Advice for noobies

[CaptainMattJ.]

Heres some advice for any noobs to SH4. NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EEEEEEEEEEEEVER GET AN S CLASS SUBMARINE EVER!!!!! I tried having an S-42 Submarine. It goes 13 knots top speeed, it has No AA, No stern tubes, only 4 bow tubes and crush depth is SIGNIFICANTLY lower. theres no benefit to having an S class. none. never get one ever.

[SteamWake]

But I love my sugar boats!

They can dive like a led brick and are quite as an owls flight :03:

Honestly I do like the S boats alot.

[Armistead]

I love using them at the start of the war. Think they have beautiful lines.
I'll use one until I get a gato and stop there.

It's smart to learn to live in one, will make you a wise skipper.

[Rockin Robbins]

I love my sugar boat for its 10 knot submerged speed and its stealthiness. Highly effective boat. By the way a questionnaire posed to sub captains after the war revealed that most of them thought stern torpedoes were a waste of resources.

[Highbury]

Love the Sugar Boats, and prefer not having stern tubes.. to each their own I guess :up:

[Task Force]

S class boats are actualy quite good little boats. reminds me of a IIA...

[CaptainMattJ.]

WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!? ALL boats go 9 knots submerged!!!!!!!!!!!!! and stern torpedoes are VERy effective VS DD and S boats Have only 8 reserve torpedoes. Highly Effective Pfffftt. that ting cant dive Deep! i tried diving 80 m with FULL health 0 Dmg to hull And i die. Are u serious? and it only goes 13 knots FULL on surface. All boats go 9 knots underwater At flank. S boat sucks. ACCEPT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you shouldnt even use it in beggining of war. AWFUL AWFUL AWFULLLLLLLLLLLLL! and you dont stand a CHANCE against air, and that deck gun is available to ALL other boats. ACcept it it Sucks Major nuts and it should be BAnned from the game FOR ALL ETERNITYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYy. Stealth? Pftttttt. All boats are sTealthy thats the point of the submarine. i May not have actual Battled other ships with it but I dont haVE TOO. ePIC faiiiiiiiiilL. You Get more torpedoes w/ other boats. its A waste of TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

[Task Force]

hmm... well thats your opinion.. but i think the S boats are actualy quite fun... (you think those 20mm guns can shoot stuff down... lol... you must be playing stock...)

[CaptainMattJ.]

those 20mm have snagged me some merchies at least and i didnt have to waste DEck gun ammo. i know no US sub can take a plane.....i Cant. only in a Uboat can the AA be used for its ORIGINAL purpose

[Task Force]

... in real life 1 20mm with the ammount of aamo sh4 gives you could sink a merchent... unless it ignites some freight that is explosive...

[DigitalAura]

I agree with the poster from what I've played with the S boat (like 2 missions) that it is significantly more frustrating...

it just goes to show what our veterans here are capable of: they could sail a floating piece of ... flotsam, yeah... flotsam. And still fight a good war with it.

It's all in experience...I have to salute you guys who can find strengths in such things that we can only see weaknesses. :salute::()1:

[Torplexed]

S-Boats rule! :rock: They have torpedoes that actually work.

[SteamWake]

S-Boats rule! :rock: They have torpedoes that actually work.

LOL then they start 'charging' you for ones that do ! :haha:

[Subnuts]

S-boats are awesome. You fleet-boat snobs just don't know how fight with a real submarine. :smug:

[CaptainMattJ.]

Well then ok that Opinion. If you like a MAAAAAAAAAAJOr challange then ok. if however your say a NOOBIe as this thread suggests then You shouldnt get an s boat until you have mastered gameplay. think about it. noobies cant learn how to truly master a boat with a boat with limited features. let him take in ALL aspects of SH4, Then he can decide he wants an S class. but the fact remains that the s class is NOT as good as the other submarines and in MY opinion they Suck but if wanteda challenge id use that thing the entire career

[CaptainMattJ.]

And hmmmmm i may Not be a noob to SH4 but i never got what people meant when they said stock? whats stock??? i dont have any mods

[kiwi_2005]

And hmmmmm i may Not be a noob to SH4 but i never got what people meant when they said stock? whats stock??? i dont have any mods

Stock is the game right out of the box, no mods.

[CaptainMattJ.]

well then im playing stock all the way. i just dont trust myself to install any mods without causing my computer to Explode in my face. Everyone says Oh its so Ez with JSMGE but i dont think so! i just dont think i Need a mod anyway. i mean the i WOULD get if i was going to get one was a mod that has REALISTIC stopping/speeding up for warships and merchants. Like a dd going 12 knots goes 28 knots in 5 seconds. Wtf!

