New Graphic & Sound Mod for Aces of the Deep

[Andreas86]

Current Mod Version 1.8
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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1s2z...usp=drive_link

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/dow...o=file&id=6229

For a full description of what the mod contains, the version history and installation instructions, please read the PDF document included in the download. Meanwhile, here is a new collection of screenshots of the latest version of the mod.

Requirements: The CD version of "Aces of the Deep" (DOS), OR the latest patched disk version. Expansion Pack is optional. This does not currently work for windows 95 based "Command Aces of the Deep".


New bridge and external view showcase:






New menu screens:



New in-game screens:






New crew faces:

[John Pancoast]

Well done ! Is it available to use ?

[Andreas86]

Thanks! As soon as I finish it, some small touches left..

[Andreas86]

Also, how about some new menu screens?

[John Pancoast]

Outstanding !

Yes, very nice!


I would like to know how you do this as I was hoping to do the same in the areas of awards and promotions, but make it so they would be actually awarded in play and not just imaged as I did below.


The hex edit files list the Iron Cross, so ..?

[astvitaliy1982]

Большое спасибо!) Шикарная работа!)

[SnipersHunter]

Just updated to 1.3. Excellent work guys

[Andreas86]

Thanks guys!

[Andreas86]

UPDATE 20.02.2022

New in version 1.4:

-All new type VII control room screen!
-New scope graphics in the control room, rescued from the AOD demo.
-Weather mod with new texture and colors, unused clear sky texture rescued from the AOD.DYN archive!
-New ingame crew face graphics!
-Tactical map gridline color fix.
-New alternative single mission screen.
-Updated type XXI control room screen.

This is a big update which has taken a lot of time and thought.

In the months since I made the first type VII control room, I felt there were much room for improvement. Unfortunately there were limitations in the photos I had from inside U-995. Either there were visitors I had to cover with sprites or edit out, or the camera angle was too wrong for the AOD gauges to fit. Also, the fluorescent tube lighting within U-995 is too artificial compared to the real lamps they used back then and lighting is hard for me to change to any meaningful degree. So I chose to look to other subsims for material. Initially I had hopes that Silent Hunter III would produce the right control room perspective and mood for a new AOD screen. John Pancoast tried hard to help me with this, and sent me many good shots from SH3. Unfortunately, the room perspective produced by SH3 just wasn't right for what I needed. Luckily I found that Silent Hunter 5 was much better suited. And I certainly hope you like the results. I had to redraw a lot of details, but I think this is the most realistic control room I possibly could make for AOD. All gauges and details has been sourced from SH5 and carefully drawn in where AOD needs them to be. To make this work I had to take the liberty of having the scope a bit further to starboard than it is in reality. But seeing as the real thing is very cramped I do not feel it detracts from the immersion.

Next, I had a look at the long self-running demo of AOD to check out if the control room scope animation was different and could be used. Not only is it different, but it seems Dynamix had to sacrifice a lot for the final version of AOD. In the self-playing demo the scope graphics gradually changes perspective as it extends up. Not so in the final version. Additionally the handles are extended when the scope is fully up, also not in the final version -although the extended handles are there in the final SCOPE.BMP file! Strange.. Unfortunately I cannot yet do anything to bring this function back. But I was able to rescue a fitting perspective scope frame from the demo scope graphics, to better match the control room perpective. Even better, the demo version scope graphic is cleaner and more defined pixel-wise! I recolored it grey to blend better with the final version elements. The file can be found in the control room folder.

Another goodie that seemed lost in AOD was an unused clear skies texture. In AOD.DYN there is a file named CLEAR.BMP. It is similar to STORM.BMP in that it consists of 4 frames that combined makes for a texture of 1024 x 160. It is obvious that Dynamix intended to use this texture for clear skies weather. It is also showed in the demo. But something must have gone wrong at the last minute forcing them to program it out, and falling back on the incredibly dull and completely wrong shade of blue for clear skies. All because the last frame in the sprite BMP file is partially corrupted. The EGA-like blue sky in the game has bugged me since I bought Command: Aces of the Deep in 1998. Luckily I was able to rescue the texture, airbrushing in what was missing. So now we have a beautiful clear day blue sky, with light clouds -like Dynamix must have intended. It is also well suited for all other weather conditions, and the weather conditions been improved accordingly!

This brings me to the next modification, namely the palette files. For the rescued blue sky texture to work, I had to edit the relevant palette file to both improve the shade of blue, and to make it gradient. Of course I then could not resist to improve the rest of the weather palettes too, and utilizing the new texture there are now proper overcast, cloudy and storm skies. I also changed the palette colors for the ocean, so the sea will reflect the current sky conditions with more color variation. I have also experimented with new realistic sea foam textures, but for now the original foam files are fine. The greyscale for the bridge has also been altered somewhat to improve lighting during clear and cloudy conditions. Let me just say that palettes can be incredibly confusing to work with in old games like this, but I hope you like the new environments. In clear weather you even get a hint of a pink sunset effect at dusk. These palettes are REQUIRED for the new sky texture to work, and to enhance the bridge lighting.

Perhaps the most challenging feature in this update was the new crew faces. All 18 faces has been changed. I was never happy with the original crew faces ingame, many of them are quite awkward and out of place. And the lighting made them all too pink. They don't really seem like a real uboat crew and the backgrounds are mostly random control room graphics. Now, getting good hi-res quality face shots to translate to tiny pixel faces is difficult to say the least, especially as the face frames uses a very limited palette. I had to try and fail A LOT before I found a good "formula" to get them right.

Moving on, I added another small update to the map files, the inmap gridlines are now light grey instead of solid black. It should be more realistic, if you don't agree just leave them be. As a small bonus I made an alternative new "Single Mission" screen, based on a nice promo shot I found for Silent Hunter II.

Finally, the type XXI room has been changed. I removed the generic officer I had originally put in as he looked a bit out of place, and contorted. I replaced him with the chief engineer from the first type VII screen, since I like him and he needed a place to go.

That's it for now. Enjoy the mod!

DOWNLOAD:
See latest version.



Day changing to dusk, with the new sky texture:

[John Pancoast]

You've found some great discoveries hidden in AOD and made some great mods from them !

[agathosdaimon]

i have followed you instructions a couple times over and the same result every time - if i go to the bridge, the initial screen showing the new front view is there, but as soon as i pan left or right, the whole things crashes




what patch version of AOD is this mod intended for? also are there any specific Dosbox settings needed?


i notice also that the tower bmp files are not actual bmp graphic files are? it does not appear that one can even open them in any graphics program - o tried to open them in ms paint and photoshop, just to see if there is anythign up with them, but none will open - they come up as Invalid format