Finally joined the club!

onelifecrisis · 06-28-10, 05:29 AM

I bought SH4 on the Steam weekend deal. And the U-boat expansion pack, just in case.

I'm looking for PTO mods so give me some suggestions please! Big or small. I prefer high-realism stuff and will take quality over quantity any day (e.g. I'd rather have one new ship, done properly, than a dozen buggy or half-baked ones). I'm not particularly interested in new ports or more ships in port, I'm just looking for an authentic experience at sea. Thanks for any advice!

Cheers

WarlordATF · 06-28-10, 05:49 AM

Welcome to SH4!

I would suggest starting by downloading TMO and RFB first and trying them both before deciding which your prefer. Those are the two big supermods for the pacific theatre and both are very good mods. They will give you a pretty good idea of what has/can be done and should keep you busy for awhile.

sergei · 06-28-10, 06:01 AM

Seconded. Those are your 2 serious options.
I ended up running both for a few patrols to get a proper feel for them before making my final decision.
Welcome to the PTO OLC.

onelifecrisis · 06-28-10, 06:20 AM

Thanks guys! I found the TMO thread and I'm currently reading the excellent PDF that Ducimus wrote, which explains what the mod is about. I also found the RFB thread. I suppose if I ask how the two mods compare then everyone will go all politically correct on me to avoid upsetting the modders or starting a flame war... so...

How do the two compare?

(Thanks to anyone who can be bothered to PM me an answer!

)

McHibbins · 06-28-10, 06:24 AM

What....wait....OLC is here ? Oh god...if this guy is going to release his mods for SH4 now, we´re going to loose the rest of our RL-time

Welcome here matey

onelifecrisis · 06-28-10, 06:26 AM

lol thanks McHibbins

But I'm not here to mod, I'm just here to play.

McHibbins · 06-28-10, 06:34 AM

With TMO and RFB together with RSRDC for Fleetboats and OM+OMEGU for the Addon + an english and an japanese Campaign in WIP (english is released I think), you´re getting to busy to mod anything in the next few months I think

sergei · 06-28-10, 06:58 AM

A big plus in favour of TMO at the moment is that the latest version has vickers03's interior overhauls included.

See this thread for pics of vickers03's outstanding work.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=158706

The Japanese destroyers in TMO are quite a challenge.
You really have to plan your attack and work at your evasion.
I found it a bit too easy to evade when I tried RFB.
Then again, maybe I was just lucky, and ran into novice crews.

The IJAF planes in TMO are absolutely frikkin deadly!
Makes you real glad you have air search radar. And even then I've had some real close calls.
(And nearly sunk on one occasion running a career in the Narwahl. That sucker takes about 3 days to crash dive.

)

The environment in TMO is, in my opinion, the most beautiful out of the large mods. (Note: other opinions are available).
I know you like to play with externals off OLC, but this is still real important for immersion IMHO. Bear in mind you're gonna be spending a lot of time on the bridge, or peering through the TBT or Scope.

I can't really do a proper comparison OLC, as I have spent so much more time in TMO.

Maybe some RFB guys will drop in later and tell you about the Mod they play.

onelifecrisis · 06-28-10, 07:02 AM

Thanks for the info sergei. I am liking the sound of TMO from the PDF I'm reading. And I agree WRT the environment! Just because I play without external camera doesn't mean I don't like improved environment visuals.

onelifecrisis · 06-28-10, 07:05 AM

Holy frickin heckfire...

Nice!

sergei · 06-28-10, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by onelifecrisis

Just because I play without external camera doesn't mean I don't like improved environment visuals.

DOH!
I feel real silly now!
Sorry mate. When I think of OLC I think of all the GUI work you did.
Forgot all about the environment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by onelifecrisis

Holy frickin heckfire...

Yep, he's done a superb job alright.

onelifecrisis · 06-28-10, 07:16 AM

lol, no worries sergei!

Fish40 · 06-28-10, 08:47 AM

Welcome to the Pacific OLC! Glad to see you aboard. Plain and simple, RFB (what I play) has traditionaly been geared towards a more realistic experience. To be fair, I never tried TMO but heard it was great as well. For me personaly, the closer I could get to the real thing the better. But that's just me. Once again, welcome to SH4

Sailor Steve · 06-28-10, 08:59 AM

Welcome to the dark side! One other option is Multi-SH4, which makes it easy to run multiple installs and do your own side-by-side comparison.

I've only played RFB, mainly because the talk about the evil DDs and planes in TMO scared me. I won't be playing either for awhile because I have this obsessive-compulsive anal-retentive need to play in a linear fashion, and I have three u-boat careers going in 1939 at the moment, and 1942 is a long way off.

I'm glad you don't feel the need for the harbor traffic stuff. I consider it a hangup for me, not a good thing. That said, the harbors I've seen playing RFB look pretty good compared to stock, and they may actually be due to RSRDC, which means they'll show up in both supermods. I don't know about that for sure, but I do know SH4 is much better than a lot of people give it credit for, especially with the work that's been done so far.

Admiral8Q · 06-28-10, 10:36 AM

I'd definitively recommend one of the "super" mods. TMO or RFB. I tried RFB first, but I've been playing these sub-sims since the 90's so I went with TMO because it's more challenging. But I would say that RFB is probably more realistic. It's all on personal taste, but stay away from the stock game!

