[CB..]

i think the problem with increasing the numbers of escorts for a convoy in the RND file is that we don't have control over where the escorts appear--all we get is the option to position them as escorts--the game seems to decide where to put them--

in a single mission you can place the escorts in a usable pattern--give the convoy a wide screen a little further out than normal and a close screen in the normal stock postions i have been using a test mission with 10 escorts gaurding 13 merchants and it never looks messy or gets out of hand

this would involve having a quick way to work out the lat long co-ordinates for the non stock escort positions--
say type in the lat long and heading of the lead ship (which is given inthe RND file) and get the lat long position for a escort placed about 5-8 thousand metres either side of that location- then we could add these extra escorts by hand editing giving them exact locations as they do seem to keep to them as they go along--mind you i'm not sure if the RND will accept this approach and it's a heck of a big job---even on the stock RND which has 58 major named convoys to edit

if you have timetravellor editing tools you can open the ai_sensors.dat and edit all the sensors thru there--giving the sensors larger blind spots at the rear can help avoid the uber long encounters as will increasing the minimum range so you enter their blind spot as they begin their high speed DC run-

giving you a short window to make some more violent maneuvering going to flank etc
if there are a gaggle of Dd's around you you need the blind spot more than against a solo attack--

there is a quick way to try things out without silent running if you find that a bit too much of a cloaking device but it does rather throw things right to the other extreme

if you go into the comands_en.cfg (cfg folder)

and find this entry

;[Cmd153]
;Name=Rig_for_silent_running
;Ctxt=1
;MnID=0x3F0F0006
;Str=1003

you can comment it out as i have done and it disables all the rig for silent running shortcuts--

this is rather like givng the DD's the key to your front door tho in game--i was shocked at how uber they became-- needs a more subtle answer
but an experiment

G's the guy for the turning cirle stuff---