Range/Speed calculator.

ridgewayranger · 09-07-07, 11:27 AM

Hi Everyone,
Got me SH4 recently and started to get to grips with it, but keep running out of fuel! Is there any way of knowing range against speed as in SH 3. I could use Unlimited fuel but that defeats the object of the game. The vast Pacific sure takes a lot of fuel. If I slow down enough to conserve it I'll probably run out of provisions.
RR

Incubus · 09-07-07, 01:58 PM

You don't have limited provisions. If you are operating out of Pearl, and have a Tambor or larger, generally go at ahead 1/3 to conserve fuel. Don't forget you can stop at other sub bases (blue anchor) or friendly ports (marked with a striped anchor) to top off your tanks. By using these 'pit stops' it greatly increases your range.

seaniam81 · 09-07-07, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Incubus

If you are operating out of Pearl, and have a Tambor or larger, generally go at ahead 1/3 to conserve fuel.

Dont go 1/3 it's a waist of fuel. You'll need to experiment to find your best speed for range. Start at 8kts, click the button to find out what the current range at that speed is. Go up to 9Kts again click the button to find out what the current range at that speed is. and then once more speed up to 10kts, and click the little button. There you go you'll now know at what speed your best range is at. Me in my sargo it's 9kts.

If your a pearlie make a stop at midway going to and from your patrol. After all thats what it was there for.

silentscorp1971 · 09-07-07, 04:33 PM

Each boat has a different fuel economy. As stated above you need to find the most economical speed for your boat. Generally speaking the S-class (no rear torpedos) is more fuel efficient at standard speed. The other classes I have found are generally best at 2/3 speed. You will see a HUGE difference once you find your sweet spot. A Porpoise boat at 2/3 will have approximately 12k-14k range on a full tank but only 5k-6k on full or 9k-10k on 1/3! 12k-14k is about 6 trips from PH to Japan!! If you get lucky early and loose all your fish don't be afraid to do like Dick O'Kane did on the Tang and travel flank speed all the way back to Pearl. Your not paying for the gas.

Fuel efficiency is not your only concern either. Battery efficiency must be considered too. With battery operation on all subs 1/3 is the most efficient. You can travel all day submerged at 1/3 and still have some juice left.

Anytime you get a new boat you need to run your crew through some trials to learn it, especially if your using Trigger Maru or other realism mods that add randomness to certain aspects. When I leave port the first time with a new boat I always to the following.

(1) Crash dive test. Start the stopwatch (x) and crash dive (c). I note the time on the watch once the sub is fully submerged. This gives me a good estimate of how fast my crew can get her under in an emergency. I do this with a normal crew and also under battlestations noting both times.

(2) Now that I am underwater I will slow to 2/3 speed set the dive depth to 450' (max on gauge). [click the hash marks under the gauge on the bottom bar to open the extended depth guage]. I will then switch to interior camera (F2) and click the hatch above my head to enter the conning tower. (S-class boats don't have a conning tower). With my finger hovering of the surface command key (s) I will allow the boat to decend until it begins to show signs of cushing (water spraying from fixtures and lights flickering). I will then immediately press the surface command and raise out of danger noting the max depth my boat can decend without being destroyed. Anytime on a patrol you think you have taken hull damage from a shell hit, circular torpedo, ramming encounter, collision with ocean floor/reef/mine/torpedo net, or depth charge you need to redo this dive test to learn your new max depth!

(3) Surface and determine your economical travel speed. Starting with 1/3 speed TC to 32 (time compress) till your max speed is reached and click the "range at current speed" button. Repeat this process for 2/3 and standard (anything higher will never be most efficient). You should now know your most economical speed. You can tweak this manually by selecting the exact knot speed using the hash marks under the speed dial to open up a knot by knot speed control.
If your using LBO* or Trigger Maru (which included LBO) and the sea is choppy you will find you won't max your speed on a given setting as easily and might have to wait till calmer seas to do your economy test.

*Living Breathing Ocean mod

(4) [Optional] I then test fire my deck gun and AA guns. Not necissary, but its what real crews did before a patrol.

Note: Not sure if vanilla 1.3 SH4 has a "range at speed" button. But I know the Trigger Maru mods add one. Also SH4 doesn't have provisions so thats not an issue. American subs carried enough food to last a really long time. I have never read of a U.S. sub running short of provisions. They usually even carried plenty of "depth charge medicine" (small bottles of diiferent alcoholic beverages) to give out after serious depth charges or for celebrations. (unofficially of course). U.S submarines had the best menus and foodstuffs of any ship. (except ice cream until O'Kane had a maker installed on the Tang). Then again Halsey had entire cement hull ships converted to floating ice cream factories to accompany his fleet.

seaniam81 · 09-07-07, 04:58 PM

Silentscorp has some great ideas there. I also do these. but with a few changes.

1. I goto battlestations and crash dive at the same thing also timing it. just hit (b)then (c) right after each other. the boat should go down faster.

2. I also do that but a good rule of thumb is test depth plus 50% and that should be your crush depth. And I do an emergency blow to get up a little faster. Better safe than sorry.

4. thats what junks/sampans are for

silentscorp1971 · 09-07-07, 08:01 PM

Your right about battlestations. I got distracted my the wife while writing that part and didn't go back to it. I do a crash dive measurement with and without crew at battlestations and notate both times. I will edit my post above too.

I use Trigger Maru 1.6.7 and Ducamus's explaination of how crush depth damage is computed allows me to feel safe using surface instead of emergency surface. I feel that using emergency surface might make the crew believe that what I was doing was somehow dangerous and detremental to their safety, thereby causing a drop in morale and loss of confidence in their Captain. :rotfl: :rotfl:

09-07-07, 11:27 AM	#1
ridgewayranger Frogman Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Ipswich, England Posts: 302 Downloads: 281 Uploads: 0	Range/Speed calculator. Hi Everyone, Got me SH4 recently and started to get to grips with it, but keep running out of fuel! Is there any way of knowing range against speed as in SH 3. I could use Unlimited fuel but that defeats the object of the game. The vast Pacific sure takes a lot of fuel. If I slow down enough to conserve it I'll probably run out of provisions. RR Last edited by ridgewayranger; 09-07-07 at 11:29 AM. Reason: Email notification needed.

09-07-07, 04:33 PM	#4
silentscorp1971 Sailor man Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 45 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	Each boat has a different fuel economy. As stated above you need to find the most economical speed for your boat. Generally speaking the S-class (no rear torpedos) is more fuel efficient at standard speed. The other classes I have found are generally best at 2/3 speed. You will see a HUGE difference once you find your sweet spot. A Porpoise boat at 2/3 will have approximately 12k-14k range on a full tank but only 5k-6k on full or 9k-10k on 1/3! 12k-14k is about 6 trips from PH to Japan!! If you get lucky early and loose all your fish don't be afraid to do like Dick O'Kane did on the Tang and travel flank speed all the way back to Pearl. Your not paying for the gas. Fuel efficiency is not your only concern either. Battery efficiency must be considered too. With battery operation on all subs 1/3 is the most efficient. You can travel all day submerged at 1/3 and still have some juice left. Anytime you get a new boat you need to run your crew through some trials to learn it, especially if your using Trigger Maru or other realism mods that add randomness to certain aspects. When I leave port the first time with a new boat I always to the following. (1) Crash dive test. Start the stopwatch (x) and crash dive (c). I note the time on the watch once the sub is fully submerged. This gives me a good estimate of how fast my crew can get her under in an emergency. I do this with a normal crew and also under battlestations noting both times. (2) Now that I am underwater I will slow to 2/3 speed set the dive depth to 450' (max on gauge). [click the hash marks under the gauge on the bottom bar to open the extended depth guage]. I will then switch to interior camera (F2) and click the hatch above my head to enter the conning tower. (S-class boats don't have a conning tower). With my finger hovering of the surface command key (s) I will allow the boat to decend until it begins to show signs of cushing (water spraying from fixtures and lights flickering). I will then immediately press the surface command and raise out of danger noting the max depth my boat can decend without being destroyed. Anytime on a patrol you think you have taken hull damage from a shell hit, circular torpedo, ramming encounter, collision with ocean floor/reef/mine/torpedo net, or depth charge you need to redo this dive test to learn your new max depth! (3) Surface and determine your economical travel speed. Starting with 1/3 speed TC to 32 (time compress) till your max speed is reached and click the "range at current speed" button. Repeat this process for 2/3 and standard (anything higher will never be most efficient). You should now know your most economical speed. You can tweak this manually by selecting the exact knot speed using the hash marks under the speed dial to open up a knot by knot speed control. If your using LBO* or Trigger Maru (which included LBO) and the sea is choppy you will find you won't max your speed on a given setting as easily and might have to wait till calmer seas to do your economy test. Living Breathing Ocean mod (4) [Optional] I then test fire my deck gun and AA guns. Not necissary, but its what real crews did before a patrol. Note: Not sure if vanilla 1.3 SH4 has a "range at speed" button. But I know the Trigger Maru mods add one. Also SH4 doesn't have provisions so thats not an issue. American subs carried enough food to last a really long time. I have never read of a U.S. sub running short of provisions. They usually even carried plenty of "depth charge medicine" (small bottles of diiferent alcoholic beverages) to give out after serious depth charges or for celebrations. (unofficially of course). U.S submarines had the best menus and foodstuffs of any ship. (except ice cream until O'Kane had a maker installed on the Tang). Then again Halsey had entire cement hull ships converted to floating ice cream factories to accompany his fleet. Last edited by silentscorp1971; 09-07-07 at 08:03 PM.*

09-07-07, 04:58 PM	#5
seaniam81 Commodore Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 624 Downloads: 87 Uploads: 0	Silentscorp has some great ideas there. I also do these. but with a few changes. 1. I goto battlestations and crash dive at the same thing also timing it. just hit (b)then (c) right after each other. the boat should go down faster. 2. I also do that but a good rule of thumb is test depth plus 50% and that should be your crush depth. And I do an emergency blow to get up a little faster. Better safe than sorry. 4. thats what junks/sampans are for __________________ Ultima ratio regum. (The final argument of kings) - Inscription on french cannons, on order of Louis XIV

09-07-07, 01:58 PM	#2
Incubus Planesman Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 195 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	You don't have limited provisions. If you are operating out of Pearl, and have a Tambor or larger, generally go at ahead 1/3 to conserve fuel. Don't forget you can stop at other sub bases (blue anchor) or friendly ports (marked with a striped anchor) to top off your tanks. By using these 'pit stops' it greatly increases your range.

09-07-07, 08:01 PM	#6
silentscorp1971 Sailor man Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 45 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	Your right about battlestations. I got distracted my the wife while writing that part and didn't go back to it. I do a crash dive measurement with and without crew at battlestations and notate both times. I will edit my post above too. I use Trigger Maru 1.6.7 and Ducamus's explaination of how crush depth damage is computed allows me to feel safe using surface instead of emergency surface. I feel that using emergency surface might make the crew believe that what I was doing was somehow dangerous and detremental to their safety, thereby causing a drop in morale and loss of confidence in their Captain. :rotfl: :rotfl: