Periscope losing lock?

[RSColonel_131st]

Hi Guys

Weird problem I wasn't able to find already mentioned - in the german "sub school" created by one of our great forum members, I attacked a british convoy in an IX, and kept losing my periscope "lock" while manual targeting.

By "lock" I mean the convenience of the periscope automatically following the ship.

This gets pretty annoying when you are doing range (Stadimeter) and suddenly the ship wanders out of the crosshairs. Or sometimes it would un-lock just before I hit the "Entfernung" notepad line and the stadimeter wouldn't even open.

Why could this be?

[Rockin Robbins]

Welcome to Real Fleet Boat!:smug: This is a known problem that the team is dealing with. There are a lot of desirable characteristics that go along with the problem, so the difficult task is to get rid of the problem without losing the benefits as well. It will be done. Stay tuned in the Real Fleet Boat sticky thread in the mods forum.

[RSColonel_131st]

Thanks for the answer. Truth to be told, I'm always a bit hesitant to apply large mods, since often enough you find out later that certain things are not compatible or otherwise changed.

Has there been an explanation what causes this, maybe how to avoid it in game? Doesn't seem to happen if the ships are wider apart.

[gimpy117]

it happens in stock too...

[RSColonel_131st]

I should have been more clear - yes, I'm running stock 1.5, not RFB. I understood the first answer to mean it would be fixed by applying RFB, but now I see that RFB also has this problem.

If I want to stay unmodded, what's the best way to avoid the issue? Does it only happen in convoys?

[Urge]

It's also a function of range. Once you get in close enough it stays locked. This might not be the problem you are having but then again...

Urge

[Rockin Robbins]

Weirdly, it is also linked to your latitude. The higher your latitude, the more involuntary unlocking you get. Actually you don't have to lock the periscope to shoot the torpedoes if you're willing to learn the Dick O'Kane Method, the John P Cromwell Method or the Vector Analysis Method.

I've also used conventional targeting with RFB (more problems than stock) and been able to use the stadimeter without undue hardship.

[McHub532]

I'm having this problem in TMO as well. It seems to be something that happens during "other than perfect weather" conditions.

It's rather a PITA right now because it's screwed me up twice. In the center of WW4 here and I'm a hole in the water getting pinged and there is nothing I can do.

Reload the game.. try again... screws up again.. reload game and try again. I'm about to remove RFB and TMO because they both are doing the same thing to me.

[McHub532]

It's also a function of range. Once you get in close enough it stays locked. This might not be the problem you are having but then again...

Urge

I'm currently running -only- TMO and the TMO upgrade and the destroyer is about 200 yards away from me. I can count the teeth on the men on deck and it still won't lock on.

[Rockin Robbins]

McHub, in your case with the nasty weather, I bet the targeting would be frustrating in a real submarine too. Check out the link in my siggy and try out the Dick O'Kane method for such times. Going to stock will be no better than TMO in this case.

[McHub532]

McHub, in your case with the nasty weather, I bet the targeting would be frustrating in a real submarine too. Check out the link in my siggy and try out the Dick O'Kane method for such times. Going to stock will be no better than TMO in this case.

Thank you Sir.

I found a post some place by the fella that made TMO and he was helping someone. He had them change a setting in sensor.cfg and another file. I did that and there are no errors are strange effects yet.

Then again.. I haven't hit another storm at night again so.. we'll see.

You are right though.

I just used to really look forward to a nasty storm because I could crank all around at screws full power ahead blasting things to bits like a first person shooter and they'd never find me. Heh.

This *is* more real and as the 'blastem' type of play gets boring the 'real' is taking its place and I'm becoming even more addicted. :)

[Husksubsky]

Can you tell me where that help was posted? I run RFB, rsrd and get the problem in all sorts of weather and lattitude...and range.luckily it stays locked enough for me to start stad but not to finish it.I have to reset a new bearing then go to aob and speed.if it s realistic failure I ll go with it but it seem weird.I got it now in subschool..(was gonna test stadrange with the new RFB).weather was clear. The lock say poor when I mouse it and it stays for 2-3 secs( didn t really stopclock it):shifty:

[Husksubsky]

I should have been more clear - yes, I'm running stock 1.5, not RFB. I understood the first answer to mean it would be fixed by applying RFB, but now I see that RFB also has this problem.

If I want to stay unmodded, what's the best way to avoid the issue? Does it only happen in convoys?

I get problem in all situations.

but

aww don t stay unmodded mate:cry: ..100000 of hours have been put in the mods by brilliant minds and make the game far better than stock. just make sure to not mix unmixeable mods,but that will be well explained..and don t forget to install jsgme for your mods.can be found at jonesoft s page(the makers) among others.very easy to use.;) . The main ones to choose from are TMO,RFB and both go with the RSRD campaign , just install the correct version.There are others too , but usually mixing em all for a perfect version suiting oneself is not adviseable cause of conflicts..some you might even not notice..
opps I forgot to mention operation Monsun if you like to play german..

