Unable to sink ships in harbour

gravy · 07-18-07, 05:09 PM

Hi,

I'm new to SH4. At least I just started playing for real after patch 1.3 came out recently (I was frustrated with the bugs in 1.1 and 1.2 and shelved the game).

The other night I was on my first mission of my career (1941 Porpoise class sub out of Pearl Harbour). Sent to Osaka harbour on photo recon. After I finished the photo recon I decided to torpedo some docked merchant vessels. I was unable to sink or visibly damage any ships (no holes in the hull). I even put 4 torpedos into one ship. I tried over and over again reloading the saved game. No luck. Very frustrating. Has anyone else experienced this? I have run into many annoying bugs in 1.3 but this one makes me want to give up on the game again. This game is all about firing torpedoes at ships after all.

I have torpedoed several Japanese vessels at sea and either sunk them or visibly damaged them.

Rob

oilburner · 07-18-07, 05:12 PM

The only ship I'm aware of that can't be sunk is one of the i-400 class japanese subs. Try setting your torps to detonate on contact instead of magnetic and see if that fixes the problem.

nomad_delta · 07-18-07, 06:49 PM

I've not been able to successfully sink a ship docked at port since 1.3, either. I used up my last 6 torpedoes on a Large Composite Freighter in a harbor the other day -- it burned but would not sink, and no credit.

I haven't tried too many harbor raids, so it could just be bad luck I guess. It definitely does seem much more difficult to sink docked ships, though.

nomad_delta

donut · 07-18-07, 07:10 PM

The devs may have nuked the ship.sim files inpatch 1.03,because photo recon was a secret mission,not a turkey shoot. Although war is hell,all those fat tankers are tempting targets. Someone will mod this for arcade players,for sure.:rotfl:

xboxer · 07-19-07, 05:38 AM

I think it appears to be a game problem.

SH3 also had problems registering ships sunk in shallow waters and harbours.

BarjackU977 · 07-19-07, 07:11 AM

Yesterday, I've sunk 2 light modern composite cargo in a Japanese harbor. The kills registered as expected.
And yes, it was after completion of a recon mission in the very same harbor :-)

But after that, I ran away carefully because even a single ennemy DD in swallow waters is no good...

Patch 1.3, of course.

@oilburner: the contact/marnetic+contact switch does not work. We're stuck with magnetic+contact. But after some date in 1943 (forgot when), magnetic mode is removed: only contact mode is active. We can't influence this date, except by editing game files. We have no way to get the switch working, I've read.

tater · 07-19-07, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donut

The devs may have nuked the ship.sim files inpatch 1.03,because photo recon was a secret mission,not a turkey shoot. Although war is hell,all those fat tankers are tempting targets. Someone will mod this for arcade players,for sure.:rotfl:

It's arcade to even be sent into a harbor

tater

NefariousKoel · 07-19-07, 12:32 PM

Note that even if you manage to get a ship sinking in harbor, sometimes they will come to rest on the bottom while their superstructure is still above.

I've had what looked to be kills in shallow water, but got no credit for them when they couldn't sink below the surface.

gravy · 07-19-07, 01:13 PM

Ok, I tried again last night and finally sunk one of the merchant vessels in Osaka harbour. I was given credit for it even though the ship was only partially submerged after the stern of the boat hit the bottom of the very shallow harbour.

This experience gave me chance to get the hang of torpedo attacks. I tried using different torpedo settings including spread angle and contact only detonation. I wonder if my previous shots were detonating just before the ship.

Rob

BarjackU977 · 07-19-07, 01:53 PM

Again, the "contact only" switch is not working.

switch.dota · 07-19-07, 02:21 PM

The only torpedo with Magnetic detonator is the Mk 14. All others are contact-only. Ever the Mk14 is only magnetic until mid '43 or so. Afterwards it's cotnact-only. The switch on the pannel is useless - it doesn't affect torpedoes in ANY way.

07-22-07, 12:35 AM

I had a bit of trouble on my second patrol. Got bored, couldn't find anything in the patrol area and went off to the port on Mindanao. Spent all my torpedoes on a large modern tanker and medium split. There was also a stationary sub chaser, aside from it's searchlight. Since it was dark, took a chance and sunk the lot with the deck gun.

raifg · 08-13-07, 03:54 AM

Hello,
I have the same problem that you are talking about: using a lot of torpedos for sinking a boat in an harbour.
I have found not a real solution, but an economic way to clean an area. Attack by night.
After sinking the patrol detroyer, I position my sub with a normal incidence at 450 Yard
of the ship. To sink the boat it takes me 1 or 2 torps depending on the size of the ship.
I do not attack super tankers because I can use all my torps I have never found the way to sink one in an harbour
But as Donut has highlighted, I think it is a bug of the 1.3 patch.

