Coastal Shipping Generator Uploaded

[Daiwilletti]

I've found a simpler way to generate ship spawns in the coastal area. My ETO Era3 shipping spawns package is now obsolete.

The facility file and spawn files install easily and need only go in once to an install like Rising Sun or ETO, and works across all eras/theatres.

I've set up a handful of spawn files to give patrol boats, submarines and small ships a chance to appear near the coast. It is easy to add more diversity by adding more spawn.xml files.

I tried to get a tug towing some barges to appear, using the technique used in a spawn file for locos towing rail carriages, but unfortunately I couldn't get the towing idea to translate across to shipping.

The files are uploaded and should be available soon under "CFS3 - Other".

[sixstrings5859]

Cool ! Thank you !

[alcanallen]

You are the man! always coming up with these improvements,keep up the great work and thank you.

alcanallen

[Led Zeppelin]

Thanks, downloading now.

[Flamingskull5000]

Does this only work for Cherbourg shipping lanes or will it generate ships in other locations?

[Daiwilletti]

Does this only work for Cherbourg shipping lanes or will it generate ships in other locations?

Er, this is universal, all coastal areas across all installs. Cherbourg is only an illustration. one of the things I've done is to ensure that friendly ships only appear along friendly coastline, enemy ships only appear along enemy coastline, this removes one of the long-standing realism bugbears of CFS3. Also, in my own setup, I make sure that for all shipping spawns on shipping lanes, friendly ships appear in friendly territory, and enemy ships appear only in enemy territory (except for marauding battle groups).

This helps the realism of campaign scenarios, in stock CFS3 ships were appearing all over the shop which was plainly unrealistic.

[Daiwilletti]

One thing I forgot to mention is the spawn set relies on you having working patrol boats and submarines for both spawning nationalities (whatever your country.xml is set to for spawning nations).

The ship categories called for in coastal shipping spawns are: destroyer, auxiliary, submarine and patrol. You need to have representatives for both your default spawning Allied and Axis nations.

If you have the default country.xml then you will usually be set for USA and German spawns. So do you have a working US sub in your install? If not, better get one or the coastal spawns might be a bit sparse!! IIRC I picked up a US sub from Rising Sun install, and populated my other installs with it. Make sure you have the guns needed in your install.


As well, the stock German sub does not work too well. Here at SOH I have uploaded a corrected xdp so all the AA guns work for the German sub.

As for patrol boats, do you have a US patrol boat in your install? German and Britain commonly have patrol boats, but if USA is your default Allied spawning nation, you will need a working US patrol boat for spawns to avoid being sparse!

Again, IIRC I found a nice dark green US patrol boat in RS or PTO.

All these things I forgot to mention!

[Daiwilletti]

3 subs (Upholder), MTB, Huntclass destroyer.

This is in CFS3 Pat's BoB mk 1, with country.xml st for Britain as the Allied spawning nation.

[Flamingskull5000]

I can't find it in the down load section!!!!!

[mongoose]

Try http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...s.php?catid=13 It's the first ine under the CFS 3 Other Add-Ons Library list. Scroll down to under the list!

[Flamingskull5000]

Thanks Mongoose!

[Flamingskull5000]

Seems to be working in Cherbourg, can anyone suggest another shipping lane I can target to make sure it's installed properly?

[Daiwilletti]

Almost all of my recent testing is done in coastal areas of the English Channel at the moment. It seems to work almost too well. In one campaign, the frontline goes from friendly to enemy to friendly along the French coast. I had coastal shipping from both alliances sailing toward each other, a kilometre or two offshore! The stock CFS3 seems to have plenty of shippinglanes. MAW seems to have fewer, and PTO solomons is sadly lacking any.

[Flamingskull5000]

Interesting, I will have a go at it this weekend!