What types of commands/controls do you wish you could have?

[Incubus]

Command wishlist:

Rest- Sort of the opposite of Battle Stations- assigns only a skeleton crew (consisting of those least fatigued/hurt) to each compartment so that the majority of the crew can recover. Useful if you get a lot of hurt crewmembers/had to use Battle Stations to repair a bunch of damage.

Shadow- A navigation command that matches speed/heading with a selected ship. Ideally used after you've attacked a convoy, and intend to attack it again after reloading (and maybe repairing!).

Concentrate Fire- Orders all AA gunners and deck gunners to fire on a single target. The AA guns do work on ships (particularly the 40mm).

Decks Awash- A depth setting between periscope depth and surfaced. People did this in SH3- the idea was you are surfaced enough to use Diesels but get a bit of a head start if you need to dive quickly. Nice if you could simply have a keypress to do this.

Blow Bilge- Vent some oil, which will rise to the surface. Code in DDs if they spot a slick there is a certain % they might think you are dead and move on.

Settle on Seafloor- Not sure if subs really did this in real life (they certainly like to in movies!) a command that lets your boat settle gently on the seafloor so you're not taking constant damage from hitting the bottom. The idea is to 'play dead' by coding in DDs that if they detect your sub sitting on the sea floor, there's a % chance they'll think its there because its full of water and your crew is rummaging through Davy Jones' locker.

Controls

It would be nice if you could manually control more systems on the submarine. Many people mentioned being stranded because they lost something critical (rudder, for example) and the game doesn't allow any means to compensate.

Engines: Tweak rpms of each shaft, so if you have limited/disabled rudder control you can still limp home. It would probably be a really wide turning radius (so forget about attacking ships/running away from DDs) but enough to head back for a refit.

Trim: During flooding, aren't there things you can do other than pumping out water to level out your boat? Flooding in the bow sucks because its so difficult to get the sub back to the surface. Shouldn't you be able to adjust trim/dive planes to compensate?

Command Parameters: Things like knots from each speed setting, the actual depth you are at in Periscope depth, depth and speed while crash diving, etc should be able to be customized by the player. In rough weather periscope depth is often too deep, similarly when you are in shallow water it doesn't give you enough room. In my Balao it sets PD at 60 feet but I often change it to 50 feet if there are very tall waves.

[Adam106]

All those above sound like a great idea, and I'd go one further by recommending a new slant on the attack procedures. What I'm thinking of is a grapical dialog type box where you can specify all elements of a torpedo attack and communicate this to the conning tower crew both as an vastly immersive audio and labor saving experience.

Let me explain, in a real sub you as the captain as the approach officer would man the periscope and take observations to generate estimates of target range, course, speed and bearing . The captain and the assistant approach officer would verbalise this data to the other members of the attack party - the TDC officer, the assistant TDC officer, the guy on the firing keys etc.
The captain would not input all of this data on his own at the various stations, as we as the player currently have to. What would be cool would be a way of pre setting some of the elements via a 'pre attack screen' to aid in the attack and as a really realistic audio addition.
The attack screen would allow you to pre set settings such as type of target, pistol type, torpedo depth setting, torpedo speed, number of tubes to fire, spead angle, interval between shots etc. A hot key at an appropiate moment in the attack would send the settings to the game and deliver some audio of the captain giving your commands eg:
'Ok target is a large merchant, 10kts, range wun FI-yiv double oh, AOB 90 port, we'll use tubes 1, 2, and 3, high speed setting, depth 12 feet with a 50 yard spacing from the stern forwards'. This data all being set up by your virtual crew.

Another hotkey(s) during a periscope obervation would give a 'range, mark' 'bearing mark' commands with an appropiate response from the assistant approach officer such as 'range is wun niner double oh', bearing one ate th-REE' This data automatically set into the TDC by the TDC officer. His reply could then be 'TDC set and matched, ready to shoot'. Another hotkey or button would give the command 'commence firing'.

The whole idea is to give you a virtual crew that would make the game more realistic and immersive and once mastered more intuative. I don't know if any of you use the FS2crew software for FS9 addons, but the whole set up would be very similar. If not check out www.fs2crew.com (http://www.fs2crew.com) to get an idea of where I am coming from.
Hope my ramblings made sense, any modders want to take up the challenge...?

