[REL] Real Fleet Boat mod kicks off
 

Latest version: 1.12
http://www.beerymod.com/SH4/RFB112.7z

RFB 1.12 discussion thread:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=110993

Rather than release tons of little mods I've decided to release the first Real Fleet Boat mod (I can't remember who suggested the name first, but it's a good name I reckon) now.

This first version is really just a way for me to get started. All it contains is GunMod's new sun graphic, the removed intro movies and a realism settings config file so that 'realistic' (minus the restricted camera view) is the default setting for the game. All of the settings and files first appeared in SH3 and their authors are listed in the readme file.

The sun graphic is the same one that was in RUb. It turns the game's sun from this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/Beery/OldSun.jpg

...to this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/Beery/NewSun.jpg

I'm not advertising it on the main SH4 forum because it's really not what I'd call a proper mod. It's currently called RFB0.01 - I reckon it needs a bunch more files before I can call it RFB 1.0

Anyway, the download can be found at the top of this message. The latest version is also up there.

Here's the part of the readme that details the additions to the game:

Version 0.01:
070326: Removed Ubisoft logo movie. Mod by 9th Flotilla (Data\Movies\Intro\Logo.wmv).
070326: Removed intro movie. Mod by Beery (Data\Movies\Intro\Intro.wmv).
070327: Adjusted realism settings to make 'Realistic' the default game setting and to remove the penalty for using the outside camera view. Mod by Beery (Data\Cfg\GameplaySettings.cfg).
070327: Added realistic sun graphic. Mod by GunMod (Data\Textures\TNormal\tex\sun_b.tga).
----------------------------
Version 0.02:
070327: Added part of Realistic Plotting mod from RUb. Original mod by GouldJG with additional content by Observer (Data\Cfg\Contacts.cfg).
070327: Added Greenlamp mod. Mod by Jimimadrid (Data\Menu\Gui\Layout\HUD.dds, HUD.tga, HUD_AdversarialMode.tga, ReplayElements.dds, ReplayElements.tga).
070327: Added Realistic Battery Life mod. Mod by CCIP (Data\Submarine\NSS_Tambor\NSS_Tambor.sim, Data\Submarine\NSS_Sargo\NSS_Sargo.sim, Data\Submarine\NSS_Salmon\NSS_Salmon.sim, Data\Submarine\NSS_Porpoise\NSS_Porpoise.sim, Data\Submarine\NSS_Gato\NSS_Gato.sim, Data\Submarine\NSS_Balao\NSS_Balao.sim).
070328: Added Crush Depths mod. Mod by CCIP (Data\Submarine\NSS_Tambor\NSS_Tambor.cfg, NSS_Tambor.zon, Data\Submarine\NSS_Sargo\NSS_Sargo.cfg, NSS_Sargo.zon, Data\Submarine\NSS_Salmon\NSS_Salmon.cfg, NSS_Salmon.zon, Data\Submarine\NSS_Porpoise\NSS_Porpoise.cfg, NSS_Porpoise.zon, Data\Submarine\NSS_Gato\NSS_Gato.cfg, NSS_Gato.zon, Data\Submarine\NSS_Balao\NSS_Balao.cfg, NSS_Balao.zon, Data\Submarine\NSS_s18\NSS_s18.cfg, NSS_s18.zon).
070328: Added 'RealisticShipSinkingTime=true' to gameplay settings. Mod by Galanti (Data\Cfg\GameplaySettings.cfg).
070328: Added realistic moon graphic. Mod by Ailantd & Beery (Data\Textures\TNormal\tex\Moon.dds, moon_hallo.dds).
----------------------------
Version 0.03
070328: Removed orange U-boat position marker. Mod by Beery (data\Misc\UMark.dds).
070329: Added mod name and version number to loading screen. Mod by Beery (data\Menu\Loading\Intro_logo_bkg.dds).
070329: Added 16 new campaign start dates to complement the game's video briefings. Mod by Beery (Data\UPCData\UPCCampaignData\CareerStart.upc, CareerVideoBriefings.upc).

If anyone has a mod they'd like included in RFB let me know here. Let's get the team together again! :)

Good start! I would recommend adding AIL's Small Moon mod as well. It made a huge difference in SH3, and I'm betting it will work here.

Right on!

How about the CBS radio mod by CaptainCox

The Less radio messages by ParaB

The HUD lamp color by jimimadrid

The Changing radio stations tweak by tedhealy

They are all worthy of a Beery supermod!

Sadly it doesn't work :( I tested it this morning - the one I tested was the high definition one (the one that was in the last version of RUb). I'm really keen on getting a moon mod but I think it will probably need to be redone.

And the better battery capacity by CCIP! :D

Thanks for the suggestions.

The radio stations mods are all HUGE, so I think they'll have to stay separate (although I would have loved them to be included if they were not so big - assuming the authors were willing). I'll look into the other mods and contact the authors as soon as I have some more time - probably either today or tomorrow.

Forgot about that one... Say's a lot when a guy grabs an old Fleet sub manual to mod battery capacity...:up:

Well this is an auspicious occasion! :yep:

It seems like besides the celebrations here, Ubi should be happy too since it's only the modders that turned SH3 from "must do better" to latter-day "classic".

Thanks in advance for all the work!

As for things to be included...

