Tutorial Feature request - Convoy location finding (repost)
 

With the announcement that wolfpack will expand to a global map and missions are no longer guaranteed to start in close proximity/visual range of the convoy, I'd like to re-raise a feature request i suggested a year or so ago, a tutorial/tools for convoy location finding and intercept training.

There are a number of documented procedures for find a convoys location, heading, and speed by taking multiple hydrophone readings at different times and locations e.g https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfil...?id=1744260707

These do work well when done right, but for those new to the game (or looking to polish their technique) practicing in game presents some drawbacks.
* you have to rely on AI for hydrophone bearings and their timing (being able to request a bearing could be a nice feature)
* If not using AI, the hydrophone is an art of its own (finding the same part of the convoy each time).
* It takes 15-20 minutes minimum per attempt, and you only know if you have it right or wrong after you then move to stalk/intercept, which might be another 30+ mins.
* In case of failure its hard to know where you went wrong.

In short i feel this aspect would benefit from using some ingame assets and be added as a tutorial to at first demonstrate the theory, then subsequently allow the player to practice with reduced variables to refine the technique.

How i envision this tutorial would work.
1. Use the map screen and drawing tools (they are good and this will also help the player get to terms with them).
2. Step the player through a chosen convoy tracking steps, giving consistently accurate bearings each time, but time skip the intervals between bearings to reduce wait time. Allow the player to draw/plot on the map throughout.
3. Give a step to the player to perform the final calculations intended to produce and plot convoy bearing, heading, speed. next expected location etc
4. display the "actual" convoy bearing/heading/speed on the map for the player to compare their result against.
5. Optional, show the "correct" bearing lines for each reading to help the player see where they made any errors (if any).


This would all be done on the map screen with just the plotting tools and the clock needed. The hardest part i can imagine is any step that requires the player change location this could be done automatically or the player presented with a choice.

I have written a script in python to do the bearing generation, player movement, and then display the final convoy details, https://github.com/entrippy/wolfpack-problem-generator
but without the plotting tools its really not a very friendly tutorial.

as a follow on. The steam tutorial i linked to is for the process to find a convoy using 3 stationary bearings, before changing location to take the "final" reading needed to solve bearing, heading, speed, intercept.

But i am also aware of a more complex process that allows the player to move location between each hydrophone reading.

Having tooling that tracks "virtual" convoys and allows using the map and skipping times between readings and also allowing the player to "relocate" fixed distances would allow practicing of all these techniques, not just the most basic.

I like this a lot. I've long-since wished there was more for radio and navigator to do. Perhaps through approximate positions given via encrypted Enigma, and then (via a suitably reduced range hydrophone) the navigator plotting periodic hydrophone bearings as you describe.

There will be those not keen on (say) a 30 minute hunt to locate the convoy, or the nav/radio work required to do so, and I do not see it being something that players will want to do all the time. But it'd be nice to have the ability to switch on this sort of thing from time to time.

The game badly needs new challenges to help retain players who've mastered the normal roles and skills. This would be one that fit that role.