Contact reports and reinforcements

[GoldenRivet]

I have noticed that on several occasions where i find a convoy if i send contact reports repeatedly as i shadow the convoy for a few days i will almost always see little map contact submarine symbols appear on the map screen... they update and are closing in on the convoy.

but

they never seem to reach the convoy. I have broken off contact with a medium speed convoy to make contact with these subs and i found them... trouble is they are moving at about 5 - 6 knots while the conoy was steaming along at 7-8 knots.

at this rate the responders would have never reached the convoy i reported.

GWX team: will these friendly subs eventually reach the convoy if i continue to broadcast its position long enough?

thanks

GR

[Sniper_Fox]

OMG?! THEY ACTUALLY COME?! WHY DOESNT BDU RESPOND TO ME THEN!!!!!:x

i swear bdu is just trying to kill me... ontop of its inablility to talk to me, (im so loney) they keep trying to send me back through gibraltar... and its 1942 for heavens sake... it i was sunk and hit the bottom when i got in through there in the first place... how well am i gunna fair getting back out against the current?!


bastards didnt even give me a medal for raising my boat from the depths of the virgin-tight straight!

[Abd_von_Mumit]

OMG?! THEY ACTUALLY COME?! WHY DOESNT BDU RESPOND TO ME THEN!!!!!:x
BdU is a busy man with all these lonely Kaleuns who wish to have a chat with him now and then while at sea. :D And in fact he does respond to contact reports. I always get "Report received. Good job!" (or similar) message when I report a convoy.

[GoldenRivet]

BdU is one of the worst features of SH3.

I wish BdU was a lot more dynamic in the since of what is going on in the world. SH3 should have included an Enigma machine in the radio room that the radio operator would use to decode messages, or you could use it to decode them yourself.

Responses from BdU should have included the following at least

1. Instruct you to go to a resupply ship for fresh provisions
2. Reassign your patrol grid if fuel or torpedos low
3. Inform you if other boats are en route ie. "Do not attack this convoy... additional boats en route to assist. broadcast a new report every 2 hours"
4. inform you if aircraft are en route ie "Attempt to attack escorts to diminish anti-aircraft capability. provide further reports if able. aircraft en route to assist"
5. weather report request "Need weather information in your sector for ongoing naval and air operations. Please report weather at earliest possible time"

and any number of other responses depending on the situation.

[Ivan Putski]

Noticed that myself during my last patrol. I had sent a contact report of a convoy in my area. I was closing range on it, and was waiting till dark to attack, I noticed a circle appeared about 10km astern of the convoy. It was a Type VII U-Boat, however he never quite caught up to attack. :up:

[GoldenRivet]

Noticed that myself during my last patrol. I had sent a contact report of a convoy in my area. I was closing range on it, and was waiting till dark to attack, I noticed a circle appeared about 10km astern of the convoy. It was a Type VII U-Boat, however he never quite caught up to attack. :up:

exactly...

i think they put themselves in a "chase" position, but they are not going fast enough to catch up to the convoy. and therfore even though they make the effort to spawn... they do absolutely no good.

but thats what im wondering, will they ever catch up:hmm:

[TomcatMVD]

I read someone here saying that AI subs are unable to fire on SHIII

[Jimbuna]

I read someone here saying that AI subs are unable to fire on SHIII

They fire their guns only....not torpedoes http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/pirate.gif

[Canovaro]

BdU is one of the worst features of SH3.

I wish BdU was a lot more dynamic in the since of what is going on in the world. SH3 should have included an Enigma machine in the radio room that the radio operator would use to decode messages, or you could use it to decode them yourself.

Responses from BdU should have included the following at least

1. Instruct you to go to a resupply ship for fresh provisions
2. Reassign your patrol grid if fuel or torpedos low
3. Inform you if other boats are en route ie. "Do not attack this convoy... additional boats en route to assist. broadcast a new report every 2 hours"
4. inform you if aircraft are en route ie "Attempt to attack escorts to diminish anti-aircraft capability. provide further reports if able. aircraft en route to assist"
5. weather report request "Need weather information in your sector for ongoing naval and air operations. Please report weather at earliest possible time"

and any number of other responses depending on the situation.

You may be interested in Operation Spinnennetz. It does all that, because there are people behind it. And in Enigma if you like. See sig.

[TomcatMVD]

I read someone here saying that AI subs are unable to fire on SHIII

They fire their guns only....not torpedoes http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/pirate.gif
Got it, but still that should be THE problem in this case, since a sub would never engage without eels, right?
Even then, I thing the appearance of friend subs is a great, GREAT feature.
I'm looking forward to getting GWX2!:rock:

[bigboywooly]

Unfortunately it is a problem with all AI subs
They sail a couple of knots slower than the speed set
Those subs you see " chasing " the convoy were actually part of it
Until the convoy enters the rendering range the group is all together
When entering rendering range - around 50km - the subs start to lag behind the ships so by the time you get there they are a good few km away

Tis one of the problems not yet fixed with AI subs

[Stealth Hunter]

I read someone here saying that AI subs are unable to fire on SHIII

They fire their guns only....not torpedoes http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/pirate.gif

There's a mod that allows them to fire their torpedoes, but they move at over 100 knots!!!!

[Jimbuna]

I read someone here saying that AI subs are unable to fire on SHIII

They fire their guns only....not torpedoes http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/pirate.gif

There's a mod that allows them to fire their torpedoes, but they move at over 100 knots!!!!

Not very realistic though :nope:

In fact, one hell of a compromise IMO....Me, I'll stick with the blend of immersion, gameplay, funcionality and accuracy served up by GWX http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/thumbsup.gif

[dcb]

I'll add my question here, if anyone knows the answer. Here it is:
It was established that, if you send a contact report, friendly assets in the neigbouring area (aircraft, naval) converge on the spot. How large is this area, or how close must such a friendly unit be to be rerouted by the game engine and come to assist the player's boat?

[GoldenRivet]

for air units - SH3 measures your distance to the nearest friendly airfield... if that distance is less than or equal to the maximum combat range of the aircraft "based" at the airfield, they show up... if that distance is greater than the maximum combar range of the aircraft "based" at the airfield... they dont show up.

i dont know about naval surface units, and other than u-boats which were apparently part of the convoy - i have never seen any naval surface responders.

[Jimbuna]

for air units - SH3 measures your distance to the nearest friendly airfield... if that distance is less than or equal to the maximum combat range of the aircraft "based" at the airfield, they show up... if that distance is greater than the maximum combar range of the aircraft "based" at the airfield... they dont show up.

i dont know about naval surface units, and other than u-boats which were apparently part of the convoy - i have never seen any naval surface responders.

Don't forget, there is a randomised pecentage chance that nothing will happen.

[Abd_von_Mumit]

for air units - SH3 measures your distance to the nearest friendly airfield... if that distance is less than or equal to the maximum combat range of the aircraft "based" at the airfield, they show up... if that distance is greater than the maximum combar range of the aircraft "based" at the airfield... they dont show up.

i dont know about naval surface units, and other than u-boats which were apparently part of the convoy - i have never seen any naval surface responders.

Don't forget, there is a randomised pecentage chance that nothing will happen.
Isn't it rather a percentage chance that someething will happen? I think thre's a difference, even if it's 50% chance. :) The glass is half full, not half empty. The chance is not only to get your own forces come, but also to alert the enemy, give out your position (and possibly some other chances for somthing to happen). :)

EDIT: Some ugly typoes corrected.

[dcb]

i dont know about naval surface units, and other than u-boats which were apparently part of the convoy - i have never seen any naval surface responders.

Alright, I got the idea. I'll do some experiments in custom-made mission, where I will place friendly vessels at various distances and see which ones will answer the contact report.
My general plan is to enhance the game immersion by placing in the RND layer a larger number of uboats and have them answer the contact report, of course with a lot of IFs - if they are close enough, if they are spawned or not (given it's in the RND layer). I think that at least this would make the player wonder whether he'll receive support or not, instead of the current 100% certainty that he's alone mid-Atlantic.
Maybe these friendly units will be able to report the presence of convoys on their own, but that's to be seen.
It would be great to see another uboat coming if he's close enough.
The only thing missing in this plan is the BdU radio answer, but I'll have to live with that. At least I'll know they are there by using SH3Gen.
If anyone has suggestions about this idea, please post them.

[JCWolf]

We are geting back to the wolfpacks issue again !:yep:


The idea of having some hunting party that might
help sinking some tons in a sighted counvoy is
undoubtly a good and tasty idea !

Maybe one day we will reach that modding advance
and someone will come up with a Improved AI Subs
Mod that will leave us having that pleasure and realisme !:yep:

[Jimbuna]

for air units - SH3 measures your distance to the nearest friendly airfield... if that distance is less than or equal to the maximum combat range of the aircraft "based" at the airfield, they show up... if that distance is greater than the maximum combar range of the aircraft "based" at the airfield... they dont show up.

i dont know about naval surface units, and other than u-boats which were apparently part of the convoy - i have never seen any naval surface responders.

Don't forget, there is a randomised pecentage chance that nothing will happen.
Isn't it rather a percentage chance that someething will happen? I think thre's a difference, even if it's 50% chance. :) The glass is half full, not half empty. The chance is not only to get your own forces come, but also to alert the enemy, give out your position (and possibly some other chances for somthing to happen). :)

EDIT: Some ugly typoes corrected.

I subscribe to the half full theory ;)

[deepboat]

While on the subject of contacts, why is it that when I'm surfaced, ship sighted is announced and I do a scan with the UZO and see several ships, I ask the radio man to send a contact report nothing happens? This happens even if one or both crewmen are qualified.

[Jimbuna]

Insufficient detail my friend.....what version of the game, what supermod (if any) what mod within supermod (if GWX....8km or 16km) ? :hmm:

The contact report from your crew will be in relation to the first vessel that comes within their detection range.

[Avatar]

While we're on the subject of radioing in a contact report, when do you get the message "Report Received, Good Work!"?
I've done it once since playing GWX2.0(loaded via SH3Cmdr). I found that I radioed in the contact, then conducted my attack, evaded, then surfaced again and radioed the contact. After I did that I got the confirmation notice.
When chasing a convoy and radioing their position, I dont get the message. I'm guessing that the convoy has to cover some considerable distance inbetween contact reports.

[dcb]

While on the subject of contacts, why is it that when I'm surfaced, ship sighted is announced and I do a scan with the UZO and see several ships, I ask the radio man to send a contact report nothing happens? This happens even if one or both crewmen are qualified.

Check this thread:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=116054&highlight=contact+convoy+report+ships

You'll find your answer at post #16 (down at the bottom) but the whole thread is interesting and worth reading with respect to contact reports.

[deepboat]

While on the subject of contacts, why is it that when I'm surfaced, ship sighted is announced and I do a scan with the UZO and see several ships, I ask the radio man to send a contact report nothing happens? This happens even if one or both crewmen are qualified.

Check this thread:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=116054&highlight=contact+convoy+report+ships

You'll find your answer at post #16 (down at the bottom) but the whole thread is interesting and worth reading with respect to contact reports.Thanks for that! While I'm fairly sure that the contact is locked on, I'll double check it next time.:up:

[dcb]

Thanks for that! While I'm fairly sure that the contact is locked on, I'll double check it next time.:up:

This isn't about being locked or not. Let me quote myself:D

"You know the convoy report was sent when you see it at the bottom of your message log (M key)... I usually wait for at least 5-6 ships to be sighted and then send the message, which is followed by a "well done" from BdU after a few hours."

So, you must wait until the crew reports several ships, then send the report and check if the message was really sent (bottom of message screen). Sometimes the message never gets sent, even when you are in the middle of the convoy - tricky game engine IMO. Convoy reports are really sent ONLY when you see them appear in the message screen.

[deepboat]

Well I've done that, hit the "m" key, clicked on 'send contact report' and still nothing. Sometimes it happens, sometimes not. Not that it matters since no renown is collected, but I'm hoping for a return message that says shadow convoy so I can get in on a wolfpack or something.

[dcb]

but I'm hoping for a return message that says shadow convoy so I can get in on a wolfpack or something.
You won't see that in SH3. The game engine doesn't allow it and the only answer you'll get is "Contact report received. Good job." No shadowing, no AI uboats... Actually, that was from the very beginning the greatest irk about SH3 - no wolfpacks. In the vanilla game's mind, you're the only uboat in the world. Later on, skilled modders were able to sort of emulate uboats, but with surface ships' AI. Search this forum for "wolfpack" and you'll see for yourself.

[TheBlackHand]

I've had two experiences with fellow German subs assisting in convoy attacks. The first was quite a surprise. I had found a convoy steaming toward Gibralter. I radioed a couple of contact reports, just for realism, mind you. I certainly didn't expect anything to happen. I didn't recieve a return message from Bdu. However, after making a successful attack on the convoy I was slinking around within it at periscope depth. I began to see bullets flying. At first I thought someone had spotted my scope. Nope. Then I thought the escorts were firing on each other. Nope. Turns out it was another German sub attacking on the surface with the deck gun! Surprise, surprise. I had always thought this was impossible & I guess it was with the vanilla SH3. Yet another reason to love this game and stick with GWX through practically intolerable CTD's! It's the unexpected that keep playing for. That's what makes it fun & worth the effort.

Then, on my next patrol I was a bit further out in the Atlantic. I had radioed a convoy contact but couldn't catch up. I was headed away from the convoy, towards the African coast when I saw a IXB in the distance. She was heading straight for the convoy that I had just left. Good luck!

Last night I finally got a return message from Bdu regarding a convoy report. As has been noted in previous posts, I received this message after ID'ing about a half-dozen boats & then reporting the contact. Prior to that I had radioed two contact reports, but only after ID'ing about three or four ships.

Again, it was a nice surprise. I always thought the messages were simply window dressing, for the most part. Nice to know someone's really listening . . . even if no wolves will come running.

[dangersub]

I sent a report of a convoy that i was tracking and later i saw a sub icon on the screen map,what surprised me was i noticed two destroyers on fire like they had been attacked,but not by me in any way.They both were still afloat but damaged:-?

[difool2]

There's a mod that allows them to fire their torpedoes, but they move at over 100 knots!!!!
Russkies must have sold them some Shkvals...

Looks like this was something that was being worked on, then the publisher came along and demanded that they push the product out the door before they could finish it.