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Realistic Uniforms

The mod works fine with the current 2022.1 version of UBOAT (patch 21) (the "outdated" warnings in the game launcher doesn't necessarily mean a mod is incompatible - it just means a setting in the mod's manifest file hasn't been updated to tell the game it's compatible).

A new version of the mod with many new features is 85% complete but I have stopped working on it as I'm taking a long break from the game.

See previews of the updated mod here: https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/workshop/filedetails/discussion/2814772283/6226836983338737606/

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WHAT DOES THIS MOD DO?
Changes your crew's uniform jackets, pants and caps to use more realistic and historically accurate colours and textures. The initial version only modifies clothing items that are (or seem to be) official officer and sailor uniforms - it doesn't (yet) make any changes to the personal clothing items such as the various coloured/patterned shirts, sweaters and hats.

WHAT DOESN'T THIS MOD DO?
It doesn't change any of the actual 3D models for the clothing items, except for small details (such as eagle emblems & button patterns) which are made subtly 3D with bump maps. Several of the 3D models need various modifications to make them more historically accurate as officer and crew uniforms. This is something I may try to do at some point.

COMPATIBILITY
- This mod does not require you to start a new career. It should work with previous saved games.
- This mod replaces vanilla clothing textures, so it isn't compatible with other uniform mods. Using this mod with similar mods shouldn't cause crashes or instability issues, but whichever uniform mod is loaded last (i.e. lowest in your mod list) will take priority regarding which textures you see in-game.

TROUBLESHOOTING
If you cannot see the Realistic Uniforms clothing textures in your game, exit the game and delete your cache files (C:\Users\<your user name>\AppData\LocalLow\Deep Water Studio\UBOAT\Cache) then load your saved game again.

BACKGROUND
Two reasons for creating this mod:

1. Ever since I started playing UBOAT, I've wanted to make the so-called "grey" leather jackets actually grey instead of (almost) black.
2. The vanilla officer & captain caps already had dirt and weathering, so I decided to add a similar degree of subtle weathering & dirt to the game's other uniform items.

MODIFIED TEXTURES INCLUDED IN THIS VERSION:

NCO Cap 01
Added subtle dirt & weathering. Reduced brightness. Added 3D embroidered eagle badge.

NCO Cap 02
"Kriegsmarine" wording added to the front. Added subtle dirt & weathering. Reduced brightness. Added 3D embroidered eagle badge.
From what I can figure out from the research I've done so far, it seems this type of cap was only used on-shore - and only had a white cover during the summer. The other cap (NCO Cap 01) was the type worn by sailors and NCOs during war patrols.

Jacket 01
Changed from olive green to pale grey. Weathering & stains added. Anchor symbol added to buttons.
I'm unsure if this is intended to replicate an official Ubootwaffe jacket or if it's supposed to be personal clothing. In my research so far, I haven't seen any Kriegsmarine jackets which resemble it. The vanilla version has a leather texture, so for now I decided to make it look like a grey leather jacket with light weathering, loosely resembling a Kriegsmarine machine room personnel leather jacket (which had a mandarin collar and only one breast pocket).

Jacket 02
Changed from blue to pale khaki. Added subtle weathering and embroidered eagle badge. Anchor symbol added to buttons.
I'm unsure if this is intended to replicate an official Ubootwaffe jacket or if it's supposed to be personal clothing. The vanilla version has a sort of denim fabric texture, so I've re-coloured it to look like a Kriegsmarine officer's tropical jacket.

Jacket 03
Changed leather texture from very dark blue (almost black) to Kriegsmarine light grey water-proofed leather. Dirt & weathering added to jacket and sweater. Reduced glossiness of leather and buttons. Anchor symbol added to buttons.

Jacket 04 "Black"
Changed colour from very dark brown-black to pure black. Subtle weathering & wear added. Reduced glossiness of leather and buttons. Anchor symbol added to buttons.

Jacket 04 "Grey"
Changed colour from very dark blue (almost black) to Kriegsmarine light grey water-proofed leather. Dirt & weathering added. Reduced glossiness of leather and buttons. Anchor symbol added to buttons.

Jacket 05
Changed colour from very dark dull green to Kriegsmarine reefer jacket dark blue. Dirt & weathering added. Embroidered eagle badge added. Anchor symbol added to buttons.
This jacket appears to be intended to look like an officer's reefer jacket. However, it should be double-breasted and have two rows of buttons on the front.

Jacket 06
Changed colour from pale brown to pale olive green. Dirt & weathering added. Embroidered eagle badge added. Anchor symbol added to buttons.
Originally, I changed the pale brown to a medium-dark khaki brown, of the type worn by U-boat crews in the early stage of the war. Those jackets were actually British army battledress blouses captured by the Germans from stocks left behind by the British forces after the fall of France in mid-1940, which were then issued to Ubootwaffe officers and sailors who wore them with their own insignia. When those stocks ran out, the Germans made their own versions which were made of a pale olive green denim-like material. These seem to have been more common for most of the war than the brown ex-British jackets.

Officer's Cap
Replaced very dark brown/black weathered cloth texture with new weathered dark blue texture. Embroidered eagle badge added. New Leutnant z.See gold braiding texture added to peak/visor.

Captain's Cap
Changed from 512x512 pixel texture file to a higher resolution 1024x2104 pixel texture file. Replaced existing weathered white cloth texture with a new weathered texture. Embroidered eagle badge added. New Korvetenkapitän / Kapitän z.See gold braiding texture added to peak/visor.

Pants 01
Changed from dark blue to medium-light grey to harmonise with Jacket 03 & Jacket 04 "Gray". Boots changed from brown to black. Subtle dirt & weathering added to pants and boots.

Pants 02
Changed from medium grey to medium-light grey. Subtle dirt & weathering added to pants and boots.


FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS & ADDITIONS:
1. Maybe add one or two other badges to Jacket 05 & Jacket 06.
2. Fix positioning and size of badge on NCO Cap 02.
3. Add dirt/wear/weathering effects to all other clothing items.
4. Recreate Officer & Captain caps at a much higher resolution.
5. Add officer rank insignia to epaulettes.
6. Display metal flotilla badges on NCO and officer caps.
7. Find a way to add extra uniform items to the crew customisation screen.
8. Modify clothing models to make them more closely resemble actual Kriegsmarine uniforms.
9. Find a way to make the dirt & weathering increase over time.


Feel free to offer constructive feedback and suggestions.

Thank you to Zerberr, Mal0 ver1.0.0, Link & Royal Raven for your feedback, suggestions and for helping me test this mod.

Copyright 2022 Jim (VG).