Convoy vanish into thin air

[Wyrm]

Hi!

I had been tracking an outbound convoy in the western approaches for a while before commencing a raid. After sinking two enemy ships I decided to take down the pitiful three destroyers guarding the convoy instead and then use the deck-gun to take out as many ships as possible before ammo ran out.

Well, I dispatched the destroyers one and one but attracted attention from a nearby destroyer group so I had to disengage until they resumed their patrol and left the convoy to its fate. I then proceeded westwards to intercept the convoy again. I took a dive and could see it on the hydrophone so I corrected my course, surfaced and sped up to max speed to overtake it. When I had reached the last location my hydrophone had confirmed I dived again... and NOTHING. Not a single little sound on the hydrophone.

I reloaded my latest save, dived, saw the convoy on the hydrophone again, surfaced, speed away and dived again and... gone.

If I hit "Total revealing" I can see a convoy on the map but it is not there. It has vanished into thin air, voiding my careful operation of making it defenceless.

Is this a known bug? I've noticed there is quite a few of them, but if this is something that will continue happening to me I will most likely give up on this game.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Once a convoy has spawned, I'm sure it had a finite distance or time, I doubt you could follow one all the way from Halifax to Liverpool, for instance.

[Wyrm]

Well, this convoy hadn't been followed by me for more than a few hours and it was still well into the patrol circle for "British Supplies" in the western approaches.

[gap]

Once a convoy has spawned, I'm sure it had a finite distance or time, I doubt you could follow one all the way from Halifax to Liverpool, for instance.

Well, this convoy hadn't been followed by me for more than a few hours and it was still well into the patrol circle for "British Supplies" in the western approaches.

I am not 100% sure, but I think that if a spawned unit gets more than 20 or so km far from the player, it despawn, i.e. it gets unloaded from the graphic game.
Nonetheless, the game keeps track of its movements until the last waypoint (usually a port), and if the player gets again in range, exactly the same unit spawn again where it was supposed to be, according to its route and speed.
Wyrm is probably outside the above mentioned range, thus he can't hear the convoy on hydrophone; but the convoy is virtually still there, and it can make for a good target if our Wyrm manages to reach it.

Trevally, can you confirm it?

[Cybermat47]

And lo, the Wyrm cometh,
Amidst a shower of blood so that
He may cleanse the human parasite
-Book of the Wyrm

He's here :o

Welcome, sir!

[Fish In The Water]

I am not 100% sure, but I think that if a spawned unit gets more than 20 or so km far from the player, it despawn, i.e. it gets unloaded from the graphic game.

That sounds about right. IIRC, the same 'rule' applied in SH3 only the range was (I think) about 30k. So based on that, I would be inclined to side with your 'educated conjecture.' Unless of course Trevally chimes in and tells us we're all wrong. :D

[Trevally.]

Yes guys that is how it works
For the convoy to delete - it must reach its final waypoint and be set to delete.
So that must have be the end of its route

[GT182]

Yes guys that is how it works
For the convoy to delete - it must reach its final waypoint and be set to delete.
So that must have be the end of its route

Then that's the reason Convoys disappear on the map and don't show again after several hours of sim time travel. But they do reappear in SH3 so you can catch up and intercept them. I have followed them and eventually caught up with them. Your's Trevally is the answer I was looking for in the thread where I asked the same question on this.

Is there an easy way to extend the time for convoys so they keep reappearing on the map, or that their time doesn't end and they're not deleted in SH5. Plus they're still tied in with radio messages on their location from BDU.

[Trevally.]

Then that's the reason Convoys disappear on the map and don't show again after several hours of sim time travel. But they do reappear in SH3 so you can catch up and intercept them. I have followed them and eventually caught up with them. Your's Trevally is the answer I was looking for in the thread where I asked the same question on this.

Is there an easy way to extend the time for convoys so they keep reappearing on the map, or that their time doesn't end and they're not deleted in SH5. Plus they're still tied in with radio messages on their location from BDU.

No - this is not correct.

The convoy you are talking about will not disappear unless it travels 30km away from your boat and as soon as you are within 30 km they will be redrawn.
You will not se this effect - it is happening on the map

[Sandman_28054]

Here is a tip for Wyrm.

I have found this to work in SH3, GWX 3.0 Gold, and SH4, and SH4 TMO 2.0.

If I am close enough. I will shadow the convoy long enough to get at least 3 contact readings and mark them with the pencil. Afterwards, using the ruler, starting at mark 1 draw a line extending out through your last mark perhaps 200 km. This allows you enough distance to run on the surface at flank speed (keeping at leat 4000 meters away, oitherwise they'll attack), get ahead of the convoy, even if it disappears, intersect your line some 20-30 km ahead of the conboy and ride it until you receive some contact.

And they are right, if you get outside a certain distance, it will disappear. But this method does work.

You will run into them again, unless they hit their last waypoint before you intercept them.

[DJRenegade]

I think my game is broken, I see undreds of fishing vessels but not many larger ships (unless docked).

I had a convoy show up on my map with at least 5 contacts, I drew their bearing on the map and steamed ahead, now whether they turned for whatever reason or something messed up but when the convoy started to pass, the 5 contacts I had seen earlier had turned into 3 and they were FISHING BOATS!

I really need to reinstall I think, the tutorial videos I am starting to make wont be any fun if im sinking tiny little things :(

[gap]

I think my game is broken, I see undreds of fishing vessels but not many larger ships (unless docked).

I wonder what a real U-boat captain would have said in the boredom of an uneventful patrol. Probably: "I think my scopes are broken, my watchcrew blind, my sonarmen deaf" :hmmm:

[DJRenegade]

yea but after patrolling for the full length of time allowed on the coastal mission and only seeing about 3 nice merchants and a few warships, having enemy aircraft just ignore me and only seeing fishing boats at sea (even Scapa Flow was empty) Im thinking my game is broken :P

[Trevally.]

I wonder what a real U-boat captain would have said in the boredom of an uneventful patrol. Probably: "I think my scopes are broken, my watchcrew blind, my sonarmen deaf" :hmmm:

:haha::har::rotfl2:

yea but after patrolling for the full length of time allowed on the coastal mission and only seeing about 3 nice merchants and a few warships, having enemy aircraft just ignore me and only seeing fishing boats at sea (even Scapa Flow was empty) Im thinking my game is broken :P

or just your scope:haha:

Tip: if you are seeing undreds o small fishing boats, try patrolonh further out to sea:yep: oh and remember that fishing boats need a harbour too:smug:

[gap]

yea but after patrolling for the full length of time allowed on the coastal mission and only seeing about 3 nice merchants and a few warships, having enemy aircraft just ignore me and only seeing fishing boats at sea (even Scapa Flow was empty) Im thinking my game is broken :P

Once there was this old adage, which was quite popular among Kriegsmarine staff. More or less, it said:

"Be more aggressive" :D

[Trevally.]

Once there was this old adage, which was quite popular among Kriegsmarine staff. More or less, it said:

"Be more aggressive" :D

:haha: the old ones are the best:up:

sink em all:arrgh!:

[gap]

:haha: the old ones are the best:up:

sink em all:arrgh!:

"sink them all"? :hmm2: :rock:

What a piece of adage! Never heard before... where did you dig it from? :O:

[Wyrm]

yea but after patrolling for the full length of time allowed on the coastal mission and only seeing about 3 nice merchants and a few warships, having enemy aircraft just ignore me and only seeing fishing boats at sea (even Scapa Flow was empty) Im thinking my game is broken :P


If you sink all the fishing boats, then England will starve! :)