I am Privateer. The inside story of an SH3 Modder

[Jeff-Groves]

I've contemplated writing this story for years. To be exact? Since the release of GWX 3 when the team I was involved in came to it's end.

That was a pivotal point in my life in a lot of ways. Friends vanished, others moved on and left SH modding behind, others became Moderators here at SubSim or elsewhere as I did.

I do believe it is a good tale needing to be told.
I hope as I go along any one will correct me as needed.
It's a pretty good story to be honest.

[Jeff-Groves]

I started play SH1 then SH2 years ago. Kind of weird for a Guy that was a paratrooper with the 82nd airborne right?

Anyway, SH3 came out and the Internet was growing stronger and I found the wonderland of SubSim!

I had come from a background of hex editing things and here was the gathering place of hex editing experts that could do things to SH3 that just screamed at me!

There was no S3D back then and what we take for granted today was but a dream.
I wanted to be part of making those dreams come true but it was to be a long, hard road.
It's a road I still travel today.

[Jeff-Groves]

Some of the first things I did were silly. I'll not even point them out but I was learning.
I wanted to do something to get attention!
At that time I thought I needed it. Years later I know how juvenile I was.

But I did draw attention. And I did create something that had not been done before in SH3.

It took very little time to have the Grey Wolves recruit me at that point.
They had been watching me.
Mostly ref. A very shrewed and talented person who was to become my best teacher.

[Jeff-Groves]

All this took place during the Great Modding Wars as many of us still call that time.

I, like others, took a side.
I did and said things to people I still regret to this very day.
I was banned from Subsim at a point for very just reasons.
I still kept doing what I seem to do best. That is modding the Game and making the impossible possible!

[Jeff-Groves]

Some how I became friends with the very best of the best.
When many could not understand Anvart?
I took the time to work with that so that he and I are still very good friends.
He has also taught me more then many know today.
After GWX 3 was released? I took to working with others on their mods to help ease the old Modding wars issues.
Those people read like a list of the best of SubSim!


What it all comes down to is this.

I am Privateer.
I am honored to be a part of SubSim.
I have had the honor of being friends to so many here that I can not name you all.
I am honored if any mods I have had a hand in make your Game play more pleasant.

[propbeanie]

Fall of the Rising Sun Ultimate is better, and more efficient, because of you, Jeff! :salute: - hope I didn't interrupt your thread! :subsim:

[Jimbuna]

BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!! https://i.imgur.com/ub9CIhd.gif

[THEBERBSTER]

Hi JG
Subsim is what it is because of people like you Jeff.
Where would SH3 be if you and others had not put GWX together for this community?

You have shone a light and others have followed through your creativity not just for SH3 but for helping with other projects.

GWX within the SH3 community today I would say is looked upon as the "holy grail" a phenomenal achievement that is as popular today as it has been over the years.
Peter :Kaleun_Salute:

[Jeff-Groves]

Thanks Guys.
As Jim stated I do plan to be more aggressive as I continue this story.
The past posts are kind of an intro to my whole story.

I'll try not to be harsh except for my own actions.
And I will protect some information to not cause hard feelings.
There's been far to much of that in the past.

[Aktungbby]

I do believe it is a good tale needing to be told.
I hope as I go along any one will correct me as needed.
It's a pretty good story to be honest. We know what motivated this!:D http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/images/_zoverlord_1224.jpg (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/payments.php) Don't leave out the 'well-heeled' nut-case that U encountered in Sacramento... and get a ghost writer( Ms Zaske:yeah:) like I did: https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499703101l/34930861.jpg (https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/34930861-achtung-baby)That way your thoughts remain lofty; but your I's are dotted; T's crossed; and vowels properly umlauted!:know: :O:

[Jeff-Groves]

I came from a small town in Ohio. My family, like many of ours, was not rich by any stretch of the imagination.
My father worked in a steel mill in the early days. Then would come home and spend hours in the garage working on cars late into the night.
I was always attached to my father as he was and is a great man. He always had time for me even as he struggled to provide for us.
In a lot of ways that ingrained the work ethic I have today. Be it real life or my Modding work.
My Mother was an avid reader. Television was not a given as it is today. She ingrained in me the wonders of a good book!
I still can read a book in a single day where others may take weeks to read the same book.
She was one of the best at pushing me for what seemed natural talents to me.
Combined? They gave me the ground work and determination to be the best I could be at anything I tried.
I can recall going to school in hand me down clothes and other kids laughing at me and pointing out that i was wearing thier old stuff that was donated to goodWill and such.
That pretty much created my some what anti-social personnality that has a lasting effect to this day.
I spent most of my time reading and drawing when the other kids were outside playing football or baseball.
I was reading about WWI, WWII, and anything Sci-fi! Then I'd draw the tanks and planes and such.
When the space race started and Star Trek came out? I saw the future! And I mean that in a literal way.
One way or another I was determined to be a part of all that.
My father paid to get me into the NASA club and I had all the models and posters that came with it.
That was when I first learned there were, infact, real computers!

[Jeff-Groves]

From the 60's space race and up to the later 70's? I spent many hours reading everything I could get my hands on about the computer revolution.
Dad had taken courses and was now a Machinical Engineer with a better job and access to manuals to some of the early mainframes and such IBM was putting into place.
He'd bring those home to learn and I'd get my sneaky hands on them.
I was VERY quick to become a Master Hacker!
Now back then? Hackers had an Honor Code that has long been forgotten by those that call themselves Hackers today.
I went under different names back then and I'll not discuss what those names were for obvious reasons!
We used some really nice home built devices to get free long distance calls and such. And attached to some of the early systems?
It didn't take many of us long to be inside Company, schools, Banks, and even Govt systems.
The very early days of what is now the Internet!
We had a Golden Rule back then. Do no harm. Leave no trace.
Seems that is out the window for some years now. And that does include some tools for SH3/4 which I will explain as I ramble on.
Roughly about that time Pong came out. Holy crap! That took my breath away as it was just a simple Game you hooked to your TV!
Computers had came into our homes and I needed to know how the heck did they do that?
I was off on a whole new learning experience now!

[Jeff-Groves]

I taught myself all kinds of early programming languages, bought and built Heath kit computers.
Dumpster dived behind Companies to recover system parts thrown away and even infiltrated places to gain what I wanted.
No. What I NEEDED to complete a drive I had and still have!
I became an expert with Hex Editing on my own and some help from others that had my passion and drive to be a part of all this really neat stuff!
Back then? If you could hex edit? You could do nearly anything you wanted IF you were good enough.
It's becoming a lost talent or trade now days if you understand what I mean.
I'd graduated from High school in 1976 with a not spectaculer record. I didn't care about that then and don't give a hoot about that today.
They did not teach me what I wanted to learn so I did nothing but cause trouble just to get time off by getting kicked out.
They never expected I could pass all exams and get that diploma! LMAO!!
I was soon in the regular work force of factory workers.

[Jeff-Groves]

Worked in the factory, had a wife and child, went to concerts, did drugs and was just a Child of the 70's.
But there was always the itch. the burning desire to be more then i was!
I had this burning desire to prove to myself I was more then just the sum of my day to day life.
Then it happened. I caused my divorce and went into a deep depression.
I tried to cover it by all the parties but it got worse.
Until my brother decided to enlist in the Air Force.
I made the decision to see if I was a Man and enlisted in the Army and go AirBorne!

[Jeff-Groves]

I went to Columbus Ohio to take the silly test to become an AirBorne Infantryman for 2 reasons.
1 was just to test myself
2 was that I had seen that the 82nd would be going to Egypt!
I always had this thing about the Pyramids and wanted to see them.
I completed the test in less then a half hour and turned my papers in.
It didn't take 15 minutes to be called out of the test room and be face to face with several very stern looking Guys!
They asked if I'd like to go into Intellegence! WTH? I regret that I turned that offer down today!
But hind sight being what it is? Oh Well!
I did jump into Egypt and got to see the Pyramids. Even went inside.
That just convinced me that We don't know as much as we think we do!
I spent my enlistment mostly alone. Reading my books and teaching myself even more about computers.

[Jeff-Groves]

I did my time and after discharge? I again connected with past contacts.
I was driving up and down the east coast at the time and We hatched a plan.
We started checking out some really big Companys and used old tactics.
It wasn't long that by dumpster diving we had floppy disks full of information!
Most floppies back then were of the 8 inch type and they'd cut them with scissors thinking they were destroyed!
We became experts at Data recovery with those disks. We also made alot of money to see that that data was never released!
Some of us ended up in the business of data recovery or data protection.

