**Released** Drifter's Realism Mod v1.02

**Released** Drifter's Realism Mod v1.02 (compatible with Grey Wolves v1.1 or vanilla SH3).

**This mod unavoidably changes a few key features in Grey Wolves v1.1. Please use DRM v1.02 at your own risk**



The goal of this mod is to make SH3 more realistic, challenging, and dangerous.

Main features of this mod include:

a) Much longer U-boat repair times than vanilla SH3-

This was implemented because the usual one or two minute equipment repair times in vanilla SH3 game is just plain ridiculous, and borderline cheating. Real U-boat damage could take up to a few days to repair, or couldn't be repaired at all, and the U-boat would have to abort back to base early. This is what I am trying to model with this mod. It will now be very rash to run in attacking convoys recklessly without considering the consequences. Also, it is highly recommended that you qualify some crew with the repair skill. Expect heavily damaged equipment to take up to 24 hours (or more) to repair. Also expect to abort more often back to base from heavy damage, just like it was in real life.


b) Less crew compartment deaths, and greatly increased chance of crew deaths on top deck-

This was implemented because crew deaths inside U-boat compartments caused by depth charges happen much too often in vanilla SH3. In real life, most U-boat crew deaths were caused by drowning due to flooding or pressure hull failure, being killed on the top deck by enemy gunfire from aircraft or ships, being killed by bomb explosions on top deck, or drowning or freezing to death in the open sea after abandoning the U-boat. Most U-boat crew deaths were not caused by the actual depth charge explosion.


c) Removed the cheat message saying 'We may have been detected.'-

This is an obvious cheat that had to be removed for realism reasons.


d) Much slower compartment flooding times-

This was implemented for two reasons. First, due to the decreased crew efficiency (to make the repair times longer), I had to slow down the flood times because the crew couldn't ever stop the flooding before the compartment filled up. Now, this isn't an issue. Second, when a compartment completely fills up with water, you are dead- game over. I think this is also ridiculous. With DRM, the compartments fill up much slower with water, sometimes taking more than 1000 minutes to completely fill up. This will give your crew more time to battle the flooding, without always getting the instant flood death game over screen. So realize that there is a good chance that you will die from being crushed at extreme depths due to pressure hull failure, and much less likely to die from actual complete compartment flooding.


e) Less instant death (game over) screens from 0% Hull Integrity-

I am trying to lessen the instant death screens due to hull integrity reaching zero percent (due to depth charges, enemy shells and bombs). What I have done is greatly increased all u-boat hitpoints and gave each compartment it's own armor rating (no more dependence on hull integrity). Now there is less relevance of hull integrity, except when diving past crush depth. All u-boat crush speeds were greatly increased to make up for the increased U-boat hitpoints. You won't have much time to live once hull failure begins (when going past crush depth). Internal and external u-boat equipment will still be damaged normally.


f) Deadlier air attacks-

I always felt that air attacks in SH3 were never deadly enough. Therefore, all aircraft bombs and air depth charges are now much more powerful, also with a slightly larger blast radius. This will make air attacks more deadly (as they should be). I am basing this on much historical research that I have done.

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Playing SH3 with this mod installed is hard. Really hard, but more realistic. Much harder than the vanilla version or even the Grey Wolves version of SH3. But if you want a taste of realism... the extreme dangers of what it was really like to try and survive as a U-boat captain in WW2, then I challenge you to try playing SH3 with this mod installed. Just remember this- by the end of world war two, 28,000 of the 39,000 men in the German U-boat force disappeared beneath the waves... never to return.

I am excited about this mod and have put a lot of time into it. Hours and hours of playtesting and tweaking, trying to get the right balance. I hope you enjoy this mod as much as I have. I also wanna say a big thank you to everyone on the Subsim message board for their support, feedback, and great ideas. The awesome movie 'Das Boot' inspired me to make this mod. Hopefully, you too will experience your own Das Boot moments.


Changes in Drifter's Realism Mod v1.02-

-changed compartment names (on the repair screen) to sound more logical while being repaired. Added the word 'room' to most compartment names, so now there will be less confusion as to what is damaged or being repaired. Also changed the words 'Not Working' to a more correct 'Heavy Dmg', meaning heavy damage. I made this change because the equipment that was listed as 'Not Working' actually still worked.

-compartments will now withstand more damage before flooding starts.

-greatly increased compartment hit points.

-greatly decreased compartment armor ratings.

-greatly increased chance of death for crew members on topside (for realism reasons). If you try to fight it out with an enemy warship or aircraft on the surface, there is a good chance that your crew on topside will be killed. You have been warned.

-greatly lengthened compartment flood times (to balance out the other compartment changes).

-slightly decreased weight of water in flooded compartments. It will now take slightly longer to get dragged down by flooding.

-greatly increased depth charge shock waves (for realism reasons). Depth charge damage was unchanged.

-most u-boat equipment is slightly tougher now.

-u-boat rudders are now much stronger (for playability reasons).

-slowed the crush speeds (when passing crush depth) somewhat. You will now have a little more time before your hull completely collapses. (for playability reasons).

-greatly increased battery hitpoints (they were being destroyed too soon).

-dive planes are now more vulnerable.

-increased the blast damage of all aircraft bombs and air depth charges by 50%. Also slightly increased the blast radius of all aircraft bombs and air depth charges. Air attacks will now be much deadlier now. (for realism reasons).

