[REL] The Game Fixes Only Mod

Originally Posted by rocco

I didn't know there was another mod at work in this.

Hopefully the way I have it set up now will work just fine.

well i havent had time for modding or playing the game much lately so im guessing by memory here but yes it will definately cause side effects because it changes the menu text and menu_1024_768 files.

i dont think theres anything GFO cant run fine without because i tried to make sure GFO was designed to be easy to dissect and most of whats in it doesnt need other things to make it work so if you change a file you only lose what that file does.

here are some things i can think of right off hand that will be lost:

the mesage box starting as transparent
the new message and tool tip wording for the SD Antenna and radar depth
the new keyboard command changess and command buttons
and maybe the SD Antenna might stop going up and down

EDIT: forgive me rocco but my memory was a little fuzzy on everything that went into GFO but i double checked my notes and the SCAF is NOT in GFO, i left it out on purpose because many people hate it and think of it as a cheat so i left it out of my manuvering fix for that very reason and since it wasnt in my manuvering fix then its not in GFO. i will have to do a GFO patch for using the SCAF so you dont lose any of the above mentioned features so i'll do that when i do my next patch.

its been hard finding time to do anything, but i do want to do a patch to address a few things.


something is coming soon for GFO but it wont be anything much, more of some refinements of whats already in there and maybe add what i can of fixes that have been done since GFO was released.


maybe one weekend i'll just get a case of beer, lock the door, piss off the old lady (so i'm left alone to get lots of peace and quiet )

and maybe then i can get some of this stuff done.



some of what i have already ready for my next GFO patch is:

- fixed two of tambors single missions with ctd issues and add 2 more very popular single misions from other modders (see below)
- add the tench sub for stock mod
- add my mouse arrow mod
- add the new smaller clear message box
- add the pearl harbor menu mod
- add the Office Links, Info Boxes, and 50 cal fix
- included extra files to update the read me list, mods list, to give credit to "Ishigami" for his "Planes For Rabaul" single mission and to credit "Hazelwood" for the "Palau Gauntlet" single mission and "Peabody" for fixing the "Palau Gauntlet" single mission to work for v1.5


things i want to add but havent done yet:
(i need to get permissions and check for conflicts and such)

- add different smoke for mercahants and warships (but only if i can get help with merging it with GFO's already modded particles.dat file)

- the better watch crew needs to be reworked (to fix how specialty titles are shown)

- add the longer wakes mod (but only if it will work for stock since its made as a tmo mod)

and im sure there are a few other things i have forgotten about that need tweaking or maybe something you wish i would leave out of GFO to be something you can add only if you want it so share your opinions with me but im not saying i will definately take your advice lol.


NOTE: i would like to update my ship manuvering fix mod and complete RFB and TMO versions of it as well but im waiting until TMO v1.8 is released

im not saying i will do it, in fact i'm pretty sure i wont due to the huge file size but i would like to know how many people would like to see me do a GFO version with an environmental mod already built in?

if i did it, would you prefer the new Real Env, Env 5.0 or PE4 mod be used and why?


see the first post to vote in the poll

[tonschk]

Hello there " WEBSTER " thank you for your hard work to fix this Amazing SH4 game , can you tell me please if you think I can start to swap the " Real Environmental " mod , with the newer W_Clear mod " Atlantic-Pacific Submarine Warfare Mod by w_clear " because I think it looks like this newer Mod made by W_Clear have not just the older " Real Environmental " mod but also have included more additionals mods for the german U-Boat

Originally Posted by tonschk

can you tell me please if you think I can start to swap the " Real Environmental " mod , with the newer W_Clear mod " Atlantic-Pacific Submarine Warfare Mod by w_clear " because I think it looks like this newer Mod made by W_Clear have not just the older " Real Environmental " mod but also have included more additionals mods for the german U-Boat

well ANY environmental mod would work with GFO but some files used in Env mods (scene.dat) are used by other mods so i had to add some settings to the scene.dat to keep the smaller rain mod in GFO and i also had to restore a few texture files to keep the less water limber holes and brighter torpedo wakes mods from not working.

