My Tonnage Bar Now Works For Me - Oh Yeah

[THEBERBSTER]

Hi Guys

I have been playing South Western Approaches (SWA) with mixed results.

My first merchant a Uekel SPT 1765 tons did not activate the Tonnage Bar (TB).

The next 2 targets from a large escorted convoy a Liberty Cargo 7174 tons and a SV Medium Freighter 7840 tons both showed on the TB.

I managed to get ahead of this convoy again and sank a Liberty Cargo 7174 tons and a Large Steamer 7028 tons another 14202 tons, neither of which showed on the TB.

This really p----d me of and got me thinking.

I had had enough of this c---p.

With SWA taking up to 2 weeks to get to the patrol area.

Refuel and rearm time in the bunker.

Up to another 2 weeks to get back to the patrol area again.

This large amount of time cannot be afforded when your torpedoes are being reduced on targets that do not count towards filling the TB and fulfilling the patrol objective.

The answer I have come up with was important to me that it had to be within the spirit of playing the game.

Fill the TB manually with every sinking regardless, on every patrol now, and in the future.

By this I mean, if you were a captaining a U-boat in WWII and you came across a merchant on your way to your patrol area you would not ignore it because you want to save your torpedoes for your patrol area, you would want to do your duty and sink it.

I have decided to adopt the same approach.

Whether I sink 85 tons or 16000 tons it is all going to go on my TB.

I have also sunk a fishing boat 85 tons and a Coastal Boat 90 tons.

This is going on my TB as well.

The Captains Log shows the patrol tonnage sunk, so I always know what my total is at any given time.

This presently stands at 33056 tons.

My TB was only showing 15014 tons of it.


If you like the sound of this idea and would like to give it a try.

Get the total tonnage of ships sunk from your Captains Log.

Follow the numbers >

1. My Documents folder

2. SH5 folder

3. data folder

4. cfg folder

5. SaveGames folder < Send a short cut of this folder to your desk top so you can update the Campaign CFG file easily each time you play.

6. Find your last game save by the latest Date and Time

0000000f 02/02/2015 File folder < Saved Game example.

7. Campaign-2014-10-22-2016 folder < Campaign example.

8. Campaign CFG file < Update this file.

Scroll down through the data and look for the patrol that you are doing.

You are only interested in the 2 blocks of data below.

[Campaign.CampObj.MacroObj 5.PersObj 1.Amount]

IsTonnage=true

Tonnage=70000 < This tonnage or greater completes the patrol objective.

NumOfShips=0



[Campaign.CampObj.MacroObj 5.PersObj 1.CrtAmount] < Always look for the CRTAmount.

IsTonnage=false

Tonnage=33056 < This is where you enter your total sunk from your Captains Log.


Every time you add additional tonnage you will see your TB increase.

After you exit your game go to your desk top shortcut and enter the new total.

Go to File.

Go to Save.

Do this each time you exit from your game.

NumOfShips=0

Whether the tonnage bar starts working again or not does not matter anymore as I have complete control.

My Captalns Log will always confirm the total that I need to enter.

I would like to thank Mikael Landerlund for his original idea for making me take a look beyond the horizon.

I know this works and it has lifted my spirits in what was becoming a depressing game.

Peter

I did the same thing when it didn't count for me sinking the HMS Royal Sovereign in Breaking the fortres mission. (I sunk it before deadline) And now it's completed I think at this moment manualy input tonnage is the only solution we have.

[sshellokitty]

I've restarted my campaign about 3 times now and I'm sick of playing Baltic Operations. I decided earlier to start doing this and for me it doesn't really break the game's immersion that much. I just think of it as the captain having to record it instead of it updating in real time lol. Thanks for posting!

[kevinsue]

I've been manually updating my tonnage in the same way and it only takes a minute or so when you quit the game.

At the same time I also copy the torpedo impact date and paste it on the date of the destroyed unit entry in the CaptainLog.ini so that the Captains Log has the correct dates for destroyed ships.

