[REL] FOTRS Ultimate Project

[propbeanie]

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

You need to get back on your meds Mate!!

Have you been looking in my kitchen window in the morning and seeing that I'm flushing that little orange pill down the drain?...

[Jeff-Groves]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

Have you been looking in my kitchen window in the morning and seeing that I'm flushing that little orange pill down the drain?...

Who? Me?

[Moonlight]

I've just finished my 1st patrol in a gar with the new 0.56 version and like a fool I decided to test out these new shells for the anti aircraft guns, so I went all Rambo like on the last stretch back home to Midway. The Japanese pilots were also eager to take part in this free for all that was on offer and they were more happy about it than my crew were I can tell you.

Queue nearly 2 hours of plane v sub and my nerves were like shredded Weetabix, with only 1 anti aircraft gun on this Gar (note to the modders, put another 3 on it please and a million rounds of flak bullet type things as well, just to even things out a touch) and I might just go up against those fly boys again.

Well the result of all that dodging, ducking and diving was 2 planes shot down and 34% damage to the subs hull, I feel as though I've gone 10 rounds with Rocky Marciano. Me thinks its too dangerous to try it again as 2 planes lost for the Japanese is a small price to pay for inflicting 34% damage to a US navy submarine so I've bit the bullet and declared the fly boys the winner.

And there ends my career of being a hotshot sub commander once and for all, if anyone else wants to take those planes on you're welcome to it, I'm going back to do what all sub commanders do best and that's....... eating ice cream while sunbathing on deck.

[torpedobait]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

@Moonlight = Keep away from the birds... they bite, as you know... They really should have their "superman" status turned down a pinch also, but we haven't gotten to that yet. I could see them "holing" your boat every once in a while, doing some near-miss damage quite often, but to but a bomb down your conn hatch every drop is just an unbelievable accomplishment... - of course, you could always look at it from the other perspective... we're just ~that~ good at driving our boats, that we can get them into the path of a dropped object that often... I mean, it takes a LOT of twisting and turning, speeding up and slowing down, to do that...

Thought you might be interested to hear that on a patrol to the Marshalls in late 1943 my Balao, equipped with two single-barrel 40mm AA guns, shot down four attacking Bettys with minimal bursts. They came at us about four hours apart, one at a time, and were seemingly easy kills! One thing I did was to load them with the high explosive rounds for increased range. I still observed the bursts at about 1300 yards per the AA ammo, but three of the planes went down beyond that range, one with just 3 rounds out of the forward gun! Pretty damn good shooting. I gave my gunners Commendation medals for it. Playing at "Realistic" level, 75% Realism, cheating only with auto-targeting, map updates, and external camera.

Is anyone looking at the twin 40's and the CTD issue? Or is that just my issue?

[torpedobait]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

There shouldn't be hardly any unescorted passenger-type ships. That was one class of vessel that the IJN protected rather well, especially if their SNLF troops... I'm still trying to find the culprits...

If I encounter them again I'll get you the details. Now that I'm almost up to 1944 I don't expect to see anymore, though.

[CapnScurvy]

Originally Posted by torpedobait

Is anyone looking at the twin 40's and the CTD issue? Or is that just my issue?

You're using the FOTRS Ultimate 0.56 Beta, and still having issues with the 40mm twin?

===========================

Originally Posted by Bubblehead1980

What about the SV radar issue? Was that on purpose by the team or should Gato not be default equipped with such radar in early 1944.Some upgrade error in the files.

On purpose.

If we used the authentic time period of the introduction of the SV, you'd get it just a month before the game ends! Hardly worth the effort to put it in. Authenticity is fine, but I don't hear anyone saying..."Why is Time Compression in-game.....that's not right?!? That's not authentic!!". There isn't a player out there that doesn't use Time Compression to play the game. Just the other day, guys were all in arms over us turning the maximum TC down for better stable game play!! I can show you a half dozen things in-game that aren't authentic...but their in for game play.

I don't think there's many players that even get to 1945 in game time anyway. I've not heard one player yet mentioned the Kamikaze planes that are going to show up then? You think a few holes in the boat are bad from a plane attack? Wait till one of those hits you!

[propbeanie]

Oh, remember? I had one a few months ago! I had a picture, but now I'm not sure what I did with it... It was right after you put the float planes on the IJN warships... Got shot at by a US plane one day, and hit by a kamikaze the next...

[Bubblehead1980]

Originally Posted by CapnScurvy

You're using the FOTRS Ultimate 0.56 Beta, and still having issues with the 40mm twin?

===========================



On purpose.

