Something I noticed since 1.5 is the seemingly godlike abilities of the AI surface ships to dodge you. And I don't mean when in combat already.

Let me explain.

It happens more later in the war, but even early on this happens. You get radar or hydrophone/sonar contact info on an enemy convoy or task force. You move your boat to the perfect intercept position, go deep, go silent, go slow, and wait for them. You watch them advancing on the plot, when suddenly they turn and move away. You have not been detected, the escorts (if any are there) make no aggressive moves, they just out flank you.

I've seen this omniscient behavior in AIs in IL2 as well. Has nothing to do with your tactical situation. It's the game engine making it harder for you. It always "knows" your exact position, speed, state of readiness, etc... and uses this info to in effect "game you" rather than letting a realistic action unfold.

It's becoming a deal breaker for me. I'm to the point of no longer even trying to intercept convoys, because it just does not work anymore. You follow their course for hours of game time, do "end arounds", only use the radar sparingly, get perfect intercept position, and they get to about twice your max torpedo range and turn away and you cannot catch them without being detected. Day or night, good weather or bad.

What changed?

I'm still very much a greenhorn with SH 4 but I have noticed the samething but more so in the area of the solomons and java rather then around Honshu. I have attributed it to the ships following shipping lanes and changing course. What area are you in when this happens?


A bit off tipic but I noticed that you stated you use your radar sparingly, can they detect you using it? Just curious.

If you are using TMO, convoys zig zag. You need to track them for a while in order to determine what the zig zag pattern is. Then plot out an intercept based on the projected course.

The game engine doesn't give a rat's patootie where you are.
Dave

quote:

Originally posted by dgrayson:

The game engine doesn't give a rat's patootie where you are.
Dave

How do you know? That is something that would be hard coded. I'm just curious, as I am no programmer.

I did just now manage to intercept Admiral Kurita's Center Force off of Samar. Scratch one Yamato Class BB.

ElAurens

I am no programmer either, but I have learned a few things about how the game works. Everything is scripted in so far as convoys and missions are concerned. You can read all those scripts in the Campaigns folders. They are the ones named *.mis and are the scripts for what goes on in a game. They work the same way as missions created with the “editor”.

In your initial question, about the convoy turning on you, it would have turned there whether you were at that spot or not. The instructions for that convoy say something like: spawn X number of ships at long. X and lat. Y and have them follow a course using the waypoints 1, 2, 3 etc and then disappear from the map. That is why I said that the game doesn’t give a rat’s patootie where you are, unless you are detected.

Getting into those campaign “layers” can be hazardous to your enjoyment of the game. If you know where and when the convoys and task forces are spawned and what their courses are, takes all the fun out of finding them. I don’t want to ruin any of the fun for anyone on the forum, so if you want more details on how the system works, please send me a PM and I will go into further detail.

I’m glad to hear you gave Kurita a bad time off Samar. In one career I hit him as he headed out toward Leyte through the San Bernadino Straits and hit him again when he came back through on his way home.

Dave

Thanks Dave. Actually I'd rather not know too much, SH 4 has such excellent replayability that I sure would not want to spoil it.

Abel5405, Indeed your radar can be detected by the enemy. The Japanese abilities in this area get much better late in 1943 or so.

Now I just wish they would stop recruiting British sonar men. Man have they gotten good lately.

Many thanks El Aurens, I was wondering if they could or not.