[REL] U.S. Medals Fix

[Te Kaha]

Originally Posted by CapnScurvy

So to be clear, your using one of the first U.S. Medals Fix versions, with RFB 1.51 & RSRDC, during the same campaign you received 4 CMOH medals on previous different patrols, and on the 14th patrol with the listed shipping sunk, and a 45,000+ tons total, you received a Navy Cross. Is this correct?

Yes, correct.

Originally Posted by CapnScurvy

If this is correct then I've got a couple of more questions for you. You may not remember the specific patrols the previous CMOH medals were given but do you have any information about them at all? I'm not looking for the specific objectives but I'm wondering about the tonnage sunk. Do you remember their approximate totals; did you sink "quality" ships (like a carrier, or a BB, or a couple of CA's) during these particular patrols? I guess I'm wondering; Did it feel to you that the patrols the CMOH's were awarded were "less accomplished" than the 14th patrol that the Navy Cross was awarded?

I don't have the specific data at hand at the moment, but all CMOH patrols were with tonnage around 50,000 to 60,000, and all were merchants and destroyers only. In one patrol I sank 2 Atago-Class cruisers, but can't remember if I was awarded the CMOH. I need to check when I am at home again.

And yes, I feel that for the 14th patrol I should have been awarded the CMOH and for the other patrols the NC, since in this patrol I was chasing Ozawa's Northern Force during the Battle of Leyte for about 75 nm, sank the 2 DD, 1 DE, and 1 CVE.

Maybe the tonnage should be set higher for "merchants only" patrols to get the CMOH, or, if this can be implemented, the number of tankers or any high-value ships should be taken into account.

[Te Kaha]

Here's the data - forgot I took my laptop with me...

.) CMOH for patrol tonnage of 72,775, including;

8 merchants
1 tanker
2 Atago-Class CA

.) CMOH for patrol tonnage of 67,690, including;

8 merchants
4 tankers

.) CMOH for patrol tonnage of 39,769 (checked twice), including;

7 merchants
1 tanker
1 No 13 AM Minesweeper

.) CMOH for patrol tonnage of 81,714, including;

10 merchants
3 tankers
1 life raft - yes I'm mean

Beats me why I was awarded the CMOH for the 39,769 tons patrol...
Shows that my memory and the actual data doesn't match!

[Te Kaha]

Could be the 39,000 tons patrol was the last patrol without any Medals Fix. Somehow I remember I found it funny to get yet another and yet another CMOH with the Fix, so dismiss this one out of the statistic regarding the Fix.

[CapnScurvy]

Thank you Te Kaha.

I've been waiting for some collaborative evidence regarding these two medals (Navy Cross and CMOH). I have had a suspicion about these two medals since day one. If you read one of my early posts in this thread (dated 9/21), I hoped I could get feed back on this very area of concern. Make no mistake, the stock game medal system is a ridiculous group of files and images that contradict themselves both for the Captain/player and the crew awards.

Originally Posted by Te Kaha

Maybe the tonnage should be set higher for "merchants only" patrols to get the CMOH, or, if this can be implemented, the number of tankers or any high-value ships should be taken into account.

The problem is this data is not available for a modder to manipulate (hardcoded within the game structure), or it's at least not understandable for us to use. For those of you who would like to take a stab at what I'm talking about, take a look at the file named "medals.cfg" found in the Data\Cfg folder. If you can figure what the 20 different entries are (0-19), within the two different groups, then "Mother-pin-a-rose-on-me"!!!

Anyway, thanks Te Kaha for your insite. I realise there are few gamers that play this game long enough to get the kind of feed back you have. My plan is to switch these two higher tier medals in an update. I don't think a switch could do any harm beyond what we are using now.

This won't be soon though, I'm building a new computer after my old one won't access the graphic card (motherboard issue). I've been using the wife's laptop to keep up with the forum.

Best Regards

[CapnScurvy]

Originally Posted by Te Kaha

Could be the 39,000 tons patrol was the last patrol without any Medals Fix. Somehow I remember I found it funny to get yet another and yet another CMOH with the Fix, so dismiss this one out of the statistic regarding the Fix.

I just read this entry as I was posting my last response. Now that you say this I'm wondering if all is not well after all?!?! Mind you, I have not changed the criteria for a specific award, I have changed the "order" of which medal is received within the tier group of six. Just looking at pure tonnage you received a CMOH for a 72,000, 67,000, and a 81,000 ton patrol. You received a Navy Cross for a 45,000 ton patrol. Off the cuff, that sounds about right to me. I know, I'm not a fan of the game issuing a CMOH for ANY tonnage sunk no matter what the high figure! But, since I don't have control over what the game calculates as a specific criteria for a specific medal the only change we can make is to the medals being in a correct "order" of rank. With what you have here, it seems that's what we have.

