How do I figures out stuffs on my own? What's a "Triserchfunchin?"

[strenface]

Just kidding of course.

Hi, I am new to the forums. Standard long time viewer blah blah cliche applies. I enjoy the not so occasional simulator and posses a strong interest in history. Especially with regard to WWII and naval history. So naturally, I am absolutely in love with this gem of a simulator. I figured that I have done enough snooping and that it was about time I registered.

I do have a question for those who have experienced a similar situation.

I am running SHIV with TMO 2.0 + 2.1/2.2 update. My problem is that in my stage of the career (September 1942), I find it far too easy to avoid escort detection.

In my patrols, I will detect a convoy from about 15nm out using my newly acquired surface search radar. I then do the usual trig to set up my ambush, ensuring that I will be able to steam into position, submerge to the appropriate depth, and kill my engines before I am in range of the leading destroyer's passive sonar. (Of course visually as well). As the radar indicates, the exact linear path of my target allows for torpedos to be fired from around 4000 yards with almost 100% accuracy. (Only when the lead escort is in a particular stage of its sweep) With any type of fog or wind, this range increases substantially.

The problem is that by the time the escorts realize they have failed, I am just crossing the thermal layer at 1 or 2 knots in a random direction. As long as I do stay deep and under 2 knots, it seems I get away every time.

My fear is that as the IJN gets better at detection, my sub will proportionally be even better, and thus be able to set up ambushes farther in advance.

Any advice or hope that the IJN gets much better later in the war in TMO? If this is not the case, then rather than dedicate a substantial amount of time to this campaign (started in the S-boat!), I'll look for a another mod to add on. I love TMO so far and would find it too hard to part with...

And in case it is relevant, I'm doing the Asiatic campaign.

Oh, the other day, I was curious if any major battles were scripted, so I steamed over to Truk a couple days before the task force involved in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons were to sail. I wanted to see if they the troop transports left first (if at all) before the primary task force. After an hour of target practice with the deck gun, my radar man wouldn't stop calling out contacts. I check the radar.. Put 11 fish (my last 11) into the Yamato before she sank. Does this effect the career at all? Will the Yamato come back as if nothing had happened? I really couldn't find a definitive answer to this one. Thanks!

Edit: I was just thinking that I may have answered one of my questions, the only realism feature I leave disabled is the update map contact box. I did this primarily because of how tedious it would be to go back and forth between screens to update it myself. Maybe determining the exact linear path when out of visual range is almost impossible when dealing the with narrow window of the torpedo/target interception point...... then I would have to wait until at minimum of 2000 yards before even attempting at accuracy..... Thus leaving myself far more exposed. This brings up another question (sorry, this one I didn't search) is the noise generated during the obnoxiously loud emergency dive and or the blowing the ballast simulated with respect to detection?

[Platapus]

Welcome aboard!!

I don't use TMO so I can't opine on how TMO handles escorts. In RFB, the escorts can range from novice to pretty good... which means pretty bad for me.

42 is still early in the game. I think you will find it gets a little more challenging as the war progresses.

Again, welcome aboard!

[Sailor Steve]

WELCOME ABOARD!

Originally Posted by strenface

Standard long time viewer blah blah cliche applies.

And a good sense of humor, which always helps.

I am running SHIV with TMO 2.0 + 2.1/2.2 update. My problem is that in my stage of the career (September 1942), I find it far too easy to avoid escort detection.

My first inclination was to say that's odd, because TMO is known for the toughness of its escorts.

Originally Posted by Platapus

42 is still early in the game. I think you will find it gets a little more challenging as the war progresses.

That is almost certainly the answer. As I said, TMO is famous for being difficult to survive. There is one that is so dangerous that people usually advise each other to stay out of the Bungo Suido.

I'm sure you'll find them tough enough later on to make you cry.

[TorpX]

Originally Posted by strenface

Edit: I was just thinking that I may have answered one of my questions, the only realism feature I leave disabled is the update map contact box. ......

Yes, if you want a harder game, disable map contacts. Having map contacts, gives you error-free targeting data without any work.

