Tec question regarding AI (s-)boats

[Mikhayl]

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[iambecomelife]

So, I have changed the stock/GWX german s-boot to have it look like the playable one. I added to it Sergbuto's "virtual" torpedoes which seem to work just fine. I set up a test mission to try it out and the problem is that my boats don't fire torps too often because they follow their waypoint in a very stubborn way even under heavy fire. That means they shoot their torpedoes only if a target crosses their path, otherwise they just keep sailing happily until they get sunk, only firing with the light guns which rotate. They're of the same "unit type" as the british and US patrol crafts which do indeed forget their waypoints to attack you, so ...
What's wrong ?

Any clues appreciated, I don't know if it has to do with the boats themselves or if it's the way I set up their waypoints and stuff in the mission editor.

What's wrong is the game's inherently poor vehicular AI. The only vehicles that have the ability to deviate from a predetermined course - apart from basic evasive maneuvers - are escorts, aircraft, and the player's sub.

Come to think of it, designating S-Boots as escorts under the vehicle type designation may improve their behavior. I recall one modder who changed a cruiser from type 6 to type 4, and it started hunting his U-Boat like a destroyer would. Be warned - this may only work for interactions with submarines and not interactions with surface vessels. One POSSIBLE work-around might be to designate the AI S-Boot as an aircraft and then mod it so it's only capable of moving in a horizontal plane at sea level. Then it could strafe, maneuver to torpedo targets, circle - you name it. Unfortunately I am unsure of exactly how to proceed with this.



Here are the ships that are capable of independent maneuvers (see the English.cfg file).

Type1=Corvette
Type2=Frigate
Type3=Destroyer Escort
Type4=Destroyer

[dcb]

No 100% sure answer, but rather a suggestion, an idea. From my experiments with the mission editor I came to the conclusion that the only AI worth of this name is that of escorts (destroyers, escorts and torpedo boats) vs. submarines. In other words, if your S boat notices an underwater enemy (submarine) it goes on interception. Otherwise, if the enemy is a surface ship, it does not change course.
I experimented this with German destroyers against surface British ships (in which case they stick to their waypoints and only fire their guns) and against British submarines (in which case they divert from waypoints and go on intercept course). I guess the same goes for S-boats.

One POSSIBLE work-around might be to designate the AI S-Boot as an aircraft and then mod it so it's only capable of moving in a horizontal plane at sea level. Then it could strafe, maneuver to torpedo targets, circle - you name it. Unfortunately I am unsure of exactly how to proceed with this.

Or to designate all enemy ships as submarines, with the ability to dive limited to zero, so that they are subject to the anti-sub AI.

[dcb]

the AI s-boot in that mission has no AA guns and it didn't fire its virtual torps at the sub, only circled and circled around like a british escort would do if it has no more DC (but the brit sub was surfaced).

Though I never used them, it is my understanding that virtual torpedoes are in fact invisible guns shooting overpowered shells at very slow speed. In this case, the AI should have fired them at your submarine target just the same as AI ships shoot their guns at any enemy ship, be it submarine or surface ship. In this case I really don't understand why your S-boats did not fire their "virtual torp" guns.
Maybe the submarine you used as target was somehow "seen" as submerged by the AI?
I'm really interested by the results of your experiments as, in the past, I tried to bring wolfpacks in the campaign myself and I still didn't completely scrap the idea.

[bigboywooly]

Type 6 and 7 ( Cruisers ) will also leave waypoints to look for a sub
Have a pic somewhere

Ah here tis
This was just a single mission run through and after taking out the destroyers the cruisers formed a circle around me
There is some mention of some of the light cruisers having DCs in RL but as I couldnt find any reference to which type I never added any to the Southhamptons
Was tempted

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h22/bigboywooly/Circleofdeath.jpg