I love and hate these kind of surprises! This game is still awesome, 25 years later!
 

I haven't played this title in awhile. I was in the mood for current WWII sub simulator and tried to get into UBOAT but just couldn't warm up to it. I've always been way more interested in US submarine ops in the Pacific.

So, I reinstalled the reigning premier title for that theater and added the latest FotRS mod. I was really enjoying my first patrol (I even engaged and sank a German Auxiliary cruiser around Truk) when I ran up against a Japanese escort destroyer that knew their s&%^$. I took a pounding - heavy flooding in fore and aft torpedo rooms, a diesel knocked out, etc. I managed to finally slip the escort and get the flooding under control but realized I couldn't steer the boat and I was heading for Japanese held shores. I checked damage control status and noticed my rudder transmitter was damaged. I got it repaired and still couldn't steer. I was thinking it was a bug, but after surfacing and checking the free camera, I found I had actually lost the rudder during the DC attack! I never had that happen when I used to play unmodded SH4 back in the day.

I wish the developers had incorporated a way to operate port and starboard screws independently - I might have been able to limp back home using forward and backing bells to turn the boat.

Welcome back!
 

yep, many of us have been there.
there is probably an unpublished part in the rudder "subsystem" that was destroyed and now you are up-the-creek.
and yes, many of us, especially the ex-USN guys, wish that we could steer with the engines...for several reasons, but, noooo, the designers at Ubi don't think like real navy.:wah::har:

Rudder issue....
 

Gentlemen...some non-USN skippers know the value of twin screws,too :) Am sure if were able to be done, it would have been modded by now, right?
Am 6 months into my introduction to SH4,still playing stock but ready to jump....and am afraid I'm addicted. LOL Fortunately I'm semi-retired :)
FWIW.....10/43-7th Brisbane patrol, trying to sneak into Rabaul harbor to photo recon a couple of CV's THEN attempt at putting one down. Huge renown,right??
Anyway 3 local patrol DD's (with skills!!) caught me in shallow water and worked us over good. Alot of damage,two squeaky shafts, heavy stern flooding.....and come to find lost the rudder. Bad night at Rabaul.

Guess rudder loss can happen in stock SH4,too :(

yes.it.can.

there is a fix, of sorts, if you are intrepidacious, and you know how to use JSGME for mod-sets.

you can create a personal mod folder under the JSGME MODS folder for Zones.cfg. Find the entries for rudders and prop shafts and change the parameter of CanBeDestroyed from Yes to No. keep in mind that any piece of equipment can be damaged and not destroyed but will still take weeks of time to be repaired. you can also change the HitPoints value to something a bit higher than what it is. HitPoints is the parameter of damage for each piece of defined equipment...and crew. yes, each crewman has a HitPoint parm.

whatever you decide, good luck!
:Kaleun_Salute:

Where would i find the hit points and canbedestroyed for guns on enemy ships? I remember I could nail the guns firing at my sub in vanilla SH4, take them out and take my time finishing off ships, but I can't knock out the guns in any of the mods I play like Darkwaters. Also what editor would I use?

enemy ships' damage is handled differently.

they have hitpoints and "boxes" and "Spheres" and i am not sure how they are related at the time that damage is inflicted. the dotZon files have these parameters plus they work in conjunction with the dotDAT file...for each ship.

so, you've probably played different mod-sets where when you torpedo a ship it goes down in approx 45 seconds and then you play a different mod-set where is takes 10-15 minutes and/or multiple hits to sink a merchie. this is because the modder changed the "damage model" which is the .zon/.dat thing.

attempting to damage one particular piece/part of a ship, such as a weapon, is deuce-difficult, if not impossible, because of the "damage model". if the modder did not create a specific damage profile for the weapon, then you cannot destroy it as a weapon. the best you can do is sink the platform (aka the ship) and then the weapon is disabled.

PB is going to weigh-in on this topic and he will go into much more detail, i am sure, but that is the basic explanation.

suffice it to say, once, just once, while shelling a merchie, i discovered that if i hit the platform on which the deck gun was placed, i could knock out the weapon. but that was once, on one ship, which i cannot even remember which ship it was.

UBI didn't want us-gamers using the deck guns to blaze away on the surface.
sink the ship and be done with it.
if you're out of torpedos, stand off 6000-7000 yds and hole her below the waterline.

either way, good luck.

Rabaul Photo recon
 

2nd attempt at getting those photos actually worked. Large slow convoy came pouring around the point.... followed it in below the thermal. Took photos of anchored CV's (one damaged and smoking from airstrikes....) around 6000yds. After convoy slipped by and things calmed down, came off the bottom to decks awash (2am) and closed with undamaged CV.....figuring would take the shot at 2000yds. Came to a grinding halt at 3500yds....torpedo net. Backed off, reversed course and went out to Bismark Sea. Figure to ambush inbound convoys....or wait until Shokaku comes out to play :)

good for you!
glad you worked it out.
:Kaleun_Salute:

Rabaul Photo recon-Part 3
 

I had saved game when I hit the torpedo net. Went back to the save tonite.....accidently went slow ahead and slid up on top of net. That cleared fwd tubes for launching. Set fish for 10ft....concerned they'd hit bottom on launching. 3500yds to Shokaku,90aob,fired 4. 3300yds to smoking Hiryu 45aob, fired 2. Shokaku sunk, Hiryu settling by stern. Backed away (with fwd battery damage, 7%hull, a couple of superficial wounded crew) spun around and got the hell outa there. Never did get credit for Hiryu sinking. Still was a good nite at Rabaul :)
Riding the net.....a good tool for the bag!!

Will note that in entering Rabaul inner sanctum at periscope depth (and free camera....) sure wish there was a way to retract sound heads, as bottom was VERY close. Fortunate that in decks awash,riding the net, didn't slide back to sound heads and tear them off :(

@Masterchief.. Hey it’s only 15 years not 25 :) unless you had an extremely early alpha copy :)