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

[iambecomelife]

I replaced the default loading screen with a WWI painting, plus some shiny stuff:



Current progress on the U-31 Class Submarine. It is based on the US "S" boats. The torpedo tubes, dive planes, props, & gun need work but the hull is nearly done.











U-31 and U-57 class models in Wings3d:

[ReallyDedPoet]

Very nice work

[Tessa]

Originally Posted by iambecomelife

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

CORE FEATURES

-Historically Correct uniforms for officers and crew.

-Win medals & awards for your feats of daring. Get unique items from your superior officer or the Kaiser himself. A “swapping out” system to get around the 8-medal limitation of SH4.

POSSIBLE FEATURES

-Austro-Hungarian campaign with appropriate medals, ranks, & uniforms

Hiyas, was wondering if you still needed help in these areas? I've managed to get several Imperial Germany Orders over the past few months and learned a lot about the varying degrees of the orders, and what it (generally speaking) took to earn various medals/orders and then higher degrees of each.

There are some absolutely beautiful Orden out there, while completely impractical you could put breast stars on the uniforms that would hopefully maintain their drawing (granted breast stars of any orden took great achievements or being lucky enough to be born a prince/duke, etc.) and look really sharp. Also being able to (potentially) earn more than one RK from the various states is pretty cool, plus of course the Pour le Merite and the Red Eagle among many others imo is better than any RK no matter how many diamonds you shove into it.

[Deamon]

Originally Posted by Tessa

Hiyas, was wondering if you still needed help in these areas? I've managed to get several Imperial Germany Orders over the past few months and learned a lot about the varying degrees of the orders, and what it (generally speaking) took to earn various medals/orders and then higher degrees of each.

I certainly would be interested in more info about it!

[Sepp von Ch.]

Your new loading screen is splendid!

[iambecomelife]

Originally Posted by Tessa

Hiyas, was wondering if you still needed help in these areas? I've managed to get several Imperial Germany Orders over the past few months and learned a lot about the varying degrees of the orders, and what it (generally speaking) took to earn various medals/orders and then higher degrees of each.

There are some absolutely beautiful Orden out there, while completely impractical you could put breast stars on the uniforms that would hopefully maintain their drawing (granted breast stars of any orden took great achievements or being lucky enough to be born a prince/duke, etc.) and look really sharp. Also being able to (potentially) earn more than one RK from the various states is pretty cool, plus of course the Pour le Merite and the Red Eagle among many others imo is better than any RK no matter how many diamonds you shove into it.

Certainly. The medal system will be greatly simplified because nobody has managed to get around the numerical limitations, but this information would be most welcome.

Stock SH4 has the following medals:

5151=Submarine service medal
5152=Wounded medal
5153=Patrol star
5154=Medal of valor
5155=Campaign star
5156=Victory cross

For "German" careers I have tentatively decided to use the following order:

Blue Max
Order of the Red Eagle
Hausorden von Hohenzollern
Order of the Crown
Iron Cross First Class
Iron Cross Second Class

An equivalent order for Austria would be a great help. Also for non-Prussian regoins. Corrections would be helpful - not sure that the order above is from most to least important.

[Sledgehammer427]

well

i think it would go

blue max
Iron Cross 2nd
Iron cross 1st
then the Pour le merite.

At least, if mrmoery serves me right, that was the order of medals they used, by signifigance

[Tessa]

Originally Posted by Sledgehammer427

well

i think it would go

blue max
Iron Cross 2nd
Iron cross 1st
then the Pour le merite.

At least, if mrmoery serves me right, that was the order of medals they used, by signifigance

The Blue Max and Pour le Merite are the same order, regardless of any other orders it has always been at the top of the list since it was created.

When dealing with Imperial Awards/Orders theres a disjoint relation between rules of precedence (in the order medals are officially to be worn) and their real status/prestige. Though rules of precedence always put the EK at the top of the ribbon bar, in reality (in Imperial Germany) it was a very low award making it extremely confusing at times - on a ribbon/medal bar the EK2 would rank above a RK of Hohenzollern, Red Eagle, RK of St. Henry (Saxony) and even Austrian Order of the Iron Crown - all orders which required a seriously higher level of valor/achievement to get even at the lowest levels.

While some of the city/states were landlocked, and had no Navy to speak of they still would have their own people enlist into the Navies. It wasn't uncommon for (your home town so to speak) to also award you for your accomplishments, so one would also need to take note of your birthplace/area you grew up in if it was an area that didn't have its own Navy.

Myself having not played SH4 am not familiar with its config files, though it might be possible to add more with a trick I've used with SH3: from the list you provided:

5151=Submarine service medal
5152=Wounded medal
5153=Patrol star
5154=Medal of valor
5155=Campaign star
5156=Victory cross

What are values for spaces 5157-5159? If blank it would be possible to use those empty spaces to add in extra medals/orders through some manipulation of a few config files (which I assume haven't changed much from sh3).

Not sure if it will at all be possible, but one addition that might be able to be implemented is using the varous levels of each medal, since most major orders had at least 4 to 6 different levels. One could earn the Red Eagle 4th class, and then through further actions get awarded a higher level potentially all the way up to the breast star/grand cross version. Whether or not the game has room/can allow such awards is something I need to load the game and start playing around with the settings to see what its maximum limitations are, what can be added, and what tricks can be used to make more room for more.

The only major contribution the Iron Cross had was that it was available to be awarded to any soldier regardless of rank; something which was an entirely new concept compared to the semi-feudal system with the others.

[Tessa]

Found an interesting page on WWI imperial medals:

http://www.gwpda.org/medals/germmedl/-prussia.html

Has some interesting information on some of the more specific history of the medals.

Despite any temptations, its best not to even think of putting the Black Eagle into play; while it was (technically) the highest honor that Germany has always had it was largely a state award - given principaly to royalty and visiting Kings/Queens. I think that there was one (and only) award of it to a soldier for military accomplishments; even at that it was an Admiral.

Unlike SH3 the submarine clasp was something that was given a lot more respect than its 3rd Reich counterpart (it can be clearly seen in its value - a good quality 3rd Reich u-boat badge with its gilt or brass still mostly intacted will be around $800-$1200; for a comprable WWI Imperial Submarine Badge you're looking at $2000-$2300 for one in high quality shape). A large portion of the sailors in the latter part of the war either never received theirs after earning it or died before fullfilling the reqs to get it in the first place.

Aside from it (sub badge) looking cool imo I think it is worth keeping as part of the medals, and then omitting the EK's and replacing them with more interesting orden. Here's what I would suggest we work with (depending on your hometime, and theatre you are operating in will make certain awards available and/or easier to obtain (starting with the top rank):

Order of the Red Eagle 3rd class
Pour le Merite w/Oak Leaf
Order of the Red Eagle 4th class
Pour le Merite
Knights Cross of Hohenzollern Order
Order of the Iron Crown (Austria)
Military Merit Order 4th Class (Bavaria)
Military Merit Cross (Austria)
Hanseatic Cross (Lubeck/Bremen or Hamburg)
Order of the Crown (Prussia)
Submarine Badge

Fyi, German aviators earned their blue max after getting 20 confirmed kills. Von Richthofen didn't earn his Red Eagle until after getting 70 confirmed kills. Even though the Blue Max is higher in the order of precedence, the Red Eagle is a more prestigous award only given to higher ranking officers that have proven themselves in combat over long periods of time.

Only kind of analogy I could think of that can even try and explain the reasoning is this fictional scenario: Two Marines get back on board ship ready to transfer to Pavuvu after a long period of fighting. One of the Marines took 3 bullets while pulling his friends to safety and returning fire to kill the SOB's. The other Marine single handedly charged a machine gun nest, killed its crew and then proceeded to move laterally and take out 2 more machine gun nest until the last one surrendered - all the time he remains untouched.

Later when they get back to camp the one Marine that took out all the Machine gun nests gets a Navy Cross or MOH for his actions. The other soldier gets a Purple Heart. While the Navy Cross (and of course) MOH rank high above a Purple Heart, the only way you can get one is to be wounded by the enemy in combat or KIA; there is no other way a soldier can get one. Of course it sucks to get wounded at all, but the Purple Heart recipient is now part of a special group of which admission to it is strictly regulated and limited - this is in a twisted sort of way you can look at the Red Eagle Order and why its much harder to get than a Blue Max.

[Sledgehammer427]

Originally Posted by Tessa

The Blue Max and Pour le Merite are the same order, regardless of any other orders it has always been at the top of the list since it was created.

-cough-
I stand corrected, I actually ended up looking it up last night and I forgot about this post entirely.

[DavidSimoes]

WoW!!! Congratulations about your work.
I only discovored your mod this week and i must say is looking very interesting. When you talk about the possibility to interact with neutral ships to see their cargo and the fact that vessel could be a Q-ship you make me a fan of your work
It would be a totaly new experience to be a subcomander and the fact it could have coastal defences in a harbour interesting.
I have only 2 questions:
How could we use the explosve charge? I am guessing it would be with ships in a harbour correct?
You talk you trying to make this mod for sh3 or 4 but i must say sh5 now is looking very good with all the mods available at this moment maybe when you release a beta version in 2012 maybe by then you could consider to make for sh5.
Anyway amazing idea your mod congratulations

[pontius]

Don#t know if its already have been posted here:
http://www.europafilmtreasures.eu/fi...que.htm?ID=269

[iambecomelife]

Originally Posted by DavidSimoes

WoW!!! Congratulations about your work.
I only discovored your mod this week and i must say is looking very interesting. When you talk about the possibility to interact with neutral ships to see their cargo and the fact that vessel could be a Q-ship you make me a fan of your work
It would be a totaly new experience to be a subcomander and the fact it could have coastal defences in a harbour interesting.
I have only 2 questions:
How could we use the explosve charge? I am guessing it would be with ships in a harbour correct?
You talk you trying to make this mod for sh3 or 4 but i must say sh5 now is looking very good with all the mods available at this moment maybe when you release a beta version in 2012 maybe by then you could consider to make for sh5.
Anyway amazing idea your mod congratulations

The explosive charge will probably be launched using an invisible deck gun node on your sub. I am still trying to find out what these charges looked like. I understand that grenades were sometimes used in WWI to sink small fishing vessels, but so far I haven't uncovered any photos of the bigger charges that would be used on a stopped ship. if I can't find any then I will just use a model of the famous "potato masher" German grenade as the weapon particle.

http://www.relics.org.uk/images/products/PIC_0098_t.jpg

And unfortunately I cannot release a beta in 2012; the mod is just not in any kind of shape for release. I don't want to falsely get your hopes up about what kind of progress to expect.

[pontius]

French Docu in colour:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xef...des_shortfilms

[Admiral Von Gerlach]

Good to see work progressing, very happy to see that. All is looking excellent.