Should've done this a long time ago!!!! :D

[ddiplock]

Since my last career decided to go the way of the dinosaur and corrupt, I decided to start a new career in 44 rather than go all the way through 41 to 44.

This time I had external view off for the first time. I've always had external view on because I LOVE the graphics, but it gives you a huge tactical edge.

What a difference it makes, so much more immersive, so much more claustrophobic!!! You make so much more use of the tools the submarine has, namely the periscope and the hydrophones with external view off.

I came across a large Japanese convoy off New Guinea in heavy seas, raced ahead of them and submerged. Cut across their path and singled out a decent 8000 merchant in the group that I could back with a rear shot. The convoy was only being escorted by sub chasers......no destroyers, just speedy little sub chasers.

I successfully torpedoed and sunk the merchant I had singled out, popped the scope down and then proceeded to.......run silent run deep to a depth of 555ft!!!

Now I'm not entirely sure what happend here, the sub chasers kind of seemed to converge on me but I don't think they ever really got a proper fix. There were a few pings from the sonar, and then they seemed to go quiet and start throwing DC's every which way. A few landed close, but then for some reason they started setting them really shallow. They would drop them in and literally some four seconds later they would explode. I have no idea why they would of been doing that, methinks the AI was playing up, either that or the heavy seas, and all of them buzzing round together their own engine noise drowned me out and prevented them from getting a proper fix.

I do find it odd however that they barely used their sonar, literally it was the occasional bit of pinging and then they stopped for good and just started lobbing DC's around. They never tried to get a fix on me with sonar again.

Despite that, without external view it was a good experience. I was constantly changing course, using my hydrophones, keeping them to my stern as much as possible, listening to them stopping their engines for 10 seconds or so, then they'd start up again. Bah, I have NO idea what they were playing at, but they failed to sink the Billfish that's for sure. It was a good little game of proper cat and mouse between Billfish and the sub chasers. Not being able to see where they are with ext view off brings it all down to your ability to evade the enemy!!

I actually felt better when I was able to surface and look out at my surroundings on the bridge when the attack was over. Great experience. I think I will be playing with external view off from now on!!

[Daniel Prates]

Originally Posted by ddiplock

What a difference it makes, so much more immersive, so much more claustrophobic!!! You make so much more use of the tools the submarine has, namely the periscope and the hydrophones with external view off.

I myself always play with external view off. That feeling you get when you surface and take a peek outside ("ah! fresh air again!") is unreplaceable.

Immersion is 10000% more intense.

[magic452]

It's a different game without external cam.
Good story there ddiplock.
I have the cam on but with a lot of training I don't use it for and tactical advantage, no checking out what ships I'm after or what the escorts are doing. It's not easy to not have a peek very so often but I'm successful, most of the time.

Magic

[Armistead]

Makes the game much more realistic. I play without cams, but with contacts on.

Not sure what mods you're using, but with TMO/RSRD it's fun. Wait until you have 6 Type AB's on top of you.

Some advice, you can hear much better in the con tower if you look up at the ceiling, much easier to tell what direction and when they're making runs, hear charges hitting the water, etc..

Clear your baffles before coming up

Make sure you have the scope up before you surface and give it a minute, usually a sleeper DD remains stopped. Then go to radar depth and see if anything shows.

Seems you've figured good tactics for evasion.

[EricW]

I always keep the Ext. cams off too.....MUCH more realistic feelings of helplessness lol. I will usually lock my sonarguy onto one escort that is attacking while I sweep around listening for and (hopefully) avoiding the others. I have the "show air contacts" mod going so I don't see ships on the map BUT I get sonar bearing lines which helps to see (hear) which ones are close.....I still try to avoid contact in flat calm seas though.....unless there's a REALLY juicy target......I've lost so many GOOD experienced crews learning to play TMO,

[ddiplock]

Just ambushed a small Japanese convoy again, this time composed of two small tankers in a line being escorted by a lone destroyer up front leading the way in a zig pattern.

Let the destroyer slip past and then blasted both tankers out the water......the destroyer never found me, again it was heavy seas. I ran deep and silent.....not a single ping or DC was thrown in my direction and I skulked off into the night silent and deep. Surfaced at 22:00hrs and detected the Destroyer on Radar.....he was stationary and not moving at all.

