[WIP] Letters From Home Mod

[GoldenRivet]

Great News -

Brag - our esteemed colleague and author of "Kingmaker" and the Balz saga has just agreed to help us out with the mod.

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

Great News -

Brag - our esteemed colleague and author of "Kingmaker" and the Balz saga has just agreed to help us out with the mod.

indeed! His stuff should be epic!


Wait, no.... on second thought, kick him out. He'll make me look bad

[JScones]

Originally Posted by Archive1

I seem to remember Scones working on an Award Project in which certificates equivalent to awards would somehow become part of the Commander's file. Perhaps this would substitute for that.

This kinda fell by the wayside.

However, I was conversing with Laufen zum Ziel last night and felt buoyed enough to revisit the initiative, at least initially with something simple. I have revisted the thread and posted what I did last night. See it here.

[JScones]

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

("Your brother, Kurt, was recently injured in the retreat from Benghazi last month." etc)

LFH MOD translates this as "Your Brother, Kurt, Has not been heard from for almost two months now." or similar message. Occasionally, the sensors will in fact heavily edit a message from home

I assume letters will also include information tainted by propaganda + fog of war? For example, mention of the pending great victory at Stalingrad, or the great fightback against the Americans in North Africa (for example)?

Originally Posted by GoldenRivet

How will the 'letter' appear onscreen? As a popup? I would suppose that Scones will be the guru for that since they will be part of his commander program.

this has not been finalized and will ultimately be up to JScones... however, my thinking is that there will be an addition to the menu where you can select "update your personnel file, manage your crew, review your patrol logs, CHECK MAIL." or some similar function.

Correct, it will be a new action titled "Read mail" (because all the letters you've received so far will be there to view).

[JScones]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

That all sounds reasonable, but it is too bad we can't share plotline ideas too much, we might be able to come up with some good stuff and keep from giving the player too much of the same. I trust that will be fixed in the editing process if it happens.

I have one more question, though. Can we set up an email account to send these things or do we have to use PM? The text limits on PM make it hard to send more than two month's worth of correspondence at one time. Also, what kind of timetable are we working with here?

Set up a free forum or piggyback onto one that exists (for example here, bts-mods, or Tonnage War). You'll only need to use it for a short time.

[TarJak]

This site might help in terms of some ideas for the style of the letters if not the content: http://ww2.letters.ie/

[JScones]

For complete immersion/authenticity I can always use a period Sütterlin script...



Yes, believe it or not the letter above is in English.

[Hitman]

Yes, believe it or not the letter above is in English.

If you think that's complicated, then take a look at the russian cyrilic alphabet....and its hand-written variant The most confusing part of it is that many signs we are used to, have a different meaning (F.e. our "C" is their "S") but then also change again when hand-writing to another symbol, sometimes coincident with the printed format, sometimes not.

Anyway, great effort for inmersion guys, looking forward to it

[LordNeuro"Serbia"]

I dont know is it spoken about it bat i think it would be good idea too add pictures too, from home if is possibol. Then whean u reciv leter u get pictures too of u wife, girfrend , kids and so on. But theat may be hard too implement. Well just a thot.

[Sharkley]

Spoke to GoldenRivet via PM and have a MOD forum setup on the TW site.

Click my sig and create a account and zi'll set us up in a membersgroup.

[GoldenRivet]

I just registered a few minutes ago.

sorry it took so long guys.

Sharkley if you dont mind PMing the other members about this? i would appreciate it

[Sharkley]

Not a problem,

I'm make sure everyone is PM'd with 24 hours

Ok, I have sent all PM's, if I missed anyone please reply to this post or PM me.

Many Thanks

[Archive1]

Here's one example ot fonts that appear handwritten but are still readable, and of, perhaps, what you have in mind.

Maybe you could add me to the PM list as a 'volunteer' writer?

Johan,

I understand that shortly you will be leaving for sea duty although, of course, you cannot tell us exactly when or from where you will depart die Heimat. But this old man can guess!
My lips are sealed however.

I should tell you that your graduation from Unterseeboot school was a proud day for this old soldier. And, hard as it is to say, I agree with your mother – you look better in your uniform than I did. I was impressed by the professionalism and commitment that your fellow graduates displayed. Deutschland is proud of all of you!

The coming months will be hard, I know, when many decisions about things still not experienced will have to be made, but you have been well trained by excellent officers who served our country in the last war. They expect you to carry their work forward and in a way, finish the job they had no chance to complete.. The new government of Herr Hitler seems to be well focused upon rebuilding a strong military, both Army and Navy. We hope the Reichstag will have the strength of will to provide the money needed to give you and your Kameraden the weapons and boats you need to win. Of your patriotism and courage we have no doubt.

I’’ll quit here and let your mother add a few words.

Do your duty to God and Country, son.

Liebechen Johan:
Please be careful and return to us safely.. I shall keep you in my daily prayers until you are back with us. Anna sends her greetings too. We see her often on weekends when she visits from Hamburg. Mutti

[JScones]

Originally Posted by Archive1

Here's one example ot fonts that appear handwritten but are still readable, and of, perhaps, what you have in mind.

Yes, I will be using the Desyrel font for handwritten letters.

Like the rest of the SH3Cmdr interface, players will be able to choose between it, or a standard system font, to display handwritten letters.

Which makes me think - will you want letters written in different coloured pens? If so, tell me the colours you plan on using (I guess the usual three of black, blue and red).

[GoldenRivet]

i would think black or blue would be most frequently used.

or grey for pencil?