Although in some instances the infared field glasses of the IJN let them do some superhuman feats of detection at night, there were plenty of instances of subs successfully carrying out night surface attacks. In SH4 that is almost impossible. That needs fixing.
I understand the GWX guys fixed it in SH3, but their experience may not translate very well into SH4. It seems like if it did, we'd already have the fix.
And we have to be careful that the fix is not a bigger problem than what it fixes. Case in point: maybe the sonar is too good with a surfaced sub. I can prove that sonar worked on the surface and that operators took screw counts with it while surfaced. I can prove that they continued to man the sonar when the boat was surfaced, showing that they expected to be able to develop contacts in that configuration.
Lets assume the surface sonar is way too good. Do we eliminate it? Seems like a good idea then, doesn't it? BUT an indispensible tool during a surface attack on merchies was the ability to ping the target to obtain accurate range. Oops, we've screwed the pooch, solving one problem by causing a worse one.
Now lets look at the advantage the overly good surface sonar gives you. You have the target clearly painted by radar on your map in both bearing and range. Now your too good sonar gives you the bearing to that target. Big whoopee doo! You already had that! Show me the unfair advantage and I'll eat this disgusting ice cream cone here.
So in the cause of "historical accuracy" do you remove a sensor that gives you no new information and lose the ability to ping and send the range data to the TDC in a night surface attack?
Some actual thought must be taken here. Would we have to unrealistically blind the IJN to make surface attacks possible? Could we throw the baby out with the bath water?
I'm having fun the way things are, right or wrong. If they can fix it I'll jump right in and do surface attacks. If not, I'll just continue having a great time.
Edit: also see Tater's comments about unrealistically good Japanese ASW resulting in much more realistic player behavior and the conflict created by that. Is the game more realistic when the Japanese act realistically and we do unrealistic and foolhardy things never contemplated by sane skippers in the real war, or versa vica, when the Japanese are too good and we act with caution and dread as the real sub jockeys did? Hmmmmmmmmm?
I know! Let's fight about deck gun rate of fire!!!! Pile on!!!!
