Electric Engine Question

[Captain J. Borne]

Is there a way to use your electric engines while surfaced? Sometimes my engines are destroyed, but have enough battery power to finish a patrol. But if I need to get my reserve torpedo's off the deck, I am dead in the water once I surface.

Maybe there is a control or button to press to do it, idk.

Thanks in advance for all your input

[FIREWALL]

Sorry no.

[Captain J. Borne]

Isn't this game supposed to be like a simulator? Im pretty damn sure U-Boats would have and probably did use electric engines on the surface, particularly when they had diesel engine problems.

Ok next question - Could you point me to a file that switches the crew from diesels to electric via depth? Perhaps I could change it that way..

[K-61]

Although it is a simulator, it is not a complete simulator. Corporate bean counters often force a game to market for cash flow reasons, not because the produce is fit for release. There are a number of reality issues with the game, but it is still a fairly decent simulator. One feature missing is the ability to manipulate the port and starboard engines independently, or, as you state, the electric engines while surfaced, something which was often done while maneuvering in port.

There is also a little known bug feature where your batteries will recharge, even if you are out of fuel. I'm not sure if your batteries will recharge if the engines are destroyed, but I would not be surprised if they will. Some members have used this exploit to get home in a pinch, when their diesels have been destroyed.

[Gargamel]

As i found yesterday, when i lost my Aft batteries and my Starboard Diesel, your batteries will not recharge unless the Stb diesel is firing.

I could maneuver just fine with one engine, it acted just like it was charging, but nothing was actually happening. So I was stuck decent surface speed, but only about 15-20% battery life left if I had to dive.

You could try slowly going decks awash deeper and deeper until MAYBE the Electrics kick on but you still have a deck crew. But I doubt it since it's governed by the exhaust and air intake height.

Would be nice to steam along at 10-12 kts on battery on the surface though.

[Captain J. Borne]

Although it is a simulator, it is not a complete simulator. Corporate bean counters often force a game to market for cash flow reasons, not because the produce is fit for release. There are a number of reality issues with the game, but it is still a fairly decent simulator. One feature missing is the ability to manipulate the port and starboard engines independently, or, as you state, the electric engines while surfaced, something which was often done while maneuvering in port.

There is also a little known bug feature where your batteries will recharge, even if you are out of fuel. I'm not sure if your batteries will recharge if the engines are destroyed, but I would not be surprised if they will. Some members have used this exploit to get home in a pinch, when their diesels have been destroyed.


That answers alot. Thank you for the information. I will see about changing a file somewhere to were I can run on electric engines at 7 - 8 meters or so. Or even mod the game heavily and make my own switch for the engines. Perhaps I can make a mod that will do that and let you run on the starboard and port engines independently. Wouldn't be that hard to do. I might just make it.



As i found yesterday, when i lost my Aft batteries and my Starboard Diesel, your batteries will not recharge unless the Stb diesel is firing.

I could maneuver just fine with one engine, it acted just like it was charging, but nothing was actually happening. So I was stuck decent surface speed, but only about 15-20% battery life left if I had to dive.

You could try slowly going decks awash deeper and deeper until MAYBE the Electrics kick on but you still have a deck crew. But I doubt it since it's governed by the exhaust and air intake height.

Would be nice to steam along at 10-12 kts on battery on the surface though.

I tried to do that, but it just wont let ya, once im able to get on the bridge, the electric engines cut off. Good idea though.



This isn't that big of a problem normally, unti today. Both diesels destroyed, 3 ships left to sink, but I was out of torpedo's, so I had to get some distance then surface to get the reserves. But once I was surfaced, I was a sitting target. It takes over a minute to go from surfaced to periscope/electric engines depth when you have no propulsion. Crash dive seemed to flood the tanks a bit quicker, But if there were close destroyers, I would have been toast.

Btw, I finally got 3 of the torpedo's loaded, and ran down and sank the 3 remaining boats in the convoy, never wasted 1 torpedo. Not bad for a beginning player , eh?

[Sailor Steve]

Im pretty damn sure U-Boats would have and probably did use electric engines on the surface, particularly when they had diesel engine problems.
It was also common to use the electric motors when leaving and approaching the docks, just because it's easier to control speed that way. This has been a problem with every one of the Silent Hunter series. It would be nice to have, but I don't think you'll be able to do it.

I hope so, though, so don't think I'm trying to discourage you. :sunny:

[Captain J. Borne]

Cool, thanks for the info. I will see about making a program that will install a bunch of these 'goodies'. Some realistic, some not, with a switch to pick which one you want before you open the game. Watch, Im going to release it and call it "Silent Hacker". :P

[raymond6751]

I've had similar experience. It would be a great thing to extend the range of the boat if you could use the batteries on demand.

I have had to spend time submerged on long voyages so that I could conserve diesel fuel. It would be better surfaced.

In the real boats you could put one diesel to charge, one to drive the boat, and decide which.

[Hans Uberman]

I have had to spend time submerged on long voyages so that I could conserve diesel fuel. It would be better surfaced.
I'm just waking up and kinda fuzzy right now, but why is this? Waves and so forth, tend to slow you down on the surface and lower your fuel economy. I would rather just use the batteries underwater if I'm after fuel economy.

However, for emergencies it would be nice to have the option to use them on the surface.

[timmy41]

I'm just waking up and kinda fuzzy right now, but why is this? Waves and so forth, tend to slow you down on the surface and lower your fuel economy. I would rather just use the batteries underwater if I'm after fuel economy.

However, for emergencies it would be nice to have the option to use them on the surface.
uhhh....how would pushing a uboot through a solid medium of water be more efficient than pushing a uboot over said medium in which only half of the boat is meeting resistance?

[Madox58]

Waves carry kinetic energy.
Why do people dive under waves when swimming away from shore?
Cause it's easier.

The same applies to a Sub surfaced or submerged.
We can have a lesser Mass exert a greater force then a greater Mass.

[timmy41]

Waves carry kinetic energy.
Why do people dive under waves when swimming away from shore?
Cause it's easier.

The same applies to a Sub surfaced or submerged.
We can have a lesser Mass exert a greater force then a greater Mass.
only the type 21 is more hydrodynamic underwater than above
additionally, despite how it looks, that kinetic energy is not going against the submarine, its going up and down.

[Hans Uberman]

Remember we're talking about the game, and how it does things, not necessarily real life physics, or how it should be.

In-game during a storm, you go slower while producing the same amount of energy (e.g. - one third power), but underwater you go the same speed as always. I think the game simply considers underwater to be far more calm, and doesn't alter the speed in any way. As far as the game is concerned, on the surface, rough waters slow you down, underwater there is no effect simulated from currents, waves, or other phenomenon.

Also, while waves are generally moving up and down, they do indeed forward to a degree. Boats not only go partially through waves, but expend energy traveling up them.

[Freiwillige]

Not to mention the loss of propulsion when your props are out of the water.

Still except in the most severe weather the U-boots (Excluding XXI) are more efficient on the surface.

If you use your battery's up just keep in mind that fuel is burnt and efficiency is lost while one motor is used to charge them.

[Sailor Steve]

I've had similar experience. It would be a great thing to extend the range of the boat if you could use the batteries on demand.

I have had to spend time submerged on long voyages so that I could conserve diesel fuel. It would be better surfaced.

In the real boats you could put one diesel to charge, one to drive the boat, and decide which.
In real boats it takes more fuel to recharge the batteries than it does to run a similar distance on the batteries. SH3 has this completely wrong. SH4 fixed it.

[NightCrawler]

If your battery is fully charged, goto engine, select battery instead diesel, voila, now you are running battery on surface, DAS BOOT did it.. when he was close in Gibralta, he ordered first mate to go over in battery because it's silence...

[FIREWALL]

Besides Das Boot, read " Iron Coffins ". It tells why elec mtrs were used late in the war to get out of French ports that were mined by Brit air drops at night, with Acoustical mines.

[ediko]

Besides Das Boot, read " Iron Coffins ". It tells why elec mtrs were used late in the war to get out of French ports that were mined by Brit air drops at night, with Acoustical mines.
Wow. I know Brits feared the uboats but I never knew they even mined the port exits with acoustic mines.

[Hans Uberman]

Makes me wonder why they couldn't just drop TNT from an airplane and detonate them that way, but I suppose they were specially cued to the sound of engines.

[Captain J. Borne]

Slightly off topic...

Before I make "Silent Hacker" xD - I want to make a tutorial for the people who like to play the game with higher speeds/ranges/fuel/launching deep torpedo's, but I thought about this.... and is this a bad idea?

On one side, I think players should be able to play/edit/manipulate the game as they desire, to make it more fun or to "role play" some other scenarios you cant change with just mission editing....

But, on the other hand... I think this would totally ruin whats left of the online aspect of the game, since all of these changes, will work for multiplayer.. You could set the armor of the boat to 999999 and never die, or move super fast, super quick. Think this is a bad Idea? Let me know, because Im starting to think its not best to show people how to do this, at the same time, they should be able to know...

[Akela]

Watch, Im going to release it and call it "Silent Hacker". :P


That's pretty damn funny, actually. Good show!

[CherryHarbey]

Slightly off topic...

Before I make "Silent Hacker" xD - I want to make a tutorial for the people who like to play the game with higher speeds/ranges/fuel/launching deep torpedo's, but I thought about this.... and is this a bad idea?

On one side, I think players should be able to play/edit/manipulate the game as they desire, to make it more fun or to "role play" some other scenarios you cant change with just mission editing....

But, on the other hand... I think this would totally ruin whats left of the online aspect of the game, since all of these changes, will work for multiplayer.. You could set the armor of the boat to 999999 and never die, or move super fast, super quick. Think this is a bad Idea? Let me know, because Im starting to think its not best to show people how to do this, at the same time, they should be able to know...

Just my opinion but going by what gets discussed on threads, there are probably not that many people wanting an indestrucible super fast sub. There is already unlimited fuel /batteries settings for those that want to increase their range.
That said there may well be interest in HOW you are doing things, if not in exactly repeating what you are doing.
Maybe you should start a thread in the Mod Workshop section and see what interest you get.

[Captain J. Borne]

Just my opinion but going by what gets discussed on threads, there are probably not that many people wanting an indestrucible super fast sub. There is already unlimited fuel /batteries settings for those that want to increase their range.
That said there may well be interest in HOW you are doing things, if not in exactly repeating what you are doing.
Maybe you should start a thread in the Mod Workshop section and see what interest you get.

Thank you for your input. The mods I was speaking of was things like deeper max depth (any depth), highers speeds, more armor on the subs, ect.

After thinking about it, I think im going to abandon the "Silent Hacker" program and the tutorial because it will literally ruin the online aspect of the game. And so far I cannot find a way to modify this without it effecting the multiplayer part of the game. If people want to know how to do it, they can pm me.

Thanks again for everyone's input on the subject(s).

[frau kaleun]

Actually, to get back to your original concern about such mods creating an unfair situation in multiplay (if indeed I read your post correctly) - it's always been my understanding that for multiplay everyone involved needs to be using the same mods anyway or it doesn't work. So that would eliminate any unfair advantage gained by one person having a "super sub" that no one else had.

Or maybe that only applies to supermods like GWX and LSH, where campaign scripting is involved, and lesser mods that change up sub performance don't have to be rigorously synchronized among players. :hmmm:

[Captain J. Borne]

Actually, to get back to your original concern about such mods creating an unfair situation in multiplay (if indeed I read your post correctly) - it's always been my understanding that for multiplay everyone involved needs to be using the same mods anyway or it doesn't work. So that would eliminate any unfair advantage gained by one person having a "super sub" that no one else had.

Or maybe that only applies to supermods like GWX and LSH, where campaign scripting is involved, and lesser mods that change up sub performance don't have to be rigorously synchronized among players. :hmmm:


Well after testing it multiple times...

I can join someone's server, withstand 500m depth, shoot torpedo's from 260m+, take excessive damage without syncing or any critical damage, travel 60 knots or more, all playing my own modded sub on someone else's server / mission.

These type's of mods DO sync and yes I have a "super sub" lol :P

[Akela]

I can join someone's server, withstand 500m depth, shoot torpedo's from 260m+, take excessive damage without syncing or any critical damage, travel 60 knots or more, all playing my own modded sub on someone else's server / mission.

These type's of mods DO sync and yes I have a "super sub" lol :P

You should call that thing the Nautilus and change your screen name to Capt. Nemo.

[Captain J. Borne]

You should call that thing the Nautilus and change your screen name to Capt. Nemo.

Why the disrespect?

[K-61]

I think perhaps your next mod should be to introduce the Russian "Shkval" [or however it is spelled] supercavitating torpedo. Load that sucker aboard your new sub and we'll all be speaking German in no time. Of course, it will only be a matter of time before the Allies invent a flying aircraft carrier, obviating the need for surface ships. I predict a lot of money to be spent on a tech war.

[K-61]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VA-111_Shkval

[Captain J. Borne]

All I did was ask if it was a bad Idea, and wanted some logical, perhaps even, "nice" responses.

Perhaps I will make the tutorial and show everyone how to make super u-boats and ruin your online play. Thanks for the input, Iv'e made my decision.

[desirableroasted]

All I did was ask if it was a bad Idea, and wanted some logical, perhaps even, "nice" responses.

Perhaps I will make the tutorial and show everyone how to make super u-boats and ruin your online play. Thanks for the input, Iv'e made my decision.

Heh...

I admire the way you went from asking how to end patrols (8/26) to being unable to return from patrol grids because you run out of fuel (10/19) to offering (threatening?) to re-mod the subs to poison the online play.

Humorous, actually.

[Tessa]

Not sure how many people actually use the online aspect of the game? I would venture to say that most of the people that frequent here probably don't so would be indifferent to your mod since they can easily choose to leave it out of their game.

As for the super sub I've been told that certain things are still relative, you can make your sub able to cruise at 60 knots but you also burn fuel like a alcohol burning top fuel dragster. A type XXI can run around underwater at flank for ~ a hour and change then you gotte snorkle or surface, figure it would be the same (instead you'd be out of fuel and SOL). Depending on the mods installed the game barks back when you make some changes (was trying to make the water 100% clear and the game would crash anytime there was a storm; regular weather was fine and the north atlantic with the free camera looked like water from Hawaii in clarity!).

[Gargamel]

I think perhaps your next mod should be to introduce the Russian "Shkval" [or however it is spelled] supercavitating torpedo. Load that sucker aboard your new sub and we'll all be speaking German in no time. Of course, it will only be a matter of time before the Allies invent a flying aircraft carrier, obviating the need for surface ships. I predict a lot of money to be spent on a tech war.

I got thinking about something along those lines today...

Some surface captain looks at a sub, thinks to himself "Those torpedos do a lot of damage, more than our big guns do, maybe we can figure out how to shoot those instead".

They figure out if you pull the motor, slap a rocket on it, and maybe some wings for distance, and we know they had remote control bombs.......

Seriously, why wasnt there a short range flying torpedo ASUW weapon in WWII? It'd be an early harpoon/exocet. Imagine the damage an eel would do to the superstructure of a ship........

[Madox58]

The first anti-ship missiles, which were developed and built by Nazi Germany, used radio command guidance, these saw some success in the Mediterranean in 1943 - 44, sinking or heavily damaging at least 31 ships with the Henschel HS 293 and more than seven with the Fritz X , such as the Italian battleship Roma or the cruiser USS Savannah.

Some even had TV abilities.

[frau kaleun]

Some even had TV abilities.

It's a true fact!

Recently recovered records show that Who Wants To Marry A U-Boat Commander? and Survivor: Tunisia got the highest ratings, albeit with strong competition from Everybody Loves Adolf (Or Else) and the long-running drama Law & Order: We Have Ways To Make You Talk.

For some reason, though, Berchtesgaden's Got Talent never really took off... possibly because it became too predictable after Eva Braun kept winning week after week, even when Goering and Himmler's hilarious "Wer ist auf Erster?" routine proved a clear fan favorite.

[Draka]

Gory details:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henschel_Hs_293

[Madox58]

It's a true fact!

Recently recovered records show that Who Wants To Marry A U-Boat Commander? and Survivor: Tunisia got the highest ratings, albeit with strong competition from Everybody Loves Adolf (Or Else) and the long-running drama Law & Order: We Have Ways To Make You Talk.

For some reason, though, Berchtesgaden's Got Talent never really took off... possibly because it became too predictable after Eva Braun kept winning week after week, even when Goering and Himmler's hilarious "Wer ist auf Erster?" routine proved a clear fan favorite.


That is just sick!
:haha:

I could not have done better on my best days.
I Salute You Frau Kaleun!
:salute:

I Loved it!
:har:

REGARDS!

[frau kaleun]

I could not have done better on my best days.
I Salute You Frau Kaleun!
:salute:

Danke - high praise indeed!

Incidentally, there was a major scandal following the first season of Who Wants To Marry... when it turned out that the titular "u-boat commander" was no more than a low-ranking party official who'd pulled some strings in order to "command" a Type II training boat on a one-way trip through the Kiel Canal in June 1938.

The would-be bride broke their engagement on the grounds that she'd been duped and went on a 6-month tour of the Reich, imploring the press and public to give her back her privacy. So moved was the nation by her continued pleas of "I vant to be alone" that her subsequent interview and nude pictorial in a popular gentleman's magazine broke all previous sales records.

