SH3 1946 Mod

[SDFilm]

Hi, I initially didn’t plan to release this as a full mod as it’s simply code adjustments rather than the huge modpacks which some others have created, but I haven’t seen any modern/alt-history mods here other than hearing about the occasional playing around with submarine stats, so here’s my alt-history submod for Alexmod which makes air-dropped torps are more common and there’s two distinct tech trees separating the conventional U-boats from the pseudo-modern boats.

This has custom campaigns in mind, giving example documentation on how to do that; though being very much a ‘sandbox’ mode there’s no strict rules.




DOWNLOAD




--FEATURES--

* Expanded deployment of Mark 24 air-dropped torpedoes
* 2 new semi-historical submarines (Type 8, Type 12)
* Engine modifications giving increased range and reload times
* All-electric engines
* Acoustic torpedoes are now more common but are also much slower, requiring more thought in their use.





--FAQs--

What's the 1946 mod?
The SH3 1946 sub-mod for Alexmod was developed to expand the custom career system deeper into the mid-late 1940s. In 1943 there's a significant change in technology, with the allies gaining air-dropped torpedoes while the Axis gains the 2nd gen submarines; Type 8, 12 and 21. Each of these 2nd gen subs has their own tech tree of different engine modifications and advanced weapons. To be clear I haven't created the air-dropped torpedoes mod, I've just expanded their use in allied aircraft so that it's much more likely that you'll see them being used. Air-dropped torpedoes are most effective against conventional U-boats since the Type XXI is often too quiet or too fast to be caught by them, though they can sometimes catch the Type XXI if the user isn't attentive.


How do I make a custom campaign?
Use the mission editor combined with the "Submarine Port" to create missions which give you cash for more upgrades. This is similar to the in-game career mode but with the added freedom of deciding where to house your submarine (eg Spain) and having different missions, such as sailing to a particular coast to
drop-off special forces etc. Depending on how strict you set the prize money at, it can allow for faster progression; rather than waiting still 1945 to get
the Type XXI sub and then only having a mission or two to use it.

An example bounty would be:

Sink the Mark: 5,000 gold for sinking a specific ship, possibly as much as 40,000 if it's a capital ship or other strongly defended target.
Merchant Bounty: 6,000 gold for 15,000 tons of shipping
Military Bounty: 5,000 for 5,000 tons of military shipping
Grand Pirate: 35,000 gold for 40,000 tons of shipping
Smuggling Run: 5,000 gold for arriving at a set location and waiting 1 hour while surfaced to drop-off special forces or contraband.


How do I give my submarine a custom name?
If you want to give your submarine a pirate name or a more historical "U-something" then select your submarine in the mission editor and type in
the bottom field where it says "New Unit Name".


Why don't the "new" submarines look different?
I'm not a 3D model creator, though if you know someone who is then they're welcome to add to this project.


What's the Type 8 U-boat?
Historically it was a discontinued project to make a fast attack submarine. In this alt-history mod it's a modernisation of the Type 7, having a lot of the
Type 21's technology. It has good acceleration though its outdated hull design still makes its top speed slower than the Type 21.


What's the Type 12 AFS U-boat?
Historically it was a discontinued project called the "Advanced Fleet Ocean Boat". In this alt-history mod it's the Advanced Fleet Submarine, a huge and modernised version of the Type 9; with 30 torpedoes and vast battery reserves. Its final "Model 46E Block 2" version can prowl on battery power for over 8,000 miles. This does however come at a cost in performance; it's so heavy that its acceleration is even slower than the standard Type 9. It's also the slowest of the three 2nd gen submarines.


Why have super-powered batteries rather than a nuclear sub?
I wanted to have the modern feel of being a stranger to the sea's surface, yet without having the speed and near-limitless range of an SSN sub; so the
all-electric submarines with long endurance batteries was a good compromise.


Why do acoustic torpedoes move at 12 knots?
I wanted to expand the use of guided torpedoes, but this made it unbalanced since having 6 guided torps could easily mean 6 sunk destroyers. So instead
I made the guided torpedoes to be similar to the US air-dropped torpedo; having slow speeds but long ranges, thus being more like a mobile mine rather than a modern guided torp. This has balanced out the gameplay so that guided torps are still useful yet not being so overpowered that you can sail into enemy fleets without a challenge. The arming distance (the time that it takes for the torpedo to start tracking) has been reduced (especially on the later Type 5); this is partially to account for the slower speed, but also to make it generally better at close range engagements.


