Modders Requests to Make Modding SH5 Easier

[haegemon]

Someone told in another thread, that of editing narrow channels and rivers was imposible cos the smallest pixel was still to big. Another fix.

- Something to edit narrow channels and rivers.

[karamazovnew]

Great idea Hitman . Here's my contribution:
- Collision Boxes for cameras as we might add objects to the interior.
- Ability to overlap cameras (I miss the Uzo view in SH2).
- Full control over the sound volume and effects (at least the ability to make them act as "dials" with an exponential factor linked to speed or whatever).
- Rotation Parenting between dials, or, better, allow us to make new dials and scripts for them (such as a dial for Course-2xAOB+Range, or whatever).
- Periscope rotation dials , not the one on the TDC
- no more hardcoded limitation for which cameras/dials/commands work in certain pages (might be fixed already).
- a show/hide controller, dragable/fixed controllers for interface objects (again, might be fixed already).
- Settable mouse sensitivity on all cameras for all axes (in case we mess with zoom levels, the sensitivity is either too high or too low).
-cameras should have controllers with weights (proportions) and customisable pivots (world, certain object etc.). These weights should be dynamic, compatible with triggers.
-Allow setting the rotation axis for 3d objects. I'm tired of exporting objects into Gmax to change their pivot.
-Dials (or more precisely, knobs and needles) should accept "animations" files such as arrays of images.
-Conditions for item loading (if sub is Type2, load something, if clock between 16:00, 05:00, unload something)

[Anvart]

Originally Posted by Hitman

8.-...
(Racerboy): The lighthouse's rotating 'light' needs to be fixed so that it doesn't shine through it's own lighthouse (SH3 not sure about SH4)

Yes, but ...
I would tell... To make other generators of "light" particles or to change properties of objects material ...

9.- (Racerboy): When an object is created that depends on some player guidance (TDC for example for the torpedo), instead of it always spawning north when it doesn't have the information it needs, let it spawn in the direction the controlling object is facing. For instance: I create a torpedo rack on a ship (which is really a gun with the shell's explosion effect spawning a torpedo or the gun's firing effect spawning a torpedo) and when the torpedo rack locks onto a target and it 'fires' the torpedo will spawn in the direction the weapon is facing instead of north (000). This is what has been holding back AI torps from using real torpedoes when I have tried.

Yes, but ...
I would tell... to make (WaterInteraction controller as example) ... at generation of new object, if WorldLink = true its direction (in World) coincided with a direction written down in parametres of new object, if WorldLink = false the direction of new object coincide with a direction of the replaced object...

12.- (Racerboy):
Let each crewmember be able to be customizable. If I want one to have a jacket and another not I should be able to do this (easily). Don't tie their jacket to the base 3D model of the crewmember or to it's animations. The jacket should be a seperate object that is able to be 'worn' by the crewmember. Granted this poses some addition animations just for the jacket (or other objects). Let this apply to anything that can be added to a crewmember's person.

Yes, and ...
I would tell... to have possibility easy to create new (full-function) Crew slots (additional members of crew) with existing StateMachine Classes and with new StateMachine Classes...
...
I would like to have the universal (none conflicted) controller for movement and rotation of any object (using events, commands and uboat/damage states)...
...
I would like to have rotation of sensors object (Revolving in SensorData controller) only when sensor is active ...
...
I would like to have possibility to do any 3D-objects disappeared/appeared (not correct visible/invisible) depending on the submarine states (surfaced/submerged and others) ... in SH4 we have IsVisible = 0/1 for crew death in StateMachine system ...
as example disappeared/appeared some instruments on Watch Deck depending on the submerged/surfaced submarine (as watch crew)...
...
To improve controllers WaterReflection and VisibleUnderWater (artefacts) ...
...
To increase UBoat states (surfaced/submerged) and damage states in StateMachine system ...
...
and so on ...
In other words to expand possibilities of game modding ... my english does not allow me to describe all ...

[haegemon]

(Racerboy):
Let each crewmember be able to be customizable. If I want one to have a jacket and another not I should be able to do this (easily). Don't tie their jacket to the base 3D model of the crewmember or to it's animations. The jacket should be a seperate object that is able to be 'worn' by the crewmember. Granted this poses some addition animations just for the jacket (or other objects). Let this apply to anything that can be added to a crewmember's person.

(Anvart): I would like to have possibility to do objects visible/invisible depending on the submarine states (surfaced/submerged) ...