If we used the authentic time period of the introduction of the SV, you'd get it just a month before the game ends! Hardly worth the effort to put it in. Authenticity is fine, but I don't hear anyone saying..."Why is Time Compression in-game.....that's not right?!? That's not authentic!!". There isn't a player out there that doesn't use Time Compression to play the game. Just the other day, guys were all in arms over us turning the maximum TC down for better stable game play!! I can show you a half dozen things in-game that aren't authentic...but their in for game play.

I don't think there's many players that even get to 1945 in game time anyway. I've not heard one player yet mentioned the Kamikaze planes that are going to show up then? You think a few holes in the boat are bad from a plane attack? Wait till one of those hits you!

Understand. Historically, I thought SV radar was available in early 45? Anyways I forget which files control that? For personal use I'd prefer to get the SD radar back, have it as an option anyway. Main reason being SV it also picks up surface targets and can not be turned off, even when click the off switch.

[torpedobait]

Originally Posted by CapnScurvy

You're using the FOTRS Ultimate 0.56 Beta, and still having issues with the 40mm twin?

I did in my last career, but that may have been under v0.53. I am currently up to October 1943, and prefer to move linearly through the career to maximize the testing experience. When I get up to the mid-1944 range and can get the twin 40's (probably next week, at one patrol per day) I'll test it immediately and let you know.

In v0.53 I also got a second deck gun late in the war. That caused a CTD for sure. I'll test that again too.

[CapnScurvy]

Originally Posted by Bubblehead1980

Understand. Historically, I thought SV radar was available in early 45? Anyways I forget which files control that? For personal use I'd prefer to get the SD radar back, have it as an option anyway. Main reason being SV it also picks up surface targets and can not be turned off, even when click the off switch.

That "On/Off Switch" is only for the SJ Radar surface search (either the one as a Command Button along the bottom of the screen; or the toggle switch on the PPI/A-Scope units).....it never has worked for the SD air search radar.

Regarding turning off the SD, that's being worked on. It, along with the SJ will be able to be turned off/on at the discretion of the player. I'm also eliminating the visual detection capabilities from your crew when at Radar Depth. They aren't on the bridge, nor is the periscope raised (that's when your Watch Officer reports a detection), I'll be removing that capability. They will be able to report as expected when either the crew is on the bridge, or the periscope is up, without you the player using it. But, not at other times.

As far as the "offer" for the "SD Improved", I can put it into the in-port Weapons and Sensors page for the remainder of the war. I think I'll move the SV back to the later part of 1944 and make sure it only picks up air contacts.

One other thing I'm working on is getting the ST Periscope Radar to work as expected. The unit never has worked correctly when the Observation Scope is raised......it doesn't cause the SJ Radar Stations (the PPI or A-Scope) to turn on and work. With what I've been successful with regarding the SD turning On/Off, I think I can have the ST work as expected too.


=================

Originally Posted by torpedobait

[Regarding the twin 40mm AA gun] I am currently up to October 1943, and prefer to move linearly through the career to maximize the testing experience. When I get up to the mid-1944 range and can get the twin 40's (probably next week, at one patrol per day) I'll test it immediately and let you know.

In v0.53 I also got a second deck gun late in the war. That caused a CTD for sure. I'll test that again too.

I think you'll find them to work as expected.

[torpedobait]

Originally Posted by torpedobait

If I encounter them again I'll get you the details. Now that I'm almost up to 1944 I don't expect to see anymore, though.

11/18/43, 0530 radar contact with small 3 ship group at 129-28E, 28-49N. Group consisted of 2 Large Old Passenger Carriers and 1 Modern Passenger Liner. No escorts. All 3 are now on the bottom in the vicinity of 129-49E, 28-53N.

In a few hours another came along, one European Built Liner and 3 escorts. All 4 were sunk. Two of the destroyers were apparently manned by inexperienced crew, and they tended to hold course and speed to their downfall. The third came straight at my 180 with no zig zag. He ate a fish at about 600 yards and went down quickly.

11/19/43 , 0030 radar contact with 4 ship group at 129-17E, 28-37-30 N. Two Large Old Passenger Carriers and two Modern Passenger Liners, no escorts. All four now clutter the bottom a little east of their original sighting. Total tonnage for the 8 ships and 3 escorts was slightly over 80k tons.

[propbeanie]

I'll get back in there tonight and look some more, but these groups are apparently not part of the usual layers I would look at... More later. You have no other mods installed?

[torpedobait]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

I'll get back in there tonight and look some more, but these groups are apparently not part of the usual layers I would look at... More later. You have no other mods installed?

I have two small environmental mods installed (it's just no fun without them): FOTRSU Umark Removal and Lite Fog v2 + 300' Underwater visibility. Don't see how they could affect the ships.

