Getting Started with SH4

[Aoogahman]

Hello Folks,

I'm new to the Subsim forum and just wanted to say hello, which I guess I already did.

Anyway, I installed SH4 Gold a few weeks ago and have been totally immersed in the manual and the American Submarine School since. I made up a strip with the F-key commands and taped it just above the keys in case of memory lapses, which I consider highly likely to occur.

Most of my time was spent in the navigation tutorial; that's where I tried out all of the assorted commands to get a general feel for how things work. It took me three or four tries before I could comfortably (i.e. very little panic) plot my course to the flag pole, crank up the time compression, and complete the mission.

Artillery training went well after a few tries (6-7). Same with the torpedo mission.

It wasn't until I got to the CONVOY ATTACK that I ran into serious difficulty. And that was mostly because I didn't pay enough attention to the mission statement (I later noted that it was full of good clues - like "Use the submarine capabilities at maximum"). My first try was a totally frustrating experience - nothing made any sense! Then I read online that others were unable to finish it and that there was something wrong with the tutorial, they couldn't get past the destroyer screen. Well, at least they found the destroyer screen.

On my second attempt, after a few nights of not sleeping well while mulling this over and planning it out in my subconscious mind, or maybe it was my conscious mind if I was awake, I found the screen, they found me (double pings), and I had to do something. So I went deep, then deeper, until I heard the report about passing through a thermal layer - Perfect! So I kept going till I couldn't here any pinging, went to AA Standard for a while and passed under the screen. When I came to periscope depth the whole convey was right in front of me; the closest were two large tankers. I was able to put one torpedo in the first one, and three in the trailing one and got my 10,000 tons. Cool! I felt great, had a party, and slept like a log that night.

So finally, I'm happy to be with the crew on Subsim, and look forward to heading off on the Midway mission, I think.

[Aktungbby]

Be more aggressive and not so full of ahooogah!......and again: Welcome aboard!

[THEBERBSTER]

A Warm Welcome To The Subsim Community > Aoogahman
Subsim <> Make A Donation <> See The Benefits <> Support The Community
SH3 – 4 - 5 Tutorials And Other Information Links In My Signature Below

[cdrsubron7]

Welcome aboard, Aoogahman. Happy to have you with us.


The Berbster's tutorials are the best. You can't go wrong when looking at them. Got questions, don't be afraid to ask, there always someone here with an answer, more than than one most of the time.

[Rockin Robbins]

My advice would be to learn boat handling first. Keep automatic targeting and learn how to position your boat, what setups work best for shooting torpedoes, get a feel for destroyer detection of your boat, get crash dives, leveling off at the depth you want, silent running, running decks awash, planning an approach and all the nuts and bolts of being where you need to be when you need to be there.

Then after boat handling is automatic, it's time to go to manual targeting, if you're interested, and learn how to make booms! I'm also not a believer in "realism mode" where you basically put a paper bag over your head and pretend it's realistic. Leave map contacts on. You get too much information, but you don't have to use it.

Make your own sightings for bearing and range, plot those and use those for handling your navigation. I don't think the devs did a good job of separating navigation from situational plots and you give up too much when you shut down map contacts.

[Aoogahman]

Thanks for the warm welcomes and the sage advise. Especially the part about just learning how to drive the boat and leaving the auto-targeting on. The manual targeting can wait till later. I'm all for that at this stage.

I had already looked over some of The Berbster's stuff and found it very helpful and a good resource for future needs. Thanks for the reminder.

One oddity I've noticed so far is the instrument layout at the conning tower steering station. From left to right there 's a depth gauge where the port MOT should be, a Rudder Angle Indicator, the gyro repeater (where the starboard MOT should be), and finally, out of reach, the starboard MOT. Way different from the layout at the control room station, which is the way it ought to be, at least in my experience. Anybody know a good reason for this or it just some details that slipped through the cracks during development?

[propbeanie]

... there are LOTS of cracks in the armor... - Team A had the conn, Team B had the bridge, and Team C had the Control Room - and never the twain shall meet (or would that be "never the treble shall meet"??)...

Welcome to SubSim Aoogahman!

[Aoogahman]

Thanks for the welcome.

And yeah. That must be why they have the diving officer issuing orders to the helmsman at the backup station in control - because the helmsman got too confused when trying to do his job at the normal steering station in the conn. I love this game!

[BarracudaUAK]

I think your first mistake was starting.


You are now doomed to many more nights playing, and perusing the forums, discussing all manner methods and techniques with witch to snag your prey.


You know you've been bitten by the "stealth/sneak" bug when you start playing the Splinter Cell series as well, and laughing while you hang on a pipe while the oblivious gaurd walks under you.


Also happens when you are "in" your sub.
"I'M RIGHT HERE GUYS, HELLO? What, no ping? Maybe 1 ping? No? Fine."
*Fires torpedo*
*Explosion*
*Frantic pinging*
*Rampant and frantic pinging*
"NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!"
*Fires another torpedo"
*Explosion*

Rinse, Repeat.


Also, keep in mind, you have gone to far when you play in the dark, with nothing but the glow of your monitor.
AND you smell like fuel, exhaust, and motor oil.

Or maybe that's just because I was under the hood of a car recently????


Anyhoo, welcome to the insane asylum, enjoy your stay.


Barracuda

[jimmbbo]

Welcome to the SS Forum! The game is certainly addictive, and also excellently designed to allow a new skipper to succeed after mastering the basics, then improve skills as competency improves.

The longevity of the game speaks well to its basic design, and it's a shame that Ubisoft dropped the product, and we are fortunate that the modders have really done remarkable work to continue to bring life to it

[Aoogahman]

Thanks for rolling out the welcome mat, or should it be a plank (?), for me.

Now, as I sit here spraying salt water mist in my face, humming sea shanties, and drinking grog with the room rigged for red, I'm forced to contemplate my next mission. Should I stay in 1941 or move on up to 43-44 where I can get one of them cool, new, Gato-class boats? Hmmm.

The highlight of my last (and first) mission occurred after I got into Osaka harbor, after I got the photos, after I got out of Osaka, and after I made multiple crash dives to avoid aircraft as I crossed the Pacific on my way back to Pearl. At this point I was smiling all the way.

Suddenly, as I was roaring along in high-compression mode, another aircraft popped up and I frantically dove as before. But this time I hit the "D" key, which should be labeled "D for Don't" because instantly, as fast as all those dastardly little bytes could arrange it, we spun out and dove into the seabed - Game over...Sorry, you lose.....Thanks for trying. It actually took me a while to figure this out. That was after I got done blaming the developers for this weird glitch in the program. Then it occurred to me that the "P" and "C" commands both have set depth limits, but the "D" command doesn't. Well "D" for Duh!

So, regarding the part about "designed to allow a new skipper to succeed after mastering the basics" I now unquestionably, totally, and 100 percent redundantly agree. Thanks for the clue!

PS, if there's such a thing in a forum, the crash and burn didn't save, so I was able to reload and go back and finish that first mission. Can I do that?

The next mission that came up for me was another photo recon. No way Jose. I'm moving up to 43-44 and a Gato. At least I'll have the normal 6-4 tube arrangement to work with - and I'm removing the "D" key from the keyboard.