And now you know... the rest of the story. :O:

[Tessa]

I got thinking about something along those lines today...

Some surface captain looks at a sub, thinks to himself "Those torpedos do a lot of damage, more than our big guns do, maybe we can figure out how to shoot those instead".

They figure out if you pull the motor, slap a rocket on it, and maybe some wings for distance, and we know they had remote control bombs.......

Seriously, why wasnt there a short range flying torpedo ASUW weapon in WWII? It'd be an early harpoon/exocet. Imagine the damage an eel would do to the superstructure of a ship........

If it hadn't been for Goering the Luftwaffe would've been a very serious threat; had Galland been given command (the best choice, a WWI vet and WWII ace with 109 kills) he'd have utilized all their advanced research and put it into service years before. Me 262 could've been seen in the air as early as 43' if Goering had gotten "taken care of".

The Luftwaffe did actually have some crude cruise missles that developed that they deployed with great success. They were wire guided but still compared to the weaponary available they were deadly accurate for the time period.

Biggest obstacle you would have with making an Exocet style missle is that the best plane capable of delivery would've been a ME 262 which would've been able to avoid the flak with ease and release the weapon and be clear of the target before they could really start doing any kind of accurate shooting. Problem being there needed to be a second person (granted there were variants of the Me 262 that had space in the nose for a bombadier) to use the controls to guide the missle to its target. At the speed a 262 could get away they'd have been miles away from the target by the time it reached it.

Something like a ****e Wolf TA-152 would've been ideal as its service ceiling exceeded the range of any ground/surface based batteries and no fighters (or even a B-29) would have been able to reach it if it went to its max service ceiling height. While it was the perfect plane to deliver such a weapon (almost like a wwii version of an U-2) being a single person plane trying to guide the missle to the target at 50,000+ feet would've have been nearly an impossible feat even in the best of weather.

[Gargamel]

Ahhhh, I wasn't talking air launched, but a SSM. Imagine having 4-6 torps (with folding wings :D) mounted on a rack along the back of a BB. rocket motors fire, and what was a complex 6 minute firing solution is now a 5 second flight at the other BB. Good waterline hit and Boom!

I was just surprised that nobody had tried it then.......

[VONHARRIS]

Ahhhh, I wasn't talking air launched, but a SSM. Imagine having 4-6 torps (with folding wings :D) mounted on a rack along the back of a BB. rocket motors fire, and what was a complex 6 minute firing solution is now a 5 second flight at the other BB. Good waterline hit and Boom!

I was just surprised that nobody had tried it then.......

This could be the ancestor of the RGM-88 Harpoon missile! :D

[Captain J. Borne]

As for the super sub I've been told that certain things are still relative, you can make your sub able to cruise at 60 knots but you also burn fuel like a alcohol burning top fuel dragster. A type XXI can run around underwater at flank for ~ a hour and change then you gotte snorkle or surface, figure it would be the same (instead you'd be out of fuel and SOL). Depending on the mods installed the game barks back when you make some changes (was trying to make the water 100% clear and the game would crash anytime there was a storm; regular weather was fine and the north atlantic with the free camera looked like water from Hawaii in clarity!).

I can make the sub go to 0 - 298 knots in about 2 seconds, and the fuel can burn slower by adjusting the range of the ship on electric or diesel, but thats not what i was asking, just asked if it was a bad idea to release a small tutorial for those who DONT know how to do these things. Since I found literally NO support on how to do this and figured it out myself.

Thanks everyone, you were a great help,

[Madox58]

It's not that there is no support for things like this.
It's that every month or so new Guys ask the same questions
and after nearly 4 years of answering?
I don't read many 'How do I?' threads.
Try a PM to other Modders who will most probably guide you.
You'd be amazed at how helpful they all are.
:up:

[Jimbuna]

Danke - high praise indeed!

Incidentally, there was a major scandal following the first season of Who Wants To Marry... when it turned out that the titular "u-boat commander" was no more than a low-ranking party official who'd pulled some strings in order to "command" a Type II training boat on a one-way trip through the Kiel Canal in June 1938.

The would-be bride broke their engagement on the grounds that she'd been duped and went on a 6-month tour of the Reich, imploring the press and public to give her back her privacy. So moved was the nation by her continued pleas of "I vant to be alone" that her subsequent interview and nude pictorial in a popular gentleman's magazine broke all previous sales records.

And now you know... the rest of the story. :O:

Priceless :DL