Be more agressive !

[Wolfram]

:hmm: I never considered the "number" of ships in the convoy I have made contact. That is a good point indeed.

TY

[CB..]

Originally Posted by Karl-Heinz Jaeger

Yeah, I agree! It's such a shame that the Dev's decided that any Wolfpack behaviour/options be stricken from the game. SHIII certainly suffers in that regard.

As far as I can make out, the requirements for being able to radio a convoy contact report depend really on how many ships you can see, that is you're watch crew can see and call out. I have oft times been shadowing a convoy with just one or perhaps two ships in visual range and been unable to send a contact report. I always try to get at least three ships, since I've had very few problems sending reports when three or four are in view. I don't believe it too difficult at the beginning of the war but I can imagine it being a vastly different story when all the escorts have radar towards the end.

In my little corner of the war, whenever U-109 spots a convoy I always try to get a contact report off before doing anything else. It's useful aswell to get close enough to the convoy to get its mean course and speed and also to try to identify the juiciest targets towards the centre lanes of the convoy. My favourite method of attack is at night, on the surface to make best use of our boats surface speed so I generally shadow a convoy until I can attack after dark, and as a rule I will always fire off another contact report whenever contact is lost and regained or whenenver we enter a new grid square just to keep BdU in the loop.

Note to devs: Pwease give us the SDK, or at least be taking notes for SHIV-We want Wolfpacks!!

yes it's quite an important point to make in terms of risk and general sense of endevour involved in making a convoy attack--after all nine times out of ten the only reason we have found a convoy to attack is because some other u-boat has taken the risk and radioed in a contact report--(even tho this is only imaginary) it all adds to the immersion --i must admit i keep forgetting and having to quickly surface and re-dive in order to "flash traffic" off the report lol--i don't feel right if i dont do this some-how lol

heck on the wolfpacks- they could have just slapped in a dead simple system based entirely off your radio reports- the more contact reports you send on a convoy before attacking -the greater the percentage chance of one of the merchants erupting in flames sponteanously --- a very ugly method i know but it would at least have been effective gameplay wise--
four contact reports made giving a 4% chance of a random merchant blowing up on it's own accord--simulating an attack by another u-boat-- works from the pure eye candy point of view if nothing else--and tied to the radio reports has a strong gameplay element aswell--
bring in some extra variables based on the date in the war and location of the convoy when the first radio message is sent plus time between contact reports etc and it starts to become more elegant and dynamic--all thats actually missing is the u-boats them selves---have the game drop a few decoys randomly round the convoy after one of these merchants has exploded and bingo you have those aswell--

he he! and for added spice--give the player 100 renown for every merchant that randomly explodes as a result of his deligent shadowing of the convoy--makes it a quite a fun little system--

ugly as sin--- but not as bad as it sounds--shame really--

gawd i could write the code needed for that little lot and i'm utterly a raw beginner at code work-- professional game devs could have knocked that of in half an hour--

[FAdmiral]

Unfortunatly, its a labor of LOVE vs. a labor of $$$
We love it and they want to get paid for it....


JIM