[Morpheus]

nobody take my S18! It`s mine ... :yep:

/epicmode :salute:

cheers

[CaptainMattJ.]

ill steal it in your SLEEEEEEEP!

[Morpheus]

i sleep with one eye open :|\\

[Armistead]

well then im playing stock all the way. i just dont trust myself to install any mods without causing my computer to Explode in my face. Everyone says Oh its so Ez with JSMGE but i dont think so! i just dont think i Need a mod anyway. i mean the i WOULD get if i was going to get one was a mod that has REALISTIC stopping/speeding up for warships and merchants. Like a dd going 12 knots goes 28 knots in 5 seconds. Wtf!

They actually have mods for that. I believe one is built into RFB. I think Webster has one for stock. You may enjoy Websters Game Fix Only "GFO"
mod. It's a large mod with hundreds of fixes, but doesn't change the function of stock play.

In time you'll want mods...this game would have died long ago in not for the mod's.

[pabbi]

S-Boats(Pig boats),you just got to love them. Diesel smell, sweat and little place to move around.

oh and S-41 is mine.:D

[Torplexed]

Diesel smell, sweat and little place to move around.

Germany has the Schnell-Boats. America has the Smell-Boats. :D

[sunvalleyslim]

Everyone of the Boats is a "Pig Boat"......all the way down to Balao Class.........Even when we went on liberty in civilian clothes, the girls all knew from where we came.........."Silver Dolphins on her chest. She's been laid by Americas best.....One hundred men she's had today, but only four the normal way". (sung to the Ballad "Green Beret")

[I'm goin' down]

Tigers actually sleep with one eye open. Scary stuff!

CatainMattj doesn't have any strong ooooppppiioioonnnsss (heh), deos he? :stare: He is in with the Big Boys and just doesn't know it. Why, my gorgeous S-18 is as classy as a Pierce Arrow, sleek as a Bugatii, and hotter than ....(let me see....) Betty Grable.

AAAAANNNNDDDDD (heh, heh) he is thinks that manual targeting is a waste, claiming in a post in Captain Scurvy's AoB thread that it is more accurate to rely on eyeballing the target's AoB. :nope: Cupping my mouth with my right hand and whipering, "Horsehit," I point out that I have on multiple occasions sunk three ships on the same or parallel courses in a single attack run using the Easy AoB mod. All successful captains know that plotting a destroyer's course is almost impossible when it is protecting other ships or seeking a sub, as a result of its frequent course and speed changes. A captain has to rely on a lucky shot to hit one, or eyeball the AoB, quickly enter it on TGT tool, and fire before it changes course.

AAAANNNNDDDD DDDOOOONNN'TTTT YYYOOOUUU FFFOOORRRGGGEEETTT IIITTT

[CaptainMattJ.]

what? yes a ddchanges course frequently and speed. that why you look at the attack map and turn your boat till the torpedo course line matches with what YOU think hes going to change course. and you cant do it when hes not changing course its ALWAys changing course so you cant really fire when hes "not" changing course. as said by ummm i cant remember his name but he made the manual targeting tutorial post "AoB is not that important. You dont have to get it Completely accurate you can be off a few degrees and it will still hit. thats how i do spread angle for single torps. i use Auto tagerting MOST of the time but not always and sometimes when im sneaking into an enemy port i use my atack map and i plot a spread angle for a single torp instead of it having it go directly into the middle i have it go a little bit away from the bow but not directly in the middle. besides, if your not Extremely desperate you could try the point and shoot manual targeting where you set everything to zero so the torpedo shoots straight ahead aim turn your boat till you think the wtorpedoes going to hit.

[Morpheus]

...One hundred men she's had today, but only four the normal way". (sung to the Ballad "Green Beret")
*sigh* even in those days the oneway was so popular? :har:

For Captain MattJ, yes when firing from 200 meters i wouldn't bother about a few degrees also...

Try hit a medium target from 4-5 kilometers, one degree can be it then...

cheers

[Zilch]

If you don't want the challenge, use something easier...S-boats and Type II's are subs you use when you're sinking too much tonnage and need the extra handicap. Not there yet? Use a Balao.

If I may make a comparison to the old X-Wing or TIE Fighter games...anyone can do decently in an X-wing or TIE Advanced. If you win in an A-wing or TIE Fighter, you've done something impressive....most impressive. :D

(Sorry to cross-reference Star Wars, but some of you may know what I'm talking about.)