Go figure :hmm:

[banjo]

Using TMO, RSRDC and the medals mod in a 1943 carreer in a Balao I was just awarded the MOH for 8 merchies, 2 PB's and a Subchaser. Tonnage was about 38K I think. Can let you know for sure on that if you need it.

[CapnScurvy]

Originally Posted by banjo

Using TMO, RSRDC and the medals mod in a 1943 carreer in a Balao I was just awarded the MOH for 8 merchies, 2 PB's and a Subchaser. Tonnage was about 38K I think. Can let you know for sure on that if you need it.

Yes, I'd like to know for certain.

One thing that could be playing an additional factor in awards issued is the realism settings. Having the realism % high with manual targeting, no map contacts checked COULD play a role as modifing the awards. In other words, a player who has his options set low may have the games award criteria for the top tier award (CMOH) set at say 50,000 tons, where a high setting may be 35,000. I guess I'd like to look at all the factors a player is using before passing judgement. You can't compare apples to oranges. As I stated several posts ago, the player rank and/or the number of successfull patrols completed could modify the results as well.

Again, the more important question to ask yourself is: If I received a CMOH for a 38,000 ton patrol, will (or have) I receive(d) a Silver Star or Navy Cross for a 47,000+ ton total on another patrol, with no changes to my options or rank, and nothing major changed in the actual "quality" of the ships sunk?

[banjo]

You may be right that the game gives out medals according to the difficulty setting of the player. This could include the difficulty of the career you select when you start each career, i.e. Easy, Normal, Hard and/or the options one selects to determine the percent of authenticity. If this is true I would think it would be a insurmountable can of worms for you. Anyway...

This was my 11th patrol in this career but my 3rd with your medal mod implemented. In the first 8 patrols I got a CMOH each time. In my first patrol with the medal mod (9th career patrol) I got the Dist Serv Cross, in the next the Silver Star and the CMOH in the 11th. In the 11th patrol I sunk 46K tonnage, ships as specified in my previous post.

I selected Hard mode when I started the career, and play with all the difficulty settings on except Manual targetting and Dud torpedos. In TMO this gives me 75% authenticity but in stock I seem to remember it was 64%.

Also, no biggee, but just so you know, the medals themselves no longer appear in the awards splash screen nor in the medals box on the desk.

Hope this helps.

[CapnScurvy]

Hey Banjo, what the heck is the Dist Serv Cross???

I removed the Distinguished Service Medal from the game with this mod. Did you mean the Navy Cross? What I hope happened with your three patrols is that the total tonnage of the 9th (if it was the Navy Cross) was greater than the 10th patrol Silver Star, and the 11th (46,000 ton) CMOH was greater than the other two. If that's how it went then all is well with the mod.

I'm not sure what you mean with the awards "splash screen", but the medals not appearing in the Captain's office medals desk box is by design. That's how I got around the problem of having the stock medal shapes still appear within the box when the modded medals are awarded.

I know some gamers may think the constant issue of a CMOH is too much after sinking 40 something thousand tons, BUT in real life that kind of total for a single patrol was almost unheard of. If you're getting tired of receiving the ultimate award for your efforts may I suggest you up the ante by using manual targeting and no contacts updated checked in the options. Then see if you can get a Medal of Honor, that Green Triangle thingie will make you go blind!!!!

[Red Heat]

Originally Posted by CapnScurvy

This mod will correct the way awards are presented to the player by first changing the stock "order" of the medals which will improve the relationship between what is earned and what is issued. It was found that several inaccuracies that have to do with this "order" prevented the correct medal from being issued, especially to the player/Captain. Secondly the medals were changed to reflect the authentic type and criteria for which they are given. The Distinguished Service Medal was removed from the game and the Silver Star and Bronze Star Medal were moved up in rank to fill the void. Both the enlisted men and Captain will be given the Navy Commendation Medal as their initial 1st tier award. It is believed that by changing the specific awards and the various "order" of the awards, a more accurate representation of American awards issued will occur.



The following image shows the Crew Management screen with the Navy Commendation Medal added to the awards list.



To install the mod make sure your current running campaign will have you in port, waiting on another patrol to start. This will ensure a trouble free installation. Of course you can begin a new campaign with the mod installed. Just do not expect to install the mod during an ongoing campaign patrol without the risk of a CTD.

There are various editions of the U.S. Medals Fix that are compatible to other major mods like TMO 1.5.2, or RFB 1.51 062408. Install the compatible mod first then install the Medals Fix mod that is made specifically for it next. The Medals Fix mod is JSGME ready. Click the latest editions dated Oct. 27 '08 for the specific mod you want.


