Crazy AI detection ranges.....
 

Seems that enemy destroyers can detect you at ridiculous ranges on the surface. This wasn't the case in SH3 GWX. I could actually get within the convoys in that game sometimes and do some damage on the surface. Most of the time got to within 1.5k-3k meters and launched at my targets. Talking about 1939-1941 time period. Played at 88% realism too.

Seems like there would be no way to do a night surface attack in this game at all. I know the U.S. subs had a larger visual profile than Uboats but still..... I'll get detected at 10,000 yards and their artillery is deadly accurate to boot. They'll fire 1 shot and that might miss but their second or third shot is sure to hit. This is all while I hit flank speed and do 90 degree turn. Any observations or pointers? Thanks in advance. Running this mod loadout........


RFB_2.0 (Real Fleet Boat)
RFB_2.0_Patch_23April2010
RSRDC_RFB_V575 (Run Silent Run Deep Campaign)
RSRDC_V5xx_Patch1
Improved Ship Physics 2.15

did you do a clean install or did you remove mods then add mods without a clean game? If you didnt do a clean run then there may be left over files that were changed that i causing this. I run the same mods and do not have this issue.

Been a lot of debate on doing night surface attacks. I use TMO and no way you could do one within a reasonable range, turn and escape, except with some novice escorts.

My fix was to make a night environment as realistic looking as I could. I did most of my changes to the env. atl file. I made the night env darker and tinkered with light settings {moon} to increase light. Also had to adjust AI a tad. The goal was to make visuals realistic at night, without messing up visuals during the day. I tried numerous test runs and could basically get to within 1500 if I attacked right with the moon. Now, if moon bright and overhead, much harder and you can't get as close.

The other thing I hated was being able to see the enemy at night when my crew couldn't. I finally got it adjusted to where it was close. The goal was for the crew to see a ship as soon as I could, but actually the watch would call one out before I could see it by about 500-1000 yards. I accepted this as OK, afterall they are the watch, higher up and better than them not seeing something I could clearly see.

I also cut all the searchlights off merchants and capital ships. Having read numerous books, I seldom read where merchants would use searchlights when under attack, because it made them a easy target to see.

I got about 90% done, then my PC blew and I never fixed it. I did email several what I was using and could probably get a copy, but it's TMO..

Yes I uninstalled the whole game and removed as many leftover files after the uninstall that I could find. I then reinstalled the game and added the mods after that. This issue happened before and after the uninstall/reinstall. Does campaign difficulty level have anything to do with this?

its crap like this this that make me sorry I bought this game. Does not fit reality at all. Sigh. :down:

The difficulty setting only affects renown percentage, and you can custom tune it in options, gameplay before starting a patrol. The AI is totally unaffected by easy hard very hard whatever, those settings only set the sub's handicaps like realistic battery discharge, sensors, torpedo reload speed, etc.

Main reason I don't play with mega mods is because all of them seem to focus on making the AI harder to beat, and to me the stock AI cheats by using the Psychic Friends Network to find out where you are. The basic programming for the AI makes them either so stupid they can't detect you 500 yards away in CAVU conditions or so clairvoyant they make a beeline for you from 100 miles away. The mega mods don't help that, they just raise the average to a higher level.

There's a whole thread on this with some solutions;

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=210786