Quote:
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Originally Posted by vespernz
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Not quite what I was after, im not new to the silent hunter series, I understand the basic gameplay concepts and how the campaign works. However ive not seen plotting courses in order to find ships within a given patrol area.
EG. does everyone just use the predefined search pattern in a given area ?
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by vespernz
...
Not quite what I was after, im not new to the silent hunter series, I understand the basic gameplay concepts and how the campaign works. However ive not seen plotting courses in order to find ships within a given patrol area.
EG. does everyone just use the predefined search pattern in a given area ?
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1. You must have an indication of the general direction of "shiping traffic" in your selected patrol area. This would be a "ships move along a NW-SE axis" thing. How do you find that?
a] Using maps that show the typical shiping lanes of the era (there is one posted in this thread and there is one included with the game CD).
b] You follow the radio contacts on enemy ships/convoys/TFs sightings and focus on the reports near your selected patrol area and specificaly their direction.
2. When arriving in your patrol area you can start a search pattern. I use a "square tooth" pattern (as the "predefined" search pattern) but I align is so as the "longer legs" of the pattern are perpendicular to the "general shipping traffic axis" of the previous paragraph.
3. Reasoning: Imagine that shiping lanes are a rectangular arena with many parallel racing tracks. Some tracks are vacant, others are occupied by one or more runners. Runners maybe fast or slow. Your goal is to maximize the probability of coming close to the runners. You increase your chances by changing ("sampling") more tracks rather then remaining in one and wait for a runner to pass by. Revisiting ("resampling") a track increases your chances of contacting a slow or a second runner etc. Moving repeatedly and perpendicularly to the "general shipping traffic axis" is equivalent to the "sampling" and "resampling" of the racing tracks.
Also you have an increased propabilityof spotting a ship from its broadside. Which means:
a] You get a visual earlier rather then later.
b] It's harder for the ship to get a visual on you
c] Increased possibility of acquiring data on the target easily and from a greater distance(type speed etc)
d] Increased possibility of having a good starting position for your attack maneuver.
4. Problem: With this kind of simple pattern you spend more time patrolling the "edges of the teeth" rather the midsection of the pattern.
Hope this helps as a starting point.
Excuse me for not using the correct navy lingo
but English is not my native language...