Going bonkers "Silent Service" - 688i
 

Hiya skippers, I have a huge problem. I try the training errand dubbed "Silent Service" and my objective is to race past two angry Spruance in full speed utilising the thermal. I do just that. The big problem is that the finish line is 50 nautical south of starting position, so I am actually 90 nautical south of that, and here I am, poor in performance.

Pointers?

Err. thanks in advance.

If I remember correctly, and it has been quite a while since I've done it, I just head for the finish point and dodge around or pass in front of the two frigates. The first one is fairly easy to pass in front of, but the second requires a bit more finesse. As they say, practice, practice, practice! The skills gained will stand you in good stead later on.

:Kaleun_Salute:

well if it isnt bait! :D how are you doing my friend thank you for stopping by. miss the old days here on subsim and miss you all, mottley crew!

I did open up the mission in editor to see if there was a demarcation line for the "finish line". It turns out the line is a actually a trigger area shaped into a slender rectangle by the coordinates 39-54 N / 070-57 W depth 2493 ft. And for such a spot to traverse in 5 knots while doing all of tma and ssp and navigating, crew off ops, its hell. I did re-run it again and parked at these coordinates and admiral Sako greeted me on the horn with a mission completion transmission.

Doing well, thank you! Hope you are the same.
I spend most of my submariner days in SH4, especially with the latest FOTARS Ultimate. Very absorbing. But I do monitor the 688i forums just to see if anything new comes up.

Just a thought - regarding the demarcation line, wasn't the ending position specified in the mission orders? That's how I remember it, but I'm too lazy to load it up to check.

688i became very challenging for me. I can never get through the escort missions without losing either the ships I am supposed to protect or my own boat. I think I lack the patience to work it all out. I can do the training missions just fine, but when it gets "real" I am your basic screw-up. I think I have only successfully escorted the task force to its destination one time! But, ifI ever get bored running WWII era subs, I'll try the 688i again. That's why I keep it around. It's my fallback game.

Have you tried the new Cold Waters? It is supposed to be a conceptual replacement for Red Storm Rising and perhaps 688i. I have to wait until my domestic accountant allows me to buy it, but it is on the table. :)


Good Hunting!

:salute:

Ooo LOVELY! I've been waiting 20 years to pass this tip on; to be honest I thought everyone knew and used it.
The advice and info already given is accurate and excellent; the point of the mission is to train and practice in the tense, calculating world of underwater warfare. There is, however, another way to do it and this is also a useful skill: CHEAT! :D

Don't worry; I don't mean exploit a bug or anything, I mean go James Kirk on your testing officers and leave them scratching their heads wondering where the heck 6000 tons of sub went.

As an old Recce man I don't like going in the front door; I look for other ways and as it happens, there is a narrow channel which you can use to confound the Spruances. They can't find you if you're not there to find...so don't go past them; go around them.

It works like this: the scenario is designed with shallow water to the East and VERY shallow water to the west. This is supposed to funnel you into the desirable deeper water and thus straight at the destroyers. But that very shallow water to the west contains a narrow trench that can be navigated to reach the finish line undetected and under time.

Upon starting the mission don't extend anything - no antennae, no sensors. Leave the towed stowed. Keep the hull clean as possible; you won't need anything and it wouldn't help anyway. This is a speed run - you'll be flying blind.

Set your depth to 56 feet; so that the top of the tower is just under water. Turn to heading 240 and set speed to flank - it will remain there for the entire mission. You'll cavitate like crazy but don't worry; you're far too far away for the Spruances to pick you up.

As you approach it, look at the shallow feature to the southwest: the lightest blue part shaped like the sole of a shoe. It's too big to go around in time and too shallow to navigate while submerged...except for one small channel. That channel lies about halfway along the feature right at the narrowest point. As you look at it you will see a point where the northern and southern edges are very close together - that is your target. Roar down to that point, and sail through it on a heading of 160. Monitor your depth closely; you'll be almost scraping the bottom all the way through. The gap is narrow so you'll need to watch closely to avoid running aground.

Once through the shallowest part, turn to 120 and inch downward as the sea floor begins to lower. Once past the next-lightest layer turn to 90 and continue following the sea floor downward until you reach a comfy non-cavitating depth of 400ft. Congratulations! You've just passed with flying colours; the Spruance Captains want to shake your hand and compliment you on your stealth as you crept past them, heh heh heh. ;)

Give it a shot - there aren't many places in the game where you get to drop the hammer, put the pedal to the metal and burn neutrons so this is a ton of fun.

LOL! This speaks volumes about the quality of Sonalyst games. Somehow I don't see many people playing Call of Duty TWENTY years after it was released!

:up:

RBG

welcome back!
 

:Kaleun_Cheers:

FWIW, the whole trick in Earning Your Dolphins is to stay slow and stay LOW. :03:
Keep the boat close (about 30 feet) to the bottom as you drive along and you'll get lost in the background clutter. Then, just aim for the finishing point. Use your speed to maintain distance from the skimmers and you shouldn't need to alter course at all.

The real goal of that first mission is learning how to read your mission briefing, it tells you *everything* you need to know. :yeah:

Sorry, but some of us still play COD, from the original version right up through Ghosts and Black Ops. Sonalyst did good, though!