Returning to SH4, which mod should I use?
 

Ahoy,

After some considerable (cough) time AWOL, I am returning to SH4. I've reinstalled my original game, patched it to 1.4, and (re)purchased the Uboat Missions add on to upgrade to v1.5.

Back in the day, I ran the rather excellent TMOwTw mod, but it (and everything else on my old hard drive) died in a fire some time ago. I now have a much newer/nicer computer and Win7/64bit installed.

Looking around, it seems the two choices for Megamods are TMO and RFB, either of which will pair nicely with RSRDC. I do not see the old TMOwTw mod, so it looks like its one or the other of these two for me.

Is there a forum post somewhere that compares the differences between TMO and RFB, so I can decide which is better for me, or is there a clear 'better' choice for a *very* rusty skipper returning to the Pacific?

Regards,

Matt

Edit: I found my notes for Pacific Thunder 8 on a card in my manual for SH4. Sadly, after hunting up the old website, it looks like PTC is no longer active.

Welcome back
 

Welcome back Scubamatt, another of the Subsim old guard!

Yes, TMOwTw (Trigger Maru Overhauled with Training Wheels) went by the wayside when Dave Grayson quit modding. However if you take TMO 2.5 and then add EZPlot 2.0 you get TMOWTW with a slightly harder AI. I think. It may be that TMOWTW didn't change the AI, I don't remember. In any event, TMO 2.5 plus EZPlot 2.0 gets you really close.

TMOwTw lived only over at the Ubi site, so it was posted on unreliable file hosting sites, probably FileFront/GameFront. If I can get an authentic copy of TMOwTw I'll post it here on Subsim.

I found what appears to be a copy of TMOwTw on Gamefront:

http://www.gamefront.com/files/24087203/TMOwTw_2_50_7z

but I have not downloaded it yet, as the word 'authentic' in your reply made me pause and consider that it might be a trap.

Assuming the link above is *not* a valid version of TMOwTw, it looks like I will need to download and install:

JSGME (first)

then

TMO 2.5
RSRDC_TMO_v502
RSRDC_V502_Patch1
EZPlot 2.0
TMOkeys

Does that look right?

Really you don't need TMOKeys unless you like Ducimus' original keyboard where "w" selected the different bow tubes and "y" selected the different bow tubes. He changed that for some inexplicable reason with 2.5 or maybe earlier. I just liked it the old way. And I added "shift-I" for "hey, exec, can you ID that ship for me?"

I run TMOKeys with TMO for that reason, but the real reason for the mod is if you're used to TMO and run GFO, RFB, FOTRS or the stock game, you can use TMOKeys and the boat is controlled the way you're used to.

Your mod order looks perfect.

I have linked TMOwTw in the Subsim download section and it is from my collection of mods so it's straight from Dave Grayson. I'm trying to get Neal to upload the file from my Google Drive account to Subsim so the mod lives with or without me. I don't have any reason to think that the GameFront file is inauthentic (they would be bombarded with protests if it was bogus) but in the cause of preservation of a very important mod, I've uploaded it here on Subsim from my collection.

Reading the readme from Dave's mod I learned that he spelled it TMOwTw with lower case in there. I think we should honor his convention and for others who don't know, it means Trigger Maru Overhauled with Training wheels.

OK, thanks for the advice! I think I will run the TMOkeys mod, so I learn one way (just one way) to set up the keys, and if I try a different megamod or whatever later, I won't have to relearn things.

I fired up my game this morning and it was like seeing an old friend. My wife saw it and said "Does this mean we need to buy red light bulbs again?"

:D

YES!!! and a red backlit keyboard too.