Question about the AI

[White Owl]

Is the game's AI smart enough to send airplanes and/or destroyers hunting for my submarine after I've been spotted? I've been operating under the assumption that it does that, so I always do things like change direction after an airplane flies over, and clear the area in a hurry after I sink a merchant. Is that kind of maneuvering actually necessary in this game?

[Diopos]

Is the game's AI smart enough to send airplanes and/or destroyers hunting for my submarine after I've been spotted? I've been operating under the assumption that it does that, so I always do things like change direction after an airplane flies over, and clear the area in a hurry after I sink a merchant. Is that kind of maneuvering actually necessary in this game?

In principle yes. Naval units, at least, will react if your precence is noted within a certain radious. The actual radious maybe mod depended. Maybe ~30 miles (or was it kilometers :hmmm:).
Air patrols also seem (to me at least) to increase after they make an initial bomb run against your sub. Again this is mod dependent.

.

[CapnScurvy]

Yes, there are "configuration" files that control the AI enemy behavior. You can bet most mods change these parameters to suit their ideas of proper reaction when a sub is found. There are probability figures for an AI air strike through detection, sending a contact report, sending a radio message, even a parameter setting of getting hit by friendly fire. These parameters are also modified due to the maximum range of a possible AI airbase (either on land or carrier), whether it's night time, or what skill rating the particular airbase may have. There's even a setting for controlling how fast the AI will react and how many times in a given period of time the AI will send additional air strikes.

For the most part you'll find the mods like TMO, RFB actually lower the probability of the figures, least wise the number of possible attacks. Both TMO and RFB increase the probability of an air strike from detection, and from a message sent. Stock has a "mean streak" when it comes to the short interval between AI air strike missions.

[White Owl]

Okay, that all makes sense. Thanks very much.

I'm loving this game. Kicking myself for not discovering it years ago. I love all the careful plotting and planning. It can take me three hours to stalk a merchant and set up the attack. Three realtime hours before I'm in position to fire, and enjoying every minute. I was reading all the guides about the Dick O'Kane attack, the Cromwell, vector analysis... one guy posted it's as easy as drawing a circle to match the torpedo speed, a second circle for the target speed, placing both circumferences at the impact point and measuring the angle between the centers of both circles. That explanation made it "click" in my head, and now that's how I shoot; last night bagged a merchant traveling at 11.5 knots with three perfect bullseyes from 6000 yards. Now I'm trying to wrap my head around the four-bearing method of plotting.

They offered me a new boat, but I'm not willing to part with the ol' Pickerel yet.

This game is great.

:salute:

[White Owl]

They offered me a new boat, but I'm not willing to part with the ol' Pickerel yet.

I shouldn't have posted that. Gentlemen, I regret to report the loss of Pickerel with all hands, April '42 in the Makassar Strait. Final record was nine merchants sunk, total of 44,716 tons. And one airplane.

:nope:

Important lessons were learned... Sometimes little merchants have deck guns. Don't get caught in a narrow strait in daylight when you can't submerge. I really really like RFB.

Time for a new campaign. :arrgh!:

[EricW]

I shouldn't have posted that. Gentlemen, I regret to report the loss of Pickerel with all hands, April '42 in the Makassar Strait. Final record was nine merchants sunk, total of 44,716 tons. And one airplane.

:nope:

Important lessons were learned... Sometimes little merchants have deck guns. Don't get caught in a narrow strait in daylight when you can't submerge. I really really like RFB.

Time for a new campaign. :arrgh!:

One of the most important attack/evasion tactics is......use your advantages.


Its hard to attack in heavy seas or bad weather or at night BUT that's when you are least vulnerable. You are tough to spot and even tougher to hear....

I'm on patrol 16- NO redo's.
The only damage I've taken was from a deck gun on a small freighter LOL.
- read Ducimus's tutorials on AI!!!!

[WernherVonTrapp]

Question about the AI
Hmmmmm, :hmmm: after my last IQ test, they told me that I am artificially intelligent. I wonder what they meant by that.http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-think005.gif

[White Owl]

- read Ducimus's tutorials on AI!!!!

I admit I skipped reading those before because I thought they only applied to TMO, and I'm running RFB. But a closer look reveals they're good for all of SH4. Thanks!

Thought I'd try out a pigboat this time around, so now I'm the proud skipper of S-37 (SS-142).
:lurk: