NYGM Feature revisited #6a

[Der Teddy Bar]

The principle behind the NYGM Feature Revisited is as we near the release of the NYGM TW 2.2, is to highlight important technical and game play aspects of the NYGM Tonnage War Mod that many new comers may not have seen or that the old salts missed during the busy hey days or have forgotten/take for granted since they have been there for so long.

The feature in the spotlight today is the NYGM AI Sensor Mod

NYGM Tonnage War v2.0 has improved three of the core game play AI sensors: hydrophone, sonar (ASDIC) and visual.

I have decided to break these up into smaller sections as I feel it will probably be a very long post trying to cover all the changes in one post.

NYGM AI Sensor Mod - Visual

Previously we could approach a convoy with little regard to being detected and worse yet little concern that it had 4 escorts. We could travel up and down the English Channel as if we owned it, or at least had our name on the lease. We could attack a convoy and resurface and attack it again all before brunch.

The previously visually blind Escort AI will now detect you at greater distances, when at a normal alert condition. Your profile and even your approach speed will go a long way to either you remaining undetected or in you getting detected. While improving the daytime distances we have also reduced the night time distance an escort might detect you.

While improving the Escorts Visual abilities we have in relation to the improved Escort Visual abilities reduced the Merchant Visual abilities especially in regards to the night time. We have done this by adding an additional Visual Sensors for the merchant ships and another for the smaller craft.

When you show your smallest aspect, bow or stern, then your chances of being detected are reduced. Once you start showing the side aspect of your u-boat the chances of being detected are increased substantially.

For example, if under certain weather conditions you might get detected bow on at 3200 metres when you show your profile that would almost double that distance over 6000 metres.

Speed has also has an impact on your ability to remain undetected. At ahead standard you are at the compromise speed, fast enough to get around and not excessive in allowing you to be detected. At flank speed you might be detected at much longer ranges. At a speed less than 7 knots you might not be detected till much closer or at all.

~ The Merchant Visual Sensor has in comparison the Escorts Visual Sensor a reduced range and capability. The reduced capability is most evident at night.
~ The Fishing Vessel Visual Sensor is the same as the Merchant Visual Sensor with reduced range to be in line with the vessels height.
~ The Elco Visual Sensor is the same as the Escort Visual Sensor reduced range to be in line with the vessels height.

When the AI goes into a High Alert state the detection ranges will greatly increase as the AI is now actively looking for you. This means that where as previously you might have been able to get within 2000 metres of the ship undetected you might now find that you are being detected at 5000 metres.

The AI can now see your periscope and snorkel. While the detection of these items when the AI is in normal alert mode is very low, when the AI is in a high alert mode the detection of your periscope may occur up to several thousand metres away. Remember, on high alert the escort AI is actively looking for you..


Attacking convoys on the surface at night!

U-boat's were not submarines in the true sense and predominately operated at night on the surface where the small and low silhouette made them very difficult to detect. The decline in sinking's and the rise in u-boat losses can be directly correlated to the loss of the u-boats ability to use the night to attack on the surface.

I would like to take this opportunity to highlight that fact that with the NYGM AI Sensor Update that at night it is now possible to close in on a convoy to distances under a 1000 metres, possibly a lot less.

NYGM have added many new sensor nodes to the DAT files and we now have a different Visual sensor for the escorts, elco , aircraft fighter, aircraft bomber, merchant ships & small vessels.

These sensors have been modified, as best as possible within the SHIII framework, to mimic their respective roles.

We have greatly reduced the enemy AI’s night time sight and with the right approach as will be outlined below it may be possible to get within 800 metres of an escort on the surface and not be seen.

We have also reduced the AI visual abilities in line with the MPS i.e. wind speed. The greater the wind speed the less detectable your boat will be. Not undetectable, just less.

Like real u-boat captains do not submerge to make an attack on a convoy unless it is during the day and you cannot shadow the convoy till night time as was historically correct.

If you must attack submerged try and do so from within or from the first outside row of the convoy and do not hang around DIVE deep and remove yourself from the area, as was historically correct.

There are several important aspects to making a successful night time attack.

The first is speed, the faster you travel the more likely that you will be detected. As such, you should position yourself in front to the side so as to allow the ahead 1/3 speed approach.

The second is 'aspect', as has been talked about often, the NYGM AI Sensor Mod allows a player to get much closer when he presents the enemy AI with the smallest possible profile. The two aspects are bow on and bow off. Bow on covers about 60 degrees, or 330 to 030 and 150 to 210 degrees relative. Bow off is from 030 to 150 and 210 to 330 degrees relative.

The bow on/off examples are not to be taken as written in stone, there are many circumstances such as time of day, your speed, the AI’s ability that will make the figures at times smaller or larger.

For BOW ON and clear day with:
0 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 4500
10 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 3300

For BOW OFF (i.e. Side On) and clear day with:
0 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 7400
10 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 6000

For BOW ON and a clear night with:
0 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 1200
10 mps a ESCORT might NOT detected you <-- NOTE!

For BOW OFF (i.e. Side On) and a clear night with:
0 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 2800
10 mps a ESCORT might detect you at around 2000

Note that these are for ESCORTS, merchant ships are in comparison blind. Very important to remember as you get ridiculously close to the merchant ships.

