Yes, 1.4b is strongly recommended. Plenty of bugfixes, plus it's a requirement for most every supermod (which ups the fun potential of the game immeasurably!) out there.
And the torpedo question. Yes, you NEED to open the tubes for your torpedo solution to be correct. It takes a good 4 or 5 seconds for that door to open and your torpedo to fire, and by that time, your aim has been all screwed up, since it assumes an open tube. Press the "Q" button to open the selected torpedo tube.
Just think of it as you yelling at your weapons officer to "Flood tube 1 through 4!" (or whatever tube you're shooting from
) Great sound, great feeling, and even greater feeling when you hit a nice juicy cargo ship!