More for fun then realism (edited)

[Ducimus]

Been spending some time fiddling with the type 21 sub. Essentually trying to see if i can get it earlier into the war.

Not very realistic i know, but to me its fun to see how one of wwII's "wonder weaons" would have done had it been introduced earlier.

So editing the basic.cfg files and the floatilla.cfg files isnt much of a big deal. You just edit when the boat becomes available as well as its euipment if you want to, as well as which floatilla can get it and when.


Now herein lies the problem, Through alot of trial and error ive discovered that introducing this boat brings about a 0 patrol grid bug. Meaning, your not asigned a patrol grid. Small detail to some (just edit your patrol file), but it kind of took some of the wind out of my sails.

So again, through trial and error ive discovered that in order to stay *cough* in contact with BdU to get a patrol assignment, the earliest you can start in a XXI uboat is in 1943, and ONLY in the 11th floatilla. You can start in the 7th, and the 10th in 1943, but you'll just get 0 patrol grind. Although ill bet if you start in 1944 with a XXI in the 7th floatilla it might work, since the 7th gets the XXI later on in the war anyway.

My though is that theres a script or variable, or config file somewhere that im missing that dictates who, and when. Not just basic defiitions found in the basic.cfg. My theory as so far has been that introducing a boat that has equipment on it that exceeds the timeperiod maybe doing something funky. So to that end ive aslo stripped the type 21 the most basic gear and its still not getting a patrol grid. Intrestingly enough the snorkel, even when you remove it, stays on the ship. So that theory im shying away from now, and leaning more on some other setting that im not seeing.

Im out of ideas other then some scripted sequence of events somewhere that im missing. probably just as well though, in an incharacter sense introducing a "wonder weapon" in any year less then 1943 isn't as fun.

[Ducimus]

Ill put my small essay im simpler terms,



When modding and fiddling around, (specifically with the XXI ) is there anything that causes you to be asigned no grid in campign mode? (IE Patrol Grid 0)


PS:
Is there a campaign.cfg? Im at work atm, so its not like i can turn on my PC and look myself.

[Syxx_Killer]

Beery added some patrol orders in his flotilla mod to match some historic ones. If he added some historical patrol assignments, maybe you could add assignments for the XXI. Maybe the reason for the no patrol assignment is that the devs didn't specify any in the flotilla.cfg file. Actually why would they? How would they expect so many would want to use the XXI early in the war (me being one of them)?

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Syxx_Killer

Maybe the reason for the no patrol assignment is that the devs didn't specify any in the flotilla.cfg file. Actually why would they? How would they expect so many would want to use the XXI early in the war (me being one of them)?

Well, thats the thing, i went digging around in the floatilla.cfg too.

It has a fair amount of settings. Heres now i know im missing something, without getting into too many details.


Example 1:

Start in XXI in 7th floatilla in 1943. = 0 patrol grid

Ok, bummer, so lets try this....

1. Start in VIIC in 7th floatilla in 1943 = works as normal.
2. Start a patrol, exit patrol, check next patrol asignment. Sitill have one.
3. Buy XXI (i made it available)
4. Start patrol, still have grid assignment from before i bought XXI.
5. exit patrol, check next assignment, patrol grid = 0.



Example 2:
Start in XXI in 11th floatilla in 1943. = normal patrol assignment

I can go on to do the same 5 step process to test it, and it will work.



As an aside, i can do exactly what i did in example 1 for all floatillas except the 11th out of bergen in 1943, and ill get 0 patrol grid.

So why is it, that particualr year and floatill works and the others dont? My guess is it has to be a certain year and/or floatilla to work. 11th is reported to be the first to get the XXI's, and the 7th gets them later on too from what ive seen.

To narrow this down, i still need to try the 7th in 1944 and see if i get the same thing. Theres some, setting... somwhere that im missing. Whatever makes the 11th in 1943 work.

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Syxx_Killer

Maybe the reason for the no patrol assignment is that the devs didn't specify any in the flotilla.cfg file. Actually why would they? How would they expect so many would want to use the XXI early in the war (me being one of them)?

Well ive come to conclude your partially correct.

The CFG files ive come to beleive is nothing more then a resource the game calls upon, while you can change some of content of what it calls, i dont think you can change WHAT it calls. My assumption is theres some hardcode somewhere in the campign files.

Maybe theres something to be learned from this that others can use:

Observations:

- Crew configuration files based on subtype. What cfg file the game uses when it creates a new campgin game is dictated by floatilla and probably year as well. For example If you start in 1939, 1st floatilla the game uses type II crew type when it creates the campign. THe key thing is, that I could not find a way to change this in the floatilla.cfg So either i missed it, or its located elsewhere.

- Type XXI sub is acutally slated for 3 years of use. It has loadouts for 1943, 1944, and 1945. If you try additing additional years, (say, mimicing the type7 in use for 6 years being exact in syntax as layed out in the CFG file when adding the additional year definitions), anything past the first 3 years doesnt work right in game. For example, adding the type 21 for 1939 to 1945, starting at 1943 and up, you run into abnormalities in behavior when starting a campign game. Reverting back to 3 years of use resolved this.

- Type XXI as said is earmarked for 3 years. 43-45. Yet doesnt become available tell 1944. Why the extra year loadout definition? Starting in 1943, XXI sub works correctly for the 11th float, but not the 7th. I find it no conicidence that the 11th is described as being the first to recieve the XXI in the floatillia selection screen. My conjecture is that the 1944 availablily date was a quick fix by the devs because the 7th has noting scripted for the XXI until 1944, and thereby avoiding a 0 patrol grid "bug".

In conclusion the XXI IS scripted to work, (somewhere), in jan 1, 1943, 11th floatilla in bergen. But nowhere else until 1944, 7th float. No matter what you do to the floatilla.cfg, any other float or time will result in 0 patrol grid.