Eliminating Traffic Icons

[XTBilly]

I wonder if there is a mod that COMPLETELY eliminates the single contact, convoy and warship traffic boxes displayed in the map.

(The ones showing position and course of the ship(s)).

I want the encounters to be completely random, as it is too easy to plot an interception course once you 're given the position and course of the target.

I just wanted NOT to see these contacts in the map.

If there is a way or a mod, I would greatly appreciate information.

Thanks.

[peabody]

Originally Posted by XTBilly

I wonder if there is a mod that COMPLETELY eliminates the single contact, convoy and warship traffic boxes displayed in the map.

(The ones showing position and course of the ship(s)).

I want the encounters to be completely random, as it is too easy to plot an interception course once you 're given the position and course of the target.

I just wanted NOT to see these contacts in the map.

If there is a way or a mod, I would greatly appreciate information.

Thanks.

In the mission editor is a setting for "Contact Automatic Report (min)" and a value in minutes. That tell the game to show the random group on the map (convoy, task force, ship) every so many minutes. There is a second box with "Probability %". If it is a 100% then the group WILL be shown at the minutes specified, if it is less than 100% then it MAY or MAY NOT be shown. So it is possible to set a group to 50% and lessen the chance that it will be shown when the time is right.

By default when you create a group it is set to "Contact Automatic Report (min) -1" and "Probability % 100%".

The easiest way to do what you want is to change the values, but the mission editor is not the easy way.

Since this is the Fleet boat forum, I will assume you want to do the Pacific Campaign and not the uboat missions. First make a backup copy of the Data/Campaigns/Campaign folder. Those are the files that need to be changed.

Or you can copy the folder to another location and make a MOD with it. For example make a set of folders:
Eliminate Contact Reports/Data/Campaigns/Campaign
and copy all the files that begin with a year and letter. The first one is 41a_Jap_CoastalTraffic.mis and the last one is 44b_US_TaskForce.mis

You do not need the ones like US_HarborTraffic.mis or BattleOfMidway.mis and so on.

Open them one at a time with NOTEPAD. Not a good idea to use other "work processors" since they may add unwanted formatting codes or save in a filetype the game can't read.

Here is an example of the entry for 41a_Jap_Merchants.mis

[RndGroup 1]
GroupName=41a_Jap_Merchants_001
Category=0
CommandEntry=0
Long=16243300.000000
Lat=4156400.000000
Height=0.000000
DelayMin=60
DelayMinInterv=4740
SpawnProbability=70
RandStartRadius=0.000000
ReportPosMin=2880 ; This is the report time, it will show the group every 2880 minutes. Set it to "-1"
ReportPosProbability=50; This is the report probability, set it to 100%
Heading=237.731003
Speed=9.000000
ColumnsNo=1
Spacing=500
DeleteOnLastWaypoint=true
CurrentInstanceID=0
GameEntryDate=19411201
GameEntryTime=0
GameExitDate=19420228
GameExitTime=0
MaxInst=10000
MaxUnitsCreated=100
DockedShip=false
NextWP=0

Now you can use the "Find" function in the menu, set it to "ReportPosMin"
Do not include the minutes or it will only find the ones where the minutes match. Now it is simply a matter of "Find" replace the numbers and then find the next one. There will be one for each Random group of ships in that file. When you have changed them all, save the file and go to the next one. Do each file the same way.

The reason it is easier to do it this way there is a lot of information in that file. Each group of ships has an entry for each ship in the group and several listing for each 'waypoint' for the group, so using 'find' is the easy way to make sure you don't miss any. Missing one is not a problem, it will just show during a game. The problem is: if you miss one it will be very difficult to find out which one you did not change. The mission I used for the example has 86 groups in it, and there are 66 Random groups in the game. Not all files have 86 groups in them, but if they did it would be over 5000 changes to make. Can you you have it ready before lunch.

Peabody

[XTBilly]

Captain Peabody, I can't find words to thank you for this!!!

Your explanations of the subject and the exact way to perform it are exactly what I needed. I 'll begin working tomorrow!

Actually, I purchased U-Boat Missions because I wanted to have a completed game, not so much eager to play the German side..

Although I imagined commanding a Japanese sub in the place of IXD2...

I may ask you later, (he he he, after the release of the Japanese campaign), how to do the same thing with allied shipping.

Have a good night sir! (or good morning in New York) Thank you very much!

[peabody]

Originally Posted by XTBilly

Captain Peabody, I can't find words to thank you for this!!!

Your explanations of the subject and the exact way to perform it are exactly what I needed. I 'll begin working tomorrow!

Actually, I purchased U-Boat Missions because I wanted to have a completed game, not so much eager to play the German side..

Although I imagined commanding a Japanese sub in the place of IXD2...

I may ask you later, (he he he, after the release of the Japanese campaign), how to do the same thing with allied shipping.

Have a good night sir! (or good morning in New York) Thank you very much!

You are welcome XTBilly. If you decide to do the German side, same procedure but the folders are slightly different. Data/Campaigns/CampaigGE/CampaignData.

In the Japanese campaign I have most of them showing for testing purposes but will set most to -1 before release. But it will be the same procedure.

Peabody

nice little mod