[WIP] Interceptor Sub
 

Ok with the Kraken finally done and released it's time to start work on a new project. I call her the Interceptor, as you will notice she is a more modern looking sub. The sub that influenced this one was a Seawolf class sub, however as you can see it doesn't really resemble a Seawolf sub.

As of now I don't know if I'm going to just keep the turrets how they are or make a system to cover them when the sub submerges. The turrets can't collapse inwards like on the Shark or Kraken so I need to make a new system. I also need to figure out what to do with the props, cause at the moment I don't know what I want to do with those either.

While it has not been built yet I do have plans to make a brand new interior for this sub.

BetaV0.3 has been released, download it here:

http://www.gamefront.com/files/20937813/Interceptor_Beta_V03_rar


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Some fixes for this new version of the Interceptor.

-Fixed crew exposure for weapon compartments.
-Reduced the top underwater speed to around 32 knots. This helps reduce the depth keeping issue and keeps it to around six or seven feet.
-Fixed a problem with the air vents going off in calm seas while using regular surface.

Additions
-New conning tower interior
-Hogans ally added for TMO
-Adjusted values for smoothing surfacing and diving.

How to install.

The sub has a new installation method which should help ease confusion for installing the sub with supermods. For right now the sub is only compatible with TMO and Stock. There is a folder called Interceptor_Base, this holds all the crucial files of the sub and needs to be installed first. After that you either pick the stock folder or TMO folder and install it next. Then all that is left is to start up the game.

If you have any other questions just ask. Very soon I'll be working on getting the sub ready for RFB and FOTRS as well as adding the sub to the campaigns and RSRDC.

well, if you are going to do a caterpillar setup, you can put one drive between each of the fins, you can even have a hood scoop looking intake located about midway up the hill, that would be kinda cool looking

I had an interceptor built too, but mine was smaller and a lot thinner, it has some kind of Airplane wing looking apparition that houses the propellers and such. really cool looking actually

That is one of the options I was thinking of. The other was having a caterpillar while submerged and props for surfaced. I know of a way to cover each however placement is crucial because seeing lots of bubbles come out of a solid object is not too pretty lookin.

there's a cool idea, maybe even have both the caterpillars AND props engage when you go ahead flank, that would be neat and fit the interceptor role

That would be a really neat idea. However I don't know where to look or what to change exactly to make the sub do that. I could use the torpedo doors as an open an close for the props. If I could find away to tie that animation to the ahead flank command then it could possibly work.

I think this deserves a flat deck, so maybe Ohio or Typhoon would be a better choice

This looks interesting, but the side by side guns in the rear seems a bit odd to me. Would the middle pair be able to aim either side, or is each one going to be restricted to a single side arc?

If you did go with the caterpillars and the props, how about going with a central mounted impeller to help with the feel of keeping down noise and optimizing thrust? Especially since it would provide a stealthy backup in case of loosing (all of) the caterpillar drive(s) (more for realism than anything)

One thing comes to mind about gun turrets, if it could be done, anyways.

The basic design of the Advanced Gun System that has been in development by the US Navy.
More importantly, the stealthy gun housing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Gun_System


Using a more sleek/hydrodynamic shape for the turret/gun housing, it would possibly be a neat concept for a more modern sub to have deck guns using a similar housing, while still being as hydrodynamic as possible and still minimizing anything that might stir up water and cause noise while submerged. (possibly 'seated' into the base of the conning tower to conceal there presence in general?)
Would such a thing be possible?
Or are turrets used restricted to just the turrets that are already in SH4?

Another idea, gun mounts in the 'bathtub', such as an interior railing on the sides with fixtures for pintle mountings (right term?) for heavy weapons, such as .50 calibers, other machine guns, etc. Would be taken below deck when diving, and need to be brought up and mounted after surfacing. (Just 'vanish' when diving?) Not much, but it would give a sub some extra firepower for swatting aircraft and providing suppressive fire against the exposed deck crews of enemy ships (not that the later would be much more than 'fluff text' and just be another way to put extra holes in enemy ships with little or no armor... like Sampans...)
Also, AA turrets like on the German Type XXI, if possible (with dual 40mm instead of dual 20mm?), for added firepower and defense and shredding annoying targets of small size... like Sampans possibly trying to phone home...

And yes, I like the idea of a sub that can slug it out with a destroyer, small armed convoy and be a bane of aircraft by shear volume of AA fire it can put in comparison to other subs, and then outrun anything not an aircraft or psycho DD hellbent on knocking on the conning tower hatch with depth charges. :arrgh!:

Also, I second the thing for a possible flat deck. The 'platforms' just seem out of place on a sub.

i very much like this!

So haozhibof1 and rditto posted valid points and I went back and did some revisions on the ships hull. I'm still working on the prop and should have that done soon. Then after that it's off to figure out what to do about the prop to caterpillar drive animations.

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...newdeckgun.jpg

Thank you! And may I suggest you that make every file independent except weapons and upgradepack, etc., so that it could be easier to integrate your super mods with other BB mods (after all, these mods are much too powerful):DL

Maybe I can help after I finish the study of defination of weapons.

The Kraken and Shark can both run independently of each other. The only thing the two change are the torpedo files because as far as I know it is not possible to add new torpedoes. Other than that the weapons and upgradepacks are the only files that will need to be messed with to get the subs to work with other mods.
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Ok so I think I've gotten a decent setup here for the prop and caterpillar drive. Still working out a cover for the setup and by the looks of it it's gonna be a big one.

