Great, big world-wide traffic jam...

[svenks]

Hi all,
I've read about on this forum, but yesterday I witnessed it myself: A convoy in total disorder, all ships sailing in circles crashing into one another, sticking toghether - sometimes even sailing through each other under much noise and grinding!
It was the 'Happy Days' mission. I don't know exactly what started it, but I may have blown off the rudder on a T3. Anyway, after shaking the destroyers and coming to P-depth, I saw the T3 sailing the almost opposite way of the others. It then rammed and sunk a destroyer, and then the whole convoy started falling apart :lol:
The destoyers seemed unable to do anything, even when I started sinking multiple ships at a time. For instance, 2 C2's and a small merchant got stuck toghether. A well-placed torp blew up the merchant, and took the 2 C2's as well. Not very sporting, but great fun!.
I actually let it run for a few hours, just to see how bed it would become.
BRGDS
Sven

[Kaptan Tommy]

This sounds like the famous "Dope Smoking Allied Commanders" mod. Where did you download it? :cool:

[HEMISENT]

This was discussed awhile ago with convoys going crazy. It turns out that if you sink or disable the one lead ship that the convoy is built around the AI merchants all go in different directions. They now have no leader or course to follow. Doesn't necessarily have to be the first ship in front but whichever one the game is using as the lead ship.

[u665]

The lead ship in any formation or convoy was always called the "guide" if the guide was sunk disabled before it could alert the rest of the task force then no other ship would assume responsibility in the formation and the whole thing would become a mess.

This is something that still happens in modern day, not too long ago i was on excercise and as we were simulating war environments we assumed the role of guide. we were instructed to maintain radio silence and two aircraft "sunk" us. once this was done we were all stop on engines and floated as if we were disabled, 30 minutes after this the task group was in array ships sailing all over and not one of them thought to take responsibility and issue a signal to the others to reform

end result - always take the guide.

[wetwarev7]

The lead ship in any formation or convoy was always called the "guide" if the guide was sunk disabled before it could alert the rest of the task force then no other ship would assume responsibility in the formation and the whole thing would become a mess.

This is something that still happens in modern day, not too long ago i was on excercise and as we were simulating war environments we assumed the role of guide. we were instructed to maintain radio silence and two aircraft "sunk" us. once this was done we were all stop on engines and floated as if we were disabled, 30 minutes after this the task group was in array ships sailing all over and not one of them thought to take responsibility and issue a signal to the others to reform

end result - always take the guide.

Interesting....... :hmm:
But wouldn't the next officer in the chain of command take over?

[u665]

Nope, each ship has its own command stucture, if you were on the guide ship and you were carrying an admiral as vip then you have overall command.

what should happen is the ship with the next most senior commander/captain should take control, but sometimes even in modern day situations people loose sight of whats happened, especially in a simulated scenario with radio/signal traffic silence

[wetwarev7]

Nope, each ship has its own command stucture, if you were on the guide ship and you were carrying an admiral as vip then you have overall command.

what should happen is the ship with the next most senior commander/captain should take control, but sometimes even in modern day situations people loose sight of whats happened, especially in a simulated scenario with radio/signal traffic silence

Ah. That makes sense. I remember reading a book by David Feintuch, one of a really good series involving a space navy, in which home system is attacked by aliens, and there is a LOT of confusion about who was in charge of the theatre of operations after several key places got hit. Didn't know it could happen in real life.

[Trav_R]

I wonder if that's what's actually being modeled in the game, though, or if it's just a bug. I wonder if there actually is a designated guide ship, or if the convoy code is just jacked up. I don't have any convoy experience, so I can't say.

[wetwarev7]

I wonder if that's what's actually being modeled in the game, though, or if it's just a bug. I wonder if there actually is a designated guide ship, or if the convoy code is just jacked up. I don't have any convoy experience, so I can't say.

From what I've read here, I think the guide ship follows the waypints, and all the other ships follow the guide, so it could either be modeled or just an effect of how it's coded....either one...

[u665]

the guide follows and issues the set course to the rest of the task group - or convoy, they all follow that as all orders come from the guide.

ive just done 2 days surface running alongside a unarmed convoy, when i was spotted the 2 ship abreast changed course and the others all followed, i moved away and let them calm down and moved back in to have another look, the same happened again - same guide ship pulling strings in the convoy.

so

i flanked well ahead - infact about 7 hours, submerged and waited, plotted a firing solution on the nearest ship to me - (not the guide) sunk it - it took 2 mind as im a noob and not the best shot yet, then the whole convoy changed course.

i think the real life "guide" situation is encoded within the game, if i had sunk that guide, what would have happened?


Traffic Jam! :yep:

[Trav_R]

Well, sounds like it actually is implemented then. How would you know which is the guide ship though without using the external cam? How do you tell even with the external cam? You just watch all the ships and see which one changes course first in response to your sighting?

[u665]

traditionally the guide flew flag "golf" - ive not seen it flying on the game, from what ive observed the first ship to move is the guide