Real Navigation with SH3

[ichso]

Thanks, I will try the whole thing again on my next patrol.
The celestial navigation has always been very emersive for me.

I think, if you just do those position markings often enough, the problem I mentioned shouldn't be present such much as that one would recognise it. I will come up with experiences and results as I test it more extensively.

So, happy navigating

Nice drawings, btw.
I will stick to painting on the nav map first and use paper later, when I accidentely ereased all my ingame drawings

[Pisces]

I didn't have trouble going to the Stellarium site either this evening. Anyway, the right link to the site is:

http://www.stellarium.org/

[don1reed]

Here's a copy of how I've got my version of Python setup to work with SH3. If anyone's interested, you'll have to change the directory to suit your system.

You'll note after ...\\career\\...I've inserted my name, but this is where you'll insert your skipper's name.

Also, after... \\0\\...I've inserted my save-gave name = "100" plus add the file extension *.map. Whatever you call your saved game, this is where to put it in the Python script.

You'll have to use the same name for each patrol or change this script to reflect whatever new name you decide to use.

Oh, and btw, I've named my script: SH3random.py and made a shortcut out of it for the desktop so I can easily click on to it while SH3 is running.

You can copy mine, make the necessary changes using Notepad or similar writing tool and whatever you name it don't forget to place the extension *.py at the end. Once you get your copy of Python you'll see where to place this script.

Cheers,

#Python 2.5.2 (r252:60911, Feb 21 2008, 13:11:45) [MSC v.1310 32 bit (Intel)] on win32
#Type "copyright", "credits" or "license()" for more information.
#************************************************* ***************
#Personal firewall software may warn about the connection IDLE
#makes to its subprocess using this computer's internal loopback
#interface. This connection is not visible on any external
#interface and no data is sent to or received from the Internet.
#************************************************* ***************

#IDLE 1.2.2
#>>> #By Michael Jones, 01/01/2008.
#This program reads the latitude and longitude data for a
#sub in Silent Hunter IV and creates a startup script for
#Stellarium. This sets the Date, Time and Location of the
#sub in Stellarium, allowing players to use celestial navigation in the game.
#
#Modified by Castorp345 to include randomization, 03/24/2008.
import string
import random
random.seed()
#read savegame. Change the directory on the next line to point to SaveData.map in your saved game directory.
#NB you must have plotted waypoints in-game for this to work!
f=open("C:\\Documents and Settings\\Donald Reed\\My Documents\\SH3\\data\\cfg\\careers\\Don Reed\\0\\100.map",'r')
content= f.read()
f.close()
#find lat & Lon in the file
start = content.find("Waypoint")
longst = content.find("Pt0=",start)
longnd = content.find(",",longst)
latnd = content.find(",",longnd+1)
#convert to dec deg
longitude = float(content[longst+4:longnd])/120000
latitude = float(content[longnd+1:latnd])/120000
#get date, time, wind speed, & boat speed (input)
date = raw_input('yyyy/mm/dd :')
time = raw_input('hh:mm :')
wind = float(raw_input('wind :'))
speed = float(raw_input('speed :'))
#perform randomization operations on location coordinates
wind1 = random.uniform(0,((wind + 1) * .0083125))
wind2 = random.uniform(0,((wind + 1) * .0083125))
speed1 = random.uniform(0,((speed + 1) * .0083125))
speed2 = random.uniform(0,((speed + 1) * .0083125))
longitude = longitude + wind1 - wind2 + speed1 - speed2
latitude = latitude + wind1 - wind2 + speed1 - speed2
#Write startup script. Change the next line to suit for your Stellarium startup script.
stella=open("C:\\Program Files\\Stellarium\\scripts\\startup.sts",'w')
stella.write("date utc "+date+"T"+time+":00\n")
stella.write("moveto lon "+str(longitude)+"\n")
stella.write("moveto lat "+str(latitude)+"\n")
stella.write("script action end\n")
stella.close()
#now open stellarium and take your star sights

[jmr]

Seems like aaronblood's Mobo would be the perfect tool to supplant the traditional ruler/paper method for celestial navigation. Just grab a snapshot of the SH nav map, paste it into Mobo, set the scale accordingly and you're good to go.

At least I think it would work OK.

[6SJ7GT]

Don & all,
I don't have SH3, but hear my method works in SH3 also.

