Just got RSRD and TMO installed. Questions
 

So I played it a little bit and I figure I may as well try out this fleet boat thing and I have to hand it to Lurker and the TMO modders, it makes the game look much better, I have questions though (As I am used to GWX and ShIII) what big differences should I be looking for? I hope Im correct in that RSRD adds much more shipping and such?? And could anyone give me the Crush depths of the classes of american subs?? as well as if you pass crush depth you can only sustain it for so long before finally being crushed? or do you just poof die as soon as you hit it??

And what other things should I be looking forward to?? (I only got to pull out of pearl and had to quit.)

and finally, any other mods that I could be adding?? (Stuff like better UI's and such)

Sorry for so many questions guys. Wish me luck! Im gonna try out this PTO thing for once :yeah:

Casey

The changes with TMO are too numerous to list. Try looking in the support files with TMO listing the changes. Many changes aren't something you see, more how reactions take place.

RSRD is a historical traffic mod. It often frustrates new users as convoys and TF don't spawn any place at any time. You'll see less spawned traffic.
However, the convoys and TF generally are much larger, more spread out, ect.

Obvious you can do two things. If you know history, you know where the action is or you can study maps or pay attention to all the info the game gives you, those movie reports where campaigns are soon coming. All the big battles are well scripted, plus hundreds of medium to small ones.

Most find it best to start out of Manila. The action at the beginning of the war will be around the Philppines as the Japs land several large invasion forces, then they move south to Borneo, Java, etc.. Java really heats up late Feb 42, if you know what's going on you can about walk on ships.

All the battles in the Solomons are great.

Between what? TMO by itself is a mod similar to NYGM or GWX in size or scope.

I wouldn't say it adds "much more" shipping. It's a simulation within a simulation. Historical traffic, some of it unique. Meaning, in the case of convoys, if you miss it, you miss it, it doesn't respawn. The convoy movements were researched, and if it didn't travel at a certain place at a certain time, it doesn't exist. At least thats my understanding of it.

The default campaign in TMO does a more traditional approach akin from SH3 with generalized data, and randomly respawning convoys. It has much lower traffic then stock, but more then RSRD, is my guess. (ive never played RSRD, so i couldn't tell you)

I won't tell! Deeper then you think though. Much deeper. I did some research on it. Fleet boats could have gone deeper then even fanboys like myself have thought. They just didn't do it very often. (and most "depth excursions" were involuntary)

If you find your crush depth, you won't be writing home about it. Crush means crush.

A patch to TMO 2.0


No idea, i focus only on TMO. I don't keep up with what other ppl are doing.

Sweet. Give this thread a read if you have the time.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=128185

Yep, Ducimas would never tell me the crush depths either, so you'll have to figure it for yourself, but with a Gato, 600ft can be done, the only issue your sub becomes harder to control, you have to use speed to keep from going down. You don't want to get too deep on a low battery. I've taken a Balao 700ft....maybe a tad more:rock:

The other good news is the charges go just as deep as you.

Just remember, if they happen to score a good hit why your deep, a few damage points can spell disaster if your pushing the crush mark. Simply, say you get 20% damage at 600ft...you may not live through it, where you probably would at 500ft.

I prefer 500ft for Gato onward, control and enough depth you can outrun almost any amount of charges.

RSRD convoy two fold depending. Duc is correct, it basically has a start and ending point, once it despawns, often you won't find that group again. Still, many convoys in RSRD will reach a port and despawn, but later respawn to head to the next destination. In history TF would stop at other ports, then head to the next one or the battle, you'll see this in RSRD a lot.

For instance the battle of Leyte, Kurita's Center Force leaves Singapore around Oct.18 heading towards Brunei Bay, once there it despawns around the 20th, but respawns again around the 22nd and heads for the large battle, then returns back to Brunei and despawns for good.

Other times he may despawns a group in the ocean and spawns it back minus ships. For instance Midway, the JP carrier group will despawn in the ocean and spawn back minus carriers, just a way to sink them per history. It's unlikely you'll catch it as it despawns, but if a group vanishes in the middle of the ocean, often it will respawn again not far away.

I've done taken my Porpoise down to 400ft already. It amazes me though I mean, these subs were "Rated" for 250 ft and the German subs were rated for around 200m (I think it was 180 really but that translates into 600 ft. And Ive taken them deeper too)

As far as RSRD goes, so its going to be less random traffic, and more realistic traffic, in which case I'd need to know where battles are going down and when, and where the Japenese shipping lanes were??

If I want more traffic I just drop RSRD Im guessing??

And as far as manilla, I wanted to start in 1941, I only got Pearl and TF 3/51/ (Forgot the last number) So how do I start in Manilla??

The hull ratings were done differently. The US was much more conservative, using a factor of 1.5 X test depth. Germans used a factor of 2 if i remember correctly. Also the steel of all boats preceeding the Balao was made of a softer mild steel, not hard tensil steel. This mild steel flexed more is my understanding.

The balao (and later Tench) boats were made of hard tensil steel. They were nicknamed "thick skin" boats as a result. (preceeding classes were called "thin skinned").

The deepest known dive, was by the USS chopper (balao class) sometime after the war, with the bow being down over 1000 feet. Its worth noting that these boats were in service well into the cold war. The last US fleet boat was decomissioned in 1973 or 74 if i remember right.

Wow. Thats Incredible. So I got orders to transfer to Subya Java, but its not marked as my home base now?? And Im pretty sure Ive had over a week since I got the orders. What gives?

Generally speaking the Manilla boats are on the run. You leave out of manila, and the base falls to Japan a month later. (Look up Batan in the history books if your interested) So they run to Subya . A month or so later that base falls to Japan as well, and they flee again to Fremantle Australia.

It's the same issue with SH3 basically. You won't see the base on the map until the flotilla is "officially" based there. For You can be enroute there 3 days ahead of time, and the base will officially open on the 4th day. The reverse is also true. Many people get confused on this flotilla because their base changes so often. Once they settle in at fremantle, it's no longer an issue.

Okay, and ive noticed while looking at the systems to repair that their is a thermographic thingy lol Im assuming this measures the thermo layer?? Is there a visual representaion in the control room I can look at to see where the layer is at?? OR do I have to rely on hearing "Passing the Thermal layer" because I dove to like 600ft and then on my way back up heard it so I dont trust my officer to tell me when :P

You can blame the devs for that hackjob quick fix. The passing thermal layer voice announcement is the only indicator you get. Its hardcoded to trigger whenver you pass a layer. Its like the devs through in the equipment item to say, "Ok, see, you have one". You never see it in 3d.

The Silent Hunter series should be titled in a book "How NOT to make a great simulation" :nope:

Is the thermal layer always at the same depth?

No, it varies. I've had the depth change slightly after even a few hours of evasive efforts.

The Type VII was 'rated' for 90 meters only. You can tell the test depth for a u-boat by looking at the line between green/yellow. The line between yellow/red is the 'do not pass under any circumstances' line. The fact that they did go deeper (in some cases much deeper) is beside the point. The US boats did the same. You can expect the crush depth to be roughly twice the listed test depth, which means a Gato is good to at least 600 feet and a Tench to 900. I wouldn't want to find out the hard way, but pretty much any sub can go a lot deeper than the 'rated' depth.