Quote:
Originally Posted by Max Montana
Hello guys,
Just a note that this is GWX 3.0
So it is July 1940, I am intercepting enemy convoy just 500km from the Channel, heading to North Africa most likely.
In the process of continious hydrophone checking I have run into this convoy steaming right into me, and even though I wanted to sneak in night time, I decided to use a chance and infiltrate head on.
Having found that head escort is rarely patrolling but rather going straight, I took upon a parallel course a hundred meters to the frigate's starboard.
Depth is 80m, silent running on 1kn. I am able to pass through it, but when I am at her ~90 degrees she suddenly turns the sonar on and starts to depth charge the area.
Although her attack was far from accurate, it has frightened the convoy making it harder for me to strike when I am in the middle of it, few dozens of minutes later.
I should also add that the weather was quite stormy (You couldn't use a deck gun for comparison)
The question: Is it normal? I mean, I would understand this kind of marvelous hearing at later years, maybe even in 1941. This is way too unrealistic though, and even as I am still conducting successful attacks I am thinking to abandon the idea of conducting any type of surface attack (that I am yet to try) if escorts are this overbuffed in GWX.
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First of all, welcome to SubSim!
“Silent Running” does not mean what it says. Silent running is not silent. It is quiet, as quiet as a 200-foot-long, steel sewer pipe full of 40 men and lots of equipment can make itself. But it is never silent. The planes have to move, the rudder has to move, the electric motors run, the shafts turn in their bearings. Water drips, a man farts, the cook drops a spoon. All small, quiet noises, but sound travels remarkably well through water. If the boat is close to a sensitive listening device, someone may pick up a small sound, and the escort captain may “light up” the sonar and even drop a few depth charges just in the chance that they will frighten off a possible intruder. It’s only a possible detection, but it can be enough to spoil an attack.
Think of a hybrid car pulling up to a stop sign. It is quiet, very quiet compared to a diesel garbage truck. But it’s not silent, especially if you are standing close to it. You will know that a 15-foot-long, 3500 lb vehicle just went by.
In game terms, hydrophone contact is simulated by a detection probability. This probability is checked against a random number at regular intervals, probably once every second or so. Running “silent” at 1 kt, the probability of detection should be pretty low. But it is finite, and so detection (in the game) is possible. Remember, your chances of winning the lottery are very small, but somebody wins all the time. And the probability of detection at 100 m is four times as great as at 200 m.
I’ve played GWX a fair amount. I didn’t find the escorts to be overrated, especially early in the war. I’d suggest you not draw too strong a lesson from one event. Play a little more to get a better feel for what works and what doesn’t.
Good luck and good hunting!