"SH3Gen" Campaign enhancement (version 0.6.0)

[JScones]

Originally Posted by jasonb885

Kind of like an intelligent `diff` utility for configuration file management.

In essence, yes, that's all it is.

[KptnLt Eric Karle]

Well, I just wanted to say that I missed this thread when it started and then stopped playing for a while and have only started again in the last 2 weeks. When I noticed this, it sounded perfect but I was a little apprehensive about trying it as I was afraid it might mess up my campaign (currently 11 patrols - March 1941). Anyway tonight as I was starting my 11th, I decided to bite the bullet and try it and all I can say is WOW. Thanks GlobalExplorer for all the work you put into this. It has made a huge differance to my game and added a whole new level of immersion to this ever-improving sim. The mods that have been released by this community have so fundamently improved this game, and this has taken that improvement to a new level. Thanks again

[DeepSix]

I'm back after a hiatus, too, and this just looks terrific! Thanks, GlobalExplorer, can't wait to try it out!

[Kitzbuell]

"Now to the things that make it hard for me / or any other modder. I see that a fair amount of people have downloaded the beta from my site, but very rarely I hear from them again. Some mailed me when they had problems but didn't bother to tell me if my solutions work. I am not angry at anyone, it's just not very motivating this way - and I have other projects that need my attention."

This quote directly caused me to register on SubSim if only to respond with an expression of my gratitude for all of your efforts. I'm speaking directly to Global Explorer at this moment as he has driven the efforts with SH3Gen. However, since I now use many of the mods all of you have contributed to this particular game. You, and those of your ilk, are the ones that keep these games from growing tiresome and thereby being abandoned.

I am not by any sense of anyone's imagination a programmer. Far from it! My last experience with programming was over 20 years ago in college with an Into to BASIC course (the garnerred information of which I've not used since. I am actually very new to modding but have become an avid follower. What I am is a long term computer gamer with a seat of the pants background in building and upgrading computers I've owned. I began reading entries in this forum only a few months ago and found the experience more than a bit addictive. The enjoyment I've gained from reading and, eventually, adding your various mods to my program has been about the only thing that has stopped me from constantly playing SH3 is my free time.

I purchased and installed SH3 early last fall and played incessantly until late November. I enjoyed the game play immensely, however some of the weaknesses in the original software began to get to me and I found myself growing tired of the game play. The game was good enough that, after a month's absence from it, I began visiting the forums related to SH3 and discovered this particular diamond amongst the gems. I began installing many of your mods one by one and, low and behold, SH3 game play became exciting, more enjoyable and a more enveloping experience than it had ever been previously for me.

I am one of those who have downloaded yet not installed SH3Gen as yet but am extremely anxious to do so. I am currently on my 13th patrol with a low level settings for realism. I'm still trying to learn some of the techniques needed for more realistic play. Also, though I attempt to follow and understand the specifics of the conversations here you folks are speaking completely over my head. No matter. I still find what you're able to create and how the process unfolds to be fascinating. I've received nothing but enjoyment from the fruits of all of your labors.

The only thing holding me back from decompressing the SH3Gen software and installing it is I'm a bit timid of not installing it properly and wiping out my current records and/or corrupting the original SH3 software, SH3Commander, etc. I'm only waiting to be sure I understand the methodology completely for the proper installation of the SH3Gen software with the other add-ons I'm currently using. However, I'm too anxious to wait much longer.

In my game experience, I've been lucky thus far. Without using SH3Gen and employing only the historical dates for certain naval vessels recorded as being in specific ports, I've managed to sink the King George V in Scapa Flow and a light cruiser in Lock Ewe. I've used the same data to visit Scapa Flow and other ports in search of these prized targets during the aforementioned dates and found the particular harbors vacant but for the myriad of destroyers and other defensive vessels patroling the wars for interlopers of my kind.

I just wanted to thank each and every one of you that develope these mods and greatly improve the game play for schmucks like myself. Once I install and use SH3Gen I'd be more than happy to add my SH3 game play experiences and critique to this worthy discussion.

[GlobalExplorer]

Havent been able to post here, since I am in Spain right now, and internet access is limited. Work on the standing orders features is progressing slowly, I hope Brad will make more progress in the next weeks, as he didnt have much time recently. Its going to be included in 0.6, which I hope to release somewhen in May (might get later however). But its going to come 100%, and will be a neat, streamlined feature that comes at absolutely no price. I still need the edited data, I have to download and test the new campaign mods, and then there is still more work for me with the german translation and program logic of course.

Has anybody tested the current version with GW and NYGM campaign mods, as well as the integrated version by Rubini? I see no complaints, so I assume its working already.

