[WIP] Wolves of the Kaiser:1914-1918 Mod

[Hitman]

@IABL: Sent you a PM with information some days ago, but haven't any reply. Plese just confirm reception, in case I have to re-send it, thanks

[Admiral Von Gerlach]

Wow. I am very impresed and happy to see this work underway. I have studied, and gamed WWI era for over 35 years, and had family in the Imperial High Seas Fleet, and some family papers remain. Also i have been working to help continue the Iron Seas Project for DC and we have a number of ships made, tho none to the detail that is possible in SHIV. This is a noble effort and i highly support it. I can help with history and data on ships if useful. My grandfather's first command was a four piper American DD, and he knew some of the submarine history from back then, even saw some captured prize german U Boats and I had photos, but not sure if i can lay hands on them now. I just wanted to thank all working on this and will keep an eye on developments and am cheering you on. I also have 3D Max and can help with conversions if the process is worked out.

Salute

PS and yes my earlier posts about the tragic loss of the Lusitania ...she was indeed sunk without warning which should have been given under prize rules. Many U boat skippers were very honourable about that...and some were not sadly. I am glad we can choose in the sim which to be.

[iambecomelife]

Originally Posted by Admiral Von Gerlach

Wow. I am very impresed and happy to see this work underway. I have studied, and gamed WWI era for over 35 years, and had family in the Imperial High Seas Fleet, and some family papers remain. Also i have been working to help continue the Iron Seas Project for DC and we have a number of ships made, tho none to the detail that is possible in SHIV. This is a noble effort and i highly support it. I can help with history and data on ships if useful. My grandfather's first command was a four piper American DD, and he knew some of the submarine history from back then, even saw some captured prize german U Boats and I had photos, but not sure if i can lay hands on them now. I just wanted to thank all working on this and will keep an eye on developments and am cheering you on. I also have 3D Max and can help with conversions if the process is worked out.

Salute

PS and yes my earlier posts about the tragic loss of the Lusitania ...she was indeed sunk without warning which should have been given under prize rules. Many U boat skippers were very honourable about that...and some were not sadly. I am glad we can choose in the sim which to be.

Thank you to you and everyone else for your offers, photos, interest, and support!

And yes, I agree it's important to allow the player to decide what kind of Commander he will roleplay as. In the next few days I am going to have some very important tests involving the British merchant and my method of introducing prize warfare & contraband searching. You can shoot at anything that moves, but don't be surprised when you get a massive negative renown hit back at base! This mod is, ideally, a game for the thinking player.

[iambecomelife]

Originally Posted by Sledgehammer427

Started on U-19 ditching U-1. no loss, I got a better idea with modeling the U-boats, and it is turning out very well

Excellent. U-19 is a much better choice.

BTW, I am revamping the European coastline so if anybody has access to charts/maps from the period, that would be helpful.

Am also brushing up on European architecture of the day - I want to include coastal villages, wireless stations, & troop depots either as destructible objects or just scenery.

[Admiral Von Gerlach]

that allowing of choice and its consequences will be great as in that time with radio marconi style being so unreliable and often units at sea on their own devices. such decisoins were in the captain's hands.

iambecomelife that is wonderful that you are doing details for coasts and coast towns, that so much adds to the immersion and there are many significant coastal towns that will add to the playablitiy of this mod. I do have some old charts but they are too large to scan i am sad to say, and very old and time worn. Some i am afraid to unfold anymore. But i will look online for resources that may help. Postcards are a good source for coastal towns...



The Impaerial Yacht entering lock at Holtenau

also excellent pics of bases and ports from naval print companies:

http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.u...aval_bases.htm



Wilhelmshaven



Kiel



Malta Harbour



Portsmouth...



Rosyth Naval Base

btw this is from a renarlkable historic diary kept by a RN sailor James Dixon aboard the HMS Australia.

http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/Extrac...sDixonsDi.html

incidentally this would work well with the German plans to lure out the Grand Fleet for attirtion attacks by U boats.

In 1916, the German plan was to lure parts of the British Grand Fleet out into the North Sea by swift surface raids on East coast towns such as Scarborough and Sunderland. Meanwhile, German submarines were stationed several miles outside the main British naval bases of Rosyth and Scapa Flow for the purpose of sinking British battleships with torpedoes as they left port to deal with the surface raids.

