Patrol technique SH4?

[Havan_IronOak]

Originally Posted by Col7777

...

It is mentioned above if you go in time excel that seems to generate a target, so this is my question does that trigger contacts?
The reason I ask is you could do a simple mission and place the sub anywhere and go in time excel and you will/should get a target, or will I?

Col.

Pretty sure that engaging time compression does nothing to generate additional ships (other than your being present while additional scripted shipping is released)

I've not explored these aspects of the game yet, but as I understand it there are scripts among the game files that determine when ships are dumped into the Pacific with a set starting position and destination.

[mikesn9]

Originally Posted by Havan_IronOak

Pretty sure that engaging time compression does nothing to generate additional ships (other than your being present while additional scripted shipping is released)

I've not explored these aspects of the game yet, but as I understand it there are scripts among the game files that determine when ships are dumped into the Pacific with a set starting position and destination.

From some conversations with the modders, I've learned a little about "spawning"


Ships,convoys, task forces, etc. have certain points and times that they appear. The game cannot handle ALL of everything active at the same time. If you are in a position to cause the ships to spawn, they will. Some (or many perhaps) will not spawn if you are TOO close to their spawning area.


I learned about this on a single mission in TMO. I was supposed to get a supply ship leaving a certain harbor, tried several times, got there in plenty of time, but it never showed up. The problem was I was there lurking before it was time to spawn, and that scenario prevented a spawn if I was closer than 25 Miles. Lurked at 30 Miles, and got it!


Lesson: don't be too close too early.

[KaleunMarco]

Originally Posted by Col7777

When you select a mission and you go to the area you are supposed to search in you find the target/s you are supposed to sink, now if you wonder off outside that area and go searching you find other targets.

Those other targets could be a single ship to a large convoy, so who puts them there, not the guy who scripted the mission, he only scripted the ships in the area you were assigned, so are they triggered?

It is mentioned above if you go in time excel that seems to generate a target, so this is my question does that trigger contacts?
The reason I ask is you could do a simple mission and place the sub anywhere and go in time excel and you will/should get a target, or will I?

Col.

i believe that single missions use the regular convoy and task force files during play.
so, you may meet up with the Mission-scripted ship/convoy and you may meet up with a ship/convoy/task force from Career play.

it would seem from the context of your question that you are having difficulty contacting your target while playing a single mission. if that is true, are you have this difficulty with just one single mission or on several/all single missions? can you share some of the details, please?

[Col7777]

Hi Marco, no difficulty at all, in fact the opposite.

I can go in a mission ignore what I'm supposed to do and go hunting myself, lots of times I find single ships, and sml, med and large convoys popping up.

I'm in a mission now, Photo Recon, I turned to port and was in a shipping lane, found lots of cargo ships and a few navy ships, did a u-turn and found more, I'm still in it, then zooming back on the map there are plenty more popping up.

Edited: I meant Photo Recon mission.

Col.

[Macgregor the Hammer]

Originally Posted by KaleunMarco

patrol until you find a shipping lane and then feast on it.

Read Run Silent, Run Deep by Ned Beach.
Read Clear the Bridge! by Dick O'Kane.
Read Silent Victory by Clay Blair.
besides being very entertaining, the books offer very real advice on how to command a submarine in time of war...even if it is simulated.
good luck.

Excellent reading list for patrol and tactic techniques! You might want to add 'Thunder Below!' and 'USS Seawolf'

[Col7777]

On this subject, I tried what I posted above about placing myself somewhere and activating the time excel, even did a tour around but not a single ship.
So that idea seemed to be out of the window lol.

Is there a way to generate targets without having to script them in a mission.
I'm not familiar with the workings of the mission editor, what does the Trigger and Radius do?

Col.

[KaleunMarco]

Originally Posted by Col7777

Is there a way to generate targets without having to script them in a mission.
I'm not familiar with the workings of the mission editor, what does the Trigger and Radius do?
Col.

no idea what they do.

HOWEVER, if you are using the ME (mission editor), why not open the various enemy convoy layer files (\data\campaign\.mis) and check out the convoy shipping lanes? clearly, this takes the mystique out of the game, but since you clearly frustrated with the lack of game-activity, perhaps this perusal behind-the-curtain, so to speak, will be enough to get you on your way.

it is my concerted opinion, unless you are adept at SH4 modding, that you take great pains to NOT change these dotMIS files. Doing so can and will screw up your installation requiring you to do a complete de-install/re-install.

[Col7777]

Thanks Marco, I have a few installations of SH so this one I'm messing around with.

What I wanted was to get more in Europe than Asia, so it looks like I may have to script the mission/s myself in that area, unless someone knows a way or can point to some missions.

Col.

[KaleunMarco]

Originally Posted by Col7777

Thanks Marco, I have a few installations of SH so this one I'm messing around with.

What I wanted was to get more in Europe than Asia, so it looks like I may have to script the mission/s myself in that area, unless someone knows a way or can point to some missions.

Col.

yes, i understand your goal.
your mission selection is predicated on your flotilla and base.
i suspect that the mission from Lorient to Bali and back was an aberration but it was probably caused by the fact that your flot is somehow connected to the asian bases.
you can always change your mission while in port....manually of course.
it is in the CareerTrack.upc file. look for PlayerCurrentObjectives=IDnnn.
good luck.

[Armistead]

Depends what you're after. If you get a zone, most use to just go sit in it and TC until mission completed and then go to their favorite hunting zones. Just sit in it and TC, if something comes through the best sensor value you will notice TC lag, just go check sonar yourself {sonarman will only call out existing parameters} while you can hear to the limits of best equip all game.
Mods differ as far as traffic from RSRD that is historical, so it's just knowing where to be historically. Mods like TMO generate groups more random but include some historical TF, etc. . Stock sucks, don't play it.
I played TMO RSRD mostly when I played, tho I added a lot more random traffic to RSRD, but it's not the same typical way you add traffic.