[REL] Cerberus62 Historical Ship Equipment 1.0

[Cerberus62]

Cerberus 62 Historical Ship Equipment 1.3
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Long story short
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Corrected loadout definition files of some ships, added resp. reworked texture files.


Download (CURRENT VERSION)
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v1.4 available here: https://rapidshare.com/files/4220057...ment%201.4.zip

What's the use of it?
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Perhaps you have noticed that many of the warships in SH5 have either missing or wrong secondary artillery and/or anti aircraft guns attached. For the armament of the merchant ships there's scope for improvement, too. Call it nitpicking, but for me it's annoying. That's why I started to rework the loadout definition (.eqp) files. Furthermore, some more ships now show a different armament as the war progresses (AA gun equipment is low in the early years and will grow with the increasing air threat). In addition, I reworked and in some cases added new texture files to improve realism and variable appearance of the ships you'll meet in the game at a given time. Hence it is more likely to see a camouflaged merchant ship later in the war than in the beginning. Finally, I reworked the texture files for the sea based planes, i. e. Arado Ar-196 (wings now have national insignias), Brewster F2A Buffalo and Brewster SB2A Buccaneer (corrected british roundels on upper side of wings). You'll find a listing with the changed items in section "Modified ships". There are sample pictures of some of the new textures in the documentation folder of this mod.

A few examples
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Install
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Install with JSGME. Please read the doc file included in this mod for further information.

Tested with SH5 patch 1.20, but should work with earlier versions as well.


Game behaviour
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You may suppose that modifying the loadout files will affect the gameplay. However, through months of testing I didn't notice an impact on the playability of the game, in particular there are no negative effects on the campaign. Planes usually will be shot down with ease while attacking ships (as it has been before), but that's a flaw in game design some AI mods already try to deal with.

Due to the game design, warships will always show the armament defined in their equipment files, merchant ships may or may not show the armament defined for a certain period.


Museum
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Bear in mind that in the museum a ship's armament appears in it's latest configuration defined in the equipment file. Therefore, you can't see an early war armament if the equipment file provides a replacement of these guns later in the war. But in the campaign you will notice a variable equipment depending on the date. In the museum the texture files are chosen at random, though some of them may never appear if their usage is limited to a short period of time in the game. Nevertheless, you'll see these textures applied on ships in the campaign.


Limitations & known bugs
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Unfortunately, the devs did not code all the gun and aircraft models needed for an accurate equipment, e. g. the game lacks the 2 cm C/30-38 single mount and 3.7 cm SK C/30 double mount AA guns used on many german warships. Thus, I had to fiddle with the stuff available in the game and often had to use an incorrect model file to resemble a needed gun. In a lot of cases, the results remain dissatisfying.

I didn't drive the alteration to the limits. E. g., if you'll never meet a Brooklyn class cruiser in the campaign before 1942, there is no need to define all of the armament changes that has been done before June of 1941. This keeps the entries in the equipment files clear.

The haze grey texture file of the battleship Bismarck/Tirpitz has a minor flaw at the upper superstructure that I haven't fixed yet (texture rework is time consuming).


Modified ships
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(as released with v1.3, see doc file for latest information)

NAGC_C2Appalachian (Appalachian class amphibious flagship): Adjusted single/double Bofors and Oerlikon AA guns and searchlights. Reworked textures (colour scheme of landing crafts fixed), disabled the black hull paintwork as it has never been used in reality on these kind of ships.

NAGP_CarlPeters (Carl Peters class fleet tender): Changed light AA gun (40mm Twin Bofors as a substitute for the missing 3.7 cm Twin SK C/30).

NAMC_Komet (auxilliary cruiser Schiff 45/HSK 7 "Komet"): Added main artillery and stern gun. Additional texture (black hull, light grey superstructures).

NAMC_Penguin (auxilliary cruiser Schiff 33/HSK 5 "Pinguin"): Changed AA against stern gun. No main artillery added because gun barrels would point through the hidden gun hatches in the hull, thus looking weird. Additional texture (black hull, light grey superstructures).

NAMC_Rawalpindi (armed merchant cruiser Rawalpindi): Adjusted Oerlikon AA guns, added searchlights.

NBB_Bismarck (Bismarck class battleship): Adjustments to light AA guns. Added haze grey camouflage without the swastikas fore and aft as Tirpitz displayed Mar-Jul 1941 and Dec 1941-Feb 1942. Due to german law the revised texture for Bismarck is not included as it contains a forbidden symbol and might be suitable to offend people as well.

NBB_Nelson (Nelson class battleship): Adjusted light AA armament, texture rework (deck colour has been too dark), added texture (blue bar on hull as HMS Nelson displayed in 1944).

NBB_New_York (New York Class Battleship): Texture rework (deck colour too pale).

NBB_North_Carolina (North Carolina class battleship): Texture rework (deck colour has been too dark).

NBB_RoyalSovereign (Revenge class battleship): Adjusted AA armament, texture rework (deck colour has been too dark).

NBB_Schleswig_Holstein (Deutschland class pre-dreadnought battleship): Adjusted early war AA armament.

NBC_Deutschland (Deutschland class pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee): Adjusted light AA guns. Texture file rework (reduced rust on the hull in haze grey camo).

NBC_Hood (battlecruiser HMS Hood): Added secondary artillery and AA guns previously completely missing until Jan 1940.

NBC_Renown (Renown class battlecruiser): Added secondary artillery and light AA guns previously missing until Jan 1940. Texture rework (deck colour too pale).

NBC_Scharnhorst (Scharnhorst class battlecruiser): Added/replaced missing secondary artillery, torpedo tubes and heavy AA guns. Due to a bad alignment in the sim file the 15 cm twin turrets and the 10.5 cm AA guns point seawards at rest. Adjustments to light AA guns. Texture file rework (reduced rust on the hull in haze grey camo).

NCA_Admiral_Hipper (Admiral Hipper class heavy cruiser): Torpedo tubes corrected to four batteries with three tubes each instead of four, adjustments to light AA guns.

NCA_Kent (Kent class heavy cruiser): Replaced two of the heavy AA gun turrets with light AA guns.

NCA_Northampton (Northampton class heavy cruiser): Added/replaced missing 5 inch/25 heavy and light AA guns. Irregular camo disabled, since gun turrets don't suit the dark Measure 32 colour scheme.

NCA_Trento (Trento class heavy cruiser): Added missing 100 mm/47 secondary artillery, adjusted AA guns.

NCL_Bartolomeo (Di Giussano class light cruiser): Added missing secondary artillery/heavy AA guns (100 mm twin turrets), adjusted light AA guns, texture rework (missing aerial identification marks).

NCL_Brooklyn (Brooklyn class light cruiser): Added/replaced missing 5 inch/38 secondary artillery, adjusted AA guns. Irregular camo will no longer be used, since gun turrets don't suit the dark "Measure 32" colour scheme.

NCL_Emden (light cruiser Emden): Added completely missing torpedo tubes

NCL_Konigsberg (Königsberg class light cruiser): Replaced three of the light AA guns with the model of the 10.5 cm SK C/33 AA gun (looks similar to the desired 8.8 cm L/76 AA gun), adjustments to light AA guns. Torpedo tubes corrected to four batteries with three tubes each instead of four. Texture rework (faulty shadow at aft superstructures).

NCL_Montecuccoli (Condottieri class light cruiser): Added/replaced heavy and light AA guns.

NCO_Flower (Flower class corvette): Adjusted light AA guns. Texture assigned to the correct file (vanilla game used the texture of Black Swan class sloop for Canadian and Kiwi units before, dispersing wrong colours all over hull and superstructures).

NCV_Ark_Royal (carrier HMS Ark Royal): Replaced eight AA guns to 4.5 inch QF in double turrets, replaced aircrafts to variable amounts of Fairey Swordfishs, Brewster F2A Buffalos (and a Supermarine Walrus).

NCV_Courageous (carrier HMS Courageous): Replaced AA guns, changed aircrafts to Fairey Swordfishs.

NCV_Eagle (carrier HMS Eagle): Unrealistic model, it's a proxy of NCV_Illustrious. However, changed heavy AA guns and the composition of her air crew.

NCV_Furious (carrier HMS Furious): Replaced heavy AA guns and aircrafts.

NCV_Hermes (carrier HMS Hermes): Looks nothing like the real thing, just a proxy of NCV_Illustrious. Changed planes anyway.

NCV_Illustrious (Illustrious class carrier): Replaced heavy and light AA guns, different aircraft groups consisting of Brewster SB2A Buccaneer, F2A Buffalos and Fairey Swordfishs.

NCVE_Archer (escort carrier HMS Archer): Adjusted types/positions of AA guns and types/positions of aircrafts.

NCVE_Attacker (Attacker class escort carrier): Unrealistic model, proxy of NCVE_Bogue, adjusted types/positions of AA guns and types/positions of aircrafts. Additional texture (medium grey).

NCVE_Audacity (escort carrier HMS Audacity): Unrealistic model, proxy of NCVE_Long_Island. Adjusted types/positions of AA guns and types/positions of aircrafts.

NCVE_Avenger (Avenger class escort carrier): Unrealistic model, proxy of NCVE_Bogue. Adjusted types/positions of AA guns and types/positions of aircrafts. Additional texture (medium grey).

