Low visibility during storms

[Mavis28]

I have GWX 3.0 installed. I'm not entirely sure if that greatly modifies visibility or not. Anyways, America has just entered the war so I'm taking my IX u-boat to stalk the waters in front of New York. It's taking awhile so I'm going at 256 time compression. I suddenly get a notification that there's an enemy destroyer within visual range. I went to my conning tower and lo and behold, the destroyer is so close that he could shine his spotlight in my face. First thing I noticed was that it was midnight, raining hard and the waves are very wild. I didn't even have enough time to order a crash dive before my hull was torn open. Is visibility really that bad during a full-on storm? Hydrophone didn't even pick up the destroyer until he was so close.

[Sailor Steve]

Welcome aboard!

Yes, it really can be that bad, which is why they have lighthouses, lightships and foghorns. This is also why submarines tend to operate submerged during storms. As they said in Das Boot, you can hear a lot further submerged than you can see surfaced.

There are problems with magical destroyers, though, even in the stock game, who can see you when they shouldn't. On the other hand, if it's 1942 most of them have radar.

This brings up a question: Were you operating off the coast at the time, looking for the enemy, or were you in transit, i.e. in the middle of the ocean? If the latter, it shouldn't have happened. If the former, then you should ride out the storm

[Fahnenbohn]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Yes, it really can be that bad, which is why they have lighthouses, lightships and foghorns.

[Mittelwaechter]

Your crew is outside on the conning tower a few meters above the surface.

[bstanko6]

The way I operate in bad, poor visibility, storms is underwater. Too many times I have been caught like you! Even in open water I stay down, only popping up to recharge my batteries and restore the oxygen in the boat.

[Mavis28]

I was about 15-20km off the coast. Didn't expect to find a destroyer that far out since I'vd read that the US Navy barely protected their trade routes off their coast AND in weather that harsh. Well, I learned. I sunk a tanker while in transit so i had a save just before. I reloaded and proceeded to sneak into New York. Sunk a couple Ocean Liners and bagged me a nice 25k ton troop transport. This time, the storm helped me because they had a hard time finding me.

So, if I'm just off the coast, it's better to work underwater? I just got the radar upgrade but it's the first one. The one where i have to rotate the entire sub to get a full sweep. Though, not perfect, i feel safer having that while operating off the coast of America. Most warships i've seen so far are dinky torpedo boats with no sonar or outdated clemson destroyers.

[bstanko6]

if you are actively seeking US shipping, I would try to stay under as long as possible! Usually off the coast its shallow waters, so you are at a disadvantage to start with.

[Leoz]

I tend to be big on risk reduction.

At least now...

I "ask" the navigator (and now in GW the watch officer) about the weather a fair bit.

If it is worse than light flog, I don't engage; or try to engage.

After reading that early WWII U-boat guide it warned you have to be ready to fight in an instant in fog ( I guess stuff appears suddenly ) That is my hard analysis for all this.

Had a wonderful career going, 1939...a type VIIB. Just really had hit my mark after all the hours of play. Doing all the right things including ducking out of and reacquiring tracks on convoys for a reattack. Good confidence. Just all around happy with my overall performance.

3rd patrol.... knocked out a freighter near that convoy area coming out of the west of the UK. ... not long after...picked up some sound readings: thundering herd. Went in on the surface, medium fog.... thought I would at least try and see what was going on..... 1600M away... a destroyer. Surprised, by the time I called 'Alarm!' the boat had taken some serious damage..... In the rush of things, continued with the crash dive not acknowledging my hull damage.

Somewhere around 120M the boat broke up.

All in all though a good (short) career with a good story to it.

So... in the future, I won't do combat in medium and heavy fog.

[Mittelwaechter]

The H.Sie patch will give you a fog warning and reduce TC to 16 - as it will have your WO report the fog lifting again - even at periscope depth.

If you want to have a weather report with estimated visibility range, modify the en_menu.txt in (C:\GAMES\)Ubisoft\SilentHunterIII\data\Menu

Line 4100 reports the full visibility conditions - and should read something like "We have perfect visibility conditions, Herr Kaleun!"

Line 4101 reports ~ 70% visibility - and may read " resticted visibility, about 9000 meters."

Line 4102 is for ~ 40% visibility - so it may read "pretty hazy, Herr Kaleun! Visual range 5000 meters at best."

Line 4103 finally reports the fog conditions - "we're in heavy fog! Less than 1000 meters sight!"

(All data for 16 km atmosphere!)

The reports for clouds and percipitation are in the following lines - and you may be clever enough to formulate the lines accordingly, to encourage your WO in giving a propper weather report.

Modify line 4128 to look like this:
4128=Weather report: %s, %s, %s|Wind Speed %d meters per second, direction %3d.
(Maybe without kommata - depending on your formulations)

Your weather report could read like this:
Weather report: Partly cloudy and pretty hazy, Herr Kaleun! Visual range at 5000 meters at best! Wind Speed 6 meters per second, direction 260.

Weather report: Blue skies! A weather to father heroes! We have perfect visibility conditions, Herr Kaleun! Wind Speed 2 meters per second, direction 65.

Weather report: 80% overcast, Herr Kaleun! It's raining, restricted visibility, about 9000 meters. Wind Speed 10 meters per second, direction 145.

You can even fill in some neutral stuff like barometric pressure or "a storm has been reported further to the north" etc. - just add it to the visibility lines.

(I left the "NONE" for rain empty - I think it is a little bit stupid to report)
"No rain, no snow, no dead birds falling from the sky..."

Have fun!