Torp speeds

[Skybird]

Bear with me, this probably got asked before, but I am late, you see, and got DW not before today noon. Search-button gave me plenty of thread pages, but I did not find what I was looking for. Only the latest partch, no mods. Need more time to work myself into LWAmi, amd wait for 3.61

I lived by the impression that when I fire Torpedos (Mk48, 688i, in this case), and set them to a lower speed (25 kn) to sneak towards their attack positions from where they should go active, that once they reach that position (activation range reached), they start to use their sensors and search for targets (in this case, active sonar/pinging preset). Once they locked onto something, they should accelerate to maximum speed 55 kn and go chasing for it.

Have I got that correct? But I have played a mission three times now, and fired multiple torpedoes that way, presets: "snapshot, depth 150-200 ft, active sonar, activation range 16K-20k yards, initial speed 25 kn". They lock onto targets indeed - but they chase for them at 25 knots, they do not accelerate.

This confuses me. I have a nice firing solution, and good timing, the fishes start locking on almost the same second when they go active, it should be almost perfect shots, no escape. Maybe I have forgotten something vital since the days of SC, or I have overlooked something in the manual? The targets turn, escape at 29-32 kn, and the topedoes go for decoys or for the targets - but always at 25 kn. Some setting I choose must be wrong!?

[suBB]

Bear with me, this probably got asked before, but I am late, you see, and got DW not before today noon. Search-button gave me plenty of thread pages, but I did not find what I was looking for. Only the latest partch, no mods. Need more time to work myself into LWAmi, amd wait for 3.61

I lived by the impression that when I fire Torpedos (Mk48, 688i, in this case), and set them to a lower speed (25 kn) to sneak towards their attack positions from where they should go active, that once they reach that position (activation range reached), they start to use their sensors and search for targets (in this case, active sonar/pinging preset). Once they locked onto something, they should accelerate to maximum speed 55 kn and go chasing for it.

Have I got that correct? But I have played a mission three times now, and fired multiple torpedoes that way, presets: "snapshot, depth 150-200 ft, active sonar, activation range 16K-20k yards, initial speed 25 kn". They lock onto targets indeed - but they chase for them at 25 knots, they do not accelerate.

This confuses me. I have a nice firing solution, and good timing, the fishes start locking on almost the same second when they go active, it should be almost perfect shots, no escape. Maybe I have forgotten something vital since the days of SC, or I have overlooked something in the manual? The targets turn, escape at 29-32 kn, and the topedoes go for decoys or for the targets - but always at 25 kn. Some setting I choose must be wrong!?

I remember that from subcommand, but I don't think that's the case in DW.

[Skybird]

Please tell me that is not true!

Is that realistic?

But torpedoes at lower speed setting are recognized by the AI to be running with lower sound levels, yes? So that enemy is becoming aware of them later, when they are closer?

Has the LWAmi mod dealt with this, maybe? I am not that far yet.

[Molon Labe]

LW/Ami 4.x does, at least for wireguided torps. Searching for the documentation for the others would be a bitch though, so I won't check.:D

The 3.5+ series doesn't have this... but I'll ask if it can be done, because I think it matters a lot now.

[Skybird]

LWAmi 4.x...? 'Where? The latest version I can find is 3.6, with 3.61 announced...!? I have the readme from 3.5, I think, and I am not sure if it describes only 3.x features (it goes back to 3.1), or all previous versions as well. Are the readmes for LWAmi 1, 2 to be found anywhere?

Man, after my revitalised enthusiams of the last days that torpedo thing helped me a lot to get my feet back onto the ground again. Hope there are no more surprises like this. Almost a dozen perfectly timed shots - and all outraced, and doing the chase uselessly. That's some frustration experiences too much for one day...

Is it done in reality: always to fire the torpedoes at high speed from the beginning, and not alter speed after lockon? I cannot imagine that, tactically it makes no sense to me, quite the opposite - it gives away tactical advantages of keeping the fishes stealthy as long as possible (at least in the SC/DW universe...!?)