-Doubled naval mine blast damage. (for realism).


Download here:

http://rapidshare.de/files/32519056/...v1.02.zip.html

[Gizzmoe]

Mirror:
http://home.arcor.de/gizzmoe/files/D..._Mod_v1.02.zip

Update to v1.02a:
http://home.arcor.de/gizzmoe/files/D...02a_update.zip

[enaceo]

Yey!
Thanks for another great mod!
Loved 1.01 , sure will love this one .

Originally Posted by enaceo

Yey!
Thanks for another great mod!
Loved 1.01 , sure will love this one .

Thanks! I am always trying to find the right balance, but with the focus on more difficulty and realism. I hope some people here like this version. This version is my favorite so far. I am really happy with the results.

[jaxa]

Originally Posted by nvdrifter

Thanks! I am always trying to find the right balance, but with the focus on more difficulty and realism. I hope some people here like this version. This version is my favorite so far. I am really happy with the results.

Thanks a lot, nvdrifter. I hope you will make Drifter's Realism Mod for GWX, after release of GWX.
Game should be more interesting, but harder. I must try it.

BTW, which version is your favourite: 1.01 or 1.02?

Originally Posted by jaxa

Thanks a lot, nvdrifter. I hope you will make Drifter's Realism Mod for GWX, after release of GWX.
Game should be more interesting, but harder. I must try it.

BTW, which version is your favourite: 1.01 or 1.02?

1.02 is by far my favorite. I fixed a lot of problems that were bothering me in v1.01a. I just hope some people don't complain about v1.02 being too hard. But I like to think that harder and more realistic gameplay is also more challenging and rewarding. I hope others agree.

[Gizzmoe]

Update also available here:
http://home.arcor.de/gizzmoe/files/D...02a_update.zip

[The General]

Just wanted to take a moment to thank Drifter for his sterling work. Cheers mate! You've made things alot more realistic, that's for sure.

Originally Posted by The General

Just wanted to take a moment to thank Drifter for his sterling work. Cheers mate! You've made things alot more realistic, that's for sure.

I am glad you are enjoying this mod. From all of the U-boot books I have read, I think this mod is slowly getting closer to experiencing the extreme difficulties, challenges, and consequences a real U-boot captain had to face. But there were also the rewards of beating the odds of death. And we all know the odds were heavily against the u-boots. DRM really isn't for the casual gamer, that's for sure. And of course, this is just one of many great mods out there.

[enaceo]

So glad the escorts are tougher now.
I just hated it with vanilla and GW how you could pass by any escort by going silent/
Nygm fixed this already ,and now you also made a "semi-fix"
Thanks again!
It is weird,but we are extremely happy when the modders find new ways to kill us...

[jaxa]

Originally Posted by nvdrifter

I am glad you are enjoying this mod. From all of the U-boot books I have read, I think this mod is slowly getting closer to experiencing the extreme difficulties, challenges, and consequences a real U-boot captain had to face. But there were also the rewards of beating the odds of death. And we all know the odds were heavily against the u-boots. DRM really isn't for the casual gamer, that's for sure. And of course, this is just one of many great mods out there.

Nothing to add - thanks a lot

[Notewire]

Hey Drifter, you were right, changing the things in the SH3 Commander did overwrite my Basic.cfg, so after the changes, I did a recopy of your basic.cfg etc.

You may want to change you installation instructions just a hair. You recommend the excellent changes in SH3, changing proximity to land and detection time compressions - if the reader makes those changes after installing your mod - it gets overwritte. If he does it first, it should work out fine. At least, I think that is how it goes.

Also, could just make your suggested changes in the Basic.cfg, that would fixer as well.

Thanks for all the hard work!!!
Yarre Notewire

[3Jane]

I installed Mod v1.02. Everything else seems to work fine. My only problem is that the fatigue setting doesn't seem to work anymore, I now have a a crew of Duracell bunnies. I installed the mod manualy, as far as I can see into the correct files, all pretty straight foreward after all. I checked the SH Commander III and the fatigue setting is still at GW 24 Hr. Is there anything else I should have done when I installed the mod or have I just missed something. I installed the mod over a GW modded SHIII with no previouse version of this mod. I also get the war news from August 1943 on the load screen. I really think I must have done it wrong ¬_¬
Great mod by the way, it makes more sense of things generaly.:p

[P_Funk]

So what is the future of this mod given the impending release of GWX?

[Samwolf]

Originally Posted by 3Jane

I also get the war news from August 1943 on the load screen. I really think I must have done it wrong ¬_¬
Great mod by the way, it makes more sense of things generaly.:p

Don't know about the fatigue model but the en_menu.txt file has the war news from 1943 "hard-coded" .Probably left over from testing.

46=Submarine Type: %s|Departure Point : %s, heading %.0f°|Grid (Patrol Area) %s|Starting Base: %s|Return To Base: %s||--- News for August 1943 --- 5th: Russians capture Orel --- 15th: US and Canadian troops retake the Aleutian Islands --- 17th: The Allies take Messina, all of Sicily is now in Allied hands --- 23rd: Russians take Kharkov --- 29th: After acts of sabotage take place, German authorities in Denmark declare martial law ---||--- Monthly losses: 25 U-boats for 92,443 tons of Allied shipping ---

Delete the High-lighted text from entry 46.

Also delete the highlighted from the following lines or it will show up when you start a career.

201=Starting Year (1943)
202=Flotilla (7th)