ImprovedConvoys Beta and UnRealUBoat - Udated: 03-25

[Wulfmann]

The Clemson bug is addressed by Jason's improved convoys.
Rule number one. Do not install a mod when you are at sea. Be in port. Abiding by this will save time aggravation and increase enjoyment.

B, I have gotten CTD at various times, see above regarding trying to run a Bergen career. I believe you are correct regarding conflicting mods but which ???????????

I did a fresh install on my smaller PC. I ran it at stock 1.42 (That was torture!!!) After that ran fine I added the min amount of mods to not have to deal with the worst of stock. From RUB, the DG slow down, sound files but not boat or cfg files or new flotilla any graphic stuff. I put my RND in which is a very a heavily modded Improved convoys . I wanted to see if that could be a problem but not a hint after 3 patrols. All runs great

On the bigger normal game PC I have gotten CTD in front of a convoy between the lead DD and the merchants. I have also gotten it as I get near a convoy. I have gotten it in various places

To be safe on this new fresh install, I modded the RND again removing the extra new ships (Norway and Netherland) and only added the C3 Brit and Black Swan, CClass DC and Trawler DC mods and my Hurricane and Stuka corrections (Ican not believe RUB has not corrected these). So far so good. I will simply run this and continue to add a series of more mods and try and CTD.
It may sound far fetched but is it possible my VC is causing a CTD???? The problem is on my better machine with a X800SE 256MB with2 GB DDR400 RAM. The older PC I am testing fine now on has 1,5GB DDR400 RAM and a 9800SE 128MB. I am not saying it is the VC as no other game has had a CTD problem, but start to become paranoid of any possibility. If it is something in RUB it is likely conflicting with something else I added. That is the big puzzle, IMO. A smooth running mediocre SH3 is more fun than a tweaked out version that has you CTD nervous!!!

As far as lame AI escorts, there were times they were confused in real life so a little would be real. I have upped all my escorts from day one to mostly 3s about 85% with maybe 10% 2 and 5% 4. While the escorts usually will be on me, if I can sneak past I will surely take down a couple fat ones before I must depart. But, I just ripped a convoy a new one with a Hunt class looking for me and a Black Swan remaining outside with a trawler following me later. I got away for the best 100% patrol I have ever had (helped by stumbling on a PPL on the way out) 63K August 1940.
My point is while I have likely the strongest escort setting being used I can still remain undetected by staying far enough away while I am attacking and keeping my peri low so the merchants do not alert the escorts to my position. This is not the norm, however, with these higher escort setting but because they are less likely, Lord knows I am delighted when they occur.

Wulfmann

[jasonb885]

IN THIS RELEASE: 
 
 The tuning continues.  Changed values: 
 
 * Added OG to ImprovedConvoys 
 * Changed Med single ship values to 20/40 from 40/40 
 * Changed some convoy SpawnProbability entries 
 * Changed ON speed to 9 kts, ON is actually ONF 
 * Changed SL speed to 7 kts from 6 kts 
 * Changed OS speed to more historic 8 kts 
 * Fixed Netherland in roster to be non ISO correct NE instead of correct NL 
 * Fixed lead ship being a neutral which is bad when leader is Swedish 
 * Fixed OB spawning way too frequently in '39

[scoozie]

Hi guys. The rub's mod is great but I would like to know how to get back the crosshair in the binoculars. Patrol aircrafts are way too accurate for my dumb AA gunners. They won't fire at the approaching planes until it is too late. Help pls.

[Beery]

Originally Posted by scoozie

Hi guys. The rub's mod is great but I would like to know how to get back the crosshair in the binoculars. Patrol aircrafts are way too accurate for my dumb AA gunners. They won't fire at the approaching planes until it is too late. Help pls.

AA guns had an effective range of 300 yards. The AI gunners are simply waiting until the aircraft get within effective range. Basically, the idea behind RUb is that, as in real life, you're supposed to avoid aircraft unless you haven't any choice. It was much harder to shoot down an aircraft in real life than it is in RUb. RUb encourages players to use realistic tactics when confronting aircraft.

[CCIP]

Plus consider effective gun range, too, which SHIII doesn't model to any real extent. In reality, fire at over RUb's/AirPower's limit would be quite reduced in effectiveness, anyway - enough to make you not want to waste ammo unless you want to spook the enemy (which you can't do to these game planes, anyway...)

If you really want to though, the distances for Short, Medium and Long AA range are in Silent Hunter III/data/cfg/CrewAI.cfg

By the way, I suggest manuevering your sub. It's actually quite easy to spoof a plane's aim, provided you take the right action immideately.

[scoozie]

Yes, i'll do that. THanks guys.

[pampanito]

Originally Posted by Beery

I agree. I just watched The Cruel Sea a few days ago, and the impression I got from it was that many times the escorts had no idea where an attack came from, and unless they were lucky and had good equipment, they would be totally in the dark and the U-boat could simply wander off fairly safely. This was especially the case in 1939-41.

