I think it's more than that. I think it's possible to get a more proper balance, but it takes a proper enviroment tweaked to sensors. The tools/values are there, but it takes so much time to fine tune every aspect, but I believe it could be done.

Over on the SH5 forum, there is a modder called The Dark Wraith who has disassembled the sh5.exe file and is learning the inner workings of the code. He has already issued patches for several hard-coded bugs. He has a patcher which modifies the .exe safely without infringing Ubi's copyright. The patched sh5.exe installs with JSGME like any other mod.

I doubt he is interested in trying to port his work to SH4. But there might be someone out there who would want to invest the time and effort in this old dog. (Not me! I hate fixing other people's code!) TDW might be willing to share what he has learned. His patcher opens up a whole new range of possibilities for fixing and improving the game.

Hmmm... how many mods are you running?
 

Well, I'm no expert and am still just a bilge rat here at Subsim, but looking at your other thread about TMO I noticed that you are running other mods on top of it, which is definitely recommended against by Ducimus in the manual for TMO itself. I have been running TMO for over a month and haven't had the problems you describe, in fact on a recent restart of my career I took a Porpoise class boat to the Marshalls on my first patrol and got into a good firing position on a Mutsuki DD. I muffed the shot and missed him due to adding too little offset angle to my second torpedo, but a short while later did sink an auxiliary subchaser in the same area, and in neither case was I detected before firing on the target. Now these attacks did occur at night, but the sea state was relatively calm, but having said that much I've been able to get into firing positions on targets during daylight and still remain undetected until torpedo launch. I'm playing on the hard setting as well, so I'm not sure why you are having these issues with the mod, unless it has something to do with other mods running on top of TMO itself.

Just today sunk a light cruiser playing with TMO and RSRD mods only. It was not dark and the sea was not too rough. No rain and minimal fog.

I detected it on radar heading on a near parallel course same direction. Went to flank speed on the surface staying just on the edge of radar range until I reached a point of convergence of paths and sank to 150 rigged for silent running.

Waited it out for the cruiser to appear then come near to my firing position, rose to telescope depth and took a quick look at it (which was the first moment I saw it was a light cruiser), dropped the scope and set up 4 torpedoes, waited a little more then raised scope, fired my fish and dove to run if my attack failed.

One light cruiser less for the Japanese navy.

Since first post, i get used to TMO warships, and had some success sinking few of them.
But it remains they are very efficient and hard to close. This is the fun of it after all! :D

TMO was originially designed with challenge in mind. The idea was to amp up the game so as to create the sense of danger and trepidation that a real sub skipper most likely experienced when dealing with the enemy. Because the stock AI was so laughably bad (but not the legendary degree of FaIL of the stock SH5 AI:haha:) that, because of the aforementioned hard coding, the only way to achieve this was to uber the enemy units. TMO is meant to be challenging for its own sake. Conversely, RFB was designed to be as historically accurate as feasible with the game and, despite its own AI mods, appears comparatively easier, especially considering that sufficient familiarity with the Pacific war will give a player a distinct a priori advantage.

If one does not like TMO, either mod it to your taste or try one of the other megamods. There are more than enough choices to suit any player.