[REQ] End patrol successfully when out of torpedoes

[bsalyers]

I'm playing in the opening days of the war in a little S-boat out of Manila. I was assigned a patrol zone off Luzon, but on the way there encountered a large, milling convoy of many warships and a few merchants. After getting in close at no small risk, I managed to sink a destroyer and a light cruiser. Then, I went deep and reloaded. Many torpedoes later, I had brought down several more IJN ships in what surely would have been the most outstanding patrol of 1941 in real life. I was playing on 100% realism, to boot. Empty of torps, I sneaked away, surfaced, and made a patrol report. As is common in SH4, there was no reply. I went on to my patrol zone and received the additional order to "engage and destroy enemy shipping in the area of Luzon". Well, I'd already destroyed the heck out of some enemy shipping in the area of Luzon, but of course, hadn't gotten credit for purposes of the mission, and I was out of torpedoes.
This, more than anything else in the game, makes me crazy. In SH3, if you sank a bunch of ships on your way to the patrol zone and ran out of fish, you could send a status report and be recalled to base. In SH4, if you do your work on the way to the patrol zone rather than after you arrive, you get punished. I've heard all the justifications for this, but I don't buy any of them. I'd love to see a mod wherein sinking ships and running out of torpedoes resulted in a normal, real-world result, i.e. being recalled to base and receiving the proper recognition for your work. I play with patch 1.3 and Trigger Maru 1.3 (which ROCKS). Any of you big-brain modders out there have thoughts?
Thanks!

[Rockin Robbins]

Have you tried returning to port and seeing what kind of renown score you have? In SH3 you can return to port without objectives accomplished and still you get credit for what you did. You just do not get the additional points for your objective. I believe it works the same way here. If so, I don't see why that should be irritating. I have never waited to be called back. I am the captain of my boat and will return when I deem necessary. The Admiral has always backed me up.:rock:

Success is how many ships you send to the bottom, not whether you occupied a certain empty spot in the ocean for however many hours you need to get credit. How close to the star do you have to remain for how many hours to get credit in SH4 anyway?

[Delusory]

How close to the star do you have to remain for how many hours to get credit in SH4 anyway?
It seems you have to be within 100 miles (or km, i'm not sore for that).

[tater]

It varies. When you get a message pop up, it turns grey, then the new goal is the contents of the message.

Normally it's ~48 hours inside the patrol area.

You can always just RTB, missing a patrol objective won't kill you unless you make a habit of it (then you might get retired early).

Alternately, if close to cavite/manila, you could make a double-barreled patrol. Get some more fish, then hunt some more.

tater

[Bear]

I agree that when you radio status report if you have nothing to fight with they should order you back to base NOT send you on another objective. Now when I am close to being out of Torps. I just complete the objective even if it means ducking convoys and planes for two days in a 100 mile circle. Once that is done I do not send any contact or status reports. I wish it could be fixed, but in comparison to some of the other problems, it is a small matter and I can live with it. That does not mean I have to like it.

[Suicide Charlie]

I don't have a problem with this. Sometimes when you're given patrol orders they can be in some not so traveled areas. What I do is head towards my objective, but I search for chokepoints and sealanes near by. Position myself in or around said strategic focal point and expend my ordiance on passing enemy shipping, then I'll go sit in a patrol grid for the 48 hrs.

If it's near base just return home and refit.

What gets me though is when Manila is invaded and you get transfered to Java mid-patrol. After my patrol and dock in Java, put when I go to re-arm (Why the hell do you have to manually replenish your torpedo stock? Especially when you only have one type availible? This should be automatic. If you have different types availible to you then you can just change what you're carrying.) there's a bunch of Mk10's listed but they all have 0's next to them! The first time I didn't noticed and I "re-armed" with torpedos... or so I thought and headed back out. I spotted a BEAUTIFUL carrier group. Went through the whole ordeal of penetrating and positioned myself on a Shokaku. Loosed four fish into it... only to find out that I only had 5 torpedos onboard...

:damn::damn::damn: :nope: :stare:

[hyperion2206]

I went on to my patrol zone and received the additional order to "engage and destroy enemy shipping in the area of Luzon". Well, I'd already destroyed the heck out of some enemy shipping in the area of Luzon, but of course, hadn't gotten credit for purposes of the mission, and I was out of torpedoes.

It seems your mission symbol was a flag in a star? This means it is a two-tier (is this the correct word???) mission. The first part is to reach the area and the second part is to sink at least 10,000 tons of merchant shipping. It doesn't matter where you sink these merchant ships. as long as you sink them. So if you only sunk warships that mission can't be completed.
However I agree with you: If you run out of torps you should be called home.

there's a bunch of Mk10's listed but they all have 0's next to them!

The "0" just means they don't cost a thing. Later in the war you've got more torpedo types to chose from, which cost renown.

[Suicide Charlie]

The "0" just means they don't cost a thing. Later in the war you've got more torpedo types to chose from, which cost renown.

That's what my original thought was. I moved them into my torpedo slots and then went in mission and none of them were there.

[hyperion2206]

The "0" just means they don't cost a thing. Later in the war you've got more torpedo types to chose from, which cost renown.
That's what my original thought was. I moved them into my torpedo slots and then went in mission and none of them were there.

Hmmm, never had this before, perhaps it was just a one-time glitch?:hmm:

[Suicide Charlie]

The "0" just means they don't cost a thing. Later in the war you've got more torpedo types to chose from, which cost renown.
That's what my original thought was. I moved them into my torpedo slots and then went in mission and none of them were there.
Hmmm, never had this before, perhaps it was just a one-time glitch?:hmm:
Perhaps. I'll see what happens after this patrol. I restarted the career. I came upon an EXTREMELY juicy carrier force (2 Shokaku, 1 Taiyo, 2 Chitose, 1 Takao, 1 Maya, 1 Kuma, and destroyer screen) and almost cried because it didn't re-arm me properly.

[Farinhir]

The patrol point in question seems to be the one with the flag. That one I do not bother staying near to finish the goal as there is no real patrol area. If there is a port nearby I like to sneak in and sink the smucks that are moored there. Otherwise I head for richer waters and look for a convoy or some nice ocean liners :arrgh!: to sink. This flag is not really a patrol but a deploy to mission. Patrols are talked about next.

The other matter is the patrol icon which is a pair for binoculars. I have finished those without even one sighting of another ship (much less a sinking). Since I do not know if it is km or nm for the 100, I tend to remain within a 56nm radius (100km). I usually use the compass and set up a few circles to help me with that. I set a 56nm radius, 50nm radius, and a 45nm radius. I usually keep my run within the 45nm radius unless I see a contact. If I see a contact I will be willing to stalk it to halfway between the 50nm and 56nm radius because of a possible margin of error. Most of the time I just send my reports and get the heck out of dodge (I get my sinkings done on the way there and back with convoys which are radio'd in to me).

Good luck and I agree, if we are "deployed" but run out of torps before we get there we should not have to sink the req tonnage (I am guessing that it is 10k tons).

Well, good luck
~F~