Silent Hunter 1 Pack project

[welk2]

I plane to create a lerge pack that will contains all awailable files concerning Silent Hunter 1 (including Commander edition and patrol disks 1,2,3).


So, i search :

Tools and utilities
Patches
Mods
Scenarios
Manuels
Documentation, notices, readme files, etc
Map images chart
etc


If you have stuff files that are not uploaded on subsims, please : could you contact me, it would be usefull to collect all files and to upload them in a large pack on mediafire (where I have an account)


I would collect files and then upload them. At this time, I collected some files after reading threads of the present forum and using the "way back machine (web archives), but I think there are probably lot other files in "privates hands"



Thanks in advance if you have some stuff files, I would be vey interrested to get them.

[Andreas86]

A great idea welk2, such a collection would be very welcome!

Since you have used waybackmachine, I suppose you have this already: https://archive.org/details/wargamer...-silent-hunter

[welk2]

Thanks a lot Andreas, I downloaded your files

I had not found this specific page on way back machine ; some of content files = I had, but I had not not entire content, so it's a good treasure and if other users have other way back machine pages, it would be great to get the files.

Concerning scenarios, I know that some users have more 100 scenarios (I saw that on this thread forum)

I think it's difficult fore one user alone to found all files, lot are dispatched between users.




So, my goal is


1/ to collect all stuff of each member of community (all users have not same files, some are missing, etc) : scenarios, mods, utilities, documentations, readme files, manuels, patches, images charts, etc


2/ then to class all files to eliminate double files (files that are exactly identical)



3/ then to upload a large pack with this content for all players on mediafire (mediafire allows very large zip files to be uploaded and I have an account).


In addition of this "stuff pack" for SH, I plane also to create a future pack with a pre-installed automatic version (under dosbox). But I will wait to be sure that SH Commander edition is no more bought in any place.

I found some old CD SILENT HUNTER COMMANDER EDITION on Amazon (sold by users), but the problem is that these Amazon products are not allowing to shipping to Europe (sellers are in USA, not in Europe).

And GOG Game, at this time, does not sell Silent Hunter 1.31 CE
Same thing for Steam

This is eternal pb with old good dos games : no commercial shop sells them anymore and they are definitivly lost for players

EDIT :If someone knows a place where SH 1.31 Commander edition is sold, I would be interrested ! (a dos box version is cool, but a "modernized" version working without dosbox would be great)


EDIT : I have also found a little tool created by Fred Chandla, that allows to edit shp files in "ART" directory of SILENT HUNTER. It works fine with the "pal" files of the ART directory, and includes à SHP editor manuel" for users. But I do not know how to upload it on the "mods/utilities" section

[Andreas86]

Sounds good. I bought the Commander's edition back in the 90s, and still have it. Also, some of the art assets ingame are also quite moddable, like the control room and various screens.

[welk2]

The pb for shp files : it seems that the ART directory of SH does not contain all needed "pal" files (or perhaps, some shp files in Silent Hunter use the same "pal" file : in this case, pb would be to find the "pal" file used by each shp files => if you do not use the correct "pal" file, colors are false)

[Andreas86]

It is very likely as you say, that many assets share the same palette. As for the matching of palette, I haven't checked SH1, but in AOD we are lucky enough to have a tool called Engie File Converter. There you can load both pictures and select individual palette files to see what matches. It also works with standard .PAL files and normal .BMPs so if lucky one can do the same in SH1.

Edit: I see SH1 uses PCX files for its main screens, not BMP. These PCX files also have inbuilt palette of course. My bad.
I do see there are palette files for some of these screens, but I have a feeling that is because of overlays of assets that uses different palettes. These DOS games are often a mad juggling of different palette entries.

As for the .shp files, have you found a way to open them? It may be these have inbuilt palettes too.

[welk2]

I tried Engie File Converter but the tool does not work for Silent Hunter SHP (seems that this tool is dedicated for specific games files)


Concerning PCX images : I open them with Xnview or Gimp


The shp tool (Shp edit V1.05) made by Fred Chandal for Steel panthers files (shp files) works perfect to open Silent Hunter shp files. The process is a little bit complexe but the tool includes a user manuel.


But this tool needs external "pal" : so, you have to charge "pal" file before using it ; if not, colors are not exact.


So, you have to know for each file what is his "pal" file = you have to try each shp with each "pal" (needs long time and work)

[welk2]

At this time, 974 scen files and 164 tools/utilities/mods files were collected after some days of research on the web and after contacts with SH players



I am working to class them, because some are duplicates


I think it's a very little part of a more large iceberg : if some other players have these kind of files for Silent Hunter 1, please contact me : Even a single scenario or tool/utility file, doc file, etc can be greatly useful if it is missing in the pack !


Image of directories

[Sub Penguin]

Is it possible you can put up a progress link to the files you currently have and update every so often till the final pack is released?

I'm playing SH now and would love to possibly use some of the files you already have.

[Onkel Neal]

You have the upload access for Subsim.

[Jeffg]

Just checking on how your progress is going?

Jeffg

[welk2]

at the moment, I'm working on filing because there are many duplicates

[welk2]

HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION : I uploaded in the MODS section a historical listing or all US Subs in Pacific WW2 with short informations about each : patrols, location operations and results (very usefull to create scenarios)
Informations are extracted from Wiki (html format)


MISSION PACK (Tim Martin missions) : I uploaded a little mission pack I founded on the web : Tom Martin Missions
=> Lot of player have probably already them but may be usefull for players who have not.





Would be great if players who have lot of scenarios would accept to share them. But it seems that some of them are not ready to share the files they have...

I will try in future future days to build some historical scenarios with the SH/Commander edition


This pre-installed Dosbox version may be found on the web very easily and works fine under recent Windows OS




EDIT 1 : If some one has a tip or a tool to rename subs, I will be interrested to get it. There is a list of names in editor, but I think some subs are not listed in and it would be great to rename subs.

EDIT 2 :I uploaded a new SH/CE scenario : "The first war patrol of Uss Tang" (17 Febr. 1944).
https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/dow...p?do=cat&id=42


Uss Tang encouters a small convoy with escort and plane to attack it. But a new escort appears in south, and in addition one asw plane...
This scenario is based from the documentation I uploaded in the mod section (historical listing of all US Subs in Pacific WW2, with for each synthetic informations about war patrols and fighting results)
Other scenarios will coming later

[Kris]

As a kid I got SHCE. At least, the CD cover says Commander's Edition. ingame it turned out to be v1.11.
Later, I started to look for the original/real Commander's Edition 1.31. That was around 16 years back. I luckily found a used SHCE CD to be shipped to europe. It was a hard search already back then. Good luck finding one now.

I used to have a lot of files, maps, and utilities. I even created the ship book & charts myselve in higher quality because i did not like the low quality jpg version with the shipping lanes on them.


I can check what i have left of them all, it wont be immidialty as i have to find the drives first.


i can check what i have left of them all.

[welk2]

Hi Kris,


Thanks, please say me when you have them : would be great to get these good things


If you search now the old DOS SH/CE 1.31 version : contact me by MP