I gave him a wide birth and resumed hunting. Its now the next day, and I have a Large Convoy bearing down on me travelling FAST. By my experience, convoys only travel fast when they have very big game in amongst them somewhere.

Periscope depth, up Periscope......its time for Billfish to go hunting!!!!

[Daniel Prates]

Originally Posted by Armistead

I play without cams, but with contacts on.

I never got UBISOFT when it comes to this "no contact update" setting. All it does is place on the map radar contacts (bearing and range, thus, an icon) and sonar contacts (no range, thus, only a bearing).

Doesnt feel like it decreases realism, but rather, only saves you the trouble of drawing that yourself on the map. From what i've seen, when you un-check 'no contact update', you get no info other than what your sensors (or radio) would indeed give you - in other words, it is no 'gods eye mode' when unchecked.

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by Daniel Prates

I never got UBISOFT when it comes to this "no contact update" setting. All it does is place on the map radar contacts (bearing and range, thus, an icon) and sonar contacts (no range, thus, only a bearing).

Doesnt feel like it decreases realism, but rather, only saves you the trouble of drawing that yourself on the map. From what i've seen, when you un-check 'no contact update', you get no info other than what your sensors (or radio) would indeed give you - in other words, it is no 'gods eye mode' when unchecked.

Contacts on to me is the crew doing their job, giving you info you would need. We don't have proper sonar, radar or crew, except contacts on. WIth them off, you're doing all the jobs. Now, with the radar mod, it's helpful with contacts off, I use to use it when I played with them off, but I find it so time consuming that I prefer them on. With the cam off, it's a fair balance.

[TorpX]

I do find it odd however that they barely used their sonar, literally it was the occasional bit of pinging and then they stopped for good and just started lobbing DC's around. They never tried to get a fix on me with sonar again.

It sounds like you were too deep for them to ping you. If you get deep enough, you will be under their sonar "cone". Ducimus could tell you for sure exactly why they didn't find you.

I have the cam on but with a lot of training I don't use it for and tactical advantage, no checking out what ships I'm after or what the escorts are doing.

Same here. To me, it's mostly for the "postcard" shots.

I never got UBISOFT when it comes to this "no contact update" setting. All it does is place on the map radar contacts (bearing and range, thus, an icon) and sonar contacts (no range, thus, only a bearing).

Doesnt feel like it decreases realism, but rather, only saves you the trouble of drawing that yourself on the map. From what i've seen, when you un-check 'no contact update', you get no info other than what your sensors (or radio) would indeed give you - in other words, it is no 'gods eye mode' when unchecked.

The reason it's a big advantage is that there is no error in the plot. If I am doing the plot myself, whatever errors I make in range estimation and AOB will be transfered to the plot, with maybe a few extra drawing errors thrown in. If the map contact feature is on, I get a perfect plot with no errors. I need only stick the scope up twice, mark the points, calcuate the speed and the torps are as good as there (almost ).

Admittidly, it is a lot of work to do it oneself. The "crew" should be doing this, but in the game we have the dubious choice of either having no info beyond what our own eyeballs/ears can obtain, or having an unrealistic advantage of almost perfect information. I don't know how they could think this made sense.

[Platapus]

I always play with external camera off, but I am addicted to the event camera.

I just love following the torpedo and seeing the target loom into view.

[razark]

Originally Posted by TorpX

The reason it's a big advantage is that there is no error in the plot.

This. It makes the game a bit too easy, especially when you have radar. Plot two points, set things up, wait a while, and boom.

Originally Posted by TorpX

Admittidly, it is a lot of work to do it oneself. The "crew" should be doing this...

The one thing I would absolutely love to see is a crew plotting the contacts to the range and bearing I call out. Hit the "Send Bearing and Range" button, and it gets marked on the map, with a number, the time, and an editable label. Toss in a tiny bit of inaccuracy from the crew based on experience and fatigue, and it would be a massive game changer. I'd pay what I originally paid for the game just to add that one feature.

[TorpX]

Originally Posted by razark

The one thing I would absolutely love to see is a crew plotting the contacts to the range and bearing I call out. Hit the "Send Bearing and Range" button, and it gets marked on the map, with a number, the time, and an editable label. Toss in a tiny bit of inaccuracy from the crew based on experience and fatigue, and it would be a massive game changer. I'd pay what I originally paid for the game just to add that one feature.

Yes, exactly. When I bought SH4, I fully expected to have just this sort of feature incorporated. Boy, was I dissappointed.

I always play with external camera off, but I am addicted to the event camera.

I just love following the torpedo and seeing the target loom into view.

I don't see why they didn't make it so you couldn't play the game without external/event cams, then be able to see the torpedo impacts and sinkings later in a replay. That way you could enjoy all the eye-candy and still have a challanging 'no-cheating' sim.



Ubi dropped the ball with so many things; it makes me wonder if they ever bothered to play this Silent Hunter, or talk to anybody who did. They could have made this the best computer simulation ever.

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by TorpX

Yes, exactly. When I bought SH4, I fully expected to have just this sort of feature incorporated. Boy, was I dissappointed.

I don't see why they didn't make it so you couldn't play the game without external/event cams, then be able to see the torpedo impacts and sinkings later in a replay. That way you could enjoy all the eye-candy and still have a challanging 'no-cheating' sim.



Ubi dropped the ball with so many things; it makes me wonder if they ever bothered to play this Silent Hunter, or talk to anybody who did. They could have made this the best computer simulation ever.

You can play with cams off and the event cam on, but I think it gets in the way. They gave you those 3 options, cams on, off, event cam.

[FIREWALL]

Originally Posted by ddiplock

Since my last career decided to go the way of the dinosaur and corrupt, I decided to start a new career in 44 rather than go all the way through 41 to 44.

This time I had external view off for the first time. I've always had external view on because I LOVE the graphics, but it gives you a huge tactical edge.

What a difference it makes, so much more immersive, so much more claustrophobic!!! You make so much more use of the tools the submarine has, namely the periscope and the hydrophones with external view off.

I came across a large Japanese convoy off New Guinea in heavy seas, raced ahead of them and submerged. Cut across their path and singled out a decent 8000 merchant in the group that I could back with a rear shot. The convoy was only being escorted by sub chasers......no destroyers, just speedy little sub chasers.

I successfully torpedoed and sunk the merchant I had singled out, popped the scope down and then proceeded to.......run silent run deep to a depth of 555ft!!!

Now I'm not entirely sure what happend here, the sub chasers kind of seemed to converge on me but I don't think they ever really got a proper fix. There were a few pings from the sonar, and then they seemed to go quiet and start throwing DC's every which way. A few landed close, but then for some reason they started setting them really shallow. They would drop them in and literally some four seconds later they would explode. I have no idea why they would of been doing that, methinks the AI was playing up, either that or the heavy seas, and all of them buzzing round together their own engine noise drowned me out and prevented them from getting a proper fix.

I do find it odd however that they barely used their sonar, literally it was the occasional bit of pinging and then they stopped for good and just started lobbing DC's around. They never tried to get a fix on me with sonar again.

Despite that, without external view it was a good experience. I was constantly changing course, using my hydrophones, keeping them to my stern as much as possible, listening to them stopping their engines for 10 seconds or so, then they'd start up again. Bah, I have NO idea what they were playing at, but they failed to sink the Billfish that's for sure. It was a good little game of proper cat and mouse between Billfish and the sub chasers. Not being able to see where they are with ext view off brings it all down to your ability to evade the enemy!!

I actually felt better when I was able to surface and look out at my surroundings on the bridge when the attack was over. Great experience. I think I will be playing with external view off from now on!!

External View is an Honesty issue. With SH3 I have it enabled for screenshots and to see what I did AFTER the attack. Which puts it on YOU.

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by FIREWALL

External View is an Honesty issue. With SH3 I have it enabled for screenshots and to see what I did AFTER the attack. Which puts it on YOU.

I found I can't be honest, so I leave them off. Still, being able to see what you did after an attack gives you a great advantage. I may hit a few ships, but if DD's have me down I have no clue to how bad they're damaged or how fast they're getting away.