Navigating Harbours

[rededge]

Has anyone else noticed how on exiting out of dock and through the harbours other shipping will seemingly block your route?

I'm navigating out of Kiel atm, and on going through the channel into the canal proper there is a huge merchie broadside on, just sat there (listing badly?) doing nothing. As soon as I'm within a hundred metres or so it starts backing up, rights itself and heads straight for me.

So, em-reverse and then stop, waits till it settles down again and then I'm off full ahead round the thing before it has another go.
I get through the channel and there's another ship doing nothing until I approach, and then same thing!

Getting out of home waters is more dangerous than patrolling enemy coast! :shifty:

[captainprid]

I noticed this too but they always (well sometime) move once you get close. I just increase compression in harbour and have not collided yet apart from with the pen wall!!

[SteamWake]

Oh you will sooner or later you will. A boat will push you into the ground or a wall and kaboom your dead.

It has happened to me at least twice now I'm more careful in ports reducing TC even steering the boat myself at times.

I saw one once in the canal near the lock with his nose against the lock listing hard to port. I watched in amazement as the hapless skipper tried to figure out what to do when suddenly it listed to the opposite side and burst into flames :D

[SabreHawk]

Well I simply wont TC in harbors period. Heck even leaving out of Heligoland after refitting I was well away and out the harbor, and one of the escorts cut right across my course and I was done below messing around and came up to the bridge just in the nick of time to see him dead ahead and had to give it full reverse to avoid broadsiding the fool.

But then this is one of the pleasures I enjoy in SH5 is navigating into and out of port in real time.
We are near home now coming into Wilhemshaven and just south of Heligoland, there's another Uboat coming in also aft of us, pretty cool.:yep:

[SteamWake]

I spotted a Uboat leaving Williamshaven last night... 'flew' the camera over to have a closer look.

GASP ! IT's a Ghost ship :06: Not a soul on board :haha:

[Faamecanic]

Yep.... I was IN the Keil Canal lock leaving Keil and the stupid merchant went into reverse, banged into the concrete lock wall, then went ahead and tried to pin me up against the other wall....

Then dodging ships in the canal the whole way out..... all the while only being able to turn with 1 degree rudder, or full rudder at INSANE/CRAZY/LUDICRIOUS SPEED ugggh :damn:

Nope...no major gameplay bugs here.

[Scoochy]

The harbor traffic seems to be random with ships crossing the harbor arbitrarily.

Harbors today have snazzy lanes keeping traffic in a pattern. Would be nice if something similar was in SH harbors which would make transits a bit more structured.

[SabreHawk]

All I can say is at least there is traffic, unlike SH3 which had none what so ever. I mean every time I left out and came in there was nothing. Like a ghost harbor.

Could it use tweaking? Sure, just like everything else can. But at least the traffic is there, and makes it interesting and keeps you on your toes.
And at least I dont feel like im alone in ths war, and there's somebody else out there on my side even if they do get in my way form time to time.

[Webster]

i think the whole point was to force you to "drive" your boat in and out of harbors so they wanted to force you to manuver along the way.

personally i wish they gave you the "start outside of harbor" option like sh4 has

[mcarlsonus]

I was pushed into a wall - with fatal results - by a merchie attempting to pass through the first narrows heading into the major anchorage in Kiel at the same time I was attempting to get out (not the actual locks!) Also, seen ships in flames and INSTALLED, rather than run aground, OUTSIDE the sea walls, but well inside the actual land! THEN, there's the, "enemy" merchant that occasionally appears in Kiel Canal...

Think the in-port ship behavior AI is flawed.

[Webster]

a good way to avoid them is go out in 3rd gear and as you get close shift to 5th gear and they cant block you fast enough.


they actually plot a course and speed to block your path based on the course and speed you are going, so speeding up at the last minute will help you get past them.

[remowilliams]

I've had relatively few issues entering or leaving the harbors. I'm often doing it topside using TC as well. I'll plot a course and let the navigator do his thing unless I need to manually interrupt.

[SteamWake]

i think the whole point was to force you to "drive" your boat in and out of harbors so they wanted to force you to manuver along the way.

personally i wish they gave you the "start outside of harbor" option like sh4 has

Yes I miss that as well it might not work to well in Kiel though since its so cramped.

[Faamecanic]

a good way to avoid them is go out in 3rd gear and as you get close shift to 5th gear and they cant block you fast enough.


they actually plot a course and speed to block your path based on the course and speed you are going, so speeding up at the last minute will help you get past them.


Exactly what I do :har: The merchs DEFINATELY try to ram you... had one merc just exiting the Kiel Canal go in reverse, then as I got closer switched to forward to try and cut me off.... was tempted to let my deck gunners practice on him, but then the WO wouldnt man the deck gun :rotfl2:

[sergei]

Yep.
They're like bloody moths around a flame, eh?

[SteamWake]

Wait a minute... your boat has gears?

Which gear is extreme ! :har:

[bigboywooly]

Been doing some campaign stuff so watching the miss editor a lot
90% of Kiels traffic uses the canal if not higher
Bugger all goes around Denmark

And I gues the devs not to hot on harbour scripting
The random groups all loop back to waypoints still inside the port

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h22/bigboywooly/mission%20editor/porttraffic1.jpg

They wont turn right due to the anticollision routine so always back up
If you are going to script units moving in the harbour then its best to have them actually leave the port and not come back in

Too many units moving in port also

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h22/bigboywooly/mission%20editor/porttraffic2.jpg

Esp when you factor in units leaving\entering the generator nodes also

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h22/bigboywooly/mission%20editor/porttraffic3.jpg

[Sgtmonkeynads]

Huh HuhHuh...I got all ya'll beat. I was leaving port and noticed one of the ships rammed the pier and burst into flames.
Then he made a "V" line right for me. I couldn't loose him as he exploded right next to me injuring everyone on board.
Knocked most of my ship town to 50% and totally destroyed my deck gun and flak guns.

Something has got to be done....BERNARD!!!!!!!!!
http://planetsmilies.net/violent-smiley-1527.gif

[rededge]

Huh HuhHuh...I got all ya'll beat. I was leaving port and noticed one of the ships rammed the pier and burst into flames.
Then he made a "V" line right for me. I couldn't loose him as he exploded right next to me injuring everyone on board.
Knocked most of my ship town to 50% and totally destroyed my deck gun and flak guns.

Something has got to be done....BERNARD!!!!!!!!!
http://planetsmilies.net/violent-smiley-1527.gif

Good start to a patrol, hay?
I've tried navigating out, thought everything was OK, then went below to "chat" to my key crew members. Everyone's morale was raised till the boat crashed into the harbour wall :o

Um, let's just start over...

[SabreHawk]

Good start to a patrol, hay?
I've tried navigating out, thought everything was OK, then went below to "chat" to my key crew members. Everyone's morale was raised till the boat crashed into the harbour wall :o

Um, let's just start over...

Arrrrr, that had to hurt.:timeout: Yep I'd start over too.

Yes indeed, do not leave the bridge till in open waters and clear of traffic.