NCVE_Bogue (Bogue class escort carrier): Adjusted types/positions of AA guns and types/positions of aircrafts. Additional overall grey texture.

NCVE_Charger (escort carrier USS Charger): Unrealistic model, proxy of NCVE_Bogue. Changed to more suitable NCVE_Long_Island model file. Adjusted types/positions of AA guns and types/positions of aircrafts.

NCVE_Long_Island (Long Island class escort carrier): Adjusted types/positions of AA guns and types/positions of aircrafts. Additional Measure 22 camouflage texture.

NCVE_Sangamon (Sangamon class escort carrier): Unrealistic model, proxy of NCVE_Bogue. Adjusted types/positions of AA guns and types/positions of aircrafts. Additional texture (medium grey).

NDD_A&B (A class destroyer): Adjusted light AA guns and searchlight.

NDD_Fletcher (Fletcher class destroyer): Added texture with haze grey camouflage.

NDD_Keith (B class destroyer): Adjusted light AA guns.

NDD_Rocket (R class destroyer): Adjusted/replaced light AA guns and searchlight.

NDD_Somers (Somers class destroyer): Adjusted light and medium AA guns, texture rework (faulty shadow on bridge top).

NDD_Type34 (Type 1934 destroyer): Adjusted light AA guns, added new texture (overall light grey).

NDD_Type36A (Type 1936 A destroyer): Added unit by using the Type 1934 destroyer files as proxy, replaced main artillery, adjusted light AA guns. Comes with two textures - light grey and a new dazzle camo.

NDE_Buckley (Buckley class destroyer escort): Adjusted/replaced main artillery and light/medium AA guns.

NDE_Evarts (Evarts class destroyer escort): Adjusted light AA guns.

NKMSS_HogIsland (Hog Islander type A): The vanilla game loadout (quadruple QF 2 pdr and double Oerlikon) is questionable but unchanged, since the sim file lacks definitions for credible gun spaces. Additional texture (dazzle camouflage).

NKSCS_N3SA1 (coastal cargo ship type NS-3-A1): Additional textures (black hull, split dark/light grey hull and dazzle camouflage).

NLST_Transport (Landing Ship, Tank): Adjusted medium AA (single/double mounted Bofors guns) and light AA guns.

NOL_T3Cimmaron (Cimarron class oiler type T3-S2-A1): Reduced early war armament, gradually increasing through the years. Oil tankers were usually moderately armed, the heavy-armed T2 and T3 class oilers appeared later in the war, at least in the north atlantic theatre of operations. Added searchlight.

NOM_Ranger (Ranger class fleet support tanker): Reworked texture (errors in black hull painting removed, wooden deck).

NPL_C3Middleton (Arthur Middleton class attack transport): Adjusted medium and light AA guns.

NPL_ConteVerde (ocean liner/troopship): Added medium grey texture.

NPP_QueenMary (ocean liner RMS Queen Mary): Added haze grey texture (nicknamed the "Grey Ghost" she displayed this camouflage not till spring of 1940).

NTR_Rawalpindi (troop transport): Adjusted Oerlikon AA guns, added searchlights.

NVV (Victory ship): Reworked texture (black hull, wooden deck).

History
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v1.0 27 Sep 2010 First release

v1.1 28 Sep 2010 Added missing folders for british and italian units

v1.2 17 Oct 2010 CL Brooklyn class: New 5 inch/38 twin turrets, CV Courageous class: Changed aircraft since lower flight deck most likely not in use after 1935, additional overall grey texture for CVE Bogue class and it's proxies, additional USN Measure 22 graded camouflage for CVE Long Island, CVE Charger uses CVE Long Island files as proxy instead of CVE Bogue, minor adjustments to a few merchant ships (armament, texture file usage), CA Trento: Corrected 100mm/47 cal guns

v1.3 29 Oct 2010 All german warships now utilize the model file of the 40mm Twin Bofors as a substitute for the missing 3.7 cm Twin SK C/30 (looks more like the real thing than the 2 cm Quadruple Mount that has been used before), CA Admiral Hipper Class: Corrected torpedo tubes (triple batteries aft instead of quadruple). Regrettably, the forward tubes are not shown due to limitations of the sim file). Corrected texture anti-alializing of 1936A type destroyer.

v1.4 8 Dec 2010 NCL_Brooklyn (adjusted 5"/25 single mounts), new NCL_Savannah as proxy for modified Brooklyn class cruisers USS Savannah and USS Honolulu (5"/38 Mk 32 twin turrets), NCA_Northampton (adjusted 5"/25 guns), names.cfg now includes entries for ship types of Cerberus62 Additional Merchant Ships v1.1.

Note to modders
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Feel free to use of this mod what you like and dump the rest.

