My input and tribute to SH3
 

I'd like to share some thoughts after playing SH3 for something like 3 years now with loooong brakes. My recent adventure was last summer when I installed RuB 1.45 and some mods from subsim. This changed everything but still something was missing and I quit playing.

Now something hit me and 2-3 months ago I reinstalled a fresh copy with GWX (had my RuB still but it had so many files that I decided to kill him).

Here we are, GWX changes everything, fixes most errors out of the box. Gameplay is far better. I'm immersion fan and somehow GWX did it! I love. My problem was - it's too simple still!! RuB was hard but in a different way, can't remember exactly but it wasn't too realistic either. I look for some mods finally stayed with simple My Fav Dials, Fubars sub skins, sounds compilation mainly from Mentat, few textures like periscope adjusted, some cfg's to fit my style better (contact range or speed, weather). The best part is Longer Repairs Mod. This changes everything. Sticking underwater for hours to fix most important parts to be able to surface, recharge and sip some fresh air but still crash dive in time if another plane comes.

Final touch was: Wilkomen nach 1943! Now the DDs finally kick my ass real hard, no chit-chat like before when I evaded them just like that. Now it's a war! No need to mention those pesky pilots that bother you day and night. Now I really fear! I analyze every decision, my current damage and plotted course. Maybe lets head home cause of damage? Maybe lets go more to N to avoid aircrafts? This is serious!

I work at home in front of my PC, I have lots of time cause my job requires watching constantly some stuff - perfect conditions to play SH3 very immersive, conservative and realistic. Just came back from my first patrol of new career in 1943 (previous Kaleun lost at sea) with 60k on my account.

This is even better that now I know the engine, it's limitations, how it works and still can enjoy it. I'd love to see some major hardcoded bugs to be fixed but that's rater impossible. Maybe someone will finally take care of proper inertia? Now let's wait for GWX 1.04 and see how hard it kicks ass this time! Can't wait for those new campaigns idea!

Best regards to the whole subsim, the best and most friendly forum I have seen. Can't believe that people don't argue and everybody's so enthusiastic!

BTW Can someone name main diffs between GWX and RuB?

I can see what you would like to see in GWX.

All I can say is that GWX has always stived to keep the game playable for n00bs and experienced kaleuns alike. It's very hard to get this balance, infact, when GWX was first released, you would not believe the amount of "GWX is too hard" posts.:lol: It seems we have come full circle again.

Yes, there have been previous mods where it seemed the AI/enemy were harder to evade but I think it's safe to say that they didn't touch half the files GWX did. The devs have had to always weigh the possible changes against the actual functional changes. Again we are talking about a balance. Example, we could have DDs which are nearly impossible to evade but in the same file change we would get merchants acting like destroyers (example only).

You are right to wait for 1.04 and as always, your final game can be (& will continue to be) modded to your own tastes. This is the best legacy the SH3 Devs left us.

Thanks for your feedback and continue enjoying GWX.:up:

:o wow, that is like chaulk & cheese. There are huge differences and without wanting to stop you finding out, there is some history here which does not need digging up. Hope you can understand.

Nice post Hadrys. :up:

Nice post. The two mods are massively different. I woudn't even try to start a list of the differences.

I understand perfectly what you say and probably GWX is at its best. I wouldn't change current behavior as 43 makes hell of the difference and now with LRT mod it's hardcore with 3 DD overhead. Can't count the number of DCs dropped... Maybe you can incorporate that mod as an optional as it requires slight adjustment to current gwx and for you guys being able to reproduce those files on a tissue while having beer... ;)

Maybe I just had too much experience to play a new career from 1939 (which was still fun). Really can't recommend anything enlightning when you came out with new campaign style in 1.04. This should be it!

About physics - I think it wouldn't influence noobie gameplay that much, probably make it way harder in rough sea as ships would crawl, dive underwater (would love to see a DD being so busy fighting huge waves like on documentaries that he doesn't have time to drop a single DC) if we assume that the ingame model is well done and just needs messing with rocket style inertia values? Maybe someday I'll take a look at it...

Bout RuB - as I mentioned, can't remember, if it's inappropriate to compare those two, it's case closed for me ;)

When the time is right, Kpt.Lehmann will be making statements about this and other items. It's up to him when this info is made public & I don't want Darth Lehmann after me.;)

Well, the idea was that you start in 1939 and gather enough renown to see you through the war. As you have found, it gets considerably harder after '43. However, I am the same as you, I start later in the war as I find the early years to be a little easy. However, there are escorts & DDs in early war that if not respected will kill you. Hehe. I think this is one of the best advances from GWX, uncertainty. You never know what you are up against.

GWX has made some advances with the inertia issue but again we are constrained by the core code of SH3 so I doubt that the ideas you put forward are possible at this stage. Do you remember in stock SH3 where a DD could go from 0-20kts in a blink of an eye? Not anymore. Also, U-Boat behaviour has been improved, it now takes a greater time to reach a set speed, this is true of all ships in GWX.

Cool, carry on & sink 'em all.:up:

Forgot to mention one thing - I'm not using SH3 Cmd anymore! Ok I want have different skins etc but the hunt is at night mostly so it really doesn't matter. No thermal layer? Oh well. It loads and works much faster as after some time with Cmd the game was getting slower and slower. It was also messing with LRT mod. My motto: KISS - keep it stupid simple ;)

Thx for your input Danlisa and thx to whole GWX team!

I have yet to mess with Commander either.

You need more breaks; SH3 has fried your brain. It's only been two years and four months since the release.:rotfl:

I thought that SH3 was released 27 years and four months ago.

Or how about 68 years ? Or was that the real thing ? Can't tell the difference :lol:

That is very possible, but I had loooong brakes between stock, rub and now gwx so it really is not that long ;)

hmmm you're right, something definitely fried my brain today, maybe the sun?

To let this thread live another half a day... :rotfl:

I often start a patrol in the morning when not much happens at my work, set my course out for open seas, cruise speed of 8kts and... go to sleep on my couch (Kaleuns bank) with relaxing sound of my 2 diesels. Today as it was a beautiful sunset I locked myself between the conn tower and periscope housing. Middle of the French summer, small waves washing our desk, seagulls singing everywhere and lazy tadada tadada tadada...

Half an hour later I don't know how it happened but a HELICOPTER woke me up!? :rotfl: :rotfl:

How about you folks?

I always wonder how you guys get the opportunity to play SH3 at work anyways :doh:

I just play some hours in the late evening when nothing else is to do anymore.