A little something for the drumbeaters

[Ducimus]

EDIT: a small fix, brought to you by sobriety.
File D/L is the same name, i just updated it so i didnt have to change the links.
http://www.ducimus.net/sh3/Carribean_2.zip

The fix is that i narrowed the random turn radius in two convoys waypoint's where the passage are a bit narrow. In the event that you did not backup your orginal campaign_RND.mis file before merging the carribean additions, i suggest you fix the following:

- Gulf_Convoy_2
Reduce the radius of waypoint 4 to anywhere from 0 to 10KM
- Gulf_Convoy_6
Reduce the radius of waypoint 3 to anywhere from 0 to 10KM.
-------------------------------------------

edit: ATTN NYGM users!

One thing i discovered recently is that NYGM, by default does not support generic ship entries. Generic entries are basically saying, "spawn some random ship type of this class". The problem that many modders have with this is twofold:

1.) Generic destroyer has a chance to spawn a captial ship.
2.) Generic cargoship has a chance to spawn a tramp steamer. While thats not a big issue in and of itself, it depends on if its a transatlantic route. Tramp steamers are coal burners and could not make the journey.

Where these additions are concerned, i used generic cargo in some entries because distance wasnt an issue. A tramp steam could make the journey. I also used Generic Destroyer Escort, which will only spawn a DE, and has no chance of spawning a DD, or any captial ship.

The file in question is NYGM/data/rooster/English.cfg (or German.cfg). I recommend just replacing this file with the stock one in the /MODS/BACKUP/DATA/ROSTER directory. Copy the file, rename it back to its orginal form, and put it in its proper place.

Or edit the existing file to look like this:

;Warships
Type0=-
Type1=-
Type2=-
Type3=Destroyer Escort
Type4=-
Type5=-
Type6=-
Type7=-
Type8=-
Type9=-
Type10=-
Type11=-
Type12=-
Type13=-

;Merchant ships
Type100=Replenishment
Type101=Tanker
Type102=Cargo
Type103=Troop Transport
Type104=Coastal Vessel
Type105=Environmental

------------------------------------------------------------

Orginal Post

Brought to you, curtiesy of another captian morgan enduced drunken stuper is something i whipped up in about an hour. That being an addition for your RND layer if you so choose to merge it into it.

Now, i dunno about you, but i didnt bring about umpteen thousand miles to stare at nothing but rare spawn single ships. The carribean, one of my favorite areas, is often neglected by just about everybody who produces a mod. Im not sure what the deal is, maybe no one can find historical convoy info. So the caribean and east coast is about as close to stock as your going to get in todays campaign files. Now this addition isnt researched at all, but i think its feasible to assume.

For the most part, up until 8/42 the existing layer works great. Air cover seems a bit lacking, but hey, it was a turkey shoot historically. Now after awhile, the US got a clue and started upping their ASW presencese and convoys. Problem wherein is the stock implentation was just to make the single spawns REALLY freaking slow/rare in spawning. So where as before youd have something to shoot at, after 8/43 your kinda sitting there twiddleing your thumbs, with the rare chance at two whole convoys that disppear after the later end of 43. What fun is that? No much. For the most part in my own game i adjusted all the single spawn entries to be mini convoys. Well, after a few drinks of coke and captain i decided to stop being cheesy and do it somewhat correctly. Scrapped my old RND layer, cause the single spawns were about right after 43, the problem was lack of convoys. Not to mention the gulf of mexico being a total waste of time in my opinion.

So heres the additions, its not much, but hey, its better then the current situation.
http://www.ducimus.net/sh3/addition.jpg

Added some single merchant sspawns to flesh out the 1/42 through 8/42 a bit more, and convoys at 8/42 tell the end of the war. Convoys are 6 to 9 ships in 2 to 3 columns with 4 DE's. 25% chance to spawn ever 5 days. Also added some air patrols that start in 4/42.

So duci, thats a great half assed single mission you got there, now how do i get this into my campaign game?


After upzipping THIS File:
http://www.ducimus.net/sh3/Carribean_2.zip

Open the caribiean_2.mis file in the mission editor,
Then File/ Merge

The popup box you get for saveable date, click it and hit ok.

Then it will want the file your merging it into. Direct the mission editor to a copy of your campaign_RND.mis file, select said file and hit ok, save the file as something like campaign_RND1.mis.

Exit the editor and check the file size of your newly merged file. It should be larger then your previous RND layer. If so, do whatever you want with your old RND layer rename the campaign_RND1.mis to campaign_RND.mis, renable your mods and your good to go.

