What are the essential mods nowadays?

[Narog]

I haven't played for a long time but when I did the essential mods (for me at least) were the "Escort Bugfix" (that added the missing escorts), T2 range mod (that fixed the range of T2 torpedoes), some enhanced navigation tools and the swastika flags mod.

Has anything changed?
Did 1.4b fix the missing escorts and torpedo range bugs?
Have newer and better navigation tools been made?

Bottom line, what mods are currently seen as "essential"?

[Sailor Steve]

Essential?

If the 1.4b patch didn't fix the problems you mentioned, the Real U-Boat 1.45 certainly did. It contains mods that changes the nature of the convoys, the escorts and the airplanes, all for a much more realistic experience. The Improved U-Boat mod does much the same thing, but in a different way. Ask the adherents of each why they prefer the one they do and you'll have the information to choose for yourself.

SHIII Commander: I consider this one essential simply because it makes your captain into a real person (or at least a realistic one) and adds more feel to the game than I can describe in one sitting.

Not absolutely essential, but great atmospheric mods:

Harbour Traffic: adds dozens of ships to the harbors, and makes entering and leaving port a joy in itself.

BordInstrumente 1.0: puts realistic WWII guages in your boat. This may not sound essential but it makes a huge difference.

16 K Fix: extends your visual range (actually to about 20 kilometers). Makes a major difference to the way you play, seeing ships so far away that all you actually see is the smoke; but only if your computer can handle it.

Beyond that there are a lot of great mods affecting graphics and sounds, but how essential they are is really up to you and your playing style. Also if you back up your original files you can easily dump the ones you find you don't like.

[Narog]

Thanks for the tips.

[Stryker412]

What about essential texture mods? I don't want to DL any mods that effect the AI, as imo it's hard enough as it is. I just want the game to look better. :)

[Sailor Steve]

I didn't think of textures as essential as they are so subjective. There are many that add/change the way the boats look, and they are all good, so the choice is really up to you.

As for AI, the depth charge mods and others included in RUB actually tend to make it easier, especially early in the war.

[CrashDive]

You certainly can't forget to add the mod enabler to the list. It is another must have! It is available here along with SH3 Commander: http://members.iinet.net.au/~jscones/software/products.html

[Sailor Steve]

I didn't forget. I'm one of the very few who had problems with the mod enabler. I keep all my favorites in one folder and install them manually; therefore I don't consider it to be essential.

But that's just me. You're right: lots of people refuse to live without it.

[CaptainKobuk]

I'd just get IMPROVED UBOAT 1.02 as a base and go from there. It has 225 megs and includes RUB 1.44 and Harbor traffic mod as well as many others. All tuned into a single install package.

It has 15 second reloading deck guns by the way. Which is fast enough to make the deck guns useable.

[Sailor Steve]

SHIII Commander lets you set the deck gun firing rate to anything you like. The newest version (2.4) lets you choose between the actualy U-boat numbers for the Flotilla you select. It also has a crew database of almost all of the 42,000 men who served in the Ubootwaffe, divided into first and last names so you have over a billion possibile names and very little chance of getting a famous one. It now also comes with seasonal waves which change depending on the month of the year, plus a nightclub that's actually better than the one in Aces Of The Deep!

Need I go on?

[JScones]

...plus a nightclub that's actually better than the one in Aces Of The Deep!
Thanks! This is the first bit of feedback I've read on the new Nightclub feature. I was beginning to think that it was a bomb!

[The Avon Lady]

...plus a nightclub that's actually better than the one in Aces Of The Deep!
Thanks! This is the first bit of feedback I've read on the new Nightclub feature. I was beginning to think that it was a bomb!
Oh no no! I used it once when between patrols. Very nice indeed! :up: :up: