Good man ;) ....and Good Hunting :arrgh!: :up:

I dont have much trouble with the underwater activities, with some sensible actions one can change the odds, but the surface actions is imho a bit overdone.

When looking to a taskforce, from lets say 3 kilometers thru persicope, fireing a torpedo, quickly lower the thing and dive and go silent...
The destroyers turn to your direction instantly when the torpedo hits.. thats not real. How on earth did they know where the torp came from in the first place?
But I can live with that, but their visuals.. strange thing is sometimes they see me, sometimes not, and not depending on weather.

I feel we need more 'luck', because we need the extra bit further in the war, when things get equal or worse.:yep:

In reality the sonars worked like this:

http://www.de220.com/Electronics/Son...20Patterns.jpg

I'm quite sure that something can be done regarding the visual detection routines. I seem to recall something of that nature when I was doing IuB.

Anyway, this page is very useful:

http://www.de220.com/Electronics/Sonar/Sonar.htm

I used it as a basis for some research into historic sensor values for IuB. Cdr Gibs might remember more - I have no idea what the case is in GWX. The following should be noted:

Also, I believe there was a maximum depth setting to the later sonars. Apparently the British did not believe that German u-boats could dive below 160m (or similar) for most of the war. Details are hazy however - long time ago since I did any SH3 modding.

Awesome pic on it!

I don't agree if a DD is dropping a string of charges he knows where you are. He's dropping a string where the thinks you are. Big difference. All too often I've seen DDs kill all the algae in a patch of ocean because they think I'm there. And I'm not talking about doing search patterns or random drops to try and scare me up, but the DDs POUNDING an area all together and I'm no where near.

However, if you are under the charge it is smart to crank the engines to flank and turn 90 degrees to the DDs line of attack -- if you have the opportunity. This is sometimes harder to do if your sonarman is an incompetent fool like mine is....

And, yes, that is an awesome pic of the sonar abilities.

@orgy

now, whats that something?

The pic Orgy posted is probably the best diagram you'll find on the internet. Best ive ever been able to find at any rate. IT really does illustrate how in the real world sonar worked.

In SH3, its more like this: :rotfl: :rotfl:
http://www.themushroomkingdom.net/im...flashlight.jpg

To be upfront I don't know even know what file to look in to see how the visual detection AI works.

However I think Ducimus is right on target with the post above. A couple things I'd like to add. Running decks awashed (6-7meters) also lowers your profile. Just a guess here but just as Asdic and passive sonar get better later in the war, so does visual spotting. As a histrorical reference the Japanese entered WW2 with probably the best lookouts of any nation. They constantly trained under adverse night conditions which led them to usually spot the enemy first. They got quite the better of the US early in the Guadalcanal campaign until radar was more prevalent.

I really love attacking convoys at night on the surface. Usually by running decks awashed, 5-9 knts, and always bow on i can get to within 1500-2000 meters out and not be spotted. Pick 2 targets and shoot. Granted you cant always get the juicy center of convoy Large Tanker, but a Pyro and a small merch is still not bad.

I make sure torpedoes are set for slow to allow for a quick 180 turn away after firing. Escape at 9kts or so.

Bad weather is your friend just as Ducimus said but i cant be horrible. If you cant see it you cant sink it.:D

Not that im an expert at SH3, far from it however getting in close at night on the surface is possible (till late 41 or mid 42 that is!) and much more fun than shooting from periscope depth then diving deep. It gives you a better chance of repeat attacks and allows you to follow the convoy much easier!

AI_sensors.dat and SIM.cfg

Same goes for the AI's sonar, radar, hydrophones etc. The SIM.cfg is a very umm , shall we say, "powerful" file btw. By mainpulating variables in that file you can make the AI dumb as rocks or be alert enough to hear a dolphin fart from curraco to madagascar (yes thats an exaggeration but you get the general idea. )

Edit:
and no im not discussing that.. Havent touched it in awhile and the idea of looking at it agan make my head hurt.

I know for sure when a DD "Knows" where I am when he is dropping across my position.

OK, Lets say he does not know where you are if he is by wild guess drops right on you then what is the difference when the cans go off on your boat and sink you or damage you so badly you must repair for an hour just to not plunge to the bottom????:damn:

Let me spell it out more clearly.
When you are listening correctly and you hear an escort at 210 start to drop and he keeps dropping but you can't hear his engines only his cans dropping and you spin the hydro dial to 30 and hear him pulling away still dropping then you can be sure whether he knows or does not know and is incredibly lucky your ars is either dead or you go to flank with a 90% turn.
Verstanden Herr Kaleun?

What you refer to I also know. (Does that sound arrogant?:hmm: )
That is I can tell by the speed he moves on the hydro compared to his engine noise and the changing position if he is dropping away from me so going off 2 knots would give my position away. If he has moved from 165 to 205 in his drop and maintained a stern position then he is not on top of you.

In a sense you are right except you are wrong in that you admit you have yet to learn to use the hydro effectively enough to "know" he is dropping on you or is dropping near you causing you to over react and show yourself.

Wulfmann

One very important point on this. Do not count on your sonar man.

You must man the position and listen to all the warships. You ecentually get a grip on what they do but there are always surprises no matter how good you get at this (or think you get), a fatal mistake is believing you are in control. You are not but you are not helpless if you increase your odds by better hydro management!

Wulfmann

Ok,we've covered visual, hydrophone and pinging detection by the DD's.

Does anyone know if the AI fixes on radio messages you send to BdU ? I 've once sent a msg to BdU stating I was shadowing a convoy, and a small Flower corvette who was moving away from me at a very big distance, was soon thereafter steaming down at me. Had to dive, lost the convoy, but had to dive deep to escape that stupid flower and his bigger friend.

So does anyone know if this is coïncidence (he just spotted me visually) or he detected my radio transmission. It was my first patrol around okt '39 so I don't beleive HUFFDUFF should have been a fact in those years right ?

Ducimus ?
Wulfmann?
Steppenwolf?

any ideas on this ?

In the game, sending a radio report increases the probablily of an enemy airstrike being sent your way. The "Airstrike.cfg" file has an entry for "Enemy Air Strike Probability Increase on Radio Message Sent". However, I can't swear that there is an increased probability of enemy ships detecting you as well. Anecdotal evidence from different posters on this forum would seem to suggest that it does.

In an earlier post, Kpt. Lehmann had this to say on the subject:
"Radio Direction Finding: Though there are more than a few
who feel that this is a broken function in SH3... I believe a
representation of it exists to some degree in-game. I can
only offer my own experiences in reporting this means of detection
by the enemy and by the apparently active values
one can find in the Airstrike Configuration file. (At the
very least, the enemy AI will send some sort of distress
signal... which we can all attest to having attacked single
merchies only to have a DD or enemy aircraft attack soon after)."


As to whether that is historically correct for as early as October 1939 I will leave to someone more knowledgeable on the subject.

That's a big, YUP. But its a probablity percentage, doesnt happen ALL the time. Sort of random.

Right, that's the difference. I was just saying he might by accident be dropping a string of cans right on top of you because he thinks you're there. Doesn't help your situation out any, agreed with that.