[TheDarkWraith]

I can probably add the missing needed guns

[Cerberus62]

Originally Posted by TheDarkWraith

I can probably add the missing needed guns

That would be great, Darkwraith.

Some thoughts:

1. Where will you get the models from? Build by scratch? Would be a punch of work, since there are so many guns missing.

2. An impact on the game performance should be avoided at all costs.

3. Would this be dummy guns or might it be possible to make them behave like "original" SH5 guns, including animation for turning, elevation and muzzle flash?

[SashaKA001]

and it is normal that in the folder "British" and "Italian" no folder "Sea" Cerberus62 Historical Ship Equipment 1.0\data\Roster\, or the way it should

[TheDarkWraith]

Originally Posted by Cerberus62

That would be great, Darkwraith.

Some thoughts:

1. Where will you get the models from? Build by scratch? Would be a punch of work, since there are so many guns missing.

2. An impact on the game performance should be avoided at all costs.

3. Would this be dummy guns or might it be possible to make them behave like "original" SH5 guns, including animation for turning, elevation and muzzle flash?

they would be fully functional guns. I'd get them from SH3/4. You tell me which SH3/4 guns you need and I'll work on it It never hurts to try....if it doesn't work it doesn't work but at least I tried to make it work.

[DavyJonesFootlocker]

will test out this one.

[SteelViking]

Very cool mod Cerberus62. Definitely a must have realism mod for me.

[Cerberus62]

Originally Posted by SashaKA001

and it is normal that in the folder "British" and "Italian" no folder "Sea" Cerberus62 Historical Ship Equipment 1.0\data\Roster\, or the way it should

Argh, yes, that's a fault. This happens because of a last minute change I made.

You're absolutely right, there should be folders "sea" inside the folders \data\roster\british and \data\roster\italian\ The corresponding ".eqp
-files" HAVE to be THERE.

I'll correct it this evening... Sorry, guys.

[Sepp von Ch.]

It listens very good! I will wait for a corrected version.

[pascal4541]

big encouragement for good work
Thank

[robbythesub]

Thanks for your efforts on this, I agree a great addition to those areas that are not correct as standard.

Downloading now.

[Cerberus62]

Originally Posted by TheDarkWraith

they would be fully functional guns. I'd get them from SH3/4. You tell me which SH3/4 guns you need and I'll work on it It never hurts to try....if it doesn't work it doesn't work but at least I tried to make it work.

These are good news, DarkWraith. Thanks for your proposal, but... Once in a blue moon I stopped subsimming with Silent Hunter II after a lot of efforts to change sonars, asdics, depth charge ranges etc. So I missed the whole story of SH3 and SH4 (didn't get them because my old PC was waaay too slow). And I just reentered the subsimming world with SH5. Hence I don't know the guns that are available in SH3/4. Means some detention for me, right?

But I'm pleased to make a listing of the guns and mountings the game lacks. That's what I would suggest, hope it helps. The items are sorted by importance:

1) 3.7 cm SK C/30 double mounting (all german warships)
2) 2 cm C/30 or C/38 single mounting (all german warships)
3) 4.5 inch QF Mk III double mounting BD Mk. II (CV Illustrious class, BB Queen Elizabeth class, BC Renown class)
4) 4.7 inch QF Mk VIII single mounting (CV Courageous class, BB Nelson class)
5) 5 inch/25 Mk 11/Mk 13 single mounting (CA Northampton class, CL Brooklyn class)
6) 3 inch/50 Mk 22 single mounting (DD Fletcher class, american merchant ships)
7) 2 cm C/38 double mounting (many german warships later in the war)
- to be continued -

Of course, the order of importance is a matter of opinion. I'm voting for the 3.7 cm SK C/30 to be build first, because of the lack of alternatives (the 40 mm double Bofors and the 2 cm quadruple gun beeing either too big or to small - and both are not looking similar to this gun). Moreover, you'll notice this flaw every time you leave the port for a patrol, as soon as you pass a german warship. So it's prevalent and thus annoying.

The other guns in this list are rated by frequency of occurrence (Used on how many ships? Likeliness of appearance in the time line?). Therefore I consider the guns of the Regia Marina as less important, because you'll meet italian capital ships in the "Mare Nostrum" campaign only, if at all. Yet from a modelers view, the armament of the italian cruisers is also in need for a revision (100 mm/47 twin turrets, amongst others).

[Cerberus62]

Hi folks,

new version 1.2 available. See first posting of this thread for details and preview.

Thanks for the kind replies so far! As always, any suggestions for improvements and bug reports are much appreciated.

Have fun!

[Zedi]

Thank You, great mod .. a must have one.

[THE_MASK]

Another must have mod , thankyou .