Have you really put Vertical Launch Systems into SH3?
In graphical terms no, as they're basically just fast torpedos but gameplay-wise they're supposed to be a proxy for VLS. You only get a very limited number of them and they use the gas system to at least partially replicate the lack of stealth that Cold Waters simulates. Ideally they should have a long minimum range and immediately alert any nearby ships to your location, but having gas bubbles rather than electric was a small step towards that goal.
These travel at 95 knots, which is slow by missile standards but I wanted there to be at least some challenge in using them especially since they have almost no minimum range so they'd otherwise be a free kill.


What's a "Military Licence"?
In this alt-history campaign you're more like a mercenary or pirate rather than a commissioned officer, so some advanced technology requires more
than just gold to acquire them; it's also why there's "gold" or "credits" rather than "renown". You gain a military licence after completing a high-risk mission, typically against a capital ship.


They're German submarines, so why do they use the American "Block" system of upgrades?
It just gives a more "Cold Waters" feel to it IMO. If you'd prefer to make the names more Germanic then you can easily change the mod names to
something like "Ausf B" or "Type VIIIB/46".


Enjoy!

SH3 1946 Mod by SDFilm
Original air-dropped torpedo mod by Stiebler




-

[fitzcarraldo]

Originally Posted by SDFilm

Hi, I initially didn’t plan to release this as a full mod as it’s simply code adjustments rather than the huge modpacks which some others have created, but I haven’t seen any modern/alt-history mods here other than hearing about the occasional playing around with submarine stats, so here’s my alt-history submod for Alexmod which makes air-dropped torps are more common and there’s two distinct tech trees separating the conventional U-boats from the pseudo-modern boats.

This has custom campaigns in mind, giving example documentation on how to do that; though being very much a ‘sandbox’ mode there’s no strict rules.

--FEATURES--

* Expanded deployment of Mark 24 air-dropped torpedoes
* 2 new semi-historical submarines (Type 8, Type 12)
* Engine modifications giving increased range and reload times
* All-electric engines
* Acoustic torpedoes are now more common but are also much slower, requiring more thought in their use.





--FAQs--

What's the 1946 mod?
The SH3 1946 sub-mod for Alexmod was developed to expand the custom career system deeper into the mid-late 1940s. In 1943 there's a significant change in technology, with the allies gaining air-dropped torpedoes while the Axis gains the 2nd gen submarines; Type 8, 12 and 21. Each of these 2nd gen subs has their own tech tree of different engine modifications and advanced weapons. To be clear I haven't created the air-dropped torpedoes mod, I've just expanded their use in allied aircraft so that it's much more likely that you'll see them being used. Air-dropped torpedoes are most effective against conventional U-boats since the Type XXI is often too quiet or too fast to be caught by them, though they can sometimes catch the Type XXI if the user isn't attentive.


How do I make a custom campaign?
Use the mission editor combined with the "Submarine Port" to create missions which give you cash for more upgrades. This is similar to the in-game career mode but with the added freedom of deciding where to house your submarine (eg Spain) and having different missions, such as sailing to a particular coast to
drop-off special forces etc. Depending on how strict you set the prize money at, it can allow for faster progression; rather than waiting still 1945 to get
the Type XXI sub and then only having a mission or two to use it.

An example bounty would be:

Sink the Mark: 5,000 gold for sinking a specific ship, possibly as much as 40,000 if it's a capital ship or other strongly defended target.
Merchant Bounty: 6,000 gold for 15,000 tons of shipping
Military Bounty: 5,000 for 5,000 tons of military shipping
Grand Pirate: 35,000 gold for 40,000 tons of shipping
Smuggling Run: 5,000 gold for arriving at a set location and waiting 1 hour while surfaced to drop-off special forces or contraband.


How do I give my submarine a custom name?
If you want to give your submarine a pirate name or a more historical "U-something" then select your submarine in the mission editor and type in
the bottom field where it says "New Unit Name".


