Many thanks for sharing your work, CB! :up:

If all the changes you made are at the end of the campaign file it should be not a problem for most players to add them to their custom campaign file.
You´ll just have to change group numbers...

Cheers...yup that's the best i can do really--folks will still have to go thru their canvoys and add the attacking wolfpack subs but thats not quite such a huge job--(tediuos but straight cut n paste work)

just add this at the end of each convoy getting the group unit number right each time as you say:yep:


[RndGroup 61.RndUnit 18]
Name=Type VIIA#1
Class=SSTypeVIIA
Type=200
Origin=German
Side=2
Commander=0
CargoExt=-1
CargoInt=-1
CfgDate=19390101
No=2
Escort=false
SpawnProbability=100
CrewRating=4



if you add it to all the convoys then reducing spawnprobability will be a good idea to add variety-

the only other thing i have done is remove any possibility of the convoys them selves giving contact reports---so you have to rely entirely on the subs for info--
but that is probably something that would be best left to personal taste--

Thanks, CB..

I'll add them up to a beefed up custom .rnd I have and I'll test them. Cheers and keep up those great ideas coming :rock:

absolutely fascinating----i love the picture that builds slowly over a patrol---

http://www.ebort2.co.uk/files/wolf11.jpg

Really feels that you are not the only U-boat fighting this war. :D

CB-Help!
Need some advice. I attempted plugging in your Campaign_Rnd from the DL as is but it crashed as you predicted it might.
I then located and copied each complete VIIA entry from your file and pasted to the end of the relevant [RndGroup] changing the ReportPosProbability= to "0"
see sample of first loaded Rnd Group below.


[RndGroup 61]
GroupName=HX39Convoy
Category=0
CommandEntry=0
Long=-7617918.000000
Lat=5345865.000000
Height=0.000000
DelayMin=60
DelayMinInterv=7860
SpawnProbability=95
RandStartRadius=1.000000
ReportPosMin=600
ReportPosProbability=0
Heading=138.606003
Speed=6.000000
ColumnsNo=4
Spacing=700
DeleteOnLastWaypoint=true
CurrentInstanceID=0
GameEntryDate=19390803
GameEntryTime=200
GameExitDate=19391229
GameExitTime=0
NextWP=0

[RndGroup 61.RndUnit 1 thru 17]

[RndGroup 61.RndUnit 18]
Name=Type VIIA#1
Class=SSTypeVIIA
Type=200
Origin=German
Side=2
Commander=0
CargoExt=-1
CargoInt=-1
CfgDate=19390101
No=2
Escort=false
SpawnProbability=100
CrewRating=4

I then went into data/cfg /contacts.cfg and changed the
"Display Range To Opportunity Radio Contacts=33000" per your instructions.

"reccommend increasing your opportunity contact report range greatly to take advantage of the GERMAN only "contact" reports
this is found in data/cfg contacts.cfg"
Is there a difference? GERMAN vs ALLIES If so where? I saw nothing to diiferentiate

Started a campaign mission and was immediately swamped with multiple red squares all over the map along with the normal convoy reports text messages.
No blue sub icons visible. How do I get rid of the red squares and get the sub icons as in your screen shots?

I'm pretty sure the VIIa's are running but what am I doing wrong here.
This will be awesome once I get the bugs worked out

if your using a custom campaign then some have added literally dozens of new convoys to the SCR layer-- so you will be recieve-ing contact reports from the convoys in that layer--

yes it is a tedious job to get rid of the allied contact reports--

you could use the search and replace function in wordpad to replace

ReportPosMin=

with

ReportPosMin=-

(note the minus sign)

this will kill ALL the contact reports for everything

then you will have to find all the patroling subs you've added
(you have added the patroling subs i hope?)
and switch the contact reports back on for them only--then you have only "contact" reports from the german subs--

you have to add the patroling subs to get the sub contact reports--
tho they are really reporting the convoy routes rather than their postions-it's up to you to patrol along the routes plotted out by the subs and find the convoys--

to find the patroling subs in the rnd file you downloaded scroll to the very end of the file or do a search for Wolf


//////////////////////////

Sergbuto!! yep it makes for really atmospheric patrols--:up:

Using NYGMv2 so I assume there's additions based on the RUB work

Just did that with the RND file

I think this was the problem, all I originally replaced were the "attached" VIIA's
at the end of the convoys from your example-never thought to look for patrolling subs at the end-I just added them and re-numbered them to fit the sequence. Just put it all back together and started a fresh campaign mission. Will let you know how it turns out.

your gonna have to read the thread thru and thru again H' ..and do a bit of thinking..if you going to have any success adapting this to NYGM or any other major campaign mod--

another fascinating patrol--

didn't find a convoy but picked off a couple of lone merchants travelling near the routes--and one as i was using the Mediterean route as a marker for the trip home--

occurs to me that i could add the hunter killer groups in the same way--travelling along the convoy routes in the same way as the patroling u-boats--would make sense--the more you play like this the more things start to suggest them selves--and it all seems perfectly logical--

http://www.ebort2.co.uk/files/wolf12.jpg

Yes in RL the hunter killer groups would be somewhere halfway between 2 convoys along the same route to take over DC duty allowing the escorts to return to convoy so in theory you could add them

Looks like its getting bigger every day:o

:up: seems a better idea than having them wandering "more or less" at random around the map--- i'm allso tempted to have a look at the aircraft allso--
i haven't tried adding aircraft with specified routes in SH3--i'm guessing it will work--giving aircraft the same job of patroling the convoy routes will enable me to specify what type and how many aircraft are likely to be encountered--and help ensure that any patrol along the routes is liable to have it's surprises no matter wether you locate a convoy or not--if it works well i might reduce the number of spawned aircraft to balance it out allso perhaps pop in a few lone destroyers allso to allow for escorts refueling/re-arming/repairing and catching up or leaving a convoy...

