Ducimas..TMO traffic..fun

[Armistead]

Some threads ago I eluded that TMO traffic is...lacking words, simple when compard to RSRD.. No, it's not historical with ships, courses, etc., like RSRD is, but I found the playability of it great and more daunting.

The one thing RSRD lacks to me is enough zig legs and the often slow speeds of groups, you really changed that up.

I haven't played in months, so I fired up with TMO without RSRD. Partly was the fun of not knowing traffic, it's not RSRD fault that I know it so well that I can track any group to almost perfection, so the change up of not knowing what I would run into was fun.

The zig patterns you've added in are great, does seem the groups zig about every 30nms or maybe a lil less. You obvious spent countless hours setting this up. Numerous times when I thought I had a easy plot, the group would zig. Most of the groups I ran into had some speed, 12-20kts, so it takes some time plotting, just when I thought I had the group, off they go on another zig with me chasing again. Didn't take me long to figure I had to stop chasing zig legs and figure a base course and do a big end around and try to put myself somewhere in the middle of a zig pattern.

Your more generic settings, why not historical make for some exciting groups to attack... Also with all my added numerous ships, just add them with no need of all that work I did installing them into RSRD layers. I added 14 extra ships and ran into several of them in your existing groups.

My first 3 patrols were frustrating, I got killed in my first 3 outings and had to change tactics.

This is not a dig on RSRD, love the mod, but the changes were refreshing to an old game style, breathed new life in the game for now. In fact, I'm going in and adding a lot of traffic myself using your parameters.

We just need to combine RSRD with you set up.....get to work...

[USS Drum]

Hmmmm.... I've heard of a Ducimus but not a Ducimas...

[Jan Kyster]

Originally Posted by Armistead

We just need to combine RSRD with you set up.....get to work...

I've always loved the TMO traffic, but this project sounds interesting. Hope you'll release it for public use!

Originally Posted by USS Drum

Hmmmm.... I've heard of a Ducimus but not a Ducimas...

Ah, it's one of Neil's old friends. Used to live a lot in his basement...

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by Jan Kyster

I've always loved the TMO traffic, but this project sounds interesting. Hope you'll release it for public use!

Ah, it's one of Neil's old friends. Used to live a lot in his basement...

That would be a task. After finally figuring out the correct way to work within RSRD, I did add many ships to it and a lot of extra traffic, edited the crew ratings to more like TMO, but I love TMO's zigs. It would be nice to add zig patterns to RSRD like TMO, but you would about have to start over from scratch with his existing groups. If Ducimus wants to go in and redo a couple thousand groups, more power to him.

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by USS Drum

Hmmmm.... I've heard of a Ducimus but not a Ducimas...

Yea Yea....like you didn't know

I've called him Ducimus, Ducimas, Duck, Duk, Duci and even Dumbass, he seems to respond to them all with equal fervor.....

[TorpX]

Originally Posted by USS Drum

Hmmmm.... I've heard of a Ducimus but not a Ducimas...

Here is Ducimas:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...05&postcount=2

[USS Drum]

So Ducimas is not related to Ducimus in any way.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by USS Drum

So Ducimas is not related to Ducimus in any way.

There is no 'Ducimas'. Ducimus was making a joke about someone misspelling his screen name.

[WernherVonTrapp]

[Ducimus]

Firstly, im neck deep in Skyrim at the moment. Love that game. So I might not be around much until i get that out of my system. Anywho....

Originally Posted by Armistead

Some threads ago I eluded that TMO traffic is...lacking words, simple when compard to RSRD..

Most people do. I think it's because they prefer tit's on historical accuracy, and my more generalized approach to traffic doesn't sound appealing.

No, it's not historical with ships, courses, etc., like RSRD is, but I found the playability of it great and more daunting.

It's a more generalized approach. The gist was to recreate patterns or routines of how shipping might have behaved, not recreate the exact shipping. My ideas behind the traffic were:

a.) You should have to work for it.
b.) You should have opportunities.
b.) It should present a challenge

The one thing RSRD lacks to me is enough zig legs and the often slow speeds of groups, you really changed that up.

I haven't played in months, so I fired up with TMO without RSRD. Partly was the fun of not knowing traffic, it's not RSRD fault that I know it so well that I can track any group to almost perfection, so the change up of not knowing what I would run into was fun.

The zig patterns you've added in are great, does seem the groups zig about every 30nms or maybe a lil less. You obvious spent countless hours setting this up.

The zig zags, i really didn't spend countless hours setting up. I did them through a script I edited using the automated campaign editor. It bears mentioning that afore mentioned script, was given to me by Lurker. You know.. the guy who made RSRD. That said, I did have to go over and "proof read" the files to make sure convoys weren't going to collide into land and what not.

Setting up the zig zags lengths, was a balancing act. Too frequent and it took up too much RAM and CPU cycles. They make the campaign files HUGE.f It would kill your computer. Too few zig zags, and why bother?
( Insert Goldylocks and the 3 bears story here.)

Numerous times when I thought I had a easy plot, the group would zig. Most of the groups I ran into had some speed, 12-20kts, so it takes some time plotting, just when I thought I had the group, off they go on another zig with me chasing again. Didn't take me long to figure I had to stop chasing zig legs and figure a base course and do a big end around and try to put myself somewhere in the middle of a zig pattern.

That was the idea. To track the convoy, and predict where to position yourself when doing and end around. Once you figure out the zig zag pattern, you'll have a good idea when they'll zig, and zag, and where to place yourself. On the other hand, you might just get lucky and not have to track the convoy. It varies. But odds are, on the initial encouter, they'll zig zag on you and put you out of position if you haven't been observing them for a little bit.

Your more generic settings, why not historical make for some exciting groups to attack...

Cause im lazy and sick of working with traffic.

Also with all my added numerous ships, just add them with no need of all that work I did installing them into RSRD layers. I added 14 extra ships and ran into several of them in your existing groups.

That was my intention, cause
a.) I hate working with campaign layers. (I find it super dull and tedious as a modder)
b.) I hate doing things twice.
c.) Variety is the spice of life.
d.) I did realize ship variety is lacking and left the door open to add more. I knew someone would make up new ships later on.

So, I didn't "hard code" ship types into the traffic layers. Add a ship into the roster and it will appear in the campaign, depending on what ship type you specify as.

My first 3 patrols were frustrating, I got killed in my first 3 outings and had to change tactics.

This is not a dig on RSRD, love the mod, but the changes were refreshing to an old game style, breathed new life in the game for now.

It's wonderful having choices, and RSRD is an awesome mod.

In fact, I'm going in and adding a lot of traffic myself using your parameters. We just need to combine RSRD with you set up.....get to work...

I wouldn't recommend altering RSRD, at least, not for publication and public consumption. Lurker is particular about his creation, as is his right and prerogative. The main reason why TMO has a "default campaign" is because Lurker and I have very different approach's when it comes to traffic, and he did not want me altering his work. I respected that, and made my own.

Truthfully though, TMO's traffic layers started as a quick fix to the huge quantities of shipping the vanilla game would spawn. It just sort of grew from there.