That's absolutely true. The famous 'Johnnie' Walker, who developed most of the British ASW tactics, even devised a maneuvre called 'Buttercup' to be used during night attacks, under which all the escorts simultaneously fired starshells in the hope of catching a U-boat or a periscope near or inside the convoy, for he realised most times the escorts were completely unaware of the quarter from which the attack was coming.

From 1942, Walker changed the way ASW ops were contemplated. After the initial attack, he favoured an aggressive hunt of any positive contact until it was destroyed, even if that means leaving the convoy defenseless or with just a single escort. These risky tactics found strong opposition in his own ranks, but in the end he proved to be right, and the escort groups under his command destroyed a whole lot of U-boats. It was not unusual for his vessels to keep a submarine contact under continuous attack for up to 16 hours, until evidence of destruction was obtained.
So, don't complain if in SH3 you get attacked for just four or five hours!

[LukeFF]

Originally Posted by Beery

AA guns had an effective range of 300 yards. The AI gunners are simply waiting until the aircraft get within effective range. Basically, the idea behind RUb is that, as in real life, you're supposed to avoid aircraft unless you haven't any choice. It was much harder to shoot down an aircraft in real life than it is in RUb. RUb encourages players to use realistic tactics when confronting aircraft.

On that note, what's a realistic setting to tell the flak gunners to open fire using RuB? Currently I use the Medium range setting.

[Beery]

Originally Posted by LukeFF

On that note, what's a realistic setting to tell the flak gunners to open fire using RuB? Currently I use the Medium range setting.

The gunners in RUb will not open fire until they are at effective range. This basically negates the whole 'open fire' instructions because the effective range is well below the standard game's short range setting. RUb has all ranges set to 300 because that's the max effective range. The only way to shoot at longer ranges is to take control of the guns yourself. This is the only way I've found to simulate the possibility of getting hits at longer ranges while also ensuring that the AI aren't the superhuman shots they are in the standard game. It also gets the player involved more in gunnery than he needs to be in the standard game (because in RUb you actually have an advantage over the AI's abilities).

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by Beery

AA guns had an effective range of 300 yards.

Really??

Most of the references I have seen give an effective (not a maximum) range of 900m to 1000m for 20mm naval anti-aircraft ordnance, such as the FlaK 30 and FlaK 38 (used by the Germans) and the Oerlikon used by the Royal Navy and U.S. Navy. I would be happy to dig up the references if this is in contention.

Out of curiosity, have you set the range to 300m for 37mm FlaK as well?

Pablo

[jasonb885]

Originally Posted by Pablo

...

Out of curiosity, have you set the range to 300m for 37mm FlaK as well?

Pablo

I would say yes. The engagement range of the AI has been forced to 300m for all AI assisted AA shooting.

[Beery]

There are no variables for different flak guns.

As for the range restriction, it conforms to the reading I've done on actual in-combat effective range, which is much different from effective range measurements taken while testing guns. The hard fact is that a human being manning a U-boat anti-aircraft gun could not hit an aircraft further out than 300m.

Anyway, if the range for AI gunnery is set further out, aircraft drop like flies. It's not only a case of realism, it's a case of play balance too. Returning to base with three or more enemy aircraft shot down (which is more than possible in the game) is embarrassing - it never happened in reality, and it shouldn't happen in a game that is supposed to simulate the reality. The fact that it does happen means that the AI gunnery is too effective.

[Wulfmann]

I cannot open this7z like I can the other DLs. Not on either PC.
Wulfmann

[Beery]

Originally Posted by Wulfmann

I cannot open this7z like I can the other DLs. Not on either PC.
Wulfmann

Get the 7zip download (find the link at my website - http://www.beerymod.com/sh3_012.htm). It's just a different kind of zip program. It gets much better compression than Zip, which is why I had to start using it (or suffer unacceptable website downtimes). The link will take you to the 7zip site. 7zip is just a regular program - it resides in a '7-Zip' folder in your c\Program Files folder and it won't try to overwrite your zip program or take over its access to compressed media (as some programs do), so it's pretty good in that sense. It's also free, which has to be good. Once you've finished using it, you can remove it easily (it comes with an uninstall program) although you may get to like it since it compresses files much better - makes them about half the size of Winzip.

[jasonb885]

Originally Posted by Beery

Get the 7zip download (find the link at my website - http://www.beerymod.com/sh3_012.htm). It's just a different kind of zip program. It gets much better compression than Zip, which is why I had to start using it (or suffer unacceptable website downtimes). The link will take you to the 7zip site. 7zip is just a regular program - it resides in a '7-Zip' folder in your c\Program Files folder and it won't try to overwrite your zip program or take over its access to compressed media (as some programs do), so it's pretty good in that sense. It's also free, which has to be good. Once you've finished using it, you can remove it easily (it comes with an uninstall program) although you may get to like it since it compresses files much better - makes them about half the size of Winzip.

I think he might mean something's wrong with the current download. He's commented on previous versions, so he must have 7Zip already installed I think.

Strangely I just downloaded the latest IC from my URL in the OP last night and uncompressed it and played SH3 with it and had no problems.

I dunno.