Question about shooting in bad vis

[Falkirion]

Im still on auto targeting, been in the sim for a month and havent had the balls to move up to manual shots. This point was driven home tonight as I was lurking around a choke point near Tokyo and had a merchant go astern. I was listening to him on sonar but couldnt pick him out due to a persistant storm hampering vis (Nothing but rain, clouds and high seas since I left Midway nearly a week earlier)

First of two questions, one can you shoot off sonar using auto targeting. Question two. What's the best way to learn manual shots apart from tutorial vids?

[Seminole]

Manual targeting is a piece of cake...like most things...once you get the hang of it..and trust me, it isn't hard to learn...not at all... or I would still be auto targeting..

To me the sonar attacks are even easier than visual attacks....just uses more torpedos per ship 'cause for insurance ,you'll probably want to "shotgun" the target. (I think the game gives you a break in difficulty when you attempt sonar attacks..but that is only my unconfirmed suspicion)

The way I learned manual targeting was to go to sub school and the artillery tutorial. I practiced there after watching the video tutorials and reading the threads about manual targeting. Submerge and do torpedo attacks on the target ship. This is a good way to see and learn how all the different data plots and TDC data entries interact with each other to cause the torpedo to hit the target.

After I could hit the target ship at any angle I choose, I moved on to the Junks and Sampans that move all around in the tutorial. Once I could hit them I figured I was ready to move to in-career manual targeting. I was right.


One thing I firmly believe is that manual targeting in version 1.5 was made easier somehow, over previous versions. Through version 1.4 I did my fair share of missing n' cussing. Seems like in 1.5 now I can't miss. I don't know exactly what they did or if this is only a figment of my imagination but with 1.5 I confidently fire off only one or two torpedos per target. Whereas before I fired 4-6 routinely...often without effect.

So if you want more involvement in the sim don't hesitate to go to manual targeting. If you want to stay with auto targeting I would think that sonar attacks would be possible while on auto targeting too...but I never tried that so I'm just guessing.


EDIT TO ADD:

Sonar attcks on single ships is one thing...multiple ships in convoys are something else. It is possible to sonar attack a convoy but keeping the ship you target separate from the others in convoy can be quite a chore. The "follow contact" button is always for the closest contact..it would help a lot if there were a way to have the sonar guy follow the contact you choose instead. Another thing... in convoys... is all that pinging for ranges and bearings will probably draw you some highly undesirable attention from escorts..and at 100 feet or less you will be a sititng duck..

[Sailor Steve]

The "follow contact" button is always for the closest contact..it would help a lot if there were a way to have the sonar guy follow the contact you choose instead.
I'm not sure that could be done in real life either. A convoy would have sounds overlapping one another and changing positions constantly.

"I have one at 337, one at 335 and one further away at 339, sir."

"Follow the one at 337. I'm pretty sure he's the one I saw through the scope."

"Tracking 337, Aye Sir."

Except of course the one at 337 is now at 339 and he's following the one that was at 335.

[banjo]

A couple things...

Use your observation periscope in low lighting conditions.

In 1.5, in bad weather, if I do manage to get a kill, even for example with the deck gun, the game doesn't give me credit for the kill. The ship sinks but I never get the report of the sinking from the crewman and on the map it shows the grayed out symbol for sunk by the storm, not the red symbol that shows my kills. Consequently, when I am in heavy fog I don't hunt. I stop and go to high TC until the weather changes.

[Falkirion]

A couple things...

Use your observation periscope in low lighting conditions.

In 1.5, in bad weather, if I do manage to get a kill, even for example with the deck gun, the game doesn't give me credit for the kill. The ship sinks but I never get the report of the sinking from the crewman and on the map it shows the grayed out symbol for sunk by the storm, not the red symbol that shows my kills. Consequently, when I am in heavy fog I don't hunt. I stop and go to high TC until the weather changes.
I've been praying for the weather to clear up since I hit the storm heading out of Midway. No luck yet and its been a week, maybe I'll have better luck in the East China sea on my next objective

[Arclight]

In 1.5, in bad weather, if I do manage to get a kill, even for example with the deck gun, the game doesn't give me credit for the kill.Not even listed in the log? During or after the patrol?

Think I read about a number of people who didn't get the credit immediately, but it showed up on the log afterwards anyway. :hmm:

[kylania]

I hit a ship in heavy seas last night. Basically I couldn't ever get visual lock on her (1000 yards away) but I knew where she'd be judging by sonar. So I let two fish go and one ended up hitting her!

Once that happened I could see her on fire and was able to close and finish her off with the deck gun. My AI deck gun crew stopped firing at her LONG before I got the official 'She's going down!' message though.

So there did appear to be a time where the ship was "destroyed" and not worth shooting anymore but she hadn't officially sunk yet.