Why don't the "new" submarines look different?
I'm not a 3D model creator, though if you know someone who is then they're welcome to add to this project.


What's the Type 8 U-boat?
Historically it was a discontinued project to make a fast attack submarine. In this alt-history mod it's a modernisation of the Type 7, having a lot of the
Type 21's technology. It has good acceleration though its outdated hull design still makes its top speed slower than the Type 21.


What's the Type 12 AFS U-boat?
Historically it was a discontinued project called the "Advanced Fleet Ocean Boat". In this alt-history mod it's the Advanced Fleet Submarine, a huge and modernised version of the Type 9; with 30 torpedoes and vast battery reserves. Its final "Model 46E Block 2" version can prowl on battery power for over 8,000 miles. This does however come at a cost in performance; it's so heavy that its acceleration is even slower than the standard Type 9. It's also the slowest of the three 2nd gen submarines.


Why have super-powered batteries rather than a nuclear sub?
I wanted to have the modern feel of being a stranger to the sea's surface, yet without having the speed and near-limitless range of an SSN sub; so the
all-electric submarines with long endurance batteries was a good compromise.


Why do acoustic torpedoes move at 12 knots?
I wanted to expand the use of guided torpedoes, but this made it unbalanced since having 6 guided torps could easily mean 6 sunk destroyers. So instead
I made the guided torpedoes to be similar to the US air-dropped torpedo; having slow speeds but long ranges, thus being more like a mobile mine rather than a modern guided torp. This has balanced out the gameplay so that guided torps are still useful yet not being so overpowered that you can sail into enemy fleets without a challenge. The arming distance (the time that it takes for the torpedo to start tracking) has been reduced (especially on the later Type 5); this is partially to account for the slower speed, but also to make it generally better at close range engagements.


Have you really put Vertical Launch Systems into SH3?
In graphical terms no, as they're basically just fast torpedos but gameplay-wise they're supposed to be a proxy for VLS. You only get a very limited number of them and they use the gas system to at least partially replicate the lack of stealth that Cold Waters simulates. Ideally they should have a long minimum range and immediately alert any nearby ships to your location, but having gas bubbles rather than electric was a small step towards that goal.
These travel at 95 knots, which is slow by missile standards but I wanted there to be at least some challenge in using them especially since they have almost no minimum range so they'd otherwise be a free kill.


What's a "Military Licence"?
In this alt-history campaign you're more like a mercenary or pirate rather than a commissioned officer, so some advanced technology requires more
than just gold to acquire them; it's also why there's "gold" or "credits" rather than "renown". You gain a military licence after completing a high-risk mission, typically against a capital ship.


They're German submarines, so why do they use the American "Block" system of upgrades?
It just gives a more "Cold Waters" feel to it IMO. If you'd prefer to make the names more Germanic then you can easily change the mod names to
something like "Ausf B" or "Type VIIIB/46".


Enjoy!

SH3 1946 Mod by SDFilm
Original air-dropped torpedo mod by Stiebler




Edit: Is there some reliable file hosting for this? It's only about 300kb zipped (1.5mb unpacked).

Very interesting...

Use Mediafire for upload the file, and copy/paste the link here.

Many thanks!

Fitzcarraldo

[SDFilm]

Originally Posted by fitzcarraldo

Very interesting...

Use Mediafire for upload the file, and copy/paste the link here.

Many thanks!

Fitzcarraldo

Thanks, link added!

[Tabris]

Best wishes on this rather unique project! I myself have done some "1946" campaign editing, though with the more modest premise of "what if France were never liberated and the French bases were unmolested through the end of the war?" I have one piece of advice for you:

Adding, removing, and generally editing naval bases in the LND layer has sometimes caused the dreaded "vertical gauges" bug for me. It's quite a time-consuming issue to test for, since it manifests only after loading saves. Use caution! Everything can look fine in tests, only for this bug to ruin everything once you finally start a career.

[SDFilm]

Update 1.6.2:


Air-dropped torpedoes are now more lethal; being more sensitive to sound, spawning closer to the submarine and also traveling for longer.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Different options to play are always nice to have

Downloaded successfully. This version is perfect for beginners like me. So excited.

[Aktungbby]

ensignsedge!