Nav Mod update - the Sextant

[vanjast]

This is fairly simple, once you get the hang of it. I've made a simple scaled 'ruler' if you will, for a sextant which works on the same principle. As we cannot change the code I think that this will be the most efficient method.

It's a 'pullout' 'sextant'/ruler working very much te same as Jonz's Chrono (thanks Jonz I just adapted/copied your mod)


This is version1 (if you'd like to make changes - just shout)

I'm working on 1024x768(800) resolution I think it is, and found that with dials off I get a 60Deg elevation from sea level, which is neat. The higher res screen will come afterwards.
Here's top of the sextant - dragging it out...


Sextant referenced at sea level and a reading taken on Polaris (North Pole Star - Mouse cursor)


The scales are about 1 degree out so here goes another glass of red wine..
More later..

[jimmie]

Finally someone tried by a concrete example!

Very interesting!

[mikaelanderlund]

Cool! Now we know which latitude we are on but how to know the longitude?

Mikael

[Safe-Keeper]

That one's troubled navigators for some time. Wasn't it solved when they finally invented a working pocket watch (never knew your watch could tell longtitude, did ya:p)?

[_Seth_]

NICE!!!! Finally someone's looking into this!!! EXCELLENT!!!

[panthercules]

We were playing around in another thread with methods for hiding your u-boat's location on the nav map and navigating without using the waypoint tool (see here, if it still works: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=93937

This sounds like a pretty cool addition to that whole concept of trying to do "real world" navigation - however, even assuming that something like this could eventually allow us to establish our boat's long. and lat., if the nav map isn't marked out with lat. and long. lines, how would that info help us locate our boat on the nav map? Can the nav map be modded to show lat. and long. lines?

[vanjast]

Originally Posted by panthercules

This sounds like a pretty cool addition to that whole concept of trying to do "real world" navigation - however, even assuming that something like this could eventually allow us to establish our boat's long. and lat., if the nav map isn't marked out with lat. and long. lines, how would that info help us locate our boat on the nav map? Can the nav map be modded to show lat. and long. lines?

I've already looked into this and will come up with a result in a few days. It's either a large independent printable map, or (hopefully) the SH3 map. I've tried putting a few lines on the SH3 map but the game juggles maps when at different zoom levels. I might have to limit the zoom level - Would there be objections to this ??

[mikaelanderlund]

Originally Posted by Safe-Keeper

That one's troubled navigators for some time. Wasn't it solved when they finally invented a working pocket watch (never knew your watch could tell longtitude, did ya:p)?

Yes I did but I don't know how to do it:hmm: . I think I need to know the sun's higest point and the time, don't I?

Mikael

[Corsair]

Nice idea... worth investigating, thks.
For the moment, I will be on my next patrol investigating Dantenoc's "hardcore navigation" system as discussed in the thread and showed in his youtube videos. Looks interesting not to have your sub position all the time on the map... I have navigation experience irl, so it should have a feel of the real thing.
So for this time I will replace the sextant by a ctrl-click at 12h00... (weather permitting of course...)

[_Seth_]

Here is a converter from Grid to lat.long.
http://www.geocities.com/germangrid/MQK_Converter.zip

Edit: dont think it can convert from lat/long to grid.. Tell me if you make it.

For those missing the grids for the Northern parts of the Atlantic/barents sea, here is a map:
http://www.geocities.com/germangrid/northenteat.jpg

Here is a complete site with many other maps & info about the gris system ++
http://www.gyges.dk/reporting_grids.htm

[Iron Budokan]

This is really uber cool. Please keep looking into this, I would like to navigate this way.

[JohnnyBlaze]

This Idea is just great, but I thought it was impossible to navigate thro the stars since they'r not modeled correctly in SH3. I remember someone pointing that out. I hope this is wrong cuz I would like so much to do the navigating myself

Please correct me..
pretty please :rotfl:

[_Seth_]

IIRC, the game "operation flashpoint" had correct modeled stars. I remember one mission where you had to use the stars to get to your target.. And thats an old game.. It CAN be possible with SHIII..

"Nothing is impossible, the impossible just takes longer to do.."

[vanjast]

Originally Posted by _Seth_

IIRC, the game "operation flashpoint" had correct modeled stars. I remember one mission where you had to use the stars to get to your target.. And thats an old game.. It CAN be possible with SHIII..

After doing some testing with the night sky,stars and sun (haven't done the moon yet), It's very much possible.

I've tested sunrise & sunset times at different latitudes and longitudes and there's a 'minor error' of about 5 minutes, in comparison to a RL almanac. It's also possible to obtain latitude/longitude from these sunrise, sunset times or the zenith (highest point) of the sun (at 12:00 local time). It looks like the developers put a bit of effort into the accuracy in this regard.

Playing with the big SH3 world maps, I've been able to export them as bmp files (easier for editing) and export them back into the 'raw' format with no loss of info. This will allow me to place the lines of Lat and Long. I'm am forced, however, to prevent zooms any closer than the 25Km or 50Km scales on the map. Even at this scale one is very close and probably represents map scales of the time, and even today.

I've managed to get rid of the sub icon, that is set in the 'maps.cfg' file. I set the allowable view to 50,000Km for which there is no zoom factor = no icon. I'm not sure of the side effects of this yet ??

Along I go tralalala, mod here, mod there.... yeh yeh yeh!


Hey!, I'm a 'Swabbie' now ???

[Corsair]

Originally Posted by _Seth_

IIRC, the game "operation flashpoint" had correct modeled stars. I remember one mission where you had to use the stars to get to your target.. And thats an old game.. It CAN be possible with SHIII..

"Nothing is impossible, the impossible just takes longer to do.."

OFP may be old, but like SH3 with its own supermods it's still great to play. I just downloaded the last FFUR 2007 mod and it's a blast. I also play a realistic mod called WGL, and the ECP (Enhanced Configuration Project) The game is still very alive, and that's certainly the one I spent the most time playing online cooperative missions.
Some games never die...