A request

[DeepSix]

I can't quite bring myself to define this as a "bug" but, if it's not a bug, it's the darndest "feature" I've ever run across. Perhaps others have run into this; if so please excuse another post on it.

Could we PLEASE have SOME kind of indication whether or not the hull is damaged too badly to safely dive?!

Just completed a backsliding crash dive to the bottom of the mid-Pacific, thanks apparently to that G4 Betty. The bombs fell close aboard, but the only apparent damage was to the deck gun and the AA gun. Well, fine, next time I got planes on the radar I decided to dive to avoid them....

Well, apparently, there were more serious things than the deck armament to worry about - but of course I didn't know this, because there's no indication of it anywhere. This is extremely trying. we ought to have at least some idea of whether the hull can take a dive or not; what's the point of having all these other system repairs to prioritize if the one Big One isn't there? Even if the hull is beyond an at-sea repair, at least gimme a warning before I dive.

[AVGWarhawk]

Two indicators that you are screwed, bulkheads show badly damaged and the dark red vertical line is close to the top. Also, if it takes a long time to repair. Also, flooding is shown in blue just above the damaged compartment. If it is all blue do not dive, total flooding. You are even tempting fate if it is half flooded. Repairs take much longer in SH4 than 3. Anyway, fully flooded compartments will not render a sub that can be trimmed for save dive. Half flooded compartments make it difficult.

[Mud]

Similar thing here , After taking hits from a air attack the sub had some serious damage.
It took about 1 hour repair when the damage screen was clear and all flooding water was pumped out ,then the radar picked up a new airplanes so I decided to dive.
When diving the sub was sliding backwards to never surface again .... weird :hmm:

Mud

[AVGWarhawk]

I believe the subs use hit points like the merchants. Although bulkheads showing PATCHED, never truly like new, diving is a craps shoot. It is a chance you will have to take as most Commanders had to take. No one can truly say how deep the sub can go after the hull is damaged. It is a wild guess, even for the engineers. Sometimes it just best to duke it out on the surface while hauling butt to port for a refit.

Again, gents check to see if the box above the damaged area is blue. If so you have to wait until it is pumped out. Even 1 ton of water will screw with the submarine.

Case and point, USS Trigger fired all forward torpedoes going after a carrier. As you know water and the air used to push torpedoes out of the tubes is sucked back in to keep the location of the sub under cover. Well, with over 2 tons of water in the forward tubes the USS Trigger was in a uncontrolled dive to 450 feet until she could spool up the electric motors to keep her from going deeper. Mind you at this depth the packing around the propellor shafts will leak so she was taking on more water. She was able to keep nose up and steady depth with the electric motors to have the pumps dispel the water. She was able to surface.

[Front Runner]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

I believe the subs use hit points like the merchants. Although bulkheads showing PATCHED, never truly like new, diving is a craps shoot. It is a chance you will have to take as most Commanders had to take. No one can truly say how deep the sub can go after the hull is damaged. It is a wild guess, even for the engineers. Sometimes it just best to duke it out on the surface while hauling butt to port for a refit.

A bad gamble at best, air crews will vector in new air strikes on you and you will run out of AA ammo eventually.

Still it would be nice to have some indication of how badly the hull has been damaged. A "Hit Point Meter" so to speak. If you can't even dive to periscope depth you are dead unless you are close to home. As Commander your damage control team should be able to give you a reasonable report about whether or not you can dive at all.
The damage control screen really does not give you feedback on this point.

After your DC team performs the repairs one would reasonably assume that if there is no damage to repair then there is no damage. This is not correctly indicated by the DC screen. If there is pressure hull damage that makes it risky to dive, that should be reflected on the DC screen somehow. As Commander you need to take that information into consideration before ordering a dive. As it stands now, after an air attack, a DC party repair, you are faced with a coin flip as to whether or not to order a dive to PD. Even a 51/49 chance is better than 50/50.
This is an annoyance that should be addressed.

[DeepSix]

Originally Posted by Front Runner

... As Commander your damage control team should be able to give you a reasonable report about whether or not you can dive at all.
The damage control screen really does not give you feedback on this point.

After your DC team performs the repairs one would reasonably assume that if there is no damage to repair then there is no damage. This is not correctly indicated by the DC screen. If there is pressure hull damage that makes it risky to dive, that should be reflected on the DC screen somehow. ...

Right-o. In the example I mentioned before, there wasn't any bulkhead damage and there wasn't any flooding - nothing shown except deck gun and AA gun. If I'd had some indication that I couldn't dive, I'd've ended the patrol early. As it was, I figured I could stay out there.