LWAMI Playtest One Now Available at the CADC! ---UPDATED---

[Bellman]

Nice work there Molon - Thanks.

When you are ready, I hope that you will post this info. up at CADC.

Heck you're busy - looks like we should recognise a MoLab version of DW as your contribution/s warrant it. I'm trying to find a non-Dickensian phrase translation for that NY wizard
So the best I can do is 'Yuse d' business man !!'

NB. This advertisement was paid for by ALOLL (American League of layabout lawyers )

[LuftWolf]

Originally Posted by Doc Savage

Not sure if this is a problem with the new mod version or the way I installed it...
I've noticed two problems with the FFG controls for the Helo (when AI helo is controled by the FFG)

1) Whenever I assign a waypoint to the helo I find that the helo takes a while to start dipping. It circles around a bit around the waypoint and then drops down to dip.

2) This is a bigger problem, sometimes if I assign a waypoint to the helo while it's dipping, it ignores the new waypoint. It's the damnest thing. Assign a waypoint, it does nothing, delete it and assign a new one, it rises and moves a bit but then goes back to dip at the same spot. (it doesn't matter what kind of waypoint it is - Fly to, buoy, torpedo) This problem comes and goes. I could play a mission for an hour or so and then this happens. (I checked the usual suspects. The helo is within range of my FFG, It's in Sync)

Like I said, I'm not sure if it's just my install or a bug. Thought you should know...

I'm pretty sure I know where this behavior is coming from, I need to add a variable check to a search section that was previously broken that I left in from the stock doctrine to make sure the MH60 doesn't get a mind of its own and start thinking it is some other helo that is free to do such things. I fixed the section, but because it was broken previously, I'd never thought to update it to make sure the MH60 doesn't use it. Thanks for letting me know.

Cheers,
David

[LuftWolf]

@Jsteed The new 1.03 sonar model is more or less completely different from the previous models in several important ways, although I'm not sure if frequency absorbsion is one of them. Thanks for the information, I'll have to try them for the playable sensors and see what I can come up with.

@Amizaur and Jsteed The UUV is just a big pain... at the end of a lengthy testing process, I basically just said 12+ and screw it, the playtesters will let me know if it needs to be changed. Thanks guys.

@Molon and Bellman You see, here is Amizaur's real genius. His ATP mod calculates the fuel flow of the torpedo for each set speed and then removes that from the set torpedo fuel value in the doctrine each cycle. So in other words, the range of the torpedo doesn't just matter for the speed set, but rather for all the speeds the torpedo takes until it runs out of fuel, just like an automobile or a plane... if you step on the throttle, that means you are using more gas. Each weapon has a most efficient power band in terms of fuel consumption vs. distance, and for torpedoes that tends to be about 60% of its max speed or so (at least according to Amizaur's calculations).

So, in other words, the range of the torpedoes *depends*... on a lot. (And don't forget the various depth changes the torpedo has taken on its run, these are factored in as well for non-electrics)

Cheers,
David

PS I told you we were going to mod the hell out of this MFer.

[Bellman]

Phew ! Impressive !

Now if I could only persuade someone out there not to extract all the UUVs teeth (in one go !) I mean like leave it with one canine and a molar - even half a bites better than none !
Surely it should track CMs at + 3 nm ? Even if thats gamey.

I still cant control my torps properly after RTE in my (?) Playtest :hmm: So either thats the PT, my installation or (GF) me .......(indent for a new head ? If only !! )( Maybes Molon could donate a few grey cells - he has more than his share ) .................Life just aint fair

[LuftWolf]

Actually, no the active CM's are very quiet... in fact, the UUV definately should NOT pick up active CM's on passive sonar.

The UUV is fine, trust me. It can track shipping, torpedoes, and fleeing submarines. It has speed and depth controls, and a battery-drain calculation in the doctrine for range vs. speed.

What more could you possibly want in a UUV?

As an aside, Fragmaster just reminded me to test the MH60 and P-3 lookout visual sensors to see if they can detect submerged submarines for the player (on the topic of transparent water) and, in fact, they *can*!

So, while we can't have transparent water, LWAMI will make the water "transparent" for your automated lookout crew. Using the SAM launcher is now less appealing than ever!

Cheers,
David

[Bellman]

David - you're very quiet on post RTE torp control - if its working OK then what the heck am I doing wrong ? Nobody else has pitched in (yet ) I had the same problem with Amis original - I'll dive it again. ...and again ..................Recap - I take control pre-RTE no problems with entire new control system. But let her run and enable and I cant establish steerage or depth and speed control :hmm:

Back to sea !

[LuftWolf]

It works fine for me.

If a torpedo is on the wire, and it enables on its own from the RTE preset, I still have total control over torpedo until the wire breaks.

