Der Teddy Bar
09-13-06, 09:13 PM
The principle behind the NYGM Feature Revisited is as we near the release of the NYGM TW 2.2, is to highlight important technical and game play aspects of the NYGM Tonnage War Mod that many new comers may not have seen or that the old salts missed during the busy hey days or have forgotten/take for granted since they have been there for so long.
The feature in the spotlight today is the NYGM AI Sensor Mod
NYGM Tonnage War v2.0 has improved three of the core game play AI sensors: hydrophone, sonar (ASDIC) and visual.
I have decided to break these up into smaller sections as I feel it will probably be a very long post trying to cover all the changes in one post.
NYGM AI Sensor Mod - Visual
Previously we could approach a convoy with little regard to being detected and worse yet little concern that it had 4 escorts. We could travel up and down the English Channel as if we owned it, or at least had our name on the lease. We could attack a convoy and resurface and attack it again all before brunch.
The previously visually blind Escort AI will now detect you at greater distances, when at a normal alert condition. Your profile and even your approach speed will go a long way to either you remaining undetected or in you getting detected. While improving the daytime distances we have also reduced the night time distance an escort might detect you.
While improving the Escorts Visual abilities we have in relation to the improved Escort Visual abilities reduced the Merchant Visual abilities especially in regards to the night time. We have done this by adding an additional Visual Sensors for the merchant ships and another for the smaller craft.
When you show your smallest aspect, bow or stern, then your chances of being detected are reduced. Once you start showing the side aspect of your u-boat the chances of being detected are increased substantially.
For example, if under certain weather conditions you might get detected bow on at 3200 metres when you show your profile that would almost double that distance over 6000 metres.
Speed has also has an impact on your ability to remain undetected. At ahead standard you are at the compromise speed, fast enough to get around and not excessive in allowing you to be detected. At flank speed you might be detected at much longer ranges. At a speed less than 7 knots you might not be detected till much closer or at all.
~ The Merchant Visual Sensor has in comparison the Escorts Visual Sensor a reduced range and capability. The reduced capability is most evident at night.
~ The Fishing Vessel Visual Sensor is the same as the Merchant Visual Sensor with reduced range to be in line with the vessels height.
~ The Elco Visual Sensor is the same as the Escort Visual Sensor reduced range to be in line with the vessels height.
When the AI goes into a High Alert state the detection ranges will greatly increase as the AI is now actively looking for you. This means that where as previously you might have been able to get within 2000 metres of the ship undetected you might now find that you are being detected at 5000 metres.
The AI can now see your periscope and snorkel. While the detection of these items when the AI is in normal alert mode is very low, when the AI is in a high alert mode the detection of your periscope may occur up to several thousand metres away. Remember, on high alert the escort AI is actively looking for you..
Attacking convoys on the surface at night!
U-boat's were not submarines in the true sense and predominately operated at night on the surface where the small and low silhouette made them very difficult to detect. The decline in sinking's and the rise in u-boat losses can be directly correlated to the loss of the u-boats ability to use the night to attack on the surface.
I would like to take this opportunity to highlight that fact that with the NYGM AI Sensor Update that at night it is now possible to close in on a convoy to distances under a 1000 metres, possibly a lot less.
NYGM have added many new sensor nodes to the DAT files and we now have a different Visual sensor for the escorts, elco , aircraft fighter, aircraft bomber, merchant ships & small vessels.
These sensors have been modified, as best as possible within the SHIII framework, to mimic their respective roles.
We have greatly reduced the enemy AI’s night time sight and with the right approach as will be outlined below it may be possible to get within 800 metres of an escort on the surface and not be seen.
We have also reduced the AI visual abilities in line with the MPS i.e. wind speed. The greater the wind speed the less detectable your boat will be. Not undetectable, just less.
Like real u-boat captains do not submerge to make an attack on a convoy unless it is during the day and you cannot shadow the convoy till night time as was historically correct.