[I'm goin' down]

I have hit moving targets at approximately 4,500 yds. using the easy AoB mod, firing when they were +/- 4,500 yds. out. Stationary targets at +6,000 yds. Eyeballing at those distance is not possible. Using Easy AoB at least give you the opportunity to see if your torpedo angle intersects the target, except in RFB where the torpedo angle and interception point are not modded in to it with enough clarity.

[FIREWALL]

When and Where the S-boats mainly used ?

[SteamWake]

When and Where the S-boats mainly used ?

Basically early in the war when they were the best they had for the most part till the later boats were more common.

By the way this thread prompted me to start a new carrier in an S boat.... Wow they had good range !

[I'm goin' down]

I started using the Easy AoB mod when I captained a Gato. I have not used it with an S boat. The Easy AoB mod is, my opinion, a masterpiece. When targets are on the same or similar course, you can whack several of them in one attack run. I have gotten 3 in one run on two occasions, but never 4. Assuming 8 torpedoes to sink 4 (or damage them so that you can sink them with the deck gun), you have to have a hot crew in both the fore and aft torpedoe compartments, and be, as Clint Eastwood said after he shot five men in a bar in the Unforgiven, "lucky in the order."

[sergei]

Picture the scene - me a new skipper walking down the dock with a grizzled seasoned Chief of the Boat

Skip: Awww, lookit that toy boat tied up there as if some kid is playing at being a sailor. Isn't that sweet. Anyway COB, where's my sub?
COB: Errrm, that is your boat sir.
Skip: Say what now?

Skip: Hey COB. Looks like some SOB has left some 9mm in the tubes. Clear it out will ya so we can load up some torpedoes
COB: Errm, they are the torpedoes sir.
Skip: Say what now?

Skip: OK COB, looks like a large Jap freighter, doing about 12 knots on a parallel course to us. Ring up the flank bell COB. We'll overhaul this joker in an hour or two.
COB: Errrm, we are at flank sir. And if we continue at this speed the toilet is gonna explode sir!
Skip: Say what now?

Skip: Well we're at 250ft. I think the japs have got our depth. Rig planes for deep dive.
COB: It don't get any deeper sir. Jeez sir, WTF don't you get about this boat?
Skip: Say what now?

Man I love those sugar boats. You can take my S-Boat away from me when you prise it from my cold dead fingers!

[Armistead]

I love my sugar boat for its 10 knot submerged speed and its stealthiness. Highly effective boat. By the way a questionnaire posed to sub captains after the war revealed that most of them thought stern torpedoes were a waste of resources.

I tried once to take a S-boat through the war and actually made it to late 43. I wonder if the game doe's see it as a smaller stealthier boat?

I do like having my sterns. I've read a study, maybe the same one that many Skippers thought the sterns worthless. Sort of shocking.

[Armistead]

When and Where the S-boats mainly used ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_S_class_submarine


I read in a book and wika also states that they did convert some to launch float planes...gave it up, but the japs later had the same idea and used it to some effect.

Most of the S-boats were used for supply missions once we caught up fleetboat production

[gAiNiAc]

I do like having my sterns. I've read a study, maybe the same one that many Skippers thought the sterns worthless. Sort of shocking.

The better Skippers employed them well. O'Kane said somewhere that it was bad to have a single ended boat. Having stern tubes gave you options if faced with a last second target radical course change.....

[CaptainMattJ.]

stern tubes pown escorts who are riding you.

[Akula4745]

The better Skippers employed them well. O'Kane said somewhere that it was bad to have a single ended boat. Having stern tubes gave you options if faced with a last second target radical course change.....

Agreed... instead of rotating 360 on a radical course change... you can work inside a 180 degree range with stern tubes.

CatainMattj doesn't have any strong ooooppppiioioonnnsss (heh), deos he? :stare: He is in with the Big Boys and just doesn't know it.

Technology cannot fix stupid, fellow skipper. Everything the lad posts is either mis-spelled, caustic, or inane.

[I'm goin' down]

Mattj - let's give him a break for awhile. He is young, and has not worked on his spelling or grammar. That stuff is not easy. As for being brash, he is that. He probably needs his butt kicked, but it ain't going to happen here. We are not in the real Navy.

Using aft torpedoes on stationary destroyers is something I have done, and on destroyers on a course that can be plotted. If not one of those, it is by coincidence or luck.

[ReFaN]

had an S boat, absolutely loved the mark 10's, was given a new sub, stupidly i accepted it. Now i only get premature detonations and duds, >_>

[ReallyDedPoet]

Mattj - let's give him a break for awhile. He is young, and has not worked on his spelling or grammar.

I am glad you feel that way as I edited your post above as well :)

[Task Force]

I say we just lock this entire thread... this is a thread created by a troll to draw attention...

[I'm goin' down]

Let's talk subs and move on.

[CaptainMattJ.]

Wow. are you Serious. You guys are Wound up and serious about a FORUMS WEBSITE. and why did you delete my post. there wasnt anything wrong with it. another VERy harmless joke. but of course here come the toy soldiers with no emotions. watch i bet youll delete this post too. you act like this forums is a job. i had my opinion and people had theirs and i talked on this forum. now everones on my case. i seriously do not care that im a "troll" because this forum isnt something i do often. I REALLY dont care. seriously. this thread wasnt to get attention. i wanted to express an opinion. and ahem it says NEWBIES not expierenced guys with SH4. Im recommending new people use other subs instead of the S class for a while. the s class is a challenge. its slow, has limited weapons, and its crush depth is very low compared. Its great for a challenge. for noobs its something they probably shouldnt get into right away. ugh. and poet are you now my personal thread editer or something.

[I'm goin' down]

well said Mattj. Now let's get on to something more important. When I started hitting all of my shots on a fairly regular basis, I decided to look into the complexities of the game. I had been playing using the auto target feature at the time, so I moved up to manual targeting which kicked my ass for awhile. Manual targeting is more realistic and creates an entirely different ballgame. You have to learn submarine tactcs, evasive maneuvers, and so on.

When I started, I played stock. Then I asked Rockin Robbins introduce me to the concept of mods, which I new nothing about. An easy mod is the 360 degree bearing tool. I gives you a 2,000 yd. (or is it 3,000 yds? I use it so much I can't remember) circular bearing tool to plot with on the Navifgation Map, so you can measure distance. This is important in manual targeting.

My guess is that you are playing using the auto target feature. When you are proficient, you will get bored sinking so many ships. Plus, stock is not realistic. Get into the mods and not only do some modiify the ships and aircraft to make them more authentic, some completely change the game. Some mods make small changes (i.e. smaller plants and rocks on the sea flloor), but some change the ocean, the environment, guns, and everything else you can think of. You can hook up wartime radio stations and post pin-ups of 40's models in your office. TMO/RFB/RSRDC are the major game mods. Some have historical accuracy. There are also mods to improve your periscope, etc. If you want a nuclear tipped torpedo, you can mod it into your game.

JGSME is SIMPLE to use. I even figured it out.You may want to move up as your proficiency using auto targeting increases. This is not an easy sim to master, but there are many very intelligent captains. Some have programing experience, gaming experience, while others are brilliant artists, mathematicians, tacticians, and all of the above. And they are crazy, as well, which makes them totally normal in my eyes.:D Welcome to the fight. Grab a submarine and see how much you can learn. You will not be disappointed and definitely challenged.

Oh, and back to the point I think you were trying to make. If it was that S boats have limited manueverability and less weaponry than other boats, that is true. They go slower and don't dive as deep. But some captain's prefer to hunt in a Volkswagon, and call it a Ferarri. I like a Balao. They dive deeper than most, have two AA guns, a higher caliber deck gun, and mine has a fine decal on the tower. But those in the S-Boats are like the surfers who tackle the monster waves at Mavericks with long boards from the 1960s rather than the guns that are in vogue now. It works for them.

And, the kid has a sense of humor. the part about really dead "poet" being his editior is hilarious. Hey, you are in the Navy, now. (p.s. the SOB, who is a great modder, edited mine too! [Don't tell him I said that])

Added: FOTRS is a major game mod I forgot to mention.

[SteamWake]

So like S boats r teh cool :cool:

[I'm goin' down]

Technology cannot fix stupid, fellow skipper. Everything the lad posts is either mis-spelled, caustic, or inane.

Ahem. Captain Akukla, sir, I would like to point out sir the you have mispelled "mis-spelled."

Captain sir, in the context of your post regarding the inability to fix a "stupid, fellow skipper", the mispelling of "mispelled ""(a mispelling not caught by any of our beloved, esteemed and very intelligent fellow skippers) leaves me laughing.:haha:

[CaptainMattJ.]

:har:. Dont mispeell mispeell!:stare: Speel lake ea smat purson

[Rockin Robbins]

It's "smrat", dummy! Where's your spell checker?:har:

[I'm goin' down]

when the cake hits the fan, I am sure there will always be enough to serve everyone, and I am in for a piece, too.:DL

As the man with no name (i.e. Clint Eastwood) said in the "Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," God does not ride with idiots.:salute:

[Akula4745]

Ahem. Captain Akula, sir, I would like to point out sir the you have mispelled "mis-spelled."

Nope... that is the correct spelling on my home planet... you Earthlings are just corn-fused.

[CaptainMattJ.]

akula your logo is frightening. :O