I think one has to release Mods to be a modder.

Ive yet to "offically" do that. My modding is really comes from a desire to fine tune my game how i want it, to my likes and dislikes. I suppose sometime soon im going to make a "from my HD to yours" kind of post.

My overall theme right now, is for Long range patrol luvin. Ive fiinally conceded to myself i like long epic voyages.

So im doing the following:

1. Tweaking IX sub values for gameplay balance (not neccessarily historical). Im giving myself a reason to want to skipper each sub, each sub having its advantagous and disadvantage over the others. (oh and with type 7 interiors).

2. ) Fatigue as food as described in prior post. (both 1n and 2 represent an entirely new basic.cfg with the IX in mind)

3.) Create a new flotilla to be a detachment of the 12th based in penag. Give patrol routes to the south atlantic.

4.) If im successful with 3, ill retouch the indian ocean traffic again.

5.) If i do 4, ill create the 30th floatilla in the black sea.

6.) release it. Either HT compatible (as in, file replacement), , or trim the fat of HT, package it with IC, and release it as IX luvin_HT lite w/ IC
Not sure yet.

Ok, i got a new floatilla to work and i didnt.

Yes, i can create an entirely new grid assignment and floatilla to go with it.

However, i cant seem to be able to assign it a base/home port and not have my base reverted to Kiel and my start location being dumped into the south atlantic.

Oh a whim, in the "office" screen, i decided to see if my floatilla icon was working by clicking on "request transfer"

Well, it crashed.. HARD. Disabeling this mod, and looking at it again, this was more of a case of.. "well duh, no wonder".

Somehow, i dont think theres room for a new flotilla and have it work properly. The screen here has only so much room for flots.
http://www.ducimus.net/flotillas.GIF

On the other hand it could be related to the flotilla.cfg in the sh3/data/menu/cfg directory. I know this file relates to the menu screen when you first create a character and select a flotilla. It *might* also be related to this screen. But i do not understand this file other than it contains some sort of address assigments on where to render the menu items (at least i think it does).

Maybe theres a chance to get it to work, but i think its gone down an avenue that im not willing to follow at this moment in time.

I'm trying to create a SH3 that only has 1945 to 1947 campaign dates; so much of the flotilla files seem to be hardcoded however...

YOu wont get it to work from 45 to 47. Theres alot of stuff relating to timeline that is hardcoding.

What i think is hardcoded is the number of flotillas. However im quite sure that who those flotillas are, when they are active, and where they are located is NOT hardcoded.

For instance if you wanted to create the 30th flotilla in the black sea, i think you'd have to pick a flotilla and rewrite it. For example if i was to create the 30th, i would use it inplace of the 10th flotilla, and remove the 10th entirely. Changing bases, flotilla name, and grid assigmnets is easy.

YOu wont get it to work from 45 to 47. Theres alot of stuff relating to timeline that is hardcoding.

Then why in the Roster files it says for Fletcher:

[Unit 1]
Name=USS Kimberley
DOC=19420204
DOD=19670601

There are many files which need to be changed, more than just a few ships here and there. A lot of files have dates which stop at 1945 or similar.

Why i think timeline dates are hardcoded.

well for instance, create a single mission in say, 1939 or 1940 and JUST TRY to make the player starting position a VIIC/42 or XXI and see what happends.

Or trying to get the XXI to work for all years and not get a patrol grid = 0 or null error. Ill bet money you can't make an XXI recieve continual patrol assigmtnets for any flotilla but the 11th, and for no more then 3 years, no matter what you do to the basic.cfg file, or the roster file.

Out of curioisty, have you tried to create a 1946 or 47 map? Did the map function like the war between 39 and 45? I havent tried it, but my gut feeling is it wont work.

To be more specific; I can't even access the flotilla/year selection screen in career mode; the game always crashes before it loads that; which is why my work's been focused on getting flotilla.cfg to work.

Doublecheck your 1939 entries. The game is VERY PICKY. When experimenting i was using 1942 or 43, and if i didnt have everything in the proper syntax the game was expecting, it would crash the instant i scrolled through the years 42-43 that i had tweaked. Just about anything will make it crash.

You have to make sure everything is in perfect sequence with perfect date continutiy. Any small oversight will make it barf. One thing i have a hunch on is that no two flotillas can share the EXACT starting coordinates. Yeah the 2nd and 10th share lorient but they do not start in the same location. WHen i added a base , and changed my fictional flotilla to start at that base instead of "borrowing" another flotillas starting postion, it worked.

Ducimus, I'm not sure what changes you're missing as you've been having problems for months.

Perhaps a few screenshots of Lt.z.S TEST who was a member of the top secret 77th Flotilla will prove that it's possible. Not many people know this, but the 77th Flotilla was the testing Flotilla for all new U-boats (well, that's my story anyway). The screenshots here show Lt.z.S TEST taking command of the new XXI in Sep 39. He's on his way to grid AM24. All his friends were in awe of all the fandangly equipment he had on his boat. Snorkel? What's that?

http://members.iinet.net.au/~jscones...shots/XXI1.gif
http://members.iinet.net.au/~jscones...shots/XXI2.gif
http://members.iinet.net.au/~jscones...shots/XXI3.gif

Hmmm...decisions, decisions...which sub do I want to take out today?
http://members.iinet.net.au/~jscones...shots/XXI4.gif

Gee it's lonely here in Penang...
http://members.iinet.net.au/~jscones...shots/XXI5.gif
http://members.iinet.net.au/~jscones...shots/XXI6.gif

Luckily for him, he got to do this for *every* year of the war...no problems...

If you look closely at the screenshots you'll see how (possibly perceived) SH3 limitations can easily be overcome. I threw this together as the start of a potential "Fantasy Flotilla" mod 30 minutes ago - as it seems a lot of people want this and other boats in 1939. ;)

BTW, "TOx " refers to the Flotilla's general sea location:

940=North Atlantic
941=Central Atlantic
942=South Atlantic
943=Arctic Ocean
944=Mediterranean Sea
945=Black Sea

To get an XXI to work in 1939 is easy. Starting in penang or any other base you want is easy. To get it any year you want is easy. To get it for ALL years, has been the problem.

Whats been my my challenge is this:

Get the XXI to work from 1939, to 1945, for all flotillas. (not just the 11th) Caveits being, the flotilla must issue a patrol grid for every patrol for all years.

Yes if you create a new flotilla (not hard, just overwrite an existing one) and starting off with an XXI it will give you a patrol grid. However, try carring out that patrol, start it, then end it, and see where your next grid assigment is. My experiemnts its always been 0 or null.

Ive experimented with this thousands times. I have for example, never never gotten an XXI to work (meaning continually issure patrol grids) in any float but the 11th, and never got it to work for more then 3 years. When those 3 years didnt matter. I could move the 3 year window to 1939, or 1943, but never more then 3 years.

I could edit the basic.fg PERFECTLY to give it loadouts for 7 years, and what would happen is the game would use the first 3 years, and the instant you got to the 4th year of use, it stopped working correctly. (usual hint is a type II coning tower in equipment screen). The roster file wasnt much of a help.


As fo the TOx, i figured that out the other day, its heh, amzingly enough, "To" as in destnation. The destinations are defined in the en_menu.txt file. I was looking them over and what i couldnt figure out is why floats like the 2nd have the med as the ToX value. The 2nd doesnt go to the med, so *shrug* i dunno what thats all about.