Missed..again

Julie Whitefeather · 03-11-12, 03:19 PM

For the life of me I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. I set the torpedo to shallow depth, high speed and contact influence. I wait for the target to close...

And even broadside no matter what I do the torpedo misses. I am about ready to get out and throw rocks at the enemy.

I have been through the tutorials and can't figure out what on earth is going wrong.

pabbi · 03-11-12, 05:02 PM

Do you open the tubes (think it is "Q") before shooting.

DrBeast · 03-11-12, 05:10 PM

I take it you're using Manual Targeting?

Follow RockinRobbins's excellent Dick O'Kane attack method tutorial (found here). Guaranteed to score you a hit.

Julie Whitefeather · 03-11-12, 05:32 PM

So the process I follow so far is...

1. Go to periscope depth or on the surface at night go to "u"
2. Line up the shot with the triangle.
3. Set the depth to as shallow as I can
4. Set the speed to high
5. Set the the torpedo to contact influence.

I am sure I am missing something (other than the ships I mean). Oh I do manage to hit a few but I miss many more..

What am I doing wrong and what is the difference between manual and "not manual"

Still trying to learn.

Thanks.

Julie

WernherVonTrapp · 03-11-12, 06:14 PM

You mention triangle so I'm guessing that you're using Auto-Targeting. Like pabbi mentioned, make sure you open the torpedo tubes a few seconds before firing (by pressing the "Q" key). Also, make sure the triangle color is green, indicating that you have a "good" firing solution. You can lock onto the target by pressing the "L" key, but I prefer to unlock just prior to firing (again by pressing "L") and leading the specific targeted section ever so slightly.
Try to close to within 1000 yds or less (if possible) before launching your attack. Also, make sure you're not firing at too extreme an angle or accidentally firing the rear tubes when you mean to fire the front (or bow) tubes.

Julie Whitefeather · 03-11-12, 06:25 PM

I did read through the manual targeting methods and I am afraid all it did was leave me scratching my head, not understanding at all what was going on. While I do want to try manual targeting I need something a bit simpler than the link mentioned above.

There are also two buttons on the sonar that say "send range" to TDL and another one as well. What are those for? I also don't understand what the "spread" is for. And I can't figure out why my radar doesn't work even though I have one installed on the submarine.

Sorry for all the questions. This makes Eve Online look like an easy game.

Julie

DrBeast · 03-11-12, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julie Whitefeather

So the process I follow so far is...

1. Go to periscope depth or on the surface at night go to "u"
2. Line up the shot with the triangle.
3. Set the depth to as shallow as I can
4. Set the speed to high
5. Set the the torpedo to contact influence.

I am sure I am missing something (other than the ships I mean). Oh I do manage to hit a few but I miss many more..

What am I doing wrong and what is the difference between manual and "not manual"

Still trying to learn.

Thanks.

Julie

1. I'd go to PD even at night, unless it's moonless and/or foggy.
2. What WernherVonTrapp said.
3, 4, and 5. Check.
6. What WernherVonTrapp said.

Auto targeting means the game is automagically calculating your target's range, speed and AoB. All you have to do is point and shoot.
In manual targeting you have to get all those parameters by yourself, as well as identify the type of ship. And, of course, point and shoot.

WernherVonTrapp · 03-11-12, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julie Whitefeather

Sorry for all the questions. This makes Eve Online look like an easy game.

Julie

No need to apologize Julie.

Hell, everybody and their brothers/sisters are smarter than me. You're already more advanced than I am, and you're just asking questions. I'm still trying to learn all the tricks I can, with Auto-Targeting no less. I'm not the guy to ask for Manual Targeting questions so I'll leave that for the rest of the grads. I'm still in grade school on that one.

Hmmmm, see? They can all type faster than me too.

DrBeast · 03-11-12, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julie Whitefeather

I did read through the manual targeting methods and I am afraid all it did was leave me scratching my head, not understanding at all what was going on. While I do want to try manual targeting I need something a bit simpler than the link mentioned above.

There are also two buttons on the sonar that say "send range" to TDL and another one as well. What are those for? I also don't understand what the "spread" is for. And I can't figure out why my radar doesn't work even though I have one installed on the submarine.

Sorry for all the questions. This makes Eve Online look like an easy game.

Julie

Fear not, our resident cool guy (aka RockinRobbins) has a video tutorial just for you! It's on auto-targeting, and you can watch it

The send Range/send bearing buttons are not really useful if you play auto-targeting. What they do is send the target's range and bearing (which you've acquired from your sonar) to the TDC.

"Spread" is manually altering the torpedo's track by as many degrees as you put your dial on, either to port (left) or to starboard (right). To understand what I'm saying, lock on a target and turn on the Position Keeper (red PK button on the TDC), then switch to your Attack Map. You'll see a green line extending from your sub to where the torpedo will hit (your target). Now, play with the spread dial and see how the line moves. Remember to set it back to zero when you're done.

SURFACE Radar only becomes available later on in the game, and you'll have to equip it when you're in base (and only once it becomes available) - what you have right from the get-go is AIR search radar.

Oh and if you find EVE online a breeze, you'll be playing SH4 on your fingertips really soon!

I'm goin' down · 03-11-12, 07:41 PM

Here is what to do.

Set your options for the game before you head on a patrol. You do that on the main screen, with one exception. If you start a campaign, you set the options by opening a book on the shelf to the left of the captain's desk, and once you select the options in a campaign, they are set until you start another (or, and I am not sure about this, you return to base, end the patrol, and decide to reset them.)

Since you are new, select the options you want. Do not check manual targeting. That will enable auto targeting. When the target is in your scope view, you will see a red, yellow, or green light on the torpedo firing mechanism. Green means the target yields a good shot. yellow, not as good, and red --waste of a torpedoe.

Try that first. Then come back and to discuss the O'Kane method, as it is more complex. If you need a one on one, PM me and I will give you my contact information. I Skyped with Rockin Robbins re the O'Kane method when I started, plus he taught me how to load mods, and a few other things. Learning how to hit a target is like dance class in elementary school. Your brothers and sisters did it, so did your parents. and now it is your turn. It is a right of passage. Once you hit the target, you won't look back.

Julie Whitefeather · 03-12-12, 12:56 AM

The odd thing that happened late this evening is I had a merchant ship at 10 degrees off the starboard bow. I stopped dead in the water. I was an automatic firing. Then the odd thing happened.

The triangle would only light up for the aft torpedos and not the forward torpedos that were facing the merchant ship.

And this time I knew to open all the torpedo doors.

Thanks.

Well...at least I'm not as bad as the captain of the U.S.S. William D. Perry.

TorpX · 03-12-12, 11:48 PM

I haven't used auto-targeting much in this game, but I think you can see and get a better 'feel' for what is going wrong if you enable map contacts, and just before/after you launch torpedos, go to the 'attack map'. It should show the track the torpedos are set to take, and will more or less, show you how good the firing solution is. I think you should be able to track the torps in real time, and see if they go in front or behind the target.

WernherVonTrapp · 03-13-12, 10:00 AM

Forgive me if you've posted this already elsewhere but, what version of SH4 are you running?

Julie Whitefeather · 03-14-12, 10:28 AM

I am not sure what version I am running. I purchased Silent Hunter 4 first and then the Uboat addon. The problem I had initially is when I loaded up the uboat addon the American side of the game wouldn't play. So I found advice on Google that said load up only the uboat addon and the Silent Hunter 4 game will load automatically - it worked.

At that point I went out to Ubisoft to try and patch the game but the patches didn't seem to work. Since I bought the games on Steam my guess is they are already patched.

Julie

krashkart · 03-14-12, 10:48 AM

It could be that you're using early-war torpedoes. If that's the case there's a good chance that your fish are just bouncing off the intended target as duds.

Later in the war better torpedoes become available that have a greater chance of exploding when you want them to.

And on that note, is there a mod that will make some of those dud torpedoes jump out of the water after they hit?

03-11-12, 03:19 PM	#1
Julie Whitefeather Voyager Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 47 Downloads: 28 Uploads: 0	Missed..again For the life of me I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. I set the torpedo to shallow depth, high speed and contact influence. I wait for the target to close... And even broadside no matter what I do the torpedo misses. I am about ready to get out and throw rocks at the enemy. I have been through the tutorials and can't figure out what on earth is going wrong.

03-11-12, 05:02 PM	#2
pabbi Subsim Overlord Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: On the top of the world Posts: 215 Downloads: 454 Uploads: 0	Do you open the tubes (think it is "Q") before shooting. __________________ On the top of the world

03-11-12, 05:10 PM	#3
DrBeast The Old Man Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Somewhere Out In Space Posts: 1,408 Downloads: 36 Uploads: 0	I take it you're using Manual Targeting? Follow RockinRobbins's excellent Dick O'Kane attack method tutorial (found here). Guaranteed to score you a hit. __________________ Let the Beast inside you free!

03-11-12, 06:14 PM	#5
WernherVonTrapp Admiral Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Now, alot farther from NYC. Posts: 2,228 Downloads: 105 Uploads: 0	You mention triangle so I'm guessing that you're using Auto-Targeting. Like pabbi mentioned, make sure you open the torpedo tubes a few seconds before firing (by pressing the "Q" key). Also, make sure the triangle color is green, indicating that you have a "good" firing solution. You can lock onto the target by pressing the "L" key, but I prefer to unlock just prior to firing (again by pressing "L") and leading the specific targeted section ever so slightly. Try to close to within 1000 yds or less (if possible) before launching your attack. Also, make sure you're not firing at too extreme an angle or accidentally firing the rear tubes when you mean to fire the front (or bow) tubes. __________________ "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -Miyamoto Musashi ------------------------------------------------------- "What is truth?" -Pontius Pilate

03-11-12, 07:41 PM	#10
I'm goin' down Ocean Warrior Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Notify command we have entered the Grass Sea Posts: 2,822 Downloads: 813 Uploads: 0	Here is what to do. Set your options for the game before you head on a patrol. You do that on the main screen, with one exception. If you start a campaign, you set the options by opening a book on the shelf to the left of the captain's desk, and once you select the options in a campaign, they are set until you start another (or, and I am not sure about this, you return to base, end the patrol, and decide to reset them.) Since you are new, select the options you want. Do not check manual targeting. That will enable auto targeting. When the target is in your scope view, you will see a red, yellow, or green light on the torpedo firing mechanism. Green means the target yields a good shot. yellow, not as good, and red --waste of a torpedoe. Try that first. Then come back and to discuss the O'Kane method, as it is more complex. If you need a one on one, PM me and I will give you my contact information. I Skyped with Rockin Robbins re the O'Kane method when I started, plus he taught me how to load mods, and a few other things. Learning how to hit a target is like dance class in elementary school. Your brothers and sisters did it, so did your parents. and now it is your turn. It is a right of passage. Once you hit the target, you won't look back. Last edited by I'm goin' down; 03-12-12 at 12:40 AM.

03-11-12, 05:32 PM	#4
Julie Whitefeather Voyager Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 47 Downloads: 28 Uploads: 0	So the process I follow so far is... 1. Go to periscope depth or on the surface at night go to "u" 2. Line up the shot with the triangle. 3. Set the depth to as shallow as I can 4. Set the speed to high 5. Set the the torpedo to contact influence. I am sure I am missing something (other than the ships I mean). Oh I do manage to hit a few but I miss many more.. What am I doing wrong and what is the difference between manual and "not manual" Still trying to learn. Thanks. Julie

03-11-12, 06:25 PM	#6
Julie Whitefeather Voyager Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 47 Downloads: 28 Uploads: 0	I did read through the manual targeting methods and I am afraid all it did was leave me scratching my head, not understanding at all what was going on. While I do want to try manual targeting I need something a bit simpler than the link mentioned above. There are also two buttons on the sonar that say "send range" to TDL and another one as well. What are those for? I also don't understand what the "spread" is for. And I can't figure out why my radar doesn't work even though I have one installed on the submarine. Sorry for all the questions. This makes Eve Online look like an easy game. Julie

03-12-12, 12:56 AM	#11
Julie Whitefeather Voyager Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 47 Downloads: 28 Uploads: 0	The odd thing that happened late this evening is I had a merchant ship at 10 degrees off the starboard bow. I stopped dead in the water. I was an automatic firing. Then the odd thing happened. The triangle would only light up for the aft torpedos and not the forward torpedos that were facing the merchant ship. And this time I knew to open all the torpedo doors. Thanks. Well...at least I'm not as bad as the captain of the U.S.S. William D. Perry.

03-12-12, 11:48 PM	#12
TorpX Silent Hunter Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 3,975 Downloads: 153 Uploads: 11	I haven't used auto-targeting much in this game, but I think you can see and get a better 'feel' for what is going wrong if you enable map contacts, and just before/after you launch torpedos, go to the 'attack map'. It should show the track the torpedos are set to take, and will more or less, show you how good the firing solution is. I think you should be able to track the torps in real time, and see if they go in front or behind the target.

03-13-12, 10:00 AM	#13
WernherVonTrapp Admiral Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Now, alot farther from NYC. Posts: 2,228 Downloads: 105 Uploads: 0	Forgive me if you've posted this already elsewhere but, what version of SH4 are you running? __________________ "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." -Miyamoto Musashi ------------------------------------------------------- "What is truth?" -Pontius Pilate

03-14-12, 10:28 AM	#14
Julie Whitefeather Voyager Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 47 Downloads: 28 Uploads: 0	I am not sure what version I am running. I purchased Silent Hunter 4 first and then the Uboat addon. The problem I had initially is when I loaded up the uboat addon the American side of the game wouldn't play. So I found advice on Google that said load up only the uboat addon and the Silent Hunter 4 game will load automatically - it worked. At that point I went out to Ubisoft to try and patch the game but the patches didn't seem to work. Since I bought the games on Steam my guess is they are already patched. Julie

03-14-12, 10:48 AM	#15
krashkart Navy Seal Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 5,292 Downloads: 100 Uploads: 0	It could be that you're using early-war torpedoes. If that's the case there's a good chance that your fish are just bouncing off the intended target as duds. Later in the war better torpedoes become available that have a greater chance of exploding when you want them to. And on that note, is there a mod that will make some of those dud torpedoes jump out of the water after they hit?