Command Aces of the Deep (Win95) - HexEdit questions

[XenonSurf]

Updated my post above with these points:


- In AODCD (DOS) there is no traffic in the Med Sea during campaign, you can enter Med Sea and head towards 2 friendly ports, but it's vain because you will find no convoys or single ships whatever. You have to play single missions if you want action in the Med Sea.

- Homeport saves can be moved between CAOD and AODCD (DOS). Saves in open sea cannot be moved.

- In CAOD the Type XXI u-boat sonar is broken, but not in AODCD (DOS).

- Added a trick to play Type XXI u-boat in single missions in CAOD.



XS

[UnderWaterGamer]

Very useful! Though my prefered version is the dos one, I still like CAOD because of it's useful deck gun station that will prevent the incompetent crew of wasting shells in AoD (deck gun in AoD good at 1km or less).

Regarding the interchangeable port save game files in both version, I will be more than happy to try once I return from patrol in AoD in my long range type IXb.

Also, can you please specify the name of the Hex utility program? I would like to change a few things in AoD

Thanks for all the info

Happy Hunting!

[XenonSurf]

To open and read dat files, you need any program that shows the content in Hex format, I think the free Notepad++ can do it, as well as showing XML format. It should also have the advantage to work with several text documents at the same time.



I use the text editor UltraEdit, this one is not free but very handy.


There are a lot of free 'Hex Editors' as open source programs, just find one.
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I'm currently analyzing what the 2 files SIMIN.DAT and SIMOUT.DAT do for ship targets you find in the 3D world or if they are interchangeable between the 2 programs. I still hope to finally get a perfect CAOD by exchanging or modding all possible files...but this is likely hopeless...

[UnderWaterGamer]

Have Noptepad ++, I will try the Hex editing when I get the time.

Regarding the weak planes, I to like John get Sunderlands early in the war and for once I think AoD nails it completely when it comes to anti-aircraft warfare for subsims : the powerful 20's where, when aimed with a good crew, historicaly very good at shooting down planes. Currently reading a french book about submariners in WWII by Jean-Jacques Antier and in it, U-boat commanders say that the bullets would literally chew the plane and it's unfortunate pilot.

All this to say that weak planes are very realistic

[John Pancoast]

I never bother, in any sub sim, to fight planes. Always dive. Working a deck gun has never interested me either; an ai crew doing it is fine with me.

[XenonSurf]

There are bomber planes (Sunderlands?) which are very performant in AOD, they can drop 3 bombs in 1 overfly. Recently I was spotted by one even when going only half speed, I was too late to dive, if you dive when the plane drops its bomb you may sink. My deck man manged to destroy the plane, but its 3 bombs were dropped anyway, I had a direct hit that destroyed my aft diveplane, my diesel machines were damaged for 11 hours in 2 different sections.
All in all I was very fortunate, a direct hit could have ended the game for me


The most dangerous airplane, at least for me, is the Catalyna. This plane will drop acoustic torpedos that you will have a very hard time to evade, even if you can see them on the map. I have tried with a Bold but stupidly I didn't change my depth quick enough, so I got hit. Your turn rate is not quick enough at 7 knots...It was during my experiments, so I got no damage, but with realistic settings it would have been the end, or out-of-action for my sub...

[John Pancoast]

Originally Posted by XenonSurf

There are bomber planes (Sunderlands?) which are very performant in AOD, they can drop 3 bombs in 1 overfly. Recently I was spotted by one even when going only half speed, I was too late to dive, if you dive when the plane drops its bomb you may sink. My deck man manged to destroy the plane, but its 3 bombs were dropped anyway, I had a direct hit that destroyed my aft diveplane, my diesel machines were damaged for 11 hours in 2 different sections.
All in all I was very fortunate, a direct hit could have ended the game for me


The most dangerous airplane, at least for me, is the Catalyna. This plane will drop acoustic torpedos that you will have a very hard time to evade, even if you can see them on the map. I have tried with a Bold but stupidly I didn't change my depth quick enough, so I got hit. Your turn rate is not quick enough at 7 knots...It was during my experiments, so I got no damage, but with realistic settings it would have been the end, or out-of-action for my sub...

Yeah, the Catalina and those torpedoes are tough !