[REL] Longer Repair Times v1.34

**New Version Released** See end of post- Longer Repair Times v1.35, Longer Repair Times Hardcore v1.35, and Longer Repair Times Lite v1.35 for use with GWX v1.03


from the readme.txt:


Longer Repair Times v1.34 mod 'LRT' for use with GWX v1.03 mod

modded by Nvdrifter
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The goal of this mod is to 'hopefully' make SH3 more realistic, challenging, and fun.


Main features of Longer Repair Times v1.34 mod include:


a) Much longer U-boat repair times than vanilla SH3-

This was implemented because the usual one or two minute equipment repair times in vanilla SH3 game is just plain ridiculous, and borderline cheating. Real U-boat damage could take up to a few days to repair, or couldn't be repaired at all, and the U-boat would have to abort back to base early. This is what I am trying to model with this mod. It will now be very rash to run in attacking convoys recklessly without considering the consequences. Also, it is highly recommended that you qualify some crew with the repair skill. Expect heavily damaged equipment to take up to 16 hours (or more) to repair. Also expect to abort more often back to base due to unrepairable equipment, just like it was in real life.



b) Less U-boat crew compartment deaths below deck, and greatly increased chance of crew deaths on top deck-

This was implemented because crew deaths inside U-boat compartments caused by depth charges happen much too often in vanilla SH3. In real life, most U-boat crew deaths were caused by drowning due to flooding or pressure hull failure, being killed on the top deck by enemy gunfire from aircraft or ships, being killed by bomb explosions on top deck, or drowning or freezing to death in the open sea after abandoning the U-boat. Most U-boat crew deaths were not caused by the actual depth charge explosion.



c) Much slower U-boat compartment flooding times-

This was implemented for two reasons. First, due to the decreased crew efficiency (to make the repair times longer), I had to slow down the flood times because the crew couldn't ever stop the flooding before the compartment filled up. Now, this isn't an issue. Second, when a compartment completely fills up with water, you are dead- game over. I think this is also ridiculous. With LRT v1.34, the compartments fill up much slower with water, sometimes taking more than 1000 minutes to completely fill up. This will give your crew more time to battle the flooding, without always getting the instant flood death game over screen. So realize that there is a good chance that you will die from being crushed at extreme depths due to pressure hull failure, and much less likely to die from actual complete compartment flooding.



d) Less U-boat instant death (game over) screens from 0% Hull Integrity-

I am trying to lessen the instant death screens due to hull integrity reaching zero percent (due to depth charges, enemy shells and bombs). What I have done is greatly increased all U-boat hit points and gave each compartment it's own armor rating (no more dependence on hull integrity). Now there is less relevance of hull integrity, except when diving past crush depth. All U-boat crush speeds were greatly increased to make up for the increased U-boat hitpoints. You won't have much time to live once hull failure begins (when going past crush depth). Internal and external u-boat equipment will still be damaged normally.


e) Much deadlier aircraft, and more frequent aircraft encounters-

This was implemented to simulate the true deadliness of enemy aircraft the U-boat captains had to face during WW2. Most allied U-boat kills were made by aircraft, which really increased after 1943. Hopefully this feature of LRT will bring SH3 one step higher in realism. Now, aircraft bombs, air depth charges, and cannons will be much deadlier. Do not underestimate an enemy aircraft's ability to cripple your boat with one close bomb or air depth charge. Also, there will now be a much higher risk of being spotted and attacked by aircraft, because there will now be more enemy air missions. Plus, the the skill modifier of all enemy air bases has been increased. They will be more accurate and deadly now. It is highly recommended that you do not cruise on the surface during daylight after 1942.


f) (Hardcore version only- please see Hardcore readme.txt for more detailed description and changes.)

A more dangerous and (hopefully) realistic playing experience. I based this hadcore version on several U-boat books I have read. This hardcore version is based more on reality than the original LRT version. 2 or 3 very close depth charge or bomb explosions and you are probably sunk. Just like it was in real life.


g) -*New Feature*- Uncertainty of repair and flood recovery times -

I removed all flood and repair timers for realism reasons. This was just too arcadish in my opinion. Now you will only have a basic estimate of repair and flooding recovery times, just like a real U-boat captain would. As the captain of a U-boat, you will have to use your own best judgement. Hopefully this new feature will add a bit of realism, uncertainty, and fun to your SH3 experience.

