Question about map contacts with RUB 1.43

[Unhealthy]

Hi all !

I have a fresh install of SH3 1.4b. I installed rub 1.43 with jsgme and then SH3 Commander 1.43. I started a new career with sh3 commander and everythig works fine, except that I cannot see the contacts on my map. I use realistic setting with "no map updates" unchecked.

I remember seeing little black squares instead of ships with rub 1.42, and it was a cool challenge when trying to intercept enemy ships. But now, with 1.43, all the contacts on map just doesnt show. I can select these invisible contacts and see the selection circle with the info, but the circle is empty and no more black squares. When travelling at 1024x compression, it often drop to 8x, but there is nothing to see on the map. By clicking everywhere around my uboat, i can finally select the invisible contact.

I am wondering if it's normal or I'm experiencing a specific bug. Maybe this has something to do with the Realistic Plotting mod fix since it was working great with rub 1.42. My graphic card is ATI Radeon 9500pro with the latest Catalyst 5.7 drivers.

Thank you for your help.

[Unhealthy]

Hi again,

I reinstalled again and it still acts the same way. I realised that the convoys are represented by an empty black square, but the single contact are invisible, but selectable.

If only someone could tell me that it's the intended behavior of the Realistic Plotting mod in RuB 1.43, I'll be happy and start a new career.

Thank you.

[vois2]

Hmmm ... you have raised a very good and very important point. Right now, I'm sailing across the North Atlantic at 64x TC, and I did notice that when TC dropped to 8x, I could not see a contact from the bridge nor did anything show up on the F5 nav map. I couldn't decide what the issue was which brought about a drop to 8x TC, but then again it never would have occured to me to click randomly around the OwnSub marker looking for a "hidden" selection circle. Like you, I've been playing RuB 1.42 for a long time before this. It's hard for me to imagine that this "disappearing F5 marker for single ship contact" is actually intended. I'll keep sailing and the next time TC drops to 8x in wide ocean without an F5 plot, I will attempt to do as you described. I'll let you know.

I think you should rename this "thread title" to draw attention, lest everyone think it's just the 1000th time someone has unknowingly asked about the altered plotting mod which is standard to RuB. You definitely know what you are talking about and deserve an answer.

I use ATI Radeon x300se (128MB) on PCI-x , Pentium 4.

[vois2]

When my TC dropped to 8x north of Scotland, I experienced exactly the same. There was no marker on the F5 map, but when I randomly clicked in the empty ocean around my OwnSub marker, I 'found' a contact's selection circle and the pertinent info on its heading and speed. This was about 50 km Southeast of my OwnSub marker.

So, for some reason, the graphic for the F5 nav map for single contacts only is either missing or purposefully not displayed -- and this marks a departure from my experience with RuB 1.42 (as you described also). It's still clickable, but either its contact mark graphic has been reduced to a single pixel, or nothing at all.

I just don't think this was intended, so it will be interesting to learn what the mod designers think or know about it. Thanks for pointing it out, Unhealthy.

[AlanSmithee]

Seems like this is part of the Realistic Plotting mod. It's discussed in detail here (http://www.subsim.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=40037&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=).

[Halifax40]

I as well noticed this too, especially when coming out of the harbor and monitoring the friendly traffic. I get the identical black-dashed circle around contacts are you two are getting. Although I've only made a return back to the sim soley on the modding contributions like.. 3 days ago.. my first RUB is 1.43. I thought it was part of the advanced plotting/charting design. Sure makes for one hell of a patrol. I always fire at least 2 fish at a C2 and anything higher now just due to the fact that my charting could be way off.

[Nopileo]

I have that as well, and had the same in RUb 1.42. I don't see any contacts on the map, but when randomly clicking on it there appear circles around any visual contacts like with the normal map.

I thought this was part of RUb...? Isn't that the point, that we aren't supposed to see the contacts on the map? And I'm sure Beery et all would have liked to remove the circles as well, but this may not be possible?

Or am I misunderstanding this thread entirely? Wouldn't be the first time... :ping:

[vois2]

AlanSmithee ... thanks for the link to the thread discussing this issue in detail. I do hope that (as one forum user asks in that thread) a second file version of the file responsible for this can be released to lay on top of RuB 1.43 as it exists now.

