MTB Missions: Thinking out of the box

[BeauBrummie]

It's been quite a while and I sort of forgot many of the more subtle quirks and annoying restrictions these boats have which have come to light in the new ETO MTB mission pack I'm working on. So I'll list the practical restrictions (CFS3 category in italics):

1. As far as the game engine is concerned DMTB's (DrivableMTB/S-boot) are taxiing aircraft.
2. The players boat won't warp, so you have to set up a mission straight into the action. Plus: real small boat ops worked this way. Mostly they lay in wait for their prey to come to them as they are very visible and audible at full speed.
3. Wingmen only sail in straight lines at full speed, not following any route set up in the MB. Plus: 0-1 drivers enhanced ship MTB/E-boats are more interactive & aggressive than the old stock ones, so work well as wingmen.
4. As the game thinks it is an aircraft, ships/boats/aircraft interact differently with it than they would a ship/boat. Plus: aircraft will stafe the DMTB's whereas they won't ship/boats. Minus: the DMTB's attract all the flak from the enemy ship/boats, as well their main armament. Your own ship/boat flotilla mates will only attract main ship guns.
5. When attacking enemy ship/boats, the AI will not operate your DMTB guns as they would against an aircraft. Plus: they will all fire against attacking aircraft or the driveable S-boot.
6. Torpedoes are 'dropped' from the DMTB rather than launched, so their is no modelled top and trail is not seen initally until the DMTB moves off. There is no aiming sight, so its practise, practise, practise!
7. Damage modelling is very idiosyncratic. The boat takes hits with no visible damage. The guns stop working in the order: 20mm Oerkilon, starboard twin M/c guns then port M/c guns. Finally with serious/fatal damage flames envelope the boat but is steerable (torps still work if you haven't used them). Finally it explodes and a pilot runs across the water. Saying all that the DMTB can sometimes blow up for no apparent reason, but most likely due to either striking an object in the water or being hit by a big shell.
8. The guns are overly powerful, the 20mm cannons can blow up an F-lighter in short order, the m/c guns can outgun an E-boat. Plus: makes an effective gunboat.
9. As the game engine insists that aircraft visit all waypoints to complete a mission and the DMTB's can't warp, keep the waypoints few (3 or 4 max), otherwise you'll find it hard to impossible to get the completed mission message.
10. The DMTB's lack abilities that MTB's had as standard, e.g. depth charges (even though they are modelled on the boat), making smokescreen and reversing engines to enhance manoeverability.

Just some thoughts here to explain the issues when playing these missions. It would be great to have more varieties of MTB's/MGB's/ML's & German boats as well as the PT boat of Philip M. Well you may wonder if it's such a pain, why bother? Like with a lot to do with this sim, it can be frustrating, but its great fun and all in all I love the boats!!

I have got the naval sim PT Boats:Knight of the Sea, which had plenty of RN & German boats. Unfortunately it has little community around it, the forum's pretty dead. The game is a (I find) frustrating mix of stategic and first person sim, a bit aracade. The missions don't reflect the small boat war well, there's too many actions mixed with operations with larger warships. They happened, but were not the main stock and trade of Coastal ops. It produced a mission builder finally but I haven't had a go yet. Time again.

They look good though.



Similar 71' Vosper to the CFS3 boat

Another Vosper

S-boot

My favourite boat the Fairmile D MTB/MGB or 'Dog' boat

[Daiwilletti]

Hi Beaubrummie,

lots of things to think about.
I agree driveable vehicles (boats, ships) in CFS3 are a whole lot of fun . There may be a few work-arounds for some of the issues you list. Unique guns for the MTBs would allow you to use guns rather than flak_guns. Then you can assign targetcategory="ships,vehicles,aircraft" and your MTBs will shoot at everything
Given that the driveable MTB thinks its an aircraft, you might be able to attach depthcharges to pylons in the loadouts section - but they'd better have a delay otherwise you are toast (thinks: is there a delay available for weapons?).

I tend to sprinkle a few guns through the ships' gunstations - like 20mm Oerlikons which can have target categories assigned to include ships, to give attention to your "wingmen" if they are ships.

Does the groundskill option work for ships? Does it make them more aggressive? HH seemed to think his vehicles were more aggressive by setting groundskill=3 in uisel in the mission section. But skill=3 in the mission xml itself for the AI MTB formation (where the MTBs are ships) might work?

[BeauBrummie]

Hi Beaubrummie,

lots of things to think about.
I agree driveable vehicles (boats, ships) in CFS3 are a whole lot of fun . There may be a few work-arounds for some of the issues you list. Unique guns for the MTBs would allow you to use guns rather than flak_guns. Then you can assign targetcategory="ships,vehicles,aircraft" and your MTBs will shoot at everything

Thanks for that. I like the idea of the guns firing on the ships on their own from the drivable MTB.
Given that the driveable MTB thinks its an aircraft, you might be able to attach depthcharges to pylons in the loadouts section - but they'd better have a delay otherwise you are toast (thinks: is there a delay available for weapons?).

I have tried this, but because no one has found a way to have a time delay with bombs or depth charges the boats get their a***s blown off

I tend to sprinkle a few guns through the ships' gunstations - like 20mm Oerlikons which can have target categories assigned to include ships, to give attention to your "wingmen" if they are ships.

They do get fired upon, perhaps I just feel paranoid as they don't seem to take as much damage as I usually do!

Does the groundskill option work for ships? Does it make them more aggressive? HH seemed to think his vehicles were more aggressive by setting groundskill=3 in uisel in the mission section. But skill=3 in the mission xml itself for the AI MTB formation (where the MTBs are ships) might work?

0-1 Driver has made more aggressive versions of the stock MTB's & E-boats. They are really mean!

Thanks for taking the time Daiwilletti with your suggestions

Beau