WIP: HUGE SH4 Modding Breakthrough: New Crew!

iambecomelife · 12-24-23, 10:20 AM

After much travail, I can confirm that Silent Hunter 4 does work with different heads and body parts for the crew! Not only that, but they can be added without complex "rocket science". No hex editing, reanimating body parts, or having access to whatever software the developers used. This means that Silent Hunter 5 .obj files (or new high polygon bodies from any modeler) can be "transplanted" on the sailors - and thus implemented in SH4, to bring the game up to a more modern standard.

iambecomelife · 12-25-23, 10:40 AM

Best of all, these are REAL functional crewmembers ... not the "mannequin" crew objects that some mods have used. These crew account for real crew slots, can be assigned battlestations, fire deck gun, stand watch, suffer injuries etc.

So, in theory, you can have the crew of "Operation Petticoat" or "Das Boot" modded into the game! Or even Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio for that matter ... lol, maybe you like mushy romance.

A lot of work still needs to be done, and you will need to have adequate knowledge of Skwas' Silent 3d Editor, and how to edit the text .upc and .upcge files for submarines.

Basically, the reason why attempts to modify the crew didn't work was SH4 is very sensitive to any crew UV map/vertex changes. So editing the crew bodies like you edit ships produces an awful mess...if you use the existing heads and head textures. You need to import completely new heads/parts, with their own textures, and make the necessary additions to MARINE.dat and the crew 3d text files.

So far there are cons ... I have not found a way to get facial expressions and speech to work. the new heads/parts do not align perfectly to stock animations; there is some "ghosting" through the torso of heads for instance. But I believe this can be overcome. In a worst case scenario we can equip moving arms, legs, etc as accessories the same way the game incorporates guns and helmetsv- these "accessories" would take the place of the existing animations.

More details later, as I continue to research & confirm that this work is "mod-safe" with no game breaking bugs.

If this works I think it has a lot of potential! As chief modder for "Wolves of the Kaiser" I have access to lots of outside gamer opinions. One of the biggest complaints is the appearance of the crew. Unlike most of us, younger fans are not as willing to overlook Silent Hunter 3/Silent Hunter 4's elderly human models. Now, we may just be able to do something about it.

podunkpete · 12-30-23, 03:24 PM

Sounds terrific! I've learned to blot out crew members when I'm on the bridge, I guess. They seem to remind me I'm in a game. Looking forward to any advancements!

fitzcarraldo · 12-30-23, 04:07 PM

Waiting your work, Dr. Frankenstein. Well, I can live with the SH4 crew models, but the SH3 crew need some actualization...

SH5 has the problem of the bad weather clothes inexistent...Could be the models modified? Only I´m thinking...

Good luck with this improvement!

Happy New Year!

Fitzcarraldo

12-24-23, 10:20 AM	#1
iambecomelife Silent Hunter Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 4,709 Downloads: 300 Uploads: 0	WIP: HUGE SH4 Modding Breakthrough: New Crew! After much travail, I can confirm that Silent Hunter 4 does work with different heads and body parts for the crew! Not only that, but they can be added without complex "rocket science". No hex editing, reanimating body parts, or having access to whatever software the developers used. This means that Silent Hunter 5 .obj files (or new high polygon bodies from any modeler) can be "transplanted" on the sailors - and thus implemented in SH4, to bring the game up to a more modern standard. __________________ https://www.facebook.com/WolvesoftheKaiser/ Last edited by iambecomelife; 12-25-23 at 09:54 AM.

12-25-23, 10:40 AM	#2
iambecomelife Silent Hunter Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 4,709 Downloads: 300 Uploads: 0	Best of all, these are REAL functional crewmembers ... not the "mannequin" crew objects that some mods have used. These crew account for real crew slots, can be assigned battlestations, fire deck gun, stand watch, suffer injuries etc. So, in theory, you can have the crew of "Operation Petticoat" or "Das Boot" modded into the game! Or even Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio for that matter ... lol, maybe you like mushy romance. A lot of work still needs to be done, and you will need to have adequate knowledge of Skwas' Silent 3d Editor, and how to edit the text .upc and .upcge files for submarines. Basically, the reason why attempts to modify the crew didn't work was SH4 is very sensitive to any crew UV map/vertex changes. So editing the crew bodies like you edit ships produces an awful mess...if you use the existing heads and head textures. You need to import completely new heads/parts, with their own textures, and make the necessary additions to MARINE.dat and the crew 3d text files. So far there are cons ... I have not found a way to get facial expressions and speech to work. the new heads/parts do not align perfectly to stock animations; there is some "ghosting" through the torso of heads for instance. But I believe this can be overcome. In a worst case scenario we can equip moving arms, legs, etc as accessories the same way the game incorporates guns and helmetsv- these "accessories" would take the place of the existing animations. More details later, as I continue to research & confirm that this work is "mod-safe" with no game breaking bugs. If this works I think it has a lot of potential! As chief modder for "Wolves of the Kaiser" I have access to lots of outside gamer opinions. One of the biggest complaints is the appearance of the crew. Unlike most of us, younger fans are not as willing to overlook Silent Hunter 3/Silent Hunter 4's elderly human models. Now, we may just be able to do something about it. __________________ https://www.facebook.com/WolvesoftheKaiser/

12-30-23, 04:07 PM	#4
fitzcarraldo Argentinian Skipper Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Somewhere between Buenos Aires and the Bungo Suido Posts: 5,318 Downloads: 3346 Uploads: 0	Waiting your work, Dr. Frankenstein. Well, I can live with the SH4 crew models, but the SH3 crew need some actualization... SH5 has the problem of the bad weather clothes inexistent...Could be the models modified? Only I´m thinking... Good luck with this improvement! Happy New Year! Fitzcarraldo __________________ *My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity - Wilfred Owen.*

12-30-23, 03:24 PM	#3
podunkpete Sailor man Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Sub Capital of the World - Grotn Ct USA Posts: 47 Downloads: 189 Uploads: 0	Sounds terrific! I've learned to blot out crew members when I'm on the bridge, I guess. They seem to remind me I'm in a game. Looking forward to any advancements!