More Variable Weather??!!

Subtype Zero · 11-16-07, 08:24 PM

Kaleuns--
Everyone knows what they say about the weather in SH3: "Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody ever does anything about it!" Sadly, I cannot report that I have "done" much of anything to fix the weather probs in SH3 either.

However, after reading the forum and seeing the efforts of a few other "weather modders," I have made a few changes in the data/campaigns/campaign/Campaign.mis files to give me a more variable, dynamic, and yes, changeable weather experience than I thought otherwise possible.

Here are my settings:
Fog=1
FogRand=1
Clouds=1
CloudsRand=2 //2 allows for more dynamic cloud changes
Precip=1
PrecipRand=1
WindHeading=0
WindSpeed=4.000000
WindRand=2 //2 allows for more dynamic wind speed and direction changes
WeatherRndInterval=2 //2 means SH3 will perform a "dice roll" every 2 hours to determine if the weather has changed.

Note: WeatherRndInterval can range from 1 to 72. I feel that setting this to "1" makes the weather too freakishly variable, while anything above "3" makes the weather maddingly boring. I also left FogRand to "1" because I feel that fog should hang around longer and not change so dramatically. CloudsRand and WindRand are left at "2" because clouds and wind seem to be the most variable IRL.

Be sure to copy these changes into all of the Campaign.mis folders for this to work. I hope some people will try these settings and let me know how they like (or don't like) them. You are also free to adjust to your own personal taste. Also, please note that I did not discover these variables or how they work. I'm just passing along information I've gleaned from some of the really smart people....

Spin Doctor · 11-18-07, 10:27 PM

Thanks for this input. I backed up my mis files and am going to try your changes. My main complaint (althought probably just plain bad luck) is that nearly every patrol starts off with great weather and 90% of the time, as I get near my patrol grid, a storm blows up that lasts for weeks. So after wrestling with that, getting low on fuel and torps, I head back and of course, the sun is out and the sea is smooth as glass.

Granted, there are times when attacking in bad weather is an advantage, but it would be nice to be able to set up a shot from 1000m instead of not being able to see anything until the ship is about to ram you.

I'll let you know how it works out in a few days.

Spin Doctor · 11-20-07, 10:13 PM

These changes seem to be working well.

I had previously been in a furious storm which had so far lasted for seveal days. Heavy fog and rain with high winds, of course. After the file changes and as I made my way south toward Gibraltar, a few hours laterthe skies cleared. Still had the wind, but within a day, the seas turned to glass and visibility was excellent.

Maybe it would have changed on it's own, but I feel I'd still be in a storm without your mod.

Thank you.

Subtype Zero · 11-21-07, 01:59 AM

Glad to hear someone not complaining about the weather for a change!

Personally, I like the way the weather shifts with these changes. Currently, I'm on a two week cruise to AM 47 (just got there) and the longest stretch of foul, rainy weather was about 3-4 days. Of course, it's August of 1940, so I'll have to see what November has in store for me.

So far, my favorite moment with the weather changes was when I was stalking a lone merchant. After I got into a good firing position, I submerged to wait for my prey. When I popped my 'scope to have a look see, the weather had turned from clear skies to overcast with heavy fog, but no rain. I surfaced just in time to see the merchant emerge from the fog about 600 meters away. I had just enough time to fire before he disappeared again into the fog. Scratch one merchant!

One minor point. I'm not sure if I'd call this a mod. I didn't really do anything other than change a couple of numbers in a text file based upon what I've read about the experiences of others on this forum who have tried wrestling with this problem. I wouldn't know a hex file from a hole in the ground! Glad to hear that you like it, though!

If the weather is changing too rapidly for your taste, try WeatherRndInterval=3 instead of WeatherRndInterval=2. I recently changed mine to 3 and I think I like it a little better than 2.

She-Wolf · 11-21-07, 05:25 AM

I would like to try Sub Zero's weather mod but not sure how. I have looked in my Campaign folder, where he says to copy the info to ( as a text file?), but do not see anything else relating to weather in there. Am I being stupid again? Please point me in the direction I need to go. I DID look down the list of mods available but did not see any weather ones there...perhaps I need to look again?

