GW mod, underwater brightness

[timberwolfdp]

Hello all-

I've been searching through these forums as well as others for tips on how to raise the underwater brightness. I'm running the latest GW mod with the 16k light optional mod, but underwater during the day all I can see is the stern and bow of the boat. I would really like to see better underwater, even if it's not realistic. Anyone have any tips on how to up the brightness? I've tried gamma settings on my video card, but they don't stick in game.

Thanks-
Timber

[Sailor Steve]

The quickest, easiest way is to load SHIII Commander. It lets you adjust the fog level with the click of a button. I have mine set to 5, so it's very murky, but this tool lets you set it all the way back to 20, which lets you see for miles (and miles and miles and miles and miiiiiiiiles, oh yeah).

[Tigrone]

I'm afraid I do not have SH3 Commander, and I'm not sure how it is used. I must admit I am afraid of it and the added complication. I also would really like to get clearer water in GW too. I held off trying GW because I read it would have that effect. I just cannot see my boat at all below 30 meters.

Is there a file edit or replacement file that could be used to increase water clarity without affecting any other coding or the game play?

[timberwolfdp]

The quickest, easiest way is to load SHIII Commander. It lets you adjust the fog level with the click of a button. I have mine set to 5, so it's very murky, but this tool lets you set it all the way back to 20, which lets you see for miles (and miles and miles and miles and miiiiiiiiles, oh yeah).

Tried that, and jacked it up to 20, but still can't see a thing. Looking for more ideas! :)

[Sailor Steve]

Well, I know you'll hate hearing this, but you should have created a backup Data folder and kept it. Then you could just reload the files from there. On the other hand, I've reloaded and restarted SHIII many many times because I failed to do just that.

PM me your email address and I'll send you a copy of the stock files.

08x15, Commander isn't a mod, it's a tool that lets you change settings before you start the game. It's wonderfully simple, and does so many cool things that a lot of us consider it to be the single most important asset to our game play. You really should try it.

[CybrSlydr]

Yes, SH3 Commander is an external mod. You launch it before you launch SH3 (Commander even has a Launch SH3 button to simplify the process) and change things via the menus.

Very intuitive and fun to use - as it's external, there's next to nothing you can do that will screw up your game (that is unless you try to promote, award, etc. your crew while still at sea...).

You can even assign your own patrol zones. :)

[Tigrone]

Sailer Steve:
Where and which file or files is it that needs to be replaced with the stock original game file to get back original water or clearer water? Will that affect other things in GW at all? I have all the stock files. In fact, I have two full copies of the original install now for safe keeping. And yes, my problems started when I deleted the working modded version I had built up over a year (from the first days) without backup to do a clean install of 1.4b. Since then I had to reinstall several times and have never gotten back to the game play quality I had reached then. I was not using Jones' Mod Enabler then--dumb, dumb, dumb.

"Well, I know you'll hate hearing this, but you should have created a backup Data folder and kept it. Then you could just reload the files from there."


Thank you CybrSlydr,
I may try SH3 Commander. I just downloaded it. One thing that concerns me is the notes about needing to "roll-it-back" and conflicts with patches or supermods?

We are probably posting in the wrong forum now; we've moved into modding.

[Sailor Steve]

Good job keeping backups!

I post from the library and can't remember offhand where the files are located, but I'll remember to look them up and give you the locations tomorrow. Hopefully someone will have stepped in with the file locations before then.

I know that they're the Atlantic, Arctic and Med Sky and water files, and I think they're in the Data/Environment folder. If you find them there, you'll know they're the right ones, but don't trust me on this one.

[timberwolfdp]

I suppose I could reinstall the game and repatch it in a different folder to get those files. The question is, which ones. :)

[U-Bones]

I suppose I could reinstall the game and repatch it in a different folder to get those files. The question is, which ones. :)
data/Env/EnvColors_Atl.dat
data/Env/EnvColors_Med.dat
data/env/EnvColors_Arct.dat
Above dated 5/6/2004 (from patch 1.4)

You may also want data/scene.dat - AFAIK this file is where transparancy is configured. (Use SH3 Commander to hack this IMO)

To save you an install, you can get from my webspace at http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze33y78/OriginalWater.zip (http://members.bellatlantic.net/%7Evze33y78/OriginalWater.zip)
But I do not believe the scene.dat inside is original 1.4... and I dont remember exactly where it came from.

