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After unzipping, place the increased ASW mod in the MODS folder of your SHIII directory. You must be running SHIII with the 1.4 patch and with GWX 2.0. The increased ASW mod was designed for use with GWX 2.0 and has not been tested with any other installation and probably will not work with them. The recommended installation method for the increased ASW mod is to use JSGME. Otherwise, back up your data folder, copy the mod files and paste them in their appropriate folders. Do NOT install this mod mid-patrol. You must first exit SHIII completely before enabling/installing this mod.
** This release of the increased ASW mod has made some major changes to the depth charges. Escorts will no longer 'suicide' or blow their own depth charge racks off (at least, they haven't, so far, in all the tests I've run). Depth charges are now more accurate in terms of their detonation depth. Their damage radii has been reduced by quite a bit, while their explosive power has been increased quite a bit.
The net effect is that if/when a depth charge goes off very close to your boat you *will* be heavily damaged, but detonations at even a slight distance will only superficially damage you. Minor course changes during a depth charge attack should be sufficient to generate misses. However, if you just stooge along and have a string drift down next to you . . . .
I've tried to keep this as historical/realistic as possible, yet also add a bit of additional 'thrill'. The changes made fall into two categories: Air and Sea
Air:
1) setting all bombs so that they detonate when they impact the water, or just below.
2) setting the air depth charges to detonate at 9 meters (which isn't exactly historic, I'll admit; from what I've been able to research 7.9 meters seems to be the 'normal' depth setting, although I've only been able to find the tech details for British air depth charges so far).
3) setting the 'explosiveness' of air depth charges to match up to the weight of explosives they normally carried.
4) setting the sink rate of air depth charges to match the historical sink rates.
5) modified the Catalina, Sunderland, Wellington, select Liberator and select Fortress aircraft with ASW loadouts.
6) changed the Campaign_RND.mis and Campaign_SCR files so that theabovementioned aircraft carry the ASW loadouts (where appropriate).
7) ASW patrol aircraft now have the potential of spotting a submerged U-boat running at periscope depth. Their chances of spotting a U-boat and/or maintaining visual contact depends on several factors: day versus night, wind speed/weather conditions, clear versus foggy, whether they've already visually spotted the U-boat before it submerged, etc.
Basically, if you spot an aircraft at long range and dive right away you should be fine. If you delay diving you may wind up being bracketed with bombs going off on the surface above you and air depth charges going off below water *around* you. And if you get bushwacked and jumped (say, at night, or in a storm) and you get caught on the *surface*, well . . .
Sea:
Most British DDs and DEs begin carrying the Mark VII heavy depth charges starting September 1942. The Mark VII heavy had a somewhat improved sink rate from the addition of lead to the depth charge.
US DDs and DEs begin carrying the Mark 9 'fast sinker' depth charge starting June 1943. Designed to sink fast and detonate at up to 1000 feet, the Mark 9 was aerodynamically shaped, lead-weighted and finned. The lead weight and teardrop shape more than doubled its sink rate, while the fins spun it for stabilization while it sank and also produced a more reliable sink rate resulting in predictable depth charge patterns. Unfortunately I wasn't able to decrease its horizontal 'wandering' so I tightened the vertical as a compensation of sorts. And, of course, the Mark 9 actually *looks* like a Mark 9!
I'd like to thank the GWX team for providing such a wonderful expansion mod. I would have stopped playing SHIII long ago if it hadn't been for their work.
Thanks and credit:
skwasjer; without his wonderful Silent 3ditor I'd never have managed (or attempted!) to do any of this!
Kpt. Lehmann for permission to release modified GWX files
And special thanks and credit to: fury of a seraph; the Mark 9 graphics are entirely his work.
Feedback, comments and critiques are always appreciated!
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