If you must attack submerged try and do so from within or from the first outside row of the convoy and do not hang around DIVE deep and remove yourself from the area, as was historically correct.
There are several important aspects to making a successful night time attack.
The first is speed, the faster you travel the more likely that you will be detected. As such, you should position yourself in front to the side so as to allow the ahead 1/3 speed approach.
The second is 'aspect', as has been talked about often, the NYGM AI Sensor Mod allows a player to get much closer when he presents the enemy AI with the smallest possible profile. The two aspects are bow on and bow off. Bow on covers about 60 degrees, or 330 to 030 and 150 to 210 degrees relative. Bow off is from 030 to 150 and 210 to 330 degrees relative.
The bow on/off examples are not to be taken as written in stone, there are many circumstances such as time of day, your speed, the AI’s ability that will make the figures at times smaller or larger.
For BOW ON and clear day with:
0 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 4500
10 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 3300
For BOW OFF (i.e. Side On) and clear day with:
0 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 7400
10 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 6000
For BOW ON and a clear night with:
0 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 1200
10 mps a ESCORT might NOT detected you <-- NOTE!
For BOW OFF (i.e. Side On) and a clear night with:
0 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 2800
10 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 2000
Note that these are for ESCORTS, merchant ships are in comparison blind. Very important to remember as you get ridiculously close to the merchant ships.
If your attack run is not right, remove yourself from the attack and reposition yourself for another run.
When you turn away from the convoy either to reposition yourself or after firing your torpedoes turn at ahead full and at full rudder. The less time you expose your flank the less likely you are to be detected. If some flank has to be exposed, subject to distance, expose your flank to a merchant ship.
Do not submerge unless you have too, you may not have been detected and when you crash dive you might be.
If you must dive after being detected then dive at flank, stay at flank till you think the escort will be within about 5000 metres and at which time order silent running and then ahead 1/3 till you think the escort will be within 3000+ metres and then go to 1+ knots and deeper. The figures mention above are mot magic cut off figures, but are ones that I have deduced give me a fair chance of removing myself and not giving away my changed position, i.e. course change when submerged.
The feature in the spotlight today is the NYGM AI Sensor Mod
NYGM Tonnage War v2.0 has improved three of the core game play AI sensors: hydrophone, sonar (ASDIC) and visual.
I have decided to break these up into smaller sections as I feel it will probably be a very long post trying to cover all the changes in one post.
NYGM AI Sensor Mod - Visual
Previously we could approach a convoy with little regard to being detected and worse yet little concern that it had 4 escorts. We could travel up and down the English Channel as if we owned it, or at least had our name on the lease. We could attack a convoy and resurface and attack it again all before brunch.
The previously visually blind Escort AI will now detect you at greater distances, when at a normal alert condition. Your profile and even your approach speed will go a long way to either you remaining undetected or in you getting detected. While improving the daytime distances we have also reduced the night time distance an escort might detect you.
While improving the Escorts Visual abilities we have in relation to the improved Escort Visual abilities reduced the Merchant Visual abilities especially in regards to the night time. We have done this by adding an additional Visual Sensors for the merchant ships and another for the smaller craft.
When you show your smallest aspect, bow or stern, then your chances of being detected are reduced. Once you start showing the side aspect of your u-boat the chances of being detected are increased substantially.
For example, if under certain weather conditions you might get detected bow on at 3200 metres when you show your profile that would almost double that distance over 6000 metres.
Speed has also has an impact on your ability to remain undetected. At ahead standard you are at the compromise speed, fast enough to get around and not excessive in allowing you to be detected. At flank speed you might be detected at much longer ranges. At a speed less than 7 knots you might not be detected till much closer or at all.
~ The Merchant Visual Sensor has in comparison the Escorts Visual Sensor a reduced range and capability. The reduced capability is most evident at night.
