For those of you who think the XXI Sucks.....

[Syxx_Killer]

Also, I really like your idea with just using unlimited batteries in the XXI to get around the recharge issue. That's pretty clever, and, though a fix would rule, your way would actually solve what many have said is the real problem with that boat. As soon as I get the chance to get the boat, I'll be trying it. Thanks for that idea.

That sounds like an ok workaround, but if you use it then you don't ever have to surface and can putt around flank speed the whole time. I would rather let the batteries charge up most of the way, then when it gets to the point where it slows down so much, then switch to normal propulsion.

[Duncan Idaho]

Originally Posted by Syxx_Killer

I know it can be detected. The problem is, I think it is detected a bit too easily in the game. It seems to be like a magenet. I won't see an aircraft on the surface, but if I submerge and start snorkeling, there they are.

Maybe that could be changed. I just scanned through the AI_SENSORS.DAT file, but am not familiar enough with it's structure to know what I'm seeing. Seems to me, though, there's probably somewhere that the sensitivity of the radar vs snorkel could be adjusted...or the visibility of the snorkel itself be adjusted.

[Syxx_Killer]

I just scanned through the AI_SENSORS.DAT file,

How do you scan through DAT files?

Also, what would be a good hex editing program to edit some files? I probably wouldn't know what I was doing, but would be good to check those files out.

[Duncan Idaho]

Originally Posted by Syxx_Killer

How do you scan through DAT files?

Also, what would be a good hex editing program to edit some files? I probably wouldn't know what I was doing, but would be good to check those files out.

I have several hex editors, but I usually end up using the simplest one I have, it's HHD Hex Editor, and you can get it here:
http://www.hhdsoftware.com/

Just remember to back up any file before you try to hexxor...heheh...in case something goes awry.

Originally Posted by Capn Tucker

Well, I do like realism, but I also play this game to have fun. When the realism becomes anal retentive, then the game is no longer fun. Your battery values will suit me just fine. BTW, is that the entry called "Energy"? Do you change that from 1.25 to 1000?

Correct

[Duncan Idaho]

Originally Posted by Cdr Gibs

Correct

Okay, with the change to the battery entry, I now understand what your fix does, great work!

I'm changing mine now, and getting ready to try this sub out for myself. Thanks for your tips!

[Syxx_Killer]

I have several hex editors, but I usually end up using the simplest one I have, it's HHD Hex Editor, and you can get it here:
http://www.hhdsoftware.com/

Thanks for the link. I got it installed and decided to take a look at the AI_Sensors file. Where do I even begin? How does one make any sense of all those letters and numbers?

[Faamecanic]

Originally Posted by Caleb

How long in game at 100% does it take to recharge the batteries, in real live i believe it was around 3 or 4 hours.

I take it you had the XXI in a Single mission and not dynamic campaign. Until you have played the sub in a few dynamic campaign patrols..I suggest you stow the "whiner" comments. Try walking a mile in our shoes before you go throwing FLAMES around (funny how I get busted for flaming...but the people throwing the whiner comments around...well thats ok).

For single missions you can see how the XXI would have been. And as far as engagement and evasion ...there is none better!

But in the dynamic campaign... your batts get drained by the constant air coverage, you cant use snorkel because the airplanes either have uber eyesight and see your schnorkel, or the lack of radar warning on the schnorkel.

THe XXI is useless as a patrol boat in the late war due to the fact that the very thing it was built for , ablility to stay submerged at high speed and recharge batts in 3-4 hours, is bugged and broke.

[Faamecanic]

Originally Posted by Cdr Gibs

I have been using the Type XXI since the day I bought SHIII, yes it HAD problems but now NO problems at all. How u ask, easy just FIX these lines in ur Basic.cfg file to whats below and ur gtg.

Year 1943
SuperCharger_00=1260
Snorkel_00=1262
Batteries_00=1269
AftBatteries_00=1269
Hydrophone_00=1272
Sonar_00=1274
Radar_00=1278
RadarWarningReceiver_00=1283
Decoy_Launcher_00=1288
SonarCoatings_00=1304
RadarCoatings_00=1305

Year 1944
SuperCharger_10=1260
Snorkel_10=1262
Batteries_10=1269
AftBatteries_10=1269
Hydrophone_10=1272
Sonar_10=1274
Radar_10=1278
RadarWarningReceiver_10=1283
Decoy_Launcher_10=1288
SonarCoatings_10=1304
RadarCoatings_10=1305

Year 1945
SuperCharger_20=1260
Snorkel_20=1262
Batteries_20=1269
AftBatteries_20=1269
Hydrophone_20=1272
Sonar_20=1274
Radar_20=1278
RadarWarningReceiver_20=1283
Decoy_Launcher_20=1288
SonarCoatings_20=1304
RadarCoatings_20=1305

These "bugs" on the type XXI are so simply fixed and I had done so, so long ago, that I'm some what surprised that ppl are still unable to figure it out.

<insert sarcasam> Ohhh this cant be the fix. Its too simple. To fix the XXI would have required MASSIVE game engine recoding. THats why it was never fixed from patch 1.1 on... <end sarcasm>

Does this also fix the batt recharge/discahrge rates?? Heck even if this just fixes the Schnorkel Radar...Im a happy man

good job mate!

[Duli]

Originally Posted by Faamecanic

I take it you had the XXI in a Single mission and not dynamic campaign. Until you have played the sub in a few dynamic campaign patrols..I suggest you stow the "whiner" comments. Try walking a mile in our shoes before you go throwing FLAMES around (funny how I get busted for flaming...but the people throwing the whiner comments around...well thats ok).

For single missions you can see how the XXI would have been. And as far as engagement and evasion ...there is none better!

But in the dynamic campaign... your batts get drained by the constant air coverage, you cant use snorkel because the airplanes either have uber eyesight and see your schnorkel, or the lack of radar warning on the schnorkel.

THe XXI is useless as a patrol boat in the late war due to the fact that the very thing it was built for , ablility to stay submerged at high speed and recharge batts in 3-4 hours, is bugged and broke.

Ive made 6 patrols in a dynamic campaign, not in Single Mission, so I did played with it in the campaign.

[tycho102]

Originally Posted by Syxx_Killer

That sounds like an ok workaround, but if you use it then you don't ever have to surface and can putt around flank speed the whole time. I would rather let the batteries charge up most of the way, then when it gets to the point where it slows down so much, then switch to normal propulsion.

There's several ways to look at it. One is that way.

Another is with a calculator and amp-hours. I'm guessing ~12v per cell, and the shaft needs at least 200,000watts to crank a VIIb at 5 knots. Whoooooooo that's a lot of amps. So, you just change that into amp-minutes, and keep track of how many amp-minutes you expend. If you're traveling at 7 knots, you might be using up 20k amps. At 5 knots, it might be 15k amps. Then you'd need to decide how fast the batteries recharge, in terms of amperes, and keep track of how many minutes you need to recharge. This doesn't take into account the reduction in speed that comes with those batteries, as they drop their voltage, but such is life. I think the increased precision using amp-seconds is unwarranted, and amp-hours is too lax.

The other way is to just kind of guess. If you know in real life the batteries could fully recharge in 5 hours, then all you have to do is keep track of where your battery level "should" be, and travel at a higher speed (reducing your range) while you're recharging. Or do some circles in your boat. If know your boat has a 80km range at 5 knots, and you've gone about 10km at 3 knots, then you're probably at 90% battery level. Recharge for 20 minutes and party on, dude!

[Duncan Idaho]

Well, my results with the fix Cdr Gibs posted are excellent. Note: I also did something he suggested that wasn't in the original 'list' of what to change that he posted. That is going down near the end of the basic.cfg file to find the Battery upgrades, and set the energy on the battery to 1000. While it doesn't truly 'fix' the long recharge problem, it does work. You will probably be unable to drain your batteries after setting that, and since I already hunt in a pattern of 12hrs hunt, surface to recharge a bit...(or snorkel), then back to the depths to hunt more, it doesn't bother me to essentially have limitless batteries. And I still have to deal with oxygen forcing me to surface as well, so it's not a big realism hit, to me.

Thanks again, Cdr Gibs, that fixes the XXI enough that it's become my favorite boat. I switched last night, and had one of the best patrols of my career!

Ur most welcome. All of my tweeking is mainly driven by ONLINE play between my self (Australia) and a mate of mine (UK). Since we dont have the same time zone the few hours a day we can get to play SHIII online are precious, so with that in mind I started to tweek SHIII to enable us to get more out of SHIII in any given time frame.

See we like to Explore the map after the intial Mission is over to see if we can rumble a few more convoys or raid a Port or if we are real lucky stumble onto a TF.

To do this in any reasonable time frame I had to "improve" the way the subs performed. The Short end to all this is I have found out many things about SHIII that whilst normally would be considered a cheat, do have a secondary benifet at times to ppls problems related to being realistic. Although that may seem like an impossible propostion, the fact remains that some of the bits I tweek could infact be backwards engineered to get a resault thats more on the realistic side. (God - How I hate that term). So in the long run, even us super freaks can be helpfull !

So to that End I created the SS Mod for SHIII. The Mod is 276Mb in size, consisting of 178 Folders and 677 Files. U might say I've been a tad busy !

[Jungman]

Originally Posted by Syxx_Killer

I just acquired the XXI, too. At the moment I am trying to get away from the same dumb Sunderland that keeps killing me. I run submerged @ 5 knots. I always have to snorkel to replace oxygen, before the batteries. While snorkeling, the same stupid Sunderland keeps killing me. Even if it isn't to be seen anywhere. The snorkel is like a bone or something. "Go fetch!"

There is a work around for this bug. It works with the other boats. Do not use it at snorkel depth. The game engine thinks you are on the surface of the ocean and thier radar picks you up.

Go to periscope depth. It is a a good thing the Snorkel is long enough to reach :P . In heavy water, it may shut off sometimes, but that was a problem in real life.

I have a Snorkel Fix Mod I think that will fix this problem. The Radar in AI_Sensors is set for a minimum height to detect. It needs to be adjust about 2 meter higher. Then nothing below 2 meters (like a snorkel or periscope, is visible to the radar -but still could be spotted visually).

Want to test it? I never got around to it...still in 1940...

[CCIP]

I think setting the snorkel depth to 12m in the sub's respective .cfg file might do the trick, too :hmm: