Note to modders re crew config change in SH3Cmdr R2.6

[JScones]

This may just be FYI, but it may also require consideration by any mod team that uses modified crew config files as part of their mod release.

Basically, in SH3Cmdr R2.6, if a player starts a new career with the "randomise crewmen details" option selected, SH3Cmdr will, by default and in addition to randomising the crewmens' names, randomise their experience and history. This is an attempt to overcome the continual (unrealistic) green crews that we must always endure.

By using a percentage chance figure outlined in SH3Cmdr's "SH3 options.cfg" file (user adjustable), SH3Cmdr will determine the likelyhood of a new crewman bringing with him previous patrol experience. Values affected are:
-Patrols (between 1 and 5 for 1939 and 1 and 12 for 1940 on)
-MedalsInx7 (badge awarded if Patrols >= 2)
-MedalsInx0 (EKII may be awarded based on another percentage chance variable)
-Experience ((Basic.cfg base crewman experience x Basic.cfg experience factor IF an EKII is awared) + Patrols value : same as SH3 logic)

Ranks, qualifications, other medals and similar settings are NOT adjusted by this feature as making such changes WOULD compromise the intent of any crew config modifications.

The default settings in "SH3 options.cfg" are:
1939=30 (% chance that crewman will have had previous patrol experience)
1940=40
1941=40
1942=40
1943=40
1944=35
1945=30
EKIIChance=20 (% chance that experienced crewman will have EKII)

I do welcome feedback on these values. I won't lie and say they are the result of months of research, because frankly they aren't. They just "feel" right. I also stress that the values relate to each crewman, not total crew (in other words each crewman is queried with a 30% chance in 1939 that he will be experienced, as opposed to just ensuring that 30% of the total crew is experienced).

If your crew configs are finely set up to work with your mod and hence adjusting the experience may create imbalances, you'll need to add to your readme something like:

"If you run SH3Cmdr, do not select the "Select to randomise crewmen details" option when starting new careers. Alternatively, open SH3Cmdr's "SH3 options.cfg" file and change all values under [CREW SETUP] to 0.".

Remembering of course that players may still be using their own crew configs anyway (for example I run GW but have never used their crew config files - I use SH3Cmdr's realistic ones).

If any modder requires a pre-release for testing compatibility with their mod (I'm thinking primarily RUb, NYGM, GW and IUB but I'm sure there are others), pls PM me.

[U-Schultz]

Awesome feature. Great work!!

SH3 Commander has become as intergral for SH3 as the mouse and keyboard. I would not be surprised if you hear from the SH4 Dev Team. A version of Commander should be part of a new sim.

[baxter]

This is another excellent feature!

[JScones]

For info, here is the crew that I just got when starting a new career in 7 Flotilla in 1943. For testing, I changed the percentage chance figure to 100 to ensure that *every* crewman had previous experience plus bumped up the EKII chance to 50%. Of course, if I was serious I wouldn't have the EKII chance so high.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~jscones/temp/CrewList.gif

[baxter]

This is going to make crew management much more interesting and realistic.

[Myxale]

Great work there Maestro!
This sounds too Cool.
Here what i would do:

1939=25%
1940=30%
1945=25%
-----------------
Keep in mind that i'm no pro when it comes to U-Boot know-how, and that i bow down before you MOD master any day!
But the following number seem good, considering the fact that the crews got greener in late war.

1939/25%: The beginning of war, the crews should still reflect the new war period.

1940/30%:Things getting heated up, and this number sounds good. After all war just started and so did many crews.

1945/25%: The war is lost, and the crew is getting younger by the day, and the "Old Man" are Legends or Staff by now-
What know-how or feel for the Boot does a 19 year old CE have. Or a Kaleun with 21.
If the Officers are that poor...then imagine the Crew. Kids leading Kids.

Myx

[JScones]

The image above is now not 100% correct. I had a closer look at the results and realised that when a crewman is entitled to an EKII, the calculation of the new experience figure was based on the crewman getting the EKII at patrol 0 (ie before even hitting the water - d'oh). I've now changed it so that a random number is generated between 1 and the number of patrols completed and this number, added to the base experience value, becomes the figure used in the EKII experience calculation (in other words the patrol number that gave rise to the EKII for the particular crewman is also randomised). The remaining patrols are then added to this new figure.

Confused? Trust me. ;)

[Myxale]

Make the EK better show up later. Lets say at least 2 patrols!
I was never happy how SH3 or the Mods handled the EK. Its always to early or to late!

