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

[TorpX]

Ok, I just installed Win 7, 64 bit (home premium) recently, and installed a gazillion updates, including the Microsoft.net framework stuff, and I just checked S3D, and it seems ok. I haven't used it for anything, but I was able to open a file I picked at random.

I hope this helps.

[Admiral Von Gerlach]

IF we have to we will buy you a computer that can run the program Iam, dont worry too much. hoipefuly it is the update that caused some glitch. we can also try to track down the maker of the program, Let us know if you have any success with a restore.

I encountered that problem using the wrong graphic card drivers

[Admiral Halsey]

Originally Posted by Admiral Von Gerlach

IF we have to we will buy you a computer that can run the program Iam,

I would try and buy him both Apple and Microsoft if it meant this mod stays alive.

[Admiral Von Gerlach]

I really dont think we should burden our maker with making an Apple version but we will see what he wants to do. It is his project. Hopefully it is a driver issue or something a restore might fix. The new Microsoft updates can indeed be a problem i try to control that carefully myself. Let us hope for the best.

[iambecomelife]

A new computer?! Come on guys - I can't accept that!!

Seriously, though - I am humbled by your offer, and how much interest the fans of this mod have taken.

Fortunately, I managed to get up and running again with a restore point...all is well for now. I'm a little upset that I haven't found out exactly what was causing S3ditor to crash, but at least it's working again. I will be working on a holiday update in the coming days.

Big sister to the dry cargo ship I posted earlier....a highly flammable "sister", too. You'll probably want to keep your distance while shelling this target. I tried to go for the retro look, with three tall masts, a thin funnel, and a straight bow. Ships like the T3 and T2 look terribly out of place for the early 1900's, in my opinion.

U-53 class submarine is provided for scale.

[Admiral Von Gerlach]

Excellent again with the ship work.

A note, as a fellow ship modeller of that era, the funnels were rarely canted, most were straight up and down but some were like what you have there. just a note. I love the period look of the bluff bows and the ship types of that era, sadly what survived that war didnt many of them make it thru the 1930s and WWII so few people have seen ships of that type in real life.

In the US many were scrapped for the war effort but the UK lost theirs in the wars.

re help, we mean what we say when we support you. And a Ninja one way air drop of a computer is easy to arrange with no return address so you are warned. With respect of course. If it ever happens again. You are not alone in this endevour. ..tho you are indeed the Captain and Commander.

Just please keep daily or significant back ups of your work seperate on media or partitioned drives as that is the only un recoverable event.

[iambecomelife]

Preview of what's being worked on now. More progress shots of this and other models to come, as well as updated game features & interface work; Merry Christmas to all who have given their support.

[Admiral Halsey]

Do I spy with my little eye a Christmas Dreadnought? Oh and I found out what my first captain will be called when the mod is released. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lothar_...a_Peri%C3%A8re

[Admiral Von Gerlach]

Wow wonderful work! i reccognize those ships very well, having commanded them all in various wargaming engagments with the Naval Wargamming Society in the UK many many years ago, as both Kapitan and Admiral. It is very exciting to see the big brothers coming to life under your noble skills sir.

Seeing them brings to mind the many many discussions and debates each year in the naval appropriations of each nation all the decisions about number and location of turrets, size of ships, armament, armour strength, speed and so forth as each of the great fleets was created. As an interesting historical note, the cost of these great ships was enormous for that era and would be even more so if it were in modern costs. 20,000,000 pounds of money of that era was required for each ship yearly of that size so imagine the overall cost, in creating both the ships and all of the equipment, armament, ammunition, training ashore and at sea of the crews of hundreds of thousands of sailors and officers, proviisioning, suppying and training of all of the same, fleet bases, harbours supply stations, coaling staitons world wide, defense, and deployment. The ships themselves were just the tip of the huge spear each fleet consisted of. And then each of the classes of ships large and small each ship had its own character, history, trimphs and tragedies and much of that will be forever unknown. Your work is helping lift the curtain on that, and for that I am so grateful.

thank you so much for giving the past and its history a voice again. Not even Scapa Flow could keep those ones asleep...and you are doing so well. thank you!

[iambecomelife]

Originally Posted by Admiral Von Gerlach

Wow wonderful work! i reccognize those ships very well, having commanded them all in various wargaming engagments with the Naval Wargamming Society in the UK many many years ago, as both Kapitan and Admiral. It is very exciting to see the big brothers coming to life under your noble skills sir.

Seeing them brings to mind the many many discussions and debates each year in the naval appropriations of each nation all the decisions about number and location of turrets, size of ships, armament, armour strength, speed and so forth as each of the great fleets was created. As an interesting historical note, the cost of these great ships was enormous for that era and would be even more so if it were in modern costs. 20,000,000 pounds of money of that era was required for each ship yearly of that size so imagine the overall cost, in creating both the ships and all of the equipment, armament, ammunition, training ashore and at sea of the crews of hundreds of thousands of sailors and officers, proviisioning, suppying and training of all of the same, fleet bases, harbours supply stations, coaling staitons world wide, defense, and deployment. The ships themselves were just the tip of the huge spear each fleet consisted of. And then each of the classes of ships large and small each ship had its own character, history, trimphs and tragedies and much of that will be forever unknown. Your work is helping lift the curtain on that, and for that I am so grateful.

thank you so much for giving the past and its history a voice again. Not even Scapa Flow could keep those ones asleep...and you are doing so well. thank you!

