Zig Zags [TEC] [WIP]

[tater]

In SH, we are used to seeing either NO zig zags (ZZs from now on)---utterly unrealistic, stuns me that this
wasn't in the base engine, far more important to realism than more types of ships, for example---or in TM/ICL
and RSRD, ZZs like this:



In real life, however, the type that lurker and I use are not completely realistic. Far far better than no ZZs,
but not what was always used. In RL, the japanese used ZZs like this:





This is pretty complicated to replicate... but not at all impossible (not impossible with Mcoca's incredible
Automated Campaign Editor (ACE)---and his help showing me how to code it, that is).



ZZ type A:


ZZ type E


ZZ type G:


ZZ type K




This technique will work for isolated groups since it creates a truely frightening number of waypoints compared to the
method used up to this point. In my ICL campaign (and RSRD as well), typical groups might have 500-2000 waypoints.
Using this method, that would change to 3000 to 15,000 waypoints per group. This is because the timescales are
historical (5, 10, and 15 minute legs). I actually had overflow errors trying to run the ACE with more than a couple groups
in a mission.

Because of the limitations, I could see altering the historical time scales such that the patterns are larger, which would
result in fewer waypoints, while retaining the historical shapes. Another possibility is to have the complex, short time scale
patterns only occur in areas of particular danger. Presently, I'm using it for isolated groups only since every group I ZZ
this way equals ~10 normal groups worth of waypoints. One other mitigating factor is likely the year. I'd expect that early
convoys didn't ZZ on the same short time scales.

I have also now created a couple made up patterns that are closer to the time scale of the current patterns used in
ICL/RSRD, but have some of the feel of the historical versions.

More as I play with it.

tater