[Tec] Question about merchants

[leovampire]

I was looking at the Ships in the Data/Sea File and noticed that none of the Merchant ships have a Cargo Loadout just info on engines and compartments Bla Bla Bla.

Anyways what if they screwed up and didn't put the cargo catagories in the Ship configs like they are set up for the CV's and Planes.

I am setting up all the Jap Tankers with a cargo of Oil and I will let you know what happens.
I found a whole list of cargo's from tanks to Ammo and more and not a single thing is on a single Jap Merchant or Allied either for that matter!
Maybe that is why no Damm Lg Tanker is going down with a BANG!!!

Dave

BTW here is the cargo list:

[CargoEntry 1]
NodeName=Oil
LinkName=Lazi02
StartDate=19380101
EndDate=19451231
CargoType=2

[CargoEntry 2]
NodeName=Freight Containers
LinkName=Lazi02
StartDate=19380101
EndDate=19451231
CargoType=0

[CargoEntry 3]
NodeName=Freight Crates
LinkName=Lazi01
StartDate=19380101
EndDate=19451231
CargoType=0

[CargoEntry 4]
NodeName=Ammo Containers
LinkName=Lazi01
StartDate=19380101
EndDate=19451231
CargoType=1

[CargoEntry 5]
NodeName=Ammo Crates
LinkName=Lazi02
StartDate=19380101
EndDate=19451231
CargoType=1

[CargoEntry 6]
NodeName=Aircraft
LinkName=Lazi02
StartDate=19380101
EndDate=19451231
CargoType=0

[CargoEntry 7]
NodeName=Tanks
LinkName=father_JAP02
StartDate=19380101
EndDate=19451231
CargoType=0

[CargoEntry 8]
NodeName=Trucks
LinkName=father_JAP
StartDate=19380101
EndDate=19451231
CargoType=0

[CargoEntry 9]
NodeName=Trap Container
LinkName=Lazi01
StartDate=19380101
EndDate=19451231
CargoType=0

[CargoEntry 10]
NodeName=American Tanks
LinkName=father_AMER
StartDate=19380101
EndDate=19451231
CargoType=0

[CargoEntry 11]
NodeName=American Trucks
LinkName=father_AMER02
StartDate=19380101
EndDate=19451231
CargoType=0

[vindex]

Yeah, that could definitely explain why tankers never go sky-high like they did in SH3! Good catch.

But not every merchant should be loaded, however, particularly ones that are not part of a convoy or are docked in port. Empty merchants (which do not explode and sink easily) should be one of the negatives of conducting port raids

[kakemann]

Interesting leovamp.. Keep us posted! Thanks :rock:

[Jace11]

Not all should be loaded with oil. Ones heading to Java etc should be empty and then return to Japan loaded.

[tater]

True, jace, but (I posted this same thing a while ago) not a single tanker in the stock layers has "fuel" as the internal cargo. Not one.

Also, the merchant ships have naught but frieght, there are no aircraft, ammo, etc. They clearly didn't spend much time populating the campaign layers.

[leovampire]

If this works I will upload a file for everyone I am working on populating the Airports and CV's better as well so it will be done for everyone. I put almost 12 hours of game play a day in so it will be well tested before I give it to you guys. Plus I have to research who to give credit to because if it wasn't for some guys in here I would never have even learned how to do any of this plus some of the things I am doing is adding on to others work and Mods.

Dave

[kakemann]

If this works I will upload a file for everyone I am working on populating the Airports and CV's better as well so it will be done for everyone. I put almost 12 hours of game play a day in so it will be well tested before I give it to you guys. Plus I have to research who to give credit to because if it wasn't for some guys in here I would never have even learned how to do any of this plus some of the things I am doing is adding on to others work and Mods.

Dave

Nice Vamp! Look forward to your findings!
Thanks for your work!:up:

[Julius Caesar]

If you go to the mission editor and open jap merchant files, you will see that tankers are loaded with freight. :roll:
Example:

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/goldfinger35/untitled.jpg

I guess if you do change what you are planning, it would create all tankers with oil?

[jmjohnson36]

I messed with this some when I made the Merchant Power pack 1 and 2, the jap ships had very little petrol/oil so you would not see much of that, and I believe the CFG file places/ overides somethings you place in the main ship cfg.
I noticed alot of my ships I converted now in my campaign which is cool and the Hollywood effects works from SH3 to Sh4...but I didnt convert it yet for the public.

