Back into this
 

I took a break from this, but now heavily back into this with a vengeance and boy is it tough. I read Thunder Below! and I recommend that to any Kaulien as it has improved my overall approach. I also recommend the U-Boat manual as that has improved my overall approach too.

IMHO Real Navigation is a must, there is nothing quite like trying to reach an unknown port, working out where the hell you are/identifying buoys etc. Gives a real appreciation of RL. I tried to calc a LOP from a sun sight and worked out I was in downtown Berlin - I'm sure that was an error of the start field + flat map rather than my poor technique ;)

Also the 4 bearing method is one of the most amazing things I have ever come across.

I also have had to adapt from flying jet sims to the timeline of this where things here happen at a different pace! The points of not having enough time are different somehow.

Anyway, a couple of questions:

1. Can I rely on the navigators calculation of target speed and AOB or do I HAVE to use an attack plot method? I have had varying degrees of success for both.

2. How do I know when escorts have found me on their ASDIC sets? I hear pinging, and sometimes it seems very loud.

3. Does the AI have to switch off their ASDIC for depth charge attacks? I have tried going flank when the sound guy says Wasser bomb, sometimes works sometimes doesn't. (the escorts are obsessive little beasties - again reading Thunder Below! makes one realise that things that are referenced in a sentence were probably brown trousers terrifying!).

3a - when to deploy decoys?

4. Do motors charge batteries at a constant rate regardless of RPM?

I would also like thank everyone who has done the WoS mod, and all the support + tips. It is a great experience to get some indication of the what it must have been like to fight in a submarine from either side.

Thanks.

I can only respond to your first 2 points...


1) NO, with Manual TDC you must figure out target speed by other means, there is an additional TWoS mod that you can load and that will allow your crew to identify target, but that's the only help you will get from them, except a rough distance approx. from your sonar man - if you are lucky.


2) For that you would have to make the sonar cones of the enemy display on the map (or the TAI). For that you need to make changes in the OFEV. It wouldn't help you very much as you need to get deep asap, quieten and pray anyway - should you see these cones or not...

I have to correct my response 1) above:


You CAN indeed get the Weapon Officer to make a speed estimate (hover over one of the command icons of him to see the info), but it appears that you have to know first the AOB and other data, so I don't think it's that useful or fast, and how precise it is I have no idea. It's possible that his calculation improves if you give him more 'points', it would be logic but here also: I don't know.
Sorry for the error, but I rarely use any crew help except ship ID from WO because it compensates the long searching in the ID book and bad flag visibility in the periscope (which all is realistic but tedious to play...)


About speed: I find that the Captain's Log messages saying '...fast...medium...slow' coupled with the ship type gives a good estimate to start with.

Thanks
 

Thanks for the advice. I have been away and itching to get back into this. As a side note, we went across the English Channel on a ferry...I spent my time trying to estimate AOB of the other ships I saw (!)