A dirty trick to have more useful contact reports (SH3 BdU reports style)

[TheDarkWraith]

Originally Posted by Abd_von_Mumit

However you can still get these reports by a dirty trick. Here is how:

Use TheDarkWraith's mod named Multiple UIs for SH5 with TDC (it's marvellous). Then go to your user settings for this mod (C:\your_SH5_installation\data\Scripts\Menu\TheDar kWraithUserOptions.py), edit it and find the line that says: "# for radio contact reports, at what range from the sub can the watchstanders see the contact well enough to update it's course (in kms)?" and change the value from default 8 [km] to whatever you want. I set it up to 350 [km].

That user option controls contacts that you already have - not new ones. What you need to be adjusting is the max radio range. Max radio range determines the radius from your sub that you can intercept radio transmissions. All contact reports received will appear on the map and they will show the heading (or course) that the transmission stated when clicked on or moused over.
Now the purpose of the user option you're referring to above is to simulate your crew's ability to discern the target's heading. By setting to 350 you're saying that your crew has the ability to discern heading from 350km out - they can't even see a contact that far out.
I think the report that you get from Bdu gives accurate information at the time that you receive it. Hours later the contact could've changed course and in reality you'd have never known that unless another contact report came in for that same contact

[Abd_von_Mumit]

Originally Posted by TheDarkWraith

That user option controls contacts that you already have - not new ones. What you need to be adjusting is the max radio range. Max radio range determines the radius from your sub that you can intercept radio transmissions. All contact reports received will appear on the map and they will show the heading (or course) that the transmission stated when clicked on or moused over.
Now the purpose of the user option you're referring to above is to simulate your crew's ability to discern the target's heading. By setting to 350 you're saying that your crew has the ability to discern heading from 350km out - they can't even see a contact that far out.
I think the report that you get from Bdu gives accurate information at the time that you receive it. Hours later the contact could've changed course and in reality you'd have never known that unless another contact report came in for that same contact

All the above is correct, no disagreement here.

Of course the trick I described doesn't generate any additional (more) contacts, it only adds one vitally important piece of information to the contacts you normally get from your radio guy (the course, exact [actual] or rough [relative], depending on your setting for "ShowContactsActualCourse" in options file). I assume players know that the number of contacts depends (in a way) on value for "MaxRadioContactRange", which I also set for 350 (this option can be set in GUI).

As to the crew uber ability - well, that's why it's a DIRTY trick. The solution is far from perfect, but it works. There could be side effects for players who use crew assistance in determining target data (for me this is not an issue, as I plot my solutions manually, without WO support).

As to BdU reports - well, in SH3 BdU rarely cared to update the report once it was given. In real life that was of course different, but here we're made to use what we can - Doenitz is already dead for sure.

[ACSoft]

I checked precisely this feature and it work this way:

First, in the mode, TDW take all contacts in account, but treat them differently, depending if they were reported or not to you by radio.

Those who are reported by radio (radio message received), are taken in account for the feature to cancel time acceleration when contacts occur and the display of the contact provide more informations.

Contacts with no radio messages are also displayed, but with almost no informations. They are also ignored by the feature which cancel time acceleration (Notice that there is a possible cheat for these contacts, if you activate the "SH5 item note" option, you will see, on the note for such contacts, the distance AND THE EXACT SPEED).

The explanation that the contacts which are NOT "radio-reported", are radio transmissions intercepted by the sub, is acceptable for relatively close contacts, but what about contacts found in Mediteranian see, when your sub in in Noth see ?!?! Anyway, for such contacts, it would be quite logical that the feature who stop the accelerated time, would work too. Personnaly, for such a contact, if it is close enough, I will try to intercept it. TDW do-you read this ?

ACS

what about using a lower setting?

say going from 8km to 80km instead of all the way to 350, wont that give the desired result without being too unrealistic for detection ranges?

[ACSoft]

Originally Posted by Webster

what about using a lower setting?

say going from 8km to 80km instead of all the way to 350, wont that give the desired result without being too unrealistic for detection ranges?

I don't really see what you mean.

ACS

Originally Posted by ACSoft

I don't really see what you mean.

ACS

well since going from the stock 8km detection range to a 350km detection range is way way beyond realistic possibilities so what im asking is if something in the area of 80 to 100km would work AND still give you the results you wanted for the mod?

IMO something in the range of 100km at sea could maybe be somewhat realistic under ideal conditions

[ACSoft]

Originally Posted by Webster

well since going from the stock 8km detection range to a 350km detection range is way way beyond realistic possibilities so what im asking is if something in the area of 80 to 100km would work AND still give you the results you wanted for the mod?

IMO something in the range of 100km at sea could maybe be somewhat realistic under ideal conditions

Stock contacts appear at any distance on the map. For me, as long as these contacts appear on my Uboat map, it mean something detected them (my radio, some Axes aircrafts, some Spies, etc...) and the information was transmitted to me (by radio, by my crew).

Therefore, all contacts which are more far than a reasonable realistic distance to be detected by my crew (apparently for you, 80 to 100km) AND NOT REPORTED BY ONE OF THE RADIO MESSAGES I HAVE RECEIVED, are just wrong (miraculous divination LOL !!!). That's my first point I tried to explain. Point which has, in fact, nothing to do with TDW mod.

Now, speaking of TDW mod, the detection distance at which accelerated time will be cancelled, can be set to whatever you want by default (in the parameters file) and even changed dynamically during the game. So, it is perfectly possible to set it in the range you said. My point is that ONLY CONTACT REPORTED BY RADIO MESSAGES ARE TAKEN IN ACCOUNT in TDW mod and this is not logical. If my crew detect something, I would like to also see these events braking the accelerated time, so I do not miss such kind of events either.

By the way, this afternoon, I had a contact not reported by radio, at about 100km from me and my time acceleration was reduced from 256 to 32. Who done this ? The TDW mod or SH5 code, I don't know.

ACS