Anyone use the Magnetic denenation method?
 

i just realized i've never really used the magnetic detonation system. I've always used the detonate on impact because it just seems to make more sense. but there are times when you just miss your target slightly and that torpedo just slides right by, and we all know how mad that makes you.

i confess, i don't really know how to use the magnetic method. how do you actually tell it to detonate? is there a button to push?

all the guides i've read all talk about using the detonate on contact method, it seems no one really talked about how to properly use the magnetic impact system.

There is a switch on the torpedo settings slide out. If you leave it be it's on magenetic contact (meaning it will go boom on magnetic or contact).

TO make it go boom using the magnetic sensor it has to run UNDER the target (about 1-2 meters, so I reckon 3-6 feet). If the torps are no dud or deep runners or in any other way flawed. They should go boom, resulting in a massive fireball and a broken keel.

Set the fish's running depth to two meters above than the keel depth of your target, on account of the fact that they run somewhat deep. Fire as normal. As the fish passes under the target, it should explode. However the magnetic influence fuze is depth sensitive so it's not reliable in heavy seas.

You can forget about impact detonators. The only place where the magnetic detonators historically had major problems was in the Norway fjords. You can use a magnetic detonator and set it to 2 meters below the water and it will have even more chances to explode as impact eels sometimes bounce off.

The beauty about magnetic det. is that the torpedo can explode under a target. This is most useful when shooting at a target from weird angles (for example, from behind). At such angles, setting the torpedo BELOW the enemy keel is a MUST, otherwise they'll bounce off 99% of the time (I even had one hit the proppelers and thrown out).

Since this is about ATO addons, I take it you're using OM. In that case always set your eels to exactly the draft (keep depth) of a target, not above, not below. (Ok, you can go 0.5 meters below but not more). Most merchant ships have a curvature near the keel. As your torpedo gets under the target, it will detonate before bouncing off the keel. In GWX I had never used magnetic detonators. In OM I use them all the time. Historically, depth keeping was a problem, eels running 2 meters below their set value. After they found that out, the captains aimed 2 meters above precious settings, before the torpedo problem was resolved with the new models. However, a torpedo going 2 meters below the keel of a 3000 ton ship would still go BOOM any day so don't bother with that issue. So I repeat, always set your eels to exactly the keel depth of a target, not above, not below.

thanks people. i'll try those suggestions, and play around with the magnetic det method. hopefully it'll work out better and get used to it. i am currently running the game with 45% difficulty. i pretty much do my own plotting and calculation for navigation, but when it comes to targeting, i still use auto targeting system.

so i just tried out the magnetic det today on this one lonnng patrol, i have to say they're pretty effective. Or maybe because my capaign has already made its way into 1945, but they do seem to inflict a greater damage than impact method. on two occasions, i was able to sink all three Victory cargo with one single fish.

but is it just me or is Liberty Cargo is toughest SOB in the sea, these guys just refuse to go down, i ran into 7 of them today and each require at least 3~4 fishes to bring one down. :down:

i also noticed that the weapons officer like you said tends to set the depth of fish to exactly 1 meter higher than the keel depth of the ship, regardless how many times i hit the "send keel depth info to the computer", it's always exactly 1 meter higher. would this be ok? or should i manually set it to the exact depth.

I've never used Auto Targetting in SH4 so I don't know why they're set that way. There's no shame in saving/loading and shooting some eels for practice, they're free anyway. Use the event cam or the external cam to analyze the results :arrgh!:

:timeout: while it wasnt as major a problem as duds were the magnetic fuses were known to occassionally go off premature and you see them just explode halfway to the target so they did have issues of their own but luckily the game doesnt let the DD "see" these torpedo explosions unless it close to a ship so it doesnt always alert them as it should if this happens.

Just a thought: Did you click the red "Manual Input" button in the Attack Map to turn it green? When it's red you can't change anything but the speed.

that's interesting, i always have mine in auto, but even then, there're still a few settings available. i can still change the depth setting, and it does seem to reflect, as well as a speed setting that allows you to change it from Fast/Medium/Slow.