My pleasure!

You mentioned turret arrangements. While researching the "Kaiser" and her (his?) sisters I've been trying to discover exactly how the steam launches and boats were arranged before battle. Most models I've seen on the internet seem to show these ships in harbor. From the way the boats were stowed in non-combat situations, they would block some of the midships turret firing arcs, or possibly get set on fire by the turret blast.

I know that in WWII the Japanese would remove most lifeboats from their battleships before combat to clear turret arcs and to reduce the fire/splinter hazard. IJN battleship sailors had to rely on life vests if their ships sank. Maybe the Kaiserliche Marine did the same thing?

I used to think that these ships were a little weird because of the offset turrets amidships, but now I like their appearance. Tough looking and much better armored than the "Iron Dukes", "Invincibles", etc.

Thanks for your comments, and if anyone can help with the boat stowage issue, it would be welcome!

[U505995]

If you plan on adding the petrol boats make sure it has a deck gun. In shells of Fury you have 6 torps and no gun. Not only is that inaccurate it's a pain in the rear because you have to let all the small ships go.

[Admiral Von Gerlach]

Kaiser he is a fine design and one of my own favorites.

Boat storage was indeed important, here is one of the highest resolution of of the fleet in habour with boats on davits..



click on image for higher rez

.during battle some boats were stowed below by hatches in the main deck, some left in port, and some were slung in davits for immediate use when underway as in this picture of the High Seas Fleet departing for Jutland:



and the Battle cruiser Squadron at the same time:




as you say they would be vanished in the first burst of fire for the muzzle flash of the main guns was tremendous, Railings were bent below as well for teh same reason. shell casings littered the decks and were very hot and would set boats on fire as well. I will find fleet at sea pictutes for you there are a few taken from Zepplins and other air service...

you think well about detail, my respects very much.

Sometimes a few lanuches were left on deck for rescue and work...when underway as here in this picture of the FdG



Here are rare and quite good photos of the High Seas Fleet at the height of its development:




and in this interresting film at 1:21 you will see a photo of a Konig Class BB at sea with boats on deck.



good detail pictures of the Derfflinger are what that film is about..which was a fine ship as well.

Finally some of the few actual phoitos from Jutland during the battle including one of the SMS Lutzow which fired the first shot from the bridge of another High Seas Fleet ship.

[Admiral Halsey]

So that was a dreadnought you posted IABL. With that info I need to ask you a question. Have you started work on HMS Dreadnought yet?

[Admiral Von Gerlach]

I am guessing he may not even model the original Dreadnought, she was a minor unit by the time the Great War game along but who knows how much energy our creator has Weill be interesting to see what may happen by the time this remarkable project launches.

On thinking over the way the capital ships operated in war time conditions some comments came to mind, the firing of the main battery guns was a significant event in both practice and in actual action. It caused tremendous stress on the gun barrels, mechanism and the ship itself. For that reason turret dispostion and reinforcement in terms of ship structure and members was critical to consider, and the cost of setting turrents amid ships for additional fire power also caused great strain on ship structure and limited interior space. By the end of the war design had shifted to fore and aft main batteries for those reasons.

Also the firing of the big guns caussed always damage to the decks, and bulkheads, paint blistered and burned from the muzzle blasts and the wooden decking often took damage as well from ths ships own guns. ...not to speak of damage from enemy fire. It was no small matter to fire the guns, and the barrels has a specific life time which would be affected by wear, and even in normal firing, the wear of the gun bore woudl change the deflection and the angle of fire achieved by each individual gun. So turrent captains were in charge of maintaining their guns quality and accuracy along with the Fire Control Officers and it was a complex and demanding aspect of the Big ships and their batteries. the ammunition itsself often had to be specifically machines for individual types of battery, and type, and the storage of the ammunitoin as you will well know was a critical matter and caused the loss of ships due to magazine fires esp for the Royal Navy at Jutland. Fortunatley for the High Seas Fleet due to an accident involving a magazine fire and flash back the High Seas Fleet has fitted fire proof doors to all their major ship magazines and did not suffer from this hazard.

the Heligoland class German battleships which I believe you have already modelled? was one of the most intensive with four turrets amid ships, they were called the "turtles" by the Fleet and tho it looks ungainly they were good ships and delivered an awesome rate of fire on the broadside.

the key was always to try to cross the enemy fleet's T, which was one of the main goals of a fleet admiial of that era....and coudl have devestating affects as it took high level of training to turn a fleet about, a matter which the High Seas Fleet achieved without mishap at least twice in Jutland and on other occasions.

lots to think of and to remember when it comes to deploying the fleets or squadrons in any missions you design, i will be happy to advise on standard fleet deployment practices of that era.