Realism- and gameplay-related hardcode fixes for SH3.EXE

[Magic1111]

Originally Posted by FIREWALL

Hi h.sie I have Version: V15G1 installed and works GREAT.

My problem is downloading your latest Version: V15G2 form your MediaFire site.

When I click "download" it wants me to install MediaFire toolbar Download Manager and Register.

Is there some kind of workaround I couldn't find or could it be uploaded somewhere else.

I really want this latest Version. The V15G1 I have installed now works Fantastic but, I want to keep up with latest Version to keep up with improvements.

Thank You whether you can do it or not.

I´ve try this 2times and I become no message that I should install something...

But when you become these message to install something, simple ignore these message (shut the popped up window) and continue the download. Or shut MediaFire and click again on h.sie´s Mediafire Page.

You must not install someting to download the MODs !!!

Best regards,
Magic

[ETsd4]

Originally Posted by h.sie

...
We have not finished yet and there is still some program work to do, but I'm slightly optimistic now that we can have some kind of wolfpack action and BDU interaction in sh3 in the future....

Even if i ply SH5, these are fantastic news.

[Victor Schutze]

Originally Posted by h.sie

After a long period of silence I want to give a first report about my current work together with LGN1:

We have not finished yet and there is still some program work to do, but I'm slightly optimistic now that we can have some kind of wolfpack action and BDU interaction in sh3 in the future. It will not be perfect - only a compromise is possible:

After having discovered a convoy, you have to send a contact report to BDU. Depending on the time period (late war, early war) and the location (atlantic, pacific) and some random factors, the Fix calculates a chance that other UBoats are available to help you.

If no boats are available, the BDU answers that you have to do the attack alone. Good luck!

If other boats are available, BDU orders to shadow the convoy and send contact reports EVERY HOUR (according to the UBoot commanders handbook, the contact holder has to send "Peilsignale" every hour).

Your contact reports no more contain the exact course of the convoy calculated by sh3 engine. Instead, YOU have to measure the convoys course by yourself and adjust it in a TDC Dial. That value is sent together with the contact report and (sometimes but not always) influences the chance, that the other boats will be able to find the convoy.

(According to my research, wolfpack actions were chaotic and not organized well. So I programmed a lot of randomness. Also, some BDU responses will get lost. Times in BDU orders will be inaccurate. Some of your course measurements will affect the game behaviour, others not).

The time between your contact reports influences the chance that the other boats find the convoy. If you only send every 3 hours, the chance raises that the other Subs won't find the convoy. If that situation occurs, the BDU orders to attack alone. Good luck!

If, under certain circumstances, the other Uboats managed to find the convoy, the BDU waits until environment conditions are well (dark night? Fog? I don't know exactly ATM). Then, he orders to attack in X hours. But this X also is an inaccurate time, so maybe the other Boats start to attack a little bit earlier. It is also possible, that nothing happens at all. Maybe the other Uboats have been sunk? So there will be a lot of uncertainness - as in real life.

Since I still wasn't able to reengineer the AI routines in sh3, we still use a -modified- version of Sergbutos AI-Subs. So I fear the convoy battle itself won't look very realistic IF you follow it with the external cam (what also isn't realistic), because the escorts (sometimes) shoot at the AI-Subs with their deck guns. So my suggestion is simple: Don't use the external cam - real kaleuns also didn't use it. But the AI-Subs will do their job:

* deflect/sink some convoy escorts so that you have a good chance for your own attack.

* sink some merchants so that it really looks like a battle when looking through the periscope.

* we are no more alone on the ocean.

I played a mission yesterday with an early alpha version, and as I saw all these burning and sinking merchants in the dark night, the searchlights and distress signal rockets, through the periscope, I remembered the film "Das Boot", and I must admit that I was satisfied for some seconds (knowing this is only a game and nobody really died).

h.sie

I could not even imagine that this was possible with the SH3 game engine!
Congratulations hsie for this improvement in the simulation!

[h.sie]

Oh, in the future I should think before writing. Now the expectations are rising and also the chance to be disappointed. Thus.....wait guys until having tested it before making compliments.

[Wolfstriked]

Your news is always excellent Hsie.About the vibrations at speed,found this

"The periscope consisted of a long steel tube which extended out to about five meters from the housing. It had prisms and lenses at both ends, for which there was a switch that allowed the commander to toggle the magnification level ***8211; either 1x or 6x. Periscopes suffered from two main problems, the most important was vibration. When fully extended, the long unsupported tube created turbulence on a moving U-boat. At 6 knots, it caused excessive vibration which rendered it almost impossible to use. This was dampened by using an extension bracket to reduce the unsupported length and the pointed end was redesigned to minimize the forward hydrodynamic resistance. Nevertheless, vibrations still occurred, but to a much lesser degree"

================================================== ==========================
[And this one shows that subs still have this issue in the year 2006]
December 2006 Greece Refuses Delivery Of First Type-214 Submarine
By AMI INTERNATIONAL INC.
The Greek Ministry of Defense and Hellenic Navy have refused to accept the first Katsonis-class (Type 214) submarine being built by Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Germany, citing a variety of concerns. Sources indicate that the Hellenic Navy has identified the following as among the continuing problems with the submarine, dubbed Papanikolis:

• The submarine is reportedly highly unstable while surfaced;
• The air-independent propulsion system has lower output power than specified; the unit must be shut down after several hours of sailing due to higher than normal operating temperatures;
• Increased propeller cavitations;
• Attack periscope vibrates at speeds greater than 3 knots;
• Seawater leakage into hydraulic systems;
• Problems with the proper function of the flank arrays.