For the future I have also been thinking about more advanced features, particularly "virtual" Uboats and a radio message generator, but this would come at the price af not being totally compatible with other radio log mods, which I am not completely happy with.

@Kitzbuell: God idea to register and a very good read. You should post more I also am more of the lurker type as long as I am not directly participating in mods, but the community here is, as most people will agree, one of the best. I also think you should try installing Sh3Gen, as the worst thing that can happen to you is loss of a single save game (not that this ever happens to my knowledge), apart from that it doesnt change anything in your mods. Maybe wait for the new Sh3Cmdr, so you dont have to install the fix from my site.

GE

[VonHelsching]

Quoting a PM I sent to GE after he asked me to elaborate further on my initial suggestions:

First of all I would like to congratulate you for the concept of the application. It is excellent and I cannot imagine using SH3 without it.

Sorry it took me so long to answer, but I wanted my thought to mature, in order to give to you something useful. My initial post about "luring" the player into hot spots was just a wild shot in the dark; just an idea for you to elaborate. But I made some second thoughts that go beyond this point. And the thing that made me think further was the Grey Wolves mod.

What I finally think is a good idea (don't know if it is doable though) is for SH3Gen expanding not only in single missions (see a/), but a series of missions that represent a chapter in U-boat history (see /b).

a/ SH3Gen may incorporate into the map small / short chapters of history like the sinking of the Bismarc. SH3Cdr would make sure that the player would be at the right place at the right time (with days in base) and SH3Gen would provide a very nice "intelligence report" of the situation, prety much like it can do now. But; Sh3Gen could additionally provide a1/ the course of the Bismarc, TFs etc. in order to give a dynamic view and a2/ provide additional maps which would update the action (don't know if this would be possible without restarting, though)

b/SH3Gen could incorporate / facilitate a capmpaign that lasts more than a mission; ie a series of missions. This could be done for Pauckenschlag. Here, SH3Gen could really blow the minds of the hardcore realism simmers by providing not only the course of action, but addidional historic data like u-boat sinkings (on the map with the number of u-boat, and the date). This could be expanded for allied sinkings. I'm not into realism much, but I think this historic aspect would be much appreciated. I understand that this is a lot of work, but I'm sure that a lot of people would volunteer to pinpoint X and Ys for every u-boat on the map.

These are my first thoughts. I hope they helped.

[zzsteven]

Originally Posted by GlobalExplorer

Havent been able to post here, since I am in Spain right now, and internet access is limited. Work on the standing orders features is progressing slowly, I hope Brad will make more progress in the next weeks, as he didnt have much time recently. Its going to be included in 0.6, which I hope to release somewhen in May (might get later however). But its going to come 100%, and will be a neat, streamlined feature that comes at absolutely no price. I still need the edited data, I have to download and test the new campaign mods, and then there is still more work for me with the german translation and program logic of course.

Has anybody tested the current version with GW and NYGM campaign mods, as well as the integrated version by Rubini? I see no complaints, so I assume its working already.

For the future I have also been thinking about more advanced features, particularly "virtual" Uboats and a radio message generator, but this would come at the price af not being totally compatible with other radio log mods, which I am not completely happy with.

@Kitzbuell: God idea to register and a very good read. You should post more I also am more of the lurker type as long as I am not directly participating in mods, but the community here is, as most people will agree, one of the best. I also think you should try installing Sh3Gen, as the worst thing that can happen to you is loss of a single save game (not that this ever happens to my knowledge), apart from that it doesnt change anything in your mods. Maybe wait for the new Sh3Cmdr, so you dont have to install the fix from my site.

GE

SH3Gen is working well with GW v1.0 on my computer, no glitch's.

zz

[GlobalExplorer]

@zz: Thanks! And good to hear.

@Von Helsching: Thank you for your suggestions, here are my thoughts.

Dynamic updates are not planned .. because this would require constant Alt-Tabbing. Not the grandest concept, as people are already complaining that Sh3Gen requires to Alt-Tab.

Campaign spanning several patrols, sorry, I dont know either. I dont want to give up the abstract way I handle data, which makes Sh3Gen suited for any campaign mods around. Another problem is that the campaign data which I access doesnt contain enough info, so I would have to make to much guesswork.

What I am thinking of is an option to generate a completely new set of radio messages for each patrol, which would contain pieces of the usual target info (similar to the intelligence update), possibly as well as virtual uboats that give updates about sinkings and more. I hope to make a draft for this and update the thread about what I think is possible. Mind however that at this stage it is just an idea I have not decided yet if I will do it, and god forbit when.

What do you think, would it be in the interest of this mod to incorporate radio messages? I ask because for this I would have to give up the totally "clean" architecture that doesnt add stuff to ShIII. Rewriting the radio message file would, of course, never be 100% compatible with other radio log mods, though I would of course offer the usual backup/rollback functions. Its just that this is a step I am not too eager to make, because now Sh3Gen integrates so nicely with other mods. But, on the other hand, it would not alter much and possibly be very much more athmospheric if, for the first time, you would get radio messages about things that are actually there.

Let me know what you think, I can still keep this open for the future, but it could be done one day. Any ideas/feedback welcome.

GE

P.S. About the UBoats sinkings and/or virtual Uboat traffic, I would have to build a UBoat database first, anybody interested to help me with this? No coding required, only some interest to collect enough data from the various sources.

[HEMISENT]

GE
I really do enjoy using SH3 Gen. I don't use it all the time but it"s nice to know it's there. It is a pain in the butt to save/exit to generate a fresh map but that's not your fault. Mostly I Alt/Tab to generate an intel report.
Great work and thanks for all the effort.

PS I think the idea of radio reports is a good one, anything to increase the immersion is a step in the right direction.

[Boris]

Radio messages that are actually relevant... You've got my vote!

[JBClark]

GlobalExplorer,

I just discovered this mod and following your instructions, successfully installed it to run with GW and SH3Commander. I did update Commander and MS net1.1 before I tried it.

This post is to let you know that:

1) It worked. 1st time! No problems.

2) I like it.

Keep up the good work Sir.

Regards,

JBC

2.4GHz P4
1 GB RAM
XP Pro
Nvidia GeForce 5700LE 128MB

[VonHelsching]

Originally Posted by GlobalExplorer

P.S. About the UBoats sinkings and/or virtual Uboat traffic, I would have to build a UBoat database first, anybody interested to help me with this? No coding required, only some interest to collect enough data from the various sources.

Well, some people around might have this already. Anyone from the uboat.net forums around?

What you actually require would be a database of sinkings, right?. Such as an excel file with the following:

(fictional)
U-569, IXD/2
Sunk 03.05.44 by depthcharges from aircraft or [030544, A/C DC]
All hands lost

Or is it too much info? In 1944 the map would be filled with RIP markings...

[GlobalExplorer]

Originally Posted by VonHelsching

Well, some people around might have this already. Anyone from the uboat.net forums around?

What you actually require would be a database of sinkings, right?. Such as an excel file with the following:

(fictional)
U-569, IXD/2
Sunk 03.05.44 by depthcharges from aircraft or [030544, A/C DC]
All hands lost

Or is it too much info? In 1944 the map would be filled with RIP markings...

In the long term, I am thinking about much more than RIP markings

Name=U-569
Commander=Mustermann
Waypoints=

Other than the UBoat name, commander and TOO it would be more in the spirit of Sh3Gen to have no historically correct data, instead it would be better to generate contacts/encounters from the data in the campaign files. Instead I would add waypoints for all Uboats, for every historical period. Of course its not realistic to have correct data for all boats, but usually it is possible to achieve a believable setup with less, well diversified data. For instance, the same waypoints could be reused for many boats.

Note: I could add your info about sinking of the boats itself, hadnt thought about it previously:

SunkDate=030544
SunkLat=12345.000
SunkLong=-154546.00
SunkBy=Aircraft
etc ..

Mind we are just exchanging thoughts, I have not decided yet about this feature. There are problems with the spatial operations for finding correct contacts. Particularly it is a problem that SpawnProbability is set to very low levels in all campaigns (albeit with good reason). This makes the chance to find any targets at the given coordinates lower, which is bad for Sh3Gen in general.

[zzsteven]

Not real sure what you're trying to do. My understanding: You are trying to generate a listing of other Uboats locations in the game based on game data? If I understand correctly, the only Uboats in the game are the ones Rubini scripted in his HT mods and Sansals milkcows (modified by Rubini). There are no other Uboats in the game, or submarines for that matter. Someone would have to script them in the campaign files first.

If I'm misunderstanding then please feel free to ignore this old guy in the corner.

zz

PS In the Parameters.ini file I noticed an entry for Aircoverage. SH3 Gen doesn't seem to show aircoverage, did this not get implemented?

[Rhodes]

I have a question about the sh3 gen, I'm trying for the 1º time and the quickstart text says that the ingame map will have the updates and etc if everything whent right.
But my map and war diary has notting.
When a create a sav game and run the sh3 gen, I need to leave the game and then reload to have the updates of the sh3gen?