[REL] Trigger Maru 1.7.6 (Updated 24Jan08)

[Torpex752]

Originally Posted by switch.dota

Please add your modded file as an optional mod. Some of us don';t find TM 1.4 AI impossible. Just difficult, not unbeatable.

I concur....although its tough, it makes up for other areas the game is lacking.

Frank "Torpex" Kulick
Subsim Staff

[Ducimus]

RE: ahead 1/3rd,

You know you can manually set your speed to 1 kt, or even 0 kts and still have a rotation on your screws to keep forward momentum. I get the impression not everyone realizes this.

RE: for those who want the harder AI.
You want current settings or just a *tad* toned down? If i town them down, all i'll be doing is changing the max elevation on the sonar to a shallower elevation.

RE: sink missions,
yes i know, ill be changing those to 2,000 tons instead of the default 10,000.

[Ducimus]

Everyone should read this post by rockin robbins:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...&postcount=235

This is how to handle the AI in this mod, its how i always intended it. If you think you can just go below a layer, hit silent running and be safe in a psudo klingon cloaking, you got another thing coming. Skipper the boat, its not a pleasure cruise where you stand idley by playing shuffleboard waiting for the DC's to stop.

[Fearless]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Everyone should read this post by rockin robbins:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...&postcount=235

This is how to handle the AI in this mod, its how i always intended it. If you think you can just go below a layer, hit silent running and be safe in a psudo klingon cloaking, you got another thing coming. Skipper the boat, its not a pleasure cruise where you stand idley by playing shuffleboard waiting for the DC's to stop.

Spot on Ducimus

[theluckyone17]

ARGH!!!

As much as I hate the excessively good AI in TM, I can't go back to RFB. RFB may be more historically correct, AI wise, but I'd feel like a wimp bailing out on TM.

It's not like TM didn't have stupid escorts, too... I managed to sneak in front of a task force and sink a Kongo then escape without breaking a sweat, on two different occasions. That's twice. Not just once, but twice. Count 'em. Two -> .

I totally vented in another post... I've got a sneaking suspicion that I gave up too early (since I was using just about same tactics as Rockin Robbins was, excepting the short burst of flank speed due to the presence of the second hostile). I also have a feeling the two hostiles were of good or better quality... hence the length of time required to get away from 'em. That. and the perfect water conditions (dead calm), providing great sonar results.

Don't get me wrong, I really wouldn't mind having the elevation shaved a bit, but don't touch anything else. I like this challenge.

On the other hand, I wonder if we couldn't make this a bit more "historical" simply by dumbing down most (not all, just most) of the Jap warships prior to '43 (or whatever date the real Jap's started getting a clue to what ASW is all about), then kick 'em up a bit.

Or simply tweaking the amount of escorts back to historical levels...

I want to keep myself guessing, on my toes... I don't want it to be a cake walk, but I don't want to be able to walk in, fish flying, and expect to just walk out again without fear of reprisal. I want to know that I can probably get out alright, but not so sure of myself that I'm going to place myself into dangerous situations. If that makes any sense.

Either way, I'm gonna stick with TM. *helpless shrug, mutter about masochistic depraved tendencies, hope the wife doesn't find out...*

[Ducimus]

How smart the AI is with its sensors depends on crew rating. Crew ratings range from 0 to 4. Zero being dumb as rocks, and four being bungo pete's evil twin brother.

For what its worth, i removed ALL crew rating 4's from the campaign files. Hmm.. all except one that is. I'll give ya three guesses who's the only Elite in Trigger maru and the first two guesses don't count

[Archie]

OK, running TM 1.4 and some of Foo's high res skins, last night placed the mod 1.5x stronger torps into the game thru JSGME to make damage decals show, then today every torp and deck gun round passes straight thru the Maru's!!?! I even tried to ram one (just to see) and guess what, the sub went straight thru the dang ship like it was not even there!!!! So, of course I uninstalled torp mod 1.5x stronger using disable function in JSGME, restarted the game and.... wait for it, torps and deck gun shells go straight thru the model...... The free camera also goes straight thru the ship models instead of being 'pushed' out of the way as usual..... I also disabled TM1.4 and its associated graphics pack and then reinstalled them, but, no luck...

Any suggestions beside the obvious?

[Fearless]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

How smart the AI is with its sensors depends on crew rating. Crew ratings range from 0 to 4. Zero being dumb as rocks, and four being bungo pete's evil twin brother.

