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View Full Version : Simple question to a dev (elanaiba?) about the ship Groups in editor/game.


tater
05-28-07, 12:29 PM
In the mission editor, you can make a random group, and the code allows multiple columns and spacings up to 2000m between ships.

When you add units to a group, they appear like this in the mission file:
[RndGroup 1]
GroupName=41a_Jap_Merchants_001
Category=0
CommandEntry=0
Long=16243300.000000
Lat=4156400.000000
Height=0.000000
DelayMin=60
DelayMinInterv=4740
SpawnProbability=70
RandStartRadius=0.000000
ReportPosMin=2880
ReportPosProbability=50
Heading=237.731003
Speed=9.000000
ColumnsNo=1
Spacing=500
DeleteOnLastWaypoint=true
CurrentInstanceID=0
GameEntryDate=19411201
GameEntryTime=0
GameExitDate=19420228
GameExitTime=0
MaxInst=10000
MaxUnitsCreated=100
DockedShip=false
NextWP=0

[RndGroup 1.RndUnit 1]
Type=102
Origin=Japan
Side=0
CargoExt=1
CargoInt=0
CfgDate=19411201
No=1
Escort=false
SpawnProbability=100
CrewRating=1

[RndGroup 1.RndUnit 2]
Type=102
Origin=Japan
Side=0
CargoExt=1
CargoInt=0
CfgDate=19411201
No=1
Escort=false
SpawnProbability=25
CrewRating=1

Can you tell me what the formula is for the placement of units in the group in game. What I mean is their position in the arrangement.

For example, if I make a group with 4 ships (RndUnit 1 through 4) they appear:
1---2
.
3---4 (heading "up" on this page).

If I do 3 columns, things get unpredictable (but not random, with the same set of ships they always appear in the same order). The leader is always the middle front of a 3 column Group, and the smaller ships seem to always be on the left, and the larger ones to the right or middle.

I ask this because it would make setting up random Task Forces better if we knew the order they would appear. then I could place ships in the group list in such a way the random TF would look the way I wish it to look in game.

Too bad the grouping only supports ship separations of 2000m as well, since IJN practice for carrier groups was a far wider spacing, 7000m. You can make your own formation in the editor, but the AI doesn't seem to deal as nicely with theose groups in turns.

Thanks for any insight you can give me!

tater