Okay is SH1 still alive? Do you play?

[aanker]

Originally Posted by Gryffon300

..... (like SHII being unplayable on nVidia cards, ........

I'm not so sure, I'm running SHCE, SH2 Pacific Aces, and SH4 on a NVIDIA card now with no problems - and other than me just being lucky I don't know why I can.

In the past I've torn a lot of my hair out doing one on one installs through email using other, older install procedures.

Sure am happy that DOSBox has made it possible and easier to keep playing these old classics on modern computers. I think it's only going to get better!

Happy Hunting!

Art

[BelegDraug]

Sure I do! With my netbook...

[TorpX]

Originally Posted by Gryffon300

Lots of people struggle with CTD and installation issues. Now, a lot of it revolves around stupidity and failing to read instructions, but some are clearly system/hardware related (like SHII being unplayable on nVidia cards, due to text getting graphically murdered.) Scattered through all these threads are lots of hints and tips about 4Gig patches, 3 Gig switches, optimising page file settings etc, programs to minimise background apps, and switching off interrupting programs (like firewalls).

These things would appear to be important to know about regardless of which game one wishes to play, or which platform/OS/or hardware configuration you have, but the LOWER your computer's spec, I would say the MORE IMPORTANT these tweaks become. My guess is that the majority DON'T have a 64 Bit OS with 8Gig of RAM and anther 4 Gig on their graphics card.

So, would it be possible for someone with computer smarts to compile a SEQUENTIAL list of recommendations to optimise hardware performance ESPECIALLY relevant for those wishing to run additional Mods - hence requiring much more of the system?

I think it's a good idea. There is a lot of technical info on the forum, but sorting through it is very time consuming. This would save people from having to re-invent the wheel.

[oche]

What i really miss about SH1 is the TDC. Best of all series. If i would go back to SH1 this would be the No. 1 reason.

[aanker]

Yup - combine the SHCE game with the SH4 world & graphics, and somebody could make a good sub sim!

Happy Hunting!

Art

[TorpX]

Originally Posted by oche

What i really miss about SH1 is the TDC. Best of all series. If i would go back to SH1 this would be the No. 1 reason.

Yes, the TDC was good. I tried to start up a session with on my old computer, but the CD drive is not working.

The thing that bothered me about SHCE was the teleporting between areas and the way the patrol zones were goofed up. That, and the overabundence of shipping. I've read that the game was not "moddible". Does anyone know if that's true?

[aanker]

Originally Posted by TorpX

Yes, the TDC was good. I tried to start up a session with on my old computer, but the CD drive is not working.

The thing that bothered me about SHCE was the teleporting between areas and the way the patrol zones were goofed up. That, and the overabundence of shipping. I've read that the game was not "moddible". Does anyone know if that's true?

That is mostly true. I'm sure you are aware of Hawk's Utilities that made the boats more realistic, changed the tonnage on all Maru's, edit your rank, Patrol Zone selector, New boat and hull number...

Then Kim made his Torpedo Change Tool that did all of the above plus change the torpedo type and loadout.

We desperately wanted the Gilbert's and other areas and I got a taste of a reverse engineered PZ discombobulator and actually saw the Sun & Moon in the PZ for every day along with a lot of code and colored blocks of code representing things. Kim was looking into making a 16th PZ then SH4 came out.

I think he could have done it. The Lat & Long are off several degrees in SH1 so he made a Lat/Long offset in a plotter tool.

Aside from Hawk's Utilities and Kim's TCT SH1 is hard coded and not moddable.

I would ignore a percentage of contacts because of the over abundance of shipping. At least the shipping routes were reasonably accurate.

Happy Hunting!

Art

[TorpX]

Originally Posted by aanker

That is mostly true. I'm sure you are aware of Hawk's Utilities that made the boats more realistic, changed the tonnage on all Maru's, edit your rank, Patrol Zone selector, New boat and hull number...

Yes, I used Hawk's Utilities, at least most of them.

Originally Posted by aanker

We desperately wanted the Gilbert's and other areas and I got a taste of a reverse engineered PZ discombobulator and actually saw the Sun & Moon in the PZ for every day along with a lot of code and colored blocks of code representing things. Kim was looking into making a 16th PZ then SH4 came out.

I think he could have done it. The Lat & Long are off several degrees in SH1 so he made a Lat/Long offset in a plotter tool.

I didn't try any plotter tool.
What I was refering to is the Lat/Lon being far off in the PZ's. By that I mean a degree being only 25 or 30 nm instead of the correct 60 or whatever. I made a table with the in-game values so I could calculate interceptions when needed. For some reason every PZ was different (but all were wrong); I could never figure out why. IIRC, the island of Borneo was only about half it's real-life size in the game! I always wanted to change that. Stuff like that just bugs me.

