What's the deal with Difficulty Settings?

[Steiger]

Just wondering how SH4 handles difficulty and the parameters it handles. Is it like in some games where it just makes your torpedoes less effective and enemy fire more deadly? Does it affect AI behaviour and tenacity? Does it give their lookouts super-natural abilities at harder levels?

I only ask because I'm in mid-1942 and the escorts are comically bad at their jobs. I've been spotted on the surface twice during daytime, but not to worry, they can't outshoot a drunk at that range. They also seem hopeless at locating me when I'm submerged, unless my crew is having movie night and are watching something hilarious and just can't keep in the laughter. When they do happen to locate me, they make one hopelessly inaccurate depth charge run, they lose contact, do a few circles and just start dropping charges on whales and dolphins just to look busy to the frightened merchants, while I stooge off at 2 knots and crack open a beer.

So, if I play at Hard, will it be more of a challenge? And I mean a legitimate challenge, whereby the enemy destroyers are not commanded by their Officers' offspring on bring-your-child-to-work day, as opposed to a cheater AI challenge where any depth charge dropped within 9 miles of me will rupture my fuel tanks.

Perhaps I've just been spoiled by the dogged attacks of Allied destroyers in the Atlantic, maybe.

[Armistead]

If you want reality, load TMO1.9. and RSRD. The stock game is a joke. With TMO you're almost always spotted trying to pull attacks off. Now, once you get good at it, you can still sink a lot of ships. If you want more reality then..

Cut off contacts, so you don't have a magical map that shows you where things are.

Cut off Cams, so you can't see what ships are doing. It's fun being stuck in your sub while under attack, not using the cheat cam to see what's going on on the surface.

You'll find yourself fighting for your life and you'll have to really learn to track without contacts and cams. You'll sink a lot less ships, but it's about as realistic as you can get.

If that's not enough, you can adjust sensors even more.

[Steiger]

I play 100% realism, have done so since the days of Aces of the Deep.

I'm actually waffling on the idea of which supermod to get. Can't decide between Trigger Maru and RFB. What is RSRD by the way?

[Armistead]

Here is the RSRD thread, I run my pages backwards, so just go to the first post.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=123467

Mainly it reworks the ship layers correctly, added all the battles correctly with the historical ships, ect. Reworked over 1000 convoys. You can chase the many invasion forces, fighting 50plus ship convoys. Many added ships, planes, map labels, added ports, ect.

Some of the added ships in both mods are real killers, like the Type A or the Matsu. The Type A has 6 Y guns and roll offs. It will dump about 24 charges in one run.

I play 100%, but the cam or contacts don't effect the percentage rating.
Maybe the contacts do, but cams don't. I love playing without cams, only fall back is it takes so long and you just can't use time compression much.
Really trying to figure out what's going on on the surface is fun. I alter, one patrol I may cut them on, the next off. I like taking SS's and the eyecandy of the mods.

I think you would like TMO best, graphics are 100% improved, really no need for an env mod. I would also DL the EAX sound sim mod. Makes the sound just freaking amazing. I run a few other mods. Here is my current mod list. I did have to tweak a few to work with TMO, but most work fine with no problems...course I assume you know about mod soup, so have to be careful with mods.

I just started 1.9. When I played 1.7 I had about 20 extra ships added, but many I add to manually add for them to work. I'll have to play awhile and see what ships were added, because I love as many different ships as possible.

TriggerMaru_Overhaul_19
TMO19_Patch_081209
RSRDC_TMO_V502
TMO19_interior3d_GATO_overhaul
TMO_Stock_Gramaphone
PE4 Lifeboat and Debris
Full Screen Scopes for TMO or FOTRS
Longer_Ship_Wake_V1_TMO1.7
PCOkinoshima
New Frieghter
TGT AOB TO PK FIX - TMO
TGT DIALS TO PK FIX - TMO
Sky_Environment_Opt3
sh4lighthousemod
Map Labels 1.3
SS185 USS Snapper Fooskin Salmon HI-RES BLACK
ROW Sound Effect v_9
EAX_sound_sim_
Map Colour Original with terrain

[Armistead]

Nothing like a 3 day battle with a convoy this size,...why I love RSRD

[Steiger]

Thanks for the help Armistead. I'm completely sold on the RSRD idea because not 10 minutes ago I was trolling the area that the Battle of Midway took place between June 2nd and 7th and didn't see a single contact. Stupid default game >:|

And yes, I also keep the external cam open for the eye candy. I don't use it (requires substantial self-restraint) during combat. I really feel stuck when all I can really do is sit in the control room and look at the gauges while destroyers go back and forth overhead. It takes something away from the experience if you can "exit" your little cocoon.