Can't Rescue Aviators - what am I doing wrong? [Archive]

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BULL

10-19-09, 12:42 PM

:damn:

I am running stock v1.4 SH4

I got an S-boat mission out of Bisbane to stand lifeguard off Guadalcanal. Departure date is Aug 5 (days before the Marines land) and the mission orders state to be on station no later than October 9. The first time I played this mission I got on station August 12th (being forced under during the day by aircraft) I got there and found the aviators in the water, got so close they could touch the pressure hull and stopped engines. Sighted the survivor thru the binoculars but can't get the life preserver to light up to rescue them.

So I thought that maybe there was a typo and I needed to be on station by August 9th (not October 9th) so I risked ship and crew to stay on the surface and get to the area on August 9th. I did this and now get to the survivor who had popped smoke and again..... really close(can barely depress the binoculars enough to see the survivor) ..... speed under 1 knot and survivor in the cross hairs. STILL THE LIFE PRESERVOR WILL NOT LIGHT UP TO ENABLE THE RESCUE!

This is frustrating... what am I doing wrong?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

pabbi

10-19-09, 12:51 PM

you can only rescue friendly aviators.

BULL

10-19-09, 12:59 PM

Curious response. How do you know friend from foe in the water? I assume by your resonse that it is possible they are Japanese aviators? I need to move on and keep looking for others to see if they are US aviators?

SteamWake

10-19-09, 01:22 PM

This is the most frustrating mission in the game.

The problem is that the map contacts are dated and the downed pilots believe it or not can scoot around at nearly 10 knots. There never quite where they are indicated on the map.

I remember using sonar :o to find them.

They pop smoke when you get close to them sail up to them and look through the binocs and tap the space bar if I remember correctly. I havent had one of these missions since I modded to RFB

Ill edit in the how to link in a minute.

Well the guide only said "pick up 5 pilots for 250 renown'

Munchausen

10-19-09, 02:19 PM

:hmmm: If you see smoke and a head/body bobbing around in the water, you're in the right place. The crosshairs in the binoculars will also light up, telling you that you're on the mark ... so swing the binoculars around and watch the crosshairs flicker. It can get to be quite a goat rope, timing it so your binoculars are exactly "on target" (which dosn't necessarily mean they're centered on the flailing airman) then clicking on the life preserver icon ... before the pilot drifts away.

SteamWake

10-19-09, 02:32 PM

BULL

10-19-09, 02:59 PM

Is it true that some of these might not be American aviators and can't be rescued as Pabbi suggests or if they have smoke should I able to rescue them?

Guess I need to consider modding up my game after this career is over.

BULL

10-20-09, 07:37 AM

I tried this again last night.... no luck!:wah:

I pulled up to the aviator. Stopped engines. Even reversed to get to zero knots. Look at the survivor close up in the binaculars and can't get any highlight in the view or the life preserver to light up so I can rescue. This aviator was next to a blue square on the map so I am pretty sure this is one I am supposed to be able to rescue.......

I really hate to trash this career so I am hopping to find a way to complete this mission.

If anybody has any other ideas let me know! Thanks!

SteamWake

10-20-09, 09:54 AM

You dont have to trash the carrier. Just go out and sink some stuff (or not) and return to base and dock.

You wont get the measly 250 renown and left them all out there swimming. If it was me I would ignore the mission do my own thing and return to base.

They aint going to court martial you :salute:

BULL

10-20-09, 10:49 AM

SteamWake

10-20-09, 11:07 AM

Thanks for the advise SteamWake. There are some juicy targets sitting at the port on Guadalcanal (Called Honiara in the game map but the name during WWII should have Matanikau) guarded by a Jap destroyer but worth the risk. I will just leave the bloody aviators out there if they don't want to be rescued!

Did you try the sonar trick? Dip down to around periscope depth, man the sonar station, pan the sonar around (home/end keys) find a contact note its direction, surface and haul ass in that direction ;) But again to me its more hassle than its worth its just a game.

Good catch on the map names you can find quite a bit of debate over that topic. I'm pretty sure the developers are aware of it.

BULL

10-20-09, 11:32 AM

I didn't use the sonar trick as I am not having problems finding them.... just getting them rescued. I am sitting right next to one. Of course it frustrates me that I was given and order that I can't carry out but will just have to live with this and move on. I wonder if it is a problem because I am on Vista or some other bug with graphics card or something. Sounds like others get this to work.... but like you said... not sure it is worth putting much more time or effort into this mission. My concern is that I will get more of these later in the game as lifeguarding was a fairly common mission later in the war.

SteamWake

10-20-09, 12:04 PM

Time to look into modding ;)

TwinStackPete379

10-20-09, 01:33 PM

Steamwake to my chagrin, is not kidding. they do move around at about 10 knts :shifty:. try lifeguard duty in a sugar boat on rough seas for some real excitement. Find and foloow the pink smoke, use binoculars, then when crosshairs change to red, click the life ring button while the crosshairs are red and the pilot will disappear and then the smoke will too, then you know you got him

BULL

10-20-09, 02:31 PM

Thanks TwinStack

I can catch them - just can't get the cross hairs to turn red for some reason. I am right on top of them and I slow down to a stop but no luck on getting them picked up. I don't need to submerge and surface do I? I have tried eveything I can think of.

Seaman_Hornsby

10-20-09, 06:53 PM

Are you looking at the aviators through the captain's binoc view from the bridge or from the TBT view? If I remember right you have to use the TBT view to get the life preserver to light up and affect a rescue. The captain's binoculars don't do it.

peabody

10-21-09, 03:40 AM

It's definately the binoculars, are you using this:

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/5762/survivor2.jpg

NOT THIS

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/9091/survivor1s.jpg

Peabody

BULL

10-21-09, 08:13 AM

OOPS! :oops:

I didn't know about the captains binaculars views! I have been using the TBT. For captains binaculars, do I just use zoom with the bridge view? No wonder I have been frustrated! Let me try again

Thanks for the clarification Peabody!

ETR3(SS)

10-21-09, 08:27 AM

Yep, just go to the Bridge and press Tab.

BULL

10-21-09, 08:38 AM

I guess I can chalk this up to you learn something new every day! So just like deck gun, when you hit tab you get a magnified view.... I feel so stupid! I guess my crew has a seaman recruit commanding the boat.

SteamWake

10-21-09, 09:23 AM

Mouse wheel will bring up the binocs... LOL dident even consider that.

Hey did you know the mousewheel will also operate the sonar head :salute:

BULL

10-21-09, 09:51 AM

I didn't know about the mouse wheel either but should have guessed that since I use it to zoom on maps..... I guess I am still very much a rookie. My wife already doesn't like all the time I spend on the game so I don't get that much time to play around which is probably why I haven't added any mods yet. I want to spend time on playing and not on IT issues

Seaman_Hornsby

10-21-09, 01:28 PM

Thanks Peabody! I figured it was a binocular problem, but I couldn't remember exactly which binocs were required. Commence rescue! :up:

peabody

10-21-09, 04:43 PM

Thanks Peabody! I figured it was a binocular problem, but I couldn't remember exactly which binocs were required. Commence rescue! :up:

I had to go check myself, not something I use a lot. I thought is was binocs but wasn't sure.

Peabody

BULL

10-22-09, 07:24 AM

Thanks everyone! I was able to successfuly rescue the aviators last night so my only problem was trying to use the TBT rather than binoculars. I took out my frustrations on the ships in the harbor with my deck gun and torpedoes..... way too big of score for an S-Boat but I will take it!

Thanks again!