Escorts see me before I can see them?

[suitednate]

Hello,

I'm running stock SH3 with Hsie and Stiebler patches enabled. I'm stalking a convoy at night in late March 1940, no visual contacts yet but i know I'm headed right for it at about 45 degrees off to the convoy's starboard bow. Wind speed 0, light fog. All of a sudden, a escorting corvette emerges out of nowhere at a range of about 700 meters heading straight towards me as if he knew where I was way before I even saw him!! I've done this like 3 times now after reloading and the results are the same. (Edit: 4th time didn't happen but it appeared that the escorts saw me literally a minute after the merchants did and that they were already on their way, in addition it looked like the convoy was already zig zagging as if alerted to my presence just as they appearing in visual range.). My green bar for my deck crew is full green too. Is this supposed to happen? It's 1940 so they can't have radar right? :06: I thought night surface attacks were decidedly to the advantage of the uboat in the early part of the war?


Also, I've read in other threads that you can control the rpms manually on the engines to truly make your engines silent? I tried to manipulate them in the conning tower with no success. :06: Also tried running on the surface with "decks awash" as I have seen in other threads as well. I think 7 meters is the depth level? But when I do this they close up the hatch and don't have access to the bridge as if I'm diving. Any help on any of these subjects? Thanks.

[Aktungbby]

Suitednate! Better tech help will materialize; meanwhile welcome aboard formally!:Kaleun_Salute:

[Schöneboom]

Guten Abend, suitednate,

Re the sudden appearance of the corvette at 700 meters, it sounds like your course was such a perfect intercept that the escort was on a collision course already and may not have seen you in the fog. You did not mention searchlights. If they were not already on, that would support the idea that the escort ran into you during its normal patrol pattern (they often circulate around the convoy to make your approach more difficult). If you saved right before the encounter, the positions and courses will be the same on every replay. At that point it is no longer random.

In general, if you don't have good visibility over 1000 meters, it puts you at risk for such unpleasant surprises, even without radar. Pardon me if I have misinterpreted anything in your account of the events.

Re the speed control, I don't know how one does this in the conning tower. I always use the control dials along the bottom edge. Using the toggle to switch from the ship telegraph to the knot meter.

Re decks awash, I haven't run stock SH3 for years, so cannot say if decks awash works the same way in stock (I doubt the Hsie/Stiebler patches were affecting this).

Mach's gut!

[maillemaker]

Also, I've read in other threads that you can control the rpms manually on the engines to truly make your engines silent? I tried to manipulate them in the conning tower with no success. :06:

You don't control them from the conning tower, you can just see the RPM gauges there more easily than the ones in the control room.

To control RPM, click on the button next to the engine repeater dial down at the bottom right hand corner. This switches the dial from "stop""slow""fast", etc., to actual RPM measures. Click on the first tick to set to 0-1 knots, and then look at the RPM gauges in the control room or the conning tower. They should read <90 RPM.

[quote[Also tried running on the surface with "decks awash" as I have seen in other threads as well. I think 7 meters is the depth level? But when I do this they close up the hatch and don't have access to the bridge as if I'm diving. Any help on any of these subjects? Thanks.[/quote]

It's a tricky thing. I can usually click on 7 and stay afloat. Any deeper than that and it triggers a dive.

Steve

[Jimbuna]

Go into your Submarine folder and change the Surface Depth in the cfg to whatever depth you require.

[banryu79]

I'm playing SH3 with GWX and MaGui.
- To control the RPM you could input a specific speed in knot, usually 2 kts is considered silent (IIRC <100 RPM), if you want to be extra silent command 1 knot speed.

- To run deck awash try setting your depth as close as possible but not equal nor greater than 8 meters. At exactley 8 meters, in my experience, the uboat is considered submerged.

- Finally, very important: to command an exact value in the dials don't click: keep the left mouse button clicked down and you will be able to preview the final position of the needle in the dial, you can then micro-adjust the needle posiont with small mouse movements and when the needle position is exactley where you want it to be, release the left mouse button et voilà :03:

[Succat]

I'm playing SH3 with GWX and MaGui.


TIPP: Use this one mate: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=147667 way better then MaGui...

:salute:

[banryu79]

TIPP: Use this one mate: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=147667 way better then MaGui...

:salute:
Ok, we are OT here, I sent you my reply via PM.

[suitednate]

thanks for the replies everyone!! Sorry but what is this MaGui? Im new here. :oops: I looked at a thread and does it just change the appearance of the interior of the U-boat? what's more realistic? stock? or this MaGui thingy?

[banryu79]

thanks for the replies everyone!! Sorry but what is this MaGui? Im new here. :oops: I looked at a thread and does it just change the appearance of the interior of the U-boat? what's more realistic? stock? or this MaGui thingy?
MaGui is a mod (a GUI mod), you don't need to worry about mods for now.
The thing I expained in my previous post to place the needle in the dials excatley where you want it to be should work even in stock SH3, AFAIK.