Still it wasn't enough for me.
I found an electronics surplus store near me that had rooms full of old computer stuff!
It was like walking into Fort Knoxs to me! The parts, on thier own, were worthless.
With all I knew and the years of manuals I had gathered?
It didn't take me long to assembly junk into working Units.
As nearly no one wiped drives back then? I soon had a data base that shamed a bunch of Companies out of some nice change.
Make it go away and I'll pay was easy money back then but we were smart enough to know that would never last forever.
I, like many others, retired from that sort of business as the ropes grew tighter.
Get out while the getting is good we decided.

[Rockin Robbins]

Thanks Guys.
As Jim stated I do plan to be more aggressive as I continue this story.
The past posts are kind of an intro to my whole story.

I'll try not to be harsh except for my own actions.
And I will protect some information to not cause hard feelings.
There's been far to much of that in the past.
In the middle of the not so great modding wars, Jeff reached out to me for friendship. I'll never forget that gesture and it was more than a gesture. It was and is real friendship.

He opened my eyes to the needless animosity between people of great accomplishments but with limited vision. I actually pulled back from Subsim for a couple of years rather than be a part of it, came back and found friends.

From that new beginning we've formed better relationships without the drama of the modding wars. And the result has been great growth and cooperation between all modders. Thank all of you for making Subsim a greater place than ever!

[Jeff-Groves]

Roughly in the late 80's I was doing some hacking work on the side from my full time jobs.
A Guy would try a free program and I'd fix it to be a full version for a few quick bucks.
The DRM we face today was non existent and programs were easy to 'adjust' in hex.
I also continued to build a home network out of old parts and pieces.
This was unheard of for the most part back then and many really thought I was a nut case!
I was just ahead of the times as everyone here reading now knows.
I had a big hand in pushing a friend to program in C and then onto C++ around the same time.
You may have tried his work. Ultimate Edition. He goes by TheeMahn.
I trusted Glenn as he understood and loved the tech as much as I did. He was to become a very valued asset to me in later years.

[Jeff-Groves]

I lived a pretty wild life sytle going into the 90's
Long hair, tattooes, leather, and wild chopped motorcycles.
All the while being a secret nerd. very few knew what I was capable of in the technical world.
I recall meeting Glenn and how proud he was with his programming on a Commadore!
I was working in a factory with his father at the time.
I don't think anyone aside from me knew what was going to happen.
I saw the same passion I had and just lit the fuse Glenn needed lit.
Lighting that kind of fuse had become my goal at that point!
Find the talent, lite the fuse, and blow on it if needed!
That turned into a partnership with an old friend. He had the money, I had the knowledge.
We became an internet service provider or ISP.
We were the first in our area to have dial up Internet! And we covered 2 counties!
Now the networking experience I had taught myself came into real world use!
That was in the mid 90's and Microsoft soon had me added as a Beta tester for many different things.
I was now legit! No official training, no schooling, but still legit!
after all the years underground?
It was a milestone to me.

[Jeff-Groves]

Having access to the World Wide Web at speeds I'd never had before?
It didn't take long to get greedy and go big.
you may recall Doom was the biggest thing to roll around back in the Mid 90's.
That is where I came into Gaming online in a Huge, Big, crazy out of my mind kind of stupid!
we set up several dedicated servers with different Mods created by myself or others!
Many knew the best as Tsavo.
Blending some others work and my work? Tsavo was a top server at that time.
My Gaming work had just begun when we were forced to sell out and shut it all down.
Glenn had been a tester for me on the side for other projects the whole time.
To this day he has no idea I allowed him free access to the network to cover what I was doing.

[Jeff-Groves]

I used Glenn as a cover for years. i was able to piggy back on him to hide my activities.
Talk about what the NSA and others are doing today? Sit on the data exchange point and you pretty much have a free ride if done right.
I had 7 different servers running my software. At that time? There was no hacking or cracking it!
I explored at my hearts whim. But i never left a trace nor did any damage.
As we built the business I became close friends with Judges, Lawyers, and most any so called important persons in our area.
Working on thier systems? I knew more about them then even thier wives knew. I always kept that trust between us and never judged.
I always found it funny to be able to walk through metal detectors at the Court Houses dressed like some killer Biker out of the movies and be greated like I was the King of England!
I was legit because I EARNED it.

[Anvart]

I hope this is not last your words and deeds.
Happy New Year! :salute:

Alex Art

[Jeff-Groves]

No my friend!
I'm just getting close to the good stuff.
:03:

I think it's important to lay the back ground for what is to come.

[Anvart]

:D

To the sixtieth birthday?

:yeah: :salute:

[propbeanie]

He's probably right on top of that milestone, eh? - if it hasn't already smacked him in the face (and back and feet and ankles, etc.)... :har:

[Jeff-Groves]

21 more days and I'll be 60 years old!!!
:o

Where the heck did all that time go?
Oh. Yea. SH modding!!
:haha:

[Anvart]

I remember about it, my friend, and wish good luck you in everything.
:sunny:

[Jeff-Groves]

I spent a couple years doing the System Up grades on many Lawyers and Judges systems. At their homes and offices. Hardware, software, networks, etc.
I also hand my hands in the local court and county systems.
I NEVER planted any back doors nor took any data.
Oh I did read a few peoples files in the Lawyers offices.
:haha:

I only ever used info like that against one person I'm not ashamed to say!
Some of my so called friends and I had been planning to start a Motorcycle Club.
It turned into something I'd have no part of. The Guy that was the President of the club when it actually came about tried to cross paths with me because I would have no part of it all. I actually stood in a Bar and crumpled up his 'Rules' and threw them in his face.
Right in front of everyone of those Biker Club Members and Most of the soon to become Ex-friends.

Being very good friends with the owner of said Bar I took tough Guy into the office and told him what I knew about him.

I was allowed to visit the Club house forever afterwards and was NEVER messed with again.
:03:

[Jeff-Groves]

I grew tired of all the computer work to make a living and had been doing Construction work kind of part time for years.

I decided to go full time Construction and part time computers.
Now the money was not as good but I was much, MUCH happier!

Busy hands and mind make a happy heart or something like that, they say.
In my case? It is true.
I can also still see the work I put into places 20 years ago where none of my work from the same time with computers is there.

Kind of a nice feeling to be able to point to a building I put up years ago.
Or to do a presentation to a Historical Society about my work on a project to save an old building, covered bridge, or what have you.

I still work in the Construction business to this day and I still think it's the best thing I have committed myself to right up to today.

Only difference is now I do the demolition part of the trade.
Probably the most dangerous part of Construction work.

[Jeff-Groves]

That is the gist of where I came from. I hope it gives you an idea of who I am in a way and I hope you can understand the back ground I came from.

Tighten up your seat belts for the roller coaster to come!
:)

[Jeff-Groves]

I never cared to much for the 1st person shooter type Games.
Sure, I did some mods for Doom 1, 2, and even 3.
But I never played them much. Mostly made ideas others had come to life.
Or tried to push things to the limits.
(sound familar?)

Somewhere along the way I had played Silent Hunter 1 and decided to re-visit it.

What I found was Silent Hunter 2. WTH? U-Boats? I played the heck out of that! Sitting in the basement for hours reading as I mostly failed at every attack I tried!

And loving every minute of it!
I didn't know I was becoming an addict at the time.

I'd be at work putting up a new house but my mind would be on the Game.
How did I go wrong here or there? Why do those destroyers keep seeing or hearing me?

I was soon to go on the 'Net and look for answers.
I'll give you a guess where I found those answers.

[Jeff-Groves]

My Construction work had turned into a full time business of my own and I traveled the country doing jobs.
I was also doing a lot of Custom Triumph MotorCycle work on the side.
So my time on the computer and SH Games were set aside for a time.

In the early days of 2005?
I bought the Wife a 2004 Triumph and sold all my old Triumphs.
Not working on them anymore? I had time on my hands again.

I got back to the computer and wanted to play Silent Hunter 2 again.
To steal a quote from Nightmare before Christmas?
"What's this? What's this?"
Silent Hunter 3 had come out and I had missed it somehow!

It took little time to fix that oversight.

[Jeff-Groves]

I decided to use privateer as my screen name since I'd been calling myself a Privateer in my Construction business.
And it seemed fitting for SubSim.
:03:

I started out just reading and looking at things as a lurker. As many of us do.

I was quick to download every tool I could find. Like the tweak files and such. I was also quick to contact the people that had knowledge of the files. Those that responded? I became friends with. Those that did not?
Well. My attitude at the time would bite me in the aft area soon enough.

SH3 had the dreaded StarForce at the time. One thing I never told anyone?
I had broken that long before the release of the one you'll find today.
That version breaks things! My version didn't.
I no longer have my version and there is no need for the other version.
Buy the newest releases as they have the files un-altered by StarForce.

I started tinkering to learn. At that time? I hadn't come into contact with the VERY best. So I did stupid things to learn.
A Santa suit in the control room and such.
I wanted to be someone that created something not in the SH3 Game so I carried on with things.
Not knowing I was being watched.