please help a new player: lifeguard mission

Lujan · 08-31-07, 03:58 PM

Hi all

I got SH4 a few days ago and was pretty overwhelmed by the complexity, I havent played one of these titles before. I thought I was doing ok and getting the hang of it, but today I got my first lifeguard mission, and now Im stumped.

Ive read up on what you are supposed to do, and as far as I know im doing it, but nobody is getting rescued. I go to a blue marker on my map for a downed pilot, I look for red smoke so I know he's allied, I surface, I slow down and stop next to him, but no matter where I point the binoculars, crosshairs on the pilot, on the smoke, above, beyond, below him/it... the crosshairs dont change colour (like I've read they should) and the life preserver button remains greyed out.

Can anyone tell me where im going wrong here? I am enjoying the career mode, I dont want to have to start over every time i get this type of mission

John Channing · 08-31-07, 04:21 PM

When you get him (and it has to be an allied pilot) look for one of the icons on the command bar (at the botom) that looks like a Life Presever ring. It will illuminate. Click on it and the litle guy will be rescued.

JCC

Lafferty · 08-31-07, 04:22 PM

Yeah that is about the easiest way to explain it.

Lujan · 08-31-07, 06:31 PM

Hi guys

Thank you both for the replies, I am still unable to pick up pilots though.

As I said in my original post, thats what Im doing. The life preserver button never lights up, no matter where I put the binoculars... So I guess I have a couple of follow up questions that might help clarify

1. Are there any subtle prerequisites that I might not be following? (I'm wondering if there is an issue like with torpedoes where you dont get tubes reloaded if you are in silent running, or your crew refusing to follow your orders because you forgot to turn off battle stations two weeks ago).

2. Do all pilots have red smoke, or only allied pilots?

3. How close do they need to be from the boat to be rescued? (if they are close enough that they could 'climb on' they are usually too low to be seen in my binoculars.)

Im sorry to trouble you guys with this again, but I'd really like to figure out what I'm doing wrong.

John Channing · 08-31-07, 08:34 PM

Been a while (and it was before they got the red smoke) but from memory...

1) You have to be moving slow. 1-2 kts and you have to be within a few hundred feet

2) Not sure but I think so. My last LG mission was with 1.02.

3) See # 1

It is tricky geting the crosshairs right on them and keeping them there long enough to get the go ahead. Keep trying. My first LG mission was the hardest of my 13 Patrols.

JCC

Lujan · 08-31-07, 09:16 PM

Alrighty, thanks again, ill go and give it another try

I appreciate the help

Lujan · 08-31-07, 09:28 PM

Aha

I have discovered my problem, I didnt know that if you stand on the bridge and scroll forward, you get a pair of binoculars, I thought when people talked about binoculars they were talking about the TBT view

Right, it works now. Sorry for being so foolish!

ReallyDedPoet · 09-01-07, 06:45 AM

Welcome to SUBSIM

Lujan

RDP

John Channing · 09-01-07, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lujan

Aha

I have discovered my problem, I didnt know that if you stand on the bridge and scroll forward, you get a pair of binoculars, I thought when people talked about binoculars they were talking about the TBT view

Right, it works now. Sorry for being so foolish!

No problem. The "Tab" key works too.

JCC

SteamWake · 09-01-07, 09:05 AM

:p Glad you got it working.

That has to be one of the most frustrating 'missions' in the game..

It was even worse prior to 1.3 (no smoke) it was damn near impossible to find the hapless pilots. Belive it or not we used sonar to find them

08-31-07, 03:58 PM	#1
Lujan Watch Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 17 Downloads: 25 Uploads: 0	please help a new player: lifeguard mission Hi all I got SH4 a few days ago and was pretty overwhelmed by the complexity, I havent played one of these titles before. I thought I was doing ok and getting the hang of it, but today I got my first lifeguard mission, and now Im stumped. Ive read up on what you are supposed to do, and as far as I know im doing it, but nobody is getting rescued. I go to a blue marker on my map for a downed pilot, I look for red smoke so I know he's allied, I surface, I slow down and stop next to him, but no matter where I point the binoculars, crosshairs on the pilot, on the smoke, above, beyond, below him/it... the crosshairs dont change colour (like I've read they should) and the life preserver button remains greyed out. Can anyone tell me where im going wrong here? I am enjoying the career mode, I dont want to have to start over every time i get this type of mission

09-01-07, 06:45 AM	#8
ReallyDedPoet Canadian Wolf Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Canada. The one and only, East Coast Posts: 10,886 Downloads: 946 Uploads: 5	Welcome to SUBSIM Lujan RDP __________________ Back in the Day

08-31-07, 04:21 PM	#2
John Channing Sea Lord Join Date: Sep 1998 Posts: 1,846 Downloads: 163 Uploads: 5	When you get him (and it has to be an allied pilot) look for one of the icons on the command bar (at the botom) that looks like a Life Presever ring. It will illuminate. Click on it and the litle guy will be rescued. JCC

08-31-07, 04:22 PM	#3
Lafferty Officer Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Hot Springs Arkansas Posts: 245 Downloads: 51 Uploads: 0	Yeah that is about the easiest way to explain it.

08-31-07, 06:31 PM	#4
Lujan Watch Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 17 Downloads: 25 Uploads: 0	Hi guys Thank you both for the replies, I am still unable to pick up pilots though. As I said in my original post, thats what Im doing. The life preserver button never lights up, no matter where I put the binoculars... So I guess I have a couple of follow up questions that might help clarify 1. Are there any subtle prerequisites that I might not be following? (I'm wondering if there is an issue like with torpedoes where you dont get tubes reloaded if you are in silent running, or your crew refusing to follow your orders because you forgot to turn off battle stations two weeks ago). 2. Do all pilots have red smoke, or only allied pilots? 3. How close do they need to be from the boat to be rescued? (if they are close enough that they could 'climb on' they are usually too low to be seen in my binoculars.) Im sorry to trouble you guys with this again, but I'd really like to figure out what I'm doing wrong.

08-31-07, 08:34 PM	#5
John Channing Sea Lord Join Date: Sep 1998 Posts: 1,846 Downloads: 163 Uploads: 5	Been a while (and it was before they got the red smoke) but from memory... 1) You have to be moving slow. 1-2 kts and you have to be within a few hundred feet 2) Not sure but I think so. My last LG mission was with 1.02. 3) See # 1 It is tricky geting the crosshairs right on them and keeping them there long enough to get the go ahead. Keep trying. My first LG mission was the hardest of my 13 Patrols. JCC

08-31-07, 09:16 PM	#6
Lujan Watch Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 17 Downloads: 25 Uploads: 0	Alrighty, thanks again, ill go and give it another try I appreciate the help

08-31-07, 09:28 PM	#7
Lujan Watch Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 17 Downloads: 25 Uploads: 0	Aha I have discovered my problem, I didnt know that if you stand on the bridge and scroll forward, you get a pair of binoculars, I thought when people talked about binoculars they were talking about the TBT view Right, it works now. Sorry for being so foolish!

09-01-07, 09:05 AM	#10
SteamWake Rear Admiral Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 13,224 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	:p Glad you got it working. That has to be one of the most frustrating 'missions' in the game.. It was even worse prior to 1.3 (no smoke) it was damn near impossible to find the hapless pilots. Belive it or not we used sonar to find them