[Molon Labe]

You can get 4.x here: http://www.commanders-academy.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7295
It is NOT compatible with 1.04, but if you want to try it out, it should give you an idea of what future mods might look like.

As for the speculation about techniques and whatnot, I'm really not sure. I don't know how stealthy a torp is, and I suspect in many cases the HPA discharge gives it away anyways. What I do know is that a torp's best range does not occur at its top speed, so from that point of view, I definitely agree that it doesn't make sense that a torp doesn't accelerate as much as it can w/o washing out after acquiring a target. Without having that capability, there isn't much reason for us to adjust the speed of our torps.

You can still surprise the hell out of most AIs by firing on the other side of the layer. Sending a torp on the opposite side of a layer and doglegging it also works wonders in denying a snapshot in MP.

[Skybird]

Hm. I will need to experiment with speed settings of 40 kn then, for example. Shooting from the other side of the layer was a bit difficult in that example of mine - I was in the street of Hormuz. :)

Ouh, and is there any chance that the LWAmi 4 will be made compatible in the future, or why are they doing the 3.06 for 1.04 first? Are both mods totally different, maybe?

I also realised that I cannot set a floor level for a torpedo that is higher than it's initial firing depth. I wnated to lock it after activation to seek extrmeely shallow only, for surface units, so no need to search deep. Travel depth was 200 ft, ceiling 10 ft - and when trying to set a floor depth of 20 ft, thew valiue always springs back to 200 (220, to be precise). raising firing depth to 100 ft, enabled me to set a floor of 100 ft. does the enable-pre-enable feature makes any sense then that goes beyond activating the torpedo's sonar?

[LuftWolf]

DW 1.04 and the current version of LWAMI, 3.xx, have only basic torpedo controls. However, there is a speed vs. range implemented.

LWAMI 3.xx features an advanced UUV, which does have some controls.

LWAMI 4.xx features complete torpedo individualization with about 12 operation modes on the ADCAP and UGST, and full featured, depth-speed-search pattern-search mode, control, as well as wirebreaks.

Here is a link to the thread with the controls:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=94688&page=2

The function of each playable torpedo is described in detail in this thread, starting with the most basic and working to the most advanced.

All this work is finished. I just have to import it into the most current LWAMI version that is for general use.

Skybird, you'll have more controls than you can handle, so patience groggy grasshopper.

Cheers,
David

[Skybird]

"Groggy grasshopper...?" I already was called a lot of things in my life, but never something like that! :lol:

LW,

As I said in the first posting: bear with me, I am late with DW. By pure instinct I pretty much approach DW now from the status of knowledge I remember from the times of SC, and I am pretty much exclusively interested in doing the SSNs. That I need to expect differences to SC I know 8else there would be no point in buying DW when already knowijng SC) . But my way to DW was a stony and difficult one, and it was by far no love on first sight, that's why I am a little bit sensitive about things that I - with my non-professional knowledge only - would except to be pretty much basic stuff: like torpedoes accelerating when going active. What Molon Lab said sounds partially reasonable, partially it does not convince me. But that is maybe just me. I am just afraid that I eventually stumble over another unwelcomed surprise like those that kept me away for so long. Having bought DW two times and then giving up again on it would mean to have made a joke of myself :D

Thanks for the link to 4.xx I really hope that the details you mentioned will make it to 1.04 compatability soon. It seems you have taken over the role of former SCX team. :up: Keep up the work! :up:

[LuftWolf]

Thanks! :)

I was just going over my list and it seems once the latest version proves to be stable, there is nothing standing in my way in terms of implimenting the controls described in that thread.

I'm looking forward to it myself, so stay tuned, it shouldn't be much longer. :up:

Cheers,
David

[Skybird]

After two years, two more months do not really worry me...