To mod or not to mod? That is my question.

[jymbur]

I've seen many comments regarding what seem like difficult issues around modifying the game from which mods to use, won't run, won't save, etc ...

I'm not a technically saavy sort and thought, meh the graphics are good enough and I don't want play in God mode where I can control things like the weather and so I have never modified the game. However, I watched a youtube video of someone playing the game and they had the ability to set the run depth of torpedoes and select an impact pistol or a magnetic pistol. This is something I am interested in as I lose many of my torpedoes to detonating on waves. My solution has always been to get very close in high seas but this isn't always possible and isn't without other problems like their ability to use deck guns in any conditions and of course escorts.

I'm really hoping for some replies from everyone but especially trevor, midway, dmitry and fiedler on this question.

[Gunshy]

What version are you playing? The old Steam game has awful graphics compared to modded versions. It is complex to mod the standard game and my experience is that it's never that stable. I get it to run well and then Microserf does an update on something irrelevant and BAM, the game won't load anymore, and I'm back to square one. It is nice to have SH3 Commander and yes you can set run depths and choose pistols but it's not until the T3 torpedos are available ( late 1942 ) that anything works with any certainty. Use T1's in rough weather and at close range so they might not see the bubbles. Use T2's in calm weather but set to impact as the magnetic fuses are really crap. I have never been able to get GWX to run in windows 10 unless it was set to XP service pack 3 and even then it crapped out on me 2 days ago, due to a MS update. You will find all the needed mods are actually difficult to download unless you go through a complex registration with some group that will ask you to donate to them for mods that other people wrote for free. Good luck with that.

[Gunshy]

I did manage to reload the modded game from files I had stored on a portable ssd, so if you want all of them, just PM me and I can send you them on zip files. It seems to be working fine except for the music, which somehow messed up the Save game function, so I took that mod out. ( I couldn't turn it off in game. )

[jymbur]

Thx for your reply, it answered my question. I just play the standard version and although I don't doubt that the graphics are better the standard graphics are good enough for me. I rarely lose a torpedo once the type III becomes available and so I think I'll continue to avoid the headaches and a hassles.

It just is what it is, Type II isn't very good and requires you to get close but the allied ASW tools/tactics aren't that good yet either. It's just frustrating when you know you could've done the job with a single torpedo had it just worked and it ends up taking two, three or four.

[Gunshy]

Originally posted by jamesburrelltx:

Thx for your reply, it answered my question. I just play the standard version and although I don't doubt that the graphics are better the standard graphics are good enough for me. I rarely lose a torpedo once the type III becomes available and so I think I'll continue to avoid the headaches and a hassles.

It just is what it is, Type II isn't very good and requires you to get close but the allied ASW tools/tactics aren't that good yet either. It's just frustrating when you know you could've done the job with a single torpedo had it just worked and it ends up taking two, three or four.

Fair enough. The GWX version is way better to play on but the torpedo hassles exist there too. It's historical and game coders are sadists. If you change your mind, just send me a PM and I'll email all the files you need with a guide to install them. It only takes about half an hour to unpack everything and you can enjoy the addon SH3 Commander which lets you start patrols at sea and not have to navigate your way out of the harbour. You can also adjust the crew fatigue models and set the weather to seasonal. But you still get filthy weather. It is the Atlantic after all...... Cheers and Good Hunting.

[trickytrevor46]

Bell end, jamesburrelltx, Have to agree with what Bell end, pmsl never thought i would say that in a regular conversation and not fall out with someone lol... Right sorry as to yours James i have played with GWX through all the iterations since i think 2009 and that's it because i am like you in the fact i like it with the patrol starts and the torpedo problems because lets face it ,it does add too the frustration of it all and lets think what it really was like to get in then have 3 duds in a row , pretty depressing and just a tad stressful lol for me i'm happy just to have the odd patrol per year of my life and enjoy the game....PS it would be nice though to have a sub game come out with all the trimmings set out just like this with all the good points and none of the bad points, yeh i know "pipe dream time Trevor", lol ...ATB SNAFU

[jymbur]

Thx for your reply, Trevor. You are correct in that I do enjoy the frustrations and having to earn things. I don't want to select an option and have a crew that doesn't fatigue but I do enjoy progressing through a career and earning a crew that doesn't fatigue. As much as I hate waiting a week for clear weather or being in the middle of a deck gun fight with a Corvette when all of a sudden I can no longer fire due to a sudden weather change I would rather adapt and overcome then control weather. As frustrating as it can be to FINALLY find a convoy and only have a single torpedo and 13 star shells left I prefer it to knowing when, what and where I will find anything. Improved graphics don't do much for me. I don't play the game of the graphics.

However, I do want to know how to do things and use my tools and seeing that you can control run depth and firing mechanism was of interest to me BUT it turns out that you can do so in the standard version as well and that I still had something to learn.

Basically, my belief that the standard version of the game is what I want has been affirmed. It can be boring, it can be terrifying, it can be very easy at times and it can be very difficult at times just the way it is right out of the box. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose and I would rather take an occasional loss then rig it all with some mod and make it easier.

[Gunshy]

Originally posted by jamesburrelltx:

Thx for your reply, Trevor. You are correct in that I do enjoy the frustrations and having to earn things. I don't want to select an option and have a crew that doesn't fatigue but I do enjoy progressing through a career and earning a crew that doesn't fatigue. As much as I hate waiting a week for clear weather or being in the middle of a deck gun fight with a Corvette when all of a sudden I can no longer fire due to a sudden weather change I would rather adapt and overcome then control weather. As frustrating as it can be to FINALLY find a convoy and only have a single torpedo and 13 star shells left I prefer it to knowing when, what and where I will find anything. Improved graphics don't do much for me. I don't play the game of the graphics.

However, I do want to know how to do things and use my tools and seeing that you can control run depth and firing mechanism was of interest to me BUT it turns out that you can do so in the standard version as well and that I still had something to learn.

Basically, my belief that the standard version of the game is what I want has been affirmed. It can be boring, it can be terrifying, it can be very easy at times and it can be very difficult at times just the way it is right out of the box. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose and I would rather take an occasional loss then rig it all with some mod and make it easier.

You can't control the weather with GWX or SH3 Commander. You cant just set it to " Seasonal " but you'll still get storms that last forever in mid Atlantic, or fog with 400m visibilty, just when a convoy manifests itself. Finding convoys is still a matter of good luck. It's never easy, except when lurking off Gibraltar or in the Irish sea. You can set " No fatigue " in SH3 Commander or not. But at least you do have the choice. The thing I like the most is NOT having to navigate out of the Harbour, even if the band is playing. It's fun to do, once. The vastly better graphics are great if you are making videos or for screenshots and the explosions are very visually satisfying but they don't make the game any easier. Watching the depth charges getting closer and closer in vivid detail is horrifying. But in the end it's all about personal choices and the Vanilla game is where we all started out and fell in love with it. My offer stands nonetheless. Good hunting, Kerleun.

[jymbur]

Much appreciated but I'll pass. I like the game as is and don't want to hassle with mods.

[Gunshy]

Fair enough. Good luck :))

[Ickie (>N<)]

I had to have a friend who is awesome at IT to connect to my PC and do it for me,i sat back and watched him do it mod it in stages,it seemed like id never be able to do that myself,although when watching him what he did in stages made sense!,i also have had to reinstall the game and now am back to square one but i did see and play the game with it Modded very well and its a huge change!...Hopefully my friend will one day do it again for me!Because i saw how much work he put into modding this for me i feel bad asking him a second time.

[jymbur]

Originally posted by Ickie•°(>N<):

I had to have a friend who is awesome at IT to connect to my PC and do it for me,i sat back and watched him do it mod it in stages,it seemed like id never be able to do that myself,although when watching him what he did in stages made sense!,i also have had to reinstall the game and now am back to square one but i did see and play the game with it Modded very well and its a huge change!...Hopefully my friend will one day do it again for me!Because i saw how much work he put into modding this for me i feel bad asking him a second time.

What were your favorite changes/improvements?

[Wrath of the North]

Originally posted by jamesburrelltx:

Originally posted by Ickie•°(>N<):

I had to have a friend who is awesome at IT to connect to my PC and do it for me,i sat back and watched him do it mod it in stages,it seemed like id never be able to do that myself,although when watching him what he did in stages made sense!,i also have had to reinstall the game and now am back to square one but i did see and play the game with it Modded very well and its a huge change!...Hopefully my friend will one day do it again for me!Because i saw how much work he put into modding this for me i feel bad asking him a second time.

What were your favorite changes/improvements?

Without knowing his concise modlist it could be any number of things but SH3 only holds up because of the phenomenal, highly mature modding scene.

My personal favorite "mod pack" is FiFi's NYGM - I think it handily beats out OneAlex, Living Silent Hunter, GWX, etc. in realism, difficulty, general game stability and content.

The only thing FiFi NYGM really misses compared to some of the other big mod packs are the historical port layouts.

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=249060

Having read your other replies in this thread I've just got to say that by *not* modding SH3 you're missing out on the things that make this gem stand out almost 20 years later.

[Jub Jub]

I agree. NYGM is my fav. Started of with GWX but once I played NYGM it was hard to play anything else than it due to the realism (I'm a grognard. Sort of). Just bought SH3 on Steam a few days ago and hope to play it again with better resolution.

[Ickie (>N<)]

@jamesburrelltx hi,my favorite changes were the widescreen and also i could zoom up way higher than you can in normal game,the GFX were better the subs looked better they also had Insignia on them and nice emblems exact replicas i imagine and also it had correct German insignia too.The UI was totally diffrent too.Alll for the better.

[Ickie (>N<)]

mine was modded with Living silent Hunter3 2015 w/widescreen Mod not sure if he added GWX to it or not?