If your attack run is not right, remove yourself from the attack and reposition yourself for another run.

When you turn away from the convoy either to reposition yourself or after firing your torpedoes turn at ahead full and at full rudder. The less time you expose your flank the less likely you are to be detected. If some flank has to be exposed, subject to distance, expose your flank to a merchant ship.

Do not submerge unless you have too, you may not have been detected and when you crash dive you might be.

If you must dive after being detected then dive at flank, stay at flank till you think the escort will be within about 5000 metres and at which time order silent running and then ahead 1/3 till you think the escort will be within 3000+ metres and then go to 1+ knots and deeper. The figures mention above are mot magic cut off figures, but are ones that I have deduced give me a fair chance of removing myself and not giving away my changed position, i.e. course change when submerged.

[Immacolata]

God I am at the edge of my seat! When will the teasing stop? Release! I crave tonnage.

[oblio]

Excellent! Keep up the good work.

[kylania]

Originally Posted by Immacolata

God I am at the edge of my seat! When will the teasing stop? Release!

These revisited posts are the current features of NYGM 2.0, not the upcoming NYGM 2.2. They are to remind people of the sorts of changes that NYGM makes with SH3 and to make up for those of us who never read the splendid 70+ page manual.

[Immacolata]

Oh I got that already? lol :rotfl: I think Ill wait with my next patroll till 2.2 however but some of these NYGM revisited speaks of coming things as well, like post 2.2. So it is part information and part teasing. I must say it works well.

[Deimos01]

Is there a way to add just the sensor mod to a clean game? And if so, which files need to be replaced?

Thanks and Cheers

[Der Teddy Bar]

Originally Posted by Deimos01

Is there a way to add just the sensor mod to a clean game? And if so, which files need to be replaced?

Thanks and Cheers

Within reason it is fairly simple. In the near future we will be, where practical, offering NYGM modlets.

Modlets are a potential support nightmare. We will be seeking interested parties who will do the modlet support and answer installation questions and resolve installation issues.

[down and out]

Originally Posted by kylania

These revisited posts are the current features of NYGM 2.0, not the upcoming NYGM 2.2. They are to remind people of the sorts of changes that NYGM makes with SH3 and to make up for those of us who never read the splendid 70+ page manual.

These revisited posts are a pain in the @ss
At least one a week rehashing OLD stuff
Yawn

Post them in the NYGM thread and save us all a load of drivel

[Notewire]

I appreciate the features revisited, as it focuses discussion on different aspects of the game, as time goes along. Every time one comes up, we discuss the feature and make forward progress. Anyway, I for one appreciate the NYGM manual - I think we can all agree it is very well done (and GWX will, as previously stated, have a more comprehensive manual as well).

Anyway, cheers to the NYGM team, and thanks for continuing to not only push the envelope, but provide insight into different featurs of the game and how they can be upgraded.

Tchuss
Yarre Notewire,

A GW 1.1a Devotee
100% Realism, DiD, Low Tx.

[LaikaFatBum]

Originally Posted by down and out

These revisited posts are a pain in the @ss
At least one a week rehashing OLD stuff
Yawn

Post them in the NYGM thread and save us all a load of drivel

Sheesh why bother read them? Why not ignore?

NYGM do a lot for the community and share lots, what is issue?

[Immacolata]

Originally Posted by down and out

These revisited posts are a pain in the @ss
At least one a week rehashing OLD stuff
Yawn

Post them in the NYGM thread and save us all a load of drivel

Be a good boy, run out and play in the intersection.

[Kaleu_Mihoo]

Could someone tell me when the new 2.2 NYGM TGW will be released? I'm waiting impatient for it to start my new campaign.
thanx
mihoo

[down and out]

Originally Posted by Immacolata

Be a good boy, run out and play in the intersection.

Thats nice
Didnt realise this was the NYGM section - thought it was the MODs area
So if I dont like a revisited post every other day I am not allowed to mention it ?
Phah

[Der Teddy Bar]

Originally Posted by down and out

These revisited posts are a pain in the @ss
At least one a week rehashing OLD stuff
Yawn

Post them in the NYGM thread and save us all a load of drivel

While respecting your right to express your views, the best way not to fall asleep while reading about what NYGM have done and/or brought to the game would be not to read the threads.

That aside, one of the reasons the old NYGM TW thread was removed was because it was impratical for people to gain anything meaningful from the thread with important posts getting lost in amongst the general conversation and questions etc

Which brings us back to "The principle behind the NYGM Feature Revisited is as we near the release of the NYGM TW 2.2, is to highlight important technical and game play aspects of the NYGM Tonnage War Mod that many new comers may not have seen or that the old salts missed during the busy hey days or have forgotten/take for granted since they have been there for so long."

And.... we all know that few actually read the manual supplied.

Anyway, the threads are clearly labled.

[Darkseed]

Originally Posted by Der Teddy Bar

The AI can now see your periscope and snorkel. While the detection of these items when the AI is in normal alert mode is very low, when the AI is in a high alert mode the detection of your periscope may occur up to several thousand metres away. Remember, on high alert the escort AI is actively looking for you..

Being able to spot a periscope from several thousand meters away? Err...that better be only with close to a mirror like surface. Actively looking or not, the watch crew is still made up of humans, not supermen.