SH3 commander issues

[Bakkels]

Hello there,

I'm new to this game, and after reading the newbie thread amongst others, I installed SH3 commander and GWX. Now I have some issues;
in SH3, I'm not able to change the time compression settings, and I'm also unable to change my crew.. If I click on anything, I just seem to select it, but I can't change it.
Sorry if this is a really dumb question, but I can't find the answer anywhere in the sh3 manual or on the forum...

I also have some gameplay questions (as I said, I'm playing with GWX 3.0);

- Manual or automatic targeting; where do you select which one you want? Since I'm just starting, I wanna start with the simple auto-point-and-fire
option (at least for my first mission)
- At what time compression do you get sufficient warning that there is a contact? And do you use SH3commander to change this setting?
- Lastly, where can I find the community manual? Seems just the thing I need, but the link is down in the Newbie thread.

Thanks!

[Damo]

First of all, welcome to Subsim.

In SH3Commander, click the ? at the far left of the interface for the user guide, should answer most of your SH3C questions. You must start SH3 through Commander by using the tick mark far right or none of your Commander settings will take effect. Time compression is controlled via the rachet icon in the SH3 Options screen in Commander. As far as setting the game difficulty, as in auto targeting and whatnot, when you click on the big map to start a patrol there is an option at the bottom of the screen to change realism settings.

Finally, use the forum search feature, it's a Bilge Rat's best friend.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Bakkels

Hello there,

I'm new to this game

Welcome aboard!

I also have some gameplay questions (as I said, I'm playing with GWX 3.0);

- Manual or automatic targeting; where do you select which one you want? Since I'm just starting, I wanna start with the simple auto-point-and-fire
option (at least for my first mission)

You do this (and can select/deselect a great many other options) by editing your realism options. When you have selected the career or mission you want to play, look for "Edit Realism" or something to that effect at the bottom of the screens you go through as you are preparing to start out. I'm pretty sure it's at the bottom of the screen that has your "mission orders" typed out on that official looking memo from BdU.

Click on that and you'll see all the gameplay options that determine your level of realism, there is one that will toggle on/off the assisted targeting. I think the default is to have assisted targeting on, but you'll figure it out when you see it.

- At what time compression do you get sufficient warning that there is a contact? And do you use SH3commander to change this setting?

The general consensus seems to be that bad things are more likely to happen if you go over 128TC, especially in potentially hostile waters and most especially within range of enemy aircraft (and their range will increase dramatically over the course of the war).

You can use Commander to change the TC options for a variety of different situations/events, including the max TC you are allowed overall, the max you are allowed while hunting or being hunted, and the TC the game will drop to when certain things happen (aircraft spotted, enemy ship spotted, etc.) The only change I've made to mine is that I have it drop back to 1 TC for Enemy Ship Spotted, I think the default is 8(?) but any time we have a contact I want to be back in real time ASAP.

- Lastly, where can I find the community manual? Seems just the thing I need, but the link is down in the Newbie thread.

Thanks!

The last question comes up a lot, AFAIK no one has been able to find a working link for the Community Manual. If that's not the case I'm sure someone who knows better will be along (I hope so, anyway, I'd like to take a look at it myself!).

[Tinman764]

Welcome!
Have you also installed the config file for SH3cmdr that came with GWX?

[Bakkels]

Thanks to all! Those problems are solved now, but I got a new one...
I got the GWX installed, but when I use time compression, the game becomes very laggy, and eventually crashes to desktop (rendering my pc very slow, sometimes crashing all together). I uninstalled GWX, and am now running SH3 'vanilla' style + SH3 commander. Now I can put time compression as high as I want to. But I really want to play it with GWX. Anybody knows what's wrong here?
Another question: does the difficulty get a lot higher when playing with GWX?
And can I install GWX but edit a file so that I come across a ship more often? Because I'm just starting to learn how to play SH3, I don't want to go for max realism just yet.

And (!!) I found the community manual!!! For anybody that's interested:
http://web.archive.org/web/200711051...itle=Main_Page

[Damo]

Originally Posted by Bakkels

Thanks to all! Those problems are solved now, but I got a new one...
I got the GWX installed, but when I use time compression, the game becomes very laggy, and eventually crashes to desktop (rendering my pc very slow, sometimes crashing all together). I uninstalled GWX, and am now running SH3 'vanilla' style + SH3 commander. Now I can put time compression as high as I want to. But I really want to play it with GWX. Anybody knows what's wrong here?
Another question: does the difficulty get a lot higher when playing with GWX?
And can I install GWX but edit a file so that I come across a ship more often? Because I'm just starting to learn how to play SH3, I don't want to go for max realism just yet.

And (!!) I found the community manual!!! For anybody that's interested:
http://web.archive.org/web/200711051...itle=Main_Page

With time compression you will experience heavy lag when you are near 3D objects and at high TC. You will notice this most in harbors where there are a lot of ships and buildings, which GWX has added a fair amount of over stock. One thing you can do is enable the Lite Harbor Traffic option that came with GWX (via JSGME) as this should alleviate some of the strain. If you do experience lag, give it a few seconds before you call it a crash as the game can freeze for a while as it loads the models.

Personally, I've set my highest TC at 1024x and rarely go above 128x and find that the most my PC will let me crank it in harbors is 32x. Once you get out of rendering range of the harbor you'll notice it will smoothen out but I really suggest you don't go over 1024 at the most as you'll find that you'll actually get less contacts that way due to the way the game processes them. Faster the TC, the faster they come in and out of range and the game won't pick them up.

As far as difficulty goes, I hesitate to call it 'harder', but will go as far as saying it makes it more balanced, in that the enemies are a little more tough (i.e. go against a Battle ship with a deckgun at your peril...). But saying that, I started playing with GWX 2 weeks after I got the game and have never gone back simply because it makes the game so much more real to me. Also, remember there are other mods too, NYGM, LSH, WAC being the 'mega' mods that all offer slightly different flavors of SH3. Some people have all of them on separate installs, although I doubt they have suntans too.....

If you want to have a play around before getting too serious, do a search in the downloads section for the Spysat mod. This will mark all ships on the game map so you can go blow up what you want, or just give some of the excellent single missions a go (GWX adds some really good, historically accurate blasts for you).

All in all, GWX is worth having and I doubt you'll find many people who readily chose to go back to stock after it graced their installation.

Oh, you might want to list your PC specs too as although GWX is the more resource friendly of the megamods, it will still laugh in the face of vanilla SH3 minimum specs so to speak.

[Bakkels]

Thanks for that man. But I'm still wondering, what makes GWX demand so much more from my pc? I just finished my third patrol on 'vanilla' so to speak, and had no problems using TC on 1028 (or something like that, I never go higher than that).

Anyway, here's my specs:
AMD Athlon 3200 64bit (2.21 Ghz)
2 Gig RAM
Ati Radeon x1600 pro (512mb)

[irish1958]

Hi, and welcome to SHIII and Subsim
The best way to get more contacts is to use Nichol's SHIII Contacts: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=1402
I think the problem with your lag with time compression issue is insufficient RAM.
If you are using Windows7-64 bit your best performance will come with 4 Gb of RAM, preferably DDR3.
You may also try AlacrityPC or GameBooster (google them).
You should also use SH3 Commander, as it completes the game.

[FIREWALL]

Originally Posted by irish1958

Hi, and welcome to SHIII and Subsim
The best way to get more contacts is to use Nichol's SHIII Contacts: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=1402
I think the problem with your lag with time compression issue is insufficient RAM.
If you are using Windows7-64 bit your best performance will come with 4 Gb of RAM, preferably DDR3.
You may also try AlacrityPC or GameBooster (google them).
You should also use SH3 Commander, as it completes the game.

[Bakkels]

On the performance side, all is working well now. Thanks for the advice. @Irishman; I'm already using SH3 commander. It's working fine now, as long as I turn back the TC a bit when I'm approaching a harbor.
The harbor traffic mod really helped there! But now I have the weirdest problem I encountered so far:

After re installing GWX, I started a new career, with my base at Kiel. Now I went out on my first patrol, and I'm cruising along the eastern shores of Denmark. Now I'm running into all sorts of freighters. (Mind you, I didn't install any mod yet that increases traffic) Some of them even are British. I'm thinking, what the hell are British vessels doing all the way over here, but ok I sank one British ship and one Polish.
So now I'm cruising through the Skaggerak (north of Denmark, inbetween Denmark and Sweden, grid numbers were AN 36/37/38) and keep running into all kinds of freighters / cargo. So I sink another 3 British ships in this region before heading back to base. I was supposed to patrol a section of the coast of Scotland, but I ran out of torpedo's long before I reached it, and as I remember (please correct me if I'm wrong!) in GWX, it doesn't matter if you actually go to the section that is appointed to you.

But now I'm getting back to Kiel, and all of a sudden a German (!) ship starts shooting at me! What the hell happened? Did I accidentally collide with it while in TC? Also, if I end my patrol, I have -500 renown. Anybody got any idea what the hell just happened? And is it normal there is a lot more shipping activity around Denmark then when you're starting out from Wilhelmshaven? Another thing just came to mind; when I sank the British ships, the game said I sank neutral ships. How are the British neutral?? (And yes, I really looked carefully at what flag the ship had )

Thanks for bearing with me, I know this must be the perfect example of a noob story

[frau kaleun]

If you started your first patrol before 1 Sept 1939 (and with GWX you can start as early as Aug 1939), you aren't at war with anyone yet.

You won't be at war with Poland until 1 Sept, or with England until 3 Sept.

Before those dates all countries are effectively neutral (because there is no war to takes sides in) and if you shoot at them you have, in essence, begun your own personal war with the world at large. You are a kaleun gone rogue! And any other neutral units you encounter (which means, basically, everybody) are liable to take potshots at you because of that.

Also you will lose renown for sinking any ship prior to 1 Sept as all ships are counted as neutral before that date.

FYI once the war does start, if you attack anything that is neutral or friendly (even by accident) all other units from that nation will still consider themselves to be at war with you - personally - for the following 24 hours of game time.

[Damo]

Definitely take some time to read the GWX manual, not only does it give you a great insight into the mods features and changes, it's a darn good read too, you almost forget it's a manual.

Glad you're finally at sea, Kaleun, although I'm glad I'm not a British Merchant skipper...

[Pisces]

Reading the manual would also have pointed you to the Kiel Kanal. So you wouldn't have needed to go all the way around Denmark.

[danexpat]

Originally Posted by Pisces

Reading the manual would also have pointed you to the Kiel Kanal. So you wouldn't have needed to go all the way around Denmark.

Just remember to edit your time compression when near land in SH3 Commander to 128 before using the Kiel Canal! The canal is fun to watch at TC 4... but only for a little while.

[Kip Chiakopf]

Originally Posted by irish1958

Hi, and welcome to SHIII and Subsim
The best way to get more contacts is to use Nichol's SHIII Contacts: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=1402
I think the problem with your lag with time compression issue is insufficient RAM.
If you are using Windows7-64 bit your best performance will come with 4 Gb of RAM, preferably DDR3.
You may also try AlacrityPC or GameBooster (google them).
You should also use SH3 Commander, as it completes the game.

How does this translate into realism?