[Fish In The Water]

Originally Posted by h.sie

We have not finished yet and there is still some program work to do, but I'm slightly optimistic now that we can have some kind of wolfpack action and BDU interaction in sh3 in the future.

Wonderful news! I wish you every success in pulling this off.

Oh, in the future I should think before writing. Now the expectations are rising and also the chance to be disappointed. Thus.....wait guys until having tested it before making compliments.

No worries, even if it doesn't work out, the update was appreciated. Once again best of luck and thank you for the ongoing effort!

[ETsd4]

Originally Posted by h.sie

2) Did wolfpack attacks predominantly occur during the night? (I guess, but I don't know for sure).

The classic Wolf-pack doctrine (creator K.Doenitz), teached since 1939:
Step 1: U-boats heading towards convoy until the first convoy-contact happens.
Step 2: U-boats changing course as same as the convoy-course and sailing in front of the convoy until twilight.
Step 3: At twilight u-boats changing course and approach towards convoy. At night the u-boats are admidst convoy and the attack starts.

[h.sie]

@Makman: Thanks. You are right: LGN1 had the initial idea and made an important observation which is essential for this mod.

But I think there is no need for a DLL injector in sh3, since sh3.exe automatically loads all DLL's it can find if you give it an .act extension instead of DLL.

@Etsd4: Great information. So "our" BUI AI will also wait until it's dark outside. I cannot directly access the brightness information in-game, but I can access the sun position, which strongly affects brightness.

I can also access FOG, but I don't know wheather fog is good for an attack or bad. If I don't get any information about fog, I'll leave it out of consideration.

[h.sie]

@Wolfstriked: A lot of information with different speed values. The problem is to chose the right value for the Fix. As a quick solution (until i know the "correct" speed value) you could use the original CameraBehaviour.act instead of the patched one. Then, you don't have the blur effect at 4,5knots, but at 7 knots the peris are driven down automatically.

@FIREWALL: Don't install any crap from mediafire. Alternatively, try the FTP server from Plissken04. I'm sure someone can tell you the link and the password.

h.sie

[Robin40]

Originally Posted by h.sie

Oh, in the future I should think before writing. Now the expectations are rising and also the chance to be disappointed. Thus.....wait guys until having tested it before making compliments.

anyway a lot of compliments for your efforts...whatever will be the result

[Wolfstriked]

Originally Posted by h.sie

@Wolfstriked: A lot of information with different speed values. The problem is to chose the right value for the Fix. As a quick solution (until i know the "correct" speed value) you could use the original CameraBehaviour.act instead of the patched one. Then, you don't have the blur effect at 4,5knots, but at 7 knots the peris are driven down automatically.

@FIREWALL: Don't install any crap from mediafire. Alternatively, try the FTP server from Plissken04. I'm sure someone can tell you the link and the password.

h.sie

Its contradicting each time I find something new on net.I stopped looking after 3 finds all stating different things.I will do what you suggest for now.Just a question about the list of things you will change.Will you look into allowing us to refuel at friendly ports.Right now you can but the game thinks your ending mission and jumps the time ahead weeks to start new patrol.Maybe put it so that you can only end mission at your ending port assigned?Or even an option below where it says end patrol to refuel.

[h.sie]

@Wolfstriked: Sorry to say, but I'm not very much interested to solve that problem you mentioned, since I don't care if it's a new mission or an old one.

[h.sie]

If I remember correctly, there was a request (from Stiebler? Hitman?) to reduce ships speed during fog.

I think I can reduce the speed of all surface ships that are currently IN RENDER RANGE (approx. 35km) by a certain factor, say 50%, during fog.

Is that sufficient?

[ETsd4]

Originally Posted by h.sie

I think I can reduce the speed of all surface ships that are currently IN RENDER RANGE (approx. 35km) by a certain factor, say 50%, during fog.

Is that sufficient?

Prediction of AI-behavior (such as: slow-down = 50%) should be avoided.

Slow-down-factors should be
- actual visibility (convoy-ships slowed down only by thick fog)
- actual position (iceberg-danger, collision danger with foreign non-convoy-ships when near a international ship-lane)
- wave height and wind-speed


Maybe this (when its not too difficult to implement)...
When thick fog then choose a random slow-down-factor between (40...100)

[Robin40]

I'm running GWX V15G1 fine

I wanted to patch to V15G2

I renamed sh3.old to sh3.exe
I patched to V15G2

Unfortunately I get a CTD when loading a saved game

Maybe is it necessary to use the patched sh3.exe instead of sh3.old?