to weather or not to weather...

[panthercules]

Originally Posted by SabreHawk

Hmmm, did you fellows make these changes while out on a patrol? If so, that may be why they arent taking effect perhaps, im not sure of course but I have read many times that changes of any kind should always be done while in port to avoid any possible problems.

I did do mine after a rollback of SH3 Commander and while in port between patrols, but it was while I was at a milkcow/supply ship so maybe that's messed something up - if it doesn't kick in soon on this patrol I'll try again when I get back to my real home base (assuming the escorts or the planes don't get me first).

I went back and checked my settings - they are as follows (different from yours but they seem to be exactly the same as in CB's first post above):

[Mission]
Title=
MissionType=0
MissionDataType=1
Year=1939
Month=1
Day=1
Hour=12
Minute=0
Fog=1
FogRand=2
Clouds=1
CloudsRand=2
Precip=1
PrecipRand=2
WindHeading=0
WindSpeed=7.000000
WindRand=2
WeatherRndInterval=2
SeaType=0
Briefing=


If nothing kicks in soon maybe I'll try your settings next time around.

[CB..]

here you go guys this is my best theory for why things need to be kicked into life...

first the previous settings are stored some where (saved game file perhaps)
if the new settings are diffferent then it defaults to an unchanging set up..
now the interesting part perhaps...

why does it wake up eventually?
is it purely a matter of time passed...?
if so you could simply head out to sea a bit stop and hit time excell..
is it distance travelled...? it isnt consistent so thats unlikely...
so if it isnt time passed...my gues is that there are distinct areas of the game map where the game checks to see if the weather should be reloaded..in the same way that the game has Artic sea sky colours atlantic and med sea and sky colours..and so on..
there is a map in the env fold which shows the world as a black and white view with possibly these distinct areas marked on it..
now what if as well as the sky sea colours changing for the different areas..the weather it self changes as you cross these demarcation lines..?
if so that would explain the wake up call..as the game would check it's settings and reload them..thus instigating the new settings from the campaign RND
i have often wondered if editing this black and white map creating a chess board of smaller black and white squares right across the world might have some interesting in game effects on the weather...

if indeed the game does change the sea sky colours on the fly (as it were)
and it does use this otherwise strange map as it's reference file for the demarcation lines then you could have the sky sea colours changing alomost constantly as well..from artic to med to atlantic etc...and if there are sme previuosly unoticed changes in the weather that go with these zones..(artic/atlantic/med) are there less storms in the med? etc....
then this would not only spice up the eye candy it would radicaly spice up the weather too..

anyhuw this IS the mod forum after all..so nothing needs to be proved here regarding this theory...just a thought


anyhuw for some reason the game will at some point reload the settings from the campaign rnd there by useing the new weather entrys...why when and where is the puzzle..

just another thought
if Sabres correct in this

And I have actually seen clouds in the distance ahead of me, with clear skies behind and above, and watched as we sailed along and they got closer and closer and eventually all around me....................totally cool.

then that is some thing in itself..as the weather normally loads from directly above the player thru a strange warphole..(you know the one)......this sort of weather transition described by Sabre would indeed be the desired and realistic type of weather change needed for any sim to have proper weather fronts ala real life...rather than just random changes centred over the player...

SH2 had this in spades...in fact the weather system in SH2 was so far in advance of the weather system in SH3 that it practically renders SH3 a laughing stock in this regard

There was a weather system in SHII? I thought I remembered the weather being the same for the entire patrol, and never changing at all.

[SabreHawk]

Yeah, there was. It didnt produce the kind we have in SH3 but it did produce even though it suffered the same thing SH3 does, that is that it stays the same for way too long a period.

One other thing I should mention is that im running SH3 stock with the exception of but one little mod, that being the crew vitamin mod. Other than that it's unmodded and it's the only install I've done since I bought it the day it was first in stores.

Heh, I have a good deal of the mods availible in a folder, but I just have never got around to using any of them yet.

[joea]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

There was a weather system in SHII? I thought I remembered the weather being the same for the entire patrol, and never changing at all.

Yea Steve, now I recall that someone discovered it in Destroyer Command I think in the Balikapan mission there was an entry for weather and it went from there.

[CB..]

yup Col777 found it ---you have no idea just how effective the weather system actually was in SH2...

what you did was to write weather fronts into the mission files them selves.....in exactly the same way as convoys....so you wrote in a storm front -gave it a start location and size..a cloud texture (choice of at least 7 or 8 i seem to remeber) sea state wind speed visability fog rain etc etc ...then gave it a speed and direction and it would travel across the world map like wise....and there was no limit to the number or types and variation of weather fronts that could be written into a mission..hundreds if desired..and you could then send the player accurate (genuinely accurate) radio messages on the placement type speed and direction of these weather fronts///allowing for a fully simulated tactical weather simulation...

makes Sh3 and no doubt Sh4 allso a laughing stock

My weather never changed until I made the modifications in all three campaign files (campaign.rnd, campaign.scr and campaign.lnd).

Then, the weather began making drastic and more realistic changes.

This evening I was shelling a tramp steamer at about 1000m when it began raining and visibility immediately dropped to near zero. I could still see the ship because she was on fire, she eventually sank.

It was like being on the edge of a weather front; it was kind of clear to the front of the bridge and fog on the starboard side. There was a very distinct division on the screen. I've never seen anything like this before in SH3. Kind of cool!

[CB..]

Originally Posted by von Zelda

My weather never changed until I made the modifications in all three campaign files (campaign.rnd, campaign.scr and campaign.lnd).

Then, the weather began making drastic and more realistic changes.

This evening I was shelling a tramp steamer at about 1000m when it began raining and visibility immediately dropped to near zero. I could still see the ship because she was on fire, she eventually sank.

It was like being on the edge of a weather front; it was kind of clear to the front of the bridge and fog on the starboard side. There was a very distinct division on the screen. I've never seen anything like this before in SH3. Kind of cool!

cheers Von'!

[CWorth]

Originally Posted by von Zelda

My weather never changed until I made the modifications in all three campaign files (campaign.rnd, campaign.scr and campaign.lnd).

Then, the weather began making drastic and more realistic changes.

This evening I was shelling a tramp steamer at about 1000m when it began raining and visibility immediately dropped to near zero. I could still see the ship because she was on fire, she eventually sank.

It was like being on the edge of a weather front; it was kind of clear to the front of the bridge and fog on the starboard side. There was a very distinct division on the screen. I've never seen anything like this before in SH3. Kind of cool!

I had to do the same thing..and amazingly for the first time ever I left port in something other than perfectly clear weather.It was actually very cloudy and rough seas.Not the perfectly clear with almost flat water I usually get.

Now if I see fog and storm when leaving i will be very happy..nice to see some better weather patterns now.

[panthercules]

Originally Posted by von Zelda
My weather never changed until I made the modifications in all three campaign files (campaign.rnd, campaign.scr and campaign.lnd).


Awesome - that appeared to be the key for me as well - I saw the above post and made the changes to all 3 files and Voila! after spending my entire last patrol with no clouds at all and little wind change, I left port tonight under partly cloudy skies and 6m/s winds and it just got better from there - lots of changes. This is really great so far - thanks for the revelation above

[Fangschuss]

This tweak do not work for me

Made CP´s changes to all 3 layers after my last patrol... then start a new Patrol staying at see for 30 days !! nothing happens only windheading changes from time to time...

[Myxale]

Ah good ol times! Agreed! What SH3 really needs is the weather mojo from SH2. Imagine the Stormfronts move on the worldmap ahh. Sweet! And cool weather reoprts, and then plotting course to evade them or such! Ah sweet simming!

Anyway, here's one thing that i encountered:

A long-range patrol to the south atlantic with my IXB. The first week weather was actually pleasing. Mild wind and waves. Around one week later on sea, the weather got ugly wind 12 and cloudy! So this lasted what seemed like ages and made convoy hunting a pain i the ass!

Many week later ingame-time, the wind climbed to 15 and heavy fog kicked in.
And it still lasts!

I really wonder what triggers the changes and why do the stormy weathers always last this long. Gee i know that the atlantic is wild but thats plain absurd!

Any ideas.

PS i will try the changes mentioned above as soon as i hit port!

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by CWorth

I had to do the same thing..and amazingly for the first time ever I left port in something other than perfectly clear weather.It was actually very cloudy and rough seas.Not the perfectly clear with almost flat water I usually get.

Now if I see fog and storm when leaving i will be very happy..nice to see some better weather patterns now.

Exact same experience at this end of the pond

[Notewire]

Doesn't the SH3 Weather program, available from these forums, actually change the appropriate variables for weather randomness each time you run it?

I looked at the files from my SH3 Weather, and it succesfully adjusts Campaign_RND each time I run it - changing both the randomness and extremity of the weather, based on the season.

Are the changes we are talking about here for SH3 Weather users? or is this a way to work around it without having that program run (which runs with sH3 Commander?).

I'm Curious,
Yarre.

[mikaelanderlund]

Originally Posted by Notewire

Doesn't the SH3 Weather program, available from these forums, actually change the appropriate variables for weather randomness each time you run it?

I looked at the files from my SH3 Weather, and it succesfully adjusts Campaign_RND each time I run it - changing both the randomness and extremity of the weather, based on the season.

Are the changes we are talking about here for SH3 Weather users? or is this a way to work around it without having that program run (which runs with sH3 Commander?).

I'm Curious,
Yarre.

Hi,

Yes, the weather program change the variabels. However, the weatherrndinterval is always 11 and i don't know why. Anyone knows the function of this variabels?

Mikael