add ing in a few more lone merchants with the wolfpack "escort" attached will allso create some interesting moments --finding a lone merchant being attacked or on fire with the u-boot still in the vincinity (no escorts to kill them) will be a nice touch--

some-day all campaigns will be made this way :ping:

plenty of scope for escorts coming and going along the routes---

read this sort of thing a lot so it might even be considered un-usual not to meet escorts along the routes at some point
(these were not Hunter Killer groups but escorts refueling re-arming and relieving other escorts who then them selves would return to their home ports for refueling etc--so it's applicable right thru out the war..)

http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/sear...Bww2&x=20&y=15



EDIT;

decided the quickest way to simulate this and focus the campaign on the convoy routes would be to move some of the stock hunter killer groups onto the main convoy routes---with some reduction in probable numbers of escorts in the group--
so i just altered the waypoints of the first three british killer groups in the RND file (which appear in early 1942) so they now travel the HX OA and HG convoy routes till the end of the war--no point adding huge numbers of ships to the campaign, when using the ones allready there in a more resource friendly fashion not only simulates "better" tactical use of available warships- it allso means the campaign doesn't load like a snail crawling across your desk lol--
the RN didn't have an unlimited number of ships --no idea why most of the hunter killer groups are wandering around in the middle of no-where more or less--after all if the U-Boats are NOT along the convoy routes then they are not a danger anyway so why waste resources trying to find them.. ACK!!!
Coastal Command and the RAF can do the searching in the transition zones

I've added attached AI subs to all the convoys in the NYGM rnd file and I guess it's time to start attaching the "wolfpack" subs to patrol the convoy routes. Using the paper map supplied with the game gives the long/lat around the outside perimeter. Question I have is how do I convert the numeric value as in the sample below to actual longitude/latitude that I can referance on the map. Would be nice to see what area I'm actually working in.

[RndGroup 1896]
GroupName=HX39Wolf
Category=0
CommandEntry=0
Long=-7617918.000000
Lat=5345865.000000

what you do is this H'

find the convoy that you want the patroling subs to "shadow"

copy it -waypoints and all- from the RND file into a new wordpad document

then replace the ships with the subs and sort out the RndGroup and RndWaypoint numbers accordingly for the new group
like thus

[RndGroup 1718]
GroupName=HX39Wolf
Category=0
CommandEntry=0
Long=-7617918.000000
Lat=5345865.000000
Height=0.00000
DelayMin=60
DelayMinInterv=7860
SpawnProbability=100
RandStartRadius=1.000000
ReportPosMin=600
ReportPosProbability=60
Heading=138.606003
Speed=9.000000
ColumnsNo=2
Spacing=700
DeleteOnLastWaypoint=true
CurrentInstanceID=0
GameEntryDate=19390803
GameEntryTime=200
GameExitDate=19421229
GameExitTime=0
NextWP=0

[RndGroup 1718.RndUnit 1]
Name=Type VIIA#1
Class=SSTypeVIIA
Type=200
Origin=German
Side=2
Commander=0
CargoExt=-1
CargoInt=-1
CfgDate=19390101
No=1
Escort=false
SpawnProbability=100
CrewRating=4

[RndGroup 1718.RndUnit 2]
Name=Type VIIA#1
Class=SSTypeVIIA
Type=200
Origin=German
Side=2
Commander=0
CargoExt=-1
CargoInt=-1
CfgDate=19390101
No=1
Escort=false
SpawnProbability=100
CrewRating=4

[RndGroup 1718.Waypoint 1]
Speed=9.000000
Radius=50.000000
Loop=-1
LoopProbability=100
Long=-7358918.000000
Lat=5052065.000000
Height=0.000000

[RndGroup 1718.Waypoint 2]
Speed=9.000000
Radius=100.000000
Loop=-1
LoopProbability=100
Long=-6792918.000000
Lat=5124065.000000
Height=0.000000

etc etc etc

the reason this is the best way to go with a custom campaign (any campaign in fact) is just that they may have altered the routes from the stock ones even slightly and it makes it impossible to find the convoys (except by accident)-
you need the patroling subs to give you accurate information (within the random limitations) so you can draw the routes onto the map- and patrol the routes your self--
you don't need to add too many before the map starts to come alive with a constant flow of up-dating sub "reports"....
you will need the patroling routes to up-date on the same dates as the convoys if you want to keep them accurate--so choose the main routes such as the HX one and do all the HX39 HX40 etc etc routes seperately to keep thing accurate and dynamic as the time goes by--
the paper map show the seven or eight main routes that would be ideal to select (the rest you can add if you want more reports and a greater variety choice of patrol zones)

it doesn't take many before your map starts to look like this

http://www.ebort2.co.uk/files/wolf13.jpg


here i am chasing my luck with three routes down towards the Azores (i'm just about to get killed by a catalina here -so my luck ran out lol)

http://www.ebort2.co.uk/files/wolf14.jpg

it's highly dynamic and nothings garantued---all you can say is that as you have used the same information for the patroling subs as was used by the convoy itself- there is a good chance that your going to be some-where close if you stick to these routes and work out a search pattern..

course there's nothing to stop you adding in a few contact reports from convoys if you get too much bad luck too often--but it does work out over several patrols--you'll be finding them easily one patrol --the next you can't pin them down for love nor money---great dynamics:up: