is easy to make a small adjustment.

Using this method I usually get the white marker over or in line with the ‘Target

[TorpX]

After you get a taste of the game with GFO, I recommend these:



RFB_2.0 .......................................(Real Fleet Boat)
RFB_2.0_Patch_23April2010
RSRDC_RFB_V575 ........................(Run Silent Run Deep Campaign)
RSRDC_RFBV5xx_Patch1
Improved Ship Physics 1.1 ..............(improves physics of your boat)

This provides many improvements with only five mods. RFB (Real Fleet Boat) aims to achieve the most realistic gameplay and changes many elements. RSRDC (Run Silent Run Deep Campaign) changes shipping traffic and missions to historical volume/pattern. Stock has excessive traffic and isn't well configured.

ISP is my baby. It improves the acceleration, diving, turning, sea-keeping, and battery performance of your boat. By improving, I mean making it more realistic. It also has stronger storms.


Note that you must have v1.5 of Silent Hunter 4 to run these mods (as most others).


Also, when you install and enable these mods (using JSGME), you should start a new career, and avoid experimenting with a lot of mods within this career. Playing 3 card Monty with mods will likely make for problems.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Welcome to SUBSIM notreallysure :-)

[Admiral Halsey]

After you get a taste of the game with GFO, I recommend these:



RFB_2.0 .......................................(Real Fleet Boat)
RFB_2.0_Patch_23April2010
RSRDC_RFB_V575 ........................(Run Silent Run Deep Campaign)
RSRDC_RFBV5xx_Patch1
Improved Ship Physics 1.1 ..............(improves physics of your boat)

This provides many improvements with only five mods. RFB (Real Fleet Boat) aims to achieve the most realistic gameplay and changes many elements. RSRDC (Run Silent Run Deep Campaign) changes shipping traffic and missions to historical volume/pattern. Stock has excessive traffic and isn't well configured.

ISP is my baby. It improves the acceleration, diving, turning, sea-keeping, and battery performance of your boat. By improving, I mean making it more realistic. It also has stronger storms.


Note that you must have v1.5 of Silent Hunter 4 to run these mods (as most others).


Also, when you install and enable these mods (using JSGME), you should start a new career, and avoid experimenting with a lot of mods within this career. Playing 3 card Monty with mods will likely make for problems.


And when you finally want a real challenge I suggest downloading TMO. Those destroyers make late war allied ASW seem easy.

[Snarf]

Don't forget to adorn your Captain's office with a lovely wood or marble sub model :D
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/downloads.php?do=file&id=4434
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/downloads.php?do=file&id=4433

also a Digi camo paint job (not WWII era realistic, but adds nice eye candy)
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/downloads.php?do=file&id=4377

These can be added on top of any of the other mods.

[notreallysure]

Many thanks for the quick responses. Very helpful.

I will try GFO first, then, and see how that goes! Then move on to some of the others after reading what they do. Where do I read what they do, though? I don't see headers for each mod. Do I just search for them?

[Webster]

Many thanks for the quick responses. Very helpful.

I will try GFO first, then, and see how that goes! Then move on to some of the others after reading what they do. Where do I read what they do, though? I don't see headers for each mod. Do I just search for them?

most of the mods here at subsim have a mod release thread page with all that info and you can ask questions about the mod there or there should at least a description of the mod on the download page where you download it but most mods also include details with the mod in the documents folder or a "read me" text file

[Sinkmore]

FWIW
I'm just a noob. I played Sh4 vanilla (don't), then RFB+RSRDC for 2 months (excellent, no complaints). I recently (3-4 days ago) loaded up TMO+RSRDC+OTC+Traveller's mod (plus I tweaked the sea colors, they were too cheery for me.) Plus some incidental mods. So far that's been stable and I am very happy with it.

[THEBERBSTER]

Mods will often have a document folder that contains a readme that explains what the mod does.

Webster's mods are always informative as is the Scaf mod.

[Phrozin]

Don't forget to adorn your Captain's office with a lovely wood or marble sub model :D
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/downloads.php?do=file&id=4433

These can be added on top of any of the other mods.

Oh Man, That's not right! Now I want a wooden model on my desk.. in real life... Guess it's time to bust out the lathe and gouge. I'm gonna need some more band-aids! :yeah:

[notreallysure]

Thanks again. In fact, I went for TMO and like it a lot, so far. Superb work on all these mods. Amazes me. I'm tinkering with the environment now.