Launch Transients and Seeing Weapons
 

So, I'm playing along in an encounter, and I see a torpedo suddenly appear on the map, but don't hear an accompanying, "launch transient on the bearing of..." message.

Did my sonar actually detect that launch transient, then, or am I being fed knowledge (someone just let a fish off) that I shouldn't actually know?

Little things like this are kind of annoying in how they break immersion and give me cheating knowledge. I know where the sound of an enemy torp is coming from - same for launch transients, but how do I know exactly where they are? At least you could argue my crew is doing some really fast TMA on the torpedoes, but not the launch transients.

This is also something from stock Dangerous Waters and Sub Command that had been fixed with the RA mod. Your sonarman in those games would pick up launch transients from many many many miles away. There's nothing anti-physical about picking up a torpedo after its been swimming for some while and from such a distance that you wouldn't be able to hear a launch transient.

They're called transients for a reason. Unless the coffee's potent, everyone's on the ball, and the primary operator is listening to that particular bearing, they're possible to miss, unless close aboard and very loud.

There's another launch mode that is very quiet: swim-out, as opposed to being impulse out of the tube by water. It also depends greatly on the relative bearing the launch point originates. A broadband noise in the baffles can be very hard to detect. High-speed screws, with their very loud dB level propagating in all directions with an accompanying active torpedo search sonar is a different story.

CCC

it would be nice though if the sonarman would give the "Torpedo in the water" when the torpedo is detected on sonar, rather then when it goes active. I always feel like "gee thanks Jonesy, I saw that fish 5 minutes ago and you don't say anything until it's range gating?"

This is where Dangerous water got it wrong. Your crew cannot monitor sound from all around the sub at all time at max range. If you have a possible contact and is actively (not active sonar) listening in that direction. You might pick up a far away launch. If not, you may not detect the torp until you pick up the screw noise or until the sonar goes active. Also, a Real world tactic is to launch from tubes on the side of the sub away from the contact to use the hull to help block the launch tanscient which I don't think is currently modeled in game.