[REL]The Wolves of Steel - SH5 Megamod

[Storm501]

Originally Posted by gap

Not possible using your radio beacons, but very possible if landmarks/daymarks are placed around SH5's coasts, and their exact position is marked on map.

Of course, that would only help in daytime and in clear weather. When visibility is low, lighthouses would be of more help. During WWII the Germans blacked out lighthouses in their territory. Nonetheless I know for sure that, in occupied France, "landing" lighthouses close to ports were illuminated (and then immediately switched off again) when Axis shipping was in bound. I don't know if U-boats would have qualified for this additional help, anyway stock lighthouses illuminated by TDW are of little help for two reasons:

- they all have the same appearance and they emit the same light, so distinguishing one frome the other is difficult;

- their position is not clearly marked on the nav map.

As we already agreed, in your implementation of radio beacons there is no use in having more than one antenna per base. If the antenna of the port we are currently approaching was destroyed (which is a pretty cool feature by the way ), and our RDF device detects another signal further away, we will notice the mistake immediately after taking the second bearing, because it will be so close to 90 deg that, for it to apply to the closer (but destroyed) antenna, we should be much farther from our port than our navigator's position fix is telling us

For the reasons I explained above, my vote goes to beacons emitting only few hours per day and range data not being available to the player but, if possible, I would limit the range of each antenna so that they don't overlap with each other and we avoid confusion

I would like to offer ideas to the NDBs (non-directional radio beacons). I have experience with them in aviation, not naval.
In real life you can hear their 2-3 letter ID, so that way you know which is Brest and which is Lorient. Also to crude extent you can estimate are you at short/long range by signal clarity/strenght.
If they emit only few hours a day, can this be invididual to each beacon? If Brest would emit 14-15z and Lorient 15-16z, that way we could ID them.
If the above is not possible, I would argue that range information, although unrealistic, is necessary to balance the lack of other possibilities as invididual ID cannot be simulated in the game.

Adding more lighthouses to the game would be awesome. Especially if they could have own light morse code or specific times of the day when the light appears. Even if this is not possible, lighthouses or landmarks would be beneficial. Displaying them on the navmap - Not a problem. Just make PDF of locations and players can draw the relevant ones themselves.

[gap]

Originally Posted by Storm501

I would like to offer ideas to the NDBs (non-directional radio beacons). I have experience with them in aviation, not naval.
In real life you can hear their 2-3 letter ID, so that way you know which is Brest and which is Lorient. Also to crude extent you can estimate are you at short/long range by signal clarity/strenght.
If they emit only few hours a day, can this be invididual to each beacon? If Brest would emit 14-15z and Lorient 15-16z, that way we could ID them.
If the above is not possible, I would argue that range information, although unrealistic, is necessary to balance the lack of other possibilities as invididual ID cannot be simulated in the game.

Hi Storm, you are making some good points. My remarks:

- If I got Vecko's explainations on this feature, his simulated NDBs are in reality normal radio messages. I am noot susre ifm besides distance and direction of the emitter, also message content can be known by the player. Probably yes, in which case the text of the message could be a simple three-letter code denoting the antenna emitting the signal.

- Different daily emission patterns for each antenna should be easy to simulate, and they could help identifying better the antenna of the intercepted NDB signal.

- Even if we knew exactly the name (and thus the location) of the intercepted NDB. there would be no point in placing two or more antennas close to each other, because only one signal (the closest one) can be intercepted at any given time. This limits us to having only one antenna per port, and to plotting our position using the second method I described at post #13544.

- For the plotting to be accurate, NDB bearings should be taken pretty near to port. Navigator's dead marks can be used to sail to an appropriate position. Since only one NDB per port is implemented, even supposing that the antenna of that port was destroyed, and that we are actually intercepting the signal of the second nearest port, there would be a very little chance of us not noticing that, as the result of our plot would be totally unconsistent with our approximately known position.
Indeed, radio ID's and range to the beacon would provide a further evidence of that, but I am afraid that the latter would be more useful as a cheat than for anything else.

Originally Posted by Storm501

Adding more lighthouses to the game would be awesome. Especially if they could have own light morse code or specific times of the day when the light appears.

Switching lights on and off depending on time of the day would be tricky but, at night, real lighthouses can be identified by the color, flashing pattern and duration of the light pulses. These characteristics are reported on nautical charts and they can also be found on many websites. For some lighthouses, even historical data is provided when their light's characteristics have changed over the years. Simulating them in game via particle generators is relatively easy.

Originally Posted by Storm501

Even if this is not possible, lighthouses or landmarks would be beneficial.

This one should be their main usage, since for most of WWII the majority of the European lighthouses was switched off

Originally Posted by Storm501

Displaying them on the navmap - Not a problem. Just make PDF of locations and players can draw the relevant ones themselves.

...or, even better, a vectorial icon can be placed directly on nav map in each lighthouse's position.

[Storm501]

Here one idea on how NDB arrival to port could be implemented. The key would be to install NDB's at visually distinctable objects, so you can visually confirm that you have sailed to the correct NDB.



In this example there are 4 NDB on 2 light byos and 2 light houses. Larmor Plage "castle" is simply useful as visual reference, even in limited visibility.



I have modded the TWOS Lorient harbor chart to illustrate this example. I hope that the original creator does not mind.




Accurate timing is the only way to measure range. NAV1 -> NAV2 switchover as the nearest NDB can be used to conjfirm that you have completed a leg or are half way.

