New mega-mod - Grey Wolves Expansion (GWX) OneAlex Edition

[33lima]

Just started using this and it seems great. Self-contained, unzip and play, regular updates. Includes GWX; the German U-Boat Compilation; excellent environment (MEP?); a widescreen mod; JSGME with submods including extra U-boat skins; optional SH3 Commander utillity; and other good stuff. Short review with download link and pics here: https://combatace.com/forums/topic/96229-grey-wolves-expansion-onealex-edition/

[Gunshy]

Interesting ! Have you experienced any problems with Saved games not loading? It's a real hassle in GWX. Second question : Is the weather always foul ? Someone told me that in GWX they fixed that problem but I've seen little evidence of that. It's mostly lousy weather except in port. I'll gladly dump the version I have if those problems don't exist in this one.

[33lima]

Loading a saved patrol is likely to fail in SH3 if you try to load it into a different mod, or change any mod after saving it, or if you save while submerged, or near a port (what happened to you?) or (some say) near a convoy.

A recent load of a save after applying a one file mod saw the saved file load, but with my boat under water and plunging irreversibly to and past crush depth. Lesson learned the hard way. Changing mods during a career can only be done safely 'in port', between patrols. Sorry if you already know all this.

As for weather, I'm finding that bad stuff can last for days but it definitely changes, and you get a text warning from your watch officer ('Fog starts/stops') and a drop to 16x if in higher time compression. This unfortunate encounter with aircraft off Freetown came as I was stuck on the surface finishing transferring in external torpedo reloads, in a period of very calm weather after a few days of wind and/or rain: https://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4569346/this-is-what-can-happen#Post4569346

[33lima]

PS unzipping OneAlex Edition doesn't create the folder in 'My Documents' (My Documents/SH3 if you unzip 'as is') that's needed to store career files. This can be done manually or I've seen it said, start and quit a training mission will do this. N/K if what you have done (starting a career mission by the sound of it) created that folder, which it may well have done, but might be worth checking and if not there, creating it.

[33lima]

PPS if using SH3 Commander to launch OneAlex Edition, make sure in SH3 Commander's settings that it is set to look for where you unzipped OneAlex Edition, not at your original (Steam or other) install.

[33lima]

My Initial (Steam) install started as vanilla with just the ARB Widescreen mod:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sxtY_CrOc4

This was my second try at a widescreen mod and I've stuck with it. It is stable, and enabled me to get the best from stock SH3 for several months. I later applied the 'Steam fix' so I could also use mods which modified the .exe (eg H,sie).

But If wanting to go vanilla I would recommend ARB widescreen, and then add TKSS's German U-Boat Compilation (the 'no eagle' version). The boats are even better than GWX.

Also for a 'vanilla plus' install, the Merchant Fleet Mod 3.2, as it massively improves (you guessed) the targets.

I have SH3 compatibility set to Win 7 (which I'm also playing in) and 'Run as administrator' ticked.

I've had little or none of the problems you mention with my GWX+GUC install. Likewise with Onealex Edition. Except if I make the mistake of changing mods while at sea or saving while submerged. I have had two instant crush depth dives in OneAlex edition since starting to use it about a week ago, both of which were likely to me not observing the recommendations mentioned earlier, but no other problems...so far. Strange GWX and One Alex Edition are giving you so much grief.

[Gunshy]

33lima... Thank you :) You said the magic words... " Run as Administrator ". Everything works as advertised and I'm very happy with this version. The only thing... the zoom on the ship camera doesn't work but hey, no biggie. It's so nice to cruise with decent weather. I've completed my first pre war patrol and all my saves worked fine. Thanks again for all your help. :) :) :)

[33lima]

Delighted you are fully operational! Good tho stock SH3 is, a good mega mod can add a heck of a lot. Let me know if you find a fix for the zoom, tho, it's my big bugbear with this mod and defies all efforts to solve it!

