Using the weather

[KrazyDimondRX]

I have searched this topic fruitlessly, maybe you can help.

I can use my watch officer to tell me the weather including the sea state. Thats great, but it is only telling me what i already know from spending a few seconds up top.
This seems pretty useless when what i want to know is where the good/bad weather is(and going) so i can use it to infiltrate/exfiltrate as the need be.

Am i missing something? Or are weather reports as useful as all the radio messsages i get??

Mods-GWX3 and just a few others, skins etc.

Thanks for your time,
KDRX

[GoldenRivet]

If i remember correctly, as with a lot of games, there was originally going to be a lot more to silent hunter 3 than there was at the time of release. I think the weather report option was originally going to be far more in depth than it is

[KrazyDimondRX]

In other words requesting weather reports are, at present at least, a waste of time.
Thanks for your reply, i was worried i was under utilizing all the tools at my disposal as it seems late '43 requires all the tools in the tool bag to survive.

Thanks again,
KDRX

[Tycho]

Originally Posted by KrazyDimondRX

This seems pretty useless when what i want to know is where the good/bad weather is(and going) so i can use it to infiltrate/exfiltrate as the need be.

I think, that the weather in SH3 is the same for the whole world.
In this case, more useful it will be to report forecast, when and to what will change.

[KrazyDimondRX]

Originally Posted by Tycho

I think, that the weather in SH3 is the same for the whole world.

Do you mean that if it's stormy in one place on the map it's stormy everywhere on the map??

Originally Posted by Tycho

In this case, more useful it will be to report forecast, when and to what will change.

Yes! I could live with that

KDRX

[Tycho]

Originally Posted by KrazyDimondRX

Do you mean that if it's stormy in one place on the map it's stormy everywhere on the map??

Yes!

[Fahnenbohn]

Originally Posted by KrazyDimondRX

Do you mean that if it's stormy in one place on the map it's stormy everywhere on the map??

Yes of course ! SH3 is very ... basic !

[KrazyDimondRX]

OK that clears that up. I'm so impressed with what GWX and what all the other modders have done it's easy to forget how old and basic this game, at its core, really is.
Thanks for putting me straight.

KDRX

[sublynx]

My understanding is that the program has a number that follows how many hours there is until the next time the weather is checked for a change. If that number was known, a skillful modder (perhaps Fader Berg who is developing patSH3r over in the mod workshop section) might be able to make a usable weather report. It would state with some randomness how many hours or days there is for the next change.

This is just a guess, though. It would be cool, if it would be possible. Maybe the biggest flaw in SH3 is that METT-T (Mission, Enemy, Troops, Time, Terrain) is not totally usable. METT-T is the guide, that is used in planning any military operations. The weather should be a major part of SH3's Terrain, and the weather report is the Time of SH3. As the weather is not dynamic enough, there are very few surpises in the Terrain section (only once or twice I've had a weather change while making an attack approach on a convoy), and planning on using the Time that weather changes should set us, is not usable, as we have no weather report, and the weather stays exactly the same for hours, or even days.

[Fahnenbohn]

Originally Posted by sublynx

A usable weather report. It would state with some randomness how many hours or days there is for the next change. It would be cool, if it would be possible.

I don't understand why this is important for us to know if the weather is going to improve or not. But, yes, that could really add realism to have a REAL weather report !!

Originally Posted by sublynx

As the weather is not dynamic enough, there are very few surprises in the Terrain section, the weather stays exactly the same for hours, or even days.

Yes. That's why I've asked Fader Berg to look at this : http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...&postcount=114

And it is also VERY EASY to make a weather report with this method ! The game just has to change two variables randomly (min and max wind speed), and the weather is improving, or going worse !

F.

[CaptBones]

Well, knowing the present weather conditions is helpful. I don't recall if it's in the stock game or added by GWX, but torpedo failures due to weather conditions do occur, particularly for magnetic pistols in high sea states (at wind speeds that prevent use of the deck gun/flak gun).

Although it appears you're not using h.sie's Patch, for those that are using it, knowing the weather conditions is extremely important. With the Patcher's Torpedo Failure and re-loading features enabled, you need to know the current wind speed.

[GoldenRivet]

If there was a way to know - behind the scenes - in the game code for example -when the weather was going to change, and whether or not it would worsen or improve a mod could be very easily implemented.

within 48 hours of the weather change the report text would indicate current weather, wind direction and speed and indicate one of the following parameters

a. Barometric Pressure steady (displayed when the weather will not be changing within 24 hours.)

b. Barometric Pressure increasing (displayed when the weather will be improving within the next 24 hours)

c. Barometric Pressure increasing rapidly (displayed when improving weather is imminent - say within 10 hours)

d. Barometric Pressure decreasing (displayed when the weather will be worsening within the next 24 hours)

e. Barometric Pressure decreasing rapidly (displayed when poor weather is imminent - within 10 hours or so)

This would allow the player to make strategic decisions based on weather data that would be available to a U-boat or any ship for that matter.

If the weather report indicated "Skies clear, winds 240 degrees at 10 m/s, barometric pressure falling rapidly" and the player was a mere 5-6 hours away from intercepting a convoy he could then alter his tactics or stalk the convoy and wait for the weather to improve

it is unfortunate that the weather in SH3 is "global" instead of "local"... in other simulation games where weather is a factor - like Flight Simulator X for example... you can fly from an area of relatively good weather into an area of thunderstorms and can see the thunderstorms as they approach from 60-100 miles away

Silent hunter III's lack of this type of weather also removes strategic elements from the game like escaping into a storm. if you have escorts in pursuit of you, IRL you might be able to escape into a fog bank or an isolated rain shower where visibility is decreased considerably. furthermore, the radar systems in SH3 on enemy DDs do not appear to be impacted by weather as they should.

in closing... i think a mod could easily be added to the game as long as the weather routine could be figured out, whatever event triggers that change, as long as the weather change is not almost immediate, you could tie the "barometric pressure rising" text to a known time frame or known percent change of an improvement in the weather

[Fahnenbohn]

Originally Posted by CaptBones

Although it appears you're not using h.sie's Patch, for those that are using it, knowing the weather conditions is extremely important.

No, I'm not saying that it's not important to know current weather conditions (I perfectly know that it's important), but it's not important to know if the weather is going to change or not.

[sublynx]

To me knowing if the weather is going to change is a matter of life and death. In NYGM an attack inside the convoy is extremely dangerous in clear weather. If I presume the weather is going to keep windy, however, I might very well decide to penetrate the screen. If the weather cleared at the wrong moment I would be a sitting duck.

[Fahnenbohn]

Originally Posted by sublynx

If the weather cleared at the wrong moment I would be a sitting duck.