How long do I patrol off honshu to complete goal?
 

Ive paddled around the icon with the mission for over a day now and nothing happens. The air plane attacks are driving me crazy. How do I complete goal?

I guess you've got the stock game (1.00) and the mission icon shows a binocular? Then you can't complete the mission (based on my experience). As soon as you patch the game the icon shows a flag and you can complete the mission.
I would suggest to try it and let us know if that really works (it did with my game).

I patched to 1.1 and still have the binoculars. Been there forever, mixed it up with a convoy, and still not complete.

I'm at work now, so I can't remeber the exact file structure, but there are .MIS files for each of these new mission types in SH4. They are stored in folders called 'PatrolHonshu01'or 'PatrolCelebes04' or something like that, under another couple of folders I can't remeber the names of.

Anyway, these .MIS files reveal the length of time required to complete the patrol. Unfortunately they give a numeric value, with no measrement. The default I believe is 2880. I couldn't tell you if it's hours, minutes, seconds, epochs or whatever. but if it's minutes, that's 48 hours. And it could vary from one patrol to the next, I haven't looked at them all.

The bottom line is that you will eventually complete the objective. I would suggest running submerged during the day, and surfaced at night.

Yup. Got a binoc, no flag.

Grr.

At least 14 days on patrol , I did that one in my 1st mission from PH to Japan. Left PH 10th Dec 41 got on station (star binoculars) about the 27th Dec, the star didn't change colour until about the 11th Jan 42 to indicate that the mission was complete.

Curious! Here's what I did: I de-installed SH4 and got rid of any files related to it. Then I installed it again and chose the english language option because the game was horrible in German. Then I installed the patch and ervythings was just fine, my SD radar does not even pick up ships anymore.:D

I've had it take ~14 days before it changes to complete.

I just did this one last night. Prior to patching I did my first patrol in career and was sent to tokyo harbor for a photo recon....then I patched and decided to start all over again so my 1st patched patrol had me patrolling and sinking merchant shipping in honshu area. Prior to getting there I sank a large freighter and a small freighter in seperate attacks...then I ran into a convoy and sank 5 ships using up all of my torpedos. I decided because it wasn't to far away to take a run to the spot in the map where the binocs were so I could complete the objective and get the renown bonus...I was about 2 squares away when it said getting there was complete and assigned me a new objective of sinking merchant shipping there. Kind of hard to do without torpedos and I didn't expect to see in sampans for deck gun that far out so I just went back to pearl and called it a patrol.

I have the flag. Strange.

Could the patch have different affects to European and American versions of the game?:hmm:

Hm. I think I will restart my career and see if it changes stuff.

I was ordered to patrol the SE Celebes Sea in my current career. I made it close to the star icon on the Nav map, it turned gray, and I recieved a popup saying the first part of my orders were complete. It shows as such on my clipboard. The only thing that's yet to be completed is the goal of "Engage and destroy merchant shipping" but that makes sense, as I haven't seen anything yet!

Not sure what triggers the "completed mission" tag, but I did it somehow. :doh:

I did 2 missions in 1.0 , star+binoculars (14days to change colour) star+flag, get on station (arrive on flag) new orders. Each star with symbol will I take give different orders and certain objectives to change colour.

I got 2 missions in after another to get to Tokyo harbor and do a photo recon, but i can't take anny pic. The colur of the binoculars on thr map is the same, not gray :cry: Becouse of the air attack and all stuff I decided 2. time to go else where to hunt some targets then tkae pic. I use 1.1 patch.

Edit:

My avatar says I am nub, I don't like that :(