Dead Reckoning

[Harmsway!]

I'm trying to find that balance between being all alone on the sub having to do everything and letting the computer play the part of the crew and doing all too little. For instance it's nice to set way points and supposedly the "crew" handles navigation. Certainly as Captain I shouldn't be doing all this stuff. Right?

Some how though using way points doesn't give me that feeling of my crew doing the navigation as it should. Rather I feel like my computer is doing it bumping me completely out of immersion.

So for me a little more hands on with the navigation helps a little. I'm not trying to take over the navigation job as much as getting a little more in tune with it. No longer am I Captain Dunsel.

Here is what I do now. I use the drawing tools to chart out my course determining my current location and destination for the day. Using this "Dead Reckoning" technique I can draw lines on the map and mark where I will be at any time of day based on course and speed. When its time for a course change I give the rudder commands real time and watch the compass as it rolls over to the new course. Then set out in the new direction for the allotted time.

What this does for me is make me much more aware of time; hour, day, season and year. Way points still have there place but in the end I feel much more in command.

[Sailor Steve]

There was a Real Navigation mod for SH3, with sextant and everything. The problem with SH4 is the question of what time it is. SH3's clock gave GMT (Zulu), the time at the Greenwich Obeservatory outside London, and if you hovered the cursor over the time it showed the local time, so you knew exactly where you were, time-wise. SH4 gives you the time at your base, and if you hover the cursor over the time, it gives you...the time at your base.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=116170&highlight=navigation

Dead reckoning works well enough, I guess. There is a mod that removes the sub icon from the map, so you can't see exactly where you are. That leaves room for being wrong. Of course if you are anywhere near land you have to make sure to look around a lot. I like DR for foggy days and when submerged, since it's much more difficult to know for sure.

If you figure out anything else, let us know.:sunny:

[Zel]

When you're using dead reckoning, you can send a radio report which will give you your sub's precise location, when you need it. Also it's useful to have a bigger compass..there are mods available for that.

I have an idea for the cold war mod, to put static Icebergs in various locations and mark them on the map. I think it would be possible to navigate using the icebergs, because they are radar detectable.

[Diopos]

Interesting, at least ...


:yep:


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[Harmsway!]

In SH3 I could use the stars to find my latitude. The trouble with SH4 is that I do not know my southern stars that well. Hey a good opportunity to learn. It was back then that I discovered that SH3 stars were correct. Longitude is a different story, hence the need for zulu time.

My purpose now though is a different one. It is in keeping myself emotionally engaged in the sim. Applying little bits of seamanship to keep actively involved. Its too easy to use the computer cheats like TC from the comfort of my computer chair to rocket myself from base to action. In no time at all rack up a number a ships and come back to these forums to post tonnage.

No maybe what I am trying to do here is build a list of duties to routinely perform. Something more disciplined then the seat of the pants gaming mentality. Maybe there is already some real ones someone can point me to. What the Captain should be doing each day. For example maybe;

- Check sub position at 0800 each morning
- Plot the course for the days destinations
- Check with the officers on duty
- Take a depth reading
- Check the weather report

You get the idea.

Back to DR for a moment. The problem with DR is ocean currents and other variables that can take you off course. In a sim we don't deal with currents. I don't know if SH5 does either. So DR proves to be quite good in the sim.

[Diopos]

I always wondered if "star navigation" can be accurately applied in the SH4 "flatland" mercator world ... :hmmm:



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[Pisces]

Search for posts by Don1reed. He's a pro on that.

If you can live with stepping out of the SH4 world for a moment you can even do it accurately:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=135215

[Harmsway!]

using stars is quick and easy for latitude. To find longitude you need an almanac of stars or sun. The link in the previous post should do it.
Fantastic.

Thanks Pices.

[Harmsway!]

I can't find the no sub mod. Is it still available?

[Rockin Robbins]

So you would toss out your entire plotting ability for dead reckoning? The compromises necessary for more "realism" just destroy all the other realism in the game!

Properly done, the attack plot should be totally separated from the nav plot. As long as we have them cobbled together, as SH3 and SH4 have we have no choice but to toss out the baby with the bathwater. Yuk. Better to just enjoy the game warts and all.

[Harmsway!]

I hadn't toss anything out yet. BTW answer me this. What happen to my attack map. I'm on the USS Balao and every map is the nav map? I'm using RDRD/RFB and some sound mods nothing more.

[Rockin Robbins]

For some reason the RFB boys don't see any use whatever for the attack map. So they haven't hooked it up to any function keys, choosing to leave the stock keyboard layout. Actually, the real sub jockeys wouldn't shoot a torpedo without comparing TDC output to the plot, and that's what the attack map does.

You can still get to the attack map with the command button bars. Or if you would like a keyboard layout that makes much more sense you can load up my TMOkeys (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/downloads.php?do=file&id=173), which gives you the venerable TMO keyboard layout (very similar to SH3) plus shift-i for "some officer or other, please identify that target."

[Harmsway!]

Thanks. I'll take a look at the TMOkeys.