SH3 COMMANDER by JAESEN JONES.

SH3 Commander Pack version 1.41 (for use with SH3 version 1.4b and Real U-boat 1.41)

To install, simply unzip the SH3 Commander folder anywhere (I like to install it into the SilentHunterIII folder, but you may want it somewhere else).

SH3 Commander is a work in progress, so new features will be added as time permits.

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QUICK START GUIDE

Once SH3 Commander is installed, simply run the SH3Cmdr.exe file (in the SH3 Commander folder). The SH3 Commander window will appear. From here you can either activate a career by clicking on the drop-down list and selecting a career, or alternatively, you can leave the drop-down list for the time-being and enter the details you want for a single mission or to start a new career.

If you:

1. Choose a Career
If you choose an ongoing career from the drop-down list the 'Active Career Details' window will change to show details of your current career including a photo of your commander. From here, by clicking on the various buttons you can [Change...] your U-boat number, get a written [Summary...] of the selected career, enter the [Crew Manager] or select/deselect the Realistic Career Length checkbox (which randomizes the length of a career within historical limits). Once you've adjusted everything to your satisfaction click on 'Launch SH3'. The Commander will take a few seconds to load up the necessary files based on the details of the career, and then the game will start. Once in the game, just choose the campaign that matches the info you selected in the SH3 Commander. You're ready to go on patrol.

2. Start a New Career
When starting a new career you can pre-load the necessary files into the game if you know the date, U-boat type and the flotilla of the career. Enter the details, check the 'Prepare crew for a new career' box, and launch SH3. When you start your new career all the necessary details will be there.

3. Enter Details for a Single Mission
If you choose to enter details for a single mission, enter the details you want (date, U-boat type, and flotilla). If you prefer, you can check the box marked 'Prepare crew for a new career' (this randomizes the crew names). Then click on the Launch SH3 button. SH3 Commander will load up the necessary files and the game will automatically start.

NOTE
SH3 Commander can only load files for one patrol at a time, so make sure you exit the game after every patrol. Then, when you want to start a new patrol just launch SH3 Commander and choose the career or mission you want to play as usual. But don't worry if you forget to launch the game via the Commander once in a while - it won't cause serious problems. It just means that you may see a news file from the wrong date, or your boat may have deeper crush depth characteristics, etc. These problems are minor and temporary,and they will go away as soon as you update the game by using SH3 Commander again.

If you ever want to go back to the standard game format, just click on the 'Rollback SH3' button. This will uninstall all the SH3 Commander-based mods.

Commander Images
Users can replace current images with their own. Provided they use the same file name and the image is in jpg format, their image will be included in the random generation. The image size should be the same to avoid stretch distortion.
Users can also add new jpg images to the end of the list. These can be called whatever they like (but with no commas in the name). These images will *not* be included in the random selection. To use these images, the user can simply double click on the current image and then choose the new image he wants to use.

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SH3 COMMANDER FEATURES:

The Commander installs files based on the date, flotilla or U-boat currently in use in a campaign. The program contains an exe file and a number of folders. The exe file accesses these folders based on the data from the career chosen in the Commander's user interface.

Each of the special folders inside the main SH3 Commander folder contains folders that the Commander accesses based on info in the game's campaign files. The 'Date' folder contains folders named for any date in the war, from September 1st 1939 (19390901) to May 9th 1945 (19450509), i.e. in YYYYMMDD format. Inside these can be placed files and folders in the game's standard format (for example: data\Menu\de_menu.txt). The Flotilla and U-boat folders work in a similar way, but instead of dates, these folders have folders named for the flotillas or U-boats used in the game. Mod-makers can simply place files that relate to a specific date, flotilla, or U-boat inside the relevant folders, and they will be inserted into the game appropriately.

New features in version 1.40b:
-improved rollback performance. Now much quicker - original SH3 files are backed up under the SH3 Commander structure;
-ability to change sub number;
-addition of "realistic career length" option (based on Beery's "roll of the dice" approach);
-exclusion of completed or "dead" careers from the career selection box.
-ability to create a career summary for viewing (txt file) and printing.

SH3 Commander by Jaesen Jones.

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CREW MANAGER FEATURES

SH3 Commander Crew Manager component. With a simple click on the Crew Manager button, players can:
-promote and demote within type (ie Officers, Petty Officers and Sailors);
-change crewmen names;
-give and remove medals based on historic criteria;
-give and remove badges based on historic criteria;
-give, adjust and remove qualifications (3 for officers, 1 for petty officers and 1 for sailors);
-create a crew list for viewing (txt file) and printing.