06-28-10, 05:29 AM	#1
onelifecrisis Maverick Modder Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: England Posts: 3,895 Downloads: 65 Uploads: 3	Finally joined the club! I bought SH4 on the Steam weekend deal. And the U-boat expansion pack, just in case. I'm looking for PTO mods so give me some suggestions please! Big or small. I prefer high-realism stuff and will take quality over quantity any day (e.g. I'd rather have one new ship, done properly, than a dozen buggy or half-baked ones). I'm not particularly interested in new ports or more ships in port, I'm just looking for an authentic experience at sea. Thanks for any advice! Cheers

06-28-10, 05:49 AM	#2
WarlordATF Frogman Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: SW Florida Posts: 288 Downloads: 105 Uploads: 0	Welcome to SH4! I would suggest starting by downloading TMO and RFB first and trying them both before deciding which your prefer. Those are the two big supermods for the pacific theatre and both are very good mods. They will give you a pretty good idea of what has/can be done and should keep you busy for awhile. __________________

06-28-10, 06:24 AM	#5
McHibbins Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Good old Germany Posts: 739 Downloads: 80 Uploads: 0	What....wait....OLC is here ? Oh god...if this guy is going to release his mods for SH4 now, we´re going to loose the rest of our RL-time Welcome here matey __________________

06-28-10, 06:34 AM	#7
McHibbins Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Good old Germany Posts: 739 Downloads: 80 Uploads: 0	With TMO and RFB together with RSRDC for Fleetboats and OM+OMEGU for the Addon + an english and an japanese Campaign in WIP (english is released I think), you´re getting to busy to mod anything in the next few months I think __________________

06-28-10, 08:59 AM	#14
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Welcome to the dark side! One other option is Multi-SH4, which makes it easy to run multiple installs and do your own side-by-side comparison. I've only played RFB, mainly because the talk about the evil DDs and planes in TMO scared me. I won't be playing either for awhile because I have this obsessive-compulsive anal-retentive need to play in a linear fashion, and I have three u-boat careers going in 1939 at the moment, and 1942 is a long way off. I'm glad you don't feel the need for the harbor traffic stuff. I consider it a hangup for me, not a good thing. That said, the harbors I've seen playing RFB look pretty good compared to stock, and they may actually be due to RSRDC, which means they'll show up in both supermods. I don't know about that for sure, but I do know SH4 is much better than a lot of people give it credit for, especially with the work that's been done so far. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

06-28-10, 06:01 AM	#3
sergei Sea Lord Join Date: May 2008 Location: London UK Posts: 1,788 Downloads: 405 Uploads: 29	Seconded. Those are your 2 serious options. I ended up running both for a few patrols to get a proper feel for them before making my final decision. Welcome to the PTO OLC.

06-28-10, 06:20 AM	#4
onelifecrisis Maverick Modder Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: England Posts: 3,895 Downloads: 65 Uploads: 3	Thanks guys! I found the TMO thread and I'm currently reading the excellent PDF that Ducimus wrote, which explains what the mod is about. I also found the RFB thread. I suppose if I ask how the two mods compare then everyone will go all politically correct on me to avoid upsetting the modders or starting a flame war... so... How do the two compare? (Thanks to anyone who can be bothered to PM me an answer! )

06-28-10, 06:26 AM	#6
onelifecrisis Maverick Modder Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: England Posts: 3,895 Downloads: 65 Uploads: 3	lol thanks McHibbins But I'm not here to mod, I'm just here to play.

06-28-10, 06:58 AM	#8
sergei Sea Lord Join Date: May 2008 Location: London UK Posts: 1,788 Downloads: 405 Uploads: 29	A big plus in favour of TMO at the moment is that the latest version has vickers03's interior overhauls included. See this thread for pics of vickers03's outstanding work. http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=158706 The Japanese destroyers in TMO are quite a challenge. You really have to plan your attack and work at your evasion. I found it a bit too easy to evade when I tried RFB. Then again, maybe I was just lucky, and ran into novice crews. The IJAF planes in TMO are absolutely frikkin deadly! Makes you real glad you have air search radar. And even then I've had some real close calls. (And nearly sunk on one occasion running a career in the Narwahl. That sucker takes about 3 days to crash dive. ) The environment in TMO is, in my opinion, the most beautiful out of the large mods. (Note: other opinions are available). I know you like to play with externals off OLC, but this is still real important for immersion IMHO. Bear in mind you're gonna be spending a lot of time on the bridge, or peering through the TBT or Scope. I can't really do a proper comparison OLC, as I have spent so much more time in TMO. Maybe some RFB guys will drop in later and tell you about the Mod they play.

06-28-10, 07:02 AM	#9
onelifecrisis Maverick Modder Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: England Posts: 3,895 Downloads: 65 Uploads: 3	Thanks for the info sergei. I am liking the sound of TMO from the PDF I'm reading. And I agree WRT the environment! Just because I play without external camera doesn't mean I don't like improved environment visuals.

06-28-10, 07:05 AM	#10
onelifecrisis Maverick Modder Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: England Posts: 3,895 Downloads: 65 Uploads: 3	Holy frickin heckfire... Nice!

06-28-10, 07:16 AM	#12
onelifecrisis Maverick Modder Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: England Posts: 3,895 Downloads: 65 Uploads: 3	lol, no worries sergei!

06-28-10, 08:47 AM	#13
Fish40 The Old Man Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Yonkers, NY U.S.A. Posts: 1,507 Downloads: 154 Uploads: 0	Welcome to the Pacific OLC! Glad to see you aboard. Plain and simple, RFB (what I play) has traditionaly been geared towards a more realistic experience. To be fair, I never tried TMO but heard it was great as well. For me personaly, the closer I could get to the real thing the better. But that's just me. Once again, welcome to SH4

06-28-10, 10:36 AM	#15
Admiral8Q Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Prince Edward Island, Canada Posts: 1,077 Downloads: 24 Uploads: 0	I'd definitively recommend one of the "super" mods. TMO or RFB. I tried RFB first, but I've been playing these sub-sims since the 90's so I went with TMO because it's more challenging. But I would say that RFB is probably more realistic. It's all on personal taste, but stay away from the stock game! __________________