Heres what you typically see in the carribean, regardless of what mod your using.
http://www.ducimus.net/sh3/stock.jpg


heres what you should see after the merge:
http://www.ducimus.net/sh3/merged.jpg

Not as robust as some of the other theaters, but better then before. Id spend more time on it, but frankly im not intrested in spending too much time in the mission editor. ;)

Ok, bed time.

[Tikigod]

awesome! I love this area! its like night and day compared to default rnd layer which has a few ships coming out of new orleans.....but, you have it all!......I can't wait to try this....

strange question but, can you add lighthouses?

I have been wanting to do something like this to florida...

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/Tikigod78/florida_lighthouses.jpg

Also...how many RND layers are there available to merge? Is there anyway to get seperate world packs that are compatible with one another? I'm afriad to merge something like grey wolves to nygm or uboat ace...it might not get pretty......

Is this compatible with something like the unified campaign?

[danlisa]

@ Ducimus

Yes! - Yes! - Yes! Brilliant:rock:

My favourite theatre is now alive.:arrgh!:

[Payoff]

I have been tossing around starting a new career with the 2nd just so I can try out a IXB in a campaign. I've always done II's and VII's. I think you just made up my mind.

Thanks:up:

[Ducimus]

if the convoy spawn rate is too low for you, you can always increase it. 25% every 5 days... didnt test that. Orginally i had it at 40% chance, but was afraid id have too many convoys out. Bottom line, its your game, have em spawn as often as you like ;)

Lighthouses, i don't have a clue honestly. I never messed with placing static objects in the game world.



As for merging stuff in general. Theres three campaing layers.
Campaign_LND.mis = land layer. This has just bases, airbases and stuff like that.
Campaign_SCR.mis = scripted layer. This has your milk cows, harbor traffic, subnets and minefields.

Campaign_RND.mis = random layer. This is basically all the traffic, convoys, ships, whatever that spawn randomly in the game. This is the file that controls what spawns, where it spawns, how often, where does it go, and how does it get there.

Theres only one layer of each type in any game. SO theres only on RND layer. At any rate its a good habit (and much easier) to create any additional changes you have on a seperate whatever.MIS file. If you make any mistakes you can find it right away. You dont normally merge it into the master RND Layer until your done with the addition. While its possible to continue to merge stuff into the master RND layer, its , to the best of my knowledge, impossible to extract stuff from the RND layer. IT just gets mixed into one big heaping pile of random spawns, like a big pile of spagetti i guess.

Now generally speaking its a BAD IDEA to use campaign layers from GW and use it into NYGM or vice versa. The reason is, is that those mods have differences in what ships are available in their roster. So what could concievably happen is say, one layer is calling on ships that the other game doesnt have in their support files. I think the worst thing that will probably happen is it won't spawn the unit. On the othe hand loading campaign layer in a game that doesnt have the supporting files for the editor to draw from usually results in a crash of the editor.

The MIS file ive provided is safe because ive used standard units in it. (C2's, C3,s, T2, Large cargo, etc) I use primarly unified campaign vanilla, and while its roster isnt as large as GW or NYGM, both mods orginated from the UC work, so its pretty safe to say all ships the MIS file ive posted is calling on, are included in GW or NYGM.

edit: On a side note, ive noticed that RND entries do not work in a single mission, only placed objects that resemble object placement on a campaigns scripted layer seem to work. So if your trying to test the MIS file as a single mission it won't work that way. It only works when you run it as a campaign game. BTW, a couple of those air units i put in there might make you crap your pants. heheheh.

[FIREWALL]

Brought to you, curtiesy of another captian morgan enduced drunken stuper is something i whipped up in about an hour. That being an addition for your RND layer if you so choose to merge it into it.

Now, i dunno about you, but i didnt bring about umpteen thousand miles to stare at nothing but rare spawn single ships. The carribean, one of my favorite areas, is often neglected by just about everybody who produces a mod. Im not sure what the deal is, maybe no one can find historical convoy info. So the caribean and east coast is about as close to stock as your going to get in todays campaign files. Now this addition isnt researched at all, but i think its feasible to assume.

For the most part, up until 8/42 the existing layer works great. Air cover seems a bit lacking, but hey, it was a turkey shoot historically. Now after awhile, the US got a clue and started upping their ASW presencese and convoys. Problem wherein is the stock implentation was just to make the single spawns REALLY freaking slow/rare in spawning. So where as before youd have something to shoot at, after 8/43 your kinda sitting there twiddleing your thumbs, with the rare chance at two whole convoys that disppear after the later end of 43. What fun is that? No much. For the most part in my own game i adjusted all the single spawn entries to be mini convoys. Well, after a few drinks of coke and captain i decided to stop being cheesy and do it somewhat correctly. Scrapped my old RND layer, cause the single spawns were about right after 43, the problem was lack of convoys. Not to mention the gulf of mexico being a total waste of time in my opinion.

