Did the devs really mess up this bad on the Gato?

[Bubblehead1980]

Something I have been wondering about for a while.I have been on the USS Drum, a Gato class submarine and have seen pictures of several others and noticed that the ladder from the conning tower into the control room is between the planesmen to the side of the chart desk in the center of the control room.SH 4 depicts the ladder as being BEHIND the chart desk and diving officer.

So since I have been on a Gato and in all Gato control room photos the ladder seems to be to side not behind, wondering why the devs did this, pretty big oversight.

I have never been on a Balao so wondering if perhaps the Balao's ladder is behind and to be cheap and save time, they cut a corner and just used Balao's interior for Gato, Tambor, Gar or if the ladder was behind the chart desk in the Tambor/Gar classes and just used it for Gato/Balao.

Little things like this really tick me off.....if not on purpose they need to learn to do some research to get things right.

Anyone know about this?

[Armistead]

You know, you're right...never even paid attention to it.

Still, I would prefer a complete sub even if the ladder was in the wrong place.

[Sailor Steve]

Well, in SH3 the Type 7 (the most numerous of all the u-boats) had the observation periscope back behind the conning tower ladder where the attack scope housing should be, and the attack scope housing (which filled up a huge amount of space in the control room) wasn't there at all. Up on the bridge, though, both came up where they were supposed to.

I'm not familiar with the Gato's layout, but I'm not surprised there might be some location errors. They can be fixed with mods, though.

[NorthBeach]

The Balao's ladder is in the same place as you describe. I've been on the USS Pampanito many times. But, checked the the website to be sure. Yup! Behind the planesmen, in front of the chart table.

[LukeFF]

Some boats had the ladder moved after the war ended, so it may be that the location of in the game is the post-war location.

Wahoo shows it to be behind the planesmen:

[Bubblehead1980]

See when I first thought about this, I thought about my last visit to the USS Drum(Gato) the ladder is behind the planesmen but also the Drum has a Balao class conning tower because hers was severely damaged during the war by depth chages and replaced but no gato towers were around so they slapped a Balao tower on her.So a Gato class boat with a Balao conning tower.So I figured maybe the devs had it correct and Drum was the exception.Then I saw photos of Wahoo and other Gatos with the ladder between the planesmen.

I actually think the ladder like it is in the game wouldve been better placement in RL.On the Drum you can go in the conning tower, so I climbed up the rather small ladder thru the narrow hatch and back down.If two planesmen and officer at the chart desk had been there, wouldve been rather close quarters, more so than if ladder was behind the chart desk.

If the devs went with the postwar config when perhaps some werebuilt with ladder behind or moved.BTW, are you sure some were moved? Sounds like a lot of trouble, would mean moving the hatch as well, a lot of work involved. well thats not great if they did use post war config, using wartime boats, gives us the wartime configuation ya know? Not the hugest issue but still.Also, can see why Gato and Balao are same basically but the Tambor and Gars should have been made different from Gato/Balao.

[taukarrie]

i think i bigger Gato screw up on the devs part is the fact that you cant see past the armored nest walls when manning the AA gun. targets are really only visible when directly overhead. heh

[ETR3(SS)]

That's not a screw up. That believe it or not is historically accurate, to what point I'm unsure. But the Conning Tower was shaped like that at the beginning of the war.

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by taukarrie

i think i bigger Gato screw up on the devs part is the fact that you cant see past the armored nest walls when manning the AA gun. targets are really only visible when directly overhead. heh

Screw up my sorry looking butt! The devs were just making it difficult to use so you wouldn't stupidly get yourself and sixty other guys killed by trying to use that useless popgun!

[taukarrie]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

Screw up my sorry looking butt! The devs were just making it difficult to use so you wouldn't stupidly get yourself and sixty other guys killed by trying to use that useless popgun!

truth be told, i may as well target planes using sonar for what my accuracy is worth. but id at least like to see those fatal bombs before they hit.

[LukeFF]

Originally Posted by ETR3(SS)

That's not a screw up. That believe it or not is historically accurate, to what point I'm unsure. But the Conning Tower was shaped like that at the beginning of the war.

Technically speaking, the 20mm AA gun wasn't mounted on the aft part of the fairwater in any fleet sub until it was cut down, starting in 1942. Until then, the standard AA armament was either a single .50 or .30 cal machine gun. However, the playable .50 cal MG in SH4 doesn't work all that great (there's issues with the animations, and it's missing its ironsights), so ATM we're stuck with the 20mm from the war's beginning.

USS Gato with .50 (or possibly .30) cal machine gun, 1 August 1942: