confusion over map coordinates

[More&faster]

i just started using GWX3 and i love it, but when i'm on a patrol i don't get those automatic map updates with ships or convoys that i used to get. now i get radio transmissions that tell me, for instance, there's a convoy at AL6233 heading east at 8 knots.

i know where AL62 is but what about the 33? i've looked through the GWX manual with no luck and i can't really continue playing until i figure this out. on my last patrol i got lots of reports like that but since i couldn't decode them, i spend the entire patrol without seeing a single ship.

[Oneshot/Onekill]

There are messages that are added into GWX for immersion purposes only.

If you attempt to head to any of the coordinates that are relayed in the messages you will find nothing but empty ocean.

You will also recieve real convoy update messages from Bdu. The difference from these is they will not have the extra set of coordinates.

[More&faster]

oh strange. so was it just by chance that i saw no ships on my map? before i got GWX i would have at least 5 or so ships appear on my map (i assume these are reported by other U-boats).

[Oneshot/Onekill]

If it is a real convoy contact message. Then yes you should see a large grey square, diamond, or circle depending on whether it's a convoy(square) or a task force(diamond) or both(circle). It will only have one set of coordinates, for example.....

From Bdu:
To: U-33
Date, Time.

Convoy reported at AM20 heading ESE speed 8kts.


This is a real message!


To answer your inquiry about how this info is obtained is twofold. 1. Yes from other U-boats, and friendly surface vessels.
2. From Luftwaffe aircraft, most likely a ****e-Wolfe Condor maritime patrol bomber.

[RoaldLarsen]

Originally Posted by More&faster

... there's a convoy at AL6233 heading east at 8 knots.

i know where AL62 is but what about the 33? i've looked through the GWX manual with no luck.

AL6233 is a subpart of AL62 that is 1/81 of AL62 in size. AL623 is a subpart of AL62 that is 1/9 of AL62 in size.

Imagine AL62 divided into 9 squares arranged in a 3 by 3 grid. The 3 squares in the first row are numbered 1 , 2 and 3. The squares in the middle row are numbered 4, 5 and 6. The bottom row 7, 8 and 9.

AL623 is the square in the top right corner of AL62

AL62:
+-----+-----+-----+
|AL621|AL622|AL623|
+-----+-----+-----+
|AL624|AL625|AL626|
+-----+-----+-----+
|AL627|AL628|AL629|
+-----+-----+-----+

Now imagine AL623 itself similarly divided into a 3 by 3 grid.

AL6233 is the top right square of that grid.

AL623:
+------+------+------+
|AL6231|AL6232|AL6233|
+------+------+------+
|AL6234|AL6235|AL6236|
+------+------+------+
|AL6237|AL6238|AL6239|
+------+------+------+

In context:
+------+------+------+------+------+
|AL3889|AL3897|AL3898|AL3899|AL3977|
+------+------+------+------+------+
|AL6223|AL6231|AL6232|AL6233|AL6311|
+------+------+------+------+------+
|AL6226|AL6234|AL6235|AL6236|AL6314|
+------+------+------+------+------+
|AL6229|AL6237|AL6238|AL6239|AL6317|
+------+------+------+------+------+
|AL6253|AL6261|AL6262|AL6269|AL6341|
+------+------+------+------+------+

Colour key:
WHITE: AL6233 itself
YELLOW: the other 8 members of AL623
ORANGE: some of the other 72 members of AL62 (there are 5 more columns of AL62 to the left, and 5 more rows of AL62 below, that are not shown here)
RED: some of the other 648 members of AL6
DARK RED: some of the other 5832 members of AL

The yellow and white together are referred to as AL623.
The 9 x 9 grid of which AL6233 is the top right corner is referred to as AL62.

Hope that was more helpful than confusing.

[Jimbuna]

Welcome aboard More&faster

Radio reports (as already pointed out) are for immersion purposes only.

Map updates come in only two shapes, square or circle.

The shape denotes the lead unit/element of the formation eg....a circle indicates it is a submarine.

If you use my contact colour mod you will usually find it is an AI U-boat that has discovered the ship formation.

The tails depicting direction of travel are also reintroduced:

http://files.filefront.com/GWX+Conta.../fileinfo.html

If you initially want to view ALL the traffic then try the my SpySat mod but be advised it is a realism killer:

http://files.filefront.com/GWX30+Spy.../fileinfo.html

The contact colour will work with any version of GWX but the SpySat mod is for GWX3.0 only.

SINK EM ALL!!

[Sailor Steve]

It's true that most of the messages are for immersion only.

This is just a quick explanation of the coordinates, as I put them in my own reports.

The official SH3 map that came with the game is also replicated as a pull-down in the upper left corner of the Nav Map screen. In the lower right-hand corner of that map you'll see a box showing the extra coordinates. If I'm in BF12 I can look at that box and see that it is further divided into nine boxes, and each of those is further subdivided into nine more boxes. The upper left corner of BF12 is thus BF1211, then BF1212 and BF1213. Since the '1' box is in nines as well, the next square to the right is BF1221, then BF1222 and BF1223. The right side of the grid is BF1231, then BF1232 and BF1233.

The next row down starts with BF1214-15-16, going across to BF1236, and the next row is BF1217-19, going to BF1239.

This will explain it all better:
http://www.uboat.net/maps/grid.html

[Oneshot/Onekill]

I apologize for not explaining the subcoordinates in detail. I just wanted to make sure that you understood that MOST of the messages are not actual reports of ships that you can intercept and attack.

On a side note, I find it funny that the forum censor won't allow the beginning word of the manufacture for the Condor.LOL.