Noob needs help with Training Mission 4

[Turkanator]

Hello All, this is my very first posting and I just received SH4 & UBoat Missions (download copies from Amazon.com) for Christmas this year. This is my first go at the World War II Sub simulators.


I'm having a hard time with the Convoy Attack Training Mission, I'm unable to get to the freighters without getting nailed by an Escort, because I end up right in front of an Escort, I take an Escort out and the other one kills me.


I'm not 100% sure how to plot an intercept course, I understand the idea of what I need to do but I'm not sure on how much lead to give them & the correct speed to intercept them at the spot.


I have downloaded several of the Tutorial Videos from the "Sub Skipper's Bag of Tricks--Techniques, tactics, tutorials, videos" without much help on this for me anyways.

Thank you,

[Task Force]

So what are you doing... what are your speed settings...
when evadeing a Distroyer. Try to go deep and be silent.

If you want to try to loose him.

1 go silent running. (press Z I think.)
2 Keep under 2 knots (100rpm.)
3 go deep below the thermal layer.
4 ocationaly change course...

Oah, and welcome to subsim.

[magic452]

Welcome to SubSim.

You start that mission in a terrible position. No skipper would put himself in this position.
As soon as the mission loads go to periscope depth ahead 2/3 (3 knots) and silent running. May be you can get down before the escort sees you. Also there are two planes that can see you so get down as fast as you can. If he sees you do as Task Force said. Don't go silent till you pass 40'. Mark on the nav map the position of the convoy and it's approximate course on your way down. Sonar will soon pick them up and you can plan your attack form there.

Attack the freighters and leave the escorts alone if you can.

Magic

[BigBANGtheory]

I completed that mission for the first time yesterday, personally I opted to take out two of the destroyers first but it felt like the wrong thing to do I believe the mission was trying to guide you into sneaking past them.

From my own experience I learnt:

1. Don't keep your scope up for too long.
2. Use the navigation map loads and get familiar with the tools.
3. Radar was useless after you make the initial detection.
4. Those destoyers and I assume the planes also can spot you at around six nautical miles.

Question for the vetts related to this mission...

1) Does using the sonar range/ping give away your position and presence to escorts? I assume merchants are not equiped with hydrophones and therefore oblivious to the ping.

2) When I play the mission the convoy changes course all over the place making it hard to position the sub for a decent firing angle. Is that because the convoy (and convoys in general) zig zag on purpose all the time, or is it because my sub has been detected and they are taking special precautions?

Question for the vetts related to this mission...

1) Does using the sonar range/ping give away your position and presence to escorts? I assume merchants are not equiped with hydrophones and therefore oblivious to the ping.

yes its like sending a flare up telling the escorts where you are. also merchants can sometimes hear the ping on the hull if you are nearby so they dont have to have sonar to hear your pinging.

2) When I play the mission the convoy changes course all over the place making it hard to position the sub for a decent firing angle. Is that because the convoy (and convoys in general) zig zag on purpose all the time, or is it because my sub has been detected and they are taking special precautions?

yes they will alter course at random by design but you can eliminate this being a problem by getting in close so they dont have time to change course, also setting torpedos to high speed could help.

you could have been detected by your engine sound or your periscope was seen, if you are detected the merchants usually scatter and the escorts make a turn heading to your position.

Originally Posted by WEBSTER

2) When I play the mission the convoy changes course all over the place making it hard to position the sub for a decent firing angle. Is that because the convoy (and convoys in general) zig zag on purpose all the time, or is it because my sub has been detected and they are taking special precautions?

yes they will alter course at random by design but you can eliminate this being a problem by getting in close so they dont have time to change course, also setting torpedos to high speed could help.

you could have been detected by your engine sound or your periscope was seen, if you are detected the merchants usually scatter and the escorts make a turn heading to your position.

As far as I know, convoys should be relatively straight going unless you've been detected somehow. It's quite obvious if you've been detected - the merchants do 45* turns left and right constantly. Note that the lead destroyer tends to do a zigzag pattern anyway, hunting for subs like you!

[VirtualVikingX]

Originally Posted by magic452

Welcome to SubSim.

You start that mission in a terrible position. No skipper would put himself in this position.

What WOULD a good position be in this case? I am just wondering. Happy to hear yours or anybody elses thoughts on this matter.

[magic452]

You should be about 15 or so miles away, that will give you time to set up a good shoot by tracking the convoy on radar and plot it's course and get speed using the three minute rule.

Mark the position and start the clock, three minutes later mark again and measure the distance between marks. 1 knot for each 100 yards.
500 yards = 5 knots, 10,000 yards = 10 knots etc. I do this three times and that will give you a good course line as well.

Once you have this you can set up an intercept point and be there waiting.

Magic

[Turkanator]

Thank you, the for quick replies!

For a Sub Driver like any noob does, I do the dumbest thing I charge straight ahead at Flank speed with the hopes of getting to the ambush spot (the default course spot) before they do. I try to stay at periscope depth, somehow I always end nose to nose with the Lead Destoryer, here is where it goes bad to worst. Because I have the download verisons of the game I don't have the manuals or I haven't found it yet, therefore I'm not up to speed of the combat manuvers.

I just can't see a Skipper in middle of a battle pulling out the NAV Chart & plotting for a Crazy Ivan .

Sidenote: Does anyone know if "Das Boot" is out on DVD, I haven't seen it since I was in middle school for a class, that's been about 20 years or so.

Thank you,

[Sailor Steve]

Das Boot has been available on DVD for more than a decade. You can get the Director's Cut, which at 3-1/2 hours is an hour longer than the theatrical release, and has better sound and very good subtitles, or you can go for the 'Original, Uncut Version', which is the miniseries without the episode dividers, and is just under 5 hours long. The sound and subtitles aren't as good in that one, but the extra footage makes it the one to own.
http://www.amazon.com/Das-Boot-Direc...1933011&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Das-Boot-Origi...1933011&sr=1-2

Crazy Ivan

Browncoat, huh?

Oh, and WELCOME ABOARD!

[Turkanator]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Browncoat, huh?

Browncoat? I was thinking of Crazy Ivans from the Hunt For Red October.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Turkanator

Browncoat? I was thinking of Crazy Ivans from the Hunt For Red October.

Sorry. I was thinking of the wacky 'Crazy Ivan' spaceship maneuver from the series Firefly. The survivors of the rebel army called themselves 'Browncoats'.

That's what I get for thinking, eh?