Enemy SOS message

[SCPOTurner]

Would it be difficult to add a sound file that is triggered (a) the first time a target spots the boat; (b) the first torpedo hit; or (c) the first deck gun hit? During the war, in any of these events, the target ship immediately transmitted "SSS SSS... and position" info. For the sake of simplicity, the transmission could be gibberish that begins with SSS SSS SSS. As TWoS plays right now, to hear an SOS transmitted as the first sign of trouble to the world, seems a little late.

[XenonSurf]

What do you mean by a 'sound file which triggers when your boat is detected'? Sounds like a cheat to me, you should never know when you are detected (although you can probably set the OFEV in order to know...).

What is not a cheat is that your radio operator (or the enemy one) if he is competent, he can intercept messages from other ships, and one of these messages can be a detection report of your boat, although I don't think that in real-life 1940 this was done so easily... It is also only of little tactical benefit because you should almost always assume you are detected if you get too active or too close, and expect some planes to come join the party. That's why I always move away at flank for some time after finishing dealing with enemies, so I confuse any possible radio report which was sent. Real skippers surely did the same.

It's a fatality that the commander of the Bismark was underestimating enemy radio interception capability. This was the main reason for his destruction instead of reaching safely the port of Lorient I think. It's curious that submarine tactics were more aware of this, a reason why most subs were equiped with the 'Enigma' coder for messages.

[SCPOTurner]

Definitely not a cheat!! Check out any detailed U-boote history such as "Operation Drum Beat" (Operation Paukenschlage), the assault on the American East Coast focused on Reinhard's U-123. Whenever an enemy merchant REALIZED it was under attack, it immediately attempted to transmit SSS SSS SSS followed by lat and long. A merchant under attack by a surface raider, such as Atlantis or Graf Spee transmitted RRR RRR RRR for raider. That is why boat commanders wanted the merchant's radio shack eliminated as soon as possible. The enemy would include his latitude and longitude to alert any friendlies nearby to come to assist, and simultaneously alert all to the position of the submarine.

Why would this be considered a cheat?? I'm not suggesting that the code be transmitted BEFORE the player's boat is detected. That would be ridiculously unrealistic. I'm asking that a modder consider adding the "Holy crap! I'm under attack by a submarine!" signal SSS SSS SSS.

It's not only historically correct, a lot more realistic than only hearing a "Too late, I'm sinking" after a ship's been damaged by a torpedo or has been trying to outrun a surfaced boat plinking at him with his deck gun for the last thirty minutes.

[XenonSurf]

But SCPOTurner, in WoS merchands do use the radio to spread your position once they detect you, or am I confounding it with SH3? In SH3 it's definitly there, and I think also in SH5. Only that there is no 'sound' or anything to notify you - it's only such a notification as you suggest above that would be a cheat IMO.

Take a look in the Captain's Log, I'm sure you find such reports that have detected your sub, provided that your operator has recorded them: this should not happen all the time, unless merchands and other neutrals were *always* sending at the same frequency, in this case your operator would intercept ALL such reports...which I don't know.

And of course, as I said, I always assume that such reports of my sub are sent unless I'm invisible to the enemy and I sink the ship pretty fast, in this case I'm pretty sure no report was sent.
But what do you want exactly? Still I don't understand...Do you want a 'prove' that such a report is sent? Or not sent? But that would not be very realistic...

[SCPOTurner]

In SH4, when an enemy becomes aware of the presence of a submarine, it immediately begins to zig-zag. At that point, the enemy has obviously spotted a surfaced boat, a periscope, or a torpedo wake. In SH5 similar spottings must occur. In SH5, if I am attacking an enemy on the surface and am pumping shells into him, he makes no attempt to notify the world that he's under attack. During that attack, the enemy should be sending out repeated reports "SSS SSS SSS..." In SH5 he never sends a message until his crew is taking to the lifeboats.

What I'd like is a new sound file that simulates the enemy realizing a submarine is attacking him and is reporting his presence.

I've noticed that some of the canned intercepted messages from enemy ships in distant locations include the SSS in the text. I'd like to see that happen with ships I'm attacking.

I'll check my message log to see if the radioman has notified the captain that the target is transmitting, but I don't think that's happening.

[bstanko6]

My grandfather was a chief radioman in diesel electric boats, then transferred to the nuclear boats. That was his primary job intercepting radio calls and letting the command know if they were spotted, any other sounds transmitted by the target RadioShack. So it is realistic. It would be cool to get a sound byte from the radio man that we have been detected!

[XenonSurf]

I have played the stock game for awhile, and I think to remember that you precisely get a message if the enemy detects you, just after sending his alert message. But too much time has passed , so I'm not sure anymore.
If it exists in the stock game, then chances are that a MOD can be made for it, e.g. an optional mod for TWoS.

@bstanko6,
that's very instructive, thanks to post this here

[SCPOTurner]

I see where the target ship under attack transmits an alarm that is visible in my log. Okay. Good so far. The mod I was suggesting is an audible Morse transmission sss sss sss (plus gibberish representing lat and long) when the AI recognizes an attack is in progress. The new sound file would be triggered by whatever is triggering the written message that appears in the log. When the target is in the process of sinking, there is already an audible Morse SOS signal. I was hoping that the "sss" could be added in the same way that the SOS is already occurring.