Here is a tutorial on a simplified method of celnav for the game. Thanks to Don for his help on this.

SH4 simplified celnav tutorial

Mike

[don1reed]

lol, I must have just missed you on the SH4 forum, Mike.

Excellent job

[jmr]

So when you have your position, how do you mark your location on the SH3 navmap if it doesn't have Lon/Lat markers?

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by jmr

So when you have your position, how do you mark your location on the SH3 navmap if it doesn't have Lon/Lat markers?

It does. Look at the edge of the map-view carefuly, and pan the view.

[jmr]

I'm going nuts here. I'm running GWX 2.0 and I'm not seeing Lon/Lat numbers on my chart in the F5 view.

[don1reed]

JMR
all around the perimeter of the F5 screen are alternating black/white, hacture marks. they represent the degrees. What most of us have been doing in counting (left or right) from prime-meridian, or at the beginning of a patrol, the Lat/Long of the port is given and we count from there.

Most times, when nav is primary, I draw in vertical & horizontal lines connecting those hacture marks, top with the bottom, and left with the right to give me a geo coord chart.

[dertien]

Hi, does anyone know how do you convert the positions from the campaign_LND.mis to real lat/lon values ?

for ex

[Unit 60]
Name=Heligoland
Class=NavalBase
Type=407
Origin=German
Side=2
Commander=0
CargoExt=-1
CargoInt=-1
CfgDate=19380101
DeleteOnLastWaypoint=true
DockedShip=false
GameEntryDate=19380101
GameEntryTime=0
GameExitDate=19450503
GameExitTime=2359
EvolveFromEntryDate=false
Long=946687.000000 <<<<<<<<<<<<<
Lat=6500844.000000 <<<<<<<<<<<<<
Height=-27.334999
Heading=180.000000
Speed=0.000000
CrewRating=2
DelayMin=0
ReportPosMin=-1
ReportPosProbability=100
RandStartRadius=0.000000
NextWP=0


thank you

[don1reed]

I believe you divide those numbers by: 120,000

I came up with 54 deg 10.4 min N by 007 deg 53.3 min E.

btw: any negatives (-) numbers LAT = South, LONG = West

[Gairith]

I don't know if this will have any bearing, but check this thread post 1 and 4

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=134939

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by don1reed

I believe you divide those numbers by: 120,000

I came up with 54 deg 10.4 min N by 007 deg 53.3 min E.

btw: any negatives (-) numbers LAT = South, LONG = West

That looks about right in my atlas.

[don1reed]

This is how I determine Geo Coord in SH3.

If you'll notice the F5 screen, I've taken the "ruler" tool and connected the hacture marks at the top of the chart with those at the bottom (Meridians); and likewise, I've connected the hacture marks on the left(west) side of the chart with those on the right.

These hacture marks, the alternating white/black marks around the perimeter of the chart, are the Latitude & Longitude degrees. They only show up when you're within a certain range. If you zoom in/out too far, they will disappear from the chart.

You will also note, that I've used the ruler tool to draw in the Longitudes from my homeport, Lorient, using Roman Numerals. That way it's easy for me to keep track without having to go all the way back to the prime meridian to recount.

Too time consuming, you say? Well, think about it for a second, what was everyone doing in RL to prepare for a voyage? The grunts were restocking with ammo, victuals, fuel...
...the Navigator was futsing with charts, publication, notams, mine-field locations, wx reports.

I personally take the time to draw my course using the ruler tool from the mouth of the harbor.

I no longer need worry about the helmsman falling asleep at the wheel and drifting all over creation. 6SJ7GT's Python script with Stellarium now lets me navigate and rely on the heavens above to show me the way. I pretty much do most of my navigation on plotting sheets off screen, and so far, comparing them to the F5 screen, they are identical.

It takes 10 hours between evening twilight round of stars FIX to dawn twilight round of stars FIX, and unless you're sitting at the cpu with your eyes plasterd on the screen you'll miss the suttle drift (or in storm, major drift). I convert km into nm and use D=SxT to determine my DR and assumed position and plot my sight reductions from there...and viola, the heavens have placed where I really am, not where I thought I was using DR alone.

I've noticed, along with everyone else, that the game retards DR by about 40 nm or so...still, with Python and Stellarium, I no longer worry about it.

Cheers,