[leovampire]

Like a Carrier has planes for cargo just listed as Airgroups But the merchant ships have nothing but this:


ClassName=OLNippon
3DModelFileName=data/Sea/NOL_Nippon/NOL_Nippon
UnitType=101
MaxSpeed=11
Length=159.7
Width=19.8
Mast=28.9
Draft=9
Displacement=9974
DisplacementVariation=5
RenownAwarded=400
CrewComplement=30
SurvivalRate=80
SurvivalPercentage=80

[2DCompartments]
UnitPos=95,0,326,27
NbOfComp=4
Name1=Propulsion
Area1=103,0,30,18
Name2=Keel
Area2=166,0,187,10
Name3=Engines Room
Area3=214,13,71,18
Name4=Fuel Bunkers
Area4=287,13,30,18

So what I am trying to do is this:


ClassName=OLNippon
3DModelFileName=data/Sea/NOL_Nippon/NOL_Nippon
UnitType=101
MaxSpeed=11
Length=159.7
Width=19.8
Mast=28.9
Draft=9
Displacement=9974
DisplacementVariation=5
RenownAwarded=400
CrewComplement=30
SurvivalRate=80
SurvivalPercentage=80

[2DCompartments]
UnitPos=95,0,326,27
NbOfComp=4
Name1=Propulsion
Area1=103,0,30,18
Name2=Keel
Area2=166,0,187,10
Name3=Engines Room
Area3=214,13,71,18
Name4=Fuel Bunkers
Area4=287,13,30,18

[CargoEntry 1]
NodeName=Oil
StartDate=19380101
EndDate=19501231
CargoType=2

And adjusting the other Merchant ships to have stuff like Amo Crates and Different kinds of Freight that come into play at differnt time dates in the game.

If a life boat can have people as a cargo why can't a Large Ocean liner have them plus freight in the hold or what not?!

Yes all Tankers will have Oil because that is the only Liquid Freight in the game other than the [U]FUEL they carry to move with. See if you hit a ship right and open up their [U]fuel tanks when that runs out the ships do stop moving but I am adding Oil to the cargo holds other than what is in their fuel tanks.

I just hope it all works okay I would really like to give back something to the community after all that you guys make for us.

[leovampire]

Okay I want to show you a picture of 2 Large Jap tankers I just sunk and what it looks like but how do I post a picture to show the results?

In the mean time I am working on the other ships in the game.

Dave

[Ducimus]

Somethin' tells me tonnage scores are gonna to go through the roof :88)

[leovampire]

http://server7.pictiger.com/img/114880/computer-games-and-screenshots/tanker-explosion-1-.php]http://images7.pictiger.com/thumbs/68/aecf11bd583daa23c282a29a1c7b2568.th.jpg[/URL]

http://server7.pictiger.com/img/114881/computer-games-and-screenshots/tanker-explosion-2-.php]http://images7.pictiger.com/thumbs/b3/ed4784388f0b8fb1f2f7c454762c24b3.th.jpg[/URL]

http://server7.pictiger.com/img/114882/computer-games-and-screenshots/tanker-explosion-3-.php]http://images7.pictiger.com/thumbs/e6/6c64e2def1e39332ca748c3eda05c7e6.th.jpg[/URL]

[vindex]

Now that's what I'm talkin about!!! :rock:

So I guess all the tankers in vanilla SH4 are filled with vegetable oil?! :-?

Or knowing the Japanese, maybe vitamin drinks ...

[leovampire]

The merchant ships that I am setting up with Amo crates go up pretty good as well nice big fire balls as you can see in these new pictures. I hope this will add some new life to the game for people like me! And the secondary under water explosions you can hear are pretty good as well splashes up like a depth charge going off!

http://server7.pictiger.com/img/115289/computer-games-and-screenshots/amo-ship-blowing-up-1-.php] (http://server7.pictiger.com/img/115289/computer-games-and-screenshots/amo-ship-blowing-up-1-.php)


http://server7.pictiger.com/img/115290/computer-games-and-screenshots/amo-ship-blowing-up-.php] (http://server7.pictiger.com/img/115290/computer-games-and-screenshots/amo-ship-blowing-up-.php)



http://server7.pictiger.com/img/115291/computer-games-and-screenshots/freighter-starting-to-go-.php]



http://server7.pictiger.com/img/115292/computer-games-and-screenshots/freighter-going-down-now-.php


Dave

[nattydread]

Is there away to be more detailed in the load outs. For instances, have tankers inbound to Japan from Borneo, Indoniesia filled with oil and fuels, but tankers heading back out into the empire empty(granted tankers in taskforces should be filled, and tankers inbound to eastern island with airfields between the Philipines and Midway should be filled as they ferry fuel for the airfields). The Japanese Empire had plenty of oil, they just couldnt get it to Japan for processing and distribution.

