Periscope sighted! 2000m!

[UnderseaLcpl]

Ok this is getting really annoying. In addition to having my periscope sighted almost constantly the accuracy of destroyers in targetting is becoming unnerving.

Recently I was attacking convoy on a very dark night (new moon or close to it) in fairly calm seas. After making my moderately succesful attack run one of the escorts (Flower -class) closed on me and I decided to sink the nosy little ^#&)%.

I kept my scope very low while I set up my attack run at "slow ahead". Suddenly at almost 2000m, his searchlights came on and locked right on my scope. As I was lowering it even further he hit my conning tower and destroyed my observation scope with a 3 or 5 inch gun. I would accept the plausible explanation of an extremely astute lookout with great night vision being very lucky had this been the only occurance but it has happened repeatedly. In my last career I suffered no less than 11 patrols where one or both of my scopes were destroyed, forcing me to go deep, evade and return to base. Some of these may have been due to radar sighting my periscope but the current career is in Feb. 41.

Okay, seriously, how the hell are you going to see, let alone hit, with a naval gun, an object that protrudes less than a meter above the surface of the ocean on a dark night? Especially when you are on a light, unstable ship like a destroyer or something even smaller?

I am currently using GWX 2.1. Is there some value I can change in one of the files that will make it more difficult to spot my scope? Are there any "No impossible gunnery" mods?

Furthermore, and I assume this is a stock Sh3 issue, I find being severely damaged or sunk because my conning tower protruded above the trough of a wave in rough seas for 1.7 seconds a ridiculous state of affairs. I even get hit by armed mechantmen sometimes. It really ruins the immersion factor.

Did any of you ever play "U-boat" (that old black and white subsim that came out in like 1989) or "Wolfpack" (which I also believe was by Ubi)? Both of those games featured the ability of warships to hit you square in the periscope. "Wolfpack" was especially bad about that. You could even see the remarkably cannonball-like projectile hit you straight in the periscope lens and it would not even damage any other part of the boat.

I have ranted off-topic now but my main question is whether or not there is an easy fix to the periscope's observability in GWX 2.1 or a mod that fixes this.

Please note that I consider the GWX team's work on SH3 nothing short of remarkable. This one issue is just a pet peeve for me and I doubt it has anything to do with the mod.

[zombiewolf]

Drives me nuts also i get spotted some 5000 km out,I can barely see them yet they see me well enough to engage me.about ready to go back to rub1.45.At the moment i use NYGM 3.0 and GW 2.1

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by zombiewolf

Drives me nuts also i get spotted some 5000 km out

They spot you from the American coast as you are leaving port?

I'm sorry I couldn't resist. I feel like an A-hole.

[HW3]

You might look into OLC Ubermod v 2.4.2 for GWX 2.1. I understand he did alot of work with the sensors of the escorts and merchants. It is a sticky in the mods forum.

[Platapus]

Make sure that Bernard was not using the periscope to dry his skivvies and forgot to take then down. Bernard's big butt boxers hanging from your periscope is hard for a Destroyer to miss.

What you describe does seem a bit unrealistic though. Nighttime, slow speed, low scope should not be seen that easily.

[Frank0001]

Bernards skivvies on the periscope... :rotfl:

Well, the destroyer could have 'incidentally' picked you up on its hydrophone, and started searchlighting the area the noise was coming from.
This is strange though, since they usually won't pick you up on the hydrophone at 2000 meters, and a hit from that distance, on a target that small, is considered very lucky!

[Stealth Hunter]

Originally Posted by Platapus

What you describe does seem a bit unrealistic though. Nighttime, slow speed, low scope should not be seen that easily.

If at all...:hmm:

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

I feel like an A-hole.

And well you should!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.:rotfl: Actually, when someone makes a typo like that somebody almost always makes a wisecrack about it, and I'm like as not be the one (as if you hadn't already figured that out). It's all but required, just to keep us laughing and sane.

[UnderseaLcpl]

Thanks for the perspectives everybody, especially Penelope's detailed response.
I will also look into the OLC Ubermod as HW3 suggested.

Nonetheless I would love to take a game designer out into the middle of the Atlantic and challenge him to spot and then hit a periscope on a dark night with a 3-inch gun. I would even illuminate it with the searchlight for him.

[zombiewolf]

jeeze i ment 5000m oops.

but it seems they see me from as far away as new york,and fire at me yet.

Dog gone Marines

[Puster Bill]

[quote=UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by zombiewolf

I feel like an A-hole.

Hairy and moist?

[UnderseaLcpl]

ewww...........

Still, remarkably accurate.