What is weird is that I played RuB 1.42 exclusively for a very long time, and never had any problem of this sort (whether or not the 'problem' was supposed to be there even). Unhealthy obviously had the same experience as I did with 1.42, so we now notice the difference in 1.43.

Yet others report a different experience with 1.42 ... who knows.

[Gairith]

I had this problem in RUB 1.42 as well.

[jasonb885]

My UnrealUBoat 1.42 reverts some of the plotting mod for RuB1.42, but in RuB1.43 there are some additions it doesn't revert. I'm out of town, so I can't upload a version for RuB1.43 presently.

[Observer]

You should be getting convoy reports with RUb 1.43, but not single merchant reports. You may see the drop to 8x like you would for a single contact report, but you won't see the ship icon. This is a limitation of SHIII.

The problem with RUb 1.42 was that contact ID would be lost if you lose sight of the contact for an instant such as waves over the periscope. This is fixed in RUb 1.43, but the consequence is the loss of single ship traffic on the map. there is no way I know of to work around this and still have the mod function the same way. Sorry.

If you're not getting convoys on the map, then there's a real problem.

You can avoid getting the 8x slow down in TC by changing the "Display Range To Opportunity Radio Contacts" line in the contacts.cfg to something like 20 km. In this case when you get the slowdown in TC you'll be able to dive to PD or 25 meters and hear the contact. If this is used with the mod enabling visibility >8 km, you might even be able to visually spot the contact.

One last point. Getting single ship contact reports out to 300 km is not historically accurate, so while people may like the contact reports, RUb is about realism, and single ship contacts reports are not historical. Also, the version of improved convoys in RUb 1.43 increases single ship traffic early in the war, so even without single ship contact reports, the ocean won't feel quite as empty as it might have before.

[Unhealthy]

Thank you everyone for your replies... I was reading the thread that AlanSmithee mentionned, I went back to my thread, did a refresh and saw the new reply from Observer. My question is answered.

So I understand this is the drawback of an important fix. I found an easy workaround would be to zoom out completly when the compression drops to 8x, click on the uboat symbol, which selects the "invisible" contact (when it is close enough to my position), and then zoom in with my mouse cursor over the circle. I can now put a mark with the pencil tool and estimate the course as I did with RUb 1.42.

You can avoid getting the 8x slow down in TC by changing the something like 20 km. In this case when you get the slowdown in TC you'll be able to dive to PD or 25 meters and hear the contact. If this is used with the mod enabling visibility >8 km, you might even be able to visually spot the contact.

One last point. Getting single ship contact reports out to 300 km is not historically accurate, so while people may like the contact reports, RUb is about realism, and single ship contacts reports are not historical.

It would be fine to know what was an average range for getting single ship contacts via radio chatters. I would set the "Display Range To Opportunity Radio Contacts" line in the contacts.cfg to that value. I don't know how we can find a good setting since it's quite random, but a more "accurate" value than 300 km could improve realism.

[Observer]

It would be fine to know what was an average range for getting single ship contacts via radio chatters. I would set the "Display Range To Opportunity Radio Contacts" line in the contacts.cfg to that value. I don't know how we can find a good setting since it's quite random, but a more "accurate" value than 300 km could improve realism.

Good question. I don't know the answer. My guess is it's completely dependent on where the single merchant spawns, and therefore random. My best feel on this is to set "Display Range To Opportunity Radio Contacts" to 20 km. You won't get many reports, but even without the expanded visual sighting distance, you can pick it up (if you're lucky!) on the hydrophone, and I'd say that's close enough.

[Igångsättning]

My best feel on this is to set "Display Range To Opportunity Radio Contacts" to 20 km.

How do you do that? I've found the Contacts file in the cfg folder but I don't know what to do with it.

[bigboywooly]

My best feel on this is to set "Display Range To Opportunity Radio Contacts" to 20 km.

How do you do that? I've found the Contacts file in the cfg folder but I don't know what to do with it.

In the Contacts.cfg - change this

Display Range To Opportunity Radio Contacts=300 ;[>0] kilometers

To this

Display Range To Opportunity Radio Contacts=20 ;[>0] kilometers

And save