Hunting getting a bit trickier!!!
 

Its October 1943 and I'm finding it harder to locate enemy ships. The current patrol I'm on at the moment, I've sunk only two ships for just over 14,000 tons.

I've also noticed a few times I've gotten reports of enemy Task Forces they've had red stars imposed on the map and a Yamato battleship silhoette. Does this mean there is a battle in this area? Or that the pride of Japan's navy is part of this reported group??

Wow, I've never seen anything like that before. What SH4 version (or mod) are you playing?

Latest version U boat add ons pack with the latest version of TMO. TMO 2.1 as I recall.

I got that like once... I'm also wondering...

I've gotten the "red star" symbol before, it only appers in the Soloman Islands, so I presume its a task force heading down the Slot towards Guadalcanal or one of the other islands in the chain.

tell me about it... April 43, now at Brisbane back from an arduous trip to the Bismarck Sea, hunting down mercs in the Admiralty slot, just north of Bismarck archipelago, I had to refit and hump it all the way, from B to Fremantle. 6000 + kms at ahead 2/3s and a tc of 2048 mostly running into friendly mercs (or...), and getting a sore thumb from spamming the +....


phew :shifty:.. I got 16 torpedoes mostly hitting aft now, and I'm waiting for mid July or June to get the Mk18s... I notice also that the sound bearing called by the operator is usually aft actual position. This difference creates alot of offset when he's over the 10k radius. As a solution, I use the stadi when he's under 7 k (range), but in crisp, clear, 1m/s wind, fog-less weather, I have to be waaaaaay back from his track. at least he reacts as such, so this patrol I learned many things, and this is the beauty of this game. Getting experience from little things like that as I progress and confront more Japs... Lets hope I dont die and survive the war... No, make that, we....

Radar is flogged, but sometimes, when I'm in storm with didley squat visibility, I tune to a bearing and wait till that blip shows... Anyways I'm not mad over this, but I'm mad that the game decided to give me a torp. speeder ability in one of the guys, and this maybe the error on this one patrol to Bismarck sea.

One up-side to this patrol was the weather. And because the fog was light, I was able to hunt a Fubuki DE, last in the pack of a hefty convoy, usually that would be the straggler doing all crazy things, interrupting your tc as you retire the scene......


I think I'll not attack in clear weather anymore, and in half-moon light, I wouldnt pop the scope even if a Y is 1000 meters from my bow.

Unless this is something different created by a MOD, the red star is created with the mission editor by checking "High Priority Contact". So it could be anything the created wanted to make important.

Peabody

Ahh, excellent. I'm also (now) running TMO 2.1 and am currently patrolling the slot. I've been here about a week already and it's getting close to mid November 42. Things should begin to really heat up here soon.:yeah:

My favorite shipping lane for late 43 is Truk to home waters, but I use RSRD. I know Duci added some traffic to TMO, but still a lot of stock, so who knows the best area then.

Mine, since I'm assigned to Aussie, is the Flores Sea, the Coral Sea, as well as, the Bismarck Sea. All are chokepoints. You're more interested in O'kane's patrols I see :salute:

Is RSRD actually a mod like RFB or TMO?? What benefits does it give.....I can't seem to find it here in the forums even after searching.....

RSRD is a campaign mod to be used with stock or supermods. It reworks the traffic layers to almost historical perfection. You'll find less random traffic, but larger convoys, often 20-60 ships. Battles big and small are correct in dates they left port, course, ships used, etc.. Take the Solomons campaign, stock places virtually nothing there, RSRD scripts all the battles there, probably hundreds of seperate groups spawn.

You won't find much traffic in areas where they wasn't any and this bothers some, but once you figure out shipping lanes, you can stay busy or you can study history and maps for TF movements.

Probably one of the most talked about and used mods..I run pages backwards, so find the first post for info.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...23467&page=134

I am amazed nobody here ever saw that star with a BB sillouette inside. I saw it half a dozen times.

It is the target for the "intercept task force" mission, which is not as common as patroling, delivering agents, merchant raiding etc., but still, is there and is bound to show up eventually.

I've played a lot of "u-boat missions" patrols and this mission showed up at least once in every lenghtly career. Never saw it in american campaings, though.

I should say that this mission is self-explained: you get an specific task force which you must hurt as much as you can. Every once in a while (daily, more or less) the position of the TF will be updated.

I never managed to complete such a mission since those TFs are always warping at 25+ knots and it is impossible to plot an interception course.

I play FORTS v1.3 and the only time i see the Yamatto is in the balle of Leyete Gulf i don't know if she appears on her succiadal run (forgot the operational name for the mission) but apart from Leyete never encountered her.

Heh, my pig boat career just came to an end in that area. I was patrolling the slot (SO MANY DESTROYERS) when I came under fire from an attacking fighter. Bulkheads were damaged, and damage control couldn't seem to fix them before I encountered another plane. When I dived I dropped like a rock down to about 1000 feet before the hull gave in. Last I checked I was doing 14 knots straight down, lol

That was mid-late September, I think. The previous patrol I ran into a group of 3 cruisers northwest of Rekata Bay, around August 19 I think. Holy balls those things can really accelerate after you send off your torpedoes... That was the first time I've ever reloaded a save in SH4. :nope: :haha: