Real Navigation with SH3

[ichso]

*Thumbs up*
Some very good suggestions don1reed that I'm gonna try out as I get time to play again.

I like it! Will give it a go when current patrol finished

[jmr]

Little off topic, but in the real world, how do you use a sextant on the deck of a heaving ship?

[ichso]

One question:
How do you guys make SH hide your sub icon on the nav map ?

I have some edited files 'UnitSub*.tga' in 'data\menu\gui\units\'.
But when in the game, I still see a flickering little dot on the map (instead of the sub icon). This is really annoying because I always have to look away from that to not >>accidently<< cheat by seeing my acutal position when I shouldn't.

Little off topic, but in the real world, how do you use a sextant on the deck of a heaving ship?

That I have asked myself too from time to time. Perhaps it takes just a bit longer to get a reading you are satisfied with ? Would make it harder to navigate, that's true.

[don1reed]

@jmr: The construction of a sextant allows the navigator to view the horizon through the horizon glass. The heavenly body is viewed and reflected by a mirror at the top of the index arm to be co-viewed through the horizon glass, and by slowly turning the micrometer drum at the bottom of the index arm, brings the horizon and body together as one.

The stars appears as pinpoints whereas the sun, moon and planets need corrections for semi-diameter and oblateness and horizontal parallax(moon) due to their relative larger size.

While the deck is pitching, the navigator tries to remain plumb & level, keeping the heavenly body and horizon in near proximity in the glass. He waits until his craft is atop a wave (not in a trough) to make his final adjustment to bring the horizon the body together as one and yells (if very windy) "MARK!). His time-keeper jots down the watch time while the navigator reads his arc and gives the angle to the time-keeper and goes and makes either a round of star sights or 3 or more sights of the sun/moon to get an average. Its a balancing act to be sure, but becomes second nature to those who do it for a living.

@ichso: It's been awhile since I eliminated my icon and I don't exactly remember where I got the mod; but the mod for SH4 may work for SH3 also...it's worth a try.

Look for the mod "no_sub_on_map" by Thendash.

cheers,

[6SJ7GT]

To all,

I put everything needed for celestial nav in an archive here. It's not a game mod so much as a hybrid. I take the sub position from a savegame and put it into a planetarium program. Don was one of the people that adopted this and helped me put it together. He says it works on SH3 also, so the savegame files must be similar to sh4.

there is a tutorial here if you want to try celnav.

For anyone that wants to try this, let me know if there are any problems.
Celestial Navigation in Silent Hunter

Fair skies and smooth sailing,
Mike

[don1reed]

Great work, Mike!


-...-

ichso: you'll have to convert from *.DDS to *.TGA for the no_sub_on_map to work, however.

btw: it's the same three files that Vanjast changed in his original RealNav mod.

[ichso]

Then it's probably some weird graphic effect.

I recently built me a new computer and I am now using a Nvidia card. Before it had been an ATI card. I also experience some glitches in the external sceneries. So it may be because of the graphics drivers or something.

Currently I'm using Vanjast's tgas from his RealNav mod for SH3 to hide my boat on the nav map.

[don1reed]

you might try removing then reinstalling. IIRC all I used from his mod was just those three tga's in the UNITS directory.

[ichso]

I also use just those 3 files. I checked them and there are just transparent tga-files.

I think it's on most or even all the zoom levels, didn't check it on purpose yet.
Or it has something to do with the higher resolution patch ? That's the only thing that I'm using now and that I wasn't already using before.

[ichso]

That might be a good hint.

Before I used to use the RNM as it was but as I started playing again I cut it down to make the U-Boat invisible and I'm still having the plotting tool available.

[don1reed]

Ok, 1st patrol starting with GWX2.1, OLC Ubermod, & No_Sub_on_map. Using Python & Stellarius for navigation.
DTD 1.8.1939 out of Wilhelmshaven for BE17.

Drew in course to follow with surrounding Lat/Long. Zoomed out to show the overall effect.

[AndyW]

Sorry for bumping this thread, but I wonder if there was ever a solution for this tiny flickering wake pixel giving away your boat's position on the Nav map.

Actually I'm using Vanjast's Real Navigation mod and replaced all TGA's coming with it, but this remaining pulsing dot is a real spoiler.

Any hints, anyone?

Thanks,
AndyW

[Yoriyn]

Can anyone help me to force stellarium to run startup script?
I wish to start my celestial navigation, follow step by step the running process, but it don't work for me. Payton script work fine saving my position data to file startup.sts. And this is a place where my problem start. If I run stellarium it show me a default location somewhere in Zambia and actual date/time. I can't run startup script. The file startup.ssc is almost empty that's all what's in file:

//
// Name: Startup Script
// Description: Script which runs automatically at startup
//

Please help Me Whats wrong?

[don1reed]

Howdy, yoriyn. I've got to take care of some personal chores here; but, will get back to you later today. Due to our time differences, it might be early tomorrow.

In the meantime, perhaps one of the old hands on this thread will take up the slack.

Cheers,