Can convoy frequency be adjusted?

[jonny_bass26]

Greetings to my fellow kaleuns...was wondering if anybody knows anything about adjusting the frequency with which convoys spawn? I ask because I tend to find that it's all too easy to run into, say, 3-4 convoys every time out, and knobble (for example) two large merchants from at least two of those convoys - especially if you're playing with a type IX and all those lovely extra torpedoes. The result is that I can regularly rack up 150,000+ tons in as little as 4-5 patrols, whereas the top U-boat captains typically needed twice that number.

TL;DR - I'm looking to halve the frequency with which convoys spawn, because (strange as it might sound) I'd like reaching the higher tonnage totals to be harder - or at least take longer - than it currently does at present. Any of you kind folk out there have any knowledge you'd be willing to share? TIA :-)

[Fifi]

Open the data/campaigns/RND.mis and reduce the spawn probability of convoys … you can do it using simple notepad application

[jonny_bass26]

Thanks, will try it when I get home 👍🏻

[Fifi]

It’s in the first section of each convoy parts (not the units or waypoints)

[stork100]

With my GWX campaign I reduced all large convoys to 30% spawn probability and so far it's a number I've been happy with.

[blackswan40]

Hi Jonny_bass26 the SH3 Mission Editor when you edit the respawn hours dont give them nice round numbers like 72hrs 96hrs 192hrs the convoys will respawn every 3-4-8 days at the same time 5.00 am in the morning off set the respawn time 75hrs 99hrs 195hrs
Also when the spawned convoy heads to the next way point/s they maybe a radius circle around that waypoint so when the convoy enters that circle that convoy will teleport anywhere within that circle thats 30kms 100kms plus in diameter and head to the next waypoint to give the campaign a more random feel so you cant just sit in your uboat waiting for the convoy to come along in 3-8 days in the same area.


Also in the difficulty settings you can tick no map contact updates on map so you cant see approaching convoys on the map you have to find them yourself and theres no better feeling to drop to periscope depth and do a sonar sweep and pickup highpitch screws of the escorts and then the dull thud of the merchants on a broad front.


Ho Mr Swanny spoken like a true Uboat/Submarine Nutjob its my mums and dads fault i first poped out of my mums submarine pen 3.9.1965. so no wonder i'm a WWII Uboat and Submarine Nutjob but im in good company here .


If you are using GWX3 and you mess up the RND Campaign File no worries GWX Campaigns Folder download link below

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/dow...o=file&id=5440

[Fifi]

Originally Posted by blackswan40

Also in the difficulty setting you tick no map contact updates on map so you can see approaching convoys on the map you have to find them yourself and theres no better feeling to drop to periscope depth and do a sonar sweep and pickup highpitch screws of the escorts and then the dull thud of the merchants on a broad front.

[jonny_bass26]

Many thanks to all!
While I have you here...🤣 as you'll be aware, when a convoy spawns relatively close to your position, TC drops from whatever your current setting may be (typically 4096x for me) to 8x (iirc). When they spawn further away, however, it doesn't change. Which can lead to missed opportunities for sinking stuff...so...how do I change it so that ALL convoy notifications drop the TC to its slower rate? Thanks in advance - again :-)

[Fifi]

Playing that TC high (4096 ) you are probably missing plenty things, mainly planes encounters!
My maximum TC is 256 by day, 1024 by night … best way to play this game
Not to say your high TC can mess up game time and weather…

When a convoy is spawning near by, my TC never drop until some ship is spotted !

[John Pancoast]

Originally Posted by Fifi

Playing that TC high (4096 ) you are probably missing plenty things, mainly planes encounters!
My maximum TC is 256 by day, 1024 by night … best way to play this game
Not to say your high TC can mess up game time and weather…

When a convoy is spawning near by, my TC never drop until some ship is spotted !

Hi Fifi! Do you get night aircraft attacks at 1024x tc?

