Feature Requests for v1.10 and beyond - Part 1
 

Really, really enjoying this game, and especially the latest improvements in 1.09e. Hats off to the Killerfish team for the great continuing customer support. With that said I’d love to see some of the following improvements in upcoming versions, and hear other’s thoughts.

Part 1 - The Game

1. Allow Active Intercept System to be used for target detection, limited TMA. Regardless of the likely classified capabilities of these systems, I think it is logical to assume that a sub’s active intercept system can be used to initially detect a contact, start a contact track, and possibly to do some rudimentary form of TMA and classification. For TMA, maybe just give it the same capabilities as a regular sonar hearing a faint signal with a small bearing rate change.

2. Quicker TMA solution when holding a contact on both hull and towed sonar. I started a separate thread on this last month but wanted to include it here as well. Taking simultaneous readings from two passive sonars 2,000 feet apart should provide enough basic triangulation to at least eliminate a number of possible target range/course combinations and speed up the TMA process, especially at the short tactical ranges in CW.

3. Start Further Away from Contacts. Especially in 1.09 I seem to always start nearly in active sonar range of the bad guys, which does not seem very realistic. Allow us to start up to 40,000 yards away from contacts, which is probably a more realistic passive direct path range for initial contact of many surface ships, especially tankers, amphibs, etc.

4. More music. I think the music in the game is fantastic, especially the slower parts. However, it does get a little repetitive over time. Adding more music would help keep the game fresh.

More to follow on campaign stuff...

Gregg

These suggestions make sense.

They do and we read them all so thanks for sharing.

Music comes from a sonar headset...

the music does create great ambiance in the game, but occasionally the ambiance interferes with the tactical picture. Sometimes, during tense moments you get a chord that sound a lot like a series of sonar pings.

Over the years I always had it off. I just turned it off on day 1. But, since the Big K-Fish might be around, I am sure it is lovely music.

Although, if there was a button to start the Jaws movie music...that way, when my torpedo acquires the target, I could hit the button and have appropriate music.

We need a button, yep.

Hopefully you could add time enough in port on the first mission to change stores. Otherwise the first mission is always a failure due to lost time.

If your mission is to sink a Carrier group, TLAMS are useless and something you don't need for the mission. But change them out for something else and you fail the first mission because you run out of time, every time:timeout:. Very annoying.

Thanks FOR LISTENING AND GREAT GAME!!

This is my list of demands, and I say demands because this two tinny things really feel like cheating:
1.-when an enemy launches a torpedo, transient is announced and is as well displayed for a second in the map, so that it reveals the enemy position
2.-Same happens with knuckle forms and decoys, but worse because they stay on the map.

To be realistic those things should be announced as bearings only, not true positions

I'd always heard that the early towed arrays don't have that great of bearing resolution. If you were triangulating with the two sensors they would both need equally high bearing resolution to give you an accurate result.

Be nice if Jonesy called out the bearing for each enemy torpedo launch, if actually hearable. If it is going to show up on the screen, someone should call it out.

I imagine that a lot of info is flying around the control area. That is a watchful team.

You must go through a lot of torpedoes on missions, you don't really need to off load those TLAMs, because even with them on board, you should have enough fish to deal with a few surface contacts.

I'd like to see a clock and I'd like to see a dot stack plot.

I agree CAPT Jack. My initial suggestion was only that the amount of time for a TMA solution be lessened somewhat, not that we would get an instant fix on the target. Even with low bearing resolution, you should still be able to use the towed array to narrow down the possible target locations along the contact's bearing line from the bow sonar.

I just want a little more in depth ESM. In game stuff is not anywhere as useful as it could be

Like.

Yes, ESM. It does not seem to show bearing, let alone type radar.

The sonar guys don't give call-outs to torpedoes as they are detected along their route. They pop up on the screen occasionally, but no one mentions them.

1) An extra alternate key assignment: basically multi-button mse support (mse btn or key), but for the lefties too

2) Retain camera position for individual TMA objects: I've been using the click to select feature on the TMA (rather that just the FN keys) for camera control. Re-orienting the camera is a bit annoying. Sometimes its just fun to watch that 'little torp' creeping up on ya, while evading, from its view. TMA map clicks are also nice for verifying wrecks and looking around without having to go there and check. Kind of cheating, but the camera is anyway and the boat is already down, soo ...

3) Range circles/vectors on the TMA map: Using the heading or torp vectors to judge distances is awkward.

4) The small TMA map should still show a small text indicator of the grid size.

5) Clock and timer on the bridge

6) Maybe include some drills when transiting? Fire, flooding, collision, etc. I'm not too sure about this one, but it might be interesting for varying initial contacts if the boat isn't just patrolling. Or even just too add an additional (unexpected) mission type. The sea is the enemy.

I second the request for the dot plot indicator. (I'm thinking for TMA bearing analysis and ranging ?). Half the game is figuring out where and when to shoot.

Also, don't some/most torp's have an acceleration upon target acquisition? I'm thinking of the associated range reduction for an early enabler that then burns fuel up before they know where they're heading. And that faster speed is what the target has to evade.

Not sure about reality but the fish do have different pre-enabled / enabled and seeking speed. Never seen them accelerate on acquisition before aside from coming out of their search pattern.

I'm thinking that with the big improvements added to 1.09e, it might be easier to add some variety to CW.

I'd say that almost all neutral contacts I encounter are trawlers, It would certainly make the game more nerve-wracking to have a wider range of neutral vessels to have to sort out.

Also, having transits to missions occasionally interrupted by contact with neutral or friendly vessels, I've only ever bumped into Soviet assets so far. Having Rules of Engagement modeled with friendly units would be a bonus - such as an extremely low but ever present chance of being attacked if detected, and an instant order to RTB with subsequent court martial should you sink one.

More mission types, like just being ordered to patrol a certain area (wouldn't have to be counted as a mission - just an order until a real mission happens), or recon missions (handled like a spec-ops but with no weapons restrictions - having single or multiple connected zones - completed when you raise periscope in each). Mine laying (again modeled on spec-ops, only loading mines instead of troops - You'd just need a different icon as the same restrictions on weapons would apply), Baltic missions - maybe spy insertions, just like spec-ops but without the weapon restrictions).

[edit] I've just started playing at realistic level, so my apologies if any of these suggestions are already implemented at realistic or elite levels... and that since posting this, I'm running into every kind of neutral ship except trawlers