First Thread - Questions on instant death.

[CherryHarbey]

Hi folks,
I've been reading on the forum for a while now but thought it was time to surface and try to get some answers to what just happened to me.
Left Kiel through the canal in feb 40 (my 5th or 6th patrol with this career) so heading in the North Sea about 50km south east of Heligoland doing 10 knots on 1024 TC. Then without any warning.
Instant death, U-boot destroyed by flooding. Have a nice after-life.

only things I can think of are mines and ship collision but would either of these killed me instantly?

I'm playing on GWX3.0 so I know mines are in the game but the handy guide on the Nav screen detailing friendly ports with mines doesn't mention Heligoland and don't seem to go that far out anyway.

If it was a ship, why didn't my watch spot it?

Finally I know the answer to this, but need someone else to tell me.
This isn't an excuse to break from my dead is dead policy is it?

Hope these aren't too annoying questions from a newbie.

Cheers,

[frau kaleun]

Generally speaking, bad things happen on 1024 TC.

Or to be more specific, when potentially bad things happen in 1024 TC, by the time the game drops out of TC it is already too late to respond to whatever it was with something that might save you and your u-boat. Because of the high TC, a lot of valuable reaction time is lost between the moment A Potentially Bad Thing first becomes an issue and the moment when you hear "ship [or airplane] spotted" or "we're taking damage."

For instance, if your watch spots a ship/plane and you're at high TC and it turns out to be a fast, armed enemy craft which has also spotted you, by the time the game drops to 1 TC to tell you about it the craft may have already closed to attack range and be dropping bombs or lobbing shells on you. If you are running at 1024 TC, so is the enemy and so are all their weapons and the effects of any damage they cause.

General consensus seems to be that 128 TC is about the highest "safe" TC, especially if you are in any location where contact with armed enemy craft is possible, where mines are likely to be an issue, or where heavy traffic (enemy or otherwise) is expected.

I once tried to rush a homecoming by zooming into Wilhelmshaven at 1024 TC. Something happened near the mouth of the harbor, still not sure what - but I returned from a peacetime patrol where I had seen no action with reduced hull integrity. Best I can figure, I collided with one of our own speedy little patrol boats and never saw it coming.

[Herr-Berbunch]

At high TC it can be anything like mines, land, another vessel (there is a lightship in the area), sometimes at such high TC you really don't see it, and your crew are very delayed even if the watch officer is on the bridge! You start taking damage and by the time you know about it it's too late.

I'm sure we've all done it, and we'll probably all do it again - it'd be nice to go slow sometimes but pressures of RL just take over (nagging wife usually...!)

Welcome aboard :salute: and sail safely.

[CherryHarbey]

Thanks for the advice on TC. I guess I need to think about limiting my 1024 time.

[frau kaleun]

Yeah, you know, I never really worked it out before, but I'm assuming "1024 TC" means that 1 second of real time = 1024 seconds of game time.

1024 seconds = about 17 minutes!

And it's not like the game clock pauses when a threat is encountered so it can drop back to real time and let you know what's going on. It keeps ticking away. And if it takes even half a second of real time to drop back to 1 TC, then you've already lost over 8 minutes in game time, during which your boat continued along on its merry way while any enemy around was free to close and attack you with zero consequences and any damage you took went unaddressed.

[Jimbuna]

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/1309/seagullmine.jpg

There is a British minefield in the area until Dec 40.

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/5679/91117897.jpg (http://img833.imageshack.us/i/91117897.jpg/)

http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/welcome.gif

[RConch]

Thanks for the map, I thought they were on the West side.:salute:

[CherryHarbey]

yeah, I was heading straight through that area, but have done so many (luckier) times before.

at a lower TC would my watch have spotted the mine
would I just have had time to do something about it repair wise,
or was I doomed anyway once I hit the mine.

thanks for the info, I'll be more careful in my next life.
cheers,

[Jimbuna]

Thanks for the map, I thought they were on the West side.:salute:

I've only shown the area being referred to....Top Secret and all that :03:

[Jimbuna]

yeah, I was heading straight through that area, but have done so many (luckier) times before.

at a lower TC would my watch have spotted the mine
would I just have had time to do something about it repair wise,
or was I doomed anyway once I hit the mine.

thanks for the info, I'll be more careful in my next life.
cheers,

Your watchmen won't call out mine sightings....besides, they're mostly beneath the surface.

You usually receive terminal damage when hitting a mine but even if your lucky enough to survive it always requires a swift return to base because of the systems and hull integrity damage.

[frau kaleun]

at a lower TC would my watch have spotted the mine
would I just have had time to do something about it repair wise,
or was I doomed anyway once I hit the mine.


They wouldn't have spotted it, and usually hitting a mine will take you out - but occasionally the damage is not fatal IF you are able to react quickly enough to put men on damage control and begin flooding recovery and repairs. Your chances of doing that at a high TC are pretty much nil, even if the damage wasn't immediately fatal it will have become a lost cause by the time you can respond.

[CherryHarbey]

Somehow believing it was just an unlucky accident and surviving it wasn't very likely makes me feel better.
I think I'll start myslef another career now, a little wiser.

what is the form with the thread do I need to close it to avoid appearing rude by not repsonding to further posts? if so how

or do I just leave it so see if anyone else wants to take it further?

thanks for the advice it has been most helpful
cheers,

[Herr-Berbunch]

I too am certainly wiser, I've been through that area no end of times without 'seeing' a mine! Call me lucky. And thanks Frau for the maths :o

[maillemaker]

I really, really wish that they had not gone straight to black screen when your sub dies.

They should have cut to an external scene 15 seconds before death, a "replay", if you will, followed by your sub breaking up and/or sinking slowly to the bottom, just like any other ship in the game.

Steve

[frau kaleun]

@ CherryHarbey: I think only a moderator can close a thread, but don't worry about it.

I'm sure we have many threads here that are still going strong long after the initial topic/question was thoroughly addressed and the OPs forgot all about them. Sometimes they just take on lives of their own.

I don't think anyone will find you rude if you stop posting in this one, especially since you've stated that your question was answered. And somebody else may come along and have the same question and get an answer here, and then use this thread to post another question that someone else will post an answer to... and so it goes. :D

[frau kaleun]

I too am certainly wiser, I've been through that area no end of times without 'seeing' a mine! Call me lucky. And thanks Frau for the maths :o

I know, I kept dividing 1024 by 60 over and over again to make sure I was seeing the right answer, because... 17 minutes! Yikes! An awful lot of things can happen in 17 minutes. And so many things can go from "whew, that was a close one" to "ur ded kthxbai" in far less.

[Jimbuna]

Even time to make a nice toasty :03:

[frau kaleun]

Even time to make a nice toasty :03:

Or, if you're Balz, order up the appropriate tea cozy. :rotfl2:

[Jimbuna]

Or, if you're Balz, order up the appropriate tea cozy. :rotfl2:

Aye, the one the shape of the life preserver :DL

[Herr-Berbunch]

:rotfl2:This is now destined to be the longest thread on here... keep it going - we'll just rename it random chat based very loosly around SH3!

...and it's currently a duckie tea cosy :up:

(I was going to add a picture of a duck tea cosy, but google has failed me...!)

[Sailor Steve]

I really, really wish that they had not gone straight to black screen when your sub dies.

They should have cut to an external scene 15 seconds before death, a "replay", if you will, followed by your sub breaking up and/or sinking slowly to the bottom, just like any other ship in the game.

Steve
:yep:

Plus an explanation of exactly what killed you. AOTD had a screen of a newspaper headline: "Local Hero Lost At Sea". SH1 had a screen of a wreath on the water, which then led to a screen recapping your career.

[sergei]

I was going to add a picture of a duck tea cosy, but google has failed me

I've got a chicken tea cosy, if that's any help?

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/2112/tgchickenteacosy.jpg

[frau kaleun]

:hmmm:

What we really need, instead of the Instant Death Screen, is one that would not only tell you exactly how and why you died, but also show you a picture of which tea cosy Balz would've worn whilst doing something heroic to avoid the same fate.

Edit: we can call it the Instant Balz Screen.

[Herr-Berbunch]

:hmmm:

What we really need, instead of the Instant Death Screen, is one that would not only tell you exactly how and why you died, but also show you a picture of which tea cosy Balz would've worn whilst doing something heroic to avoid the same fate.

Edit: we can call it the Instant Balz Screen.

Surely he'd be wearing this one...

http://www.beachhut.co.uk/images/prods-resized/35526_poppytreffryteabytheseacosy.jpg

[frau kaleun]

Or perhaps this family heirloom, handed down to him by his grandfather, the honorable Herr E. Balz (pictured):

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1356/774194142_6463ffcb73.jpg

This one, of course, is reserved for crewman Bernard:

http://www.doobybrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/arse-tea-cover.jpg

[Jimbuna]

Or perhaps this family heirloom, handed down to him by his grandfather, the honorable Herr E. Balz (pictured):

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1356/774194142_6463ffcb73.jpg



Erm *cough* *cough* Posted approx 2 years ago by yours truly :smug:

The rest of the family:

Bernard

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/6243/22833426.jpg (http://img412.imageshack.us/i/22833426.jpg/)

The illegitimate daughter

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/4189/12303179.jpg (http://img69.imageshack.us/i/12303179.jpg/)

The grandfather

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/6182/83594888.jpg (http://img84.imageshack.us/i/83594888.jpg/)

What none of you have yet seen (Brag included) is the secret to their youthful looks and longevity.

