Periscope partially submerged at periscope depth
 

Hello. New guy here. Proud to say I did serve in the US Navy from 1991-1995 but not aboard a sub. Just bought SH4 gold edition with U-boat add ons. I assume this is the one with the patch? So I should be good to go? I am sure as I get into the game I will flood the forums with questions. The fist obvious thing I have found that at periscope depth the periscope is partially submerged. Is this a flaw I assume?

Welcome! :woot:

Help us help you and clarify what you mean by "partially submerged":

Is it intermittently submerged? The game does take into account wave action!

Is it constantly submerged? That is, have you made sure to press 'p' for periscope depth?

What class submarine are you using? What are the weather conditions?

:salute:Again, welcome aboard! It's a big ocean!

If you are at PD with periscope fully extended, the most probable reason is sea conditions.
are you seeing waves? if so, just reduce your depth by some feet and you should be fine;

It almost always happened to me while using the German TypeII

yup, when it's wavy it gets realy aggrevating. just click your depth dial alittle bit shallower than the line for periscope depth. do it in small increments until its rectified.

be warned, your tower (and even your deck in extreme waves) may break the surface in the trough of the waves by doing this. so best not get too close at daytime, or risk being spotted.

This always makes me nervous I'm in a Sargo class right now, periscope depth is 53' and if the seas are rough I find myself closer to 49 or 50,

Thanks guys. Never took the rough seas into account. I am sure I will have more stupid questions before it is all over with!

There is a red tick on the depth gauge which indicates periscope depth. Order a depth slightly higher than that tick and the scope will spend less time obscured.

Thanks again! One more quick question - My game did not come with the manual. Is it on the disk? If not where can I get it from?

Manual...:har::har::har::har::har::har::har:


Really the manual is worthless, you'll find better info here using the search function or just asking.

Go to someones house that owns SH4 and look in the trashcan. :har:

It should be on your disk, and you can read through it, just be aware that not everything is the way the manual says. But you may get some info that is helpful.

Peabody

:cool: Just wait and buy SH5. It will probably have the same manual.

FYI, the observation scope does not extend as far out of the water as the attack periscope.

Ohhhhh.. my... the truth hurts :rotfl2:

If you got the game through steam you can access the manual through steam. Though as said before its not really worth the effort.

Observation scope vs Attack scope
 

The Observation scope does not extend as high as the Attack scope and if you are at periscope depth (i.e. the red indicator on the depth meter) it refers to the attack scope. Even in a mild sea the observation scope can be "partially submerged" so you have to bring the boat up a bit more if you plan on using the obs scope.
Having said that, does anyone know if this reflects reality or is it a slight error in the game? What advantage did the observation scope have over the attack scope (I think I read here that it was "tiltable" allowing the skipper to look up for aircraft etc? Yes/No??)
Personally I only use the observation scope at night and under calm conditions for a quick look around but normally I stick to the attack scope.:salute:

"The Observation scope does not extend as high as the Attack scope"

Really? .... :o ... I don't think that's true. At least, I've never noticed a difference. I'll have to do a test now! :yawn: