Why?! Also: where did the convoi go ..?

[SilentPan]

Hi .. I just encountered two issues that very nicely complemented each other. Deep breaths.

So, here's what happened: after two patrols with no contacts at all, I finally run into a convoi on the third patrol. I get into position, take my measurements, while very much looking forward to the first possible attack of my new career.

I'm using TMO 2.2 & the Targeting Optic Corrections mod for TMO 2.2. I play with map contacts enabled, since I'm still trying to get better at targeting, and it allows me so check how precise my calculations are.

So, after quite a while I have a very nice solution, it's in the middle of the night and the escort just passed me without noticing my boat. Could be the perfect shot.

Only: After I launch the torpedos, they immediately change their course in the wrong direction, and go right instead of left. This has happened to me before and it's really frustrating, but usually loading a saved game and doing the same thing all over again "helps". When I load the game, however, the complete convoi is suddenly gone?!

Map contacts still shows it .. but then it fades to grey and is simply gone. Same on the sonar: Immediately after loading, the sonar officer confirms the contact on short range, only to lose it a few seconds later.

What the hell?!

Does anyone know what's going on here?
-> Torpedos doing the right thing, only "mirrored", .i.e., the course would be fine, if only they would fire in the other direction..? (It's not the angle to target, I always double-check)
-> Surface contacts completely gone when loading a saved game ..?

I was really looking forward to SH4 again, I goat the addon and searched through all the mods before deciding on Trigger Maru & the Targeting Optics - and both seem wonderful! But after 4 hours of patrol, with this happening to reward my patience .. I almost threw the disc out of the window :nope:

Any suggestions..? :06:

*Edit: I searched the forums for similar problems, but didn't find anything. If the issue surfaced before, however, please post a link.

[19Herr_Rapp86]

Well the torpedo problem you're having may be the torpedoes themselves. America had problems, much like the Germans, with torpedoes until about mid 1943. There are historical reports of Fleet and U-Boats possibly sinking themselves with runaway torps. Never had the convoy disappearance though, myself

[Sailor Steve]

Where were you, physically? Near a coastline? In the game convoys aren't capable of breaking up and having the ships proceed into harbors, so when they reach the last waypoint near the destination they simply disappear. If you intercepted them near their last stop this is probably what happened.

[19Herr_Rapp86]

Haha.... Just had a torp run left when I set it to run right!!! :har:

[Armistead]

Steve is correct, ships in the game follow set waypoints and will despawn when they reach the last one. TMO does rework traffic a lot, but still a lot of stock traffic and why it usually despawns near ports, some of it can despawn in the middle of the ocean.

With a mod like RSRD 90% of traffic spawns at ports, runs a historical course, then despawn near a port or land.

The fact the group faded out to grey sounds like you were just in that rare despawn point.

Doesn't sound like your issue, but strange things can happen when saving with contacts around, you may reload to find the group gone or in a different position. Just not good to save around a lot of contacts.

[SilentPan]

Thanks for the replies. I just checked the savegame, and I'm indeed located around 45 NM from the nearest coast line (I'm sitting right east from the northern end of Formosa).

What's still strange to me, however: The first time around, I located the convoi at position A and lurked around for it to pass my firing position X. If X would be around a despawn point (even though there's not really a harbor in sight here), then .. well, okay I guess (insert scream of rage). But. When reloading a saved game where the convoi is still back at position A and still needs to go quite a way before reaching X, it still vanishes. (Also, I never really had (well, used to, anyway ôO) problems with saving around contacts. I do that all the time, especially right before and after sinking one, to train my procedure.)

As for the torpedo: I always have the dud realism setting off, since this for me personally is the line where fun stops and becomes the horrible agony of the lowest circle in whatever religion's hell is the worst :shifty:
Thus, question: Are there still (by design, not by bug) any kind of torpedo malfunctions present in TMO 2.2..?

Also, two factors I'm not sure whether they're harmful to my torpedo solutions:
a) I opened the torpedo doors way before shooting - i.e., all the solution values I set, are being set after the doors have been opened. Is this a problem? Do only those settings count that are being set while the doors are still closed?
b) At no point during my attack did I use the position keeper. My usual method is to lie in wait and make precise measurements and then shoot when my target crosses my 000 line with the speed/direction/AOB that I determined. And as far as I know, the position keeper merely updates a ship position over time - which I don't need with this method. The question: is the position keeper in any way actually required in order to send TDC data to the torpedos in question?

[Rockin Robbins]

Yes, I'm busily collecting duds in The Slot against some very dangerous DDs where I would rather have perfect torpedoes. TMO 2.2 definitely has some duds in its inventory.:shifty:

[Daniel Prates]

Yes, I'm busily collecting duds in The Slot against some very dangerous DDs where I would rather have perfect torpedoes. TMO 2.2 definitely has some duds in its inventory.:shifty:

And in fact, up until early 1942, it's easy to have a dud ratio of 50%-plus.

[SilentPan]

Okay, so even though the realism option "Torpedo duds" is off, I still will have to deal with faulty torpedos, is this correct?

What then, is the sense of this option? Does it only reduce a certain kind of fail? If true, this is really bad news for me.. as much as I enjoy playing SH4 for several hours without anything happening at all, when I finally manage to get into position for a shot, then I sure as hell don't want some random generator decide that laughing time is over :down:

But I'll wait for confirmation first, before abandoning ship :-?

[Armistead]

If you have duds off you should get no failures. Are you setting your gameplay options using the radio in the office in campaign mode? The settings for gameplay options at login don't work for campaign, use the radio in the office to the left on the shelf, click on it....

That's my only guess

[SilentPan]

Alright, thanks for the clarification!

Concerning the patrol mentioned above: I found a save where the convoi was still there, and this time managed to sink the largest freighter just under the nose of the escort. No vanishing ships, and torpedos going the way they were supposed to. I even saved and reloaded in order to take the shot twice, and everything worked just as well - yay :yep:

..and after quietly stealing away, I even found a large 8k tonner in my way, and in a daring chase even got this one as well. It was actually my first serious attempt at a shot where my own boat moves at full speed - and it worked! Awe. Some. :up:

Also, thanks for the tip regarding the options. Thankfully I set the options in the office, and with the last four eels running mighty fine, it seems it now works as intended.

When it's managing to do what it promises .. this game just rocks the boat :ping:

[Daniel Prates]

[QUOTE=SilentPan;1774284]Okay, so even though the realism option "Torpedo duds" is off, I still will have to deal with faulty torpedos, is this correct?

If you enable "no duds", all your torps will explode on contact.