So heres the additions, its not much, but hey, its better then the current situation.
http://www.ducimus.net/sh3/addition.jpg

Added some single merchant sspawns to flesh out the 1/42 through 8/42 a bit more, and convoys at 8/42 tell the end of the war. Convoys are 6 to 9 ships in 2 to 3 columns with 4 DE's. 25% chance to spawn ever 5 days. Also added some air patrols that start in 4/42.

So duci, thats a great half assed single mission you got there, now how do i get this into my campaign game?


After upzipping THIS File:
http://www.ducimus.net/sh3/Carribean_2.zip

Open the caribiean_2.mis file in the mission editor,
Then File/ Merge

The popup box you get for saveable date, click it and hit ok.

Then it will want the file your merging it into. Direct the mission editor to a copy of your campaign_RND.mis file, select said file and hit ok, save the file as something like campaign_RND1.mis.

Exit the editor and check the file size of your newly merged file. It should be larger then your previous RND layer. If so, do whatever you want with your old RND layer rename the campaign_RND1.mis to campaign_RND.mis, renable your mods and your good to go.

Heres what you typically see in the carribean, regardless of what mod your using.
http://www.ducimus.net/sh3/stock.jpg


heres what you should see after the merge:
http://www.ducimus.net/sh3/merged.jpg

Not as robust as some of the other theaters, but better then before. Id spend more time on it, but frankly im not intrested in spending too much time in the mission editor. ;)

Ok, bed time. :up: :up: :up: I want it.:D :D :D

[danlisa]

Ducimus

I have just merged this with my current RND and I find that there is a unit placed south of Kingston (VIIB#1). Is this a resupply vessel or left over from your work on the additions?

Edit: Please disregard, after I exit mission editor and re-open the new RND layer it is gone.

[Ducimus]

Ducimus

I have just merged this with my current RND and I find that there is a unit placed south of Kingston (VIIB#1). Is this a resupply vessel or left over from your work on the additions?

Edit: Please disregard, after I exit mission editor and re-open the new RND layer it is gone.

Said unit is required by the editor as a human start position when you create a normal mission file. It wont let you save it without a start position. When you merge it into another layer it automatically removes the start position as you've already noticed. ;)

[Hartmann]

I will try it :up: :up: thanks

Include this campaign new traffic for norfolk and new york area , or is focused in the caribbean traffic ??

[Ducimus]

I ran a couple convoys to New York, but they start in the caribean or gulf of mexico (i forget probalby both). The first pic pretty much sums it up. What you see is there is what you get. Nothing too extraordinary, but a bit better then before .

[Der Teddy Bar]

Great to see as this is a very neglected part of the world an it was a very rich and important hunting grounds for the u-boats.

[danlisa]

...a couple of those air units i put in there might make you crap your pants. heheheh.

:o They did, that was rather evil of you:up: Love it.

[mr chris]

This is great work Ducimus:up: :rock:
Does anyone know if the GW team have any plans to overhaul this theater of operations with the release of GWX? Or will it just be the far east and the Constanza area? If they have no plans for a reworking of the carabiean theater i will be adding this to my game.

[bigboywooly]

This is great work Ducimus:up: :rock:
Does anyone know if the GW team have any plans to overhaul this theater of operations with the release of GWX? Or will it just be the far east and the Constanza area? If they have no plans for a reworking of the carabiean theater i will be adding this to my game.

Now you dont think we would ignore all the other areas do you Chris :rotfl:
But I would add this now anyway if you visit that way

Nice stuff Decimus:up:

[mr chris]

Ah thanks for the info BBW.:up: Have only just got my type IXC and it is only just july of 41 so am yet to get sent to that region. But if GWX is not out by the time i get sent down there i will add this to my setup.:up:

[panthercules]

Sounds like a cool addition, though I must say that I didn't find any shortage of targets during at least the first 3 of my 4 Drumbeat patrols (patrol nos. 16-18) - see map of sinkings below:

[/URL]
[URL=http://www.imagehosting.us/index.php?action=show&ident=1676431]http://show.imagehosting.us/show/1676431/0/nouser_1676/T1_-1_1676431.jpg (http://www.imagehosting.us/index.php?action=show&ident=1675905)

I did notice, however, that the Gulf Of Mexico was pretty empty, so the extra traffic there should certainly be welcome. And, things had kinda tapered off by my last Drumbeat patrol (patrol no. 19, late 1942), so your work on that later time period should be nice as well - thanks for putting this together :up: