Suddenly close to target - a glitch?

[jmcmaster]

I'm having a real problem. I'm setting up my approach on a target merchant, adjusting speed and direction, compressing time to hurry things along, stopping compression to check distance. The distance gradually decreases between checks usually by 100 yards or so. Sometime after I pass 3000 yards away, I suddenly find myself 20 to 40 yards from the target, making a torpedo hit impossible. What's going on? Is this a glitch? Also, what's the maximum firing distance for the different torpedos? Thanks in advance for any help.

[Armistead]

Are you saying the target warps right on top of you in a matter of seconds? If it's 3000 yards, then gets to within 40 yards of you in a matter of seconds, somethings wrong with your game. Are you sure you're not hitting TC...

The torps need at least 4-500 yards before they arm.

[Spike88]

Are you saying the target warps right on top of you in a matter of seconds? If it's 3000 yards, then gets to within 40 yards of you in a matter of seconds, somethings wrong with your game. Are you sure you're not hitting TC...

The torps need at least 4-500 yards before they arm.

He is using TC. He's using it to speed things up.

[Pisces]

What level of time compression are we talking about here? It could be that the target has allready noticed you and is zig-zagging. Time-compression speeds up by skipping calculation steps, so the target may not get a chance to steer back. Limit your TC between 16 to 64. I've never seen such twitchy motion at those levels. Do realise 64 is close to one minute per real second.

[Platapus]

I have found that once I start my attack approach, it is much better to keep my fingers off of the TC. I have blown so many good approaches because I got impatient.

[Munchausen]

:cool: Yup, using TC when a target is already in sight isn't a game glitch ... it's a player-induced glitch.

[jmcmaster]

Okay, this time once I was within 3200 yards, I didn't use time compression. At about 2980 yards, I fired my first torpedo, because at max zoom on the map, the ships looked very close. I fired a second torpedo, then took another sonar reading. 20 yards! I went from 2980 yards to 20 yards in less than a second, no time compression. However, I now think the earlier reading 2980 was the wrong one because the ships looked so close at max zoom.

[Armistead]

I think somethings amiss here as I've never heard of this bug even in stock. Are you using the right measuring points, using the stad right, ect.
Ships on zoom can appear right on you, but still far away. If it's right on you the only thing you would see would be bolts. If you can fit most the ship in the scope on zoom I would say it's probably 500 yards away.

If you have time, look at your map.

[Pisces]

He used the sonar to determine the actual range. In real life equipment can provide false readings on occasion. I don't know if this posibility is modeled in the game. If it was really at 20-30 yards then you'd see nothing but hull and waterline from the periscope. It would completely fill the periscope view and more. Sounds like the right time to learn how to use the stadimeter (range device in the periscope) to confirm the sonar readings.

Oh, I see Armistead said pretty much the same. Apologies

[Munchausen]

If you have time, look at your map.

:hmmm: Yes ... if you have map contacts enabled, raise the scope a bit and take a look at your nav map. Measure the distance to your target ... or just watch and see if the map target jumps around.