Subtype Zero · 11-21-07, 03:12 PM

She-Wolf,
My weather modifications aren't really a mod, just a couple of changes in three of the game's text files. To find what needs to be replaced, go to your SilentHunterIII/data/Campaigns/Campaign folder. In that folder, you will find three files: Campaign_LND.mis, Campaign_RND.mis, and Campaign_SCR.mis At the top of each of these files, you will find the following:

[Mission]
Title=GWXR1.02FULL
MissionType=0
MissionDataType=1
Year=1939
Month=1
Day=1
Hour=12
Minute=0
Fog=1
FogRand=1
Clouds=1
CloudsRand=2
Precip=1
PrecipRand=1
WindHeading=0
WindSpeed=4.000000
WindRand=2
WeatherRndInterval=3
SeaType=0
Briefing=

Find the part highlighted in red and replace the numbers you see in your file with the numbers I have shown here. Remember to do this with all three of your Campaign files for these changes to work. Note you do not have to be in port in order to make these changes.

Keep in mind that the most important parameter is the WeatherRndInterval. Although the game allows you to set this number to anything between 1 and 72, setting it to between 2-4 gives the best results, IMHO. I think the game default is 12! Please note that a lower WeatherRndInterval number translates into more frequent changes in cloud cover, fog, percipitation, windspeed and wind direction, or all at the same time! Feel free to tinker with this number to your own personal taste.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other problems.

She-Wolf · 11-21-07, 04:00 PM

thank you Subtype Zero, I will print it off and follow it through, and I am sorry for getting your name wrong before ( cheesy grin )

Badger Finn · 11-23-07, 04:30 PM

Handy little add on that works with SH3 Commander. Also the place where u save a game seems to effect weather changes. Pays to play out a few days between saves which enhances weather patterns to change

Subtype Zero · 11-24-07, 08:34 PM

I believe SH3WeatherGen only randomizes the weather settings at the start of your patrol, so if it sets WeatherRndInterval to a high number, you will not get very many changes in your weather pattern until you start a new patrol or reload SH3Weather. This can lead to those 14 consecutive days or more of stormy weather where you can't see or sink anything.

Without knowing what numbers SH3Weather assigns to the WeatherRndInterval parameter, I like setting it manually to the settings I have discussed, because I think it gives me more variety in the weather during any given patrol.

BTW, my posts are not meant to be a put-down of SH3Weather in any way. It's still a great program and light years better than anything I could come up with--especially for those who are not comfortable mucking about with game text files. Cheers!

gimpy117 · 11-24-07, 11:20 PM

i really think we sould have weather change from day to day rather than some hours... that's just my take...

Stealth Hunter · 11-25-07, 01:51 AM

Anyone here know how to change the wave height by chance?

Spin Doctor · 11-25-07, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gimpy117

i really think we sould have weather change from day to day rather than some hours... that's just my take...

This text change doesn't make weather change from hour to hour. It increases the chance of variable weather. I suppose you could make it change within hours if you wanted to, but if you set the parameters as stated, it works fine and realistically.

Spin Doctor · 11-25-07, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stealth Hunter

Anyone here know how to change the wave height by chance?

Never heard of a mod to do that. Closeest thing we have is that you can set the max wave height with SH3 Commander, AFAIK.

Jonathan · 11-25-07, 02:45 PM

I think that I could use this. One time I was in a storm that stretched from Scapa Flow to the tip of Africa and was just as wide as the Atlantic itself. I ended up finding refuge from the storm in Antarctica.

Subtype Zero · 11-25-07, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gimpy117

i really think we sould have weather change from day to day rather than some hours... that's just my take...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spin Doctor

This text change doesn't make weather change from hour to hour. It increases the chance of variable weather. I suppose you could make it change within hours if you wanted to, but if you set the parameters as stated, it works fine and realistically.

Spin Doctor is exactly right! As I understand it, WeatherRndInterval merely sets the time (1 to 72 hours) that the game will check for a random change in the weather. It does not mean that the weather will actually change at that time, just that it has a chance to change.

My guess is that when the game is told to check for a change in the weather it does the following:
Does a "dice roll" to determine if the weather changes.
If no, the weather stays the same until the next check.
If yes, a seperate roll is made for each weather variable (fog, clouds, rain, wind, wind direction) to determine its new setting. Note that because each setting has an equal chance of getting picked (including the current setting), some dice rolls will result in that particular weather variable staying the same. Therefore, even if the game has determined that a change in the weather should take place, that does not mean that all (or any!) of the weather settings will change.