For what its worth, i removed ALL crew rating 4's from the campaign files. Hmm.. all except one that is. I'll give ya three guesses who's the only Elite in Trigger maru and the first two guesses don't count

Ok my third guess is.............

[Ducimus]

All i have to say is, holy **** i got a lot of scripting to do.

[tater]

The japanese didn't suddenly "get better" at ASW. They finally decided to assign 2 officers to coordinate ASW for merchant shipping in 1943.

2 officers---in addition to their other duties.

The capability of individual platforms was the same, they just started playing with tiny convoys.

In 1944, they established convoys on a more serious basis, but again, it's not like there was a massive training program.

Basically, in terms of merchant shipping ASW improved due to:

1. radar on some escorts. increasing as the war progresses

2. actually having convoys with escorts (any escort is better than NO escort (except that the escorts tended to ping all the time...)

3. MORE ESCORTS

4. bigger DCs set deeper.

5. better sonar/hydrophone gear

So the idea that the ASW skill should get markedly better is wrong, IMO. They had good crews from the start. The tech stuff increases over time and helps. Throwing more escorts at each merchant gouping helps---though these escorts would be ships other than fleet DDs fopr the most part. Matsu DEs, Kaiboukan, subchasers, etc.

In my campaign, I have a mix of escort skills. I have a lot of elites if you count the number of "4"s you see in the file, but the elites are rare in my campaign because they have a low% chance of being picked.

So you might have a 80% chance for 2 random corvettes (SC/MS) set to Competant, a 20% chance of a Minekaze set to skill 3, and a 5% chance of one set to 4. Deleteing all the 4s means no chance instead of a small chance.

The TFs have higher chances for 4s, but it's not like stock where you'd have a TF where every ship was a 3, then a different TF where each was a 4, etc.

I did this to promote variability. Sometimes you get a "regular" DD (or subchaser, etc) on escort duty, sometimes a really good one has to take his turn---or perhaps the cargo in those 2 ships he's escorting is really important...

tater

[Ducimus]

So ahh tater, you might hate me for this, but ahh......


Im leaving the door open if you or anyone else ever want to script the traffic.


I'd to it myself if i had the inclination, but ive got alot of other small stuff that i prioritize over anything dealing with S boats. I have to be honest, S boats to me are like the type II's of the pacific. Dugout canoes that just don't recieve my interest or attention in the slightest. But since Tmaru 1.5 im pushing for as a final release, i figured id better get dutch harbor functioning and leave the door open on it.

Basically its working and has two patrol missions assigned to it. One near Attu, the other near Kiska, Us harbor traffic in the area, and thats about it. All it needs is jap traffic.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Second patrol with the new Trigger Ducimus, very nice work, a step up from 1.3 for sure.

Also, in the end I left the contacts on the Nav Map ( thought about returning them to stock ) as is, adds to the challenge


RDP

[theluckyone17]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

For what its worth, i removed ALL crew rating 4's from the campaign files. Hmm.. all except one that is. I'll give ya three guesses who's the only Elite in Trigger maru and the first two guesses don't count

Good... so I got my butt whomped on by someone who's less than stellar. That does wonders for my self-esteem. (J/K)

Originally Posted by Tater

The japanese didn't suddenly "get better" at ASW... I did this to promote variability.

Well, in that case, I'm going to stop pretending like I've researched this stuff ('cause so far, I'm just getting it third hand). I'd imagine that some of the details you listed are able to be modded in, probably with varying difficulty... and some details can't. I'm not going to criticize, trust me... not until I gain enough patience to dive into this stuff myself. Then I might get mouthy, but I doubt it.

That variability is exactly what I love, btw... thanks!

[tater]

Throwing a little traffic up there is no problem, I just needed to read up and get a clue on how much. If the missions are already there it's not a big deal.

tater

[momo55]

Changing sink missions to 2.000 tons instead of 10.000 would be fine .

I'm happy with AI the way it is now. I like to play "HOUDINI" when those DD's come afther me and i manage to escape.(i play 100% now and like every sec.of it)

Most difficult part for me now is to approch a convoi or task force without getting detected to urly when i'm getting my info to set up TDC for manuel targetting .(only seccond patrol with MT and a bit slow in doing that )
But i see this as a learningstage to improve myself and a great chalange.

greetz