[propbeanie]

Originally Posted by jldjs

Patrolling near 119-50'E , 20-22'N on MAr 4 '44 around 20:00 hours on mission from Midway - Attacking a column of liners with 4 escorts. Two of these look like what I attached, believed to be Momi Class II escorts. When viewed in museum they look okay, meaning they have their "clothes" on!...

Originally Posted by jldjs

No, 3 Large Old Passengers, 1 Modern Passenger liner, 4 escorts and a Modern Composite Freighter on track 217 at 16 knots

Originally Posted by jldjs

Got it. Just to add, following this encounter I moved north and three passenger liners traveling east on track 097, fast(15 kts) spawned. Managed to sink these and with in minutes game time, 3 more liners appeared on that same track.

Originally Posted by jldjs

No escorts!

Originally Posted by torpedobait

In v0.53 and 56 career mode I have encountered many instances of "Small Convoys" consisting of unescorted troop ships and/or liners in 1942-43. I didn't think it was all that unusual for FOTARS. Almost never happened in TMO.

Originally Posted by torpedobait

11/18/43, 0530 radar contact with small 3 ship group at 129-28E, 28-49N. Group consisted of 2 Large Old Passenger Carriers and 1 Modern Passenger Liner. No escorts. All 3 are now on the bottom in the vicinity of 129-49E, 28-53N.

In a few hours another came along, one European Built Liner and 3 escorts. All 4 were sunk. Two of the destroyers were apparently manned by inexperienced crew, and they tended to hold course and speed to their downfall. The third came straight at my 180 with no zig zag. He ate a fish at about 600 yards and went down quickly.

11/19/43 , 0030 radar contact with 4 ship group at 129-17E, 28-37-30 N. Two Large Old Passenger Carriers and two Modern Passenger Liners, no escorts. All four now clutter the bottom a little east of their original sighting. Total tonnage for the 8 ships and 3 escorts was slightly over 80k tons.

Neither myself nor cdrsubron7 have delved too much into the intimate details of most of the layers, letting them be what they are in Fall of the Rising Sun, other than cdrsubron7 tweaked the Task Force layer for more consistency and better performance, and we've eliminated a few troublesome RGG, or moved some spawn points to attempt to eliminate stacked spawns with the moveable groups. There has been minimal re-routing and / or group re-construction (except in the TaskForce layers). So it's a bit surprising to see the same exact groups, with the same exact spawn frequencies from 41a through 44a, with just a few groups dropped in the Troop Convoy layers between 41a and 43a, and added back in for 44a (?? ??)... Here's the routings for the 43a layer, showing the Formosa - Luzon area:




And North of Okinawa, South of Kyushu:




The circles show the approximate areas of the sightings listed in the quotes above. One thing you might notice is there is a group routed across Northen Luzon island in the Philippines (say "whuh??!!?" you say). Similar happens in another layer up by Okinawa. Needless to say, we might have to zoom in close on all these files... shouldn't be like that.

In the 43a layer, there are 21 groups, set to spawn on an average of every 11.5 days, or about 2 a day from various locations. In the 44a, there is actually an ~increase~ in the number of groups to 35, with a slight decrease in the spawn rate, so that it is actually about the same number of groups on the "playing field" at any given time - supposedly...


If you 'Run' the ME, it is rather surprising, and eye-opening...




If the rate is supposedly about 2 a day, why are there 26 of 35 out and running in this screen shot?... This is July 1, 1944 here. July of 1943 is very similar. I've been spending the last couple of days going over the www.combinedfleet.com site's listings, trying to gather enough info to be a bit more "realistic" with the amount of groups out there, but yet offer the player a chance at finding one. So it'll be something between this and RSRDC levels, hopefully leaning more toward "this", probably. However, there will be very few "unprotected" groups of Troop Convoys, at all... especially later. Do NOT expect to be able to sink all the Troop ships ~and~ the escorts in one "sitting". I haven't gotten into the nitty gritty of that just yet, but when your boat is detected, they will attempt to avoid you. On top of that, you ~will~ find the occasional DD that will attempt to exterminate you with extreme prejudice...

btw, for reference, in the future, after these Troop Convoy layers are edited, if you find groups of troop ships with an inordinate amount of escorts, like 2 ships and 6 or 8 escorts, you can figure that it'll be an SNLF convoy, equivalent to the US Marines. The Navy took care of them, and most often with top-line DDs. If you see groups with not that many DD, say the ratio is the other way around, with 4 transport and 2 escorts, that's probably going to be a regular army group, with 2nd line DD escorting them... just as info... just a bit of inter-service rivalry going on there... |;^)

[J0313]

It sure is quiet around here lately. What is das status?