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I am excited about this mod and have put a lot of time and effort into it. Hours of playtesting and tweaking, trying to get the right balance. I hope you enjoy this mod as much as I have. I also wanna say a big thank you to everyone on the Subsim message board for their support, feedback, and great ideas. The awesome movie 'Das Boot' inspired me to make this mod. Hopefully, you too will experience your own Das Boot moments and live to tell about it.

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What's new in this version of Longer Repair Times Mod v1.34:


-checked and updated LRT files to be compatible with GWX v1.03

-longer repair times than last version (expect up to 24 hours or more for heavily damaged equipment to be repaired by repair team)

-increased flood speeds. Compartments will now fill up faster than before

-increased the armor rating of all bow torpedo tubes, periscopes, and antennas (were being destroyed much too easily)

-decreased armor ratings of all compartments

-increased diesel engine hitpoints (for playability reasons)

-adjusted other various equipment hitpoints and armor ratings (for playability reasons)

-created compartment armor ratings that are no longer dependent on hull hitpoints by hex editing. The game will now only end when the total hull integrity reaches zero or total compartment is flooded or totally destroyed. This was done to make for a more long, drawn out death due to flooding or pressure hull failure.


Repair Menu Changes-

-equipment damages: 'Unrepairable' (was previously listed as 'Destroyed')

-'Electric Engines' designation now changed to a more correct 'Electric Motors'

-added smaller font text on U-boat repair screen


-*New Feature*- removed all flood and damage repair timers from the repair screen for realism reasons. Knowing exact time until repairs and flooding is finished just isn't realistic. Now you, as a U-boat captain, will have to use your judgement as to how long you think you have until your flooded compartments compeletely fills up or how long until your repairs are completed. Use 'Time Until Flooding recovery' text timer at the bottom of the repair screen to help you out. If the recovery timer is increasing, then the flood waters are rising faster than you can repair and pump the water out of the compartment. I felt the flood recovery timers were just too arcadish and precise. Hopefully guessing the flooding recovery and equipment repair times by estimation will bring more uncertainty, realism and fun to your SH3 life.



**LRT v1.34.1 patch update**

Longer Repair Times and Longer Repair Times Hardcore v1.34.1 update

modded by Nvdrifter
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What's new in v1.34.1:

-added average repair time estimates on repair screen in place of damage designations


Compartment status designations-

1-4 hours (was 'Light')
4-8 hours (was 'Moderate')
8-16 hours (was 'Serious')
16-24 hours ('Very Serious')
24+ hours (was 'Critical')


Equipment status designations-

1-12 hours (was 'Damaged')
12-24+ hours (was 'Heavy Dmg')


The times listed above are your repair crew's best estimates. They are doing the best they can, but they are only human and there is always the chance their guesses will be wrong. Please remember that the times listed above are only very basic guidelines. Your repair and flood recovery times may vary GREATLY depending on many factors such as repair crew fatigue, morale, repair qualifications, etc. All of the above repair estimate times are based on an average repair crew that is fully rested (with the repair officer specialized in repairs) and also with as many other crew members as possible helping out in the compartment where the damage is. If your repair crew is tired or your main pump is damaged, the repairs might take much, much, much longer than shown above. If your main pump is destroyed, you may have very little chance of flood recovery. It is also advisable to write down the dates and times of damage taken as to better estimate and track recovery and repair dates and times. Good luck.

A repair screen screenshot of LRT v1.34.1





Update #2

**Released**

Longer Repair Times Hardcore v1.35, Longer Repair Times Hardcore v1.35, and Longer Repair Times Lite v1.35 mod for use with GWX v1.03


What's new in this version of Longer Repair Times Hardcore Mod v1.35:

-fixed a problem with minimum crew efficiencies to run compartments (credit goes to The Bad Wolf)

-adjusted compartment repair time estimates to be more accurate

-capitalized the letters 'H' and 'S' on the repair screen for the text 'Hours' and 'Stunden'

-decreased depth charge blast damage radius for realism and playability reasons

-* Hardcore version only*- greatly increased depth charge and bomb blast damage. Decreased U-boat compartment armor ratings. Now, 1-3 very close depth charges really might sink your U-boat. This was done for realism reasons based on several U-boat books I have researched.

