True Life Navigational Maps

hunter301 · 03-11-19, 01:01 AM

Are there any mods that will show you the same navigational charts that the sub captains used. Here's an original 1939 Japanese navigational map of Hawaii.
I'm looking for something that will show actual depths of the waters your in.
A lot of the close inshore sneak and peak missions required knowing how deep the water was around you without always doing a sounding that will give you away if your trying to stay quiet and hide.

See link for full size and different size maps:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...anese-1939.jpg

hunter301 · 03-12-19, 12:30 AM

wow!!
95 views and no comments.
Am I missing something. Does nobody else think this is a good idea?
Or has it already been discussed?
Did a search but came up with nothing.

Revus · 03-13-19, 08:08 PM

So, I haven’t seen any mods that do this automatically (in fact I have only seen map mods that eliminate all depth references like different shades of blue).
But I started searching the web for nautical charts for specific bodies of water and Alt+Tab to them during game to somewhat plan for my patrols. Helped out a lot in the mostly shallow Yellow Sea.

Aktungbby · 03-13-19, 08:25 PM

Revus!

Sniper297 · 03-13-19, 08:53 PM

To answer the question, no, I personally haven't seen any mods like that. Probably the reason you didn't get any answers, you wouldn't get anything out of 152,287 members saying "nope".

Quick check of the TGA and DDS files I can't find the actual chart used in game, but personally I never felt the need for actual depth charts - in real life anyone in range with a hydrophone could hear a sonar ping, but in my experience destroyers in the game either can't or won't hear it. I've tried closing on a destroyer from the side, hammering away with active sonar at it between 1000 and 2000 yards, no reaction. After reading this I fired up the game, hunted up a convoy, and closed from 3000 yards to 500 yards of the wing escort while steadily hitting the depth sounding button, ping ping ping ping no reaction from the destroyer.

My conclusion is in real life you would need a depth chart, in the game you don't.

hunter301 · 03-13-19, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sniper297

I fired up the game, hunted up a convoy, and closed from 3000 yards to 500 yards of the wing escort while steadily hitting the depth sounding button, ping ping ping ping no reaction from the destroyer.

My conclusion is in real life you would need a depth chart, in the game you don't.

As long as they can't hear it in the game than that solves my problem. Up until now I have been leery about sending out a ping to the ocean bottom while in the vicinity of any warships. Nothing worse than doing a crash dive and slamming into the seabed at 200 feet. But hey if works than no need.

Quote:

I started searching the web for nautical charts for specific bodies of water and Alt+Tab to them during game to somewhat plan for my patrols. Helped out a lot in the mostly shallow Yellow Sea.

I do however like the idea of ALT+TAB and looking at a true life nautical chart of the area I'm in and then do some sounding and see how accurate the game is.

hunter301 · 03-13-19, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revus

So, I haven’t seen any mods that do this automatically (in fact I have only seen map mods that eliminate all depth references like different shades of blue).
But I started searching the web for nautical charts for specific bodies of water and Alt+Tab to them during game to somewhat plan for my patrols. Helped out a lot in the mostly shallow Yellow Sea.

Can you post the link to some of these sites?
So far I can only find the Hawaiian Islands and Okinawa with depth readings.

KaleunMarco · 03-14-19, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hunter301

Can you post the link to some of these sites?
So far I can only find the Hawaiian Islands and Okinawa with depth readings.

good point, hunter.
there was a general lack of reliable sea charts during the war.
if you review clay blair's silent victory or any authoritative account of naval operation you will read that fact time and again. even JFK makes reference to lack of reliable charts in PT109.
some mods have maps available during play...they are activated by using the radio/comm gear. FOTRS Ultimate is one mega-mod that uses them and i cannot remember the others.
so, it is possible to engineer charts into SH4. you have to acquire the charts and put them into the correct file format (tga, i believe) and then create a mod that activates them within the SH4 file structure. piece of cake, eh?

Fifi · 03-14-19, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KaleunMarco

good point, hunter.
there was a general lack of reliable sea charts during the war.
if you review clay blair's silent victory or any authoritative account of naval operation you will read that fact time and again. even JFK makes reference to lack of reliable charts in PT109.
some mods have maps available during play...they are activated by using the radio/comm gear. FOTRS Ultimate is one mega-mod that uses them and i cannot remember the others.
so, it is possible to engineer charts into SH4. you have to acquire the charts and put them into the correct file format (tga, i believe) and then create a mod that activates them within the SH4 file structure. piece of cake, eh?

If talking about convoys route map, it’s avalaible in TMO and Ralles also.
Using the radio button.
Would be cool to get others charts

Sniper297 · 03-14-19, 09:06 AM

TGA or DDS, most of the main texture files use the DDS format. No idea where the texture is for the actual in-game map.

For trying to navigate using 200 year old Dutch charts based on some weird 14 1/2 inches to the foot unit, I read a hilarious description by an S-boat captain - Pigboat 39? Can't remember, anyway they ran aground in poorly charted waters at high tide, worked their butts off trying various things to lighten ship, eventually had to burn her where she was.

I read some descriptions of navigating shoal waters in a couple of books about detecting mines with the new FM sonar (late war), common precaution was flooding down a few feet so if you did run aground all you had to do was blow ballast and back away.

03-11-19, 01:01 AM	#1
hunter301 Sonar Guy Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Central Florida, USA Posts: 377 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	True Life Navigational Maps Are there any mods that will show you the same navigational charts that the sub captains used. Here's an original 1939 Japanese navigational map of Hawaii. I'm looking for something that will show actual depths of the waters your in. A lot of the close inshore sneak and peak missions required knowing how deep the water was around you without always doing a sounding that will give you away if your trying to stay quiet and hide. See link for full size and different size maps: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...anese-1939.jpg __________________ "Beware the beast Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport or lust or greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land."- The Lawgiver "You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I get and beat you with till you understand who's in command." -ME

03-12-19, 12:30 AM	#2
hunter301 Sonar Guy Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Central Florida, USA Posts: 377 Downloads: 38 Uploads: 0	wow!! 95 views and no comments. Am I missing something. Does nobody else think this is a good idea? Or has it already been discussed? Did a search but came up with nothing. __________________ "Beware the beast Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport or lust or greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land."- The Lawgiver "You know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I get and beat you with till you understand who's in command." -ME

03-13-19, 08:25 PM	#4
Aktungbby Gefallen Engel U-666 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: On a tilted, overheated, overpopulated spinning mudball on Collision course with Andromeda Galaxy Posts: 27,886 Downloads: 22 Uploads: 0	welcome aboard! Revus! __________________ "Only two things are infinite; The Universe and human squirrelyness; and I'm not too sure about the Universe"

03-13-19, 08:08 PM	#3
Revus Mate Join Date: Feb 2018 Posts: 55 Downloads: 223 Uploads: 0	So, I haven’t seen any mods that do this automatically (in fact I have only seen map mods that eliminate all depth references like different shades of blue). But I started searching the web for nautical charts for specific bodies of water and Alt+Tab to them during game to somewhat plan for my patrols. Helped out a lot in the mostly shallow Yellow Sea.

03-13-19, 08:53 PM	#5
Sniper297 The Old Man Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Philadelphia Shipyard Brig Posts: 1,386 Downloads: 160 Uploads: 19	To answer the question, no, I personally haven't seen any mods like that. Probably the reason you didn't get any answers, you wouldn't get anything out of 152,287 members saying "nope". Quick check of the TGA and DDS files I can't find the actual chart used in game, but personally I never felt the need for actual depth charts - in real life anyone in range with a hydrophone could hear a sonar ping, but in my experience destroyers in the game either can't or won't hear it. I've tried closing on a destroyer from the side, hammering away with active sonar at it between 1000 and 2000 yards, no reaction. After reading this I fired up the game, hunted up a convoy, and closed from 3000 yards to 500 yards of the wing escort while steadily hitting the depth sounding button, ping ping ping ping no reaction from the destroyer. My conclusion is in real life you would need a depth chart, in the game you don't.

03-14-19, 09:06 AM	#10
Sniper297 The Old Man Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Philadelphia Shipyard Brig Posts: 1,386 Downloads: 160 Uploads: 19	TGA or DDS, most of the main texture files use the DDS format. No idea where the texture is for the actual in-game map. For trying to navigate using 200 year old Dutch charts based on some weird 14 1/2 inches to the foot unit, I read a hilarious description by an S-boat captain - Pigboat 39? Can't remember, anyway they ran aground in poorly charted waters at high tide, worked their butts off trying various things to lighten ship, eventually had to burn her where she was. I read some descriptions of navigating shoal waters in a couple of books about detecting mines with the new FM sonar (late war), common precaution was flooding down a few feet so if you did run aground all you had to do was blow ballast and back away.