Default setting for Torpedo pistol selector?

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Uboat-48

Is it possible to change the default setting for my Torpedo pistol selector?
I'm probably using 90% Impact and maybe 10% Magnetic but my Torpedo pistol selector always defaults to Magnetic when selecting a tube!?
I would like to change it to Impact as default but I don't know if this can be done.

Just to clarify:

- Magnetic is only used for below the boat (below keel detonation), correct?
- Impact is used for side of the boat (fuel, engine, ammo, propulsion), correct?

Any examples where the above rules do not apply?

Thanks so much!

Don't know about changing the default game setting, but:

Impact pistols require a direct physical impact as their name implies, and the angle of impact is also a crucial factor. If they run too low in the water you risk them hitting the lower part of the ship where the hull curves inward towards the keel and they can glance off at a downward angle without detonating. Same thing with the angle at which they approach the target, which should be as close to 90 degrees as possible. Ideally, like this:

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It doesn't have to come in perfectly perpendicular to the target, but the farther off from that you get the less likely you are to get a clean impact and the more likely it is that the torpedo will glance off the side of the target without detonating.

Magnetic pistols do not require direct physical impact, they should be set off by the electromagnetic field generated by the target's hull and so only need to pass through it to be detonated (duds notwithstanding). However my understanding is that magnetic pistols can also be set off by a clean impact, or perhaps using one for an "impact" shot also puts it within the necessary E/M field and results in detonation. At any rate I've had magnetics that detonated both on contact and without contact while under the keel.

Some people here swear by magnetics, some people rarely use them and stick to impacts most of the time, some people use both but limit the use of magnetics during certain periods of the war for the sake of historical accuracy.

I have seen it said that in rougher weather magnetics can detonate prematurely before reaching the target, altho I've not had much trouble with this myself. Maybe it's because in really rough seas I don't mind putting one impact shot into a boat and waiting to see if the weather will do the rest of the work for me. But generally speaking, unless there's a very good reason *not* to choose a magnetic pistol, that's my first choice. More bang for the buck IMO.

[Uboat-48]

Thank you so much for the detailed explanation of the two types of pistols.
Much appreciated.

[frau kaleun]

You're very welcome!

Basically knowing which type of pistol you want is just knowing how each one works and what type of shot you are setting up, or what kind is available. One nice thing about the magnetic fuses is they are still an option when it's impossible or very difficult to get in the kind of position necessary for a good clean impact detonation. The angle is not so crucial, since they don't need a physical "hit" to make them work. I usually set them to run 1 meter below the keel, or even a bit higher if the seas are rough enough to make the target pitch up and down. If they run too far below they don't pass through the E/M field and you get nothing but IME even if they are high enough to hit the keel when they actually get to the target it doesn't matter since they're already passing through the E/M field and probably detonating before they actually hit it.

[GoDeep]

I use both magnetic and impact triggers, but I use them depending on the situation.

In bad weather, rough seas, I rarely set the torpedoes to magnetic trigger. I've had enough detonate prematurely that I now avoid it. Except when I'm really close to the target, between 500 and 800 metres, maybe. Then I sometimes run the risk of a premature detonation.

In good weather, I tend to use magnetics a lot, especially when I can't get a good angle on the target. Magnetics work better the longer they spent under the keel, so shooting them at a greater or smaller angle than 90 degrees works well because it takes them more time to travel underneath the target. I almost always set the running depth to a metre below the targets draught. This tends to work very well for me.

So bad weather: impact. Good weather and/or bad angle: magnetic.

[gt_magnus]

However my understanding is that magnetic pistols can also be set off by a clean impact, or perhaps using one for an "impact" shot also puts it within the necessary E/M field and results in detonation. At any rate I've had magnetics that detonated both on contact and without contact while under the keel.

When you set it to magnetic pistols it use both magnetic and impact pistols. When you set it to impact pistols it use just the impact pistols.

[BigRich]

In my experience, I find that one or two magnetic hits can cripple and on rare occasions even sink a battleship. I have also witnessed battleships/battlecruisers sail on after taking up to four contact hits (albeit with a heavy list). With magnetic pistols, a depth setting of one metre under keel depth usually succeeds, in heavy seas I set depth to around two metres under.
When targeting merchant ships, I tend to stick with contact pistols. The greater damage a magnetic hit inflicts outweighs the fact that most merchants don't survive two contact hits anyway.

[soopaman2]

This discussion kind of inspired this question.

Is there a particular situation you should use a differing detonation method? I am distrustful of magnetic because I do alot of my sinking in northish latitudes and am wary to how realistic the magnetic north pole screwing with torpedoes is simulated here.