[needed] British Fruit Machine

[keltos01]

Originally Posted by Hitman

I have been wanting to do this since WDAD came out, the problem is that the only thing I can do for now is change the dials graphics, and not the sizes. I did recently an experiment using Karamazov's explanations about how the menu-ini works, as I wanted to have the slide out panels resize when you increase reslolution (Instead of becoming increasingly smaller as they do now) but it cause problems with the background of the panel!

Still, this is an area I'd like to work a bit on, though I can't promise any results soon.

I will start by doing the dial graphics as a direct-drop replacement, and we will see later if we can manage to resize the slide out TDC

This is Xmas !!!!!!!

thanks Hitman !!!

still trying to find out if the french had anything similar if any

keltos

[Hitman]

I'm progressing and have the main mask for the slide out TDC, but despite having done new dials, they don't show up???

[keltos01]

TORPEDO ANGLE SOLVER MARK VIII

Torpedo Angle Solver Mark VIII Operating Instructions, O.D. 3518, 1941 describes the hand operated torpedo fire control backup to the automated Torpedo Data Computer. It was commonly called the "banjo" and is used to calculate the angle a torpedo should be fired by an submarine.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE


1. The Torpedo Angle Solver Mark VIII is a simple portable instrument designed to compute the required data for firing submarine torpedoes of various marks and powers at gyro angles up to 90 degrees from all classes of submarines.

http://www.hnsa.org/doc/banjo/index.htm

[Hitman]

I'm afraid that I will have to give up on doing a full new and improved Fruit Machine to replace the current slide out TDC. I will continue and end the simple replacement graphics I have already showed, but sadly the menu.ini is too complicated for me to do something like Karamazov did for the UBoats with his KIUB. If he wants to do the new slide out TDC I will gladly provide the improved graphics I wanted to create, but without someone with better knowledge engaging the task of doing the new panel, I am powerless.

[keltos01]

some US skippers liked 0 degrees angle too !



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Uploaded with ImageShack.us

nice reading ! from take her deep

[keltos01]

from Elanaiba :

Back to the problem at hand, which Keltos brought to my attention... I don't have more solutions than you guys. I should have thought about this one at some point and have the programmers ad some extra stuff to account for British practice, which was not completely unknown to me

I wonder if the firing button could be blocked when the gyro angle was different from a set of values?


from hitman :


http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/newr...eply&p=1556698

It's actually very easy with the US TDC, even if you set the torpedoes to the correct zero degree Gyro Angle. Here's how to do it:

1.- Determine target course, approximately, either by eyeballing AOB (To start) or plotting (Visual or radar). Get on a course that is perpendicular or, at least, something between 45º and 90º of the enemy track (So that the torpedo has enough angel of impact and does not make a dud)

2.- Feed the TDC with all the data, and start the position keeper. Make regular corrections as you see fit, by entering new data (New estimates of speed, distance, AOB, etc, as usual)

3.- Your reference for knowing when to shoot is the Gyro Angle needle on the "own ship" dial (The lower dial in the TDC). When that needle points exactly to the bow of the ship silhouette in the dial, you must shoot the torpedo. Why? Because at that moment the necessary Gyro Angle to hit the target is zero, which is exactly the only thing your torpedo is capable of

That's more or less how the british TDC worked, only that when the GA was zero you also got an audible warning in the form of a bellring or buzz

Originally Posted by Hitman

Here's a graphical example:



The red arrow represents the direction your bow is pointing at. A torpedo that follows the same course as you, straight from your bow, is obviously a zero Gyro Angle torpedo, and it will follow the red arrow in its course -same as your ship's course.

Then the moving needle in the dial, highlighted in green represents what Gyro Angle must your torpedo do in order to hit the target that is shown in the upper dial.

Hence, when the needle matches the red arrow, that means that the torpedo must not turn at all to hit the target, i.e. it will be a Zero GA shot, and the moment of shooting has arrived.

Is it all understandable?

Originally Posted by Hitman

Many thanks for taking some time to consider the problem Dan

Locking the fire button could be a solution, even if not a perfect one. If we can make it display the grayed-out graphic normally and highlight in red when the torpedo has a zero GA that would be somehow similar to the original buzzer and burning light in the Fruit Machine.

But I have no idea how to do that

Any suggestions on how to link the button graphic to the GA?

If the own ship dial was stationary, we could maybe solve it by converting the GA pointer into a circular dial with a hole that shows the button and makes it available only when the dial comes to zero. But since the own ship dial also rotates, the pointer shows the zero GA in any part of it, so we would need to have the fire button rotate all around with it, which would be confusing and probably also impossible to do.

Hmmmmm another alternative, since the own ship must somehow point close to the target line of sight (Top of own ship dial) could be to have the ownship dial be larger and hide the fire button until the own ship dial aims close to the line of sight ... say some 45º either side

But again we would stumble against the same problem, i.e. we would be free to shoot any moment with an instant-GA update on the fly insde those -/+ 45º

Not to mention that I absolutely lack the skills for modifying the menu.ini to do the trick with the dials

[keltos01]

I'll try tonight with the 0° torpedoes...