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[Fish In The Water]

Originally Posted by logan5

...now when you said that i have to stay in the vicinity, does that mean if i go to far the ship won't sink?

No she'll still sink, (in theory at least), but you won't get credit for the kill unless you stay in contact range.

[frau kaleun]

Sinking a neutral may be in line with your personal feelings as a commander, but the game won't care. You'll still lose renown for it (unless you've edited the game files to remove the penalty).

Also, in theory magnetic fuses should create more damage and let you sink ships with fewer eels. An impact fuse requires actual contact with the side of the ship, and it has to hit at a relatively "dead-on" angle (as close to 90 degrees as possible) so the torpedo doesn't just glance off to one side or the other without the impact being enough to cause a detonation. In addition, if you hit too low on the ship where the hull starts to curve inward, the torpedo can glance off in a downward direction and not detonate.

With magnetics, no actual contact with the ship is necessary - the fuse reacts to the electromagnetic field created by the ship's hull. So the angle of attack is not as crucial since you don't need a dead-on physical impact. Ideally the torpedo should run at a depth that will allow it to pass within a meter or so below the ship's keel so it will pass through the EM field while it's under the ship and detonate directly beneath it.

If it detonates as planned directly under the ship, you blow a whole upwards through the keel. That will cause more damage (and more cumulative damage over a shorter period of time) than just punching a hole in the side.

If you go for impact fuses, though, placement of the hit can be crucial. Personally I like to aim for just under the forward mast or just below the funnel(s). IIRC the first shot has a good chance of opening a hole that spans two different forward holds, which starts flooding in both of them. And under the funnel(s) is where the engine room is - kaboom! Also punching a hole in the bow when the seas are heavy seems to cause a ship to flood faster as its forward momentum makes it scoop more and more water into the hole.

If you're attacking a warship or other armed vessel, aiming under any gun emplacements you see can also give you a good payoff, since that's usually where the ammo is stored.

[scottj63]

Ok, I must be doing something wrong. As I type this in another window I have a M23b dead in the water 1000m in front of my Type IID (5th patrol, still alive 13,000 ton total, my IID has all optional equipment available) I hit it with 1 torpedo right between the bridge and the funnel, dead in the water, practiced with my flak gun on the cargo for a bit, nice explosions. time for coup de grace. torpedo, magnetic settings set for 8 meters. same placement. KABOOMMMMM. the smoke clears and the M23b is still floating. so i read what the senior captains have said, i wait a bit for damage to make it sink........Nope, what is this thing hauling? Cork? Or. I only have 5 torpedoes in my Type IID. So number 3 goes from 900m. Fast, Magnetic, 9 meters. Big KABOOOMMMM and the smoke clears and it is still afloat. So, I am catching my breath and getting rid of frustration as I type this.

I am playing the Vanilla SH3 with the Merchant Mod, but other than that the mechanics are what came out of the box. I don't know what i am doing wrong, but I am using a lot of torpedoes to kill ships that I seem to remember didn't take this much when I used to play.

Well enough of my rant, I feel relaxed again, what the hell, a 4th torpedo should do it. All for 5300 tons.

Scottj63

[frau kaleun]

Wow, and I thought ships were harder to sink in GWX.

I don't know about that particular class of ship, it's one of IABL's medium merchants but whether or not it's harder to sink in general... there are some that are notorious for not wanting to give up the ghost (Passenger/Cargo comes to mind) but usually in my game one good magnetic shot directly below the keel is usually enough for anything in the small to medium range if I'm patient enough. Especially if I've already punched a whole in the side somewhere.

I've never used the MFM ships with the stock game, though.

It sounds like you're aiming all your shots at the same spot, and you might have better results if you varied them up. If I use two or more eels on the same ship I never try to hit the same part of the ship twice. I don't know for sure but the damage is registered in "hit points" by the game and I don't know that you get more of them if you keep hitting the same spot over and over again. I know in GWX it's mostly flooding that counts and causing it in different areas of the ship at the same time seems like the most profitable use of multiple detonations.

OTOH if you are expecting the ship to sink or be counted as sunk as soon as the smoke clears from the detonation, patience may be the key here. IME it's rare to get a kill confirmation that fast, altho I'll admit my memories of stock are minimal.

[Brag]

From what I remember from stock, aiming at the forward end of the stack of medium and large freighters would result in a large explosion and the ship would break in two.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Brag

From what I remember from stock, aiming at the forward end of the stack of medium and large freighters would result in a large explosion and the ship would break in two.

Yes, usually

[Fish In The Water]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

...altho I'll admit my memories of stock are minimal.

Seems like a long time ago in a galaxy far far away...

[Sailor Steve]

'Stock' is what you put in soup to make it thicker. Or it refers to cattle. Am I missing something?