Everything then reads correctly and the campaign progresses as it should.

[THEBERBSTER]

Hi SS

See my instructions from Post #1

And use the details below for your Baltic

Towards the bottom of the list look for number 6

Baltic

It is always the CRT amount you change.

[Campaign.CampObj.MacroObj 6] <<<<<<<< Number 6
ObjectiveID=TG_Baltic <<<<<<<<<<<<<< Look for Baltic

[Campaign.CampObj.MacroObj 6.PersObj 1.Amount]
IsTonnage=false
Tonnage=0
NumOfShips=2 <<< This tells you what you need to do.

[Campaign.CampObj.MacroObj 6.PersObj 1.CrtAmount]
IsTonnage=false
Tonnage=0
NumOfShips=0 <<<<< Enter the number of ships sunk to 2.

Go to file.

Go to save.

Exit

There is no need when entering tonnage or ship numbers manually to keep going over the same patrol.

Peter

[THEBERBSTER]

Hi Kev

Looks like you are well on top of the situation.

I do similarly to you except I keep my stuff in a reporters notebook so I can look at things quickly if I need to.

Peter

[sshellokitty]

I'm onto British Coastal Waters now, for whatever reason the tonnage bar filled on my last two ships sunk.

I sank 1 ship near the "spot the task force" objective marker and it registered in the TB (although showed up in the log with 0s). I saved and went to bed, loading the next day and the TB had reverted back to empty. Heavy fog rolling in, I did a port attack on Danzig and sunk two ships, TB not filling and 0s for the dates on both. Escaped and went to the north western part of the patrol area and ran into a merchant in very bad weather, sunk the ship with my remaining torps and got 0s for the date, but it filled up the TB half way. Went down and did a hydro check and found another merchant nearby. I intercepted it and sunk it with the deck gun and got 0s for the date but it filled up the TB the rest of the way, operation complete.

From this experience it seems that the dang thing just works when it wants to so I just decided to fill it manual from now on. 4 ships sunk into British Coastal Waters it's too easy to just fill up after saving and exiting for the night. Thanks for the additional recommendation.

[THEBERBSTER]

Hi SS
You were very fortunate get your tonnage bar to fill when you see these 0000-00-00 as this is a corruption and in the past I have found that I had to start the game again.

As you say your next one did the same which it always does.

Filling the TB manually is definitely the way forward without the stress.

I have found from experience that the Baltic is also selective at picking and choosing what counts and what does not.

Peter

[THEBERBSTER]

New Tutorial on Post #188 Page 13

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=211804

[Bosje]

got back into SH5 this week, continueing my campaign from around 7 months back.
first i couldnt get it to start the uplay launcher, then i had mayor problems getting an enemy ship in my sights at Narvik to complete the photo recon.
then i finally got that, and the tonnage for that mission, only didnt get the battleship and it says i failed Weserubung. a bit harsh, i thought. but anyway.

moving on, i found myself back in base on May 1st and i still have SWA to do. tonnage bar is still almost completely empty. I read somewhere that the tonnage target is 100.000 which seems a bit impossible with only 1 month to go and 2 weeks sailing to the target area.
finally got there, sunk a few 3000-4000 tonners with 1 torpedo and deckgun.
then i stumbled upon a convoy of 15 7000-tonners. No escorts in sight!
1-shot kills during several hours gameplay.
but the mission objective (patrol bf13xx for 72 hours) refused to say 'completed' and the tonnage bar filled up a little bit, but not quite as much as i would have thought, with 60.000 tonnes in my captains log. looking more closely, and there it was: 0000-00-00 on half my kills. goddammit to hell

been following your thread with interest.
thank you for your excellent and tenacious research, and thank you for a good workaround. what a shame that the game forces us to take such measures.
hats off to you sir

[THEBERBSTER]

Hi Bosje

I have moved things on a bit since my last post.

It is worth you looking at 2 of my tutorial Posts.

Post #123 on Page 9

Post #188 on Page 13

I think these will be useful to you and also give you a better understanding of what to expect and what you can do.

Some of the information in Post #123 can be replaced by Post #188

Peter

[Erik M]

Hi Peter,

Wouldn't you need to edit the campaign.cfg from the last save every time? You suggest placing a shortcut to the last save, but when you save and exit next time you would have to add the sunk total to that last save, and the shortcut would still point to the previous save?

Great you figured it out btw!!

[THEBERBSTER]

Hi Erik

Thanks for pointing out my mistake.

Too many folders and files.

Could not see the woods for the trees as they say.

Have now corrected.

Peter

[Sandman_28054]

Originally Posted by THEBERBSTER

My Documents folder

SH5 folder

data folder

cfg folder

SaveGames folder < Send a short cut of this folder to your desk top so you can update the Campaign CFG file easily each time you play.

Find your last game save by the Date and Time

0000000f 02/02/2015 File folder < My actual example.

Campaign-2014-10-22-2016 folder < My actual example.

Campaign CFG file < Update this file.

Scroll down through the data and look for the patrol that you are doing.

You are only interested in the 2 blocks of data below.

[Campaign.CampObj.MacroObj 5.PersObj 1.Amount]

IsTonnage=true

Tonnage=70000 < This tonnage or greater completes the patrol objective.

NumOfShips=0



[Campaign.CampObj.MacroObj 5.PersObj 1.CrtAmount] < Always look for the CRTAmount.

IsTonnage=false

Tonnage=33056 < This is where you enter your total sunk from your Captains Log.

I'm in January 1944. Winter Approaches.

Objective is to sink 95000 tons.

Two trips, one on the way whicjh I sank 5 liberty ships enroute, a journey back after refit, and second journey, sank an additional 5 ships.

Long story short, I'm over the required tonnage for the winter approches.

However, upon making it back to dock, and saving for the next game, it shows "Incomplete". Its now 29-1-44 and I have untill 29/2/44 to complete "Winter Approaches".

Any hints, tips, etc?

[THEBERBSTER]

Hi Sandman

Unfortunately I do not know anything about your patrol. Winter Approaches.

The fact that you say that you have passed the required tonnage will be down to 1 or 2 things.

1. You sank ships outside of your patrol area.

2. The ships you sank are not counted in Winter Approaches.

Now I must admit if this was me I would be peeved off as any ship sunk in the patrol area should count.

This is why I recommend manually entering the data.

See my tutorial post #188 on Page 13

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=211804

Also if I am on my way to my patrol area and come across some targets (not intentionally looking for them) and it costs between 2 or 4 torpedoes then I do not have those torpedoes anymore for sinking targets in my patrol area.

So I know need to add that tonnage to my patrol tonnage figure.


I do not like to refit.

Ending the patrol also puts your boat back to 100%

Although you cannot see it when you refit without ending a patrol you continue adding data to ever larger files that can then be a possible cause of problems developing.

There is no time penalty for refitting as there is for time spent in the bunker when end of patrol is selected.

To overcome this Bunker time problem the mod Change Days In Bunker can be used to reduce the default 14 days to your own setting.

I always end the patrol.

You can end a Patrol each time you have to return to your base to re-supply.

Go the Flotilla Leader.

What are my mission orders?

Do not select number 1.

Select number 2.

Let’s start the new patrol.

Are you sure you want to start the new patrol without choosing a mission?

Select number 1. Yes. (As you already in the mission)

If you want to upgrade your boat and use any of already earned renown then do this before going to the Flotilla Leader.

You will notice each time you end the patrol you will be able to distribute your earned Bonus Points to your crew.

If you prefer to distribute all your Bonus Points in one go then there is a mod called ‘Free Abilities’ that allows you to do this.

Your previous Patrol records are kept and can be viewed in the Captain’s Log (Hat) at any time.

Your Tonnage Bar will show any of your previous activity.

Peter