We were spotted by a Granville at over 8000m away!

[Paul Riley]

Last night I was tracking a Granville (heading SSW away from the Shetlands probably making for Edinburgh or somewhere) at extreme range on the surface,it was late morning,weather was clear with a slight wind.I consulted my watch officer and we were 0ver 8000m away (just visible through the binos) and moving parallel to its course.At regular intervals as we started to draw level I adjusted our course away then back on course to keep us roughly at the same distance apart.After around 30mins we drew level and I started to get a fix on his speed,when I noticed the Granville had started to zig zag,evident that we had been sighted!.This is not a problem,as we will pull off into the distance out of sight and continue with our interception knowing that he should return to his original course after an hr or so as he thinks the threat has passed.I plan to darken his days in 2 hours time.
Now I dont have a problem with being detected at such extreme range as it will allow me to adjust my game to conpensate for this forcing me to track at even greater range in daylight or even going decks awash,I just wondered if it would appear NORMAL for him to spot us at that range with such a low profile,this was not a military vessel with dedicated lookouts and radar capability.
This very rarely happens and may just be one of those 'lucky' moments,for him that is.

[Sailor Steve]

What mods are you using? Eight kilometers is absolute maximum for stock, and they usually are nowhere near that good. With the 16km mods they can also see further, though eight is still pretty far for them.

I'm using the SH5 Water mod with 20 km visibility, and I get spotted at that range fairly often. I try to stay outside 10 km during the daytime.

[ralphnader23]

Maybe those Granvilles have a crow's nest on their big masts to let them see extra far?

I had a ship sight me from a long ways off yesterday in calm seas (my noise indicator went to Red before my watch crew even spotted the ship (and I had the watch officer up there, so the bar was full).) So maybe it has something to do with the conditions of the sea? I'd imagine it's much easier to spot a U-boat a long ways off in calm seas.

Luckily if the seas are calm that means my deck gun is particularly effective.

I know most people don't use the noise meter. I'm on my way up to 100%..

[Paul Riley]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

What mods are you using? Eight kilometers is absolute maximum for stock, and they usually are nowhere near that good. With the 16km mods they can also see further, though eight is still pretty far for them.

I'm using the SH5 Water mod with 20 km visibility, and I get spotted at that range fairly often. I try to stay outside 10 km during the daytime.

No mods that would affect visibility factors other than the 16k atmosphere within GWX.I think it may have been a fluke mate,he's still going down tonight mind you

[Paul Riley]

Originally Posted by ralphnader23

Maybe those Granvilles have a crow's nest on their big masts to let them see extra far?

I had a ship sight me from a long ways off yesterday in calm seas (my noise indicator went to Red before my watch crew even spotted the ship (and I had the watch officer up there, so the bar was full).) So maybe it has something to do with the conditions of the sea? I'd imagine it's much easier to spot a U-boat a long ways off in calm seas.

Luckily if the seas are calm that means my deck gun is particularly effective.

I know most people don't use the noise meter. I'm on my way up to 100%..

I think the calm conditions gave me away...we live and learn.
Get rid of the noise meter as soon as you can,your game will become more immersive then,in your own time of course

[ralphnader23]

I'm getting there. I just turned of periscope stabilization yesterday. The noise meter will be the next thing to go...then the God's even map updates..and then maybe those fun cinematic movies of the torpedo impacts.

[Paul Riley]

Originally Posted by ralphnader23

I'm getting there. I just turned of periscope stabilization yesterday. The noise meter will be the next thing to go...then the God's even map updates..and then maybe those fun cinematic movies of the torpedo impacts.

The only ones I leave at the moment are-

map updates - (one day I would like to play without this)

periscope stabilization - (there was once a debate about this subject and many actually leave it on to simulate what were at the time 'very good German optics',and most of them would probably have been as steady as a rock.

external view - I still like to look at my U-Boat at times and when trying to get a good screenshot,but any time I am tracking or attacking a ship or any other similar task I adopt a strict 'no external view usage'

[Jimbuna]

Always bear in mind that whatever range of sight you have, the ships have also.

Similarly if you were to up the damage rating of your 20mm flak for example, the same rating would apply to every 20mm gun in the game.

Now the argument about large platforms being more noticeable than small platforms takes another twist because the game engine takes so many parameters such as sea state, light conditions, cross dimensional profiles etc. I sometimes think the game engine struggles a bit to 'get it right'.......we use what we have available to us

[Sailor Steve]

One of the funny quirks with AOTD was that escorts would spot you at very long distances, but if you dove while more than 10 km away they would lose interest and go back to the convoy.

I like the programming in SH3 (or at least in GWX) that lets some of them come over to look for you and then look in the wrong place.

Originally Posted by Paul Riley

The only ones I leave at the moment are-

map updates - (one day I would like to play without this)

I use the Assisted Plotting Mod. They only appear one at a time and only if you highlight them. It feels real to me.

periscope stabilization - (there was once a debate about this subject and many actually leave it on to simulate what were at the time 'very good German optics',and most of them would probably have been as steady as a rock.

In SH3 I have it on, in SH4 I have it off. SH4 gives an accurate split-image rangefinder that lets you determine range even when things are bouncing around. With SH3 this is impossible, so off it goes.

external view - I still like to look at my U-Boat at times and when trying to get a good screenshot,but any time I am tracking or attacking a ship or any other similar task I adopt a strict 'no external view usage'

Me too!

[Platapus]

I simply can't give up the event camera. Watching the hull of my target loom into view is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the game for me.

I have never used the External camera though. But I love me some event camera action.

[pickinthebanjo]

I use map updates at the moment, but I usually don't. The reason is this mod I'm using that disabled my watchman's godlike ability to tell me the range of the ship I was looking at.

I don't use external view since the mod I'm using allows me to move around the deck, so I can still get screenshots.

I like to use the hydrophone to hear if the torpedo hits/detonates so I turn off event cam

I use stableized optics (or whatever it's called) as well

[FIREWALL]

I use the honor system and only use external cam to take screenshots.

In Single Missons which, I use as U-Boot School I use it all the time to try new different tactics.

And see where I make mistakes.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Platapus

I simply can't give up the event camera. Watching the hull of my target loom into view is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the game for me.

I have never used the External camera though. But I love me some event camera action.

I'm exactly the opposite. I turned the Event Camera off the first time I saw it. But like Firewall I use the External Cam to look at the cools stuff and take screenshots, but in combat only when fooling around with single missions.

[ralphnader23]

What all does turning off "god's eve mode" do on the map? Do you just not get the periscope updates that show you where the boats are on the navigation map?

I'm just guessing that, because that feature makes it easy to double check your range calculator by using the ruler...

[timmy41]

bernard was drying his underwear in the parascope, they were spotted.