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

'Stock' is what you put in soup to make it thicker. Or it refers to cattle. Am I missing something?

But unfortunately scottj63 is in Kabul with limited ability to download, so vanilla + whatever small mods he can get are gonna have to do him for now.

[TorpX]

Originally Posted by scottj63

I am playing the Vanilla SH3 with the Merchant Mod, but other than that the mechanics are what came out of the box. I don't know what i am doing wrong, but I am using a lot of torpedoes to kill ships that I seem to remember didn't take this much when I used to play.

Scottj63

This is just a wild guess on my part, but perhaps the ships of the Merchant Mod were designed to be used with GWX or some other mod with a different damage model. Don't the mods either use a hit point OR a local impact/ flooding model?

'Stock' is what you put in soup to make it thicker. Or it refers to cattle. Am I missing something?

Them Kriegers are up to rustlin' the ships again. Time for the Marshall-Admiral to round up a posse of destroyers and git after 'em.

[scottj63]

Yes Frau, I have VERY limited download ability here in Kabul. They block downloading and torrent sites. I got the IT guy to download the Merchant Mod but I can't press my luck

I think my 3 torpedoes went into the same area, right amidships between the bridge and funnel. I used a 4th to sink it which i hit the bow area on purpose. It sank after that but what was funny was that i sat there watching using F12 and it took 33 minutes to sink after the 4th torpedo. (yes i have time to waste here in Kabul) It must have been loaded with styrofoam. I guess I will have to keep hitting them with what I got until I get home. I go home the 27th of August for 23 days on vacation. I live in the Philippines so my net isnt much better, but at least I dont have any restrictions and I will try to get the GWX mod. If I am able to get it I will ask the community what are the must have add-ons for it. I know i love the merchant mod, the ships really add to the realism (except how someone cornered the market on cork and styrofoam that they are all hauling).

Thank you for the help everyone. I am at my desk now and SH3 is running at "normal time" because I am busy, when i get lunch or slow times then i open it up and use time compression and in the evenings i chat with my wife while I play. (thank god for skype cam, she thinks im looking at her (laughing). I will keep updating how I am doing. I really can't believe i have lived through 5 patrols almost untouched. True one patrol my total was 1 Tug boat, but it was a tough tug boat.

Scottj63

[scottj63]

Just finished patrol #7 out of the Wilm. I am still alive and up to 22,700 tons. I am transferring to Brest as I type this per the BDU, maybe i can get a targe of opportunity in my channel run. Would love to torpedo a rich guys yacht. I bet I am going to be the only Type IID at Brest. Hopefully I will have enough renown to get a Type VII in a patrol or two.

I wish I remembered what that mod I was looking for was called. It was like a "living port" mod, but not the one that the members of the community told me about here. I remember one patrol I started out of my sub pen and a couple British bombers proceeded to bomb the port, was so cool to watch. Well ok me ramming a destoyer while in F12 watching the bombing run wasn't cool (laughing).

Let's see what the BDU has in store for me once I get settled in Brest.

Scottj63

[Fish In The Water]

Originally Posted by scottj63

Would love to torpedo a rich guys yacht.

[scottj63]

First patrol out of Brest. I find a nice merchant alone at night at the west end of the channel. 2 torpedo spread from 1200 meters, both hit and like usual it is dead in the water and on fire. I fire my last 3 torpedoes one at a time to finish it, all 3 hit, all 3 bounce off, 1 was set for impact, the other 2 were set for magnetic. I am going to pull my hair out and make a blanket with it. I can't have this bad of luck as my career is showing me. 5 torpedoes and nothing in the kill column. I will empty my Flak gun in it just to feel better then sail back to Brest and try to explain to BDU why my boat is cursed.

a very frustrated Scottj63

[sublynx]

Originally Posted by scottj63

First patrol out of Brest. I find a nice merchant alone at night at the west end of the channel. 2 torpedo spread from 1200 meters, both hit and like usual it is dead in the water and on fire. I fire my last 3 torpedoes one at a time to finish it, all 3 hit, all 3 bounce off, 1 was set for impact, the other 2 were set for magnetic. I am going to pull my hair out and make a blanket with it. I can't have this bad of luck as my career is showing me. 5 torpedoes and nothing in the kill column. I will empty my Flak gun in it just to feel better then sail back to Brest and try to explain to BDU why my boat is cursed.

a very frustrated Scottj63

After two hits the merchant should sink if you prick it with a needle. Use your Flak gun wisely - if you hit his cargo, masts, life boats or funnel enough, they will explode adding damage to the ship. I think you should be able to finish the merchant with the Flak gun. It is however very curious, that after two torpedo hits the ship is still afloat - if it is not a big one, over 4000 GRT.