[silentscorp1971]

Of those listed I would personally like to be able to settle on sea floor without taking constant damage. The Tang once settled onto the muddy bottom and didn't sustain an major damage. If the currents in the area aren't horrendous it would have been realistic to slowly decend to the bottom in a shallow area till you could get your pumps working again.

Also you do have a sort of "decks awash" ability by using radar depth or simply diving to around 20-30 feet.

I would like to have the ability to switch between auto and manual tdc on the fly. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes.. you don't.

[woodstock74]

Of those listed I would personally like to be able to settle on sea floor without taking constant damage. The Tang once settled onto the muddy bottom and didn't sustain an major damage. If the currents in the area aren't horrendous it would have been realistic to slowly decend to the bottom in a shallow area till you could get your pumps working again.

Also you do have a sort of "decks awash" ability by using radar depth or simply diving to around 20-30 feet.

I would like to have the ability to switch between auto and manual tdc on the fly. Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes.. you don't.

Is there a current command for Radar depth? There was in SH1 but I must be blind as I can't find that hotkey in SH4.

[the_belgian]

"Go to cabin"
A cabin like in sh3 but running on time compression.
So you could be in your bunk while traveling long uninteresting parts.
Maybe with a little map on the desk showwing your position.

[Krauter]

There is already a command to concentrate fire.. from the bridge set your binocs on the target and on the command bar there is [Fire at selected target] looks like a DG wit a crossair to the top right...

As for a wish list, it'd be nice to be able (once you have them sighted) to call in positions for coastal artilery/aircraft to bombard, I know the game does this automatically, but it's annoying when you have a nice solution only to have the target take evasive action or to even be destroyed...

Also, to be able to radio **specific** messages to COMSUBPAC such as "no targets sighted during XX days of patrol" also, I know back in the days of SH2, you could radio for a weather report so you could prepare before hand your approach..

With Regards,

Krauter

[LukeFF]

Is there a current command for Radar depth? There was in SH1 but I must be blind as I can't find that hotkey in SH4.
It's your semicolon key by default. It's technically the Snorkel Depth command, but you can tweak the value in /Data/Submarine to the proper radar depth for each submarine.

You'll also want to update line 1033 in menu.txt to say Radar depth (though there's no voice command for it).

[silentscorp1971]

I use Trigger Maru 1.6.2, it has a radar depth button it adds to the menubar.

[pythos]

Yea but the radar does not work at radar depth.

[Incubus]

There is already a command to concentrate fire.. from the bridge set your binocs on the target and on the command bar there is [Fire at selected target] looks like a DG wit a crossair to the top right...


Really? I'm going to have to try this out. Does it have the AA and deck gun fire at it? Since later on, if you have a Balao you can have 2 40mm AA guns, and 2 5" deck guns with AA shells; it would be useful to focus-fire on aircraft or to wreck smaller ships in surface action.

[switch.dota]

Yea but the radar does not work at radar depth.
Radar Depth = SD Radar Depth ;)

[Frederf]

Yea but the radar does not work at radar depth.

Radar works at radar depth (TM 1.6) for me. You have to manually go to the radar station and flip the on switch on. Also if it's heavy seas the waves get to high and you get it auto-shut off in a couple seconds, but in fair weather works perfectly.

[SteamWake]

Engines: Tweak rpms of each shaft, so if you have limited/disabled rudder control you can still limp home. It would probably be a really wide turning radius (so forget about attacking ships/running away from DDs) but enough to head back for a refit.
.

:up: :up:

[Krauter]

Really? I'm going to have to try this out. Does it have the AA and deck gun fire at it? Since later on, if you have a Balao you can have 2 40mm AA guns, and 2 5" deck guns with AA shells; it would be useful to focus-fire on aircraft or to wreck smaller ships in surface action.

Actually I believe its only for the Deck gun, however this will need to be confirmed.. usually when confronted by AC i tend to dive..

With Regards,

Krauter

[capt_frank]

I'd love to have someone other than myself calculate range, speed and AOB IF I wanted the assistance while in the manual targeting mode.

