To be honest I have some (sort of) good and bad news.
My job is offering weekend overtime, and I have been working full workdays Saturday and Sunday. I am earning a decent sum (which is good), and will help me buy sources for the mod..but this also means that I have much less time to mod. Work has been going on, but unfortunately at a slower pace.
My supervisors don't know when their bosses will stop offering the overtime, but once that happens the modding pace will pick up again.
The good news is I have a very large amount of vacation time unused, and this will be devoted to WOTK! In terms of work, here is what has been done since my last post:
-Major improvements to U-51 hull
-U-51 Class conning tower successfully tested ingame
-Replaced the 3d object of crew on deck with real crewmember slots. Now you will see your real crew man the rail! Not the "fake" characters using the snorkel. This frees up the snorkel animation for something else.
-More additions to the WWI radio messages with war news.
-Much more work on the top aces tonnage scores. All tonnage scores for top Uboot aces from 1914-1915 are done, and a lot of work is now finished for 1916 - 1918.
-"Light Merchant" model is nearly complete. This model is much better than the ships from the Merchant Fleet Mod, and is a prototype for all of the advanced merchant ships to be included. Major features include:
-Component Nodes for Bridge Superstructure, Masts, Funnel, etc. There will be dozens - possibly hundreds of different combos for each hull to represent building styles and different companies.
-Smoke Floats...new defensive weapon to block your view
-Shell hole damage - hundreds of shell holes possible, unlike standard SH4 that can only display about 5-6 holes per model
-Steam and oil leaks from engine room damage
-Structural failure - damage a ship enough and huge pieces of hull blow away
-Multiple keel failure - will produce a variant that can explode and break into 3-4 big pieces
-Crew on deck - various ranks including captains, officers, sailors, etc.
-Sailors run on deck, put on life vests, enter lifeboats if ship is badly damaged
-Crew jumping overboard
-Visible cargo - Iron Ore, Coal, Minerals, Lumber, or Boxes become visible if hatch cover blows off. Fast sinking rate for iron ore ships or other heavy cargo...ships carrying lumber, on the other hand, will be very hard to sink.
-National flags that may be inaccurate. Enemy ships may use fake neutral flags or fly no flag. Also, German ships may even use enemy or neutral flags as a disguise, especially when they are running the blockade off England. You will need to approach and ask what cargo is being carried.
-Of course, Q-Ship versions that will sink you if you're not careful.
