[WIP] Increased ASW fun

[xristoskaiti]

continue your work!!

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by P_Funk

Didn't I read that the GWX boys gave all aircraft meant for ASW bombs becuase a bug in the game causes planes to not drop depth charges?

Hi!

Yes, you did; however, the GWX technomages subsequently fixed that problem, and so GWX aircraft use depth charges.

Pablo

Ok, if anyone wants to just take this for a test drive I've uploaded a small file. Just unzip and enable as usual using JSGME, placing the main folder in the MODS directory.

Just start up SHIII/GWX2 then select single mission and load the mission named air (so sue me for lack of originality :p ). You'll be driving an IXB on the surface, with a Sunderland coming up astern around eight clicks behind you.

And you'll see why it really isn't a good idea to take your time diving!

Play with it a little bit if you don't mind. I'd like your opinions on the loadout, its power and effectivity, and the different ways the aircraft drops its load depending on your depth and speed. Meanwhile I'll be off modding all the appropriate aircraft for their new ASW loadouts, and then --shudders-- heading off into the campaign files.

Have fun!

http://files.filefront.com/AvH+Aircr.../fileinfo.html

[xristoskaiti]

download now!!

After more research and some feedback I've decided to scrap modding the British Mark X depth charge. It doesn't seem to have seen much service, nor did it appear to have any real impact on ASW performance.

I've identified the appropriate aircraft (supplied by GWX) that (seem to, anyway) were likely to have been used for ASW patrols. I'm in the process of updating their files for ASW loadouts, but I'm running into a little snag.

That snag is that I'm trying to keep things historically accurate while also playable. I can find some information on British air-dropped depth charges (Thanks Sailor Steve!) but I'm coming up dry on information on American ones.

The information I'm looking for on both the British and American versions are: date entered service, model #s, weight of bomb/depth charge, weight of explosive, sink rates and depth settings. I'm also trying to find references to the actual loadouts various aircraft ASW patrols carried. For instance, would it be historically accurate to have a Catalina carry 8 air bombs and 4 100Kg bombs?

If anyone has any input, or can point me in directions for research I'd be deeply appreciative.

Also, just to get an idea . . . how historically accurate do the Kaleuns here wish this to be? For example, I can easily set the detonation depth of the air depth charges to, say, 25 meters, which would definitely make crash-diving something almost necessary. But the historical detonation depths (that I've found so far, anyway) for the typical British air-dropped depth charges are only 7.6 meters. Not exactly 'threatening' . . . or new, for that matter, as the GWX settings are either 5 meters or 10 meters detonation depth.

Danke!

[Myxale]

Originally Posted by Graf Paper

Aircraft carrying wasserbomben.
3000lb wasserbomben.

Yep, adding your name to list of modders that must die!

:rotfl:

hehe!

[xristoskaiti]

VERY BIG STATEMENT ............


I have been careful that with small change of file AI SENSORS the
planes can see also Submerged u-boots.you can be worked with this
important trait????? with such change will become very realistic the game :hmm:

This is the initial release of the aircraft ASW mod. Not a lot got changed, and the changes themselves aren't drastic. But (hopefully!) this'll make encountering aircraft when you're on the surface a bit, umm . . . fun?

http://hosted.filefront.com/vonHesse/
AvH_Aircraft_ASW_v1.zip

[msalama]

Pardon me for being a dumba$$ here, but this mod _does_ work w/ GWX2xx doesn't it? And no installing during a patrol, right?

On a more general note this mod sounds like it might indeed rock somewhat... somewhat BIG TIME that is

[Kaleu. Jochen Mohr]

holy smokes
sound fun in 1944

[Kaleu. Jochen Mohr]

AWSOME!!!!!!

i just got bombed in that mission, you REALY have to use it with the LRT mod
(some screeny's)





just to let you know, i died

Originally Posted by msalama

Pardon me for being a dumba$$ here, but this mod _does_ work w/ GWX2xx doesn't it? And no installing during a patrol, right?

On a more general note this mod sounds like it might indeed rock somewhat... somewhat BIG TIME that is

Ummm, not being a dumba$$ at all. My fault for not being more specific, actually.

It was made to work (and tested with) with GWX2. I doubt it will work for anything else, as it utilizes the additional aircraft from GWX2. And no installing in mid-patrol, no.

Originally Posted by Kaleu. Jochen Mohr

AWSOME!!!!!!

i just got bombed in that mission, you REALY have to use it with the LRT mod

I'm glad you like it.

I want to point out, though (giving credit where it is definitely due) that GWX2 does have quite a few of their aircraft already carrying air depth charges as their loadout. Really, all I did was a few minor tweaks to the bombs and air depth charge settings, and modified some of the aircraft to carry both bombs (for surface) and air depth charges (for submerged).

For example, the Catalina (with a 2,000 Kg ordnance weight) now carries two 500 Kg bombs and six air depth charges. What gets dropped on your head depends on where your U-boat is at the time of the bombing run: if you're on the surface you'll most likely get all eight dropped on you (which is hideous if they're at all close to you); if you're just diving usually one bomb and between two and four of the air depth charges drop; if you've submerged it seems to usually just be a couple of the air depth charges.

Thing is, this certainly gives you a very real reason not to diddle around on the surface when you have an incoming aircraft. If it's the wrong aircraft . . . you most likely won't live long enough to regret your mistake.

I've started modding the Mark 9, fast-sinking US depth charge. This is considerably more work and more involved, due to the nature of the depth charge files. But when I'm done, around 1942 (when they actually entered service) US destroyers and escorts will start carrying the Mark 9 fast-sinking depth charges. As they sink twice as fast as the standard depth charges . . . . . . again this should make for interesting times.

[HundertzehnGustav]

hang him...
traitor...

:rotfl:

[swuboo]

If memory serves, early war American planes used depth charges set to something like 150-200 meters, since that was believed to be the maximum depth a U-Boat could achieve given two minutes' warning. The policy was changed to 50 meters after researchers at RAND found that, in the aggregate, U-Boats were unlikely to have that much warning or crash dive with optimal efficiency. Reported kills went up dramatically.

Those numbers are ballparks from memory, and I don't know how accurate my source was (since it was not primarily concerned with naval warfare,) or when the shift might have taken place. The book in question is Wizards of Armageddon, by Fred Kaplan, about nuclear deployment policy in the early Cold War.

I can't find it at the moment, but if I manage to dig it up later today I'll give more specific figures---if we're lucky, Kaplan's bibliography might cite the RAND whitepapers in question.

I'd mentioned above about getting caught on the surface being hideous. This was one of the test runs with the Catalina, with me doing flank speed on the surface:







I hate myself. :rotfl: