too many aircraft? (In TMO campaign)

[UdiHrant]

Running TMO in a full campaign - I spend almost all of my time ducking under Jap aircraft - lots of them!

- is there any strategy for stearing clear of these swarms? Am I being stalked repeatedly because I've been spotted? Should I try submerhing for a long time and clearing the area?

- alternately is there a way of 'reducing' the number of aircraft that appear in a campaign?

- finally -i think because of aircraft - i keep taking phantom damage - no radar warning, no time scale shift, no min-movie showing a plane diving - just my exec yelling 'we're taking damage sir!' and then I get some hull damage and random other broken things

Any help/advice would be appreciated.

[BillBam]

You and many others! The air patrol problem in TMO is probably the #1 complaint I see in these posts. You might try this mod by Wesbster do reduce the air patrols, although not sure how well it works with TMO.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=152885

As to your phantom damage are you near land? If so shore batteries may be getting you. I do not believe there is any warning about this either, I know from experience hahaha!

[Bubblehead1980]

TMO's air patrols are reduced, stock was crazy, TMO's are realistic for most part.Yes, if you are spotted that puts them on alert and they do spawn more often,I've noticed this.I will agree the spawn rate should be reduced a little more and the Zeros taken out of the ASW patrol files, only bombers and patrol planes.Are running TMO 1.9? Best idea is to dive, stay under about 2 hours, then surface, most of the time you wont encounter anymore planes except occasionally one at dusk depending on the area, dive again.Near Japan you get a lot of air contacts.

[Rockin Robbins]

No. There is no way to avoid them.
Except...

[UdiHrant]

I've followed that advice pretty carefully and it works - but I still am under constant air attack! Example - I cruise north of the Philapeans right after Pearl Harbor headed to the Luzon Straight - I have to dunk and resurface 5 or 6 times just getting there and the continuisly each day while on patrol there. That's not realistic at all and certainly NO FUN.

There HAS to be a way to cut down on them. Is this a result of TMO (yes im on 1.9)?

I've read plenty of accounts from real WWII submariners and they did not spend MOST of their time dodging planes. The Japs would have to blanket the Pacific in order to attck that often...

If anyone knows how to change this please let me know - what a sad way to pork an incredible sim...

[Bubblehead1980]

Planes were a problem in RL, just depends where and when you were there.Read Admiral Fluckeys book Thunder Below, they dove pretty often for planes but didnt stay down long, he did the yo-yo move.Planes, esp later war were a real PITA.

[Admiral8Q]

I agree that is is probably realistic for the amount of planes, but not how easily they detect you. Also the Zero's were not used much on scout missions, if at all. Personally I'd rather have them cut down for gameplay because their is not much you can do about them in TMO on the surface when they spot you anyways. It wastes a lot of time when you're trying to get somewhere.

[Bubblehead1980]

yea, I'd love to see the Zeros gone, thats left over from stock I believe and always annoyed me.I have no trouble with them spotting me most of the time, some planes like the Bettys have radar and the big float planes have radar later in war so may be getting confused thinking they spot you when they get you on radar.I spot them when at periscope depth all time and they just fly on by unless they fly right over me, which in the PTO submerged subs were easy to see when right on them.Only areas with extreme air traffic I would say are the home islands.Take out the Zeros, reduce spawn rate just a little, would be perfect.

[Jan Kyster]

Have you tried playing with the values in AirStrike.cfg?

Maximum Aircraft Range=1500
Poor Airbase Modifier=0.5
Novice Airbase Modifier=0.70
Competent Airbase Modifier=0.85
Veteran Airbase Modifier=0.9
Elite Airbase Modifier=1
Night Modifier=0.1
Default Air Strike Probability=20
Enemy Air Strike Probability Increase on Radio Messages Sent=85
Friendly Air Strike Probability Increase on Contact Report Sent=85
Enemy Air Strike Probability Increase on Player Detection=85
Atenuation Factor=10
Logic Steps Between Air Sessions=15

[tomoose]

....I've yet to experience the air problems described here. Yes, there are quite a few planes once you get to a certain range of the home islands, that is to be expected. As I've posted in other threads, I draw range circles from known enemy airfields out to 500mile radii and use that as a graphic "tripwire" to know when I should expect enemy air activity. It works fairly well.
With your radar there's really no excuse for being caught on the surface or avoiding aircraft entirely.
I can honestly say I usually don't know what type of aircraft have tried to intercept my sub! I'm playing full realism and I do NOT hang around on the surface waiting to see what type of aircraft is heading my way.

If I get an air radar contact I'll continue course and speed until I get an "aircraft spotted" alert. If I've spotted him and I'm in a calm or reasonably calm sea then realistically I can expect he'll spot me ergo "crash dive". I don't try to find out if it's a Zero, a Betty or an Emily (that takes up precious dive time). Avoiding complete contact with aircraft IMHO seems to keep the overall number of aircraft events down to a tolerable level. Yes, I am sometimes attacked but by then I'm well under and have changed course and am clear of danger. After an hour or so I resume course and surface (checking with sonar and periscope first of course).

[UdiHrant]

Tomoos - I do follow your technique with the 5 mile range circle and it works - my only objection is the frequency of dives I have been making - 6 or 7 a day?! I'm going to try playiong with the cfg as posted below to see if i can create a more realistic campaign experience for myself...thanks.

[Rockin Robbins]

You need to read some Dick O'Kane. One time he was under constant harassment from radar equipped planes. He was spending the night submerged just to get his crew some sleep, and O'Kane NEVER did that. Finally he considered that he was the hunted rather than the hunter and shifted operations to another zone.

So you need to read more. The game is fine with the amount of aircraft. They are dense in certain areas and that's as far as it goes. That's how it was in the war.

[sharkbit]

In my previous patrol in 4/42-5/42 out of Freemantle through the Makassar Straights, I hardly saw an airplane.

This patrol(5/42-6/42), the airplanes are buzzing around like flies. I was diving 5-6 times a day when the aircraft was sighted.
I tried Rockin Robbins "ice cream cone" tactic with the air search radar and that helps prevent unnecessary diving. Sometimes I'd spot an airplane visually before my air search radar picked him up and I had to pull the plug. Even got some damage and flooding from one close call.

And I'm not even thinking about loading my external torpedoes on my Sargo class.

[tomoose]

It probably seems more prevalent when you use TC. As mentioned by Sharkbit the density of aircraft varies depending on location. I'd agree with that. Currently I'd say I'm getting 2 or 3 aircraft intercepts a day as I'm heading back from Formosa Straits to Midway. I expect that will increase as I pass the Rikyu Islands and Iwo Jima.

[kylania]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

No. There is no way to avoid them.
Except...

Started a TMO campaign last night, in an S-Class to check out this awesome, but apparently the S-Class takes a week to submerge. I'd issue a periscope depth command as soon as my weak radar detected the plane, and 5 minutes later I'd be at 20 ft or so with the planes overhead and diving! heh Kinda scary!