How to: Increasing crew efficiency

[Ducimus]

I'd be much surpised if no ones experimented with this before. I know the NYGM team has, only they went in the opposite direction with their crew morale model. So i should probably thank the NYGM team for having giving me a clue to look at this block of code thats located in the basic.cfg file. Offhand i dont think many have experimented with this, and truth be told, ITS A PAIN IN THE ASS given the amount of time it takes GWX to load. Thats the painful thing about alot of modding in SH3.. trial and error, loading and reloading the game.


Anyway, the premiese behind all of this is quite simple. Crew mangement is a royal pain. Too much micromanagement. The problem stems from the fact that in real terms, as to my understanding youd typically have 3 watch's.

- one on watch
- one idle doing.. i dunno, whatver
- one in the bunks

All three rotate based on a schedule.

The problem with SH3's implementation is you have to handhold the watch that's not on duty, or in the bunks. So you end up grabbing individual crewmen and juggeling them around. Personnaly i got better things to worry about, and in real terms thsi sort of crap is delegated. To that end the solution is normally... to turn off fatigue.

However that kills some aspects of the game.

Another solution i thought, was to eliminate the 3rd watch, Or , make sure that every crewman has a bunk sending them to their battlestations only as needed - PARTICUARLLY the torpedo rooms. SH3's implentation of this is retarded. The crewman slept with the torpedo's basically. Except for the petty officers and officers, there was no seperate bunking.

Anyway, my rambeling aside, here's the block of code of concern:
(edited by me, its modded, not all values are stock)

[COMPARTMENT]
NumberOfCrew0=15 ;unknown
Interval1_0=7.1
Interval2_0=9.6
Interval3_0=19.7

NumberOfCrew1=6 ;aft torpedo
Interval1_1=3.0
Interval2_1=4.1
Interval3_1=4.8 ;8.5

NumberOfCrew2=9 ;unknown
Interval1_2=4.6
Interval2_2=6
Interval3_2=12.1

NumberOfCrew3=12 ;type21 torpedo room
Interval1_3=6.1
Interval2_3=7.8
Interval3_3=10;16

NumberOfCrew4=8 ;engine/motor room
Interval1_4=2.1 ;4.1
Interval2_4=5.3
Interval3_4=7 ;11

NumberOfCrew5=10 ;damage control
Interval1_5=5.1
Interval2_5=6.5
Interval3_5=7 ;13.7

NumberOfCrew6=7 ;unknown
Interval1_6=3.7
Interval2_6=4.7
Interval3_6=9.7

NumberOfCrew7=5 ;unknown
Interval1_7=2.7
Interval2_7=3.5
Interval3_7=7.3

NumberOfCrew8=3 ;control room
Interval1_8=1.6
Interval2_8=2.3
Interval3_8=4.65

NumberOfCrew9=4 ;bridge and flak
Interval1_9=2.2
Interval2_9=2.9
Interval3_9=4;6.1

NumberOfCrew10=14 ;forward torpedo room
Interval1_10=6.0 ;6.5
Interval2_10=8.2
Interval3_10=10 ;14.3

NumberOfCrew11=2 ;sonar
Interval1_11=0.95
Interval2_11=0.95
Interval3_11=0.95

NumberOfCrew12=1 ;single flak gun
Interval1_12=0.5
Interval2_12=0.7
Interval3_12=1.1

Here are the results with a stock GWX "regulars" crew that ive rearranged into their bunks:


Cruising submerged i have bunks for everyone but the watch crew. I could could concievably remove 4 crewman and have bunks for everyone.



Ive pressed the "submerged attack button". Items of note:
a.) Ive increased damage control effieciecy. If you put a repair rated NonCom or Officer you'll max it.
b.) Note engine - you could acutally remove the unrated NCO and the engine room will be at around 90%
c.)Aft torpedo room increased. If you threw in a rated NCO, you'll max it.
d.) Note that the sonar room only takes ONE operator to get 100% compartment effeciency. Sailor steve i recall a complaint you made once about needing to full man the compartment, this' is for you buddy!
e.) One item of note is that with Petty officer qualfications, even if a compartment is at max effeiciency the game will throw all qualifed personal into a given compartment anyway. Something to keep in mind when building up a crew.


Surface cruise mode. Ive removed the matrose out of the radio room to again show how that compartment only needs one qualified person now. Even a bootsman radioman will give 100%. A non qual crewman about 85%.

[TopcatWA]

This looks like a more practical solution I've been thinking about myself. Will give it a go. Thanks.

[Ducimus]

Seems to be working ok so far. The basic premise , in relation to crew effeciency, is doing more with less crew. Having less crew means you have more bunk space, which in turn means less micromanging.

[GreyBeard]

Yeah, micro mgmt of the crew is a pain. The SH3 Dev Team definitely "missed the boat" on that one. I see that the GWX Team has attempted to help the situation by reducing the rate crew members fatigue when stationed in the diesel/electric compartments, depending on whether the boat is surfaced or submerged. So far, to me, it seems to lead to additional micro mgmt, rather than less. I am in no way knocking what they did however. The GWX Mod is fantastic!

I have always left the additional crew members in the forward torpedo room and then just moved them to quarters when I surfaced and need a watch crew or when in the attack mode and needed a full compliment of fresh crew in the forward torpedo compartment. At least they regenerate a little that way. But the rest of the time those dudes are hurtin'!

I can't help but wonder if there is some way to cause the crew in the forward torpedo room to begin regenerating when some "switch" is thrown. Say, when there is no torpedo qualified noncom or no weapons officer at station. The stock game obviously knows when the boat is in the attack mode because it changes the tempo of the music one hears. So can the crew in that compartment be caused to fatigue only when the boat is in the attack mode or when loading torpedoes and then regenerate the crew when they are essentially at rest in a similar manner as the music changes? That would seem to be more realistic and lead to less mgmt. :hmm:

[Mush Martin]

I just one stepped it and eliminated crew management.

[Ducimus]

Well the settings ive posted above work REAL well in an type9 because it has more crew bunks - but the comparement crew requirements remain the same (ie, less crew needed per compartment to maintain a good effeciency rating).

[Mush Martin]

Duce (I need a little berseglieri happyface here)

Ive been thinking of working up supercrew mod
as a seperate release from uberboot.

in doing so I have discovered of course how to
preposition crew. I have also learned how
to increse officers ncos and amount of crew
and obviously training and qualifications .

I dont think any of this is useful to you but it may be so.
let me know.