Watch Crew Clothes - can this be done?
 

Are the watch crew's clothes graphics while on the bridge (during non-storm conditions) separate from the graphics for when they're down below? What I'm wondering is whether it might be possible to mod the "normal" (non-storm) watch crew clothes graphic so that they would always be wearing their rain/storm gear on the bridge regardless of the weather/storm conditions. It's November 1943 and I'm stalking some Murmansk convoys and it seems silly to see my guys up on the bridge in shirt-sleeves.

I was hoping that the "normal" (non-storm) clothes graphics could be modded to be basically a copy of the "storm" clothes graphics, so that whether there were "storm" conditions or not the guys would always be wearing their rain/storm gear.

I understand that the storm conditions settings that cause the watch crew to don their rain/storm gear are linked to the ability to use the deck and AA guns so that you get odd results if you try to mess with that setting to make them wear their rain/storm gear all the time. But I've seen several mods that appear to change the clothes on the 3D crew in various ways, so I was hoping that it might be possible to create a clothes mod for non-storm conditions that looked just like the storm clothes - the only downside I could see would be if the watch crew clothes graphics also displayed the same when they are below decks, so that if you mod the non-storm clothes graphics they will be wearing their storm gear inside the boat.

If this could be done, I was also hoping that there would be a way to use SH3 Commander's date files to apply the modded "always wear storm clothes on bridge" files during the winters but not during the summers.

Anybody here know if something like this could be made to work? Anybody willing to take a stab at it?

bump - just thought I'd take one last stab at this before seeing the idea sink into oblivion - nobody has any ideas about whether this might work?

The crew clothes used topside are also the ones used down below.

Yeah - I figured that was probably the case - thanks for confirming it. I don't suppose that the arctic waters on the Murmansk run would have made the sub so cold inside that the crew would wear their foul-weather gear down below, would they? :D

Suspect not, although I don't really know! Perhaps one of the R/L sailors on the forums could give us the answer.

Like you, I've always thought the sight of the crew on the bridge in shirt sleeves in Arctic or N.Atlantic waters is ludicrous, particularly in the winter months. I think I'd sooner see them wearing foul weather gear up top whenever the wind strength or sea state rises above a certain level, irrespective of whether there is rain,snow or whatever.

Come to think of it, I don't know what the trigger for wearing the oilskins is...I ain't no modder! But if it is solely linked to precipation, perhaps it would be possible to attach the trigger to either of the above factors. ?????

Just a thought....and a pretty uneducated one at that!!. :D

It's tied to both wind speed and rain settings in one of the .cfg files - the real problem is that for some reason the devs decided to use the same trigger for the ability to use the deck guns, so if you change this setting to make the crew don their foul-weather gear at lower wind speed/rain levels, you also disable the deck gun at those lower settings. Even worse, the devs made the triggers for the deck gun and the flak guns the same, so not only can you not use your deck gun but you can't defend yourself with your flak guns, so teaking these settings to make your watch crew always wear their foul weather gear, while possible, comes with a pretty heavy penalty of disabling your guns :(

It's too bad the link between gun usage and clothes usage can't be broken, but nobody has been able to do it so far - probably hard coded into the game.

Thanks for clearing the trigger business up Panthercules. Won't hold my breath waiting for a decent "cold weather gear" mod then :cry:

Suppose the best I can do at the moment is to use some of the heavier gear uniform mods. Fubar's mod seems to have a reasonable selection of these,

Shame really, I liked those plaid shirts!!!

if there is one sencence i hate than it is: "Thats Hardcoded in the exe and you can't mod it without our SDK wich we never will release." :dead:

And I was affraid he was going to ask to change to an all female crew. :roll: ;)

I know some would like that but..... it didn't happen in real life. LOL I can just hear it now... "I can't load that torpedo, my nails arem't dry". Or, I can swab the deck, I'll ruin my stockings".