~ The Fishing Vessel Visual Sensor is the same as the Merchant Visual Sensor with reduced range to be in line with the vessels height.
~ The Elco Visual Sensor is the same as the Escort Visual Sensor reduced range to be in line with the vessels height.
When the AI goes into a High Alert state the detection ranges will greatly increase as the AI is now actively looking for you. This means that where as previously you might have been able to get within 2000 metres of the ship undetected you might now find that you are being detected at 5000 metres.
The AI can now see your periscope and snorkel. While the detection of these items when the AI is in normal alert mode is very low, when the AI is in a high alert mode the detection of your periscope may occur up to several thousand metres away. Remember, on high alert the escort AI is actively looking for you..
Attacking convoys on the surface at night!
U-boat's were not submarines in the true sense and predominately operated at night on the surface where the small and low silhouette made them very difficult to detect. The decline in sinking's and the rise in u-boat losses can be directly correlated to the loss of the u-boats ability to use the night to attack on the surface.
I would like to take this opportunity to highlight that fact that with the NYGM AI Sensor Update that at night it is now possible to close in on a convoy to distances under a 1000 metres, possibly a lot less.
NYGM have added many new sensor nodes to the DAT files and we now have a different Visual sensor for the escorts, elco , aircraft fighter, aircraft bomber, merchant ships & small vessels.
These sensors have been modified, as best as possible within the SHIII framework, to mimic their respective roles.
We have greatly reduced the enemy AI’s night time sight and with the right approach as will be outlined below it may be possible to get within 800 metres of an escort on the surface and not be seen.
We have also reduced the AI visual abilities in line with the MPS i.e. wind speed. The greater the wind speed the less detectable your boat will be. Not undetectable, just less.
Like real u-boat captains do not submerge to make an attack on a convoy unless it is during the day and you cannot shadow the convoy till night time as was historically correct.
If you must attack submerged try and do so from within or from the first outside row of the convoy and do not hang around DIVE deep and remove yourself from the area, as was historically correct.
There are several important aspects to making a successful night time attack.
The first is speed, the faster you travel the more likely that you will be detected. As such, you should position yourself in front to the side so as to allow the ahead 1/3 speed approach.
The second is 'aspect', as has been talked about often, the NYGM AI Sensor Mod allows a player to get much closer when he presents the enemy AI with the smallest possible profile. The two aspects are bow on and bow off. Bow on covers about 60 degrees, or 330 to 030 and 150 to 210 degrees relative. Bow off is from 030 to 150 and 210 to 330 degrees relative.
The bow on/off examples are not to be taken as written in stone, there are many circumstances such as time of day, your speed, the AI’s ability that will make the figures at times smaller or larger.
For BOW ON and clear day with:
0 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 4500
10 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 3300
For BOW OFF (i.e. Side On) and clear day with:
0 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 7400
10 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 6000
For BOW ON and a clear night with:
0 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 1200
10 mps a ESCORT might NOT detected you <-- NOTE!
For BOW OFF (i.e. Side On) and a clear night with:
0 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 2800
10 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 2000
Note that these are for ESCORTS, merchant ships are in comparison blind. Very important to remember as you get ridiculously close to the merchant ships.
If your attack run is not right, remove yourself from the attack and reposition yourself for another run.
When you turn away from the convoy either to reposition yourself or after firing your torpedoes turn at ahead full and at full rudder. The less time you expose your flank the less likely you are to be detected. If some flank has to be exposed, subject to distance, expose your flank to a merchant ship.
Do not submerge unless you have too, you may not have been detected and when you crash dive you might be.
If you must dive after being detected then dive at flank, stay at flank till you think the escort will be within about 5000 metres and at which time order silent running and then ahead 1/3 till you think the escort will be within 3000+ metres and then go to 1+ knots and deeper. The figures mention above are mot magic cut off figures, but are ones that I have deduced give me a fair chance of removing myself and not giving away my changed position, i.e. course change when submerged.