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mattlach · 12-16-20, 01:53 PM

Hey all,

I'm just getting back into sub sims after an almost 30 year hiatus. (Last one was Silent Service II :p)

I like the pacific campaign, so I decided to go with SH4.

I've been starting out with the training missions (Sub School)

The first three sessions seemed pretty OK. I am stating to get a handle on how to navigate and operate the sub, though I still have a lot to learn.

The problems arise on the final convoy attack training mission.

Essentially, a slow convoy consisting of three modern large tankers, three other freighters, protected by three Akizuke class destroyers approaches slowly.

I try to position myself to be able to not be detected by the destroyers and pick off the merchant vessels. Most of the time I fail (but hey, I am still learning) but when I do, I go for the large modern tankers as they seem like the biggest prize.

The parts that seem odd to me are as follows:

1.) I have absolutely POUNDED those tankers with torpedoes. I've succeeded setting them ablaze, introducing a heavy list, but no matter what I do the damned things just wont sink. These are soft targets, shouldn't they go down rather easy? 5 torpedo hits later the damn thing still isn't going down. Is this right?

2.) Destroyer escorts are now approaching at speed. I decide to engage the first one with my remaining aft torpedo. Hit. It goes down in one shot.

3.) I spend some time trying to evade the other two, diving deep, waiting for my torpedo tubes to reload (damn this takes long) poking up every now and then to look around. At one point I accidentally surfaced right next to the two destroyers with no torpedoes loaded. I figured, might as well go out in a blaze of glory, so I manned the deck gun and pummeled the two destroyers at relatively close range. They of course fired back, but scored surprisingly few hits. Completely and overwhelmingly outgunned (their combined 16 4" guns, vs my single 3" deck gun) and out armored to my absolute shock, continuing to hit them with the deck gun I sank them both. I thought the number one rule was "never engage a healthy warship with the deck gun, you'll lose". I am baffled as to why the destroyers were so easy to sink with the deck gun. I should have been totally outclassed, but instead escaped with only minor damage.

4.) Anyway, at this point the merchant vessels are getting away. Unprotected they should be easy to pick off now right? Well, that wasn't my experience. I make chase while surfaced (as submerged they are faster) and as I am catching up, I keep getting notifications of repair to my sub. Even the tanker that absorbed 5 of my torpedoes, still listing heavily and on fire, is making its way away from me at the same speed as the rest of the convoy.

5.) As I get close, I am getting a hail of gunfire unlike what the destroyers unleashed. I know many merchant vessels were armed, and I expected that, but my expectation was that compared to Destroyer gunfire, they should be easy. I got absolutely pummeled by them. Was never able to catch up with the large modern tanker I had done a lot of damage to. They sunk me.

None of this makes nay sense to me. Is that training mission just messed up?

- Should the tanker really have been able to withstand 5 torpedoes? (none of them were duds)
- Should I really have been able to destroy two destroyers up close and personal with nothing but my teeny little 3" deck gun?
- Should the merchant vessels have been able to pummel me like a goddamn battleship?

I have to say, the balance of this training mission seems all off, and if this is what the rest of the game is like, it doesn't seem promising.

Any thoughts? Should I just not be putting too much emphasis on a seemingly throwaway training mission?

12-16-20, 01:53 PM	#1
mattlach Watch Join Date: Dec 2020 Posts: 15 Downloads: 4 Uploads: 0	New to Game. Is this right? Hey all, I'm just getting back into sub sims after an almost 30 year hiatus. (Last one was Silent Service II :p) I like the pacific campaign, so I decided to go with SH4. I've been starting out with the training missions (Sub School) The first three sessions seemed pretty OK. I am stating to get a handle on how to navigate and operate the sub, though I still have a lot to learn. The problems arise on the final convoy attack training mission. Essentially, a slow convoy consisting of three modern large tankers, three other freighters, protected by three Akizuke class destroyers approaches slowly. I try to position myself to be able to not be detected by the destroyers and pick off the merchant vessels. Most of the time I fail (but hey, I am still learning) but when I do, I go for the large modern tankers as they seem like the biggest prize. The parts that seem odd to me are as follows: 1.) I have absolutely POUNDED those tankers with torpedoes. I've succeeded setting them ablaze, introducing a heavy list, but no matter what I do the damned things just wont sink. These are soft targets, shouldn't they go down rather easy? 5 torpedo hits later the damn thing still isn't going down. Is this right? 2.) Destroyer escorts are now approaching at speed. I decide to engage the first one with my remaining aft torpedo. Hit. It goes down in one shot. 3.) I spend some time trying to evade the other two, diving deep, waiting for my torpedo tubes to reload (damn this takes long) poking up every now and then to look around. At one point I accidentally surfaced right next to the two destroyers with no torpedoes loaded. I figured, might as well go out in a blaze of glory, so I manned the deck gun and pummeled the two destroyers at relatively close range. They of course fired back, but scored surprisingly few hits. Completely and overwhelmingly outgunned (their combined 16 4" guns, vs my single 3" deck gun) and out armored to my absolute shock, continuing to hit them with the deck gun I sank them both. I thought the number one rule was "never engage a healthy warship with the deck gun, you'll lose". I am baffled as to why the destroyers were so easy to sink with the deck gun. I should have been totally outclassed, but instead escaped with only minor damage. 4.) Anyway, at this point the merchant vessels are getting away. Unprotected they should be easy to pick off now right? Well, that wasn't my experience. I make chase while surfaced (as submerged they are faster) and as I am catching up, I keep getting notifications of repair to my sub. Even the tanker that absorbed 5 of my torpedoes, still listing heavily and on fire, is making its way away from me at the same speed as the rest of the convoy. 5.) As I get close, I am getting a hail of gunfire unlike what the destroyers unleashed. I know many merchant vessels were armed, and I expected that, but my expectation was that compared to Destroyer gunfire, they should be easy. I got absolutely pummeled by them. Was never able to catch up with the large modern tanker I had done a lot of damage to. They sunk me. None of this makes nay sense to me. Is that training mission just messed up? - Should the tanker really have been able to withstand 5 torpedoes? (none of them were duds) - Should I really have been able to destroy two destroyers up close and personal with nothing but my teeny little 3" deck gun? - Should the merchant vessels have been able to pummel me like a goddamn battleship? I have to say, the balance of this training mission seems all off, and if this is what the rest of the game is like, it doesn't seem promising. Any thoughts? Should I just not be putting too much emphasis on a seemingly throwaway training mission?