Like maybe get these to work:

[Cmd335]
Name=Set_TDC_target_range
Ctxt=1

[Cmd336]
Name=Set_TDC_angle_on_bow
Ctxt=1

[Cmd337]
Name=Set_TDC_target_speed
Ctxt=1

[Cmd344]
Name=WP_Solution_to_target
Ctxt=1
MnID=0x3F130003
Str=1074

[Cmd346]
Name=WP_Compute_solution
Ctxt=1
Str=1076

THAT would be really swell!

[SilentOtto]

What I've always wished I'd had implemented since SH2 days is a choice of scripted actions, like "Dive 1 hour before sunrise set speed slow, surface 1 hour after sunset, set speed 2/3rds" for cruising enemy waters, or "dive every 4 hours for sound checking", etc.

It's really tedious, in long cruises, to take care of every dive and suface. I only want to be bothered in alerts, messages. The crew and officers should be able to routinely cruise on their own, shouldn't they?

[Krauter]

I agree with SilentOtto, but what happens when your order are to surface, even though the sky is filled with enemy a/c.. Not a very inviting prospect..
But in view of me having to repeatedly change depth during cruises just to check radar or recharge batteries, I thing osmething along those lines would be good

With Regards,

Krauter

[Joe S]

Here is my wish list of the top of my head. I realize some are incorporated into major mod packs but since I am still having lots of crashes I prefer not to install major mod packs at this time.
1 ability to write on the nav map
2 ability to deterimine range at current speed
3 If you indavertently plot a course over a small island the crew should alert you to that fact
4 If you approach or reach test depth the crew should warn you
5 you should be able to pick a damage control team ahead of time without pulliing them from their normal duty station.
6sound man should warn of depth charges in the water
7you should be able to manually input range into the tdc without being limited to a certain range, as we are now.
8 It would be nice if someone could state what the exact magification of the various scopes is so we can use the ranging recticle and manually input the range.
9 the crew should be directed to fire the AA guns at surface targets
10in game volume adjustment for the grammophone would be nice.
11 A complete set of documentation would be good
12 Mappable keys would be a big improvement
13an accurate ruler for the map
14 command the deck gun to fire specifically at warships or merchants
15ability to write in log

Joe S

[Incubus]

Regarding #5, you can recruit sailors for the damage control team, that way you don't have to move them in the damage control slot later. It is very handy, since the sailors might have skills to make them useful to stand in at other stations (if those sailors are hurt/exhausted)

[SilentOtto]

I agree with SilentOtto, but what happens when your order are to surface, even though the sky is filled with enemy a/c.. Not a very inviting prospect..
But in view of me having to repeatedly change depth during cruises just to check radar or recharge batteries, I thing osmething along those lines would be good

With Regards,

Krauter

Hey, then's what you get the alert I was saying... a couple min at periscope depth, if nothing seen in observation periscope, surface.

Also, there is no option to crash dive when plane sighted, only periscope depth which I think is even worse than staying surfaced...

I terribly agree with next poster about writing on map (Need to know TIME of contacts or sightings!) and logbook.

Range at current speed is among nav instruments toolbar!

And yes, other things like notifying depth charges in the water, they were there in SH3 but probably also no time for including them at release date... Damn business executives! :damn:

[donut]

Engines: Tweak rpms of each shaft, so if you have limited/disabled rudder control you can still limp home. It would probably be a really wide turning radius (so forget about attacking ships/running away from DDs) but enough to head back for a refit.
.

:up: :up::up: :up: :up: :yep: Do it to it SOON!

[silentscorp1971]

Scripted commands would be a handy feature. :yep:
As would be a way to disable sonar contacts you have already been informed of and a "don't tell me about fishing boat or sampans anymore!"

[StevenLohr]

I would like a astonomical almanac that gives moonrise/moonset/sunrise/sunset times and moon phases. Currently, I use a separate program called NightCal, but having it embedded in the game would be nice.

[swdw]

The ability to do what was called "riding the vents"= faster dive

The decks awash idea with people on the bridge IF it reduces you're radar signature and makes it harder for the AI to spot you visually (the other reason for running this way).

Maybe I've missed this somewhere but the ability to order left or right rudder in 5 degree increments via keyboard like the old silent service 2 had (tried to find a cmd like this to activate, maybe I missed it?)