One of Those days at sea.

[Maggoty]

Long time lurker here, I've played AoD, SH3, SH4, and SH5. I quit SH5 (thankfully it was a gift) after the millionth time franz yelled "secure the deck gun" in my ear. So I got SH4 re installed and sat down for some merchant hunting goodness in the Luzon straights. Very first patrol. I'm halfway up the coast of manila in my salmon when I get warship sounds. Well it's just a sound contact right? In SH5, maybe... 2 seconds later a whole Japanese task force has me under fire. Dive! I say.

Then the damage control board lights up, OMG Stop diving! I compromise with periscope depth and attempt to make my best speed out of there. Again in SH5 they don't chase you. So I used time compression like an idiot. Well the good news is I took out three destroyers, the bad news is I did it by using my submarine as a speed bump. I limped back to harbor and immediately retired my commission.

So now with my second career, I'm motivated to actually put some hurt on that task force. Of course my commander decides the best use of my boat is a resupply mission to the south, and the Japanese haven't even invaded yet! Agggh. Well they can wait for their mail, I'm going task force hunting. I follow the same route and except for one sound contact with an unidentified destroyer, there was nothing. Nada. Ok fine I guess I can go deliver some mail. That done I get a message about a task force west of Borneo headed in the direction of Saigon. (north). I stop for about an hour and try really hard to remember the system I used to use for deriving intercept points on such large scales, (I'm on the other side of Borneo). En route though I get another message, a large convoy and it's only 40NM north of me! I swear I didn't even do anything with my controls, the tonnage just guided me in.

So I go into silent running below the thermal layer directly in their path. then the cook drops the pan and startles the goat. Or something, because I started getting active pinging and almost right away depth charges. Am I cursed?!? Well I ain't running, not this time. I turn into the convoy and call for periscope depth. The destroyers are completely confused, they must have only had the slightest of indications I was there because when I came up under ahead slow one of them decided to drop depth charges while not moving. He had to stop to avoid running into the merchant ship. The depth charges injure nobody but the destroyer and leave it dead in the water as well. After I stopped laughing from imagining the goings on in the destroyers bridge, (I was about 50m off his right side. My periscope had to be clearly visible.) I lined up some big composite freighters. 17 torpedoes and ~15,000 tons later (3 Merchants 2 Destroyers) I have a new appreciation for he maneuverability of merchants. And their apparently incredible hardiness, I broke on DD under the middle, but the 5,000 ton merchant soaked up four torpedoes before grudgingly, slowly slipping under the waves. I tried to come up for deck gun action after the second destroyer went down, but then another DD came rolling in from at full speed from the eastern horizon. That's it, screw you guys, I'm goin' home. Driver guy, 250 feet full ahead, hard right. Poor destroyer got a glimpse of me on the surface, but never came close to pinging me. On the coll side, I checked another message from HQ about a task force sighting. It was exactly where I had predicted the Task force would be. But it was a good thing I decided to go for the merchants instead, that area just to the west of me turned into a task force convention. That could have gone real bad, real quick.


Too Long to read? What in Murphy's name was Ubisoft thinking with Silent Hunter 5? Thankfully I got it as a gift and I can come right back to Silent Hunter 4 guilt free. Number 5 ain't got nuthin' on the tense awesomeness of 4. SH5. I'm back and I swear if there's a silent hunter 6 I'm going to con someone into giving me that as a gift too, just in case.

[max-peck]

Welcome aboard Maggoty

I believe it is not sucstomary for me to say something along the lines of:
SINK EM ALL!

[Gerald]

Interesting reading, regardless of which of the SH series, you drive on with so I wish the best of luck,

[fireftr18]

Welcome aboard Maggoty.
Donna and She-Wolf have been quiet lately. You need to go spy on them to see what they're up to. It's got to be trouble.

Good story. It sounds like you're playing stock. Install TMO and you'll have fun.

[Armistead]

The SH series is silly without mods. I don't play SH5, but I believe the modders have got it into a decent game now.

[Sniper297]

"So I go into silent running below the thermal layer directly in their path"

FYI, I can't confirm this 100%, but the testing I've done led me to this theory;

1. The programming subroutine for thermal layers is the same as the visual - sub surfaced can be seen X number of yards, sub decks awash has only the conning tower above the water can be seen at some lesser number of yards.
2. Thermal layer is programmed as a fixed depth, anything above that line can be "seen" by sonar.
3. The BT indicator is in the same place the depth sensor is, on the keel of the sub.
4. When you get "PASSING THERMAL LAYER" at 160 feet, that's how deep the KEEL is.
5. If you stop at 170 feet you only have 10 feet under the thermal layer, the rest of the sub IS STILL ABOVE THE LAYER.
6. Therefore go to "periscope depth" beneath the layer - note the depth where you get the message and go 60 feet under that to get the entire sub including periscope shears underneath the layer. If the layer is at 180 you need to be at least at 240, if the layer is at 200 you need to be at 260.

That is semi-realistic, if the BT sensor is on the keel (where the depth sensor is) then it won't do you any good to skim along on top of the layer.

[Carrollsue]

Yeah, I can buy that and like the story too. Thank God for save to go back to, to get those SOB

[Maggoty]

Ahh thanks sniper that makes sense. I did figure that I was safe once my guy said passing thermal layer. I guess I should let him out of the brig?

Fire I'll only agree to this recon mission if I get to keep the evidence for later blackmail.

and yes mods are my next move, I just like to play the vanilla versions first to see what I think needs fixing. Like the destroyer AI.

[fireftr18]

You can save any evidence you want for any blackmailing you want.
When you vist the bilge, blackmailing is encouraged.