[Pisces]

Course is shown as N, NNE, NE, ENE, E, ESE, etc. But their actual course is within 11.25 degrees of either side. If the icon shows a tail then it is likely correctly showing the angle. But many considered that too easy for a challenge and modded the tail out of the icon.

When you look into the mission editor and how waypoints are defined then they can actually have random position offsets inside a waypoint area circle. And if the waypoints are close enough together then it does appear to us they have a large scale zig-zag pattern. But with random sequence. As they can also fork and choose between two next waypoints based on random chance.

For intercepting I create an ice-cone drawing along it's course. With the ice-ball being the max hydrophone range (34km), and it's center being 175km away from the initial report position. If I cannot meet the target, or be in that circle, before the target is expected to be there then I won't even bother chasing it.

I also increased the range those reports are shown around me as I found it unlikely those radio messages would be limited to an area around me of 250 km. Too easy to intercept also. I wanted a bigger search challenge. So made it 750km, but you can change it as you like: SilenthunterIII\data\config\contacts.cfg