I have hinted on numerous occasions that the boats provisions be checked but thus far those hints have fallen on deaf ears :03:

[frau kaleun]

Erm *cough* *cough* Posted approx 2 years ago by yours truly :smug:

Good grief, has Balz been doing the tea cosy schtick for that long? :O:


I have hinted on numerous occasions that the boats provisions be checked but thus far those hints have fallen on deaf ears :03:

Actually I have noticed all your hints about this and wondered if there's some kind of GWX Easter Egg but I haven't a clue how to check my boat's "provisions" unless there's just something sitting around in the limited areas I can explore. Plus I've got all kinds of provisions added in by mods so don't know what if anything came with GWX originally. :hmmm:

[Jimbuna]

Good grief, has Balz been doing the tea cosy schtick for that long? :O:

Actually I have noticed all your hints about this and wondered if there's some kind of GWX Easter Egg but I haven't a clue how to check my boat's "provisions" unless there's just something sitting around in the limited areas I can explore. Plus I've got all kinds of provisions added in by mods so don't know what if anything came with GWX originally. :hmmm:

Yep, best part of a couple of years in my estimation anyways :yep:

Nope, nothing of the easter egg variety....but a pretty funny image (IMHO anyway) that I accidentally come across :03:

[K-61]

TC "accidents" are my one exception to "dead is dead." You can't time compress in real life, can you? So, it only seems reasonable to exempt yourself for that reason alone.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Wow, back on thread. And a valid point too, one which I may take up :up:

edit: Just realised that maybe K-61 isn't back on thread, but talking about 'tea cosy' "accidents"...

[Sailor Steve]

:rotfl2:This is now destined to be the longest thread on here... keep it going - we'll just rename it random chat based very loosly around SH3!
And you'll never come close. The longest thread on Subsim started here:
http://www.subsim.com/phpBB_archive1/viewtopic.php?t=23738&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0&sid=31a03187bb7f7e840176b99752a74ba1

Ran 71 pages and ended with the new boards. Started up again here:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=92958&highlight=Curiosity+Killed

Ran 180 pages and 2686 posts. Was blocked and restarted by Neal here:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=160386&highlight=Curiosity+Killed

Currently at 87 pages and 1300 posts. That's a total of 338 pages and who-knows-how-many posts (3986 on the current boards, unknown on the old boards). If you want to have "the longest thread on here" your work is cut out for you. Good luck. :sunny:

[Sailor Steve]

Good grief, has Balz been doing the tea cosy schtick for that long? :O:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/search.php?searchid=922550

Go to the bottom of the last page (at least that's where my oldest title is). Have fun!
:D

[Herr-Berbunch]

Four word story is only up to 306 pages, but at least it's all in one place :yeah: Still plenty of time, as long as Jim and Frau stop posting bloomin' lolcat pictures!

[frau kaleun]

Still plenty of time, as long as Jim and Frau stop posting bloomin' lolcat pictures!

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/funny-pictures-cat-tells-you-to-talk-to-foot.jpg

[Jimbuna]

Four word story is only up to 306 pages, but at least it's all in one place :yeah: Still plenty of time, as long as Jim and Frau stop posting bloomin' lolcat pictures!

LOL :DL

[Jimbuna]

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/funny-pictures-cat-tells-you-to-talk-to-foot.jpg

Classic :har:

[frau kaleun]

Classic :har:

You will never know how long I waited for the perfect moment to post that. :O:

[MILLANDSON]

http://media.fakeposters.com/results/2010/05/27/ffy8z641nj.jpg

[Herr-Berbunch]

You will never know how long I waited for the perfect moment to post that. :O:

My pleasure for giving you your perfect moment :doh:

[frau kaleun]

My pleasure for giving you your perfect moment :doh:

:salute:

[Jimbuna]

You will never know how long I waited for the perfect moment to post that. :O:

I've actually got a couple saved for you but await the same 'perfect moment' :DL

[frau kaleun]

I've actually got a couple saved for you but await the same 'perfect moment' :DL

Tease.

:O:

[Jimbuna]

Tease.

:O:


http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/6356/av129190fjwl3.gif

[Herr-Berbunch]

I've actually got a couple saved for you but await the same 'perfect moment' :DL

Well Jim, the 'same' perfect moment is on this page :haha:

[Jimbuna]

Well Jim, the 'same' perfect moment is on this page :haha:


Being British you'll have no problem interpreting the GIF below :DL

http://imgcash4.imageshack.us/img144/958/stirringpot21ar5.gif

[frau kaleun]

Being British you'll have no problem interpreting the GIF below :DL

http://imgcash4.imageshack.us/img144/958/stirringpot21ar5.gif


I'm a bloody Yank and I don't get it! :wah:

You big meanie Brits, with yer stoopid inside jokes about magic spoons stirring animated pots of beans. This is why we specifically stated "no more magic beanpot gifs" in the Declaration of Independence.

[Jimbuna]

I'm a bloody Yank and I don't get it! :wah:

You big meanie Brits, with yer stoopid inside jokes about magic spoons stirring animated pots of beans. This is why we specifically stated "no more magic beanpot gifs" in the Declaration of Independence.

LOL :DL

The GIF is meant to depict or refer to someone 'stirring it up'......tying to cause a little trouble (lighthearted) or tomfoolery :03:

[Herr-Berbunch]

LOL :DL

The GIF is meant to depict or refer to someone 'stirring it up'......tying to cause a little trouble (lighthearted) or tomfoolery :03:

Nope, just shstirrniitg, not lighthearted in any way, and no beans, sorry! :O:

Here's some more, damn Yanks! :har: