[WIP]Campaign 1943-1945

[andycaccia]

Originally Posted by Wolfling04

Right now, just extend the Black May campaign until the end of the war. As long as I can still sink the amount of reqd. tonnage and still continue the campaign.

So far I have gotten past June 2nd 0000 1943 (that's when the campaign would just end).

First versions would be a very basic campaign enabling the player to continue past June 2nd 1943. With no additions to the campaign, meaning no "patrol area" to patrol and no required missions to complete IE. Sink 150,00 tons of enemy shipping here. Pretty much take your boat sail where ever you want and sink whatever you want.

Later versions, I have plans to go as far as adding historical missions, adding more missions and campaigns u-boat upgrades and torpedo upgrades if there are any that aren't in game. last but not least allow the player to start in any campaign.

As far as adding new missions/campaigns to SH5 I do not think it will be that hard. As the single traffic/convoys/taskforces are all campaign generated meaning, the campaign decides when/where to spawn them and where to send them (from what I have looked at thus far).

There is only one downside to modding the campaign in anyway in Sh5, new campaign mods MUST be installed before starting a campaign, they cannot simply be installed while in port as the changes WILL NOT take affect, I have learned this in my testing so far. (atleast with the changes I am making)

Also, I want to thank ALL of you for your support (even though I haven't even released anything yet lol), I have tried modding in the past but always got burned out or frustrated because I couldn't/didn't want to learn any of it. This time though I actually got this game early enough to learn the ins and outs of it and I just hate failure now days (guess I can thank my career for that)

edit: I just left Brest for my first patrol, its July 25th 1943 and I just got badly bombed thanks to IRAI, and on my map I also see lone ships being reported so I know the game is still producing ships/planes.

It's agood start! Well done. The first step is complete..

[SteelViking]

Awesome This progress is very good news! Good job Wolfling04

An interesting bit about uboat upgrades such as: radars, sonars, anti-sonar coatings, etc. yes, there are several upgrades included in the game files which go completely un-utilized in stock. Before you start from scratch to get them to work properly though, you should check the work of TheBeast(just do a search on the modding forum). I believe that he was able to get all U-boat upgrades to work, but since the campaign was ending short, there was not much of a point to getting those upgrades.

Also, on a similar note. With some very simple hex editing, and some roster magic, I don't see why we could not get a type VIIC/42 in the game. We could basically just take the files for the VIIC/41(which looks identical anyway) and increase its stats to what the 42 should have had. It would not be a huge addition to the game, but if the campaign is going to be longer, I think it would be cool to be able to get the 42. I will look into it, but my skills with hexing are probably not good enough. Privateer or TDW may have to do it.

[andycaccia]

Originally Posted by SteelViking

Awesome This progress is very good news! Good job Wolfling04

An interesting bit about uboat upgrades such as: radars, sonars, anti-sonar coatings, etc. yes, there are several upgrades included in the game files which go completely un-utilized in stock. Before you start from scratch to get them to work properly though, you should check the work of TheBeast(just do a search on the modding forum). I believe that he was able to get all U-boat upgrades to work, but since the campaign was ending short, there was not much of a point to getting those upgrades.

Also, on a similar note. With some very simple hex editing, and some roster magic, I don't see why we could not get a type VIIC/42 in the game. We could basically just take the files for the VIIC/41(which looks identical anyway) and increase its stats to what the 42 should have had. It would not be a huge addition to the game, but if the campaign is going to be longer, I think it would be cool to be able to get the 42. I will look into it, but my skills with hexing are probably not good enough. Privateer or TDW may have to do it.

The VIIC/42, in my sources, never reached operational status, as the ordered boats were scrapped to free industrial capacity and resources to build the new XXI. Besides, the VIIC/42 should have been broader in beam than the VIIC 41, due to the fact it had a slightly larger pressure hull. Anyway, "clonig" an existing submarine to create a new variant should be very easy, provided that you are willing to use the same 3d model.

check this: http://www.uboat.net/types/

Cheers!

[SteelViking]

Originally Posted by andycaccia

The VIIC/42, in my sources, never reached operational status, as the ordered boats were scrapped to free industrial capacity and resources to build the new XXI. Besides, the VIIC/42 should have been broader in beam than the VIIC 41, due to the fact it had a slightly larger pressure hull. Anyway, "clonig" an existing submarine to create a new variant should be very easy, provided that you are willing to use the same 3d model.

check this: http://www.uboat.net/types/

Cheers!

I know that none of them were ever completed. However, I did not realize that their beam was not the same as the 41. I just figured that it would be an interesting short term addition since we cannot add other boats right now.

Actually, it will not be too simple, even using the same 3D model. Because the existing GR2s have references to the specific .sim(and other controller files) for that boat. In other words, you will have to hex edit those references to new files in order to change the stats for the new boat independently of the original sub used.

Or at least I am pretty sure it will work like that.

[Wolfling04]

Originally Posted by SteelViking

I know that none of them were ever completed. However, I did not realize that their beam was not the same as the 41. I just figured that it would be an interesting short term addition since we cannot add other boats right now.

Actually, it will not be too simple, even using the same 3D model. Because the existing GR2s have references to the specific .sim(and other controller files) for that boat. In other words, you will have to hex edit those references to new files in order to change the stats for the new boat independently of the original sub used.

Or at least I am pretty sure it will work like that.

