View Full Version : Torpedo wakes getting spotted
Marinesko
05-02-09, 04:21 PM
Lately I've had some trouble sinking ships in a convoy where I am about 800-900 meters away. I fired with torpedoes set on high speed, but the ship must have spotted the tracks(odd because it was at night and they clearly had no idea I was there) and began evasive action. Then I had a hunch and I reloaded the game, firing one torpedo on slow setting. This did the trick. I am wondering do the slow torpedos make a less noticeable wake or something? Also, does setting the depth lower help? I set these at about a few feet above their draft.
Torplexed
05-02-09, 04:30 PM
Are you using any mods?
I seem to remember reading that a lot of Japanese cargo ships were equipped with hydrophones. They may be hearing your torpedoes rather than seeing them. I assume slower torpedoes make less noise.
Marinesko
05-02-09, 04:31 PM
No mods.
vanjast
05-02-09, 04:53 PM
No mods.... means ships have incredible brakes or fasinating rocket propellant acceleration boosters.
Try..
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/downloads.php?do=file&id=942
or
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/downloads.php?do=file&id=1091
Sould help you
:)
Akula4745
05-02-09, 05:11 PM
I wondered if they are seeing your periscope - night/day attack? - instead of the torpedos wake...
Either way I use Webster's Ship Maneuvering Fix for v1.4 and v1.5
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/downloads.php?do=file&id=942
And as vanjast suggested - it will definitely help with the jackrabbit starts and 20 yard stopping power.
Good luck and happy hunting!
Marinesko
05-02-09, 05:14 PM
It can't be the scope. It was at night, and I kept it low in the water. A destroyer escort passed in front of me, totally clueless. So did the first merchant. They only notice when I fire.
Loud_Silence
05-02-09, 08:12 PM
It's my imagination or SH4 behaves differently on each computer? In my career freighters never spot the wakes during daylight:06:
Webster
05-03-09, 12:56 AM
It can't be the scope. It was at night, and I kept it low in the water. A destroyer escort passed in front of me, totally clueless. So did the first merchant. They only notice when I fire.
those escorts are your answer, even though they didnt see you or detect you they can "hear" torps especially on high speed and they alert the other ships. thats why the slow torps did the trick, they werent heard.
in this game you alert one you alert all.
as far as visual torpedo wakes go they are eye candy only and they game never "sees" them at all
as far as visual torpedo wakes go they are eye candy only and they game never "sees" them at all
Incorrect
Marinesko
05-03-09, 04:20 AM
This might be a good time to ask, what is the approximate range of an escort's hydrophones? I purposely let him pass, and he may have spotted the torpedo but he couldn't seem to figure out where I was.
Webster
05-03-09, 11:19 AM
Incorrect
i have never seen ANY evidence the game reacts to bubble trails "only"
it will react to the torpedo "sound" only in every test i have ever done
if you are trying to say this isnt the case then please explain it to us
Marinesko
05-03-09, 01:06 PM
Gentlemen, I think the more pressin concern is the range of hydrophones on escorts. Can they pick something up at the same range I can?
Akula4745
05-03-09, 02:22 PM
So maybe they can see the torpedo's wake... ?
i have never seen ANY evidence the game reacts to bubble trails "only"
it will react to the torpedo "sound" only in every test i have ever done
if you are trying to say this isnt the case then please explain it to us
From the patch 1.4 readme:
* Improvements for enemy ships detection of steam torpedoes
Platapus
05-21-09, 05:57 PM
From the patch 1.4 readme:
Improvements for enemy ships detection of steam torpedoes
Do we know how this was incorporated into the game?
Does this mean sound detection or visual detection?
I remember reading (looking for the citation) that unless the ocean was very calm it was rather difficult, from the low viewpoint of a ship, to see the bubble trail.
From the air it was pretty easy.
Anyone else remember reading that?
In any case, the patch quote does not answer the question on visual sighting of torpedoes.
Stealhead
05-21-09, 06:32 PM
Steam toprs make these things called bubbles those make are wake that can be seen. And why would you not hear a torpedo going 29 or 36knts but hear one going 46knts the higher speed would mean only a faster prop turing speed so they would be able to hear all of them just as you can on your hyrdophones if you can hear it they can to.Even with 1.5 or 1.5 or any mod they can see wakes so better to have the fish set to fast that gives less time for one to evade when and if they do get seen.
Yes they CAN see the torpedo's trail, but rarely... and if you are firing at long distance... if you are close let's say 600-700 meters target won't have time to evade. Once I got lucky to hit Huge passanger liner at 7 Km in such storm that I thought I will never made it, but salvo hit her and she sunk in 30 seconds.
SteamWake
05-30-09, 10:36 PM
Me?
:|\\
Leandros
05-31-09, 06:14 AM
Lately I've had some trouble sinking ships in a convoy where I am about 800-900 meters away. I fired with torpedoes set on high speed, but the ship must have spotted the tracks(odd because it was at night and they clearly had no idea I was there) and began evasive action. Then I had a hunch and I reloaded the game, firing one torpedo on slow setting. This did the trick. I am wondering do the slow torpedos make a less noticeable wake or something? Also, does setting the depth lower help? I set these at about a few feet above their draft.
At the distance you describe a "normal" merchant wouldn't have much time to make any serious deviations from its course - or speed. Particularly not at the torpedo's max speed.
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