1) 1 or more (or perhaps a merged collection best bits from the) radio mods
2) Something needs to be done about realism, but I think the research might take a while. In the meantime, how about the mod to limit Enemy convoy reports (this also improves performance a bit)
3) The Key Commands mod - this mod not only replaces the SH4 keys with the SH3 equivalents making it familiar, but it also enables a few functions which are working in the code but not key mapped in the retail release. I've been using them for the last week (almost) and no problems.
4) Clock mod which replaces the (admittedly humourous) Stevens clock, with a faceplate based on a clock brand available at the time.

Good Luck!

r.

how about a way to show/close the dam gages/dials and stations panel....like in sh3 ..ctrl=numdel ?

Hi Beery,

Congratulations on the start of RFB :D this was a much awaited step from you.

I would like to suggest that RFB concentrates in realistic gameplay and steers away from eye-candy, or at least adds eye-candy as separate packs. I have three good reasons for that:

1.- Serve as base for any future supermods that want to concentrate on other aspects, but that are willing to start from the great level achieved by your projects

2.- Allow users to have increased realism but still being able to choose their own prefered eye-candy mods

3.- Smaller download size

Anything I can help, just call:up:

do u have a ati card? im not sure but ur sun doesnt look proper too, it should give more bloom effect.

I have an ATI card (Radeon X-1600XT). This is the same sun we used in RUb. It looks exactly the same as it did in RUb to me. I was getting no bloom effect at all with the stock sun - this one made it much more realistic-looking on my computer. Basically all this file does is make the sun smaller, but as a result of this the halo around the sun tends to make its outline less clear. To me this makes it look better.

In the regular game the sun is many times larger than the real sun appears in the sky. All games make suns way too big, so some players have had problems adjusting to a truly realistic sun size.

I sort of like that Rising Sun :sunny:

RFB will not be as large as RUb was. I am making a conscious effort to avoid adding large scale mods, mods that will be of limited popularity, mods that adjust the UI for reasons other than playability, or mods that are purely for eye candy. However, some mods that clean up the interface, like the Greenlamp mod, could be seen by some as eye candy, but I will be including such mods (if the authors allow me to) as they improve gameplay greatly.

The reason I can make RFB smaller this time is that since Jaesen Jones made the advanced version of his Mod Enabler, making one all-encompassing mod package is no longer all that necessary. With the mod Enabler players can add many mod packages safely. When I started RUb we didn't have the Mod Enabler and even late in RUb's development the Mod Enabler did not have the functionality that it now has, which enables it to warn the user of potential mod conflicts.

I think what will tend to happen is that the community will divide responsibility for mods based on the files that can cause conflicts. For example I imagine a radio mod team will develop because the radio.ini file makes it so hard for individuals to make mods that don't conflict with those of other individuals. I'm hoping that the SH4 mod community is as free, open and community-minded as it was with SH3. In fact I'm sure it will be.

I think the thing needed the most is the way AI ships prosecute your
sub and the doctrine they use for searching, detection and attacking.
Here was my latest observation in doing some testing on my created mission:

"Patches from the devs are needed to fix bugs and make changes to the game engine & hard-coded elements.
Everything else (plain text files) can & will be addressed by the modders but they almost have to wait till the
devs release the patches first. From what I have observed so far: the AI DDs don't have the detection down
pat in SH4 like the Brit. DDs did in SH3 (actually this could be historical) and I can see that happening early in the
war years. The thing that irks me the most is when you do torp and sink a ship in the convoy they are guarding, the DDs don't seem to have a search plan they impliment in order to find you. Detection is one thing but looking for an enemy sub that just attacked the convoy the DD was guarding is lacking here. In plain words, the DDs in SH4 are just NOT doing their
job right. This may be hard-coded and a patch is needed to fix it. American Sub Doctrine at the start of WW2 in the
pacific was to protect the BB TFs and sink enemy warships (same as Japans). Adm Nimitz changed all that when he
figured that Japan, like England, was an island nation and needed to ship in all the resources to sustain itself. So he
used the German approach to go after the merchant & tanker ships (or convoys later) doing the resupply. I think that
caught Japan off-guard in relation to what American Subs would be doing till at least late in 1942 when they finally
started to catch on...."


JIM

If you want some changes/mods to the menu.txt file, here's one for the medal citation. The wording is taken exactly from an actual Navy Cross citation awarded to a submarine commander serving in the PTO. The "NEWLINE" formatting might need to be adjusted, but I think this wording is much better:

5890=The #MEDALNAME# is presented to #NAME#, #TITLE#, U.S. Navy, for distinguished service in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Submarine #SUBMARINENAME# during a war patrol of that vessel. His outstanding courage and determined skill were at all times inspiring and in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Sry for the slight OT Beery, but:

CTRL+NumpadDel gets rid of the orange submarker both in SH4 & SHIII. Try pressing just the NumPadDel. :up:

But apart from a mod there's no way to get rid of it permanently, right? You have to hit Ctrl+Del every single time you do a patrol?

Hey Beery, I think Cpt-Blaubär's right about the ATI sun problem. I've seen some other guys talk about it already, but here's how my sun looks on a 7800gt nvidia:

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/2267/07rw6.jpg

It seems like some or all ATI cards aren't rendering the bloom around the sun properly...

Funny enough, my sun loses the bloom around it when I line it up behind the edge of my sub's deck...


It's great to hear that you're starting up a mod for SHIV, though... I've always been a huge fan of the mods you've done for other games through the years.