Unless someone discovers a major problem or error I missed, this will be the last update of LRT for a while because I am tired. Hope everyone enjoys it. Would like to hear some war patrol stories from anyone using LRT 1.35 in a GWX campaign.


Hope everyone enjoys it.


Download all 3 versions of v1.35 here:

http://files.filefront.com/Longer+Re.../fileinfo.html

[Wilcke]

Thank you sir! Always a pleasure to run your mods! Thanks for the update.

Wilcke

[Paco]

Thank You for the new version.
Downloading now


Paco

[Samwolf]

Thanks. Still one of the best mods out there.

Hate to bring it up ,but is there gonna be a Late War Senors portion?

Originally Posted by Samwolf

Thanks. Still one of the best mods out there.

Hate to bring it up ,but is there gonna be a Late War Senors portion?

Thanks. Yes, there will be a compatible patch for Late War Senors mod soon.

Originally Posted by Wilcke

Thank you sir! Always a pleasure to run your mods! Thanks for the update.

Wilcke

Thanks for downloading. Hope you enjoy it!

Everyone... just so you know, playing this version of LRT is a whole lot different than previous versions because I removed the flood and repair timers. This totally changes the way to play SH3. Now you will have to be more cautious because you won't be able to precisely estimate flooding recoveries and damage repairs like before. You will still be able to get a basic idea of the times, but not down to the exact hour or minute. I hope this makes your gameplay more realistic and uncertain. Always be sure to keep the compartment full of men to speed up repairs (except the crew's quarters of course). Be especially careful if your repair crew is tired or your main pump is damaged because it will be much harder to estimate repair and flood recovery times under these circumstances. Pretty cool, huh?

I was worried that a lot of players wouldn't like me removing the flood and repair timers in v1.34, but it really does add a lot to gameplay (in my humble opinion). You might find yourself aborting back to port early if you sustain heavy damage because it will now be much harder to estimates repair and flood recovery times. I find that I am much more cautious now when playing LRT 1.34 than before. I don't take too many stupid risks anymore. I guess my whole point in adding this feature to LRT 1.34 is that in real life when mechanics, technicians, or whoever are making repairs, usually they cannot correctly estimate the exact time when the repairs will be finished. They give their best guess- time estimate. That's all they can give. I hope this feature models that.

[Samwolf]

Sounds like an interesting addition, "fog of war", now you'll have to try and figure which compartment needs to be worked on first. Could get interesting.

[Rubini]

Thanks again Nvdrifter!
You know that I can't play SH3 without LRT since the first release!

It's a must!

[Samwolf]

Originally Posted by nvdrifter

Samwolf, I just uploaded a Late War Sensors mod compatibility patch for LRT v1.34

You can download it here:

http://files.filefront.com/Late+War+.../fileinfo.html

Thanks.

[Trefoil]

Congratulations on completing your new version. I like the idea of having no flood or damage repair timers, very much. More uncertainty = More realism.

I'm glad you were able to find the lines you were searching for, in the menu_1024_768.ini. I was so keen to assist you with a speedy release, I actually had a look for them, myself. I was just a bit over-ambitious.

Glad you didn't need my help or everyone would have been waiting much...much...longer.

[Borgneface]

S! nvdrifter,
This is really a great idea......How could one ever know for sure how long any repair would take! One of the repair crew could just dro a tool or brake the thread od od bolt....
Estimated repair time.....8 hours .....real time 10 hours...oops!

thanks for this mod adding a good touch of realism to the game

Good hunt!

[Paco]

Hi,

the mod doesn't work to me, I get menu-errors.
I only found the en_menu.txt in your mod, but I'm german native speaker and play the game in german.

Can You please help me with that error?

Thanks,
Paco

Originally Posted by Paco

Hi,

the mod doesn't work to me, I get menu-errors.
I only found the en_menu.txt in your mod, but I'm german native speaker and play the game in german.

Can You please help me with that error?

Thanks,
Paco

Ooops. Sorry about that. Will be fixed very soon.

Originally Posted by Rubini

Thanks again Nvdrifter!
You know that I can't play SH3 without LRT since the first release!

It's a must!

Hi Rubini. Good to see you are still around!

Everyone please note that the repair and recovery times listed in the readme in the first post are only very basic guidelines. Your repair and flood recovery times may vary greatly depending on many factors. It is also advisable to write down the dates and times of damage taken as to better estimate and track flood recovery and equipment repair dates and times.