[Gunshy]

Originally posted by 33lima:

Delighted you are fully operational! Good tho stock SH3 is, a good mega mod can add a heck of a lot. Let me know if you find a fix for the zoom, tho, it's my big bugbear with this mod and defies all efforts to solve it!

I'll let you know, but it won't be me that finds a fix. I can barely find my way out of bed. I'm loving this version of the game. Graphics and damage model are superb but the asdic " ping " is terrifying. I found that out in Scapa Flow.......

[Gunshy]

Originally posted by 33lima:

Delighted you are fully operational! Good tho stock SH3 is, a good mega mod can add a heck of a lot. Let me know if you find a fix for the zoom, tho, it's my big bugbear with this mod and defies all efforts to solve it!

..umm..I hate to say it but if you use F1 and look at " Other Controls " you will find the zoom for the ship camera is Arrow up/Arrow down. The mouse wheel is disabled by these key commands I guess..... If you want to use the mouse wheel you could try using Joy to Key ( third party program ) to reassign it.

[33lima]

Up/down arrow is not zoom, it merely moves the camera closer or further to the ship. The real zoom function provides a telephoto effect and much more pleasing perspectives at higher zoom settings.
The external pics in this thread - taken in GWX+GUC not Onealex - were I think all taken with the proper zoom function and most would have looked distorted horizontally, if just taken by moving the camera closer.:
https://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/4565920/adieu-st-nazaire#Post4565920

[Gunshy]

Then I guess we're stuck with it.... I only use it to identify the flags in poor visibility anyway... of which there is still plenty..as in whenever you find a ship. When it's fine and calm there are few ships and when the seas are rough the torpedos don't work. I've set them at minimum depth and seen them running 10m under the ship. Maddening.

[33lima]

Better-informed people than I can probably help with those unwilling eels, but globally, it may help to edit the values under 'Torpedo Failure Fix' in Hsie.ini.

The recommended action for attacking in rough seas seems to be - don't!

ATM off Sierra Leone in Sept '41 in U-105, I'm finding plenty of aircraft, (or, they're finding me) but several ships too, Last patrol down there, it was mostly big convoys escorted by determined and very unfriendly people.

[Gunshy]

If it was just in rough weather that the torpedos perform so abysmally I could live with it... but when they run at a depth of 25m in what can only be described as ideal conditions it's a deal breaker. The new features and graphics are very nice but this game has fundamental flaws that the average user can't fix. By which, I mean people that don't have a diploma in computer programming. I did look at the values in H.sie Torpedo Failiure Fix but it's only trigger pistols and not depth settings. I'll go back to Ye olde GWX and worry less about the load crashes as well. Let me know if the author ever fixes it. Cheers.

[33lima]

I think the included H.Sie torpedo failure 'fix' only sets those torpedoes it first calculates as a failure, to run at 25m. As a way of making them miss. The failure rates being explained in the doc named (wait for it) Readme_V16B1.pdf in the Onealex install's snappily-titled subfolder /Support/Steibler4C_V16B1. Where it says 'This Fix tries to model the torpedo crisis until 1942 and also tries to model duds resulting from too shallow torpedo depth settings' etc

To stop or reduce this effect, I understand that you can either:

1. hand edit HSie.ini to reduce the failure % values - even down to zero, perhaps (easy); or

2. turn off the whole torpedo failure fix by re-running the file HsieOptionsSelector.exe. Then untick the box 'Torpedo failure fix' and save by clicking'OK'. I THINK you can do that, without re-running the underlying she.exe patching utility.

That's my understanding anyway.

As that .pdf explains, you'll still get failures per the original sim, but not the extra ones added by the 'fix', which introduces an extra level of failures. Personally and more realistic or not, it drives me nuts so I may have a go at toning it down myself.

As 1. above just involves editing a few numbers (Val3 to Val 8 inclusive) in a file (HSie.ine) with Notepad or Wordpad (after backing it up naturally), or running the options selector to turn off the whole fix, I'd suggest trying that before binning the whole mod.

[33lima]

PS read its readme before running the HsieOptionsSelector - back up sh3.exe before running it just in case.