Binoculars

[Joe's #2 son]

Hello everyone. Although I've been playing SH3 for awhile and reading this excellent forum, this will be my first post. I'm playing GWX 3.0, and I know they took the bearings off the binoculars. I find myself using the uzo way too much and finding the bridge-then-binoculars method very hard in the dark. In simple terms, is there a way to restore the bearings. ( I can copy files from another computer). This may seem like a unusual idea, but if it could be possible to substitute only basic relative compass headings, such as SSE, SE, ... instead of bearings, or just every 45 or 22 1/2 degrees of bearing, it would make it easier to figure out the direction your viewing the moment you hit the B key so you can swing the binoculars to the desired area to scan. Tragically, I lack all gray matter when it comes modding and can only hope "on the kindness of strangers". Also, I have to ask if I am missing something about binoculars usage because every so often when reading the forum I have one of those "Oh wow, I didn,t know that" moments that add to the game. Thank you.

[Henry Wood]

I'm no navy man and my knowledge of nautical stuff like bearings etc is very limited. I'd also like to be able to have the bearings showing inside the binocular view, but in the meantime the way I try to get over it is in bridge view (F4) turn my view with no binoculars (mouse or arrows) until I'm looking in the approximate direction, then hit the 'Tab' key and you are lined up with the same point of view only now through the binoculars. I can roughly gauge 45 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees etc so can usually end up where my lookout is trying to guide me to look. (Them figures on the glasses would be handy though. )

[Laufen zum Ziel]

Welcome aboard.

[Pepe le Moko]

I got the same problem, found the answer in this thread, there is something to modify in an ini file.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=141239

[Henry Wood]

Originally Posted by Pepe le Moko

I got the same problem, found the answer in this thread, there is something to modify in an ini file.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=141239

Thanks for that, I'll have a go later to make the change.

[Joe's #2 son]

Thank you all for responding I followed the instructions on the link that Pepe le Moko directed me to and quickly got my bearings back. What I do is to use the bearings to swing over to the target, but when i'm about 20 degrees away I stop looking at the bearings and enjoy spotting the target.

[irish1958]

An experienced officer or NCO on the bridge knows within a degree or two the bearing of any object. A novice should be able to box the compass with accuracy within a day of two of practice.
So not having the bearing on the binoculars is really not realistic.
In reality, they should be more powerful. One can use the mini-tweaker or 3d editor to increase power.
By the way, does anybody know the power of the binoculars used by the U-Boat crews?

[Hitman]

Yes they were Zeiss 7x50 but many commanders had 10x ones, like Otto Kretschmer.

For normal search and horizon scanning 7x50s are more efficient in the moving deck of a ship, but once you know where the object you are looking for is, the 10x binoculars are of course superior for a better view. Since the captain came to the bridge only when he was called, he found of more practical use the larger zoom ones.

BTW not coincidentally, the US crews also used 7x50s.

In my optics mod for GWX and NYGM, the scopes have their historic zoom levesl of 1,5x/6x and the UZO the correct 7x one (As itw as mainly a targeting device) but I also increased the magnification of the binoculars to 10x. If Kretschmer had them, I also will when commanding my U-Boat

EDIT: Here's some interesting information from a store specialized in optics:

GENERAL NOTES:

- A marine binocular is a binocular that is used onboard a ship or boat and as such, it will have some fairly specific features. The vast majority of marine binoculars will be the classic 7x50, although other sizes can be used if they have the necessary features.
MAGNIFICATION - (the first number in a binocular)

- Because the deck of a ship or boat is not a stable observing platform, magnification must be kept low for the sake of steadiness. 7x is by far the most popular magnification in a marine binocular and for good reason. A 7x binocular is easy to hold but also powerful enough to be a serious observation tool. Higher magnifications can be used, but unless they are combined with IS (image stabilization) systems, any gain in image detail may be lost to image unsteadiness. In fact, under marginal conditions, you may see more detail with a steady 7x than a shaky 10x.
OBJECTIVE SIZE - (the second number in a binocular)

- The classic 7x50 marine binocular will have a 50mm lens. This is not just a matter of image brightness, though for night use, the 50mm objective will transmit more light than smaller objective. A 50mm objective, when combined with 7x magnification also produces a large exit pupil - the beam of light that leaves the eyepieces. This large exit pupil is much more forgiving than a smaller exit pupil when the eyes are not lined up precisely on the eyepieces, as might happen when you try to observe form the deck of a moving boat.
PRISM TYPE

- The classic 7x50 marine binocular is a porro prism, though, optically there is no reason a roof prism could not be used. The porro prism body, however, has more room to accommodate extras like a rangefinder and compass that are often found on a marine binocular. The robust body of a porro prism may also provide a firmer grip during inclement weather. The best porro prisms will be made of Bak-4 glass.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by irish1958

An experienced officer or NCO on the bridge knows within a degree or two the bearing of any object. A novice should be able to box the compass with accuracy within a day of two of practice.
So not having the bearing on the binoculars is really not realistic.

I feel just the opposite - I find it highly realistic. But then I know the bearings relative to my ship. As Henry Wood said above, it is very simple to look in the rough direction of the sighting and then use the binoculars, just like they did in real life.

Originally Posted by Pepe le Moko

I got the same problem, found the answer in this thread, there is something to modify in an ini file.

There is a much easier way to modify the binoculars in GWX3. Locate the bearing and bearing2 TGA files in this path: data/menu/Gui/

The bearing file is for the scopes and the bearing2 file is for the binoculars. Simply make the bearing2 file the same as the bearing file with a little copying, renaming and pasting. Thus, make a JSGME mini mod as such:
BINO Bearing marks/data/menu/GUI/bearing2 and place in your mod folder of SH3.
Note: the bearing2 file in this mod is the copied & renamed bearing file.

Originally Posted by Hitman

Yes they were Zeiss 7x50 but many commanders had 10x ones, like Otto Kretschmer.

Hey Hitman, how did you increase the magnification to 10 for the binoculars?

[irish1958]

Use the mini tweaker, and set the value to 10.

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

I feel just the opposite - I find it highly realistic. But then I know the bearings relative to my ship. As Henry Wood said above, it is very simple to look in the rough direction of the sighting and then use the binoculars, just like they did in real life.

Yeah well I feel the opposite of your opposite! I would know approximately which direction I'm looking in if I were truly on a U-boat bridge looking through binoculars, but since my spatial awareness is impaired because I'm looking at a computer screen instead of standing on a real life submarine bridge, I think having the bearings displayed is a nice little crutch.

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

I would know approximately which direction I'm looking in if I were truly on a U-boat bridge looking through binoculars, but since my spatial awareness is impaired because I'm looking at a computer screen instead of standing on a real life submarine bridge, I think having the bearings displayed is a nice little crutch.

Well said!

Perhaps a good compromise would be if someone could come up with a bearing mod that did not show the bearing in 5 or 10-degree intervals. Perhaps by using N, NNE, NE, ENE, E, ESE, SE, SSE, S, etc., etc. Thus, one would have some spatial awareness but be required to do some conversion and estimation on the exact bearing. Just a thought.

[irish1958]

Originally Posted by von Zelda

Well said!

Perhaps a good compromise would be if someone could come up with a bearing mod that did not show the bearing in 5 or 10-degree intervals. Perhaps by using N, NNE, NE, ENE, E, ESE, SE, SSE, S, etc., etc. Thus, one would have some spatial awareness but be required to do some conversion and estimation on the exact bearing. Just a thought.

I agree; this should be an easy mod for someone with paintshop skills. I would use it in a heartbeat.