The same applied to every object type. If they give us a standar object controller with all the parameters to make it act as we want, then we'll have "the means" to do everything.

[skwasjer]

You can already hide objects depending on sub state...

I just wish for true scriptable behaviors, like what they seem to have done for the 2D UI. But this will not happen I think

Q3 had QVM's which worked a charm... it allowed you to take full control over the device context, game state and more, and you could really go beyond what most games allow us to do and that was 7 years ago. I still wonder why not many developrs have not picked that concept up.

[kapitan_zur_see]

To have a generic 3D invisible trigger_event box and the ability to tie it to any event/animation/sounds/FX we'd like to design. For example to design additional waves splash + additional splash sounds. etc.

Less restrictions in terms of tweaking the 3d engine especially underwater. I don't know what the preview screenshots we saw are supposed to reflect so much final game engine, but there's lots we can do! Not just fog in the distance and some not-so-blended blue gradient. And also ability to integrate "easily" some more shaders because it's what could make a real difference.
Depth of field effect also, it's quite standard these days

In other words, have the possibility to tweak and add atmospheric effects underwater like the photoshoped screenshots of SH4 once were:

This is what would be awesome and really atmospheric:


This is far too simplistic:



Also, no more "shared" textured on 3d model. It's a bit painfull to modify the hull and to suprisingly discover the UZO modified also in the process! or some mirroring everywhere of parts of the texture. It makes designing very high-res textures for those whose PC can handle them virtually impossible.

In the same fashion, no UV count restriction on 3D model. be able to add as much UV maps as we want to have lots of different textures on 3D model. And no texture size restriction also

[TheDarkWraith]

Originally Posted by kapitan_zur_see

In the same fashion, no UV count restriction on 3D model. be able to add as much UV maps as we want to have lots of different textures on 3D model.

That's already possible. If you know the file structure then you know that you can add more quite easily. Most people think they are limited to the number of maps that are in the associated file...not so. Now I don't know how many the game will support but you can definitely add more.

[Hitman]

First post edited to add the new suggestions so far

Remember that I'm trying to stick to modding questions, not general game improvements

[maerean_m]

Originally Posted by kapitan_zur_see

Also, no more "shared" textured on 3d model. It's a bit painfull to modify the hull and to suprisingly discover the UZO modified also in the process! or some mirroring everywhere of parts of the texture. It makes designing very high-res textures for those whose PC can handle them virtually impossible.

That would be very nice.
But then a lot of players will say they don't have the money to buy that video card that can support all those things.
And the [whole] game must fit inside those 256 mb video cards.

[martes86]

Originally Posted by maerean_m

That would be very nice.
But then a lot of players will say they don't have the money to buy that video card that can support all those things.
And the [whole] game must fit inside those 256 mb video cards.

I don't see why has that to be an issue in the present. It sure wasn't for the guys who made Crysis and games like that. 256 is a little old kind of graphics card, I think games should be developed for the future, not the past. It's ok to have options that make it possible for those cards to run fine, but that doesn't have to limit the qualities for those who can actually handle all the stress on the card. We have such cool graphics now because back in the day when all we had was the Geforce 440MX or a S3Trio card with a little more than 32MB, some games started to need more and more hardware... sure, a lot of the people back then complained about having to buy a new card, but, hey, that's what you get for beauty, powerful games, and renewed capabilities in the field of PC hardware... If it was on some hands, we'd probably be stuck with the 486s.

Cheers

I hope this is a good place to put this request.
I really want the SH5 devs to take notice.

Can we have seperate AP catagories for the minimum and maximum blast radius of torpedoes in the torpedo .zon please?

Warships had armour to protect against attack from everything, including torpedoes, therefore you would expect a torpedo to be more effective against a merchant or lightly armoured ship, than against a heavily armoured warship.

If the AmmoDamageInfo for each torpedo read like this:

MinEF=
MaxEF=
MinRadius=
AP=
MaxRadius=
AP=

we could "tailor" the radius and blast effect of a torpedo so that it destroys a larger zone area on a merchant than on a battleship.

For example: i set an engine zone on an Illustrious Carrier less than 2m below the water line with an armour rating for the ship of 70mm (max is 100mm).
I fired a magnetic set to 10m under the boat, and it destroyed the zone.
The stated min and max radius of the torp is 4.1m and 5.5m. But the effective blast radius is twice that.
It's the same for impact torpedoes fired at the side of the ship.
The effect is that when a ship takes a hit to the engines, all the engines stop and she's dead in the water for you to finish off at your leisure.
This is not realistic.
It's the same even with the battleships, the most heavily armoured ships in the game.
with the catagories set as suggested above we could at least lower the ( AP= ) for the MaxRadius to, say 50, so that the torpedo destroys a bigger area of a merchant than a battleship.

