Returning Player Questions

[tohowalk]

After a long hiatus, I have recently returned to SHIV, and I have a couple of questions that I never knew the answers to. I am running SHIV gold with TMO2.5.

Question 1: When given a patrol area - say a 150nm circle, what is the best way to hunt for targets? I usually run around the perimeter of the circle. Is there any better way? I have used the search route that creates a box search pattern, but I am not impressed with it.

Question 2: What does the color of the port name tell me? Some ports are named in red, some in black, and they change as the war progresses. Do the colors indicate which side controls the port?

TIA!

tohowalk

[depthtok33l]

Question 1: When given a patrol area - say a 150nm circle, what is the best way to hunt for targets? I usually run around the perimeter of the circle. Is there any better way? I have used the search route that creates a box search pattern, but I am not impressed with it.


I use the zigzag/shoe lace pattern.

Question 2: What does the color of the port name tell me? Some ports are named in red, some in black, and they change as the war progresses. Do the colors indicate which side controls the port?
Red is hostile
Blue is friendly
Black I'm not sure, maybe allies.

[TorpX]

Question 1: When given a patrol area - say a 150nm circle, what is the best way to hunt for targets? I usually run around the perimeter of the circle. Is there any better way? I have used the search route that creates a box search pattern, but I am not impressed with it.



Good question! It is a common misconception that roaming around, criss-crossing, or implementing some special box-shaped search pattern will greatly increase your number of contacts. Generally speaking, this is not the case. If fuel is an issue for me (as it often is), I will pick out what seems a likely spot convoys will have to move through. Then I will either patrol submerged at an economical speed (usually ~3 kn.), or sit on the surface, idle and wait, moving only 20 or 30 mi. overnight to change stations. This allows you to maximize the number of days on patrol.

Of course, if you have plenty of fuel, you can cruise around, but you should be aware, burning a lot of fuel this way is more a matter of combating boredom, than combating enemy ships. Merchant ships must move to carry out their tasks. If you are in the right spot, they will come to you.


Question 2: What does the color of the port name tell me? Some ports are named in red, some in black, and they change as the war progresses. Do the colors indicate which side controls the port?

Yes, red port are controlled by the axis. However, even though a port may be friendly, you must still go to one marked by an anchor symbol for provisions.

[HertogJan]

There's a map with convoy routes in TMO under the Gramophone or Radio.
The routes arn't that accurate (give or take 50Nm) but it will give you a better chance of finding vessels.

Position yourself along that route and you should get a hit, it can take a long time before you get a contact tho. Mostly depending on what year in the war you're in.
(Early war there's not much traffic, mid and late war there's plenty).

A good place to hang out is close to choke points like straights and narrows and such.

[Aktungbby]

tohowalk! :salute:

[Jimbuna]

Welcome back to the fold tohowalk :sunny:

[tohowalk]

Than You all for the advice and welcome (back). A large part of my desire to return is to learn more about the game and tactics. I am trying to learn manual targeting for the first time as well as trying to deal with the escorts in TMO. Some of their behavior confuses me. There are times when they will drop depth charges when they a not within 500 yards of me or more - it almost seems as if they are trying to spook me into changing speed or depth in order to locate me better. I know this is AI and not real people I'm up against, but it's either that or they suddenly lose my boat, drop some charges where I might be, and then reacquire by sonar anyway. Also, I often hear what sounds like a collision alarm or siren from the escorts, and it seems like this happens shortly before an attack run. Is this a reliable indicator I can use to start evasive maneuvering?

Tohowalk

[TorpX]

Also, I often hear what sounds like a collision alarm or siren from the escorts, and it seems like this happens shortly before an attack run. Is this a reliable indicator I can use to start evasive maneuvering?

Tohowalk

I get that in RFB. I think it is just an alarm; meaning they are aware enemy vessels are present.

[Sniper297]

Simplest way is to cheat. :arrgh!:
Park your sub, all stop, save the game. Hit accelerated time and watch the map. Red contact report for a convoy or task force pops up at 24N 127E after a week or two of accelerated time - note the location, reload the save game, head over to that area so you can be nearby when it pops up.

[Dread Knot]

Some of their behavior confuses me. There are times when they will drop depth charges when they a not within 500 yards of me or more - it almost seems as if they are trying to spook me into changing speed or depth in order to locate me better. I know this is AI and not real people I'm up against, but it's either that or they suddenly lose my boat, drop some charges where I might be, and then reacquire by sonar anyway.

It was not an uncommon ASW tactic among Japanese escorts in the war to just mindlessly start dropping depth charges when they suspected a submarine. US skippers who attacked at night on the surface often noted the Japanese would instantly start cutting charges loose all over the convoy when a torpedo hit, even when they couldn't possibly have had a sonar contact to work from.

Some of it may have been an attempt to scare off a submerged submarine. Some of it may have been lousy ASW discipline.

[Armistead]

I get that in RFB. I think it is just an alarm; meaning they are aware enemy vessels are present.




Yep, they know you're there. Another giveaway is blinking lights which is a lil stupid. I cut all the searchlights off all ships but escorts, but never could figure the blinking lights...

[Sniper297]

Blinking lights are signals from one ship to another. Light discipline was intended to make it harder for the enemy to detect you, but once the first torpedo explodes you gotta figure the enemy already knows where you are anyway. So it was common practice to (1) send blinker signals to other escorts (2) fire star shells to light up the area (3) turn on searchlights to sweep the area and (4) drop a pattern of depth charges in any area where you think a sub MIGHT be. Look at the torpedoed ship, see the wake of bubbles from steam powered torpedoes, drop a pattern where you think the point of origin of the torpedo tracks started. (Good reason for the sub to go someplace else ASAP after firing torpedoes, and use wakeless electric torpedoes as soon as they're available.)

The Royal Navy also practiced the same methods against U-boats, it wasn't lack of ASW discipline, it was the shotgun method of trying to kill a sub any way possible. Modern ASW is different simply because the technology for detection and tracking has improved so much since WWII.

[merc4ulfate]

Want to find targets then go to the traffic lanes. Want to find the traffic lanes ?? Then Run a good mod like TMO or RFB with RSRD if your playing the allies side. Both TMO and RFB are very good but different and RSRD adds historic shipping lanes and traffic as well as capital traffic and battles.

I would also add http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/downloads.php?do=file&id=4578 Improved Ship Physics 2.15 (ISP 2.15). It does an excellent job of creating realistic start and stop distances and speed of merchants and capital ships as well as realistic movements of the boat at varying speeds.

Red does not indicate axis. It indicates the enemy. Some of us play on both sides so red is not simply axis.

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Generic Mod Enabler - v2.6.0.157
RFB_2.0
RFB_2.0_Patch_23April2010
RSRDC_RFB_V575
RSRDC_V5xx_Patch1
More_DDs_for_AITorpedoLauncher
Improved Ship Physics_2.15
Classe_Balao_CamoTri

[THEBERBSTER]

A warm welcome back ‘tohowalk’ :subsim:

You will always find someone here to help you.:)

Link to my SH3 – SH4 – SH5 posts::salute:

Step By Step Tutorials & How To Do It:up:

Also Included Are Some Useful Download Links

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=211804 (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=211804)

You can use TDW’Generic File Patcher with STEAM see my Tutorial Post #125

[TorpX]

The Royal Navy also practiced the same methods against U-boats, it wasn't lack of ASW discipline, it was the shotgun method of trying to kill a sub any way possible. Modern ASW is different simply because the technology for detection and tracking has improved so much since WWII.

That's a good point. Even if they didn't kill the sub, scaring it off was good enough.



Yep, they know you're there. Another giveaway is blinking lights which is a lil stupid. I cut all the searchlights off all ships but escorts, but never could figure the blinking lights...

Yes, I forgot about the lights. I don't really mind them, but they seem a bit overdone. Sometimes the reflections are weird; like with the lighthouses, you can see the light coming through mountains for Pete's sake.

[Sniper297]

I usually have light shafts and caustic effects off, but the glare from searchlights is really blinding - which again is realistic. What's irritating is not being able to shoot the searchlights out, especially when they're mounted on something like an unarmed tanker stuffed with cork - blasted thing sinks down to where only the masts are showing after two torpedo hits, and the searchlight is still glaring because it's not considered "destroyed" yet. :/\\!!

Light coming through objects including the periscope shears when standing on the bridge is annoying, but what irritates me the most is the "phantom lookout" in the periscope shears under many lighting conditions. When standing on the bridge in foggy weather I try not to look back and up. :eek:

[TorpX]

He, he ....

I guess the game has a quirk or two. :O:

[merc4ulfate]

I have often wished they had modeled the light to be shot out like in some others games.

[TorpX]

I have often wished they had modeled the light to be shot out like in some others games.

Yeah, when I was still getting acquainted with the game I tried a harbor raid. Going in at night just to see if I could get away with it. It was a small and shallow harbor so I was on the surface, very close in. I started firing and as soon as the search light hits me, I become a shell magnet. I tried to take it out, of course. You can guess how much good that did. :dead:

That was not in career, just a quick suicide mission. In my careers, I avoid such risky business like the plague.