Awesome! My first.

[chopped50ford]

I have been lurking for a long time, and gathing up as much info so I can play the game in manual targeting, and enjoy it too. I have played SH4 in auto targeting ever since I loaded it in the first day. Change is good I told myself...so im giving it a try.

I restarted my career due to a miscalcuation of fuel to distance :damn: and figured the 1st one was a full dud, with no chance ever getting back to port.

Im doing my first patrol in the seas south of the Phillipine Islands/ Manila area and late into the parol in the morning hours, I come across a fleet of (4) carriers, (3) cruisers, a few merchants and a large load of destoyers. I took a deep breath, layed low below the thermal layer, and popped just in front of the battle group, behind the first destroyer. Attack periscope up, I lined up a nice fat Hyryu Class carrier, and put my first (4) fish into her side, sending her to the deeps of Davey Jones locker. 4 for 4 on my real first manual targeting attempt. To make it even sound better, i think I was in the middle of a freakin' TYPHOON.

It does feel great when that torpedo hits...especially all of em one right after the other. :D

[BarjackU977]

Congrats! I find 100% realism the most satisfying too.

In SH3, I used the weapon officer help to crosscheck my speed estimations, because I found the default speed estimation tool so unreliable and didn't know how to get a better estimation.
But at some point, I've read about the 3 minutes rule here, and I got the benefits from the added map drawing tools in the Grey Wolves mod and since then, I don't need any help anymore :D

In SH4, the 3 mins rule is a bit more tricky, because of the lack of good drawing tools, but it still worked well enough until now.
I even noticed that some convoys were reported to run at 9 knots, but using the 3 mins rule, I measured a speed of 12 knots, which seemed to be the correct one as I sunk ships using that speed as input.

[sportcap]

Congrats, I´m too on my first manual targetting career, have made 4 patrols and the fifth is ongoing right now..

Sofar i have sunk 18 merchants and 1 warship (yamato)
Intercepted the taskforce in really bad wheater waited deep and popped up fired 4 torps 1 hit a cruiser infront of yamato but 3 made it towards yamatos stern and disabled her engines.. Just had to avoid the DD now until the sunset arrived to finish her off...
I have map updates on though but next patrol i will go for no map updates.:)

[Snuffy]

Good Job!

Manual targeting at maximum realism is the best way to play this sim.

I have yet to come across any kind of capital ship flotilla yet after a year's worth of in game patrols. I'd love to land one.

[chopped50ford]

Thanks guys, we'll see how today hunt will pick up.

As I get more and more into this, its too bad the "virtual" side cant expand more into our room/space we play this in...

[chopped50ford]

Well, I finished the patrol w/ (9) Merchant Kills, and (1) Hyryu Carrier. I had a rough 75% it ratio through-out the patrol. Totalling 56,000 tons.

Sweet.

Now im on my way on my 2nd patrol to Singapore to take some pictures...and believe me, they are not of the tourist type. :smug:

[simonb1612]

Barjack,
what is this three minute rule of which you speak?

[BarjackU977]

If you use imperial units:
distance (yds.) traversed in 3 min / 100 = speed in knots.

If you use metric units:
distance (m.) traversed in (3 min and 15 seconds) / 100 = speed in knots.

So, take a first bearing + distance measurement (which only requires the first tool of the data input device), and start the chronometer. Put a mark corresponding to that measurement on the navigation map, using the drawing tools.
3 minutes later, take another bearing + distance measurement. Put another mark corresponding to that second measurement.
Read the distance travelled between the two marks, divide by 100 and that's it.

I mostly applied this with 1 min and 30 seconds, multiplying the end result by 2 to match the 3 min equivalent, as 3 mins can be too long, when the convoy gets close.

It's just a "shortcut" for speed calculation. However, that was very useful in SH3. In SH4, the computer does an accurate speed calculation on basis of the same elements (and it even gives you the ship bearing, in addition!), so it's actually not needed anymore. I used it because I didn't trust the default speed estimation method provided by the computer. I learned I was mistaken, because the SH4 one is an accurate one.
I switched fro SH3 to SH4 recently, because I was afraind of the bugs I had read about. And I decided to swith as from patch 1.3, hence my ignorance about the speed estimation tool in SH4.

[simonb1612]

:) Thank you for the great explination. Another great tip from my fellow skippers to improve the effectiveness of the USS Drum....

Happy hunting

[supposedtobeworking]

Also just to check, what conversion rate do you use in SH4 for yds/nm? I have been assuming you can use 2000 yds = 1 nm, though technically that is not accurate 100%. I this because after installing 1.3 I have been having a hell of a time hitting ships with manual...and I did not before it seems like. I haven't hit anything I have encountered and I believe my problems are in my speed estimates.

I used both methods...plotting on the map using the nomograph (I used about 5 plots 15 minutes apart about). Then I checked the estimated speed with the watch and the crew gives me DOUBLE the speed I calculated on the map! I was in battle stations and there was only one target to lock onto. Maybe I just need some more practice...I don't know but it was very discouraging...I don't know what I am doing wrong exactly. All of my torps passed just in front or just behind the ship...drove me crazy! Only thing I can think of is I only tok one speed estimate...and someone above mentioned you need to take several to get an average...but do the estimates vary that much to be DOUBLE the actual speed?




If you use imperial units:
distance (yds.) traversed in 3 min / 100 = speed in knots.

If you use metric units:
distance (m.) traversed in (3 min and 15 seconds) / 100 = speed in knots.

So, take a first bearing + distance measurement (which only requires the first tool of the data input device), and start the chronometer. Put a mark corresponding to that measurement on the navigation map, using the drawing tools.
3 minutes later, take another bearing + distance measurement. Put another mark corresponding to that second measurement.
Read the distance travelled between the two marks, divide by 100 and that's it.

I mostly applied this with 1 min and 30 seconds, multiplying the end result by 2 to match the 3 min equivalent, as 3 mins can be too long, when the convoy gets close.

It's just a "shortcut" for speed calculation. However, that was very useful in SH3. In SH4, the computer does an accurate speed calculation on basis of the same elements (and it even gives you the ship bearing, in addition!), so it's actually not needed anymore. I used it because I didn't trust the default speed estimation method provided by the computer. I learned I was mistaken, because the SH4 one is an accurate one.
I switched fro SH3 to SH4 recently, because I was afraind of the bugs I had read about. And I decided to swith as from patch 1.3, hence my ignorance about the speed estimation tool in SH4.

[Xelif]

Google says the nautical mile has 2025 yards in it.

Type 'nautical miles to yards' in google ;-)

[BarjackU977]

I usually only need 2 measurements (i.e. the minimum) to be able to get a good enough speed estimate. But then, I use the metric system...

For Nms and yards, until now, in other games, I considered 2000 yards for 1 Nm, as you did. But I never used those units in SH, sorry.