Can freighters inbound to Japan be filled with raw goods like wood, rubber, metal/ores, food stuffs, etc. While Frieghters leaving Japan would have ammo, troops, post-processed goods, weapons, military units, or empty, etc.

[leovampire]

I am trying to see how I can change the cargo's around in the ships other than just doing it by date's other wise I would have uploaded this already for everyone to use. But as far as I can tell FUEL is only used when you set the ship up with it's engine's and so forth like this:

[2DCompartments]
UnitPos=49,12,411,15
NbOfComp=6
Name1=Propulsion
Area1=57,9,30,18
Name2=Keel
Area2=155,8,200,10
Name3=Fore Ammo Bunker
Area3=323,19,40,18
Name4=Aft Ammo Bunker
Area4=127,19,40,18
Name5=Engines Room
Area5=211,19,59,18
Name6=Fuel Bunkers
Area6=273,19,30,18

When the game was made FUEL was never set up as a Cargo other than to run the engines and if you hit that area of the ship and the FUEL is leaking and there is a fire on the ship it will ignite and that is what you can see floating on fire as the ship keeps moving until the FUEL runs out and then the ship stops moving and no more surface fires on the water after words. No one is dumping cargo that is ship FUEL burning and leaking out!

Some where in the game files there is a predetermind amount of FUEL in those bunkers to leak out.

But as far as setting when and where what ship will have what when in their holds that is all in the layers of the game for the convoys and shipping as far as I can tell so far. If that is true I would have to go into every single mission and every single convoy for the entire game to set them up the way you are asking. Which means MONTHS of work.

So far all I seem to be able to do easily is set the ships up for different cargo's on different dates. But I am looking little by little to see if there is an easier way to do what you are asking.

Dave

[Sledge_57]

Probably asked b4 but what the he|| do Sampans carry? They seem to go up like Roman Candles, maybe that's it they're carrying fireworks :p Either that or the fish over there is highly flammable.................

[leovampire]

Not a single ship except warships in the game have a damm thing in them and ships that have deck guns also have AMMO Bunkers and that is what I am trying to change.

[leovampire]

When I set a ship up with a non liquid cargo the game actualy makes some of that cargo actualy appear on the upper deck and I have no clue how it does it yet. Not that I am complaining it is making my job easier just wish I knew where all these well hidden files are that the game has but was never set up to use for the original release!?

And DAMM them for keeping so many old SH3 files in there to go through as well that will never ever be used LOL!

[leovampire]

Before I release the Mod for everyone to have I want it to work right first and have a good readme for tactics and changes made.

LOL you understand what I mean they are everyone's ships the people who bought the game and the Developers and UBSOFT

[nattydread]

well i certainly encourage you to keep hammering away at this. Its such a critical issue, its a deceptivly small piece of the whole puzzle, but has a huge impact on gameplay and detail. If its months of work, I can see why the Devs dropped the coding...so dissapointing

In fact, show me how to do it and I'll look into doing some too. Maybe allocate sections of the code to spread the work around

[leovampire]

I havn't a clue where to start to make certain convoys carry certain loads from one place to another all I have figured out is how to put cargo in ships and get reactions to torpedo and deck gun round hits like leaking oil that burns and ammo crates that splinter and explode and so forth. Not changing any of the armor settings on the ships just setting them up with cargo that react to an attack. As you saw in my pics like the tankers and ships I set up with ammo.

Just running behind because I screwed something up in my game enough where I had to start from scratch because I was stupid and was making the changes to the game instead of making a MOD and putting it in and out of the game with the Mod Enabler but what I didn't realize was that when you uninstall the game all the mods go with it if you don't remove the file first from the SHIV folder. You should have heard the swears I was putting out. Having to refind and download everything I had from you guys and realizing I had to redo all the work on the shipping again.

Yes Brain Dead LOL!!!!!!

Dave