Looking for Danger in the Pacific...

[Keelbuster]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Personally, knowing how the AI works, i view attack and evasion as nothing more then an excercise of threading a needle as you manuever your boat in just the right fashion. Thread it right, you succeed. Thread it wrong, you fail. I think the biggest variance is how wide the eye of that needle is. Small eye, hard to thread. Big eye, easy to thread.

All AI modifications are ultimately play out as nothing more then threading a needle. Again, the only varience between mods, is how large the eye of the needle is that it is asking you to thread. The other variance, is in the players ability to thread needles. But at any rate, it's all a very mechanic process in my view. No mystery or pageantry involved at all, which is probably why i haven't played in over a year.

edit: BTW keelbuster, If i wanted to, i could quite easily ifgiven enough time to properly test it, whip up an AI that would make you think GWX was easy. lol

I'm playing TMO clean now. And I'm _liking_ it. First patrol I encountered (via a radio report map update) a decent sized convoy with three escorts in perfectly clear weather just near the entrance to the Bungo Strait. I went in and fired six torps at 4000 yards (closest I dare get around escorts with such sensitive ears) and I sunk one decent sized cargo and blew the rudder and prop off another. In a second attack after overhauling the convoy I scored a hit on a tanker and shew blew up. I promptly got detected and 3 escorts converged. They took turns pinging me, doing DC runs with crazy abandon, and generally beating the hell out of me. I didn't seem to have a thermal layer to get under, and I took damage (though no flooding). After about 15 or 20 minutes of this something big must have happened because all three destroyers turned and blazed away at flank speed. It was a thoroughly satisfying experience. I then came up after a few hours of running silent. I did a hydrophone check, nothing. Came to radar depth, and did a scan - I get a contact at 2200 yards, bearing 190. It's a jap DD, waiting in my baffles. I go silent again and drop down to 300 ft and he searches around a bit and then bails. Eventually I get to surface and do some repairs. Now _that_ is a solid submarine experience. Reminds me of o'le gwx.

Plus, even with update map contacts off, I seem to get my convoy radio reports plotted, which is great. I'm really getting into this mod - so glad to see radio reported convoys plotted on the map again with some regularity. On the way home I got a task force reported going 20kts my way. Unfortunately the only torps I had were aft, and those tubes were damaged in the attack and could not be opened

One thing I noticed about the AI sensors in TMO is that it seems to make a massive difference whether or not you're on silent running. I was about 6000 yards or so away from an escort (clear water) running at ahead slow with silent running off, and he became suspicious. But I've found you can get within 2000 yards ahead slow with silent running without making them suspicious. I can work with this. I'm just used to GWX 3.0, where I remember being able to approach at ahead 2/3 until say...2000m away or so and then go silent.

Also, I seem to remember that in SH3/GWX the DDs were deaf if they were moving fast or very fast. I feel like this might not be the case in SH4/TMO. Anybody know?

Cheers to TMO.

Kb

P.S. What kind of ship is Bungo Pete? Sub-chaser perhaps?