If I am correct, that means that a WeatherRndInterval setting of 72, for example, will result in the game checking for a chance to change the weather only once every three days!

If the dice roll fails, it will be another three days before the weather is checked again! Even then the weather might not change all that much. Not very much variation, if you ask me!

11-16-07, 08:24 PM	#1
Subtype Zero Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: 19,998 Leagues under the sea Posts: 262 Downloads: 7 Uploads: 0	More Variable Weather??!! Kaleuns-- Everyone knows what they say about the weather in SH3: "Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody ever does anything about it!" Sadly, I cannot report that I have "done" much of anything to fix the weather probs in SH3 either. However, after reading the forum and seeing the efforts of a few other "weather modders," I have made a few changes in the data/campaigns/campaign/Campaign.mis files to give me a more variable, dynamic, and yes, changeable weather experience than I thought otherwise possible. Here are my settings: Fog=1 FogRand=1 Clouds=1 CloudsRand=2 //2 allows for more dynamic cloud changes Precip=1 PrecipRand=1 WindHeading=0 WindSpeed=4.000000 WindRand=2 //2 allows for more dynamic wind speed and direction changes WeatherRndInterval=2 //2 means SH3 will perform a "dice roll" every 2 hours to determine if the weather has changed. Note: WeatherRndInterval can range from 1 to 72. I feel that setting this to "1" makes the weather too freakishly variable, while anything above "3" makes the weather maddingly boring. I also left FogRand to "1" because I feel that fog should hang around longer and not change so dramatically. CloudsRand and WindRand are left at "2" because clouds and wind seem to be the most variable IRL. Be sure to copy these changes into all of the Campaign.mis folders for this to work. I hope some people will try these settings and let me know how they like (or don't like) them. You are also free to adjust to your own personal taste. Also, please note that I did not discover these variables or how they work. I'm just passing along information I've gleaned from some of the really smart people.... __________________

11-21-07, 01:59 AM	#4
Subtype Zero Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: 19,998 Leagues under the sea Posts: 262 Downloads: 7 Uploads: 0	Excellent! Glad to hear someone not complaining about the weather for a change! Personally, I like the way the weather shifts with these changes. Currently, I'm on a two week cruise to AM 47 (just got there) and the longest stretch of foul, rainy weather was about 3-4 days. Of course, it's August of 1940, so I'll have to see what November has in store for me. So far, my favorite moment with the weather changes was when I was stalking a lone merchant. After I got into a good firing position, I submerged to wait for my prey. When I popped my 'scope to have a look see, the weather had turned from clear skies to overcast with heavy fog, but no rain. I surfaced just in time to see the merchant emerge from the fog about 600 meters away. I had just enough time to fire before he disappeared again into the fog. Scratch one merchant! One minor point. I'm not sure if I'd call this a mod. I didn't really do anything other than change a couple of numbers in a text file based upon what I've read about the experiences of others on this forum who have tried wrestling with this problem. I wouldn't know a hex file from a hole in the ground! Glad to hear that you like it, though! If the weather is changing too rapidly for your taste, try WeatherRndInterval=3 instead of WeatherRndInterval=2. I recently changed mine to 3 and I think I like it a little better than 2. __________________

11-21-07, 05:25 AM	#5
She-Wolf Watchdog Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Hampshire UK Posts: 971 Downloads: 152 Uploads: 0	err, umm, hayulp? I would like to try Sub Zero's weather mod but not sure how. I have looked in my Campaign folder, where he says to copy the info to ( as a text file?), but do not see anything else relating to weather in there. Am I being stupid again? Please point me in the direction I need to go. I DID look down the list of mods available but did not see any weather ones there...perhaps I need to look again? __________________