I don't see anything in the doctrine that would cause that to be happening. :hmm:

[LuftWolf]

I do, perhaps, see a problem with your testing method.

If you enable the torpedo before it reaches RTE, and then preenable it again, the RTE feature is disabled if the RTE is reached before the wire runs out.

In other words, if you set a RTE that is 5000m, and the torpedo runs 3500, and you enable it, and then preenable it again at 4000m, the torpedo will not enable again until the wire breaks.

In the same scenario, if you had set the RTE to 20000m, the torpedo would not enable again until the torpedo hit RTE, even if the wire is broken.

So, I think you may be confusing the wirebreak point with your RTE point if you are testing the torpedoes enabling them first and then preenabling them.

Try this. Set a torpedo to RTE of 1000m. Launch it, let it run. After it enables try to control it. Do the same and this time enable it before it hits the RTE range, and then preenable it again. You should not see the torpedo enable again until the wire is broken.

These are all features designed to make the torpedo more effective to use, we hope.

Cheers,
David

[Bellman]

David - Prior to reading your post above I had returned from testing again after some tweaking to my dam**d system. ( the game install !)

I am very happy to report that my previous problem of lack of control after allowing the torps to run (untouched) to RTE has disappeared completely. The birds flew beautifully after RTE - they did everything I asked of them (direction/depth/speed. )
Sorry for my flak !! A very sweet job gentlemen - thanks a lot !

I will revisit enabling the torps prior to RTE :hmm:

[LuftWolf]

I really thought there would be at least a few major bugs. I'm actually really happy to hear that you guys are only reporting "minor problems".

All of the work that has to be done is really just making new versions of the work that's already complete, and a little bit of bonus work for some really nice features on the wireguided torpedoes which I hope will really work out nicely. And of course the ever popular database tuning.

That's for the torpedo changes... then there is a about 35% of the work to go on other things for LWAMI4, but nothing compared to the torpedo mods in terms of difficulty and time.

Cheers,
David

[LuftWolf]

Originally Posted by LuftWolf

Each weapon has a most efficient power band in terms of fuel consumption vs. distance, and for torpedoes that tends to be about 60% of its max speed or so (at least according to Amizaur's calculations).

So, in other words, the range of the torpedoes *depends*... on a lot. (And don't forget the various depth changes the torpedo has taken on its run, these are factored in as well for non-electrics)

I should have said here that the most efficient power output is at about 60% *throttle*, not 60% of maxspeed, because the fuelflow is calculated based on throttle, not speed as the decrease of speed on depth does reduce speed for the same amount of fuel used, and thus reduces range at greater depth.

[Deathblow]

Suggestion:
I've found that the Passive Sonar sensor on torps don't really wash out until about 45knots. Perhaps a automatic passive sonar speed of 42-45 knots would be better than the current 40knot value.

[Molon Labe]

Originally Posted by LuftWolf

I really thought there would be at least a few major bugs. I'm actually really happy to hear that you guys are only reporting "minor problems".

All of the work that has to be done is really just making new versions of the work that's already complete, and a little bit of bonus work for some really nice features on the wireguided torpedoes which I hope will really work out nicely. And of course the ever popular database tuning.

That's for the torpedo changes... then there is a about 35% of the work to go on other things for LWAMI4, but nothing compared to the torpedo mods in terms of difficulty and time.

Cheers,
David

Well, actually, now that you mention it, I had a problem with an AI Seawolf that was firing ADCAPs that immediately dissapeared. Well, I think it was the Seawolf shooting ADCAPs anyways, there was nothing on the map to look at to confirm. Just a TIW alert and a SW that appeared to have been tracking a nearby target.

[jsteed]

Hi Amizaur,

If the sensor range does not overlap either freq3 or freq5, then it defaults to a freq of 0. So in my example if a sensor has a range of 0-300 or 400-1400 or 10000-20000 then the detection distance is the same in all three cases. Since the freq = 0 then the detection distance is greater than if the sensor range overlaps freq3 or freq5. Do you see a clever cheat here? When creating sensors it is critical to make the range large enough so that every vessel will have freq3 or freq5 included.

There is no definition for LF, MF or HF. I use LF = 20-1000, MF = 1001-10000 and HF = 10001 and above.

cheers, jsteed

[LuftWolf]

Originally Posted by Molon Labe

Well, actually, now that you mention it, I had a problem with an AI Seawolf that was firing ADCAPs that immediately dissapeared. Well, I think it was the Seawolf shooting ADCAPs anyways, there was nothing on the map to look at to confirm. Just a TIW alert and a SW that appeared to have been tracking a nearby target.

I told you, the AI isn't going to be able to use the ADCAPs and UGST's in this playtest version, but thanks for confirming it.