Well that just sucks, I have zero experience modding those files to. Maybe I can sweet talk TDW or Privateer.

edit Just found this on wiki:

Dönitz government ordered dissolved by Eisenhower: Karl Dönitz continued to act as the German head of state, but his Flensburg government (so-called because it was based at Flensburg and controlled only a small area around the town) was given no regard after the surrender on May 8. On May 23, 1945 a British liaison officer was sent to Flensburg and read to the Flensburg government Eisenhower's order dissolving the government and ordering the arrest of its members. The Allies had a problem, because they realized that although the German armed forces had surrendered unconditionally, SHAEF had failed to use the document created by the "European Advisory Commission" (EAC) and so the civilian German government had not. This was considered a very important issue, because just as the civilian, but not military, surrender in 1918 had been used by Hitler to create the "stab in the back" argument, the Allies did not want to give a future hostile German regime a legal argument to resurrect an old quarrel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_of_...r_II_in_Europe

Once I get everything working May 8th is the date I have chosen to end the campaign as that is the day that Germany surrendered if I'm reading that web page correctly

[andycaccia]

Originally Posted by SteelViking

I know that none of them were ever completed. However, I did not realize that their beam was not the same as the 41. I just figured that it would be an interesting short term addition since we cannot add other boats right now.

Actually, it will not be too simple, even using the same 3D model. Because the existing GR2s have references to the specific .sim(and other controller files) for that boat. In other words, you will have to hex edit those references to new files in order to change the stats for the new boat independently of the original sub used.

Or at least I am pretty sure it will work like that.

Well, I never "cloned" a submarine before, but, as far as I can tell, it shuldn't be very difficult... Just cloning ALL files and tweak the new "copies" with the correct values (mass, speed etc) so they reflect the correct VIIC 42 performance. I guess this trick has been done already in sh4 a couple of times at least.

[SteelViking]

Originally Posted by andycaccia

Well, I never "cloned" a submarine before, but, as far as I can tell, it shuldn't be very difficult... Just cloning ALL files and tweak the new "copies" with the correct values (mass, speed etc) so they reflect the correct VIIC 42 performance. I guess this trick has been done already in sh4 a couple of times at least.

You can try that, but I am not sure that it will work. I believe that the .GR2 have exact file references, and they will just keep using the old controller files from the VIIC/41 instead of the cloned ones in the new folders.

Like I said though, I don't know for sure, that is just how it would seem like it should work. Someone should go ahead and try the easy cloning method and see if changes made to the cloned controller files show up in game.

[andycaccia]

Originally Posted by SteelViking

You can try that, but I am not sure that it will work. I believe that the .GR2 have exact file references, and they will just keep using the old controller files from the VIIC/41 instead of the cloned ones in the new folders.

Like I said though, I don't know for sure, that is just how it would seem like it should work. Someone should go ahead and try the easy cloning method and see if changes made to the cloned controller files show up in game.

Indeed sh4 didn't have gr2 files...and I guess this time will be harder. Are you sure it's the gr2 file that contains all the "links" to the other files (sim, zon, cam etc)? Unfortunatly, I don't have sh5 installed currently...

[SteelViking]

Originally Posted by andycaccia

Indeed sh4 didn't have gr2 files...and I guess this time will be harder. Are you sure it's the gr2 file that contains all the "links" to the other files (sim, zon, cam etc)? Unfortunatly, I don't have sh5 installed currently...

I cannot find references to the controller files anywhere actually. I even searched the .GR2 files in a hex editor, and was unable to find any file names of the controller files.

Perhaps that means the game will just pull the necessary files from whatever folder you have it directed to for the 3D model(that is specified in the .cfg). That would mean you were right about the cloning process. It would be great if that is how it works.

[Wolfling04]

If this is true as it sounds it is, a Type VIIC/42 may be in order

edit: I'd like to sink the tonnage that is reqd for the last mission but getting out of the Bay of Biscay is proving quite difficult, so I may try moving the last mission to the pacific ocean until further notice.

[Wolfling04]

First patrol after June2 completed required amount of tonnage sunk, campaign kept on rolling. Here is a screen shot just before I pulled into port.



I have some more values to explore, as long as those turn out right I should have it ready to go later tonight.

edit: Ran all the way to Sept6 1944 (date last U-boat left Brest), and home base didn't change from Brest to Bergen. Anyone have any ideas?

[Wolfling04]

I have came to the conclusion that the only way to make the bases swap is to make a whole other campaign.I've already started working on it. I just have to add some patrols once I figure out how to make them.

[kptn_kaiserhof]

wolfling04 i think i speak for the whole subsim community:
we hope to see your great upcoming campaign mod we also hope for good results

so i must say:

GOOD LUCK AND GOOD HUNTING

[LordNeuro"Serbia"]

U r doing amezing work. I hope u will manige too make hole new campaign. If u need help in gethering same materials or ideas for campaign mission or somthing like theat i would like too help.
Cheers and keep up the fantastic work.

[Wolfling04]

Originally Posted by LordNeuro"Serbia"

U r doing amezing work. I hope u will manige too make hole new campaign. If u need help in gethering same materials or ideas for campaign mission or somthing like theat i would like too help.
Cheers and keep up the fantastic work.

I may be looking for some help here in the future. Right now I have a basic campaign made, the only issue is I cannot not get the threat zones, objectives to save as a .mis file (just to name a couple), I also cannot create a map_locations.mis. I could try importing a map location from a previous campaign but I do not want to do that, to avoid conflicts.

I also thought about just taking the entire Arctic Convoys campaign and making a whole new campaign out of that since it has everything I need. Bergen being the primary goal, as Brest becomes an enemy base around Aug15th 1944. I will take a hard look as all this tonight when I get home from work and post what I find in the next couple of days.

I never knew making a new campaign could be such a pain in the you know where