Webster

short answer is, for any large mod, that any changes made to the environment by a mod, will change how the sensors and AI function because how well or poorly the AI works is very dependent on the environmental conditions it is operating in, so keep that in mind when contemplating the mods you add.

its always best to use a large mod like RFB or TMO by itself with no other mods and then if you want to add things from other mods, its best to do this by manually changing that base mods files and not overlapping a lot of file changes, or it can cause the game to be changed in ways you didn't expect or understand. often other mods will and should be using the stock game files to mod and so other changes not related to that mod may have been made to that same file by the super mod and so the file is replaced and those changes get undone by the ad-on mod.

this is one reason when I did GFO, I left out a lot of changes I would have liked to have made, but then if I had, it would be harder, and in some cases, not possible to add mods on top of it.

TMO, FOTRS, and RFB had their own visions and went for "the complete package" mods and so their intent was not to have other mods needed or added on top of their mods. this means there are few files in the game that were not altered and by default it means adding mods to them cannot avoid changing the core vision of what the creator intended his mod to be like.

I wish lurker had limited his mod to just the campaign layers, and if he had, maybe it would be much more mod friendly and be better able to mix with other mods without altering mods like TMO.

that said, lurker had his own vision of how the game should be, so he did things his way with that in mind. this doesn't mean it was a bad approach, it just makes it harder for those who want to "blend" it with other mods and it is one of the main reasons I never liked it personally because of its uncompatibility issues rather then the mod itself.

another detraction of it for me was, it was too historically accurate which made it way to predictable and unrealistic as well. RSRDC went for historical accuracy and was truly successful at that goal in a very impressive way but then that same historical accuracy took all the randomness out of the game for me and it became a very boring cheat where I always knew what I would find and when I would find it there.

say what you wil about how unrealistic the stock game is compared to in terms of being historically accurate, it did recreate the random feel of being in command of a sub during ww2 and all the realism of not knowing what to expect and the fun of unexpected discovery, learning, and never knowing what will happen. in that regard, the stock game recreates a more realistic "feel" then an instant replay of known history that a mod like RSRDC gives those who like and use the mod.

there is no right way or wrong way to mod. there are ways to limit the scope of mods so they are much more mod friendly and adaptable with other mods but its all in the eye of the beholder as to what someone likes.