n00b with a problem

[Mentalist]

I just got this game today and I am excited to get down to it and start sinking ships, but I have run into a snag.

Obviously I want to complete the Academy first but on the very first mission (the navagation one) I can't do it!!

I manage the first 3 tasks then it says I need to drop to 25 meters and navaigate south. Well Ive done that about five times now (restaring, trying again) and it just does nothing, no radio messages, nothing.

I know I am being an idiot here and not doing something right but what the hell? I do what it tells me and still no luck.

Any help would be greatly appreciated I'm getting frustrated :damn:

[stratege]

just keep trying,head really south, then turn time compression for about 32 time scale.

BUt the academy is not fully mandatory.

[Mentalist]

Well, I didnt get the confirmation and it still didn't tell me I had completed the task but when I escaped out of the mission to try again it told me I had passed :rock:

Don't know whats up with that but I am stuck on the Torpedo mission now. I'm not having a whole lot of luck getting succesful torp strikes. They just seem to go off nowhere in particular. I have had a few, but the ratio is waay too low.

I am not a realism junkie, so I don't mind the computer taking over the calculations, but it doesn't help. I get my weapons man to do all the data collection and solution, but still, I hardly ever hit anything :-?


I am moving my boat in close and trying to turn her to get good shots but I'm not doing very well and it all seems a little complicated with the AOB system. I want to get everything down before I start a campaign so not to be frustrated and lost later.

Any tips for good torp strikes.. I am not very good :dead:

[Twelvefield]

You're missing your radio messages because you need to press "M" to get to the proper radio screen. That will help you a lot.

It is a documented feature in your game instructions, on the keyboard card to be precise, but it's so poorly documented that everybody here missed it the first time.

As for torpedo strikes maybe you are too close? If you can, try to describe what you are doing on a typical torpedo run.

Try to keep your range at around 1000-2000 meters to start with, and definitely no closer than 300 m. Try to get the target ship running 90 degrees (sideways) to your sub. The GYRO ANGLE indicator should be as close to 0 degrees as you can when you press fire.

Firing a torpedo is extremely difficult to master, even with the computer crew helping you, so don't worry if you don't get it at first. When playing on full realism, you might actually take an hour or two in real-life time setting up a single torpedo shot -- that's a bit different from the Battlefield 2 run&gun, or even worse, the submarine in BF1942!

[Mentalist]

Thanks for the tips, glad to know I am not going crazy. I have started the campaign now and have sunk a fair few ships and am currently on my third patrol. I am still having a frustrating time with the torps though.

Usually I will drop to periscope depth and lock a target with the attack periscope. Then I will switch to the nav map where it shows the green solution line. Since I am having quite enough trouble without going on full realism you can imagine I am having the calculations done for me :-j


I wait until I get a decent line up and fire. Now eight times out of ten the torpedo just misses. And I am always being spotted as well. Even at silent running 40 meters down slow ahead they still always find me. :doh:

Now this is in 1939 so I am worried about how much my little U-Boat is going to get owned before things get really bad in the following years.

I am glad to hear that torp strikes are hard to hit but since you only have limited torps at your disposal you can end up without any before you even get to your patrol zone making life very hard. The game certainly puts a big value on the worth of your torpedoes. Doom under water this is not. :up:



And thanks for that radio tip. I have read the manual through and must have missed that.


So any helpful tips on any aspect of the game would be GREATLY appreciated. I intend to battle on with this game until I start getting decent at it so help is definatly welcome.

[Hotwire]

On the note of torpedoes missing their targets... Make sure you open the torpedo doors before firing, as the weapon oficer doesn't take the time to open the doors into account.

(The default key to open the currently selected tube doors is 'Q')

Also, On the note of them always finding you, They will. It's a case of whether or not they hit you. If you're on silent running and going straight ahead, they'll just start guessing.. which, if you're going in a straight line, can often end up with you sinking to your watery grave.

Turn, Often and regularly.

[Mentalist]

Wow, great tip on the doors thing. I had no idea you could do that. I have a destroyer heading for me right now off the coast of Portsmouth. I will give that a go.

So at silent running (when the boat stealth meter is at green) it means they don't really have your position they are calculating?


Ok, that makes more sense and turning would be a good idea, yes :P

[the_rydster]

Silent running does not actually mean you are literally silent, it just means that the only source of noise your boat is producing is from engines and screws since the noise of crew moving, taking, torpedoes being moved around, repairs etc is elliminated.

If you want to move undetected and you think the escorts are close then limit yourself to 2 knots max. This is because cavitaion increased significantly at 3 knots or more making you too noisy.

One think to remember when doing TDC calculations (especially automatic) is that when you have all the data on the notepad (range, AOB, speed) you must press the tick again, this will sent the data to the TDC which will find the solution. You will know it (the TDC) has made the calculation because the Gyro angle below the notepad will change. Look at the gyro solution and ask yourself if it makes sense. Torpedo doors will only screw you up at ultra close range or against very fast movers.

[Mentalist]

Well I have started to open the doors prior to an attack and I must say that its working. I have sunk 3 ships with very little difficulty since my last post and that destroyer is history :yep:


So remember to tick the note pad off and 2 knots silent running for increased stealth. Right, check.

Thanks for all these tips guys this is exactly what I need. I am allready improving.

One other thing. I keep sinking ships that are clearly British ships and on my save reports it says I have sunk 0 tons of allied tonnage.

Thats not right surely?

Anyway, things are going a lot smoother now.. I am passing the coast of cornwall heading for my patrol destination with about 8 ships sunk behind me. Hopefully I will have enough torps to patrol my zone successfully.

:up:

Keep those tips coming!

[Hotwire]

Quick tip: Don't accidentally hit the 'Blow ballast' command when your fingers are straying during a situation with three destroyers seeking for you.

:cry:

[Crow]

this forum rocks

:up:

[Twelvefield]

Here's another tip to avoid detection, but it's actually tougher to do with lower realism settings: try to keep the time that your periscope is above water to as little as possible. One manual I read suggested no more than 5 seconds at a time! Also, don't raise the periscope any more above the waves than you absolutely have to.

[Kalach]

Quick tip: Don't accidentally hit the 'Blow ballast' command when your fingers are straying during a situation with three destroyers seeking for you.

:cry:

Yeah, the 'deploy decoys!' one isn't good either at the wrong time :-?