Then we'd have a greater possibility of ships carrying on in an injured state ( albeit with a list and at reduced speed ) rather than just coasting to a halt like dead ducks.
It would make hunting warships much more of a challenge than they are currently.
I've tried adding an extra catagory but it won't let me.
I think the catagories are hard coded ( but i hope i'm wrong and someone can cure it ).
If it IS hardcoded, it needs fixing. . . . asap. Or for SH5.
Or all you have to do is hit a ship under the engines.

As i say, i hope this is the right place to put this suggestion, and if not, please don't bite me

Edit:
Almost forgot.
I think the blast radius applies to the blast radius in water, which appears to be magnified by about 2 when the blast contacts the boat.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by haegemon

I missed one... about the main guns in a battleship, with the backfire there is the blast wave on the water in front the guns.

And not just battleships. When my destroyer would fire her 5" guns I noticed the same effect; much less of course, but still there. At the time I called it "scudding".

[Jimbuna]

Anti acoustic torpedo system such as 'Foxer' for some escorts late war.

[Philipp_Thomsen]

1) THAT BLOODY DEATH SCREEN!

You should be able to see what happens till you (capitan) actually dies on the boat. You can also get killed at anytime, like the other sailors.

2) FLOODED COMPARTMENTS!

Able to sustain damage like fully flooded compartments and still manage to try to save your boat and crew.

3) REALISTIC SHIP SAILING BEHAVIOR!

No more that sports car of a ship... Ships takes 10, 20 minutes to fully stop, not 5 seconds. The ships must feel like they have 5 thousand tons, cos they actually do!

4) INTERIOR SOUNDS FOR SURFACED AND DIVING CONDITIONS!

So we (modders) can create different ambient interior sounds for surfaced/underwater situations, and also for silent running situations.

5) WAVE MECHANICS/WEATHER!

In a certain way that would eliminate the pattern effects that makes the waves look like a chessboard, with the same repetitive movement, waves in blocks. She sea is where you spend 99,9% of the time while in-game, so it have to be really realistic, both over and under the surface. Instead of only 4 kinds of weather, much more (32, 64), so we can have from no-winds/mirror like sea all the way to impossible storms, strong enough to sink/damage the sub, impossible conditions to stay surfaced. Electric storms would also be very nice.

6) U-BOAT FUNCTIONALITIES!

Possibility to use everything the uboat offers... Left engine, right engine, diesel underwater (with consequences), electric motor surfaced, operate the dive planes and valves and every possible thing that the uboat offered as a feature to be more precise about your surfaced/underwater maneuverablity. Possibility to use a precise amount of ballast (maybe by pressing & holding a key)... etc.

7) MORE IMMERSIVE CAMPAIGN

Feel like you're not alone. Messages from BDU that really mean something, like operations or other stuff that you can be part of. Messages from S.O.S from any other vessel around that are trully there, so you can go on a hunt. Messages from other UBoats trying to syncronize a wolfpack on a convoy, an existing uboat porsuing an existing convoy, not just messages to make you feel you're not alone (by the way, doesn't work).

My 7 cents.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Philipp_Thomsen

Feel like you're not alone. Messages from BDU that really mean something, like operations or other stuff that you can be part of.

Messages from S.O.S from any other vessel around that are trully there, so you can go on a hunt.

I've posted before on ship names, but this makes me want to elaborate. If another ubboat sinks a ship, that name should be removed from the roster just as when you sink one. An ocassional SOS would be nice, and it could be tied in with the name of the ship itself. Of course it shouldn't happen all the time. Also, it would be nice if when you sank a ship you might or might not hear and SOS (or SSS), but what about intercepting a lifeboat and getting a message (or even a cutscene) of them giving you that ship's name, tonnage and sometimes cargo?

Messages from other UBoats trying to syncronize a wolfpack on a convoy, an existing uboat porsuing an existing convoy, not just messages to make you feel you're not alone (by the way, doesn't work).

We've discussed that in another thread, and it's a good idea. Of course you would also need messages from other uboats complaining that they won't be there in time, or in bad weather complaining that they can't find the convoy.