Is SH5 A Good CelNav Practice And Test Bed?

06-26-18, 08:31 PM

In a word, no. At least not according to my explorations in other threads and experimentations. If anyone knows differently, please advise me.

Given the SH series was never really intended to be a CelNav simulator platform it would be unfair to condemn all the beautiful work which Ubisoft has put into the software as well as all the talent which has been put into the modding. Super kudos to all!

However...

The purpose of this post/thread was to address the CelNav applicability for others who may wish to know.

There are two main issues which are the culprit...

An Inaccurate Star Field - All of the nautical almanacs of celestial bodies positions are based on the precise positions in the Celestial Sphere. Inaccurate positions can net LOP fixes which are hundreds or thousands of miles off the right place. The hazards of this are obvious.
A Flat World Map - The Mercator grid of the map essentially leaves the N/S distances unusable outside of the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Actually, they only seem to be accurate at the Equator, but becomes less accurate north or south with ever greater error on an exponential curve.

In closing, I encourage everyone to use SH for its intended purpose for which has been created and improved via modding. Perhaps the people at Ubisoft will read this and take the SH series to this next level of true mariners. Given the time frame of the SH series is before GPS, LORAN, etc., it seems to me improving the star field and map to resemble the real CelNav experience would add a new level of realism to SH. After all, how did those submarine commanders know how to get from one place to another?

06-26-18, 08:31 PM	#1
Capt Codetrucker Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	Is SH5 A Good CelNav Practice And Test Bed? In a word, no. At least not according to my explorations in other threads and experimentations. If anyone knows differently, please advise me. Given the SH series was never really intended to be a CelNav simulator platform it would be unfair to condemn all the beautiful work which Ubisoft has put into the software as well as all the talent which has been put into the modding. Super kudos to all! However... The purpose of this post/thread was to address the CelNav applicability for others who may wish to know. There are two main issues which are the culprit... An Inaccurate Star Field - All of the nautical almanacs of celestial bodies positions are based on the precise positions in the Celestial Sphere. Inaccurate positions can net LOP fixes which are hundreds or thousands of miles off the right place. The hazards of this are obvious. A Flat World Map - The Mercator grid of the map essentially leaves the N/S distances unusable outside of the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Actually, they only seem to be accurate at the Equator, but becomes less accurate north or south with ever greater error on an exponential curve. In closing, I encourage everyone to use SH for its intended purpose for which has been created and improved via modding. Perhaps the people at Ubisoft will read this and take the SH series to this next level of true mariners. Given the time frame of the SH series is before GPS, LORAN, etc., it seems to me improving the star field and map to resemble the real CelNav experience would add a new level of realism to SH. After all, how did those submarine commanders know how to get from one place to another?