[JScones]

In real life Commanders and crew could get it after 1 patrol - SH3Cmdr reflects this possibility.

I'll consider your other suggestions though.

[Deep Six]

"Cripes" n' "Crickey" this is gonna be a real boost to sub captains to have at least some expo crew mates to start with !!!! :rock::rock::rock::rock:

As ever Mr Scones you have done exceedingly well...... I'll have my cake and eat it...LOL


Deep Six

[Sailor Steve]

I notice that there are junior officers and crewmen with many patrols, and senior with 1 or 2. Is this a function of your '100%' test, or is something else going on? With enlisted it's certainly possible to get into trouble and get busted back to a lower rank.

I'm thinking mainly of the Oberfanrich with 12 patrols and the leutnant with only 6. One would think that a senior officer would have more experience than a junior. Or not. Just wondering?

[VonHelsching]

This is one of those features that will change the way you play the game. With this option, now I might consider starting a "realistic length" career.

Excellent, JS! :rock:

[JScones]

I notice that there are junior officers and crewmen with many patrols, and senior with 1 or 2. Is this a function of your '100%' test, or is something else going on? With enlisted it's certainly possible to get into trouble and get busted back to a lower rank.


I'm thinking mainly of the Oberfanrich with 12 patrols and the leutnant with only 6. One would think that a senior officer would have more experience than a junior. Or not. Just wondering?

Not saying it's the norm, or even overly likely, but it was totally possible. Remember, in WWII (I believe it's different nowadays) the Oberfähnrich rank was not an officer rank but a corps of NCO's (kinda like the WWI FeldwebelLeutnant rank), although the holder did have officer privileges.

Thus, the Oberfähnrich in question may have started in the U-boat arm as a general Matrose, then Matrosengefreiter, before being selected/accepted/commencing for officer training, and promotion to the rank of Fähnrich (officer candidate rank - a JNCO rank). After roughly 12 more months he'd become an Oberfähnrich and six months later a Leutnant.

Alternatively, he may have transferred to the U-boat arm as an Obfhr. After a quick scan of uboat.net I found a few instances of this occuring.

The Leutnant, however, may have served his earlier career on surface ships, especially so in the earlier war years, and may have only recently transferred to the U-boat arm. A quick scan of the Commander bios at uboat.net seems to suggest that this was the norm.

In my mind it's no different than you, a fresh Leutnant, taking command of an existing U-boat thus a crew of experienced U-boatmen, including Obfhr's.

However, if it would make it feel more "real" for players I am happy to lower the number of previous patrols to between 1 and 8 or something? 12 may seem a tad too high? Perhaps I may even make it a data setting (it's hardcoded at the moment) and you guys can change it to what you like (notice I said may)?

[JScones]

I've added a configurable "MaxPatrols" setting, defaulting to 6 for ALL YEARS. Too high? Too low? To me it seems about right as it avoids the above scenario whilst still acknowledging some form of history.

At least this way if you want all your crew with *some* previous experience you could set the % chance value to 100 and the MaxPatrols value to say 3. Then you'll get a full crew where each crewman has had between 1 and 3 previous patrols.

Basically, you can "mix" the values together to your liking (although the default will somewhat reflect reality - to this end I may do some more research this weekend).

[mskvforester]

Hello, perhaps off topic, but, when can we expect to see 2.6 show up for download? I anxiously await it, it is delightful to have more control over SH3.

Respectfully, Mike

[Sailor Steve]

I like the 'mixing' idea, but after reading your post I'm no longer sure you should change it, or listen to me. Your arguments are all good ones.

Anyway, I'm yet another player anxiously awaiting it's release. In the other hand, since this is the 'final' one, I want it to be perfect.

Some of us will never be happy.:damn: :rotfl:

[JScones]

I like the 'mixing' idea, but after reading your post I'm no longer sure you should change it, or listen to me. Your arguments are all good ones.

Anyway, I'm yet another player anxiously awaiting it's release. In the other hand, since this is the 'final' one, I want it to be perfect.

Some of us will never be happy.:damn: :rotfl:
Well, your feedback was the catalyst for the "MaxPatrols" setting, which I think will make it "more perfect" for individual users as they can set the value to whatever they like. I do think 12 is prolly a bit high though.

I'm not rushing release as I want the product to be stable - I don't want to have to come back and release bug fixes or whatever. Hemisent's Malfunctions/sabotage mod is now in and I'm basically just waiting for some data from a few other people, then some more testing and it should be ready. If it's any indication I don't have a Release Candidate yet.