Patrol Objective

[Jeff1959]

I am playing SH4 1.5, with only GFO and MaxOptics IV. I am playing a career at easy, because I am just getting back into playing.

I get the objective to patrol the Caroline Islands. I slink around for almost 4 months, sinking 5 merchants. I have only one torpedo in the aft tube left. When I report to PH, I am told to continue with my current objective.

I decided to return to base, where I received medals for the patrol but the screen still said "incomplete." What does it take to complete and does it really matter?

Jeff (green as algae)

[Bubblehead1980]

Originally Posted by Jeff1959

I am playing SH4 1.5, with only GFO and MaxOptics IV. I am playing a career at easy, because I am just getting back into playing.

I get the objective to patrol the Caroline Islands. I slink around for almost 4 months, sinking 5 merchants. I have only one torpedo in the aft tube left. When I report to PH, I am told to continue with my current objective.

I decided to return to base, where I received medals for the patrol but the screen still said "incomplete." What does it take to complete and does it really matter?

Jeff (green as algae)

Welcome back

Four months? lol long time. Hmm did the orders give you a certain proximity and/or time frame you were supposed to remain in? If I recall, in stock game (GFO may not had fixed this) they had the range set pretty like remain within fifty nautical miles for X amount of days and it has to be continuous, so if ventured outside the radius , it starts the clock all over.

If you had the "sink" orders where you proceed to x and patrol, have to sink shipping, the vessels may not have equaled the required tonnage for SH 4 to consider objective met


Could be a bug in GFO as well.


Try reloading your save draw a circle 50 nautical miles using map tools, sit there (can use time compression) and see if it changes to completed.

[Mad Mardigan]

Originally Posted by Jeff1959

I am playing SH4 1.5, with only GFO and MaxOptics IV. I am playing a career at easy, because I am just getting back into playing.

I get the objective to patrol the Caroline Islands. I slink around for almost 4 months, sinking 5 merchants. I have only one torpedo in the aft tube left. When I report to PH, I am told to continue with my current objective.

I decided to return to base, where I received medals for the patrol but the screen still said "incomplete." What does it take to complete and does it really matter?

Jeff (green as algae)

+1 what Bubblehead1980 said...

Originally Posted by Bubblehead1980

Welcome back

Four months? lol long time. Hmm did the orders give you a certain proximity and/or time frame you were supposed to remain in? If I recall, in stock game (GFO may not had fixed this) they had the range set pretty like remain within fifty nautical miles for X amount of days and it has to be continuous, so if ventured outside the radius , it starts the clock all over.

If you had the "sink" orders where you proceed to x and patrol, have to sink shipping, the vessels may not have equaled the required tonnage for SH 4 to consider objective met


Could be a bug in GFO as well.


Try reloading your save draw a circle 50 nautical miles using map tools, sit there (can use time compression) and see if it changes to completed.

And.... to add to that, just in case your mission orders were to have full autonomy to sink shipping, might peruse & pursue seeing of some point near there, that is like... a choke point & see of some ships rolling through there, that sinking enough... will knock that completion time bell out of the park, as well.

Hope this helps...



M. M.

[Zero Niner]

If my memory is correct, you could have two types of patrol objectives with GFO:
1. A star with a binocular symbol indicates that you need to patrol the area for a certain amount of time. The patrol area is defined as a circle of radius 100nm (usually; there are a couple of exceptions where the radius is 50nm) and you have to remain within this circle until the time is up. Even if you sink zero ships, the objective will complete.
2. A star with a flag icon will turn grey when you approach it and a new objective of sinking enemy shipping will be given. You will need to sink (iirc) 10,000t of enemy ships to complete this. You do not have to sink the tonnage in the vicinity of the objective; you could have the flag in the Solomons but sink all the ships off Japan and it would still be counted.

[Mad Mardigan]

Originally Posted by Zero Niner

If my memory is correct, you could have two types of patrol objectives with GFO:
1. A star with a binocular symbol indicates that you need to patrol the area for a certain amount of time. The patrol area is defined as a circle of radius 100nm (usually; there are a couple of exceptions where the radius is 50nm) and you have to remain within this circle until the time is up. Even if you sink zero ships, the objective will complete.
2. A star with a flag icon will turn grey when you approach it and a new objective of sinking enemy shipping will be given. You will need to sink (iirc) 10,000t of enemy ships to complete this. You do not have to sink the tonnage in the vicinity of the objective; you could have the flag in the Solomons but sink all the ships off Japan and it would still be counted.

Yeah... think I recall that, as well... My suggestion of locating a bottleneck choke point nearby, was to have it where they didn't need to go far off the beaten path of where they are... & could complete it, if it is a sink anything floating, flying the IJN meatball flag.

That way, they could radio in & obtain a new objective... or make way back to base... their choice on which, after that, at that point. Depending on their fuel stats, torps left, DG ammo status... as well as by then, of how long they'd been out on patrol.... as patrols were usually short in nature, as I recall of... typically, 30-60 was normal... a few, resulted in running outts fish & headed back to replenish... & head back out. Which, can also be done... then there were some that would perhaps, extend further out than 60... but... iirc, those were rare occurrences...



M. M.

[Jeff1959]

Thanks. My orders were to patrol off the Caroline Islands and sink enemy shipping. I suspect that on more than one occasion, I strayed out the the area while chasing convoys.



Let's see where they send me next.


Jeff