[McHub532]

Can you tell me where that help was posted? I run RFB, rsrd and get the problem in all sorts of weather and lattitude...and range.luckily it stays locked enough for me to start stad but not to finish it.I have to reset a new bearing then go to aob and speed.if it s realistic failure I ll go with it but it seem weird.I got it now in subschool..(was gonna test stadrange with the new RFB).weather was clear. The lock say poor when I mouse it and it stays for 2-3 secs( didn t really stopclock it):shifty:

I wish I could but this search engine doesn't like me. I can look for hours for something everyone laughs at me for not being able to find (again). heh

[Husksubsky]

Can you tell me where that help was posted? I run RFB, rsrd and get the problem in all sorts of weather and lattitude...and range.luckily it stays locked enough for me to start stad but not to finish it.I have to reset a new bearing then go to aob and speed.if it s realistic failure I ll go with it but it seem weird.I got it now in subschool..(was gonna test stadrange with the new RFB).weather was clear. The lock say poor when I mouse it and it stays for 2-3 secs( didn t really stopclock it):shifty:

I wish I could but this search engine doesn't like me. I can look for hours for something everyone laughs at me for not being able to find (again). heh

well thx for trying m8:)

[Husksubsky]

Can you tell me where that help was posted? I run RFB, rsrd and get the problem in all sorts of weather and lattitude...and range.luckily it stays locked enough for me to start stad but not to finish it.I have to reset a new bearing then go to aob and speed.if it s realistic failure I ll go with it but it seem weird.I got it now in subschool..(was gonna test stadrange with the new RFB).weather was clear. The lock say poor when I mouse it and it stays for 2-3 secs( didn t really stopclock it):shifty:

I wish I could but this search engine doesn't like me. I can look for hours for something everyone laughs at me for not being able to find (again). heh

As a manual targeter I found out that the only time I really need lock is to start stadimeter, nothing else. it gets tracked fine and I can just update it s position by clicking with ship center of periscope.(also a good way to verify speed I set if I do it later on and see if the "wheels" that tracks the firing solution changes ).
I thought the lock was neccesary for the firesolution to work correct, but I was wrong:).:hmm:
this is for us subs though.
Happy hunting

[McHub532]

As a manual targeter I found out that the only time I really need lock is to start stadimeter, nothing else. it gets tracked fine and I can just update it s position by clicking with ship center of periscope.(also a good way to verify speed I set if I do it later on and see if the "wheels" that tracks the firing solution changes ).
I thought the lock was neccesary for the firesolution to work correct, but I was wrong:).:hmm:
this is for us subs though.
Happy hunting

Oh my oh my oh my...I think I just figured this out as well.

I just brought up Subsim.com to get all excited about it and now I'm sort of embarrased because I should have known how to do this all along. :doh:

Weather conditions are horrid but I can still see the ship's outline... I just line up my periscope the direction I want my torpedoe's to run (lead the ship, make sure there is enough distance for it to arm).. and push the fish out the tube.

The torpedeo follows the direction your periscope was/is pointing. I hadn't braved manual targeting yet so I didn't know this.

It took a WHOLE MESS of torpedeos for me to figure out the fine details of it but I just sunk the ship in 0 visibility only by using sound.

Muahhahaah!

:rock:

[McHub532]

To add onto my most recent comments....

If you are shooting blind like this..

The little line on your attack map is showing the point of noise/audio.

That would be the screws/propeller.

So find out the direction the ship is going and then you will know to 'lead' to the proper side of that noise.

This rocks. I think I'm going to dive into manual targetting in my next campaign.

[Husksubsky]

To add onto my most recent comments....

If you are shooting blind like this..

The little line on your attack map is showing the point of noise/audio.

That would be the screws/propeller.

So find out the direction the ship is going and then you will know to 'lead' to the proper side of that noise.

This rocks. I think I'm going to dive into manual targetting in my next campaign.

hehe good work.
But I m afraid I bust edit myself a bit. If I click again with ship centered to reset bearing, it will put again the last rangevalue I set with stadimeter.stupid, it should be possible to reset bearing without fiddling with range to update and verify the values put in speed range and aob into the mechanical firesolution thing.it will still work though, but obviously no bearing setting without setting new range at same time
back to experiment..I will check out the sound thingy:)

[RSColonel_131st]

One detail I noticed during the holidays - the German training mission where this error always occurs has been set in the Atlantic by the designer. Otherwise it's the very same layout like the Us Torpedo training mission.

So yes it absolutely seems that geographic position has something to do with the error.

And also yes, lock is not required for manual targeting (which I'm using) but it's a lot more convenient to have the ship in full view while entering AOB, range and speed. I also guess that with the stadimeter, it also sends bearing in addition to range, and if your periscope is not center of your target, the bearing will be slightly off.

[Rockin Robbins]

That is true. Wherever the periscope is pointing when the send range/bearing button is pushed, that is the bearing the TDC gets. And you're right, there is no sending range without also sending bearing and versa vica. This is a minor defect in the game implementation of the TDC because real submarines sent one without the other all the time.

You can help the unlocking problem by using the "L" key to lock. Then you can juggle the stadimeter and the lock to get a good sample just about every time with a little deft timing. In rough weather it's good to have some methods that don't require accurate range for a solution.

[PoweredBySoy]

Periscopes often lose lock in nasty weather. It was the same way in SH3. I've always just chalked it up as a bit of realism - considering how hard it would be to keep the scope steady when the boats are getting tossed around by 20ft waves.

As mentioned before, long range is also a factor.

[ichso]

Yes, but it in this game, the lock will also be lost in most perfect conditions.

In a training mission, one ship is sitting at 1000 yards and another one at 2000. The closer one keeps being locked as long as you desire but the farther one does only for a few seconds at best.
This makes using the stadimeter for range a bit tedious as you have to lock onto the target, then *quickly* identify it. Then renew the lock and *quickly* push the stadimeter button or otherwise the stadimeter funtion doesn't know which ship your pointing at and therefore doesn't know the correct mast height for calculations.

That is why using the periscope scales and an external calculator is sometimes the better way of estimating range when you don't want to use active sonar ;).

Any news on this issue yet ?