Flag identification at night: *impossible!*

[schlechter pfennig]

I understand that night at sea is, well . . . dark. But the sky was clear, with unlimited visibility, and I was within 100 meters and I still couldn't see the flag as anything other than a waving black banner. I could see colours everywhere else on the ship: funnel, cargo, etc., but not the doggone flag.

I'm basically running GWX 3.0, except for a few other mods, but even when running unmodded it was still the same. Is it supposed to be this blasted hard?

[toodrunk]

Totally an allied ship man, it's a little "quarter-British" flag. FIRE!

[h.sie]

There is a flags enlighten mod for GWX somewhere. Use search function

[sergei]

Rubini's Flag Enighten Mod
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...ighlight=flags

[conus00]

Does anybody know what was changed in Flags.dat?
I am using SH4 flags for SH3 and it would be nice to replicate that effect...

[Reece]

Originally Posted by conus00

Does anybody know what was changed in Flags.dat?
I am using SH4 flags for SH3 and it would be nice to replicate that effect...

If it was me I would open both the GWX and Rubini versions with S3d and compare entries or use a file compare program with a hex editor, just a thought!

[brett25]

oooh, busted! the're supposed to have that flag illuminated at all times!

[comet61]

Normally, if the flags are lit up at night and you still cannot see them, bets are it is a neutral ship. But, if I find or run into a blacked out ship...I consider it an Allied ship......and I'll send it to the bottom!!

[SquareSteelBar]

Originally Posted by conus00

Does anybody know what was changed in Flags.dat?...

Yes, I do.
When you click the link above posted by sergei you'll find this:

Originally Posted by Rubini

Mod Contents and comments:
This mod uses only two files (Flag.dat and FlagS.Dat) and have only one byte per flag adjusted (emission propertie*). The stock value was 0 (max 255). I adjusted the more lighten flags to 30 and the more dark ones to 50. This way, at clear nights, GWX3.0 stock environment, using a 4.5 magnification is now possible to identify any flag at 500m, using 10x the idenfication is well done at 900m. Take in mind that these results depends on your monitor adjusts, how dark is your environment in use and obviously the weather state.

*'Emissive' in S3D

[schlechter pfennig]

Thanks for the quick replies and the help!

Originally Posted by comet61

Normally, if the flags are lit up at night and you still cannot see them, bets are it is a neutral ship. But, if I find or run into a blacked out ship...I consider it an Allied ship......and I'll send it to the bottom!!

I'm afraid I, erm, play things a bit too 'real'? I try to be a responsible Kaleun, so I do my best to positively identify targets prior to engaging. I even take it so far, for instance, when using the deck gun, as to fire a warning shot across the bows first, ordering them to heave to. Of course, as they never do that I always wind up firing on them.

[comet61]

I think in-game, all blacked out ships are fair game. I have never been "dinged" renown points for sinking a blacked out ship without identifying their nationality. However, I cannot count how many times I have tracked either convoys and/or individual ships for hours and come to find out once visible that they are neutral or friendly. Good practice for those of us that use no map contacts or 100% realism. Not to mention a good way to hone in on your Hydrophone tracking skills.

Normally, the usual neutral nations I run into the most is Ireland and Portugal and sometimes Spain. I think there is an exception to this. In early-mid 1940 in the North Sea I have run into French ships that are lit up that are usually 100km off the Norwegian coast. I have attacked and sunk these vessels without being penalized renown. I check the Flag chart to see the time frame of when these nations came into the war as the "enemy".

I doubt, that during WWII, there was a mod to make flags easier to see.
GWX never intended it to be any different.

GWX intended it to be HARD in many areas.
Change what you want but then your not Playing GWX.

[schlechter pfennig]

Originally Posted by privateer

I doubt, that during WWII, there was a mod to make flags easier to see.
GWX never intended it to be any different.

GWX intended it to be HARD in many areas.
Change what you want but then your not Playing GWX.

I wasn't asking for a mod to make flags easier to see. What I was asking, however, was if there was a reason I couldn't see colours on the flags when I could see colours everywhere else.

Take a look at the image I posted: I'm within 100 meters, and I can see the blue, white and yellow of the funnel. But the flag is entirely black, I can't even see the white part of the Union Jack.

I rather like playing SHIII hard, and realistic. But it didn't seem very realistic that I can see colours everywhere else on a ship except on its flag.

I can't answer you on that.

But put yourself in the place of a REAL U-Boat Commander.
I'd say you see more then he ever did.

There are Game limitations in SH3.
Lighting is just one of many.

It's unreal.
We need to first,
except the fact that SH3 is an old Game with old limitations.
Next,
We need to realize that not all mods will make things as WE think
they should be.
Remember!
Not a single one of us ever served on a U-Boat dureing WWII.
We base everything on what information we could find.
Some of that information is on the 'Net.
Some was given to The Grey Wolves with STRICT instructions
to never release the sources.
Even though The Grey Wolves are in stand down?
We'll not betray those trusts!

You will decide what you want to do,
how real you want your Game,
and adjust things to your likeing.

That's what Modding is all about.
But don't blame GWX for it Please.

Regards

[schlechter pfennig]

Originally Posted by privateer

I doubt, that during WWII, there was a mod to make flags easier to see.
GWX never intended it to be any different.

GWX intended it to be HARD in many areas.
Change what you want but then your not Playing GWX.

Originally Posted by privateer

That's what Modding is all about.
But don't blame GWX for it Please.

Regards

I'm at a loss as to why you appear to feel I'm attacking and/or denigrating GWX. All I'd asked at first was:

Originally Posted by schlechter pfennig

I understand that night at sea is, well . . . dark. But the sky was clear, with unlimited visibility, and I was within 100 meters and I still couldn't see the flag as anything other than a waving black banner. I could see colours everywhere else on the ship: funnel, cargo, etc., but not the doggone flag.

I'm basically running GWX 3.0, except for a few other mods, but even when running unmodded it was still the same. Is it supposed to be this blasted hard?

The single, sole reason I mentioned GWX was to specify the conditions of the game files I was running under at the time. That's all. And, really, the simplest reply I could have received was "Yes, it's supposed to look like that. It's not a monitor and/or graphics card or graphics setting.".