fix steering

[yellbird]

Set the sub at 0 degrees and increase time and sub will not go straight,
anyone know if there is a fix?

Thanks

[Bubblehead1980]

Set the sub at 0 degrees and increase time and sub will not go straight,
anyone know if there is a fix?

Thanks

Have you been under depth charge attack? Are you running the stock game? which version? any mods? Your rudder may have been blow off, it was easily destroyed in the stock game if i recall

[yellbird]

It's SH4 updated to 1.5 or 5.1 whatever it is,
Mods
Gfo Mod
No crew Fatigue
Improved Ge Torpedo

Can't see how it's the prop as have been back to base a few times, I would think that would have been repaired if it was a problem.

Thanks

[Webster]

It's SH4 updated to 1.5 or 5.1 whatever it is,
Mods
Gfo Mod
No crew Fatigue
Improved Ge Torpedo

Can't see how it's the prop as have been back to base a few times, I would think that would have been repaired if it was a problem.

Thanks


not the prop but the rudder is what gets blown off.

go to exterior views and look for the big flat rudder behind the prop, if you don't see it then you have no more stearing and you have to end your patrol or be stuck at sea helpless. unless you can go in a straight line forward or reverse and get near enough to your home port to dock.

there is no repairing of outer hull damage when refitting so only interior systems and damage get fixed but you will get all damage fixed including the outer hull repaired if you "dock" at home port.

[fireftr18]

Or,
If you set it to zero by using the dial, then it is almost impossible to get it exactly at zero. If you want true zero, then hit the ' key. You also have to consider drift from currents.

[Bubblehead1980]

Sounds like rudder was blown off, that was something about stock that always annoyed me, lose the rudder, no other way to steer. Lukcily in ods like TMO rudder is made very tough

[yellbird]

Strange, checked under boat everything looks fine , If I plot a coarse from A-B it will go straight there when I speed the time up, if I just set it to zero without out plotting it will slowly make a circle as I speed the time up, has done this last few missions. I will check it using ( Key )

[Fish40]

Don't forget to tell your Navigator to "Return to plotted course" by clicking the button in the Nav options. If you don't, then yes you will start drifting off course, which will be especially noticed during Time Compression.

[Pisces]

If you set rudder amidship (to 0) then your sub is at the mercy of numerical intergration steps adding up any small deviations that the waves have on your sub. (real sea currents are not modelled in the game, but roll and pitch are) These small changes add up quickly when you have hight timecompression. A little bit to port, a little bit more to starboard, and somewhat to port again, and so on and so on.This would look like what could be described as a "random walk". There is nothing you can do about this. It would be the same in a real ship. That's why there should always be someone on station at the helm, or atleast an auto-pilot.

If you give the pilot the command to go to a certain course, then he goes there, but doesn't keep it. He just thinks, "Oh well this is good enough and takes a break/falls asleep. Until woken up again.

If you set a waypoint then the pilot is continuously stearing towards it. Only when it has reached it does the waypoint disappear, and is the boat left to the mercy of the calculation steps. If this is far away then the pilot does as his job requires of him. So, if you want to set a certain course, you might want to set a waypoint far away (on land if neccessary) instead.

[merc4ulfate]

The earth is a not sphere.

Here is a trick ... open google earth. Go to view>reset>tilt and compass.

Now everything is completely straight. North is straight up South straight down. On the Top right corner is a circle that has the North symbol on it. Do not touch it. Under that is the "click to move around" circle. Without touching the up or down arrow on touch right or left and then as the globe spins in its upright position you will see north change. Once you make one revolution North will again be back to the top.

There is true north and magnetic north. When I was in the Navy we were given TWO headings to steer by. We were told magnetic and true north headings and had instruments to monitor both.

On your maps your seeing a 2d version of a 3d, tilted, oblate spheroid world. Ever noticed map contacts that may say "course 270" and they are not going flat to the left side of the map? They are going heading 270 but you think they are not since they are not following a parallel course to the latitude lines. The lines are not drawn with the curve of the earth in mind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblate_spheroid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblate_spheroidal_coordinates

... but this is a guess

[BrucePartington]

Pisces and Firefighter hit the nail on the head. Exactly my thoughts as I was reading OP.
The only sure fire method to go straight in SH4, (as in real life) is to plot a course.
Plotting a course, and staying with the ship in heavy seas, without TC, one can occasionally notice the helm indicator move slightly for a few seconds before returning to "zero". This models the boat being thrown off course by the waves and currents, and the helmsman compensating for it.
I have noticed this being modelled since SH2.

[TorpX]

I think Pisces provided a very good explanation. I've noticed the less than steller performance of the helmsman before, but didn't really know exactly why the stearing ahead is so much sloppier than steering a plotted course.

Excellent explanation Pisces. :up:

[Sailor Steve]

This is a holdover from SH3, which does the same thing. It makes real navigation something of a joke. If you set the compass the helmsman should follow that course. I think it was finally fixed for SH5.

[Webster]

another thing with this game is the dial needles don't point to correct settings so if its on zero you may well be set to 2 or 3 degrees instead.

its all in the rendering and resolution you are using as for just how "off" the settings will be, its most notable with the speed if you just click on the dial it never sets the speed you point to

a good point was made about being surfaced and the wave action shifting your course because while the game doesn't have current in it it does have wave action that changes speed fuel range and direction of travel that is selected but if I plot a course it always follows it

[yellbird]

Thanks to all who make suggestions, I tried Fireft18 suggestion and that did the trick works as it should now. Have a problem now that just started, when I use the L key to lock the scope on a ship it will unlock in a second or two, doesn't matter how close or far away it is. This never happen before just started this last mission. Am going on another mission to see if it continues.

Thanks to all

[BrucePartington]

(snip) Have a problem now that just started, when I use the L key to lock the scope on a ship it will unlock in a second or two, doesn't matter how close or far away it is. This never happen before just started this last mission. Am going on another mission to see if it continues.

Thanks to all
How is the sea? On rough seas, the waves block your periscope view for a while. If it's too long the target will "unlock".
Now, if the seas are calm and the waves do not block your view, and you're close enough, then there's definitely a bug. It may be temporary though, one that goes away by restarting the game, or the patrol.

[fireftr18]

Thanks to all who make suggestions, I tried Fireft18 suggestion and that did the trick works as it should now. Have a problem now that just started, when I use the L key to lock the scope on a ship it will unlock in a second or two, doesn't matter how close or far away it is. This never happen before just started this last mission. Am going on another mission to see if it continues.

Thanks to all

Weather is usually a factor there. If you have high seas, then the auto targeting system will lose track. Try going to about 5 feet above scope depth.

[TorpX]

Have a problem now that just started, when I use the L key to lock the scope on a ship it will unlock in a second or two, doesn't matter how close or far away it is.
I remember having this problem with early versions of RFB. It seemed to be mainly a weather/"fog" issue. Later versions eliminated the problem, but I don't know how.

[yellbird]

As soon as I started next mission it worked fine, another problem solved, now all of a sudden I can't get anyone to man the deck gun, when I check and see where everyone is stationed no one is in the deck gun spots and I can't drag anyone in there. Sorry for all the questions but a newbe is a newbe.

[BigWalleye]

I remember having this problem with early versions of RFB. It seemed to be mainly a weather/"fog" issue. Later versions eliminated the problem, but I don't know how.


Actually nothing "eliminates" the problem. It is an attempt by the devs to simulate conditions of poor visibility, where you can see the image through the 'scope but not well enough for your crew to make an automatic ID, for example. You probably can't use auto-targeting either. It is a function of the current visibility and goes away when you get close enough or when visibility improves. It does not matter that you can see the image in the 'scope display just fine. It is just a matter of the visibility versus your crew's programmed sighting range. As they say, It's not a bug, it's a feature!