80,000 tons and an equally heavy story

[capnandrew]

Hello all,

I played silent hunter 4 and just recently updated my video card so I could try out SH 5 and I love some things about it, but hate others. I've only been playing SH 5 for about 3 days.

Just sunk my first European Liner in the first campaign, SW Approaches mission, so I'll start with the story.

After about a 9 days at sea, I was getting ready to return to base and refit so I could come back out and try to do a bit better with my torpedo aiming. I had just one Type 1 Gs7 (I think?) torpedo in the aft tube, and 91 AP shells for the deck gun. I really hated the idea of having to sail back to Kiel already, because 91 shells could do a lot against small merchants. I had sunk 4 ships for ~28,000t and had a long way to go to get to that 100,000 for the mission.

So I get this radio contact added to my map, sailing East towards the English Channel, and I figure I'll check it out since it's on my way back to base, and 90km away from my current position, moving at 5 knots. I plot a course for interception and make full speed. As I get closer, I submerge a few times to check my sonar (I got the 360 degree hydrophone). So I listen >>>> This thing is moving SLOW! It sounds a bit different than other merchants (which the audio seems incorrect from SH4, merchants are supposed to be low-pitched, mostly, while warships are usually high-pitched, tin cans, ah well)

I come out a bit ahead of the target, so I change course back so that I'm coming to the target about dead-on, estimated. It's dark, I think about 22:00, Sept. 30. I'm surface, and I get a report of a visual contact (reported as a "task force"?), medium range. Some task force! It's a single Eurpoean liner with a port angle-on-bow at about 135. I do a 360 scan with my binocs because it's just too good to be true that this thing is sailing around all alone! But, all clear.

At this point, I'm thinking, "Dang!, I wish I had more torpedoes." I make a decision to turn hard to port and line up for for the aft-shot. I take a moment to kiss my only remaining torpedo for good luck. I start to do my calculations (which I'm just now getting used to the changes from SH4), and I suspect that the stadimeter has issues. The readings all show the ship being much closer than it appears. I'm measuring from the top of the masts (like it's supposed to be done), from the smokestack, but the range I'm getting just doesn't seem right. Soon, the target is too close to even get an accurate measurement with the UZO's massive zoom lens (352 meters is the minimum, I guess). I hit escape to take a non-magnified view, yep, that thing still looks farther away for some reason. I don't trust the calculations. Oh well, I'll save my game here and get a speed estimate: 3 knots.

I flood my aft-tube, set my only torpedo for high speed, impact, depth setting about 2/3 down the hull of the target. I can't believe they still haven't seen me, the moon is almost full. One last measurement, still doesn't sit well with me, screw it!

FIRE!!! tube 5.

Not long after (I should have timed it), I watch the torpedo impact right under the middle smokestack. I guess the measurements were right? Oh well, I've blown a nice hole in the side of the ship, halfway from its waterline to the keel.

Man the deck gun! Man the flak gun! (just in-case).

At this point, one thing I really miss from Silent Hunter 4 is the ability to hold-fire, fire at will, fire at weapons, bridge, deck, waterline. I mean, really, the deck gun is the primary weapon on a submarine and they take out all the settings for it? Arrgh.

So, needless to say, my gunners aren't putting the AP shells below the waterline where they'll be most effective, and I really want to go down from the conning tower and punch the two idiots off my boat, but they seem to be causing quite a few explosions where they are hitting on the passenger decks (I had no high explosive shells left). I can tell by the waterline that the Liner is sinking, and actually a bit faster than I had expected.

I tell my gunners to secure the deck gun ('cause that's the only way to get them to stop shooting, I guess?). I go man the deck gun myself just to check and see how many shells I have left: 29 AP. I'm trying to decide if I should save them for the trip home or put the rest of them into the target, when just then, the target decides for me.

After about an hour since I first spotted the European liner, about 80,000 tons goes slipping beneath the surface. One torpedo, and 62 AP poorly-aimed shells.

Not bad, I suppose, considering I had run into a ~7,000 ton tanker a few days before that took 3 torpedos, a few dozen shells, and a few hours to sink.

Things I like about SH5:

*Filter on the recognition cards by smokestacks, bow shape, etc. This really makes identification much easier.
*Graphics
*Overall 'smarter' aiming (it seems)

I really miss the deck-gun commands from SH4, though.

Are there any mods that make the deck gun more in-depth? It seems silly to have to tell my gunners to 'get lost' if I want them to cease fire. I don't know much about installing mods, and I never used any in SH4, but some of them sounded very interesting. I just don't want to screw something up with an install, 'cause I don't know what I'm doing.

Thanks for reading; if anyone has any input as to what they might have done differently, I'd like to hear it. I'm new to SH5, and I haven't posted in a while on Subsim forums.

I'm gonna go sail back to Bremmen now, with just over 110,000 tons to report to my superiors. I guess I got a new base?

I'll check back here later.

[Trevally.]

Hi capnandrew

This mod will fix the deck gun and the stadi http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=166093

Also see here for some mod help http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=190656

[capnandrew]

Thanks. I'll look into that. I guess if I screw anything up I could always uninstall the whole thing and start over. I'll come back here if I get stumped.

[Captain_AJ]

Originally Posted by capnandrew

Hello all,

I played silent hunter 4 and just recently updated my video card so I could try out SH 5 and I love some things about it, but hate others. I've only been playing SH 5 for about 3 days.

Just sunk my first European Liner in the first campaign, SW Approaches mission, so I'll start with the story.

After about a 9 days at sea, I was getting ready to return to base and refit so I could come back out and try to do a bit better with my torpedo aiming. I had just one Type 1 Gs7 (I think?) torpedo in the aft tube, and 91 AP shells for the deck gun. I really hated the idea of having to sail back to Kiel already, because 91 shells could do a lot against small merchants. I had sunk 4 ships for ~28,000t and had a long way to go to get to that 100,000 for the mission.

So I get this radio contact added to my map, sailing East towards the English Channel, and I figure I'll check it out since it's on my way back to base, and 90km away from my current position, moving at 5 knots. I plot a course for interception and make full speed. As I get closer, I submerge a few times to check my sonar (I got the 360 degree hydrophone). So I listen >>>> This thing is moving SLOW! It sounds a bit different than other merchants (which the audio seems incorrect from SH4, merchants are supposed to be low-pitched, mostly, while warships are usually high-pitched, tin cans, ah well)

I come out a bit ahead of the target, so I change course back so that I'm coming to the target about dead-on, estimated. It's dark, I think about 22:00, Sept. 30. I'm surface, and I get a report of a visual contact (reported as a "task force"?), medium range. Some task force! It's a single Eurpoean liner with a port angle-on-bow at about 135. I do a 360 scan with my binocs because it's just too good to be true that this thing is sailing around all alone! But, all clear.

At this point, I'm thinking, "Dang!, I wish I had more torpedoes." I make a decision to turn hard to port and line up for for the aft-shot. I take a moment to kiss my only remaining torpedo for good luck. I start to do my calculations (which I'm just now getting used to the changes from SH4), and I suspect that the stadimeter has issues. The readings all show the ship being much closer than it appears. I'm measuring from the top of the masts (like it's supposed to be done), from the smokestack, but the range I'm getting just doesn't seem right. Soon, the target is too close to even get an accurate measurement with the UZO's massive zoom lens (352 meters is the minimum, I guess). I hit escape to take a non-magnified view, yep, that thing still looks farther away for some reason. I don't trust the calculations. Oh well, I'll save my game here and get a speed estimate: 3 knots.

I flood my aft-tube, set my only torpedo for high speed, impact, depth setting about 2/3 down the hull of the target. I can't believe they still haven't seen me, the moon is almost full. One last measurement, still doesn't sit well with me, screw it!

FIRE!!! tube 5.

Not long after (I should have timed it), I watch the torpedo impact right under the middle smokestack. I guess the measurements were right? Oh well, I've blown a nice hole in the side of the ship, halfway from its waterline to the keel.

Man the deck gun! Man the flak gun! (just in-case).

At this point, one thing I really miss from Silent Hunter 4 is the ability to hold-fire, fire at will, fire at weapons, bridge, deck, waterline. I mean, really, the deck gun is the primary weapon on a submarine and they take out all the settings for it? Arrgh.

So, needless to say, my gunners aren't putting the AP shells below the waterline where they'll be most effective, and I really want to go down from the conning tower and punch the two idiots off my boat, but they seem to be causing quite a few explosions where they are hitting on the passenger decks (I had no high explosive shells left). I can tell by the waterline that the Liner is sinking, and actually a bit faster than I had expected.

I tell my gunners to secure the deck gun ('cause that's the only way to get them to stop shooting, I guess?). I go man the deck gun myself just to check and see how many shells I have left: 29 AP. I'm trying to decide if I should save them for the trip home or put the rest of them into the target, when just then, the target decides for me.

After about an hour since I first spotted the European liner, about 80,000 tons goes slipping beneath the surface. One torpedo, and 62 AP poorly-aimed shells.

Not bad, I suppose, considering I had run into a ~7,000 ton tanker a few days before that took 3 torpedos, a few dozen shells, and a few hours to sink.

Things I like about SH5:

*Filter on the recognition cards by smokestacks, bow shape, etc. This really makes identification much easier.
*Graphics
*Overall 'smarter' aiming (it seems)

I really miss the deck-gun commands from SH4, though.

Are there any mods that make the deck gun more in-depth? It seems silly to have to tell my gunners to 'get lost' if I want them to cease fire. I don't know much about installing mods, and I never used any in SH4, but some of them sounded very interesting. I just don't want to screw something up with an install, 'cause I don't know what I'm doing.

Thanks for reading; if anyone has any input as to what they might have done differently, I'd like to hear it. I'm new to SH5, and I haven't posted in a while on Subsim forums.

I'm gonna go sail back to Bremmen now, with just over 110,000 tons to report to my superiors. I guess I got a new base?

I'll check back here later.

Mod your boat you will love sh5 a whole lot more

[Raven_2012]

Originally Posted by capnandrew

Thanks. I'll look into that. I guess if I screw anything up I could always uninstall the whole thing and start over. I'll come back here if I get stumped.

Darkwraiths UI mod could be the only mod a person would use on stock game. It brings SH5 to par and user friendly.

[capnandrew]

Okay, so I downloaded the mod from darkwraith but I can't tell any difference except with the clock.

Is there something else I'm supposed to download and install?

Do I need to start a new campaign?

I did have success with the mightyfine crew mod. Now I can see my men moving up the ladders (sort of) when I surface.

[Raven_2012]

Originally Posted by capnandrew

Okay, so I downloaded the mod from darkwraith but I can't tell any difference except with the clock.

Is there something else I'm supposed to download and install?

Do I need to start a new campaign?

I did have success with the mightyfine crew mod. Now I can see my men moving up the ladders (sort of) when I surface.

When you unzip the main download there are over a hand full of other folders, those are the other mods. You just need the UI mod and use jsgme Mod installer. You will notice when the interface has worked, it has a lot of features.

The first mission where you play the #1 commander, there won't be much of a UI. When you become the captain in later mission, the interface will expand to more options.