[REL] Merchant Fleet Mod for Silent Hunter 3

[3catcircus]

Originally Posted by bigboywooly

Are they neutral?

The way the skins show once a neutral country becomes a one at war is a bit messed up.
Most of the X ships have 4 skins in the folder from different countries. So while the ship in game may well be say Belgium and at war the skin may show as Swedish.

Neutral ships will totally ignore you usually

So - do you get dinged if you sink a "neutral" that acts evasive? Any way of knowing other than exposing your u-boat and then going after them when they start evading? I assume this is intended to mimic the idea of prize rules where you have to stop a ship and then decide either to sink or let go? I'm guessing the easiest way is to see if your stealth meter starts changing color...

[bigboywooly]

Originally Posted by 3catcircus

So - do you get dinged if you sink a "neutral" that acts evasive? Any way of knowing other than exposing your u-boat and then going after them when they start evading? I assume this is intended to mimic the idea of prize rules where you have to stop a ship and then decide either to sink or let go? I'm guessing the easiest way is to see if your stealth meter starts changing color...

Yeah you will get dinged sinking a neutral mod depending.
Chance take I guess.

The hit you get can be changed, if memory serves me it's in the basic cfg

[Jeff-Groves]

Originally Posted by 3catcircus

So - do you get dinged if you sink a "neutral" that acts evasive? Any way of knowing other than exposing your u-boat and then going after them when they start evading? I assume this is intended to mimic the idea of prize rules where you have to stop a ship and then decide either to sink or let go? I'm guessing the easiest way is to see if your stealth meter starts changing color...

Identify the Flag with your periscope. Not sure if the U-Boots had a stealth meter back then but I highly doubt it.

[3catcircus]

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

Identify the Flag with your periscope. Not sure if the U-Boots had a stealth meter back then but I highly doubt it.

That'd be fine for ships flying a flag that matches their actions.

For example - a ship may be flying a Netherlands flag in Nov '39 (with MFM skin packs for Sep and Nov 39 installed) but will evade as if it were at war rather than a neutral.

[Jeff-Groves]

As would any ship when an attack upon it was possible.
You are responsible for identifying the unit you fire upon no matter what it's actions may or may not be.

Some sources state over 2,000 Neutral ships sunk during the Battle of the Atlantic.
Reasons could be sailing in a Convoy or suspicious movements.

You can edit files so you get no bad results. It's your Game so do what you want with it.

[JeromeHeretic]

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

Some sources state over 2,000 Neutral ships sunk during the Battle of the Atlantic.
Reasons could be sailing in a Convoy or suspicious movements.

Neutral boats in armed convoys are regular target... (but i don't know how game count renown for this ships, as if you hit neutral, or as if you hit enemy)

[3catcircus]

Originally Posted by JeromeHeretic

Neutral boats in armed convoys are regular target... (but i don't know how game count renown for this ships, as if you hit neutral, or as if you hit enemy)

You can always edit the renown penalty down to zero (I think the default is either -10 or -1) for attacking neutrals.


I'm not talking about neutrals in a convoy. I'm talking about single merchants. Another example (just from my gameplay last night):


Came across a Petrophalt class ship in AM84 (I cheat a little bit by using the external view to get close enough to see she is sailing with the flag of the Netherlands painted across the side of the hull). Assumption: she's neutral since it is still December of '39. As I get closer, I see the the stealthmeter change from green to green-yellow, then to yellow, orange, red and then she starts zig-zagging.


What to do? I can let her go as she is marked as a neutral, but she is acting as if she were not. Or, I can get closer and fire a shot across the bow, simulate stopping her, and then decide to let her go or sink her...


Likewise, later I come across a coastal merchant painted with the flag of Panama. We pass each other about 3000 m apart without her zigzagging or the stealthmeter changing colors.


I'm wondering if this is due to how ships are coded in the GWX campaign despite how they are skinned by the MFM skin packs.

[gap]

From the German perspective:

• Ship clearly showing enemy identification markings, or else identificable as an Allied ship = valid target under any circumstance
• Non-German ship trying to disguise her real identity or not clearly showing her nationality = valid target
• Ship sailing in an enemy convoy (irrespective of her nationality) = valid target
• Ship obviously in/out-bound to/from a British port (irrespective of her nationality) = valid target
• Ship zigzagging, sailing at night with no lights, or putting in place any other evasive maneuver (irrespective of her nationality) = valid target
• Non-German armed merchant ship, or a merchant ship posing any other potential threat to the U-boat safety (irrespective of her nationality) = valid target

In short: if she looks as an enemy, she is an enemy; if she behaves as an enemy, she is an enemy; in case of doubt... she is an enemy. If she is an enemy, you shouldn't get any penalty from her sinking.
At least this is my personal interpretation of German prize rules, but having read many accounts of ship sinkings caused by U-boats, it should't be too far from reality