German submarines (U-boats) patrolled in zones off the East coast of Britain with the intention of sinking British warships as they left their ports at Scapa Flow and Rosyth.However this plan proved ineffective as the German U-boats failed to sink a single British warship. Towards the end of May 1916, Admiral Scheer, Commander of the German High Seas Fleet, decided on a further - more risky - decoy operation to lure British battleships out of port.

[linerkiller]

If that could interest someone...my personal drawings of Lusitania and Hospital ship Mauretania.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/7...itania1915.png
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/1...mauretania.png

Hope they could be useful!

[Sledgehammer427]

WOW LK! nice job with the drawings!

[iambecomelife]

Originally Posted by linerkiller

If that could interest someone...my personal drawings of Lusitania and Hospital ship Mauretania.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/7...itania1915.png
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/1...mauretania.png

Hope they could be useful!

Great job!

Just yesterday I was wishing that someone had done detailed line drawings of the Cunard four-stackers. Any plans of the Britannic?

Had some advanced legal reading yesterday & couldn't do as much as I wanted, but I will be free in the afternoon. Next updates will be, hopefully, first tests of prize warfare, tests of new terrain tiles, and starting work on new uniforms.

[ReallyDedPoet]

This looks like it's going to a good one, nice

[Admiral Von Gerlach]

Britanic.... hospital ship: She was requisitioned by the British Admiralty during WWI for use as a hospital ship before she could begin a career as a commercial liner, and was sunk off Crete by either a German mine or torpedo. Now pretty much considered a loss to a mine. Her wreck has been found and is being explored but is very deep. there were three sister ships one being the Titanic, one of them actually rammed and sunk a German U boat that was trying to torpedo her.

http://archive.timesonline.co.uk/tol...-1916-11-23-08



are you going to make her in dazzle?

[linerkiller]

Originally Posted by Admiral Von Gerlach

Britanic.... hospital ship: She was requisitioned by the British Admiralty during WWI for use as a hospital ship before she could begin a career as a commercial liner, and was sunk off Crete by either a German mine or torpedo. Now pretty much considered a loss to a mine. Her wreck has been found and is being explored but is very deep. there were three sister ships one being the Titanic, one of them actually rammed and sunk a German U boat that was trying to torpedo her.

http://archive.timesonline.co.uk/tol...-1916-11-23-08



are you going to make her in dazzle?

That one is the Olympic....

About the britannic...yes, i have one but it's not 100% satisfactory!
Here it is:
http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/6...sbritannic.png

[FIREWALL]

@ IABL I can hardly wait till you release this.

And it couldn't come out at a better time if you know what I mean.

[Admiral Von Gerlach]

sorry about that Olympic slipping in there>..here is the Britanic:

[iambecomelife]

Well, after a lot of tears & toil I've finally managed to install torpedoes on merchant ships.

No, not because it's historical - rather, this is the first step towards adding new effects when a merchant ship encounters your submarine. I am going to use the torpedo spawn effect to spawn various objects & effects from merchantmen:

-Lifeboats
-Jollyboats with the ship's cargo manifest & officers
-Life Rings
-Smoke Pots
-Life Jackets
-Cargo Crates
-Oil Drums & Barrels
-Panicked crewmen jumping overboard

The great thing is, you can simply create a 3d object, add it to the "Library" folder, and then specify it in the torpedo spawn effect file & have it appear, instead of a torpedo. This means that you can place weapons nodes all over a ship that will spawn as many or as few objects/characters as you want. The launcher even specifies an ammo loadout, so you can control how many items are spawned. Now freighters, troop carriers, & hospital ships can have the appropriate # of lifeboats with the right characters on board.

Just remember to be careful when the merchant's jollyboat spawns - If it's a Q-Ship you'll get a blast of shrapnel instead of a cargo manifest.

[Bubblehead1980]

nice...really looking forward to the day this comes out.

Curious, what type of ASW will be in the game? Can not say I know much about WW I ASW.I know they had depth charges and primitive sonar, did they have ASW aircraft ?