Cheers

[JScones]

Water density/transparency is set in scene.dat. No need to muck around with the env files unless you want to adjust the actual colour.

Setting the UnderwaterFogEnd(Fog) value to 20 will give you clear water. Best done via SH3Cmdr or SH3 Mini Tweaker.

Tried that, and jacked it up to 20, but still can't see a thing. Looking for more ideas! :)
Then it must be the gamma on your monitor. Setting the value to 20 ensures fully transparent water. Stock SH3 uses 18.

[Sailor Steve]

Thanks, U-bones and JScones. Looking things up and dragging the info back and forth is really a pain. I knew someone with the answer ready to hand would come through.

[Sulikate]

So, for a murky water, but still a visible u-boat (decreasing visibility with depth), what should be my setting?

thanks

[SquareSteelBar]

Hi Kaleuns,

would it be helpful to you to upload the original GW_1.0 'scene.dat' with the stock game underwater visibility value in it?

SSB

[Tigrone]

Now I'm curious. I searched everywhere and cannot find "UnderwaterFogEnd(Fog)." Where is it located? I've looked at the Scene.dat line by line but cannot locate it. What exactly does it look like or what line is it on? Maybe, I'm just not seeing it in the clutter?

"Setting the UnderwaterFogEnd(Fog) value to 20 will give you clear water. Best done via SH3Cmdr or SH3 Mini Tweaker."

[SquareSteelBar]

Hi 08x15,

the line 'UnderwaterFogEnd' you can only see in MiniTweaker. In a hex editor it looks like this:

http://img437.imageshack.us/img437/9534/scenedat3az.jpg

Greetz
SSB

[Tigrone]

Thank you SquareSteelBar for explaining so simply and putting me out of my misery. I was searching for an invisible piece of code that I never had a chance of finding.

"the line 'UnderwaterFogEnd' you can only see in MiniTweaker."

_________________________________________
Даю наводку для желающих:
Программа MiniTweaker + папка TweakFiles
http://www.delraydepot.com/tt/sh3sdk.htm (http://www.delraydepot.com/tt/sh3sdk.htm)
бонус:
(http://rapidshare.de/files/13718625/P3dAllVersion.rar.html)

Для HexEditor: мощность, скорость, расстояния, число оборотов,
глубины погружения и т.д. в файлах ..\Submarine\NSS_XXXXX\NSS_XXXXX.sim.
Регулировка ShipWake, Visual Damage и т.д. в файлах NSS_XXXXX.val.
Зоны повреждений, Armor Level, Collision и т.д. в файлах XXXXX.zon.
___________________________________________

OK, I found MiniTweaker, but is it safe for an English major to use? Anything to be aware of before poking around with it?

[JScones]

So, for a murky water, but still a visible u-boat (decreasing visibility with depth), what should be my setting?
Say 4, maybe 5.

[JScones]

Thank you SquareSteelBar for explaining so simply and putting me out of my misery. I was searching for an invisible piece of code that I never had a chance of finding.

"the line 'UnderwaterFogEnd' you can only see in MiniTweaker."
Hence my comment "Best done via SH3Cmdr or SH3 Mini Tweaker."! ;)

OK, I found MiniTweaker, but is it safe for an English major to use? Anything to be aware of before poking around with it?
Much easier than using a hex editor!

It's quite straight forward. If you wanna play around with, or create new, rules, then read the readme file.

Whilst Mini Tweaker will do it for you, you may like to manually create your own backup of any files you adjust, "just to be sure". The thing is, if you stuff a file up, you just gotta replace it with the default and you'll be OK again.

[SquareSteelBar]

For all grey wolves who want to see clear when taking a bath in the ocean: http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/tiere/g018.gif

Clear Wolf (http://rapidshare.de/files/21964039/GW_scene.dat_with_clear_uw_visib.7z.html)

This is the original GW_1.0 'scene.dat'; I only changed the underwater visibility to the stock game value.

Greetz
SSB
:lurk:

[Sulikate]

Say 4, maybe 5.
mm... ok, I'll try this out.

[snyperAL]

There is a mod called "stock Sea floor Mod" bundled with GW what does that do?

[Dowly]

Changes the seafloor texture back to the one that comes with the game.:up: