Marking sonobuoys...help.

[Siinji30]

I find a contact on one of my sonobuoys, then I mark it and get a LOB. Then my contact moves a bit across the bearings, and I want to make a new mark. It doesnt work, I am not able to make a second mark of the same contact. I am able to mark other contacts, meaning more than one contact on the same buoy. But why cant a ´update´ my LOB´s?!?! I have tried deleting the LOB on the nav map, and marking again....no LOB comes up the second time. Is this right?!?

[Siinji30]

I am though able to make an update LOB, when I use active sonar on a DICASS.....but it´s the passive markings, that don´t work.

It´s not a very weak contact, as the buoys library is able to narrow the search down to 3 different classifications.

[Dr.Sid]

I have not encountered this problem lately.

You must click on the dot, not just the line. Clicking on the display so the 'marker line' covers the contact is not enough. Mark won't work. You MUST click the dot. Works for me, every time. This also affects library ID .. if you don't click the dot, ID won't show. It is same as with sub's NB display .. you must click the frequency line, not just the peak on the lower spiky line.

Also note that the dot is 3 pixels wide, and it matters where you click. 'Mark' works even if you don't put line cursor exactly on dot center .. but in such case the marked LOB will the the heading of the marker line and not of the contact. The error is like 5-10 degrees, because SB panels are so small.

All other displays marks center of th contact nearest to the cursor, but SB directional displays marks exact cursor (not contact) position. Autocrew of course marks quite exactly, but there is some visible error too.

I use buoys for ID and rough position (and I don't use autocrew). Then all I need is one ping for pinpointing the position (same way in FFG alone or Helo). I don't play P3 much, but even there I'd use active SB to get shooting solution. Passive SB lobs are just too fuzzy.
Also autocrew will mark everything passing by so it can easily clutter whole display. That's why I don't use it.

Subs are typically quite easy to spot even without clicking .. they are quiet, so you will most of the time see only the low frequencies .. surface boats are loud, so you see most of the time all lines. Use quick missions to master technique. It's fast, contact is usually close. Try to intercept it using all possible methods (for example not using helo with FFG).

[Siinji30]

I know that I have to be accurate when I move the cursor on the contact, and on the right frequency too, because I have no problems what-so-ever when I mark a contact for the first time, it´s just impossible to mark ANY contacts the second time, it´s as if the game knows which contacts this sonobuoy has contacted ones before, and won´t do it again. (We are talking passive mode, only...active works fine marking several times)

Could this be patch/mod related?

I have the 1.03 patch and LWAMI from Subguru´s website. I first installed the patch, and then the mod. Is this correct?

(I will try a reinstall, without patch and mods....see what happens)

[Dr.Sid]

I will investigate this .. I have same version and mods .. I just don't remember having such problems.

[ASWnut101]

the same happens here.

(I use the base version, right out of the box. no mods.)

[Dr.Sid]

I tried .. and sometimes it did not work .. but after few tries it worked. In the end I could re-mark everything, but sometimes it really failed.

It is not caused by some minimum time interval in which re-mark does not work (as was on of my theories) .. sometimes I could re-mark like every 5 seconds (I had FFG circling around DIFFAR so even 5 seconds was pretty visible).

What really works is to delete LOB in the map and mark again, but that is not much nice.

[Siinji30]

I tried to be more precise in placing the marker right on the dots....it worked better, as Sid suggested, but often it´s very hard to get the second update on the LOB. You´re right, it´s a bit easier when I first delete the LOB. But its frustrating trying to mark the contact to get a clearer fix, but you don´t really know if the LOB on the NAV is updated, so you got 10 min. old LOB´s on the map....and of course shoot in the wrong direction.

I think DW should be able to mark LOB even though there are very faint or no dots on the grams. This way I would be sure that the NAV map is updating everytime.

But it is weird, that the FIRST:o mark you make on a contact is MUCH easier to make.

(Could this be screen-resolution-related? I run on 1280 x 1024)

[Dr.Sid]

As I said .. I don't use LOBs to determine firing solution .. I just use them for ID and general direction (sometimes also for fast FFG towed arrays mirror contact removal).
For shooting I always use more precise techniques, like active sonar or buoy. One ping should be enough if you have rough idea about contact position.

So I don't really update LOBs much, that is why was not even aware of the problem.

However .. buoys are good for tracking incoming torpedoes and helps you to decide if you have already evaded them or not. I such cases fast and easy (even automatic) LOB updates would be helpfull.

[Siinji30]

Please allow me just this BUMP :)

Is there really no one else, who has this problem with "updating lob" with buoys? I find this extremely annoying, when I play the MH-60.

Or is everybody playing like Sid, mostly using a single marked LOB, and then switch to Active sonar?

[Dr.Sid]

I say again I have the problem too. It seems to be bug. I just don't encounter it often.

[OneShot]

This bug has been around for some time, tho I was under the impression that it has been fixed. But then I havent played that much DW in a long time now (talk a couple of months).

Good thing tho, this problem does not happen every time (at least in my experience) tho when it happens it is annoying and the only workaround would be to delete the old LOB and create a new one.

Btw. passive LOBs are accurate enough to get a shot in, at least they worked for me ... just have to figure in the actual error take a good SWAG and shoot. Going only passive is especially important against good human players. While the AI sometimes ignores Active Buoys and continues on its course - a good human won't do that and subsequently your solution goes out the window.

Besides it makes for a big surprise if the first announcement of you knowing the enemys position is the torpedo dropped 1000 yards in front of the enemy sub ... makes for one hell of "WTF"

Cheers
OS

[Molon Labe]

the same happens here.

(I use the base version, right out of the box. no mods.)

It was a problem in the original release. One of the patches addressed this though, so it's odd that it's occuring in 1.03.