[REL] Stop the rain! A definitive solution for bad weather!
 

march 2008
Stop the rain! for GWX2.0 V2
=========================
http://rapidshare.com/files/99134988...X2_v2.rar.html
http://www.mediafire.com/?tmbgqjynznm
UPDATED: now it also supports 16km environments. Read below.

=========================

This mod raises from an old wish of all SH3 players: stop that annoying persistent bad weather that plague SH3 since it´s release. Alot of attempts were done to solve the problem, but neither one solved it until now. Stiebler&Subtype zero made the last attempt with excellents results but in truth just achieve to diminush the number of days per patrol with heavy rain & heavy fog, but with some frequency, the persistent bad weather is yet there.

The main problem with this condition is that apart it last for several days (a true deluge!) this weather conditions don´t allow the player to really play the game, it´s almost impossible to hunt on this type of weather.

So, what this mod does?
It cuts the bad weather if necessary, instantenously!

Before mod:
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/4928/storm1sw9.jpg

After mod:
http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/5...termod1ci2.jpg

When I may use it?
This mod is a "definitive" (and a bit dirty) solution for the persistent bad weather problem. It's main intention is to be only used if you have at least 48hrs of continue rain/heavy fog and/or if for any motive you don´t want to wait more for a bad weather changes that never comes. Another moment to use it is if for any motive you need to save a campaign game when in a storm. The chances of that storm becomes endless increase when you save reload a game in these conditions...I just suggest to you only use it if really necessary to avoid cheat the game (anyway the problem is a true bug, unfixed by the devs...)

How it works?
This solution will give to the player an immediate stop on the heavy fog/rain and the game will continues from that point (saved game) with now a medium fog without rain. It may be enable without exit sh3. After 48 to 72 hours (in game), the game itself will change the weather for the first time. At this point you may save your game, disable the mod without exit sh3 and reload your saved game with now your new weather and with yours original files. Like I said "it´s a bit dirty" but always works (100%) and it is the better "complement" to be used with your prefered normal weather mod or even with an unmodded game.

How you did it?
This mod is based on just one file: scene.dat that is tweaked to fool the game. Then the heavy fog/heavy rain state is now interpreted as a normal Medium fog/no rain by the game. Also the sea state is tonned down a bit (to allows you to really hunt again). All works as before, the visual and eletronics sensors, so you can hunt normally when using the mod until the game itself changes the weather and you return to the normal game again as described above. The scene.dat is one of the few .dat files that can be enable between patrols without problems.

Any side effect?
None that I have noticed until now.
Obviously it's a very new mod, only the feedbacks by users will show all it's good and also some problem if any. If you call a weather report when using it, you will notice that the Fog(visibility)/Preciptation are yet called Poor/Heavy. This is why i provide also an en_menu.txt into the mod (optional, just rename it), but en_menu.txt isn't enable by the game if you just alt tab, so to really correct this small flaw will be then necessary to restart the game. I dunno if it justify the effort, but the en_menu is there if you are very perfectionist and want a "without any flaw" mod. Anyhow I recomend to make a backup of your last saved campaign game before try this mod.

Speaking about compatibility...
I used the default 8km/16km GWX2.0 scene.dat for this first release. The default is for 8km - if you use 16km environment you need first to rename the scene.dat (on the mod) to scene.pat (as an example) and then rename the scene_16km.pat to scene.dat and then it's ready to be used. Even using the GWX2.0 scene.dat, it probably remain compatible with any game. Even stock or NYGM ones (just use the correct one for 8km or 16km environment). The game don't use the scene.dat info after you start the game/patrol. So nothing will "stay" in your game when you save it again and disable the mod. Anyhow if someone found something problematic for this or that mod i can provide special version for it.

How to install?
JSGME ready. Follow the conditions described below.
No SH3CMDR rollback is needed if you use it as described on this readme.

How to use it?
When you are in that bad weather endless situation you then may save&exit your patrol. Alt tab to windows and use JSGME to enable the mod. Alt tab again and reload that last saved patrol. Voila!. no more bad weather now! Then play normally (hunt if you want) and when the game itself start to change the weather 48 to 72hrs ahead (even a wind heading change is enough...) save&exit again, Alt tab, disable the mod, alt tab again, reload your patrol and continue to play normally! That is it!

What happens if I just forget to save&reload again?
Well, no problems at wall. You only will not have more Heavy fog and rain and your waves will be a bit less high on heavy winds until you reenable your original scene.dat. You in truth can switch back to your original files at any time as described above.

A last comment...
The mod already have the RealWeatherfix from Stiebler&Subtypezero applyed. Note that the main weather change will occur between 48 to 72 hours average, but this depends on your WeatherRndInterval setting in campaign .mis files. According to Stiebler's research and also from my observations the main weather change will occurs each 12/16 hours x your WeatherRndInterval setting at .mis files x 1 (for inside tropical lines) or x 2 (outside tropical lines). Sometimes it just changes for the same state, just varing abit the wind direction and it´s velocity. It´s up to you to continues with the mod scene.dat until you are happy again with the weather. Then you may disable the mod.


Thanks to:
skwas' S3D, the best tool for SH3 ever!
Stiebler&SubTypezero for their research on the SH3 weather issue.

================================================== =======
Updated to version 2, probably the last one:
- en_menu.txt is now optional (need to rename first if you want to use it)
- added the two lowered rain sounds to also not have rain sounds when use the mod
- small adjusts on scene.dat to make it totally compatible with RWF mod
================================================== =======

Have fun!
Rubini.

But doesn't Sh3weather 1.5 also allow you to control the weather. I've used it on a patrol forcing it to change the weather. Takes a few minutes but the sky clears up and presto nice sunny weather? Is this different?:hmm:

No, it don't made this. It's just your impression. The weather change is very complicated an bugged on Sh3. it's also random. This is what you saw.

Reguardless Rubini thanks for the mod. I will keep it just in case.:up: I'm still convinced that I can force change the weather with SH3weather. I've done it too often not to believe. But the results are slightly different.

Thanks

Rubini;)

Well I've never heard of bad weather problem in sh3. I always get from lorient to all east cost of england and all grid BE and south til gibraltar and always crispy lake like ocean. No rain, no fog. Sometimes north of scapaflow there's a little storm, but SOMETIMES. Other then that, everywhere I go is 10 sunny days for each 1 stormy day condition. And I didn't edit anything, I use GWX 2.0.

Rubini mate, which scene.dat is this? 8km or 16km?

Also, is it really OK to change a DAT file while on patrol? The general rule is no DAT changes unless in port before/after a completed patrol.

Also, might I suggest that you tell SH3 Commander users to rollback, otherwise they might experience a corrupted scene.dat resulting in the black sky bug.

Sorry.:rotfl:

Hi danlisa,

I need to put more info on the first post today when i have time.
Yes, the scene.dat is absolutelly secure to change between patrol without problems.

I used the default scene.dat from GWX2.0. I guess that it's then for 8km. As far I know and tested, you can use it with any 8km insatllation, from stock to NYGM, without problems for the short period that you will use it. Anyway i will try to make specific versions for at least stock and NYGM. And you are right, a 16km version need to be done to avoid that black skies.

But the most interesting is that some ppl say that didn´t have problems with persistent storms...well I guess that they arent´playing much the game! :D

Are you playing the game my friend?:D
Well, this is an old sh3 bug that can eventually ruin some of yours patrols, an annoying issue without solution until now.

These persistent storms bug is more easy to happens in long patrols but sometimes also in short/medium ones. I'm playing now in 1943 10th flotilla, my grids are frequently in the Africa coast or Sul america coast...then pratically in all patrols I have 4, 5, 7 days of continue storm, sometimes more than one time per patrol. A true deluge LOL

Anyway at the first time that you enconter this annoying and bored condition you will remember about this mod! You will see!

That's what I find too. Long patrols seem to suffer more from the long storms.

Thanks mate.:up:

I have this problem. When I'm leaving port the weather is just fine. But in a couple of hours it will change in a big storm (13 - 15 m/s) with rain. It doesn't end until I end the game.

weather
 

Hi Rubini
Thanks for this mod; the weather is the most frustrating feature of SH3. I have often spent hours of game time patrolling and as soon as I contact a convoy the weather changes to heavy rain, fog, 15m/s wind, heavy seas and visibility beyond 50 meters; and no matter how long I follow the convoy, the weather won't change.
And then when it finally changes, I get 15m/s wind and very heavy seas.
Does you mod change the wind?
I assume you will update this to theGWX 2.1 when it becomes available.

Hi irish1958,

Yes, my intention was to give to the player at least a playable game again while it uses the mod. As playable I mean that you can hunt again. I should fool the game for any weather state (even clear no fog)...but I choose medium fog/no rain just because it's the more near state from what the player was before need to use the mod. As per the wind what i made was a slight tweak over sea state (waves and lighting) to allow the player to start hunt but yet with some restrictions. The change means that you pull out of an endless storm with heavy fog (300m at best of visibility with high waves) for a 2000m visibility, no rain, smallest waves but yet on an overcast condition. The game itself shall do this automatically in a better way after some time in storm but don't do, what makes the weather code just broken on SH3.:up:

Just don't forget that the game in truth continues with the same weather state than before...what the mod do is just fool it and press for a change in weather asap.

Hi robbie,
Yes this is really an annoying bug. Always that i start to play Sh3 and enters in an storm that last more than 2 days I really becomes bored (frequently sleep in front of my monitor...it's my age lol) and this frequently ruins my game. In several times this just happens when I found finally a convoy in a "so long without any other contact patrol"... Now we have this mod to "fix" it!:yep:

I maybe mistaken, but I thought the weather bug was being addressed in GWX 2.1?

Nemo

Nope. GWX 2.1 only probably will have RWF mod applyed to its scene.dat. But unfortunally RWF mod alone don't achieve to fix the endless storm conditions, this is why i made this mod. Also is certain that scene.dat from GWX2.1 will be different from the GWX2.0 one, so I will provide a adaptation to it in time

BTW, I just update the first post&link: Stop the rain! mod now also supports 16km environments!:up: