Medals awarded do not make sense

[razark]

Originally Posted by tzimisce

What is the difference in switching between the last depth-meter thingy? One shows higher number for some reason.

One is the shallow depth gauge, it allows finer control of depth, from surfaced to 165 feet. The other is the not so shallow depth gauge, it allows you to go deeper than the shallow depth gauge (up to 450 feet, I believe), but without as fine a control.

Originally Posted by tzimisce

I'm also a bit confused on why the Left/Right rudder controls go up to 35. I can't think of any way how it can add up to 360 lol.

You can only move your rudder so far. If you moved the rudder 360 degrees, you would have turned the rudder in a circle, and it would be the same as having 0 degree rudder. It doesn't control how far you turn, it controls how fast you turn.

[Stealhead]

I find the use of thermal layers to be very useful myself I am not sure that are as much of a factor in the stock game as they are in TMO but you can still use them.

Don't forget that at very close range 3,000yds or less lookouts can possibly spot your periscope(at least they do in TMO) so keep that sucker under water until you are looking through it you don't have to fully retract it just dip it under the waves.Also I fire my fish then I began my escape I don't stick around and watch the boat sink in the scope most times I like the extra few minutes gained to sneak away.

If you are having trouble you can always start a career later in the war and gain access to a better boat.Actually your rank does not make much difference at the start you can select any sub you want form the start so long as that sub is at the base you have selected and is available during the date you selected. When I started playing vanilla SH4 I played with a career in 1943 a Gato class to get the hang of the game then I went with an earlier sub a Porpoise class before surface radar was available. Early war is much harder because you lack any surface radar to aid you in attack on convoys you dont get that 20 or so mile advantage to get into a good spot.The ultimate challenge is to play an early war career in an old S-Boat.

Of course adding a mod is another option as they make the game even more fun/challeging.Personally I recommend trying one of the mega mods like TMO or RFB sooner rather than later they just add that much to the game.

[WernherVonTrapp]

Originally Posted by razark

One is the shallow depth gauge, it allows finer control of depth, from surfaced to 165 feet. The other is the not so shallow depth gauge, it allows you to go deeper than the shallow depth gauge (up to 450 feet, I believe), but without as fine a control.


You can only move your rudder so far. If you moved the rudder 360 degrees, you would have turned the rudder in a circle, and it would be the same as having 0 degree rudder. It doesn't control how far you turn, it controls how fast you turn.

Thanks for covering those last points for me, razark. I wasn't trying to be rude. My typing skills are horrendous. It takes me sooo long just to type a few sentences and, in all honesty, I was just too tired and frustrated to continue, so I posted a link instead. If you toss a handful of birdseed onto the keyboard, even a pigeon will do a better job of typing than I can.

[NorthBeach]

" If you toss a handful of birdseed onto the keyboard, even a pigeon will do a better job of typing than I can"

[tzimisce]

Hey,

Just wanted to thank you all for the help. All this stuff makes a lot more sense now.

Had no idea about the thermal layer and what its use was. It's a lifesaver. Can't believe I could evade 5 destroyers.

Had the command of an old clunker S-boat and just fired off all torpedoes in 1 heavy cruiser. 2 missed, 1 hit and sunk the cruiser and the other 1 went past and hit a tiny passenger boat.

Hopefully I will get re-assigned before my rusty pan gets me killed.

[CaptainMattJ.]

well, youll be offered new boats if you do well. S boats are absolutely terrible and should never be started out with if your new. Mark 10 also suck, and the best torpedo is the MK18 i believe. its a much upgraded MK 14. the balao is the best sub available, but only available in uhhh 1944 i think. and destroyers find you to easily in stock even with the thermal. mods do an excellent job.


and btw Welcome to the SubSim Forum

[Stealhead]

Are you thinking of the Mk.23? Which is basically a Mk.14 that has only the fastest speed setting and 4,500 yd range?

I disagree that the mk.10 is bad early war it is the most reliable torpedo you can use.

The S-boats are not terrible you just have to learn how to use them to good effect like any weapon.

You can get a Balao class sub in 1943 and in some mods you can get a Tench class sub as well but not until some time in 1944.