Basically the prop is set back while the caterpillar drive is more towards the rear.The prop rotates around the caterpillar housing so the drives don't interfere with each other. This will hopefully ensure that the bubbles which come from the props aren't just coming from no where or behind the closed cover when submerged.

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Subs/prop2.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...Subs/prop1.jpg

now that looks cool :yeah:

The new version seems great!:haha:
I just use MK48 Torpedo replacing MK27, coming from MOD Ohio. After all, MK27 is much too weak.:zzz:
After loading BBs and your Shark+Titan+Blackworf (original files deleted...), deck guns of BBs are gone:damn:. I am still studying this, guessing that maybe it is caused by replacement of 3_50 guns.

Is the above a collapsible gun ? one that would go in a compartment in the hull when submerged ?

I am looking to animate the Sen Taka's two AA guns this way, but so far haven't got a clue as to how..

If you are working on the same problem maybe we could team up ?

mine needs rotate aft 180 degrees and the base plate then closes the hole.

keltos

You can download his Shark for reference. That kind of guns is already used in Shark.

It is not totally a collapsible gun, it only pops up a little but it doesn't actually sink into the sub. Those parts around it are doors that fold over the gun. I'll pm you with what I've learned about making the guns collapse.

What BB mods are you using? The 3_50's should not be making the BBs guns disappear. They're only called by the Blackwolf for use.

Here's some updates. For the prop covers I think this is the best I can get without blocking off the entire duct. The covers pretty much sit on the outer rim of the duct and slide in along the supports. It's going to be a chore to animate but it should look good in the end.

And just like the Kraken the conning tower is going to have an observation section. Also if you look closely at the top of the tower you will see a small mount for one of the browning machine guns. I'm going to attempt to work in something else rditto suggested about guns that can be taken below deck when diving.

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w.../Propcover.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...ningtower2.jpg

If you can't figure out how to make the guns 'vanish' to represent them being removed, then maybe some simple movement of the gun would work?
It might look odd, but for the pintle mounted ones, maybe just have the guns 'move down' and out of sight into the conning tower?

Any chances of mounting 50. cal guns on the 'sides'/walls of the 'tub', for use as secondary (AI controlled) firepower with a more limited firing arc?
If so, if there is not enough practical room to have the .50 calibers to be opposite of each other on either side of the tub, then perhaps one can be a bit more forward compared to the other. If they cannot be 'removed', then have them aim fore/aft, and either swing down to the inner side of the 'tub' or just move 'into' the conning tower, which might also work if not look odd.

On a related note, any way to adjust the speed of animations, to have gun move 'out of sight' at a very quick speed? Or are they basically 'slaved' to something with a fixed movement speed?

Any decisions if you might add AA turrets on the fore/aft top of the conning tower, like the German Type XXI U-Boats have?
If so, could have the barrels 'retract' when the sub dives. Could have either dual 20mm, dual 40mm, or perhaps something else, like a dual pair of over/under 20mm (basically a smaller version of the AA gun barrel setup of the Kraken AA gun, but the pairs closer together), quad .50 cal, 20mm gatling gun, dual .50 cal gatling guns, or some such stuff. Basically, anything that should hopefully be good for causing enemy pilots to reconsider being anywhere near the Interceptor sub.
The conning tower AA turrets could be the main AA guns, with the others such as pedestal mounted .50 cals being AI controlled.

I think I know of a way to do it, if all else fails I will animate them. It is fairly easy to do and yes I can adjust the time so that they quickly disappear from the deck. I don't plan on adding anymore guns than I already have for the sub. She's not supposed to be a powerhouse like the Titan.

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Here's some renders of the sub, she's almost fully modeled.

Rear Tubes
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...torp_tubes.jpg
New AA guns
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...ubs/NewAA2.jpg
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...ubs/NewAA1.jpg
Caterpillar Drive front opening and Torpedo Tubes.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...p_CatDrive.jpg
Caterpillar Drive compared to in game person.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...atD_person.jpg

It looks good so far for the most part.

Are the torpedo tubes going to remain partly 'external' looking in the final version, or are they going to basically be like other subs and be more internal with a cover over them that is flush with the hull when it is closed?
If they are going to remain sticking out, I might suggest making the forward ones have a less step of an angle on the front sides, so they don't look like they will induce as much drag.

The housing for the deck guns is not quite what I had in mind, but it looks like it should still work very well.
Especially when the enemy goes from "Ha! Sub rising to surface with no guns!" to "WTH she has triple guns oh fudge!" :arrgh!:

To me, the caterpillar intakes seem a little small/shallow compared to the rear thrust part. Would it be possible to 'deepen' the intakes a little bit? Maybe at least 50-100% deeper than it is presently?
IIRC, in the movie Hunt for Red October, the Red October had the intakes have roughly the same 'size' as the exit points at the rear of the system. (probably so there is no real change in water pressure between going in and going out? Been years since I have seen the movie, so I don't recall finer details)

Have you made any final decisions on the exact type and number of guns and AA guns it will have?

I am little lost on one bit. (I might have missed something in the thread)
Is it going to use the props on the surface and the caterpillar when submerged, or will the caterpillar only be used under certain conditions.