I hate summer on the North Atlantic......

[John Pancoast]

To much daylight, not enough darkness = having to provide a LOT of shadowing reports. Shadowed a convoy from 0850 on, trying to call in a wolf pack via hourly beacons.
Each hourly reply from BdU is encouraging; boats on their way, keep providing beacons, etc. You know the score.
2150 comes along and it's finally getting dark...........BdU replies to my last beacon............"Other boats unavailable....." !
Thirteen game hours of shadowing with associated convoy zigs and zags (or is that zags and zigs ?) for naught, at least wolf pack-wise.
So today I get the same scenario with an 0950 start........they must have heard the prior cursing from thousands of miles away, as this time the pack shows up !
I think I used up my laptops memory storing the list of contact reports I sent in with consecutive convoys requiring shadowing of 13 and 12 game hours each....

[propbeanie]

So, ya gotta remember that the other fellers don't like moving too much. All an effort to help with fuel conservation and all. You understand, of course. They have their favorite spots to have their coffee, apple cinnamon strudels, and a smoke... drive the convoy to them, and they'll be more than willing to help out...

[John Pancoast]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

So, ya gotta remember that the other fellers don't like moving too much. All an effort to help with fuel conservation and all. You understand, of course. They have their favorite spots to have their coffee, apple cinnamon strudels, and a smoke... drive the convoy to them, and they'll be more than willing to help out...

Yeah, I'll remember them next time the escorts are pounding away at them and they need help....."On my way gents, hold on.......now, where was that book of mine....."

[propbeanie]

"I have to use the L'eau - won't be but a minute - or twenty"...

[Mad Mardigan]

Originally Posted by John Pancoast

Yeah, I'll remember them next time the escorts are pounding away at them and they need help....."On my way gents, hold on.......now, where was that book of mine....."

Will have to remember that...



M. M.

[nhaupt]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

So, ya gotta remember that the other fellers don't like moving too much. All an effort to help with fuel conservation and all. You understand, of course. They have their favorite spots to have their coffee, apple cinnamon strudels, and a smoke... drive the convoy to them, and they'll be more than willing to help out...

Do wolfpacks actually assemble? I see other uboats when I'm pulling into and out of ports, are they actually out there doing uboat things? Attacking shipping independently? If I do as you suggest and shadow a convoy there's a chance other boats will show up and attack?

I have cone across convoys with burning ships in the mix now that you mention it...

[propbeanie]

Depends upon your mod load-out nhaupt. I haven't done SH3 consistently myself for a while and I am definitely not one to consult for the newer mod packages, though I do play my GWX Gold a good bit. I used to use the h.sie and Stiebler fixes on it, and I think it's h.sie's package that does the packs and coordinated radio messages. However, the packs are usually part of the convoy. Since the groups in the game do not "spawn" into the 3D world until they are within a given distance from your boat, they do not "attack" each other. But when they do spawn, explosions, fire and mayhem are the order of the day. The other boats you see coming and going at port are "immersion" helpers that are just part of the stage-set scenery, if you will. Use JSGME, and use its "Tasks..." link, and then the "Export activated mods list" function and post that info here. Someone will be able to help you out with what you do or don't have in your mod set for wolfpacks, and how to maybe improve your set for further immersion.

[John Pancoast]

propbeanie covered it well. H.sie's patch adds subs for a pack if desired and one can also add them onto convoys themselves in the campaign_rnd.mis file ala NYGM.
The difference between the two methods is:
- with H.sie's patch, you provide an initial convoy contact report upon sighting the convoy. Then you either get a reply to keep providing (hopefully and preferably) hourly contact reports to "assemble the pack" for an attack. After sunset, you get a message stating the pack is ready, attack at will and they eventually start attacking the convoy.
Or you get a reply stating to the effect that the pack isn't available, attack on your own if you want. This type of reply is usually the first one given to to you but it can happen at any time after too.
- with the "add the sub(s) to a convoy" method, there are no contact reports, etc. involved.
They spawn and attack once you get within the game's 3d bubble (30kms or so ?)
- you can also have both at the same time on a convoy; a pack you've called in and one added to the convoy per above.

All the methods can really decimate a convoy sometimes.
H.sie's patch is mostly for the North Atlantic so some locations where pack attacks were prevelant historically don't ever get them via his patch.
For those I've added to the convoys per above. I also include the convoys covered by the "add sub(s)" method in NYGM in my non-NYGM installs. For me, otherwise there is still to many instances of the "you against the world", always attacking alone aspect per the game without these modifications.
Historically, for most of the war in the North Atlantic (including west of the Iberian peninsula area) most attacks should be with a pack vs. alone so I prefer to reflect that as much as possible.
But you have to be careful; as said, for various game reasons convoys can be decimated much more than the historical results if it's overdone which can also take some of the fun/challenge out of things.

[nhaupt]

interesting, im playing LSH2000, i just checked my h.sie options and i have the wolfpack option checked, so i should be good to go, but i have not experienced it yet.

here are my mods

Generic Mod Enabler - v2.6.0.157
[C:\Games\LSH3-2020\MODS]

_LSH3-2020_SLS_SpecialEffectsBig
_LSH3-2020___Patch_HSIE-V16B1

[John Pancoast]

Originally Posted by nhaupt

interesting, im playing LSH2000, i just checked my h.sie options and i have the wolfpack option checked, so i should be good to go, but i have not experienced it yet.

here are my mods

Generic Mod Enabler - v2.6.0.157
[C:\Games\LSH3-2020\MODS]

_LSH3-2020_SLS_SpecialEffectsBig
_LSH3-2020___Patch_HSIE-V16B1

To get the wolf pack to work with H.sie's patch, you also have to add the necessary entries into the campaign_scr.mis file. Without these AND the option checked in his patch, there are no packs.

See his instructions for details. It is very easy to do. Post if you need help.