11-21-07, 03:12 PM	#6
Subtype Zero Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: 19,998 Leagues under the sea Posts: 262 Downloads: 7 Uploads: 0	She-Wolf, My weather modifications aren't really a mod, just a couple of changes in three of the game's text files. To find what needs to be replaced, go to your SilentHunterIII/data/Campaigns/Campaign folder. In that folder, you will find three files: Campaign_LND.mis, Campaign_RND.mis, and Campaign_SCR.mis At the top of *each* of these files, you will find the following: [Mission] Title=GWXR1.02FULL MissionType=0 MissionDataType=1 Year=1939 Month=1 Day=1 Hour=12 Minute=0 Fog=1 FogRand=1 Clouds=1 CloudsRand=2 Precip=1 PrecipRand=1 WindHeading=0 WindSpeed=4.000000 WindRand=2 WeatherRndInterval=3 SeaType=0 Briefing= Find the part highlighted in red and replace the numbers you see in your file with the numbers I have shown here. Remember to do this with all three of your Campaign files for these changes to work. Note you do not have to be in port in order to make these changes. Keep in mind that the most important parameter is the WeatherRndInterval. Although the game allows you to set this number to anything between 1 and 72, setting it to between 2-4 gives the best results, IMHO. I think the game default is 12! Please note that a lower WeatherRndInterval number translates into more frequent changes in cloud cover, fog, percipitation, windspeed and wind direction, or all at the same time! Feel free to tinker with this number to your own personal taste. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other problems. __________________

11-21-07, 04:00 PM	#7
She-Wolf Watchdog Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Hampshire UK Posts: 971 Downloads: 152 Uploads: 0	thank you Subtype Zero, I will print it off and follow it through, and I am sorry for getting your name wrong before ( cheesy grin ) __________________

11-18-07, 10:27 PM	#2
Spin Doctor Bosun Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 69 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Thanks for this input. I backed up my mis files and am going to try your changes. My main complaint (althought probably just plain bad luck) is that nearly every patrol starts off with great weather and 90% of the time, as I get near my patrol grid, a storm blows up that lasts for weeks. So after wrestling with that, getting low on fuel and torps, I head back and of course, the sun is out and the sea is smooth as glass. Granted, there are times when attacking in bad weather is an advantage, but it would be nice to be able to set up a shot from 1000m instead of not being able to see anything until the ship is about to ram you. I'll let you know how it works out in a few days.

11-20-07, 10:13 PM	#3
Spin Doctor Bosun Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 69 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	These changes seem to be working well. I had previously been in a furious storm which had so far lasted for seveal days. Heavy fog and rain with high winds, of course. After the file changes and as I made my way south toward Gibraltar, a few hours laterthe skies cleared. Still had the wind, but within a day, the seas turned to glass and visibility was excellent. Maybe it would have changed on it's own, but I feel I'd still be in a storm without your mod. Thank you.

11-23-07, 04:30 PM	#8
Badger Finn Watch Officer Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 332 Downloads: 30 Uploads: 0	Weather generator Handy little add on that works with SH3 Commander. Also the place where u save a game seems to effect weather changes. Pays to play out a few days between saves which enhances weather patterns to change

11-24-07, 08:34 PM	#9
Subtype Zero Lieutenant Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: 19,998 Leagues under the sea Posts: 262 Downloads: 7 Uploads: 0	I believe SH3WeatherGen only randomizes the weather settings at the start of your patrol, so if it sets WeatherRndInterval to a high number, you will not get very many changes in your weather pattern until you start a new patrol or reload SH3Weather. This can lead to those 14 consecutive days or more of stormy weather where you can't see or sink anything. Without knowing what numbers SH3Weather assigns to the WeatherRndInterval parameter, I like setting it manually to the settings I have discussed, because I think it gives me more variety in the weather during any given patrol. BTW, my posts are not meant to be a put-down of SH3Weather in any way. It's still a great program and light years better than anything I could come up with--especially for those who are not comfortable mucking about with game text files. Cheers! __________________

11-24-07, 11:20 PM	#10
gimpy117 Ocean Warrior Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Kalamazoo, MI Posts: 3,243 Downloads: 108 Uploads: 0	i really think we sould have weather change from day to day rather than some hours... that's just my take...

11-25-07, 01:51 AM	#11
Stealth Hunter Silent Hunter Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Y'ha-Nthlei Posts: 4,262 Downloads: 19 Uploads: 0	Anyone here know how to change the wave height by chance?

11-25-07, 02:45 PM	#14
Jonathan 中国水兵 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Edmond, OK Posts: 285 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	I think that I could use this. One time I was in a storm that stretched from Scapa Flow to the tip of Africa and was just as wide as the Atlantic itself. I ended up finding refuge from the storm in Antarctica.