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Graf Paper · 02-07-12, 01:04 PM

A 50% reduction seems fine. It would fit fairly well in the 8 km and 16 km environments. I am unsure if it's as good for the 20 km environment, but 10 km isn't too much of a stretch for visual contact, given the range of distances quoted by everyone.

I know the SH3 developers settled on 8 km as the environment size after several WWII historical sources cited 5 miles as the maximum visual range one has while standing on the bridge of a u-boat. Given the surviving diaries, log books, and statements of actual sailors of the U-bootwaffe, it does make me wonder how this absolute number of 5 miles was ascertained. Was it done with mathematics or some other source? From what I have read of the books that often quote this number, there seems to be little clarification. The authors make no mention if this 5 mile limit is with or without optical aids. There is no specificity to define exactly when a ship is considered to be "spotted", either. Is it when the masthead, all or part of the superstructure, or the hull is in plain view?

When weighing this matter, I must lean strongly in favor of the testimony of men who were actually there. No scholar working amid stacks of books, rather than the stacked rollers of an Atlantic storm, can ever claim to have definitive knowledge. This leads me to conclude that the SH3 developers and historians got it wrong while the fans and modders of this community have always been right.

02-07-12, 01:04 PM	#10
Graf Paper Ace of the Deep Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Pacific Northwest United States Posts: 1,146 Downloads: 41 Uploads: 2	A 50% reduction seems fine. It would fit fairly well in the 8 km and 16 km environments. I am unsure if it's as good for the 20 km environment, but 10 km isn't too much of a stretch for visual contact, given the range of distances quoted by everyone. I know the SH3 developers settled on 8 km as the environment size after several WWII historical sources cited 5 miles as the maximum visual range one has while standing on the bridge of a u-boat. Given the surviving diaries, log books, and statements of actual sailors of the U-bootwaffe, it does make me wonder how this absolute number of 5 miles was ascertained. Was it done with mathematics or some other source? From what I have read of the books that often quote this number, there seems to be little clarification. The authors make no mention if this 5 mile limit is with or without optical aids. There is no specificity to define exactly when a ship is considered to be "spotted", either. Is it when the masthead, all or part of the superstructure, or the hull is in plain view? When weighing this matter, I must lean strongly in favor of the testimony of men who were actually there. No scholar working amid stacks of books, rather than the stacked rollers of an Atlantic storm, can ever claim to have definitive knowledge. This leads me to conclude that the SH3 developers and historians got it wrong while the fans and modders of this community have always been right. __________________ Still sailing the high seas, hunting convoys with those who join me.