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SeaWolves II for Silent Hunter 3
SeaWolvesII takes the original SeaWolves expansion, updates the campaign, and adds 45 new ship classes for greater variety of shipping engagements in the Atlantic. It also provides a quota of single missions in the Pacific as well as a deeper and more active campaign environment for the U-boat commander. The expansion includes:
- more than fifty new cities and harbors for the SH3 world
- three new missions involving Scharnhorst and Gneisenau
- new detail around existing cities, including industry, searchlights, and land defences
- new harbor activity including stationary ships that change over the course of the war
- new barriers, minefields and antisubmarine nets
- an 18 mission campaign for the American GATO class in the Pacific
- four new missions for the Type IXD, and four new multiplayer missions
- greatly expanded shipping activity, both random and scripted. This includes fishing and commercial traffic as well as military traffic and patrols
- add specific air strikes, such as against U-boat pens and German bases
- add specific activity related to campaigns like D-Day
- add specific activity of historical hunters like the Tirpitz , Bismarck, Prinz Eugen, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau
- Add resupply capability for the Atlantic campaign in 1942-43
- Expanded radio log messages for 1938-1942
- Start a career with Type XXI in April, 1944
- Reduced effects of fatigue for the crew (optional installation)
In addition, the campaign engine has been tweaked for reduced air strike activity. With the 1.4b patch the air activity becomes extremely annoying in some areas. General enhancements to the game include:
- Improved clouds
- New interior graphics for all U-boats
- Uniform enhancements
- Hi resolution skins on the Type VII and Type IXD, including camoflage options
- Hi resolution harbors
- An improved damage model for U-boats
- Reduced sonar accuracy, realistic limits for destroyers
- Reduced night vision acuity for all enemies
- Added ability to cruise with decks awash for Type VII and Type IX (faster dive time)
- Periscope and UZO mod for a black out look
- 45 new ship types
- Leigh lights added to sub hunting aircraft
- New particle effects
Tactical briefings include:
- Attacking a Convoy
- Using the Hydrophone
- Fire a Spread
- Transfer External Weapons
- Harbor Maps
A very powerful campaign builder! I can set a limit on the time ships are in the harbor and then change them. For example.. I can spawn two passenger liners and two merchant ships for April 1941. They will self delete at a set time and I can spawn troop ships in their place six months later..
I checked NY harbor, for example. There should be way more traffic from the harbor to Britain starting in spring 1944 for the D-Day buildup. And of course, troop ships should start showing up. None of this is there yet, and more air patrols also need to be added.
Here are some images showing the WIP. Basically, I have added troop convoys from US to Britain starting in feb 1943.. and they repeat every 60 hours or so.
Then in feb 1944 the frequency increases.
Frame Rate and Compatibility
The expansion does not alter compatibility on the PC, although online players will have to use the same patch version. Players must also return to port prior to installing SeaWolves if they wish to continue an existing campaign. SH3 campaigns are saved along with a particular campaign world. SeaWolves II may overwrite SeaWolves original, but not U-Boat.
Using the expansion does not impact frame rates in the game. There is a slight impact on load time, which has been mitigated by randomizing spawn times in the game. While the number of map objects has been greatly increased, objects in the campaign or on the map only affect the player when in proximity to those objects. The detail added to harbors, in particular, will be similar to the highest level of detail in some of the default harbors. |
