Wolfpack mod

TigerKatziTatzi · Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 54

Hi serg,

I do have a prob with the VIIa. They don't attack ships, even not with the single mission which comes with the wolfpack_mod release. Works fine with the VIIC/41 on surface but not with dived VIIa. Any Idea for me what I may did wrong.

Install was made direct copy into sh3 folder. No JSGME or SH3Commander in use here.

Greetz TKT

mikaelanderlund · Joined: 20 Apr 2005 Posts: 57

Hi,
I have the same problem. I use wolfpack mod integreted in my campagn scr. but the never attack ships. However, DD attacking the subs.

Mikael

sergbuto · Joined: 14 Sep 2002 Posts: 2530 Location: Sweden

It seems the problem is in the guns.sim file included in the download. When I did testing of the mod I made a mistake and did not delete original guns.sim from the Library folder. It was there along with the changed one for the mod. This probably fooled me during testing.

Try this revised guns.sim.
http://rapidshare.de/files/18803142/wolfpack_sim_file.rar.html

If it still does not work, you can always replace UboatVirtualTorpedo in sub's EQP file with PTVirtualTorpedo which is used for PT boats.

It is important to remember that U-boats will attack only when the ship is in front of them within a norrow angle. And they may not attck if the distance to the ship is larger than 4000 m.

Tell me if it works out for you.

For general use, it also helps to give wolfpack subs wayponits so that they will zig-zag while in attack run.

I have been planning to come back to this mod with the new knowledge about SH3 engine and new ideas to try out.

TigerKatziTatzi · Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 54

Thx for hosting, works perfect.

Greetz TKT

mikaelanderlund · Joined: 20 Apr 2005 Posts: 57

sergbuto · Joined: 14 Sep 2002 Posts: 2530 Location: Sweden

I do not remember whether GW uses stock or modified guns.sim. If the former, you can just replace it with guns.sim for the Wolfpack mod. Otherwise, you have some options.

As it is now, the only change in the current guns.sim left is the limitation on the firing range (4000 m). If you do not care about that you can use guns.sim from GW but you need to use guns.dat from the Wolfpack mod. Or you can change the firing range setting in the GW's guns.sim by using the timetraveller's tools.

TigerKatziTatzi · Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 54

Hi Serg,

one more QS. Do you think its possible to do a combine of the VIIc/41 and VIIa in the way the new Sub would be able to run first surface and do then a dive on periscope depth, based on waypoints settings ?

To give u an idea what i'm up to ...........

http://www.aandc.org/research/convoy_tm1.html

i'm using this convoi currently for our next update as test for our part 3 of LSH3, which will has as main story the big convoy war with wolfpacks from 1942 - 1943. currently i'm using both types of ur subs for it ( first stage surface for getting into patrol area, second stage dived for attack run).

greetz TKT

sergbuto · Joined: 14 Sep 2002 Posts: 2530 Location: Sweden

Unfortunately, AI -subs are not able to dive or surface. But I think it might be possible to delete surfaced subs at the defined waypoint and spawn submerged instead. Although, I do not know whether it is possible to appropriately time these events since I do not have much experience in scripting.

TigerKatziTatzi · Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 54

thx for answering. so i'll do as i setup it yet.

panthercules · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 444

I was about to start a topic about "virtual"wolfpacks when I saw that this thread had been resurrected. It sounds like a lot of progress was made on this idea, but I assume it never got finished/implemented yet?

Even if it doesn't work "perfectly" yet, is there any chance of getting at least some aspects of this idea implemented in any of the big mods like GW or NYGM-TW? What I was thinking about before I saw this thread was that even if we can't have actual wolfpacks with visible AI subs that behave "properly" in attacking convoys, maybe we could just have some sort of randomized occurrences of torpedoes (or hidden big guns that act like virtual torpedoes, or just random explosions) that would have a chance of happening to convoys from time to time. That way, there would at least be a small chance that when we intercept a convoy we might see explosions in various parts of the convoy actually occurring while we were in the process of attacking (as if we were in the midst of a wolfpack attack), and there would be a somewhat larger chance that we would at least see one or two damaged/listing/smoking ships limping along in the convoy or straggling behind, sort of like the after-effects of a previous wolf-pack attack that would have happened before we got there.

Since you wouldn't really have to worry about actually seeing these phantom/virtual AI subs or whether they actually behave "properly", it seems like it might be easier to accomplish the circumstantial evidence of these sorts of virtual attacks than it seems to be to achieve fully correct behavior of the AI subs (although it would be cool if they could act "real" enough to draw off one or two of the escorts into attacking them so as to create gaps in the screen, in case you happened to come across the convoy while one of these virtual attacks was actually occurring).

What do you think - any chance of making this concept work and getting it added to one of the major mod packages?

TigerKatziTatzi · Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 54

sergbuto · Joined: 14 Sep 2002 Posts: 2530 Location: Sweden

panthercules,

What do you mean by virtual subs? Wolfpack subs are quite real (3D rendered), following waypoints at the periscope depth and attacking allied shipping. When Allied escort/DDs or airplanes will detect and attack these subs with ASW. You can watch this in external view, if you like.

sergbuto · Joined: 14 Sep 2002 Posts: 2530 Location: Sweden

panthercules · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 444

Stiebler · Joined: 09 Oct 2005 Posts: 109 Location: London, UK

Unfortunately, even if Sergbuto can improve further on his AI U-boats to make them behave perfectly, there is a practical problem with their use in wolf-packs.

The campaign files require the paths of the AI U-boats to be marked in them somehow. You can add them to the campaign_RND.mis file, when they will be fired off randomly onto a prescribed course, or you can add them to the campaign_SCR.mis file, in which case they will always follow a prescribed course. (Or you can have both types.) In all cases, although you can alter the time of appearance and disappearance of the AI U-boats, they must follow that prescribed course. The AI U-boats cannot be made to follow the player's U-boat, nor to appear on demand close to the player's U-boat.

Therefore the AI U-boats must be made to operate together (a wolf-pack), or singly, along fixed courses, which obviously must be placed somewhere along a convoy's course (that can be found in mission editor).

This means that the player must *always* return to these fixed patrol areas, if the wolf-pack is to function as part of the attack on the convoy.

Worse, if the player is somewhere remote from the wolf-pack, they will still be trying to sink every convoy that passes them. Your frame rate is going to keep suddenly dropping wherever you are, while the convoy battle is fought out hundreds of kilometers away!

That is why wolf-packs have not been added to NYGM. They may well be great for single missions (I haven't tried), but not for campaigns. This situation might change if anyone can discover how to make the player's sub and the AI U-boats all part of one moving German 'convoy', steered by the player.

Stiebler.