The Two Most Important Fixes We Need...

[ElAurens]

1. All problems associated with in game saves. Stuttering time compression, eternally waiting (Please Wait) for the game to load after the "loading" screen is finished, totally changed tactical situations after loading a save.

2. The "Patrol Area x" mission objective that can never be accomplished. I.E. After completeing your initial mission objective you are told to patrol a new area, and after dutifully mucking about well within 100nm of the center of the designated area for days on end, and after sinking numerous enemy ships, the mission is still unfullfilled.

[zylark]

And not to forget the radar issue (though worked around in mods) or the chronometer for those that like their TDC manual.

Oh, and repeating missions.

And could anyone turn the IJN sonar operators onto some cool addictive music. My engines and creaking noises can't be all that exciting now, can it? I mean, I try to be kind and keep the noise down, but will they return the favour?

Bastards

As for stuttering time compression: It's the nature of the beast, if you don't like it upgrade your CPU, or don't go over the "stutter" treshold (not applicable in the vicinity of multiple contacts, like say a convoy. A dead giveaway BTW if something interesting is close by. If it stutters, something of a target rich enviroment can be found for those that care to look). A lot of tedious and constant computations happen at TC, the stutters are just your computers way of saying it's enough already.

[GSpector]

Originally Posted by ElAurens

2. The "Patrol Area x" mission objective that can never be accomplished. I.E. After completing your initial mission objective you are told to patrol a new area, and after dutifully mucking about well within 100nm of the center of the designated area for days on end, and after sinking numerous enemy ships, the mission is still unfullfilled.

I've made no changes to SH4 in regards to this problem but I followed the directions/advice from another poster on "Guide: How to Complete a Mission"

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=111509

When you are told to patrol an area, patrol it for 48 hrs.

I tried this and watched the clock and the Orders screen and sure enough, when 48hrs passed, the icon turned gray. I just tried to stay closer to the icon since I did not want to accidentally get outside the 100 NM radius and have to restart the clock.

[zylark]

For patrol missions, I just pull out the compass, draw a 100km cirkle (yes, metric. you translate. How do you live with imperial measurements at any rate, doesn't make any sense) and keep within it for 48 hours. No need to push anything. Haven't failed me yet.

Oh, and I know, my "restriction" is more than conservative.

[CaptainHaplo]

The above posts are dead on when it comes to completing missions. Havent had that fail me yet.

As for the save game issues - corruption and "tactical change" - both can be mitigated by what has been found to be the way to correctly save in SH3/4.
1 - save on the surface - never submerged
2 - save when your not close to shipping - nothing within visual range is far enough away to be effective.
3 - save from the "map" screen instead of looking at all the pretty ocean from the bridge or whatnot....
These steps will keep you from corrupting a save - and in the process stop any tactical changes that sink your boat. They also keep you from saving right before you launch that single torp trying to hit the perfect spot on the yamato to take her down. No one shot - one kill in this game for most!

I do agree that they should fix the savegame to where we can do it whenever and however we want - but that never got done in sh3 and this is the same engine - so there may be an issue that they are not able to solve with the given resources....

As for the chronometer - alot of people seem to want it. Not a big thing on my list - but as its in the manual it oughta work.

My biggest issues with SH4 is the borked damage control and AI (convoy/tf/escort) routines. But hey, everyone has their priorities, and yours are just as valid as anyone elses.

Good Hunting!
Captain Haplo

[-Pv-]

I have hundreds of hours in the sim and as many saves. I have not seen one "tactical corruption." All detected forces are as when saved.

One thing that may be confusing some people is the map display is zoom dependant. Various contacts will only display at a particular zoom so zooming in or out may make them seem to disappear although they are still there.

Surface or submerged has had absolutely no impact on the quality or integrity of my saves or restores. I save equally in both states with no concern. I didn't have this problem in SH3 either.

-Pv-

[DiveMonkey]

And don't forget, if you should come across a convoy or task force in root to your patrol, radio in for instructions before you wade in sinking everything in sight!

More than once Ive been ordered to "break contact! Other assets will be assigned"

I wish we could get this campaign engine in SHIII

[zylark]

You have? Break contact? What makes you follow orders

I try to report in (forget now and again), but it is not always, umm, prudent. And even when I do, seldomly do I get any specific orders. Well, never really. Not yet. I need to play some more methinks

[DiveMonkey]

My wife!

You need to be surfaced for radio contact.

I usually radio contact at about 8000 yards, than order ahead slow.
while I wait for the reply, I get me bearings to targets...takes a min or two but they call back

[ElAurens]

Guys, I have patrolled some designated areas for 6 to 7 days, stayed within 100 nautical miles, sunk ships, reported convoys, etc... and still have not had the objective completed.

I'm not making this stuff up.

[SteamWake]

Crhonomiter (sp?)

Radar.

Have never had a problem fullfilling a mission.

[Hartmann]

IA behaviour, ships slow down when other ships are hit

chronometer, radar...

[cappy70]

...........convoys waiting for to be sunk after an explosion.."see now,,one of our fellow ship are sunk by a sub,,let us gather/slow down and look".........:hmm: :hmm: :hmm:

[vindex]

#1) The radar. Does anyone have a mod that truly fixes it? Please tell me if they do. The only fix I've seen makes it so SD radars reveals all surface contacts, when it should only alert you to air contact range w/o direction. My understanding is that, in early war patrols, we essentially have a choice of going out blind (no radar) or with what is effectively SJ radar way too early in the war.

#2) Rangefinder on the TDC. Aiming at the top of the mast gives VERY unpredictable results because all the measurements are screwed up and are only calculated in meters. Even with a measurement tweak for Jap ships, the fact that there is no meter-to-yard conversion means the ranges will still be wrong. Since this game should be played in imperial units, that's screwed up.

[ccruner13]

Originally Posted by DiveMonkey

My wife!

You need to be surfaced for radio contact.

I usually radio contact at about 8000 yards, than order ahead slow.
while I wait for the reply, I get me bearings to targets...takes a min or two but they call back

i can radio in at 10 meters still and as soon as its posted in my log i make for the depths...before the message pops up you can check the objectives in your log too. if there isnt a new objective they are going to tell you to leave them alone...i also use this to get their speed which is reported in the log as well

just hope they dont ask you to take out the fricken escorts tho