Are we really on the surface

[Reverie]

Depth changes and "taking 'er up" are tactically achieved through the use of the dive planes; the sole purpose is conserving a vital resource, the compressed air of a submersible in the theatre of war.

However, through a sudden attachment to patrols ala Type II, I have been curious as to the ballast of a boat particularly as there is no meter indication similar to the Expanded Aces of the Deep. The Upgrade to realising the amount of water/ballast in the boat was beneficent to a commanders survival efforts. This apparently is a shortcoming to the 3rd Edition of Silent Hunter, or I am ignorant of the magic button to press and exploit this expounder.

The logical response is to prompt for specifics:
In what condition is your boat?
In what "physical" condition is your crew functioning?
How long have you been submerged?
Can you ascertain the Sea State?
Post the Era and/or time of year/season.
Declare mechanical improvements/performance enhancements.

Persisting in a Campaign valiantly lodged within a "canoe" (q.v.) has guaranteed a modicum of regale, offset by prodding for System Specs. I can only declare that We sail On Time and We Sink Ships...with No Delays. In other words, this machine runs "Flight Simulator" at Full Chat. Yet, I digress....

Pushing to the Surface is not a problem, except when the crew is wimped to the point of inactivity and unresponsiveness.

Once on the surface, the boat may be expected to run sluggish for needs of Batteries Recharging, or the obvious need to crest the wave. The former is determined by observing the screws (if one engine is offline/charging one propellor is not turning), the latter is evidenced by the seaworthiness of the boat (moving on the waters surface or the Watch Crew pretending not to be drowning). In my experience with this software, both boat and crew perform admirably. Usually. I think.

After a push to the surface with more than Slow Speed, regardless of boat/crew condition, rain or shine, Spring-Summer-or Fall (Forget Winter: there's Still No Snow), this Type II may rise to the challenge (pun). Marching at a fuel conserving One Third Ahead, the speed may cruise to 7kt, push to 8kt, or even claw to, perhaps scavenge 9kt; all with no consistency.

The first reaction after the Watch Crew have jumped On Duty and the E-motor Crew have suddenly become the Diesel Crew and all seems stable but performance is inexplicably reduced, is to give the Surface Order. It doesn't deplete the Charged Air Supply when executed properly, i.e. surfacing through sufficient velocity, and thus eliminates a performance draw if emulating a compressor operating. After batteries are necessarily charged a noticable rise in engine performance is expected. But is an Order to Surface needed to substantiate the operational expectant? The concern is that the boat may be running with ballast, a boon when needing to dive quickly, but a bane to efficiency (crew fatigue, engine performance, fuel economy, etc.).

I may be imagining, nit-picking, or probing a simulation that replicates an experience that I have not and thankfully will ever know. Like some of you, I keep diving...i mean striving...for something better.

Gratefully and humbly awaiting the Forum response/involvement....

and then my career was depthcharged into a restart. :wah:

Sinkfully yours,
Reverie

[postalbyke]

I hadn't thought this deeply before, but this is exactly why these guys say "SH3 is not a submarine simulator, rather, it is a game..."
okay!
you're in the control room, observe the dials above your helm/planes operators, they will show you the rpms of the engines (p+s), if you look to the right of all that jazz, you will find additional gauges that correspond to compressed air in tanks, co2 content of air, and furthest right (IIRC) will be your "forward and aft" battery charge indicators (fallacious because there was only one battery bank in a type II)
if you want to be sure that you are rigged for surface (and playing in english keyboard mode), press "s" for "surface" or "e" for "emergency surface (compressed air blow)"

also: if you want to know your propulsion lineup (battery recharge or full power) ask your chief engineer (the officer icons on the bottom of the screen) about propulsion, the appropriate mode will be highlighted (normal, battery charge, silent, snorkel). he can also tell you about compressed air, batteries, and CO2 content, as well as overall fuel level under "reports"
ummm... lemme reread your post :P
okay!
your crew and damage reports can be seen under "F7" or your appropriate crew/damage control button depending on which mod you are or aren't running. the "efficiency" bar will tell you how "awake" they are, less than one quarter, and believe them to be asleep at their post :P
sea state can be determined by analyzing the "weather report" which comes from the navigator, but for some reason i have to ask the surfaced conning officer for that report. there should be a shortcut key for that, also (rtfm(this is also my problem)). wind speed drives the sea state in this universe, so min of a couple m/s and the sea is glassy, and sea state... drowning... is 15m/s
your specific date and year is found (in the mod i'm running) by mousing over the "clock" in the bottom display of the screen.
period submerged is your dice, and can be analyzed by aforementioned gauges.
also in your court is the manner of improvements aboard your boat (you are the captain, you should know) and can be monitored in port under the "u-boat" screen on the right before going on mission.

[desirableroasted]

After a push to the surface with more than Slow Speed, regardless of boat/crew condition, rain or shine, Spring-Summer-or Fall (Forget Winter: there's Still No Snow), this Type II may rise to the challenge (pun). Marching at a fuel conserving One Third Ahead, the speed may cruise to 7kt, push to 8kt, or even claw to, perhaps scavenge 9kt; all with no consistency.

One Third Ahead is not the most fuel efficient speed, though it is the most efficient of the engine telegraph positions. If you use set according to knots, you want to aim for 8, which is about 10% more fuel efficient than the engine telegraph setting.

If you want to be really accurate, you can adjust speed until you make 215 RPMs (in a VIIB), which is the most fuel-efficient RPM setting. (A mod exists that will make the telegraph setting the most efficient; perhaps some kind soul will remind me what it is).

However, if you do set speed to "8 knots," you are merely ordering your Engineering Officer to "make turns (rpms) for 8 knots." Your boat will achieve those 8 knots in calm winds and smooth seas, and if no engine power is being used to compress air or recharge batts. But in rough seas, you can easily find "making turns for 8 knots" giving you only 5 or 6 knots of actual speed.

[frau kaleun]

(A mod exists that will make the telegraph setting the most efficient; perhaps some kind soul will remind me what it is).

WB's Fuel Economy?

[Gargamel]

WB's Fuel Economy?

Thats the one. Come packaged with the decks awash mod too. One of my must haves.

[Reverie]

Then I am correct in believing there is no bilge/ballast meter, and go with the assumption that once the boat is on the surface all ballast tanks are more or less "dry".

Do i have this right ? :salute:
Reverie

[postalbyke]

yes :yeah:

btb, the fuel economic speed for type II is 5 knots surfaced

[Fish In The Water]

Thats the one. Come packaged with the decks awash mod too. One of my must haves.

Love the decks awash feature, adds a lot of fun! :up:

[Wreford-Brown]

Love the decks awash feature, adds a lot of fun! :up:

You need to thank the GWX team for the decks awash feature - all I did was make it easier to apply by pushing a button rather than selecting the depth manually. :up:

[Fish In The Water]

You need to thank the GWX team for the decks awash feature - all I did was make it easier to apply by pushing a button rather than selecting the depth manually. :up:

Will do...

A big thank you to the GWX team, but also thanks to WB for modding it to the snorkel depth. A nice touch! :salute:

[desirableroasted]

Will do...

A big thank you to the GWX team, but also thanks to WB for modding it to the snorkel depth. A nice touch! :salute:

Well, now that the SH3 Commander Malfunctions+Sabotage mod has sent me back to home base after only being out an hour, I might as well take the opportunity to install this mod!

[Osmium Steele]

I've not yet had a malfunction or incident of sabotage in 13 patrols with the mod enabled.

Can crewmembers be injured in sabotage/malfunction incidents?

[Sailor Steve]

Well, now that the SH3 Commander Malfunctions+Sabotage mod has sent me back to home base after only being out an hour, I might as well take the opportunity to install this mod!
Reality bites! And so does realistic gameplay. :sunny:

I've not yet had a malfunction or incident of sabotage in 13 patrols with the mod enabled.
You've been lucky.

Can crewmembers be injured in sabotage/malfunction incidents?
No. Sabotage and Malfunctions only affects operational values. Something will stop working properly or fail altogether, but nothing neither the boat or the crew will be damaged.

[Osmium Steele]

No. Sabotage and Malfunctions only affects operational values. Something will stop working properly or fail altogether, but nothing neither the boat or the crew will be damaged.

:hmmm: Seems I got some learnin' ta do. Time load up another machine to practice my non-existent modding skills. There's gotta be a way...

Thanks for the info.

[maillemaker]

Thats the one. Come packaged with the decks awash mod too. One of my must haves.

What does decks awash do?

Steve

[Wreford-Brown]

Lets you sail with only the conning tower out of the water. Lowers your profile and reduces the chance of being detected, you cruise faster than fully submerged as you are using diesels, not batteries and have access to your UZO.

http://www.mediafire.com/?wzhjzije3hn

http://img353.imageshack.us/img353/6497/k2ab4.jpg

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/6535/myfile800535jt9.jpg

[postalbyke]

now that this thread has been thoroughly hijacked...
decks awash means that the deck (of the submarine) is covered in water, but not necessarily the sail (or conning tower in this case). this will allow the diesel to continue receiving air, but with the tactical advantage of making the boat harder to see and easier to submerge (instead of 100 feet or more of boat sticking out of the water, only 20 feet or so)

@reverie do you feel your questions are answered? also, what other subsims have you played?

[Sailor Steve]

And it also uses a whole lot more fuel. 'Decks Awash' was normally used only during attack situations, and then they used the electrics to keep it quiet. They didn't run all over the ocean in that condition.

[Fish In The Water]

They didn't run all over the ocean in that condition.

No but it really comes in handy for a 'stealthier' night approach or a skirting maneuver on the cusp of visible range. Plus, (as was already mentioned), it has defensive advantages in that you can crash dive quicker in case of emergency.

[desirableroasted]

I've not yet had a malfunction or incident of sabotage in 13 patrols with the mod enabled.

Can crewmembers be injured in sabotage/malfunction incidents?

No injury or permanent damage.

The malfunction or sabotage is often subtle, which is why it is a good idea to test your boat before you get out on station. In this case, it was obvious: speed was way under rated values and I couldn't ring up Ahead Flank.

[Reverie]

now that this thread has been thoroughly hijacked...

@reverie do you feel your questions are answered? also, what other subsims have you played?

I wanted to know if boat performance was slighted by sidestepping an operational procedure (surfacing by dive planes as opposed to the obvious order to Surface). It is not. Is there a meter to display unwanted/wanted ballast, relevant to the ordered circumstance. There is not.

Aces of the Deep was the reason I purchased my first Personal Computer, the IBM Aptiva of 1994 vintage complete with preloaded software. And then I proceeded to sink (sic) over three thousand dollars into it on hardware and Operating Software upgrades, all to run the aforementioned program.

The AOD Expansion module I suppose fulfilled the requests of users who expressed what they believed to be the programs shortcomings. I definitely desire more boat systems information and control to augment the Silent Hunter III experience. The desire obviously is in the bilge as far as software development is concerned.

Fast Attack, 688i, SSN, Shells of Fury, but non have surpassed the ongoing campaigns of Silent Hunter III. And I purchased SHIII two years after release, what with all the chat over bugs.

Coincidentally and rather full circle, the same day I bought SHIII I purchased a machine expressly for the purpose of running the software. And coincidentally or perhaps ironically, I sank money into the PC to allow it to fulfill its intended function. Salespeople can talk the talk, but when the merchandise hits home it's the user who has to walk the walk.

Scads of updates, wads of big bucks, a world of education and discovery (e.g. "what's a modder?), and SHIII remains on the harddrive as my submerged experience of choice. The Silent Hunter franchise is worlds above the nostalgic Aces of the Deep (which I tossed out once upon a time and reacquired for reasons, you guessed it, nostalgic). When the third installment was unveiled, there was no turning back. SHII after consideration, I believe I've commented before...psychic destroyers and high-speed target seeking depth charges...was loaded once more for clarity aka decisional awareness, then relegated to the dust bin.

I have been dependent on the imagination and programming skills of others, as well as the generosity of those encountered on this forum, a forum ofttimes a wellspring, all to expand the usery and enjoyment that the original software did not provide.

Aces of the Deep taught me the possible need of "patches".

Terror from the Deep introduced me to global communication with the advent of newsgroups. It was quite an experience coming home from work and reading from users around the planet that my most recent newsgroup entry had saved XCOM squads and countless civilians from alien atrocity.

Silent Hunter III is that distraction from otherwise mundane timekeeping. I manage church and the doctor, andthat daymare that is the vehicle maintenance at the dealership across town. Living with a skeleton that is falling apart and being unable to drive under the influene of morphine, auto-upkeep truly is mixing business with pain.

Yet how can the tedium of incalculable days bobbing on the surface of a software sea or listening while stationed below the waves be a modicum of solace oneself? I can read u-boat history while the program is running (and I do, correlating incidents off the wireless with the many reports available in published and compiled documentation, q.v. Clay Blair).

But I am not idly sitting, awaiting the software to produce some algorithmic stimulus.

I am in command of a warship and its crew, a vessel in the service of a burgeoning and redeeming government that seeks its release from unjust shackling of its nation and its people. Silent Hunter III invites you to explore history as well as relive a very noble and futile part of it. I have also posted that successful software simulation is not expectant on visual stimuli of "bigger bang".

The secret to succesful software emulation is immersion. The user must be given the opportunity to experience or re-live the world replicated by the software. In the u-boat war, time is short and the water rises....

The sea is up, and it's time to take her down. Type II. No matter how many accolades I attach to this mans record, no matter how many promotions I shmooz for him, my assigned Funkmaat can never seem to detect a target at more than 12km (any hydrophone signal or graphable audio indication is referred to as a target). Short noticed, short changed, short sheeted, my crew is compelled to perform, not in the interest of National Security; not in the interest of Nationalist Socialist solidarity, not charging forth as a vindicator of Nazi sanctity; but setting sail as a team, a band of brothers (q.v. Topp, AOD_CD), a link in the chain of country and heritage. Bloodline. Has the government corrected all the politcal injustice perpetated against my country and its allies?

Did my family and friends get enough to eat today?

SHIII.

Roleplaying. SHIII.


Fair weather, fair seas.
and amenable hardware:timeout: (or else, get a bigger hammer!!!)

Sincerely,
Reverie