The Crew Manager also warns if certain conditions are met, such as a crewman receiving medals before they are historically available, or if a crewman might be entitled to specific medals etc and allows a "one click" auto fix.

To use the Crew Manager, just select a crewman and click-and-drag medals, promote or demote the crewman by choosing from the ranks in the drop-down list, or click on the RN button to randomize his name. Clicking 'Apply' saves the changes. You can also build a crew list, saving the details of your crew and their accomplishments to a text file.

Note that if you award medals using Crew Manager some medals may accumulate in the game that can't be awarded. Either ignore these, or make sure to award medals in the game before doing so in Crew Manager.

Also note that Crew Manager-based promotions/medals/qualifications are cosmetic only, and to get the full benefit, always promote or award medals and qualifications from within SH3 if possible.

Crew Manager by Jaesen Jones.

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NEWSMOD/RADIOMOD FEATURES

This mod works via SH3 Commander to give the player:

Monthly news reports that appear when loading a patrol, and during the patrol.
A map of Europe and the Mediterranean which updates based on the progress of the war.
Historical radio broadcasts that appear at their correct dates. These play via the gramophone.
Correct availability dates for U-boats based on the historical date each flotilla received the boats.
Also included is a crush depth mod that gives players an increased crush depth for the Type VIIC/41 when they are using that boat in a campaign.

New in this version: 1939 flotilla names are included (1st Flotilla is named 'Weddigen', 2nd is 'Saltzwedel' and 7th is 'Wegener'.

NewsMod maps and text by Beery.
German translations by Nico71.
Sources:
U-boat losses: 'Iron Coffins' by Herbert Werner.

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RANDOM MERCHANT SHIP TONNAGE MOD FEATURES

This mod is based on an analysis of merchant ships sunk, damaged or totaled from 3 Sept., 1939 thru the end of the war. The results are randomized to provide a variation in merchant tonnage during each patrol. The variations are limited in order to keep the merchant tonnage as close to historical accuracy as possible, within the limitations of the SHIII engine.

At this time, only the tonnage for tankers (small, T2, T3) and cargo ships (coastal, small, C2, C3) have been altered. When using the museum feature in SHIII you can get an idea of the new tonnage values for the different types of ships, but keep in mind the tonnage values will vary from month-to-month and year-to-year.

Random Tonnage Mod by Observer.

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MODMAKER'S NOTES

Date-based files get loaded up a month BEFORE the date of the next patrol, so any file that is to be seen on that patrol has to be dated a month previously. It's also best to date generic monthly files (e.g. monthly news and maps) on the 2nd of the month, because if they're dated the 1st a new career (which doesn't have a month delay) will read them and will give 'news' from an upcoming month.

Radio files are a special case. These are still dated a month previously, but if they take place late in the month, a new career could load them up and a player could hear the message before it really happened. There's not a lot that can be done about this, but at least the likelihood is that this won't happen because the game doesn't 'accept' a new career until a patrol has been undertaken, so the player would have to start a career, start a patrol, and then save, then load up the career in SH3 Commander, and go back to the saved game.

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Myszkin napisał(a): Ups, plik ma 19mb (zip) a ograniczenie poczty mojej to przesyłka 10mb. Ma ktoś jakiś pomysł jak to obejść?

The new version of SH3 Commander (SH3 Commander Pack Release 2) is now available from www.beerymod.com/SH3Cmdr2.7z

Features new to this edition include:

- New interface
- Better integration with SH3 by linking Date/Flotilla/U-Boat selection to that allowed by SH3 when starting a new career (no more selecting XXI U-Boat in 33 Flotilla in 1939)
- Added ability to start new careers in any month between 9/39 and 5/45
- Added ability to randomise or set specific days spent in base
- Added ability to include (or remove) the "Hull Integrity %" text
- Added ability to use any one of three different types of fatigue handling models, with ability to add your own fatigue models
- Added ability to change next patrol grid
- Added ability to delete selected career from the hard drive
- Added ability to return Commanders from retirement
- Career Summary now retitled to Personnel File
- Now generates Personnel Files and Crew Lists in HTML format
- Now specifically advises if required information can not be found in career files when generating Commander history
- Added ability to check the internet for updates
- Many (interface) tweaks and code improvements

Users familiar with SH3 Cmdr should please read the readme file, as there are some changes which require deletion of 'Date' and 'Random' files from older versions.