U.S. Medals Fix Stock 1.5

U.S. Medals Fix TMO 1.5.2

U.S. Medals Fix RFB 1.51 062408

Note: The U.S. Medals Fix is intergraded within the latest RFB 1.52 102508


Discussion

There are six awards and medals available from highest ranking to lowest. RFB and TMO both use the same awards. Top ranked is the Congressional Medal of Honor, next the Navy Cross, Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Bronze Star Medal, and although it is not an achievement award, nor does it fit in the ranking system, the Purple Heart. My contention is the authentic Navy Distinguished Service Medal has a criteria which reads "...of exceptionally mertorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility". In my opinion, this criteria does not hold true of a sub Captain, and especially not of an enlisted crewman. What I have found is the medal is usually bestowed to senior "Navy Flag and Marine Corps General Officers" not rank and file sub Captains and definitely not to an enlisted man, unless he happened to be on Nimitz's "personal" staff of high enlisted rank.

So, my plan was to remove the DSM from the awards, move up the Silver Star and Bronze Star Medal in rank and add the Navy Commendation Medal as a 1st tier award.


The Navy Commendation Medal is the lowest tier award for both Captain and crew. The "Dolphins" Badge was orginally used in this mod for the crew's 1st tier award. After some debate I decided to remove the Dolphins Badge from the game in favor of the Navy Commendation Medal. My largest concern was due to the Captain's written citation which originally needed to describe both "Enlisted Dopphin's Badge - Captain's Commendation Medal" in it's form. I felt this unnecessary description needed to be corrected, along with a general improvement of the citation. This latest version dated Oct. 27, 2008 has both issues met for the written citation. Plus a correction in a spelling typo.


Another improvement to this latest version is the removal of the original medals from the Captain's Award Box. I have simply eliminated them altogether. No medals will be seen within the box but, by mouse clicking within the box you will be taken to the Captain's written citation and a close up of the awarded medals as in the previous stock method.



Again, the 1st tier award will be the Navy Commendation Medal, first received in 1943 as a ribbon. I realise I've taken a bit of license in putting this medal into the game but the use of the Distinguished Service Medal made much less sense.

This modification does more than simply change the type of medals issued. It has corrected the stock game and previous modded medal fix's in rearranging the "order" of medals issued. No more will you receive a Medal of Honor without due player/Captain effort.


I wish to acknowledge the work done by Metalledges, Midnite1977, and Ducimus for there initial efforts in working towards an authentic awards system for Silent Hunter 4. Without their efforts my contribution may not have been possible. Thanks to all for the great work done.

Ahoy,

For sometimes i had some dificulty to understand "the true meaning of the words" in English language...my question its this mod its compatible to SH4 PATCH 1.4?
This is the mods im running in the game:

. Foofighters sargo black with hi-res v2 (skin)

. Ruimv1.0 for SH4v 1.4

. Ruimv1.0 for SH4v 1.4 Enlisted Ranks

. Ruimv1.0 for SH4v 1.4 awards add-on

. diveratedRC2

. NSM4 classic

. ASW 9.0 Standart 1.4

. Kosh Stealthy sub v1.22b

* Thanks in advance, mates...

[CapnScurvy]

Hello Red Heat, you asked if the mod is compatible with SH4 1.4, saddly it is not.

I have tried to implement the same structure of the mod into the 1.4 framework but I was unsuccessfull. I spent a lot of time trying different things to make it work but the structure of the game prior to the 1.5 Addon would not allow me to. There are just some things we can't do.

[Red Heat]

Originally Posted by CapnScurvy

Hello Red Heat, you asked if the mod is compatible with SH4 1.4, saddly it is not.

I have tried to implement the same structure of the mod into the 1.4 framework but I was unsuccessfull. I spent a lot of time trying different things to make it work but the structure of the game prior to the 1.5 Addon would not allow me to. There are just some things we can't do.

Hello

Thank you for the fast info about the mod, i was hoping to use it in the game, but its not possible...any away looks to me a great job, thanks for sharing with us and keep the good work mate!

[banjo]

Went back and looked. It was the Distiguished Service Medal.

[CapnScurvy]

Originally Posted by banjo

Went back and looked. It was the Distiguished Service Medal.

Thanks for getting back with me. You should check to see if the U.S. Medals Fix is really installed within your game. I removed both the image and the reference to the Distinguished Service Medal. There should be no mention of it on the written citation, and to be sure, the citation should read like the one that is pictured in the first post of this thread (shows the Navy Commendation Medal).

One quick way of checking is to open the Medals Box on the Captain's Desk back in port. When you mouse over the interior it should state "CLICK TO VIEW AWARDS". U.S. Medals Fix is not installed if it simply reads "AWARDS", or shows a medal within the interior.

[banjo]

No, it's installed as you say. Maybe I installed it the mission after I got the DSM--I wrote my post from memory--not a good thing nowadays.