New to the community and SH3

[El Mariachi]

Hi everyone, as title says I'm new here and looking forward to being part of the community! I've just got into Silent Hunter 3 after finally getting a computer more than capable of playing it (having previously learned that SH3 and laptops do not get on very well). I've gone for SH3 as opposed to SH4 simply because I prefer the theatre (I guess Das Boot may be responsible for that, plus I owned a couple of U Boat Airfix kits as a kid). Generally speaking I'm new to sub-simming although I first got a taste for it at the tender age of 7 or 8 with 688 Attack Sub on the Sega Megadrive/Genesis.

Currently I'm just running the stock game and it's great (I've started on 70% realism and gradually increasing it). I've yet to upgrade it as I have a question about patching- will I be able to upgrade it straight away to the latest version or do I have to install the various patches sequentially? Also, which site is the best resource for downloading patches (I have the UK version of the game).

I'm somewhat bewildered by the amount of mods out there although from what I can ascertain, GWX seems to be the one most people swear by? I'm tempted to download it at somepoint although I'll run stock for a while as despite the benefits GWX seems to offer; I'm put off by the fact there's no benefit (in terms of renown) to following your orders and reaching your assigned grid, but we'll see

There's a big resource of information already posted about how to play the game well so I'm probably fine in that area but If anyone can help me with some tips about how I can improve the experience, I'll be mightily grateful.

Cheers,

El

[Paul Riley]

I would help you here mate,but like you,there are too many mods/add-ons out there that I myself regularly need help from some of the veterans in here.Having said that I have played it for 3yrs now and am quite knowledged on the game itself.For starters I would definitely get the Commander 3.1 pack,as that includes a few great tweaks like,being able to start a patrol at sea instead of sailing out of port all the time.It also offers a VERY intricate career building scheme too.Another one I love is that you can start your next career at any point in the war,instead of going back to say Jan of that year as default.
You'll soon find the guys in here are great,and funny some of em,one or two are hilarious.
If you need a laugh anytime ask someone about the "sh..sh..sh..SHIP SPOTTED! KABOOOM!" tale,I nearly pissed my pants for real after reading that post,it still cracks me up :rotfl:
In the meantime,welcome fellow Englishman!

[melnibonian]

Welcome to SubSim

[Dietrich]

Hi, and welcome to SH3 and the SUBSIM community here.

Yes, there are lots of mods, and different people prefer different things. WAC, RUB, NYGM, GWX, plus a countless set of minor tweaks and fixes. It sort of depends what sort of thing you'd like, really. I do a lot of multiplayer games, and our group uses GWX plus some multiplayer tweaks. However, I know that others have their own favourites.

What I'd suggest is to ask. If you'd like to find a mod to give you X, or improve Y, then ask for it, stating what sort of thing you're looking for. I'm sure then that someone will pipe up and make some useful suggestions.

For patches, I'd suggest for the UK, you visit here...
http://www.silent-hunteriii.com/uk/updates.php

If you've bought the UK DVD, you'll need the EMEA-DVD patch 1.4. You don't need to patch 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 first, you can go stright from the DVD-installed version to patch 1.4 directly.

I hope that helps... once again: WELCOME!!!

[nikbear]

Welcome aboard chap

[Rg370]

Currently I'm just running the stock game and it's great

Belive me, after trying GWX, you won't be running stock EVER again.

[Brag]

KpTlt. J.S. Balz writes:

Welcome , El Mariachi!

Guadalahoochie-guadalhoochi
Sing me a song in hoochie-woochie.

***
Go Gwix once you are familiar with Stock.
Gute jagd, mein freund.

[Erich dem Roten]

Welcome, I'm new here myself and I think you'll find that the community here is more than helpful.

[Hanomag]

Welcome aboard NEW KALUENS!!!

[GoldenRivet]

weclome guys. you will enjoy it here.

[coronas]

Wellcome to the pack, cuate!
Dietrich point in the right way: Try supermods, search in forum and ask.

[El Mariachi]

Thanks for the warm welcome and all the advice guys I'll be sure to check all of that out!

Coronas, whilst I'm born and bred in England, my mother's side of the family come from Asturias! My grandparents live in Mieres although my spanish is far from fluent at the moment

I'll go off and download the patch as per Dietrich's instructions Once I've completed my first career (or get blown out of the water), I'll have a look at installing some Mods...

Cheers,

El


EDIT:All of the mirrors I've tried from that link claim to upgrade my game to 1.3 instead of 1.4? Is this just a typo with the installer?

[Jimbuna]

Welcome aboard Kaleun

Ignore the 1.3 error, it is an error that was never rectified by Ubisoft.

What you are getting in actual fact is patch 1.4.

[Sailor Steve]

WELCOME ABOARD!

Originally Posted by El Mariachi

GWX seems to be the one most people swear by? I'm tempted to download it at somepoint although I'll run stock for a while as despite the benefits GWX seems to offer;

Mods are like sports teams, in that their fans tend to be rabid when claiming that their favorite is the best. GWX's rep comes from the fact that in the mod's early days it was compared unfavorably with others: they were for 'realism' and The Grey Wolves was for 'pretty'. This stuck in their craw and they worked hard to make it more gritty and realistic and, yes, hard, but at the same time they added even more 'pretties'. This is why it has the largest number of users who like both. But don't let that fool you. When you're feeling ready try them all - they all have their die-hard fans.

I'm put off by the fact there's no benefit (in terms of renown) to following your orders and reaching your assigned grid, but we'll see

It's only a total of about 700, and it is more realistic. NYGM goes whole-hog and removes renown altogether. A whole different way to play. On the other hand it's an easy fix: just open up the Data/CFG/Basic file and [Renown] is right at the top. You can change the 'RenownReachGridObjCompleted=0' and the two below it to any number you like.

EDIT:All of the mirrors I've tried from that link claim to upgrade my game to 1.3 instead of 1.4? Is this just a typo with the installer?

Before you install the patch, how new is the game you bought? If it's brand-new, it should already be patched, and trying to patch it again will get you an error message. To check just load up the game. On the load screen it should say what version it is in the lower right-hand corner.

[Laufen zum Ziel]

Welcome,

You are now addicted.

As stated by others get comfortable with stock
and then GWX 2 and mods of your likeing.

YOU CAN FIND A LOT OF STUFF AND LINKS AT MY
BELOW SHA SITE.