[gap]

Originally Posted by Storm501

Here one idea on how NDB arrival to port could be implemented. The key would be to install NDB's at visually distinctable objects, so you can visually confirm that you have sailed to the correct NDB.

Cool, but those are not radio beacons. They are visual (light) beacons, and they are already implemented in game, though, as I said, lighthouses might be better implemented.

Talking in general, the main limits of visual beacons in game are two:

a) they are a bit unrealistic since, as I already noted, most lighthouses within German and British territories were darkened during the war.

b) they have a maximum theoretical visual range equal to game's rendering range (20 km in stock game).

Conversely, radio beacon signals can be intercepted from a much longer distance. But again, only the closest beacon is reported by the radio operator, so they can't be used in groups the same way as visual beacons. I am confident that each individual NDB can be identified, in game as in reality, by means of a three-letter code or for its time of emission, but let's wait for Vecko's feedback on this point

[vdr1981]

Originally Posted by gap

I am confident that each individual NDB can be identified, in game as in reality, by means of a three-letter code or for its time of emission, but let's wait for Vecko's feedback on this point

I'm not aware of such possibility unfortunately... As I said before, TWoS radio beacons are just simple static unit contact reports from the nav map and nothing more. There is no valid way of saying for sure which beacon is actually in question when our radioman says "nerest radio beacon at relative bearing 270" except maybe adding back random range data to the report.


Giving each beacon specific activity time during the day is also very questionable since I believe that those setting would become quite messed up after few game saves/ reloads...

[gap]

Originally Posted by vdr1981

I'm not aware of such possibility unfortunately... As I said before, TWoS radio beacons are just simple static unit contact reports from the nav map and nothing more.

[...]

Giving each beacon specific activity time during the day is also very questionable since I believe that those setting would become quite messed up after few game saves/ reloads...

Roger that

Originally Posted by vdr1981

There is no valid way of saying for sure which beacon is actually in question when our radioman says "nerest radio beacon at relative bearing 270" except maybe adding back random range data to the report.

Well, that is not entirely true. If you trace on map a line, centered on the last position fix and forming an angle of 270 deg with your current route, its intersection with the nearest coastline should tell you the beacon that the radio signal is coming from

[vdr1981]

Originally Posted by gap

Well, that is not entirely true. If you trace on map a line, centered on the last position fix and forming an angle of 270 deg with your current route, its intersection with the nearest coastline should tell you the beacon that the radio signal is coming from

We already talked about this IIRC...Yes, you can do all kind of "clever" hacks and trick to reduce the possibility of a mistake but clear indication like three letter code which can be heard on our radio in order to confirm the identity of a selected beacon (which Storm501 has mentioned) is not possible.

[gap]

Originally Posted by vdr1981

clear indication like three letter code which can be heard on our radio in order to confirm the identity of a selected beacon (which Storm501 has mentioned) is not possible.

Yes, that's indeed a limitation. My point is that it is not a limitation that will render your current implementation of radio beacons useless, and adding back the beacon range reporting won't do things much better, but imho it will only make radio navigation lesser realistic

[LCQ_SH]

Hi.

I was wondering the following, my automatic transfer worked fine (end of Mare nostrum) However, i wanna go to drumbeat but it is not available (dunno why). If I use the silentotto thing, it becomes active, however I lose my current sub and crew. Isnthere a workaround so I can chose drumbeat without losing my current sub, crew and career?

Tnx a lot!

[GrenSo]

Hi everyone,


today I done a small update of my mod/fix "Visible Date of Awards for TWoS".



Changelog:
v1.0 - Make the dates of the award from medals visible in TWoS again
v1.1 - Removes yellow border when clicking on the awards
v1.2 - Make the color from U-boat War Badge a little bit darker to fit better to the other ons


here you can find the download: https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/dow...o=file&id=5741

[vdr1981]

Originally Posted by GrenSo

Hi everyone,


today I done a small update of my mod/fix "Visible Date of Awards for TWoS".



Changelog:
v1.0 - Make the dates of the award from medals visible in TWoS again
v1.1 - Removes yellow border when clicking on the awards
v1.2 - Make the color from U-boat War Badge a little bit darker to fit better to the other ons


here you can find the download: https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/dow...o=file&id=5741

Thanks GrenSo, some people will probably find it useful, although you already know my opinion about the game tendency to award you with the iron cross every single month...

Anyway...I can't remember right now which modder updated those SH5 medals (checked the TWoS docs, it was ual002) but they look absolutely gorgeous indeed! To bad they aren't working properly...

[GrenSo]

Originally Posted by vdr1981

Thanks GrenSo, some people will probably find it useful, although you already know my opinion about the game tendency to award you with the iron cross every single month...

Anyway...I can't remember right now which modder updated those SH5 medals (checked the TWoS docs, it was ual002) but they look absolutely gorgeous indeed! To bad they aren't working properly...

If you will disable the page of the awards/medals it will be ok. But if someone will have it back, than I can provide a mod for it. But it depens how you will be disable it.

[Texas Red]

When can we expect the next update? is the mod still in development?

I’m so excited for the next version, keep us posted.

[vdr1981]

Originally Posted by El Whacko

When can we expect the next update? is the mod still in development?

I’m so excited for the next version, keep us posted.

v2.2.23 update is ready. I'm only little bit lazy to write down all the changes in the change log. It'll happen in day or two...

[Texas Red]

Originally Posted by vdr1981

v2.2.23 update is ready. I'm only little bit lazy to write down all the changes in the change log. It'll happen in day or two...