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

[iambecomelife]

More progress on this model - I finally broke down and attempted a decent looking anchor for the ship.

Railings, chains, more superstructure, and deck fixtures have been added among other things. Didn't have time to do boats and rigging yet.

[iambecomelife]

The old version of this model, from 2009, by way of comparison...

[Admiral Halsey]

Looking better but can't really tell without textures on it. Does look a lot smoother though on the edges for sure.

[iambecomelife]

Originally Posted by Admiral Halsey

Looking better but can't really tell without textures on it. Does look a lot smoother though on the edges for sure.

The old model was basically the King George V World War II battleship model from Silent Hunter 3 with a few changes. You can tell that the funnel size and superstructure details are incorrect. This new model was made completely from scratch, using plans for the "Orion/Monarch/Conqueror/Thunderer" and the best ship model pictures I could find on the internet.

[avers]

Hey IABL, seeing at how good of a job you are doing with this mod, do you think you'll still be making mods when WOTK is done?

[iambecomelife]

I intend to keep making mods until my old bones give out!!! Actually, I'm Generation Y, so these bones are not really that old...haha!

Anything in particular you were thinking about? One possibility I've been kicking around since about 2008 was a "Kriegsmarine 1946" mod - where the war lasts several years longer - maybe with D-Day being a failure, or the Ardennes offensive turning into a huge German success. There would be widespread use of new technology like Type XXI's, Type XXIII's, Me-262's, Go-229's, and so on. On the Allied side, naval vessels like the "Montana" battleships, HMS "Vanguard", and for submarines maybe the "Tang" class boats (1949 - not the "Tang" that was sunk). Or maybe an armed version of the "Albacore" class. Allied aircraft would be planes like the Gloster Meteor, P-80, B-29, and maybe F-86.

[iambecomelife]

I started building boats for the battleships - first is this 45 foot Steam Pinnace. It will be available as both a shipborne craft and an independent unit.
Historically, they were armed with machine guns,
cannon, and even torpedoes...nasty little pests. Keep in mind that your deck crew will be
MUCH more vulnerable to small arms than in standard SH3 and SH4.

[avers]

Originally Posted by iambecomelife

I intend to keep making mods until my old bones give out!!! Actually, I'm Generation Y, so these bones are not really that old...haha!

Anything in particular you were thinking about? One possibility I've been kicking around since about 2008 was a "Kriegsmarine 1946" mod - where the war lasts several years longer - maybe with D-Day being a failure, or the Ardennes offensive turning into a huge German success. There would be widespread use of new technology like Type XXI's, Type XXIII's, Me-262's, Go-229's, and so on. On the Allied side, naval vessels like the "Montana" battleships, HMS "Vanguard", and for submarines maybe the "Tang" class boats (1949 - not the "Tang" that was sunk). Or maybe an armed version of the "Albacore" class. Allied aircraft would be planes like the Gloster Meteor, P-80, B-29, and maybe F-86.

I was thinking more mods for SH4, WW2, the pacific war. Even though Ducimus with TMO, RFB team with RFB, as well as valoda (sorry if I mispelled your name) with FOTRS (as well as lurker with RSRDC) have done a great job, I still find bugs and Ive been thinking of some cool things to put into SH4. So what do u think IABL?

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by iambecomelife

I started building boats for the battleships - first is this 45 foot Steam Pinnace. It will be available as both a shipborne craft and an independent unit.
Historically, they were armed with machine guns,
cannon, and even torpedoes...nasty little pests. Keep in mind that your deck crew will be MUCH more vulnerable to small arms than in standard SH3 and SH4.

Cool! I've long wished that the MFM contained more tiny coastal freighters and tankers, and this looks to fulfil that lust for me.

One word on them, though. The pre-war battleships carried three different boats with two smaller 14" torpedoes each, but their main purpose was to patrol when the ship was anchored in a foreign port, just in case. They were never deployed at sea, at least as far as I know.

[Admiral Halsey]

Originally Posted by iambecomelife

Snip

Would love to see that. Though before doing that could you make a bug fix mod for Operation Monsun? Namely the two chief bugs I have with it which are the conning tower bug and the fact if you start as a Type IX from the beginning of the war you never get an upgrade.

[iambecomelife]

TBH I have been pretty satisfied with the Pacific mega-mods as they are, so I don't think I will be doing much repair work to iron out bugs. I have plans for the Atlantic theatre, but I'm not sure what, if anything, will come of them. My hope is that in the next several years someone will develop a naval platform that's extremely moddable, allowing me to abandon use of the Silent Hunter series for my work.

My immediate hope after WOTK would be something else for the WWI timeframe utilizing SH4, which will be kept under wraps for now. Once again, it's hard to tell what the future holds, and I don't want to make promises - WOTK is a huge commitment as it is.

[iambecomelife]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Cool! I've long wished that the MFM contained more tiny coastal freighters and tankers, and this looks to fulfil that lust for me.

One word on them, though. The pre-war battleships carried three different boats with two smaller 14" torpedoes each, but their main purpose was to patrol when the ship was anchored in a foreign port, just in case. They were never deployed at sea, at least as far as I know.

Thanks for the tip. I will be PM'ing you soon, Steve.

I will probably have these as coastal craft around major bases,
and not on the high seas...encountering them in mid-Atlantic would
indeed be weird.

[avers]

Originally Posted by iambecomelife

My hope is that in the next several years someone will develop a naval platform that's extremely moddable.

You and me both.

[Hitman]

TBH I have been pretty satisfied with the Pacific mega-mods as they are, so I don't think I will be doing much repair work to iron out bugs

What it really need is the merchant fleet expansion, something tater and sergei started but shelved

But since many of the Marus were ex-WW1 ships from other nations, I guess many of the merchants you create for WOTK can be easily updated to WW2 japanese fleet style (Gun platforms, radio masts) and released as a merchant fleet expansion for SH4

[manfas]

I've just discovered this thread. This mod is amazing! I always dream of WWI sub sim based on SH3 or SH4. Will the Mediterranean campaign be included or only North Sea and Atlantic?