I'd agree that mods make the thermal layers more effective but they also make DDs and other enemy ASW vessels far more dangerous and difficult.A surface battle against a DD in TMO is pretty much suicide which it should be.Hell even a submerged battle against subs is nerve racking in TMO at times. Mods are a huge step they do make the game much better but they are also a huge jump in over all difficultly and anyone considering them should take this into account.You should fell fairly comfortable with the stock game before hand.

[WernherVonTrapp]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

Are you thinking of the Mk.23? Which is basically a Mk.14 that has only the fastest speed setting and 4,500 yd range?

I disagree that the mk.10 is bad early war it is the most reliable torpedo you can use.

The S-boats are not terrible you just have to learn how to use them to good effect like any weapon.

You can get a Balao class sub in 1943 and in some mods you can get a Tench class sub as well but not until some time in 1944.

I'd agree that mods make the thermal layers more effective but they also make DDs and other enemy ASW vessels far more dangerous and difficult.A surface battle against a DD in TMO is pretty much suicide which it should be.Hell even a submerged battle against subs is nerve racking in TMO at times. Mods are a huge step they do make the game much better but they are also a huge jump in over all difficultly and anyone considering them should take this into account.You should fell fairly comfortable with the stock game before hand.

I actually prefer the MK-14 over all the others, exclusively due to the dual range settings. I find the electric torps too slow and range limited, the cuties a waste of tube space (personal opinion) and the Mark-23s a restricted version of the 14s.

I have to concur about playing the stock version, I played it for almost a year and when I switched over to the Mods (also almost a year now), I found the transition was facilitated by my experience with stock. I have to try playing an S-Boat. I gotta get some experience with it. How else can I expect to make admiral?

[CaptainMattJ.]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

Are you thinking of the Mk.23? Which is basically a Mk.14 that has only the fastest speed setting and 4,500 yd range?

I disagree that the mk.10 is bad early war it is the most reliable torpedo you can use.

The S-boats are not terrible you just have to learn how to use them to good effect like any weapon.

You can get a Balao class sub in 1943 and in some mods you can get a Tench class sub as well but not until some time in 1944.

I'd agree that mods make the thermal layers more effective but they also make DDs and other enemy ASW vessels far more dangerous and difficult.A surface battle against a DD in TMO is pretty much suicide which it should be.Hell even a submerged battle against subs is nerve racking in TMO at times. Mods are a huge step they do make the game much better but they are also a huge jump in over all difficultly and anyone considering them should take this into account.You should fell fairly comfortable with the stock game before hand.

yes i was talking about the MK23 (mixed them up),
2: Mark 10s are awful in terms of speed and , i cant recall exactly, they either had 10% more or less power then the Mk14, i think they had less. cant remember
3: thats also why i said you shouldnt START with an S boat. although its a pretty balanced argument. if noobs pick it as their first theyll learn the hard way not to dive to far, to avoid DD, and the rest. but starting in a better boat helps them experience more without being destroyed. like how to aim, when to fear and when not to fear aircraft, how to evade destroyers, when to surface when to dive, except you dont have to reload. but mainly, its the speed and range and firepower. an S boat can only hold MK10, and it goes so unbelievably slow. half the time catching up to a convoy is extremely lucky. and even then using the MK10 its not a very good way of teaching if he rarely experiences convoy situations. its also louder and takes on ALOT more damage. also cant really teach how to evade DC if you keep getting critcally wounded on the first runs, then sinking.

some poeple can be taught that way and others like to start out easy and get harder.


4: getting a balao in 1943 is only available in pearl, which is also a terrible place to start, cause journeys are INSANELY long and patrols are quite short if you have limited fuel. plus sailing back to midway just to resupply is a chore. Australia takes less time, less fuel which means more patrol time and it isnt that far back to a friendly base to resupply. of course this depends sometimes, but usually it settles closer and if not, early in the war theres manila, though you do have to throughly check your plot for islands more then pearl. and if your caught by DDs in java sea your pretty screwed.

5: that depends on the mod. there are the cheat mods, then there are the serious mods. like subnuclear deck gun and TMO. and stock dds are quite......easy sometimes. theyll dc you a few times and if your alive and took necessary action, he'll most likely keep scanning and give up.