Torpedo wakes getting spotted
 

Lately I've had some trouble sinking ships in a convoy where I am about 800-900 meters away. I fired with torpedoes set on high speed, but the ship must have spotted the tracks(odd because it was at night and they clearly had no idea I was there) and began evasive action. Then I had a hunch and I reloaded the game, firing one torpedo on slow setting. This did the trick. I am wondering do the slow torpedos make a less noticeable wake or something? Also, does setting the depth lower help? I set these at about a few feet above their draft.

Are you using any mods?

I seem to remember reading that a lot of Japanese cargo ships were equipped with hydrophones. They may be hearing your torpedoes rather than seeing them. I assume slower torpedoes make less noise.

No mods.

No mods.... means ships have incredible brakes or fasinating rocket propellant acceleration boosters.
Try..
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...do=file&id=942
or
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=1091

Sould help you
:)

I wondered if they are seeing your periscope - night/day attack? - instead of the torpedos wake...

Either way I use Webster's Ship Maneuvering Fix for v1.4 and v1.5
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...do=file&id=942

And as vanjast suggested - it will definitely help with the jackrabbit starts and 20 yard stopping power.

Good luck and happy hunting!

It can't be the scope. It was at night, and I kept it low in the water. A destroyer escort passed in front of me, totally clueless. So did the first merchant. They only notice when I fire.

It's my imagination or SH4 behaves differently on each computer? In my career freighters never spot the wakes during daylight:06:

those escorts are your answer, even though they didnt see you or detect you they can "hear" torps especially on high speed and they alert the other ships. thats why the slow torps did the trick, they werent heard.

in this game you alert one you alert all.

as far as visual torpedo wakes go they are eye candy only and they game never "sees" them at all

Incorrect

This might be a good time to ask, what is the approximate range of an escort's hydrophones? I purposely let him pass, and he may have spotted the torpedo but he couldn't seem to figure out where I was.

i have never seen ANY evidence the game reacts to bubble trails "only"

it will react to the torpedo "sound" only in every test i have ever done

if you are trying to say this isnt the case then please explain it to us

Gentlemen, I think the more pressin concern is the range of hydrophones on escorts. Can they pick something up at the same range I can?

So maybe they can see the torpedo's wake... ?

From the patch 1.4 readme:

Do we know how this was incorporated into the game?

Does this mean sound detection or visual detection?

I remember reading (looking for the citation) that unless the ocean was very calm it was rather difficult, from the low viewpoint of a ship, to see the bubble trail.

From the air it was pretty easy.

Anyone else remember reading that?

In any case, the patch quote does not answer the question on visual sighting of torpedoes.