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Originally Posted by bookworm_020
They do zig zag in stock SH3. The Japanese did create convoys from around 1944 onward, but there was little orgaization and few escorts untill it was too late. Earlier convoys were just pairs of ships steaming together for mutual protection.
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I'm reading James Calvert's book, Silent Running, about his time aboard the USS Jack as the TDC operator and he writes about zig zagging Japanese merchants. His first patrol was in mid 43. Perhaps he only encountered the better Japanese merchantmen and navymen, but nearly every encounter involved them having to plot their prey's base course off a zig zag and try to time their closing on the enemy so as to be in the right position after a course change.
When I say convoys describing the Japanese system, I'm considering groups of as little as 4 or 5 ships considering they never really put together huge merchant convoys. Maybe I'm too deep into Calvert's book, but that's the way he describes these groups of 2 or 3 merchantmen and a couple minesweepers or DE's as escorts, as convoys.
But back to the original point, is this in sh4 or not? If it was in sh3, I never saw it. Ships went in straight lines between waypoints and you never had to be wary of a target zigging out of your fiiring position at the last moment. Just get out in front of their course drawn out in a straight line and you'll be fine.