About stars and constellations...

Ryder7 · 10-18-22, 06:20 PM

Hi everybody,I'm an average Silent Hunter3 player, not used about maritime navigation irl, but as for other kind of simulators, I do enjoy a bit of realism and the fact that I have to learn things. Thanks to this forum, I've learned a lot about SH3 and about its main mods (personnaly I usually play with GWX3, MAgui, and a few other small mods) but I still have a lot to practice and learn.
Recently, I saw a very old YT video of a guy navigating only with compas and watch so I installed a mod from subsim that removes the real-time GPS alike icon of my sub on the map (also had to make blank files for the particular icons made by GWX for each type of sub). Now this is way more fun, but then, I've watched Alpheratz's excellent videos about real navigation in SH5 and had a total blast about coastal and celestial navigation, very fascinating and a bit difficult for me. Then I wondered if there is a way to have some sort of sextant for SH3, and found one here, that looks and works in fact much more like ancient navigation tools in terms of angular precision, but well, still better than nothing for a start I guess. (Apparently a ''realNav" mod for SH3 was mentionned but i wasn't able to find it anywhere, only a modification of the sextant provided with it. I managed to make it appear in my HUD by editting the menu.ini)

My questions are:

-How accurate are the stars positions in SH3 for that period of time?
-Is there a way to make the sky darker at night and stars a bit bigger/brighter?
-Do I have any chance that almanach and charts provided by Alpheratz for SH5 twos may work for SH3?

I'd be more than happy if I were able to make some sort of working celestial navigation for SH3, but my knowledges are far too much limited I'm affraid, so if somebody have piece of advices or knows about mods I don't, please tell me more.

(I do have a SH5 steam version, but never gave it a try because of my crappy computer, and being repelled by both the Ubi thing and loading times I gave up about that for now.)

Anyways, thanks for the excellent community you have here!

Ryder7 from France.

Hooston · 10-19-22, 12:48 AM

I think the map projection is going to be a big problem. Strangely, given the excellent attention to detail elsewhere, SH3 is a "flat earther" game. All the distances are those measured "on the map" rather than on a real globe. This means, for example, that it's a very long way from Scotland to Narvik in Norway. It makes it very difficult to properly simulate maximum ranges for the various boats.

I am not aware of any mods which solve this, although SH3 folks always surprise me...

Aktungbby · 10-19-22, 12:57 AM

Ryder7!...on the surface after 3 years of 'silent running'!

FUBAR295 · 10-19-22, 07:47 AM

There is a mod that allows for celestial navigation :

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/sho...hlight=RealNav

I have tried it and it works, so if you have interest, check out that thread.

Ryder7 · 10-19-22, 12:10 PM

Hooston: Wow, thanks for that information. Silent Hunter 3 occurs on the DiscWorld, then... Do you know if they changed this for SH4 and 5?

Aktungbby: Thanks! Yeah, it seems that submarine enthusiats are that kind of shady undercover people with deep feelings.

FUBAR295: thank you very much for that. I'm gonna give this a try ASAP.

Sean C · 10-19-22, 01:41 PM

If you need any help with the actual process, let me know!

10-18-22, 06:20 PM	#1
Ryder7 Swabbie Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 6 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	About stars and constellations... Hi everybody,I'm an average Silent Hunter3 player, not used about maritime navigation irl, but as for other kind of simulators, I do enjoy a bit of realism and the fact that I have to learn things. Thanks to this forum, I've learned a lot about SH3 and about its main mods (personnaly I usually play with GWX3, MAgui, and a few other small mods) but I still have a lot to practice and learn. Recently, I saw a very old YT video of a guy navigating only with compas and watch so I installed a mod from subsim that removes the real-time GPS alike icon of my sub on the map (also had to make blank files for the particular icons made by GWX for each type of sub). Now this is way more fun, but then, I've watched Alpheratz's excellent videos about real navigation in SH5 and had a total blast about coastal and celestial navigation, very fascinating and a bit difficult for me. Then I wondered if there is a way to have some sort of sextant for SH3, and found one here, that looks and works in fact much more like ancient navigation tools in terms of angular precision, but well, still better than nothing for a start I guess. (Apparently a ''realNav" mod for SH3 was mentionned but i wasn't able to find it anywhere, only a modification of the sextant provided with it. I managed to make it appear in my HUD by editting the menu.ini) My questions are: -How accurate are the stars positions in SH3 for that period of time? -Is there a way to make the sky darker at night and stars a bit bigger/brighter? -Do I have any chance that almanach and charts provided by Alpheratz for SH5 twos may work for SH3? I'd be more than happy if I were able to make some sort of working celestial navigation for SH3, but my knowledges are far too much limited I'm affraid, so if somebody have piece of advices or knows about mods I don't, please tell me more. (I do have a SH5 steam version, but never gave it a try because of my crappy computer, and being repelled by both the Ubi thing and loading times I gave up about that for now.) Anyways, thanks for the excellent community you have here! Ryder7 from France.

10-19-22, 12:48 AM	#2
Hooston 中国水兵 Join Date: Jun 2020 Posts: 283 Downloads: 16 Uploads: 0	Flat earther I think the map projection is going to be a big problem. Strangely, given the excellent attention to detail elsewhere, SH3 is a "flat earther" game. All the distances are those measured "on the map" rather than on a real globe. This means, for example, that it's a very long way from Scotland to Narvik in Norway. It makes it very difficult to properly simulate maximum ranges for the various boats. I am not aware of any mods which solve this, although SH3 folks always surprise me...

10-19-22, 12:57 AM	#3
Aktungbby Gefallen Engel U-666 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: On a tilted, overheated, overpopulated spinning mudball on Collision course with Andromeda Galaxy Posts: 30,051 Downloads: 24 Uploads: 0	Welcome aboard! Ryder7!...on the surface after 3 years of 'silent running'! __________________ "Only two things are infinite; The Universe and human squirrelyness?!!

10-19-22, 07:47 AM	#4
FUBAR295 Krusty Krab Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Decks awash in the North Atlantic Posts: 1,452 Downloads: 493 Uploads: 0	There is a mod that allows for celestial navigation : https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/sho...hlight=RealNav I have tried it and it works, so if you have interest, check out that thread. __________________ Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, the experience usually comes from bad judgment.

10-19-22, 01:41 PM	#6
Sean C Grey Wolf Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Norfolk, VA Posts: 986 Downloads: 16 Uploads: 2	If you need any help with the actual process, let me know! __________________ If you have a question about celestial navigation ... ask me! Celestial Navigation Spreadsheet

10-19-22, 12:10 PM	#5
Ryder7 Swabbie Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 6 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	Hooston: Wow, thanks for that information. Silent Hunter 3 occurs on the DiscWorld, then... Do you know if they changed this for SH4 and 5? Aktungbby: Thanks! Yeah, it seems that submarine enthusiats are that kind of shady undercover people with deep feelings. FUBAR295: thank you very much for that. I'm gonna give this a try ASAP.