[Fifi]

Originally Posted by John Pancoast

Hi Fifi! Do you get night aircraft attacks at 1024x tc?

Nope!
That’s why when war time ligne goes on, I reduce the night TC as the days
(Usually around 1943)

[John Pancoast]

Originally Posted by Fifi

Nope!
That’s why when war time ligne goes on, I reduce the night TC as the days
(Usually around 1943)

[jonny_bass26]

Originally Posted by Fifi

Playing that TC high (4096 ) you are probably missing plenty things, mainly planes encounters!
My maximum TC is 256 by day, 1024 by night … best way to play this game
Not to say your high TC can mess up game time and weather…

When a convoy is spawning near by, my TC never drop until some ship is spotted !

Interesting...for what it's worth, I'm using h.sie's 4gb mod (among other things), and I get my fair share of aircraft encounters. I've lost a fair few U-boats to surprise attacks by enemy a/c when I've been caught reloading my external torpedoes! I'm never swamped - even when crossing the Bay of Biscay - but I assume that's a game design decision (by original programmers and respected in GWX) on the grounds that reproducing the historical reality would make for unavoidable death and an unwarrantably frustrating game...


Re: game time - the only issue I have there is w/ the 10th flotilla in the Far East. It's fine until starting my 2nd patrol from Penang, when my U-boat's clock represents the local time rather than UTC, and the local time is correspondingly out of whack. It's not a time compression issue because (1) it doesn't happen on the outwards journey from Europe to Asia and (2) it doesn't happen at all when heading westwards (eg to the USA coast). Anybody else have this problem? Not that I'm in any great hurry to fix it, as it's a piddling minor issue, I'm just curious :-)

[propbeanie]

The "time of day" issue is sometimes a strange bird. You might notice that no one has come up with a way to do two clocks in the game and have them accurate to location, ie: Time Zone aware. The devs decided to simplify things apparently, and went with what some refer to as "Base Time". When you are at a given base, and travel anywhere in the world, you boat's clock will continue to display the time as it was from where you departed your home port, or naval base (in theory). This despite possibly traversing multiple time zones every 15° of longitude. When you are transferred to the Far East, you start on the French "base time", aka UTC, and go around the Cape of Good Hope, traversing into the +7 zone, aka "G" or Gulf time zone. The whole trip though, the clock displays UTC. Upon arrival and docking at Penang, you are now on a new "Base Time", which is UTC +7, or Gulf time (or whatever the Kriegsmarine used to designate it). Your patrols will now run on that time.

There are several things that can additionally mess-up the "time" in the game. The use of high Time Compression (TC), or the use of "straight" time, with no TC can both cause game time-keeping errors. The more you do the one over the other, the more it can be thrown out of sync. Contributing to that can be the player's use of shelling-out to Windows and doing other computer tasks while the game is running. That can also be initiated by Windows itself, especially Win10 & 11 with the systray "Notification Area" popping up on you. Keeping TC use mid-range, and not shelling-out to Windows helps with this. You can also have game data configurations that are "off" for one reason or another, or mod conflicts that then result in "bad data" in the Save files, which can then result in strange out-of-sequence day / night cycles. You might think you have the cover of darkness because it looks like night, but the AI thinks it is "high noon", and you end up suddenly having a 500kg bomb down the hatch, or a 5" projectile holing the forward torpedo room...

[jonny_bass26]

Originally Posted by jonny_bass26

Many thanks to all!
While I have you here...🤣 as you'll be aware, when a convoy spawns relatively close to your position, TC drops from whatever your current setting may be (typically 4096x for me) to 8x (iirc). When they spawn further away, however, it doesn't change. Which can lead to missed opportunities for sinking stuff...so...how do I change it so that ALL convoy notifications drop the TC to its slower rate? Thanks in advance - again :-)

Much as I've enjoyed this tangent regarding the problems around the use of high TC...does anybody have an answer to this particular question? 🤣