if the newer mod is changing the scene.dat files different then the Real Env mod settings, then the Real Env GFO patch should NOT be used and this means everything will work fine but because you are not able to use the "Real Env patch for GFO" you will lose the smaller rain, less water limber holes and brighter torpedo wakes mods in GFO. (this is also true if the PE 4 or Env 5.0 mods are used)

if the newer mod is NOT changing the scene.dat files different then the Real Env mod settings, then the Real Env GFO patch will work for it too and it should be used and this means everything will work fine.

i'll have to look into this new mod and if need be i'll make a GFO patch for it when its completed (completed = finished with no more changes or WIP)

[tonschk]

Amazing , Thank you very very much " WEBSTER " , I am thinking about the way to fix the maximum amount of bugs of this SH4 game ,

Originally Posted by tonschk

Amazing , Thank you very very much " WEBSTER " , I am thinking about the way to fix the maximum amount of bugs of this SH4 game ,

yep, thats the way i felt too and thats what drove me to do GFO.

at the time there was very little support for such a mod because the prevailing wisdom was, if you want stuff fixed then just use RFB or TMO.

making GFO was a real challenge and not so very different as the challenge of evading the elite destroyers in the game so i enjoyed it but then somewhere during the build i added a few "extras" to correct things that really bugged me so its not truely a "pure" fixes only mod like i had hoped it to be.

if i can help you with anything let me know

[Armistead]

Wish you would make an optional patch to make escorts harder...

Tried to read most of the post here ...

What about adding extra ships, like the ones created by miner?

You ever plan to make a version to work with RSRD or would it have to work the other way...


Gonna give it a spin..........

Originally Posted by Armistead

Wish you would make an optional patch to make escorts harder...

Tried to read your most of the post...

What about adding extra ships, like the ones created by miner?

You ever plan to make a version to work with RSRD or would it have to work the other way...


Gonna give it a spin..........

you can add any mod you want to GFO but in some cases a file you change could "break" some mod thats already in GFO but it will still work. the only side effect from a conflict is some element may revert back to stock.

as for adding ships, i didnt do this because some ships are done better than others and adding them into the campaign would then cause conflicts with any mods added after that change the roster or campaign files which is something i really wanted to avoid. its easy enough for you to add your own ships and it is much easier for you to control the mod install order to avoid conflicts.

the idea behind GFO is to give you a mod thats complete as far as the fixes go but its up to "you" to finish it to your own personal tastes if you want to. so GFO is like having the cake without the icing and now its up to you to choose the icing you want to use or you can just leave it plain.

the GFO mod has harder DD than stock because it uses the "Improved Escorts" (standard version) by kakemann found here:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=113489

so if you want it to be even harder then try the elite version of his mod with GFO but i did not want it to be like TMO or RFB because favorite difficulty levels are a very personal thing so i wanted that to be left to your choice.

i saw no point in making "another" version of TMO or RFB, they are very good mods for high difaculty players but i wanted something in between stock and "hard" so the regular average guy just wanting to have fun playing the game can get the most fixed game he can without a major overhaul of the game. but i like your idea of doing a patch for added difficulty to elite status so i'll add that to the to do list for my upcoming patch.


in case you missed it heres the install order for using RSRDC and Real Env.


Mod Installation order for GFO + RSRDC v401:

-stock game v1.5
-Game Fixes Only Mod
-RSRDC v401 for stock
-GFO Patch for RSRDC v401
-then install the GFO Snorkel Name Fix only if needed


Mod Installation order for GFO + Real Env #1:

-stock game v1.5
-Game Fixes Only Mod
-Real Environments #1
-GFO Patch for Real Environments #1
-then install the GFO Snorkel Name Fix only if needed


Mod Installation order for GFO + Real Env #1 + RSRDC v401:

-stock game v1.5
-Game Fixes Only Mod
-Real Environments #1
-GFO Patch for Real Environments #1
-RSRDC v401 for stock
-GFO Patch for RSRDC v401
-then install the GFO Snorkel Name Fix only if needed


NOTE - think of GFO as if it was the stock game when you are trying to decide on the correct install order for using additional mods.