Originally Posted by aanker

Aside from Hawk's Utilities and Kim's TCT SH1 is hard coded and not moddable.

Too bad.

[aanker]

Originally Posted by TorpX

I didn't try any plotter tool.

What I was refering to is the Lat/Lon being far off in the PZ's. By that I mean a degree being only 25 or 30 nm instead of the correct 60 or whatever. I made a table with the in-game values so I could calculate interceptions when needed. For some reason every PZ was different (but all were wrong); I could never figure out why. IIRC, the island of Borneo was only about half it's real-life size in the game! I always wanted to change that. Stuff like that just bugs me.

Poor Kim must have tore his hair out making the ENOPTC plotting tool because like you say, they are all off and none are the same-off. I know what you meant by they are off though.

From his Readme:

In SH 1 latitude minute is equal to 1 longitude minute and this varies in distance from map to map.

The navigational program actually has corrections factors for longitude as well as latitude – I never dreamt that anyone with any navigational knowledge would so bluntly disregard what any sailor knows – that there is a difference of longitude and latitude minutes in distance, one varies with position and the other is constant. I took me a long time to recognize this, I was full of disbelief.

The (complicated) tool used a large jpg of the PZ and you could navigate using it by calculating course, distance, speed and time. I think one could draw both red and blue lines on this map. Sightings on the in-game big map were only permitted if the weather was not overcast. Pretty hard not being able to zoom out to the big map.

It was a lot of fun back then.......

[TorpX]

In SH 1 latitude minute is equal to 1 longitude minute and this varies in distance from map to map.

The navigational program actually has corrections factors for longitude as well as latitude – I never dreamt that anyone with any navigational knowledge would so bluntly disregard what any sailor knows – that there is a difference of longitude and latitude minutes in distance, one varies with position and the other is constant. I took me a long time to recognize this, I was full of disbelief.

That was pretty much my reaction.

I kept checking my figures looking for a (reasonable?) expanation.

Well I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was bothered by this.

[oche]

My biggest dissapointment with SHIV is that it does not have an independent view to the TDC like SH1 had where you could back to see the gauges of the TDC. I know that the Pacific Aces mod has the SH2 engine limitations with the TDC engine and did not have a "manual" Position keeper function for the TDC but still you can "track" ships in AUTO mode and go back to the independent TDC station to see the TDC gauges rolling so i guess for the mod purposes that passes for an automatic TDC with a PK, just like in subs with more than 4 bow tubes the tube 5 and 6 are allocated to tube No. 4 because of the SH2 engine limitations.

[TorpX]

I agree, the lack of a proper TDC in SH4 was a big slip up. I've never played SH2. It seems like SH 1,3, and 4 have their fans, but not so much SH2. I was thinking of trying either SH2 of Destroyer Command sometime.

[aanker]

I enjoy Pacific Aces which uses the SH2 game engine however because of the save game bug you need to do the patrol in one session. If you save mid-patrol the Escorts are no longer aggressive when you resume your patrol. Otherwise it is a nice mod. Keep in mind it is older so don't judge it by SH4 or 3 standards. I should be clear that the save game bug is a SH2 bug not a PA bug.

Once I finish re-installing SH4 and have it configured again SHCE is next - through DOSBox. Third on my list for this new computer will be PA!

Happy Hunting!

Art

[oche]

Yes, the SH2 save game bug is a real turn off. I know that fleet boats had also sonar heads under the keel but one good thing about Pacific Aces and SH2 that adds realism is that you can turn off your sonar heads while surfaced so you don't cheat (is it cheating?) listening incoming ships while going at flank speed.

[aanker]

Originally Posted by oche

Yes, the SH2 save game bug is a real turn off. I know that fleet boats had also sonar heads under the keel but one good thing about Pacific Aces and SH2 that adds realism is that you can turn off your sonar heads while surfaced so you don't cheat (is it cheating?) listening incoming ships while going at flank speed.

IMO, anyone patrolling at flank speed isn't interested in realism. The US boats could pick up sonar contacts while patrolling surfaced at realistic speeds - or even stopped on the surface as one famous skipper would do.

"Is it cheating?" - I know in my heart if I am cheating - or intending to cheat. I try to patrol realistically - yes, I do RTB with a bag full of sunk ships that is a higher number than some boats sunk their entire life, but that is the game part of it.

All in all, PA is still a great sub sim.

Happy Hunting!

Art