SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - Reasoning as to why playable escorts are needed.

Fidd · 04-04-24, 06:30 AM

After reflection, I think there's a problem in implementing this which I overlooked when first thinking about it. In my mind's eye, I'd been considering it in terms of the convoy having been sailing for days or weeks, and the CC simply setting escorts off initially on effectively semi-random bearings and distances, because he could have no knowledge of where the opposing u-boats may be in relation to the convoy, or when they may attack.

This is of course, not actually the case. An astute CC would know that u-boats will be seeking to deliver 3 attacks in the usual 3 hour game, he will know that after spawning in, they will seek to get abeam of a ship with kingposts to acertain convoy heading, he will know that after 15-30 minutes they are likely to try to determine the speed of the convoy, probably by going all-stop, likely on the surface (at night) and likely at circa 5000m range before closing. He will likely bank on the first attack being launched with 4 steams, because that's the default load-out. He may believe, with reasonable likelihood that the u-boats have steams set to 40 knots, because that's the most popular setting. And so on and so forth.

Now, to a certain degree, it is a duel of wits, and over-reliance on anticipated behaviour, is likely to be poor for the convoy. However, some measures are going to be required to constrain the freedom of action of the CC in order that he's unable to exploit assumptions on u-boat behaviour that would not be available to him (such as knowing more or less exactly when an attack is likely to develop).

So, I think the CC and allied players need to spawn in first, with the precise spawn-in time of the "German" players unknown to them. The number of "German" players, and the number of u-boats spawning-in, should likewise be concealed from the allied ones. There should be limits on how far escorts may range from the convoy, under either AI or human control, or a mixture thereof. These limits could possibly be gradually relaxed as the game develops, but to start with, there needs to be an assumption that the u-boats would be able to close with the convoy sufficiently close to gather data, without undue interference, and that this should be reflected in the limits at or near game-start. It might also be worthwhile having players only able to take-over a Flower Class for the 1st 30 minutes of a game, with access to other escorts increasing as time goes on... This needs a lot of thought!

04-04-24, 06:30 AM	#4
Fidd XO Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Blighty! Posts: 429 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	After reflection, I think there's a problem in implementing this which I overlooked when first thinking about it. In my mind's eye, I'd been considering it in terms of the convoy having been sailing for days or weeks, and the CC simply setting escorts off initially on effectively semi-random bearings and distances, because he could have no knowledge of where the opposing u-boats may be in relation to the convoy, or when they may attack. This is of course, not actually the case. An astute CC would know that u-boats will be seeking to deliver 3 attacks in the usual 3 hour game, he will know that after spawning in, they will seek to get abeam of a ship with kingposts to acertain convoy heading, he will know that after 15-30 minutes they are likely to try to determine the speed of the convoy, probably by going all-stop, likely on the surface (at night) and likely at circa 5000m range before closing. He will likely bank on the first attack being launched with 4 steams, because that's the default load-out. He may believe, with reasonable likelihood that the u-boats have steams set to 40 knots, because that's the most popular setting. And so on and so forth. Now, to a certain degree, it is a duel of wits, and over-reliance on anticipated behaviour, is likely to be poor for the convoy. However, some measures are going to be required to constrain the freedom of action of the CC in order that he's unable to exploit assumptions on u-boat behaviour that would not be available to him (such as knowing more or less exactly when an attack is likely to develop). So, I think the CC and allied players need to spawn in first, with the precise spawn-in time of the "German" players unknown to them. The number of "German" players, and the number of u-boats spawning-in, should likewise be concealed from the allied ones. There should be limits on how far escorts may range from the convoy, under either AI or human control, or a mixture thereof. These limits could possibly be gradually relaxed as the game develops, but to start with, there needs to be an assumption that the u-boats would be able to close with the convoy sufficiently close to gather data, without undue interference, and that this should be reflected in the limits at or near game-start. It might also be worthwhile having players only able to take-over a Flower Class for the 1st 30 minutes of a game, with access to other escorts increasing as time goes on... This needs a lot of thought!