About active sonar...

[ppk]

I'm starting a ''what if'' campaign with the XXI in 1939, with the goal to seek out and sink as many capital ships as possible. My boat has a sonar, which I've never really used before so I have a few questions.

1- How accurate are the range estimates? When trying to figure this out by myself I found out that a first ping will give a relatively 'far-off' estimate (in testing, I got 2300m for a merchant I had ranged visually at 1500m). Then sending out multiple pings seem to drive the range down (by as much as 1000m) until it seems to stabilize closer to what I've eye-balled. So how accurate is all of this? Do I have to ping everything 10-20 times before I can consider it good enough?

2- Kinda related to the first one, but how accurate are courses plotted from sonar ranging alone?

3- Merchants seem to be completely oblivious to it, but will it spook DDs / capital ships?

4- What's the difference between ''Estimate range to target'' & ''Precise range to target'' commands you can give the sonarman? There's only a single ping button I can find when I take his seat and they seem to produce similar results.

That's it for sonar-related questions... Two random ones now :
a- Where can I find a fleet carrier on patrol? Is there a scripted event where I'll find one?
b- What's the max safe speed for the XXI's schnorchel?

[ryanglavin]

The max safe speed on any Snorchel was only about 4 Kts, because any faster, it would get ripped off its hinges, pretty much. In game though, you can go any speed with it.

[Jimbuna]

Q3. Nobody can hear your sonar ping or depth sounder....crazy game

[tomfon]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Q3. Nobody can hear your sonar ping or depth sounder....crazy game

Except from the player.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by tomfon

Except from the player.

Yes, I meant in terms of the game engine/units.

[tomfon]

Originally Posted by ppk

a- Where can I find a fleet carrier on patrol? Is there a scripted event where I'll find one?

There is a task force going around the Northern coasts of Britain but the water is too shallow thus making the hunt extremely risky. Also, if you patrol at North Atlantic 1943 onwards it is almost 100% sure you will get a radio message of a task force patrolling somewhere near. The problem is that some of them travel too fast for your Uboat to intercept. Of course, you might have the chance of having the advantage, e.g. being right in front of the task's force course.

[tomfon]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Yes, I meant in terms of the game engine/units.

Right. I'm sorry i didn't clarify what i really want to say ; i agree with you jimbuna. Besides, you know more about the game than i do.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by tomfon

Right. I'm sorry i didn't clarify what i really want to say ; i agree with you jimbuna. Besides, you know more about the game than i do.

No need to apologise, no harm was done....besides , I wouldn't be so sure I know more than you.

Working on the game for so long can often mean you focus on small sections and lose a sense for the bigger picture.

[tomfon]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

No need to apologise, no harm was done....besides , I wouldn't be so sure I know more than you.

Working on the game for so long can often mean you focus on small sections and lose a sense for the bigger picture.

I'll have to disagree with you (a bit) 'cause as you said, you have worked on the game plus you play/have played it while i and a lot of us here gain experience by simply playing the game.

Tell me if i'm wrong.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by tomfon

I'll have to disagree with you (a bit) 'cause as you said, you have worked on the game plus you play/have played it while i and a lot of us here gain experience by simply playing the game.

Tell me if i'm wrong.

I think your above statement is open to individual opinion....but believe me, I still learn a lot from these SH3 forums.....often it is a reminder of something I have forgotten.

How we learn, whether it be from modding or playing is really irrelevant....what is important is the fact we all learn from one another.

NONE OF US IS AS CLEVER AS ALL OF US

SINK EM ALL!!

[tomfon]

Okay, i got the message.

[ppk]

Originally Posted by tomfon

There is a task force going around the Northern coasts of Britain but the water is too shallow thus making the hunt extremely risky. Also, if you patrol at North Atlantic 1943 onwards it is almost 100% sure you will get a radio message of a task force patrolling somewhere near. The problem is that some of them travel too fast for your Uboat to intercept. Of course, you might have the chance of having the advantage, e.g. being right in front of the task's force course.

Do you mean the one that circles the British Isles clockwise, through the Sea of the Hebrides & the Minch? If so, I've tried many times to catch this task force before. All I ever found were torpedo boats...

[tomfon]

Originally Posted by ppk

Do you mean the one that circles the British Isles clockwise, through the Sea of the Hebrides & the Minch? If so, I've tried many times to catch this task force before. All I ever found were torpedo boats...

Yes, this is the one i'm talking about but i didn't know it is comprised by torpedo boats!!

P.S. My apologies for hijacking your thread before.^^^

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by ppk

Do you mean the one that circles the British Isles clockwise, through the Sea of the Hebrides & the Minch? If so, I've tried many times to catch this task force before. All I ever found were torpedo boats...

During the first 6 months of hostilities there are numerous Task Forces leving and entering both Scapa Flow and Loch Ewe....these task forces usualy include the Hood (or another BB class) and often a carrier as well.

I could furnish you with times and dates but that would be a game killer.

You can check them out by interrogating the Campaign_SCR in the mission editor or alternatively you could d/l the SpySat mod and view them 'live'.

[ppk]

I patrolled the area for a long time in my last patrol. Couldn't resist the temptation to sink the Royal Oak before Prien got there (it was early October). After that I patrolled the approaches to Scapa for a while, with no luck. Moved to Loch Ewe, no luck there either. In the end I did sink my share of destroyers (16 ) and the Tommies most certainly got pissed by the invisible killer sinking all of their patrols but I came home without my carrier.

Better luck next time I guess. I have a whole war ahead of me. I was wondering, is the battle between Scharnhorst/Gneisenau and HMS Glorious in GWX? If it is I'd like to watch it (and steal the kill!). And if you guys don't mind getting back to the initial topic, I'm still looking for answers to 1, 2 and 4.