Basic manual map questions from very green skipper

[Limey]

Hi there I'm new here but I've been lurking for a month or so. The name is a clue to my nationality :)

I finally picked up SHIV on Monday after realisng that a sub sim was what I've really been looking for in nearly 20 years of PC gaming. I've been slowly getting to grips with it. The only downside is that my girlfriend seems to have turned into my mother, ordering me to bed at the stupidly early hour of 3am just as I finally slip inside the escort screen. Anyone would think I had a job and responsibilities. Doesn't she know there's a war on?

I am running stock 1.4 with real environment and ROW sound mods only. I will put TMO on once I've got more hours in.

Anyway I've turned off map contact updates and the other 'realism' stuff (all I left on is the very pretty external camera.) I suppose I must enjoy doing trig against the clock for fun. Werner's sonar-only attack video was really helpful (very cool being instructed in submarine operations by a German) but there's a few things I'd like to do with the charts that I can't seem to make work. Can anyone help?

1. The manual says you can rename marks and attach notes. My short term memory isn't too hot so being able to do this would be a big help. Does anyone know how?

2. The manual also talks about plotting a ship-centered range circle (using the compass tool) that will move along with the sub on the nav map. I haven't got that to work yet but it would be very handy in plotting contacts using the radar and sonar. Is that possible or another mistake in the manual?

3. If I want to enter range, speed, bearing and AOB data into the TDC manually is the only possibility to use the target data tool in the attack periscope view? Can any of those data points be entered with some other tool on the nav map or attack map views?

4. Finally what do you guys use the attack map for? If I don't have the PK switched on I can't think of a use for it, but I'm sure I'm missing something.

Thanks!

Limey

[SteveW1]

Hi Welcome to Subsim, you will find lots of Skippers here willing to help out with various things.

On to your questions

1. The renaming of map marks does not work even though it says it in the manual (basically you had best through the manual out and find out all your information at Subsim).

2.I never even read this one in the manual or I missed it completely but I have found nothing in the game myself that will this.

3. The only way I have found to enter the Range, Speed and AOB details is through the Attack periscope.

4. I don't use the Attack map at all as I find it basically useless.

If your after some good Attack methods without using the PK look up the tutorials done by Rockin Robbins here on Subsim.

And again welcome and good hunting

Steve

[Limey]

Cheers Steve, I thought as much about the manual. Shame about the attack map, if you could plot on it it would be very helpful.

I will look up Rockin Robbins' stuff. Seems to be several different ways of doing the same thing which is great.

All the best

Limey

[DarkFish]

welcome to subsim:yeah:
1 and 2 are AFAIK both not available in the game. The manual is basically a copy of the SH3 manual with a lot of non-existing rubbish added, never trust the manual.
3 For the US side this is the only way yes. If you buy 1.5 you can also play on the German side, the Germans do have tools on the attack map for manually setting all parameters for a solution.
4 when playing on the German side I frequently use it to manually enter (guesstimate) a solution if I ain't got the time to calculate it properly. My favorite attack range is 800 m so from that distance there's a pretty good chance you hit the target with a guesstimated solution.

[Limey]

Thanks for the welcome! Looks like I will be buying 1.5, at least as soon as I can figure out how to get it in the UK (but that's another thread.)

[captgeo]

Welcome aboard mate.:salute:

If youre still looking for a guide of some sort for the game , a good one can be found at this link.
http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/6421019045/m/9661024145

[Kloef]

I found my u-boat add-on copy on ebay,maybe worth checking out i bought it in the U.K for about 17 Euro..

And welcome aboard,good hunting!

[Inner Sound]

Hi Limey. I bought Gold (it's got Uboats and is pre-patched up to 1.5), pre-loved, from Amazon in Germany in April. Was the only place at that time but it wasn't extortionate, about £20.

Been sinking ever since.

[Limey]

Good suggestions, thank you all!

[karamazovnew]

Hmm, SH4 vanilla... :|\\ The days when we still thought of the enemy as people with families and dreams. But now, we think of them merely as targets.

Really dude, make any effort possible to get Uboat addon and then try out one of the Mega Mods. And when you decided that you want more (if GWX doesn't come up untill then) get a copy of SH3, put GWX3+OLCgui+ACM on it and start praying. As a brit, you'll get a warm and fuzzy feeling as those british depth charges fall on your hat every time and knowing that the british were the nemesis of your Jerry boat.

[SteveUK]

Hi Limey welcome aboard :salute:

From one to another only place I could track down U-boat missions over here was ebay, about £25 for me but it's well worth it IMO.

[Munchausen]

3. If I want to enter range, speed, bearing and AOB data into the TDC manually is the only possibility to use the target data tool in the attack periscope view?

Be sure to check out one of the latest mods ... it fixes the AOB dial (upper right side of screen, periscope/TBT view) so that AOB can be sent directly from the dial to the TDC.

[Limey]

In the end I found UBM on Amazon UK for a tenner, new, so I ordered that if only so all these mods will work.

[kiwi_2005]

The only downside is that my girlfriend seems to have turned into my mother, ordering me to bed at the stupidly early hour of 3am just as I finally slip inside the escort screen. Anyone would think I had a job and responsibilities. Doesn't she know there's a war on?

Limey

:har::har:

Welcome to sub sims :salute:

[vanjast]

The only downside is that my girlfriend seems to have turned into my mother, ordering me to bed at the stupidly early hour of 3am just as I finally slip inside the escort screen. Anyone would think I had a job and responsibilities. Doesn't she know there's a war on?
:D
Welcome... and do what I do.
When you're with her, act like a depraved sex maniac, and she'll brush you off asap, giving you the opportunity to scramble up the conn, and join the watch crew for the next few hours. If that doesn't happen.. you score anyway.
:up:

[Limey]

:D
Welcome... and do what I do.
When you're with her, act like a depraved sex maniac, and she'll brush you off asap, giving you the opportunity to scramble up the conn, and join the watch crew for the next few hours. If that doesn't happen.. you score anyway.
:up:

:haha: Nice. Either way I get to 'scramble up the conn' :03:

[Runnybabbit]

Hi Limey,

Fellow submariner in the N/West here, and thought I'd pass on that I found my copy of SH The U-Boot missions, at Game, on the High Street in my town. I checked and you should be able to order it for delivery from them via the internet.

Best of luck, and happy sailing..:arrgh!:

[XLjedi]

About the attack map...

It had a very useful function in SH3, it had the TDC dials on it that you could interact with. They are still there (and useful) if you bought the gold edition (which is updated to v1.5) and play a German campaign.

If you play a US campaign, the TDC dials are gone and you have to bounce between screens using the PK to adjust your firing solution.

There is still some value in the attack map for a US captain if you use it as a training aid for manual targetting. In this case you would leave map updates turned on and you would see your PK solution on the attack map overlaid against the plotted target. Gives you a feel for whether or not you're developing reasonable firing solutions. Also shows you the plotted PK solution and the torpedo track so you know if your +-x% adjustment for a lateral spread is going to have the effect you expected.

Couple times I've forgotten to set the spread back to zero, and glancing at the attack map saved me from fouling my own solution. Incidentally, this is one of the few things you are allowed to adjust directly from the attack map without having to jump back to periscope.

[green_abobo]

pausing the game helps for IDing contacts,and working with tools on the nav/attack maps. unless you're going for total realism and simulation. back in the day,they didnt have the luxury of hitting backspace,heh.

entering firing solution data can be done from the oberservation 'scope, tdc (attack 'scope),the tbd (surfaced),or uzo (uboat,again surfaced),and the attack map. (not to be confused with the navigational map)

hope this helps,or you already figured it out. ;)