[tonschk]

Hello there .please Webster can you give me your opinion about this flaw ? the problem is that in the SH3 version the Sub dive properly tilted with the bow down and the rear of the sub up , the problem with SH4 is that the sub dive mainly horizontally ( with the bow slightly up ) , this kill a bit the inmersion factor in SH4 , can you tell me please if you think is a way to correct the way the sub dive and increase the dive degree to become more tilted

Originally Posted by tonschk

Hello there .please Webster can you give me your opinion about this flaw ? the problem is that in the SH3 version the Sub dive properly tilted with the bow down and the rear of the sub up , the problem with SH4 is that the sub dive mainly horizontally ( with the bow slightly up ) , this kill a bit the inmersion factor in SH4 , can you tell me please if you think is a way to correct the way the sub dive and increase the dive degree to become more tilted

here is what i know about sh4 and the sub angles, the subs have a horizontal line straight through the sub where all the zones and spheres are aligned with and this controls floatation and sinking of ships. on fleet subs it is completely horizontal which is wrong and why the fleet subs that should be riding with the bow and deck tilted upward are floating with the bow and deck flat to the horizon so the bow draft is too low while the stern draft is too high. to fix this you would need to change the boats model so that the horizontal line is parallel with with the waterline and not the deck. (look at the painted waterline as a guide)

im pretty sure it could be done with s3d by realigning things correctly but im not very experienced with doing stuff like that in s3d so i never tried to do it but i would think its doable if you have the time to work it out so the sub floats, sinks, dives, surfaces, and manuvers correctly. i doubt you would need to adjust any of that but it must be checked to be sure there are no side effects from any change you make.

now to your question:

the dive angles are tricky as i understand it. i think it involves the flood rate of the balast tanks to control dive times and i am pretty sure it would be connected to what i said above about the spheres being aligned so the flotation is not too far forward and lets the bow dive or dip properly but not too far so it still levels off correctly. there is a control in the sim file (fr_ratio) that will shift the balance point of the sub (i think its range goes from +5 to -5) this could help in your efforts but i find you get more unwanted side effects from it than any real benefit so i wouldnt recommend going past +1 to -1 range. if you decide to change this number then do lots and lots of testing and if you go too far you will find that you can be uncontrolably bobbing nose up or nose down with any minor flooding. to do what ou want i think you first have to correct the proper horizintal line of floatation.

[tonschk]

Thank you for your answer , to understand properly I must read carefully every word of your answer because I have zero experience with S3D


Can you tell me please if you agree with me about the SH4 subs dont have a properly dive angle with the bow down ?

regards

[Munchausen]

Originally Posted by tonschk

... this kill a bit the inmersion factor in SH4....

If I was watching my boat dive from outside, immersion factor would already be zero. From inside the boat, compartments tilt the wrong way in the default game. I think one or more of the mods fixes that bug.

Originally Posted by tonschk

Thank you for your answer , to understand properly I must read carefully every word of your answer because I have zero experience with S3D


Can you tell me please if you agree with me about the SH4 subs dont have a properly dive angle with the bow down ?

regards

well i dont think the subs have the proper angle to start with which is what i talked about in my post above but to answer your question directly i cannot say for sure what would be the correct dive angle.

i am not experienced enough with subs to say this. i think you really need someone who has done a lot of research on it or someone who has been on a sub during dives to give his opinion on what is or isnt correct on the dive angles because im sure speed plays a big part in it.

but in my uneducated opinion the subs dive like an elevator in a building does and not like a dive plane moving through the water is controling them so yes i agree with you on this.

Originally Posted by Munchausen

If I was watching my boat dive from outside, immersion factor would already be zero. From inside the boat, compartments tilt the wrong way in the default game. I think one or more of the mods fixes that bug.

hmm... i dont remember seeing that mod, do you have a link for it?