GWX 2 - I miss my bearings on the maps

[94cruiser]

Installed GWX 2.0 and commander mod.
This game is SUPER TOUGH now.
I even cheated and most of my crew have special abilities and I still manage to barely make it back home.

I have already modded to include the circle when submerged.
Don't have any other mods, but would like to get the torpedo damage mod if I can find it.

The single worst thing I can't live without is the fact that all boats including mine don't show the heading, only a square, rectangle, or circle unless at very close zoom.

Also the game is VERY choppy while external view and at map view especially when close to ports.
This is on a P4 dual core 2.8 or 3 ghz
3gb ram
nvidia 8600
xp pro sp2 with no internet connection

any way to mod it back to get the bearings of the boats? It is so difficult to get a way from armed trawlers at silen running 1 knot speed while in the north sea I'm debating only to attack single merchants...

[i_b_spectre]

I've seen posts in the Modder's forum on how to alter the cfg file to reinstate the "tails" on targets to show the contact's track. Be advised that, even with the tails, once you make a visual contact, you can zoom-in on that contact and you'll see the direction of that target's course. Same thing with your own sub, just zoom-in enough and you'll get the whole 360 degree protractor template around your boat. I wasn't sure I'd like the lack of track tails that came with 2.0, but now that I've been using it, I don't find it a significant problem. I normally mark the position of a contact, be it visual or hydrophone, then I monitor the updates (I'm obviously not a 100% realism guy), making successive tick marks until I can derive a course line the contact is following.

My exterior views sometimes get choppy and I've found that I can Alt-Tab (or Windows key) to the Desktop for a few seconds, then click-on SH3 on the Task bar to open it back up full screen and it will have smoothed out. I'm only running half the RAM you are, a much slower CPU and older video card, but I can still get smooth frame rates the majority of the time. Heavy sea states, large convoys or heavy explosion visuals can cause it to slow done. You might also check your Sound Acceleration settings in Dxdiag. If it's set far to the right, try backing up fully to the left or one notch the right of fully left. This can significantly affect video frame rates.

[Lible]

Heh, I can't understand people. Want your own course - have a look at the compass bottom right. Want radio report's course - click on it and have a look where it's heading. Should be easy enough..

[Mikey_Wolf]

GWX 2 is a mod that aims towards making the game more challenging but not impossible. IRL U-boat captains did not have the exact heading of a ship they had a rough idea only, and that is what you have now. It will tell you the contacts heading and some kind person posted something to this effect to help us.

N = 000 or 349 to 011 degrees

NNE = 23 or 11 to 34

NE = 45 of 34 to 56

ENE = 68 or 56 to 79

E = 90 or 79 to 101

ESE = 113 or 101 to 124

SE = 135 or 124 to 146

SSE = 158 or 146 to 169

S = 180 or 169 to 191

SSW = 303 or 191 to 214

SW = 225 or 214 to 236

WSW = 248 or 236 to 259

W = 270 or 259 to 281

WNW = 293 or 281 to 304

NW = 315 or 304 to 326

NNW = 338 or 326 to 349


That should help and of course when drawing a line you just have to basically assume if the contact comes in that a ship is headed W, then you assume the ship is on a course somehwere between 259 or 281 degrees. That is what real U-boat captains faced when trying to ambush.

The no tails addition is tricky at first, I know somebody who crashed driving out of dock!! But they soon got used to it, it is a real immersion piece once you get the hang of it. It makes you really have to play the game a little more than normal. But if you really want to put it back, the mods forum is the place to go.

[Cohaagen]

Originally Posted by Mikey_Wolf

IRL U-boat captains did not have the exact heading of a ship they had a rough idea only

EDIT: Ah, never mind, I see what you mean - the target ship and not ownship. OK, got it.

[The Butcher]

After doing without them you wont miss them. Keep that bearing list handy and before long it will be old hat. It isn't easy but it is more real.

As for your system woes, your set up is very simular to mine. I don't have any issues and I run it with all the resource sucking mods available. When I'm in external view with massive explosions going off my worst FPS is 50. That would lead me to suspect some other applications are tapping your CPU and GPU while you are playing. Look at your Task Manager and make sure no applications are running before you start GWX2. Look at the Processes to see if there is anything non crucial at the top of the list. They are listed by activity, so the last thing to run is at the top.
Good luck and good hunting.

[94cruiser]

Hello.
Also what I miss is the fact that on the map view I can't distinguish merchant vs. warship.
Maybe my video card is eating up resources, it' the onboard one that came from Dell.
PC is spyware free and I have no internet hookup at home for the time being thus I disabled the antivirus. All of which does not really do anything for frame rates.
I guess it's okay except when near harbors it's very bad, and when they are looking for me at night with spotlights.

I have installed the torpedo damage mod, and I'm liking that.
I also don't mind the fact missions load up way longer.


Again, the worst is the missing map info.

[The Butcher]

The difference is subtle but it is there. You will notice the warship is a smaller box. Same thing with a task force, it is a smaller box than a convoy but bigger than a merchant. And hey, if it is a single warship and you can get the drop on him take a shot, just don't wait around looking through you periscope. Shoot, turn and run in the direction he came from. Dive deep and go silent, because if you miss he is going to be pissed.
Good luck and good hunting!

[T.Von Hogan]

Originally Posted by 94cruiser

Hello.

Maybe my video card is eating up resources, it' the onboard one that came from Dell.

Again, the worst is the missing map info.

Herr Kaleun......you have no video card in that machine, it would serve you well to get 1.

[94cruiser]

my mistake,
it's the SOUND card that is onboard.
the video adapter is nVidia 8600 something

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by 94cruiser

my mistake,
it's the SOUND card that is onboard.
the video adapter is nVidia 8600 something

As previously stated in your first post

That should be fine, I'm running a 7800

[Wilcke]

Originally Posted by 94cruiser

my mistake,
it's the SOUND card that is onboard.
the video adapter is nVidia 8600 something

should run smooth....you may have to tweak some driver settings in the Nvidia Control Panel for your 8600 video card...

as for Navigation you may want to check out Dantenoc's fine tutorial on this very subject on You Tube....its very well done and makes perfect sense.

Its hard to give advise as I don't really know how much time you have in SH3 with stock 1.4b. But if you just moved up to GWX 2.0 you are going to find a steep learning curb, that will pay off big time in immersion and realism.