[I'm goin' down]

Originally Posted by TorpX

Yes, if you want a harder game, disable map contacts. Having map contacts, gives you error-free targeting data without any work.

Add the OTC (Optical Targeting Correction) mod with Toyyko's Revenge, map contacts disabled, American Radar from the beginning of the War, and Real Scopes for OTC to TMO 2.2. That is as hard as it gets.

[strenface]

Thanks for the reply's and welcomes!

Yes I did not mention that when I AM discovered, it becomes incredible hard to escape undamaged! And I tried last night without the map contact update and I think I solved my problem. Now I have to get in uncomfortably close and cannot possibly get deep before my torpedos impact....in fact I like to stay at periscope depth now because I am no longer sure at all in my firing solution without the perfect trajectories offered by map update.

I will check out that mod, thanks!

I am already starting to think about SH5. I read a ton of info on here and as there really is no definitive opinion I think it may be something I have to try on my own.

I got SHIII which was included with SHIV+Uboat, but I still haven't touched it! I know people consider that game with the supermods to be incredible....but frankly I am afraid I am spoiled by the awesome graphics and will be let down.

I like to hook my computer to my 47" LCD....so graphics are important to me.

Again thanks for the welcome.

[Herr-Berbunch]

What's a "Triserchfunchin?"

Nice one. Had me wondering for a (short) while.

Welcome aboard, and sorry I can be no further use to you on your matter.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by strenface

I am already starting to think about SH5.

That's a good place to be -- thinking about SH5. Just don't go beyond that and actually buy the game. LoL

Kidding aside, SH5 is a different type of game than SH3/4. People have their opinions on whether it is better or not and they are all correct. Just don't enter into SH5 thinking it is SH3 with updated graphics and such.

[Herr-Berbunch]

At the price it is nowadays (shop around!) you can afford to try SH5 to see for yourself, views vary wildly here and where you'll fit in only you will be able to tell.

[strenface]

lol. Yeh it isn't terribly expensive. Especially when considering how many hours I will devote to to the game! Prob will come to less than 10 cents an hour by the time I'm over it.
I am perfectly happy with SHIV, but what appeals to me is the ability to walk around the boat. I love the immersion factor....

What does not appeal to me is the BS crew maintenance. Last time I checked, we were at war....getting to know my crew is not a high priority so to speak....especially if they are butthurt (lose morale) by my lack of regular interest. IMNSHO, a true captain should be respected, then loved, then feared in that order. I shouldn't be the crew's buddy, but a semi-reclusive, slightly strange, and moderately autistic savant who will bring them tonnage and safe passage. They should thank god I am on their side, not thank god they can go drinking with me after patrol. I can't even imagine how annoying (if I understand the mechanics correctly) having to leave time compression just to walk through the ship and ask each member of my crew what their favorite color is for the 50th time. I'm sure there are mods that fix that though....

As a college student, one thing I love about this game is its synergy with studying. I put it on low time compression, and go about my studies until something pops up. Makes studying a lot more enjoyable.

Oh I forgot! The dynamic campaign sounds appealing. Almost like an RPG where one's actions affects the world. After sinking the Yamato in SHIV, I was slightly disappointing knowing it won't make any difference. (I think)

[TorpX]

Originally Posted by Platapus

That's a good place to be -- thinking about SH5. Just don't go beyond that and actually buy the game. LoL

Yeah, I have every SH game, except SH5. I find I have less and less patience for game bugs, CTD's, and mod soup. If I want to see graphically uber U-boats, I can always watch the Youtube edition of Let's Play Silent Hunter 5.

Of course, if someone came out with "Silent Hunter 5- with Fleetboat Missions", I'd have to get it.

[strenface]

[QUOTE=TorpX;1805465 mod soup.
[/QUOTE]

Perfect description!

[sharkbit]

What's a "Triserchfunchin?"

Ohhhh... the little light bulb came on for me too.



Welcome aboard!

[strenface]

OK my first concern with SHIV + TMO can be ignored.

It's December 1942, and I just encountered my first big convoy. 6 Cargo/tanker/transports and 4 or more (didn't have time to count ) destroyer escorts. Light fog and medium seas, so I figured I could comfortably steam into position as the closest destroyer ~ 5000 yards away. Wrong.

As soon as I locked the destroyer to gauge his speed, I was horrified to see him steaming full speed at 0 Aob. As he was still probably ~ 4000 yards away, I quickly set speed to 2 knots, and locked on to the closest merchant diving to periscope depth. As I had estimated their paths prior to seeing the destroyer, I was able to get all 6 fish off. The fact that they were basically coming straight at me made eyeballing the trajectory very fast.

All bow fish launched, I immediately set depth to 450. (Just got my Gato that patrol, and on leaving base, I tested it down to 500 so I knew I had some wiggle room.) A few seconds before my scope went under, I scoped the destroyer and saw his relative size had doubled...prob around ~1500-2000 yards.

Ahead flank, hard port. At 100ft, the pinging starts, hard starboard into the destroyer. 150 ft Ahead 2 knots Pass Thermal layer, pinging stronger, destroyer coming at 20 degrees. 200 ft hard Port ahead 2/3. Depth charges launched. 250 ft ahead Flank, rudder centered. 300 ft. All Stop, rudder hard starboard. 450 ft Ahead Flank, center rudder. Depth charges going off, getting pinged. Ahead 2knots, Hard port.

Everythings fine for 5 min, go to 350 ft. Then they find me. Check the sonar, 2 destroyers within 400 feet, one seems to have disappeared..... Depth charges launched, new sonar contact... right on top of me, moving in my direction. Set depth, 500 ft. Depth charges too close, Front torpedo room bulkhead severely damaged, major flooding, deck gun crew dead. Diving plane transmission, most tubes, and battery severely damaged

Not only am I at 420 feet with a flooded fore torpedo room, my bow diving planes are jammed angled full down, going full flank... within 10 seconds I pass 500 feet, I see my planes are jammed and I hit back emergency. Decent slowing, but not enough..at 570 ft I blow ballast 3 times. I begin to rise very fast, I check back in the command room, and the view is tilted more than I have ever seen.. the sub must have been at a 60 or 70 degree angle relative to the horizon. 300 feet, rising very fast. I set ahead 1/3. At 250 feet I stop, then gain speed like crazy, diving very fast, pitched down. At 500 feet I am able to maintain equilibrium with reverse 2/3. Bulkhead repairs at .63. Haven't even gotten to the diving planes.

Finally I am able to check the sonar, I had almost forgotten about the escorts with the fight to keep my sub from sinking. 3 have left, one is right behind me. Depth charges launched. 1/3 ahead avoid the blast, at 500 feet, I sink faster than I did before. After 10 -15s, I am at 650 feet, and finally stop avoiding the depth charges. The light bursts, I immediately blow ballast 4 times and Go Emergency back. I get to 480 feet, with a 100% damaged hull. Amazingly, the screen didn't do the death fade. Now at Back Full, I am able to maintain 300 feet with zero speed. 5 min go by. I think I may make it back, (with a dozen dead crew). Then I am pinged. Trying to go deeper, I set 1/3 back. Within 20 seconds, I am at 600 ft. All the time back emergency and blowing ballast to arrest my descent. At 750 feet lights go out for good.

I didn't know this game could be this much fun. I just watched Das Boot again this week, so I couldn't help but compare the situation

I did wish I made it to repair the bulkhead and pump out water to see if I could maintain depth at all Stop. But now that was truly an awesome experience.

Edit: I forgot! 3 out of 6 of my eyeballed torps hit their mark (or another mark behind their mark lol) sinking 2 merchants. One was a Nippon (SP?) too. Didn't get to enjoy the fireworks as I was diving for my life. But I heard em =)

[magic452]

It looks like Duci has claimed yet another victim.
welcome to TMO 2.2

The game isn't much fun if you get away EVERY time.

Sounds like you had fun. Good story.
Cheer up it gets worse.

Magic