timing torpedos

[rat sub]

hi to you all i was playing sh4 and fired a couple of torpedos at a simple gun boat with one escort and as soon as i fired the gun boat turn and i missed the shot.
have the japs have a timed evaision pattern and is it a zig sag one, i have sank four ship with eight torpedos the rest are just misses please help

rat sub

[buddha95]

Son,
Every skipper has his own way. I creap in to 'bout 700 yds, then fire at fast settings. I guess that to be about 25 yds / second. In 28 seconds they go BOOM !
even if they start up or change it still usually hits em.
Puts a turd in ole Tojo's ricebowl !:arrgh!:

[Von Manteuffel]

buddha95's got it - get close and run 'em fast. Escorts and gunboats follow a zig-zag pattern. This both for safety and so that they can cruise at a higher speed - ready to pounce - without leaving their slower companions behind.

You can predict the pattern of turns after a while, but the math in working out the firing soluton is complex. Better to get close, run torps fast and set to magnetic detonation at keel depth, or a little below. That way you should be on target and the magnetic detonator prevents a "misfire" when a contact torpedo hits the hull of the target at too acute an angle and just bounces off.

[Seminole]

hi to you all i was playing sh4 and fired a couple of torpedos at a simple gun boat with one escort and as soon as i fired the gun boat turn and i missed the shot.
rat sub


Read this:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=140626

Sometimes no matter what you do it ain't good enough.



On the other hand I just posted a reply the other day about scoring 4 hits from 4,000 yards.

It takes consistent practice to become efficient with targeting. Manual targeting that is. I started out disgusted that I couldn't hit the broadside of a 10,000 tonner from 500 yards. Now I can't recall the last miss I had...but as I have stated in other threads I'm thinking a lot of that is due to version 1.5 Gold more than to any remarkable skill on my part. Just stick with it though ...get in close..get at 90 degree angles..stay undetected... and you'll see your score improve...even if the odd one does do something surprizing on the odd occassion.

[Webster]

extra note, the sub chaser and gunboats are very very shallow draft so set your torps to run shallow

[Arclight]

...
It takes consistent practice to become efficient with targeting. Manual targeting that is. I started out disgusted that I couldn't hit the broadside of a 10,000 tonner from 500 yards. Now I can't recall the last miss I had...but as I have stated in other threads I'm thinking a lot of that is due to version 1.5 Gold more than to any remarkable skill on my part.
...Yeah, accuracy is of the charts for me as well. Took a shot when the target was at 8000 yards, by the time the torps got there they must have traveled 6500 to 7000 yards. Fired spread of 4, only reason 2 of 'm missed is cause the spread was to big for all to hit. 2 hit and 2 detonations (miraculously).

The view after the hits, still a fair distance: http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj2/EZatHome/SH4Img2008-08-29_183855_000.jpg

On topic: Sometimes they'll just spot them right away, no avoiding it. Especially warships, like gunboats and destroyers, pick up fast on torpedo tracks. After that they'll just turn away from you and keep zig-zagging away (well, not warships, they'll turn to run you down). Takes some experience to hit a maneuvering target. Best advice I can give is; observe, and time your shots carefully. ;)