Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships

[bcoopactual]

In the RTW2 forum, thatzenoguy  mentioned arming merchant ships and I thought that might be an interesting idea and one that we can possibly do to some extent now.  I modified the medium and small merchant ship *.sdf files to add a single stern gun to each.  4 inch Q-1 to the medium and 3 inch Q-1 to the small.  Both are in the Y turret position.  I chose -1 quality guns because if I recall, historically, nations tended to use mothballed guns previously removed from decommissioned ships rather than the latest and greatest designs to arm the merchant ships. 

Can't guarantee this will work although I don't think it should break the game either.  Also, I would assume that at best this will only affect merchant ships in actual scenarios and not the results of commerce warfare by surface raiders and submarines. 

Here are the files if anyone is interested.  If you use them let me know what kind of results you get and I will do the same. 

[Edit - Update 1.2 to the merchants.  New upload, I added an entry for rounds per gun at rob06waves2018 's suggestion.  Thanks for the input.]

Medium Merchant.sdf (3.88 KB)

Small Merchant.sdf (3.84 KB)

Copy the original files found in the C:\NWS\Rule the Waves\Data\IDes folder and paste them somewhere you can restore them if something goes wrong and then paste these files in the aforementioned folder.  
  

[garrisonchisholm]

That's fascinating Bcoop! Bravo Zulu! I'll give this a try.
Does the ship need gunnery logic assigned to it, or does that just appear once a ship has guns?

[cwemyss]

So, local control I assume.
Do generated TRs get a crew quality assigned?

Very cool modification, and would make the "mad DD sprint through a convoy" a bit more dicey.

[bcoopactual]

Dec 7, 2018 10:06:22 GMT -6 garrisonchisholm said:

That's fascinating Bcoop! Bravo Zulu! I'll give this a try.
Does the ship need gunnery logic assigned to it, or does that just appear once a ship has guns?

I don't know.  I'm not at war right now in my current game so I haven't been able to test them.

  

Dec 7, 2018 10:42:38 GMT -6 cwemyss said:

So, local control I assume.
Do generated TRs get a crew quality assigned?

Very cool modification, and would make the "mad DD sprint through a convoy" a bit more dicey.

Crew quality is tracked in the save game file when the ship is laid down, I don't see an entry for it in the ship templates themselves which makes sense since most are generic and not nation specific. I'm assuming that the scenario generator will give them whatever crew quality it normally does for ships that it generates specifically for that scenario like TR and small patrol craft.

Their fire control is listed as -1 in the file. From looking at the templates for the warship designs most if not all are 0 or 1. I may have to change this in the files. [Edit - I am going to change this and make them Fire control=0.  I'll repost the new files in the OP.]

If it works, for the convoy attacks where you get a division of destroyers I'm imagining a scene similar to a flight of Messerschmitts trying to attack a formation of B-17s.

[thatzenoguy]

Heh heh, awesome that you did it! Thanks.

[rob06waves2018]

I think it can work. You just need to add the line "RPG=120" (ammo) below the line "Obsolete date" otherwise it's got no shells to fire. I think the logic picks this up. You can also add armour and torpedoes if you want.

(I did this by opening the files on notepad)

(The RPG which I presume stands for rounds per gun can equal anything from 30-250 - I just thought it would be about right at 120)

Medium Merchant.sdf (3.88 KB) <- Amended original defensive design with one 4" gun and 120 shells. I've tested this one and I think it works. At least, the guns swivel towards an enemy and messages of firing come up.

Medium Merchant Heavy.sdf (3.98 KB) <- Just 'cause I wanted to, here's an up-gunned AMC type TR with 2" belt, 2 5" guns and 2 torpedo tubes. I haven't tested this one yet.

[rob06waves2018]

Dec 7, 2018 9:07:52 GMT -6 bcoopactual said:

[Edit - Update 1.2 to the merchants.  New upload, I added an entry for rounds per gun at rob06waves2018 's suggestion.  Thanks for the input.]

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Happy to help. I also got the stupidly overgunned one to work, but I wouldn't recommend it! I lost 2 BBs to their torpedoes! (I exited that game very quickly!