07-18-07, 05:09 PM	#1
gravy Nub Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 3 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Unable to sink ships in harbour Hi, I'm new to SH4. At least I just started playing for real after patch 1.3 came out recently (I was frustrated with the bugs in 1.1 and 1.2 and shelved the game). The other night I was on my first mission of my career (1941 Porpoise class sub out of Pearl Harbour). Sent to Osaka harbour on photo recon. After I finished the photo recon I decided to torpedo some docked merchant vessels. I was unable to sink or visibly damage any ships (no holes in the hull). I even put 4 torpedos into one ship. I tried over and over again reloading the saved game. No luck. Very frustrating. Has anyone else experienced this? I have run into many annoying bugs in 1.3 but this one makes me want to give up on the game again. This game is all about firing torpedoes at ships after all. I have torpedoed several Japanese vessels at sea and either sunk them or visibly damaged them. Rob

07-18-07, 07:10 PM	#4
donut The Old Man Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: The Shifting, Whispering Sands, NM Posts: 1,463 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Roll back ship.sim files to 1.02 The devs may have nuked the ship.sim files inpatch 1.03,because photo recon was a secret mission,not a turkey shoot. Although war is hell,all those fat tankers are tempting targets. Someone will mod this for arcade players,for sure.:rotfl: Last edited by donut; 07-18-07 at 07:25 PM.

07-19-07, 12:32 PM	#8
NefariousKoel Ace of the Deep Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: No-good Missouri scum Posts: 1,223 Downloads: 43 Uploads: 0	Note that even if you manage to get a ship sinking in harbor, sometimes they will come to rest on the bottom while their superstructure is still above. I've had what looked to be kills in shallow water, but got no credit for them when they couldn't sink below the surface. __________________ "When Gary told me he had found Jesus, I thought, Yahoo! We're rich! But it turned out to be something different." - Jack Handey

07-18-07, 05:12 PM	#2
oilburner Swabbie Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Cedar Park, Tx. Posts: 7 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	The only ship I'm aware of that can't be sunk is one of the i-400 class japanese subs. Try setting your torps to detonate on contact instead of magnetic and see if that fixes the problem.

07-18-07, 06:49 PM	#3
nomad_delta Planesman Join Date: May 2007 Location: San Francisco, California Posts: 185 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	I've not been able to successfully sink a ship docked at port since 1.3, either. I used up my last 6 torpedoes on a Large Composite Freighter in a harbor the other day -- it burned but would not sink, and no credit. I haven't tried too many harbor raids, so it could just be bad luck I guess. It definitely does seem much more difficult to sink docked ships, though. nomad_delta

07-19-07, 05:38 AM	#5
xboxer Mate Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 52 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	I think it appears to be a game problem. SH3 also had problems registering ships sunk in shallow waters and harbours.

07-19-07, 07:11 AM	#6
BarjackU977 Gunner Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 97 Downloads: 6 Uploads: 0	Yesterday, I've sunk 2 light modern composite cargo in a Japanese harbor. The kills registered as expected. And yes, it was after completion of a recon mission in the very same harbor :-) But after that, I ran away carefully because even a single ennemy DD in swallow waters is no good... Patch 1.3, of course. @oilburner: the contact/marnetic+contact switch does not work. We're stuck with magnetic+contact. But after some date in 1943 (forgot when), magnetic mode is removed: only contact mode is active. We can't influence this date, except by editing game files. We have no way to get the switch working, I've read.

07-19-07, 01:13 PM	#9
gravy Nub Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 3 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Ok, I tried again last night and finally sunk one of the merchant vessels in Osaka harbour. I was given credit for it even though the ship was only partially submerged after the stern of the boat hit the bottom of the very shallow harbour. This experience gave me chance to get the hang of torpedo attacks. I tried using different torpedo settings including spread angle and contact only detonation. I wonder if my previous shots were detonating just before the ship. Rob

07-19-07, 01:53 PM	#10
BarjackU977 Gunner Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 97 Downloads: 6 Uploads: 0	Again, the "contact only" switch is not working.

07-19-07, 02:21 PM	#11
switch.dota Captain Join Date: May 2007 Location: Romania Posts: 492 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	The only torpedo with Magnetic detonator is the Mk 14. All others are contact-only. Ever the Mk14 is only magnetic until mid '43 or so. Afterwards it's cotnact-only. The switch on the pannel is useless - it doesn't affect torpedoes in ANY way.

07-22-07, 12:35 AM	#12
adekun Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	I had a bit of trouble on my second patrol. Got bored, couldn't find anything in the patrol area and went off to the port on Mindanao. Spent all my torpedoes on a large modern tanker and medium split. There was also a stationary sub chaser, aside from it's searchlight. Since it was dark, took a chance and sunk the lot with the deck gun.

08-13-07, 03:54 AM	#13
raifg Sailor man Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Le Havre, Haute Normandie, France Posts: 44 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Hello, I have the same problem that you are talking about: using a lot of torpedos for sinking a boat in an harbour. I have found not a real solution, but an economic way to clean an area. Attack by night. After sinking the patrol detroyer, I position my sub with a normal incidence at 450 Yard of the ship. To sink the boat it takes me 1 or 2 torps depending on the size of the ship. I do not attack super tankers because I can use all my torps I have never found the way to sink one in an harbour But as Donut has highlighted, I think it is a bug of the 1.3 patch.