Firing TLAMs outside of a mission does nothing

[XenonSurf]

I have concluded successfully an insertion mission at Archangelsk, I got a new mission to return to base and attack any target of opportunity. I got a contact just after leaving my operation area, and because I have TLAMs loaded in my VLS tubes I thought I could as well fire them on the 2 naval bases around helping my campaign effort. I did so, firing 4 missiles at each naval base for a total of all my 8 TLAMs.

Result: , they headed well towards their objective, turned in a circle for some seconds and pooofffff....they just hit the ground without any damage.

I think the logic needs some refinements. Also none of them were shot down, I didn't see any SAM missiles launched from the base.

This is the most awesome sub game, but it needs completion and improvements in many areas like:

- More dynamic missions and possibility of engagements in addition to purely scripted events, meaning a populated sea when entering 3D world (at anytime possibly)
- Better mission design for TLAMs with conventional warheads making it a challenge for the player to attack terran targets (I made a model suggestion already)
- Improved missile logic
- Introduction of SAM systems against TLAMs, from ships and from land.

A bigger variety of mission types like:
- Seal rescue missions, after dropping them you need to pick them up again, or are they angels with wings :=)
- Air Force pilot rescue missions
- Missions in teamwork with friendly carriers and warships

The game has the spirit of Red Storm Rising, but this doesn't mean it should be exactly the same. Sid Meier would have added more features in a remake...

[Delfi]

Photo recon missions could be added.

The Silent Hunter player in me wants convoy raiding.

[XenonSurf]

Well, photo recon is rather done by satellites or drones nowadays, or by Seal teams dropped from a sub. In fact I have had a hard time to imagine more realistic missions other than those actually in the game, even pilot rescues are much better done by helo squadrons based on CVs, they are faster and can locate downed pilots much more accurately and are equiped with safety boats to drop etc.

As for TLAM missions, I have made sensible progress to understand how they work in CW by just transforming these campaign missions into single missions by manipulating the game files. The red circles you see in TLAM missions are the activation points where the missile starts to search for its final objective, it's usually placed some miles ahead of the target to give the missile enough time and manoeuvre room. Sponaneous firings (out of a mission) remain fruitless because there's no such 'red circle' for missiles.

My next step is to transform more such missions into single ones to gather exact data about mission coordinates for other locations so I can add them to the Russian Campaigns in the most current mods. Finally, subs like Typhoons or Delta IV or other subs with TLAMs will become useful, I will write missions for them mainly focused on Insertions or Land Strikes. Let's see what comes out...

[The Bandit]

Originally Posted by XenonSurf

Well, photo recon is rather done by satellites or drones nowadays, or by Seal teams dropped from a sub. In fact I have had a hard time to imagine more realistic missions other than those actually in the game, even pilot rescues are much better done by helo squadrons based on CVs, they are faster and can locate downed pilots much more accurately and are equiped with safety boats to drop etc.

As for TLAM missions, I have made sensible progress to understand how they work in CW by just transforming these campaign missions into single missions by manipulating the game files. The red circles you see in TLAM missions are the activation points where the missile starts to search for its final objective, it's usually placed some miles ahead of the target to give the missile enough time and manoeuvre room. Sponaneous firings (out of a mission) remain fruitless because there's no such 'red circle' for missiles.

My next step is to transform more such missions into single ones to gather exact data about mission coordinates for other locations so I can add them to the Russian Campaigns in the most current mods. Finally, subs like Typhoons or Delta IV or other subs with TLAMs will become useful, I will write missions for them mainly focused on Insertions or Land Strikes. Let's see what comes out...

Yeah, I can't remember if any of the devs explained it in detail but, at least for Tomahawk missions, there are quite a few reasons why they aren't being launched at MAX range. Just a few that I could think of is that the commonly quoted range figure for Tomahawk (1000nm) isn't true for sub-launched missiles. From what I recall, due to weight and balancing issues, fuel load was significantly reduced, something to the tune of 25+% or so which didn't get sorted out until around the early 90s.

Another reason I can think of is minimum flight time. Within reason you want to have the missiles in the air for as short a time as possible to cut down on the reaction time you'd be allowing Soviet air defenses to shoot them down, so lets say the difference between one SAM battery getting lock and firing while the TLAMs are on their terminal approach vs. getting them on radar 600nm out to sea, rolling fighters and then readying SAMs to hit the leakers.

[kilerkg]

Originally Posted by Delfi

Photo recon missions could be added.

The Silent Hunter player in me wants convoy raiding.

It would be nice for it to be added. It just doesn't seem dynamic/alive enough to me personally, in its current state. I did still enjoy playing it though.

[Capt.Hunt]

The CW devs acknowledged that the TLAM strike missions are kinda unrealistic, but that was done to make them more of a challenge then just driving out to a launch basket in the Barents Sea and lobbing Tomahawks at Russia.

Keep in mind that in 1984 you couldn't just upload a set of GPS coordinates to a TLAM and shoot it. They had to be programmed with the target position and digital maps of the target area, a process that took some time.

[kilerkg]

Originally Posted by Capt.Hunt

The CW devs acknowledged that the TLAM strike missions are kinda unrealistic, but that was done to make them more of a challenge then just driving out to a launch basket in the Barents Sea and lobbing Tomahawks at Russia.

Keep in mind that in 1984 you couldn't just upload a set of GPS coordinates to a TLAM and shoot it. They had to be programmed with the target position and digital maps of the target area, a process that took some time.

Have the devs mentioned the performace hit when on the port missons, either TLAM or seal insertion?

[Capt.Hunt]

As I've only had the game for about a week, I don't know