Best Long range speed?

[pabbi]

Depends on the boat. Gato will be best at 10 knots or so.

[Ducimus]

Depends if your running a mod, or not.

If vanilla. 2/3rds or about 9 to 10 knots.

If running a supermod, "ahead standard" might be the best long range speed.

[razark]

Depends on what you mean by "best".

It's one speed i you mean "get there in a reasonable amount of time", and another if mean "get there with lots of fuel left over".

Click to set your speed at various points, and check to see how far you can go. Figure out what you want, either speed of fuel conservation, and travel at that speed.

[Pilot_76]

Can I trust what TMO's navigator says? By clicking on the Maximum range...I mean is it accurate? I saw that in 2/3 Standard Propulsion is the farthest mileage achieved...

[razark]

I don't take it as gospel. But if you do it several times, you'll see several different ranges. Get a few of those ranges, and see where they fall in general. It's not perfect, but it's close enough. (And if you're counting on the navigator's report to get back home with half a gallon of diesel in the tank, you're probably not going to make it.)

[Pilot_76]

I'm currently with TMO 2.2. It does change the fuel figures doesn't it?
By the way, is there any indication in a file which reveals the fuel level in gallons /liters instead of percentage?

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Pilot_76

Can I trust what TMO's navigator says? By clicking on the Maximum range...I mean is it accurate? I saw that in 2/3 Standard Propulsion is the farthest mileage achieved...

And herein lays a problem with SH3, 4 and 5. Fuel usage doesn't scale so well. TMO was designed so you could go to your patrol areas at speeds the subs most accurately traveled in real life. In TMO ahead standard is the fastest economical speed for the fuel used. Yes you can putt putt around at 2/3rds, but you'd be taking advantage of a flaw in the game, and having two to three times the range you should have.

Personally, im starting to wish i didn't adjust speeds to be realistic at ahead standard. Regardless of what I had intended, everyones going to go around at 2/3rds and exploit the flaw in design. So, what the hell, "all ahead harbor speed at 2/3rds for teh win!"

[Barkhorn1x]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

So, what the hell, "all ahead harbor speed at 2/3rds for teh win!"

Japs won't know what hit 'em, and hit 'em again, and again, and...

[TorpX]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

And herein lays a problem with SH3, 4 and 5. Fuel usage doesn't scale so well. TMO was designed so you could go to your patrol areas at speeds the subs most accurately traveled in real life. In TMO ahead standard is the fastest economical speed for the fuel used. Yes you can putt putt around at 2/3rds, but you'd be taking advantage of a flaw in the game, and having two to three times the range you should have.

Personally, im starting to wish i didn't adjust speeds to be realistic at ahead standard. Regardless of what I had intended, everyones going to go around at 2/3rds and exploit the flaw in design. So, what the hell, "all ahead harbor speed at 2/3rds for teh win!"

I know what you mean.

The whole fuel use-range issue bugs me (and not to forget battery capacity either), but what can be done about it really? Since the game uses a flat earth, the distances are off, and the weather never allows the wind speed to go above 15 m/s. These flaws seem to be unfixable.

[jcope]

Programming/design flaws aside, it doesn't take much time to do some speed runs to determine fuel consumption rates at various speeds. And to do the same for battery usage. It's a good way to stay busy during the voyage out to your assignment.

The results are useful, not only for predicting patrol range, but also being able to answer questions like whether I have the charge to try, while submerged at flank speed, to intercept a target. And then how much will I have left if the escorts start hassling me and I have to stay under.

I am currently pursuing the Midway task force, which I ran across while coming back from a patrol. I know how long I can go at flank speed before I have to give up and let them go.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Personally, im starting to wish i didn't adjust speeds to be realistic at ahead standard. Regardless of what I had intended, everyones going to go around at 2/3rds and exploit the flaw in design. So, what the hell, "all ahead harbor speed at 2/3rds for teh win!"

I went in and readjusted mine to match the original values. My thinking is that, at least for fleet boats, that "Ahead Standard" was the speed meant for cruising with the fleet, and the surface fleet standard cruise speed was 15 knots. I may be wrong of course, but I haven't seen any real numbers from people who served on diesel boats as to what speeds actually matched what settings.

Just my thinking, of course.

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

I went in and readjusted mine to match the original values. My thinking is that, at least for fleet boats, that "Ahead Standard" was the speed meant for cruising with the fleet, and the surface fleet standard cruise speed was 15 knots. I may be wrong of course, but I haven't seen any real numbers from people who served on diesel boats as to what speeds actually matched what settings.

Just my thinking, of course.

Well, I had a different rational behind the adjustment. I didn't have all boats cruising at 15 knots, only at what i could conjecture was "3 engine speed". Some patrol logs i have read indicate they cruised two and from their patrol areas at "3 engine speed". So what exactly is "3 engine speed"?


It was awhile ago, but what i think i did was rationalize that 1/3rd was probably 1 engine. 2/3rds two engines, standard 3 engines, ahead full being 4 engines.

At that point I think did a little math by taking the top speed of whatever boat i was looking at, and mulplied it by 0.75 (or 75% which i figured, was about 3 engines). I took that number and entered it into the range figures in the sim file. So instead of say, 11,000 @ 10 knots, i put 11,000 at 13.5 knots.

Of course that "11,000" figure is also subject to conjecture and debate because
a.) fuel ballasts (no hard numbers on that i could find as to capacity and range on this)
b.) The game world is anywhere between 20 %to 30% larger then it is in real life

So while i don't remember the exact figure for fuel i used, i know i took those two things into consideration.

So add that larger fuel allowance, to say @13.5 knots, and that's pretty much what i did. The intent was to have fuel efficiency at speeds greater then the typical 10 knots that everyone uses. I think that figure is often used because that's that everybody uses on uboats. For fleet boats, i dont think the 10 knot figure is correct.

Of course, you take my design there, and throttle it back to 2/3rs for long range cruising going too and from patrol area, and well, you get alot more then you should.

Originally Posted by Ducimus

... Personally, im starting to wish i didn't adjust speeds to be realistic at ahead standard. Regardless of what I had intended, everyones going to go around at 2/3rds and exploit the flaw in design. So, what the hell, "all ahead harbor speed at 2/3rds for teh win!"

Not everyone, in a TMO Fleet Boat I transit at Standard but once in the patrol area, cruise at 2/3. The theory is quickest practical time to get on station and then maximum time there since I'm not trying to get anywhere in particular.

Actually I think you nailed it.

[sparrs]

Originally Posted by Randomizer

Not everyone, in a TMO Fleet Boat I transit at Standard but once in the patrol area, cruise at 2/3. The theory is quickest practical time to get on station and then maximum time there since I'm not trying to get anywhere in particular.

Actually I think you nailed it.

I do this too. I was thinking of time factors on the ingress to patrol area; Get there in reasonable time, then use 2/3 for the sweep or until you pick up a contact. Saves fuel, can spend longer in the various areas you need to patrol etc. In my head as I role play, it seems sensible to do.

What I was always unsure of when I first started playing SH4 was how long to patrol - how many weeks at sea is reasonable, as you have the ability to refit and not end your patrol, so in theory you could just continue to stay on the ocean indefinitely (damage not taken into account and I have not tried it), but the fleet boat histories I found over at U-Boat.net are usually just under two months or there abouts at sea, and very interesting too.
An example is this one:- http://uboat.net/allies/commanders/3165.html

I am no expert - I like the challenge the game offers as well as help my maths skills (...) and TMO and RSRD are the best mods I have used for SH4. So thanks for your hard work...

[Shado]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

And herein lays a problem with SH3, 4 and 5. Fuel usage doesn't scale so well. TMO was designed so you could go to your patrol areas at speeds the subs most accurately traveled in real life. In TMO ahead standard is the fastest economical speed for the fuel used. Yes you can putt putt around at 2/3rds, but you'd be taking advantage of a flaw in the game, and having two to three times the range you should have.

Personally, im starting to wish i didn't adjust speeds to be realistic at ahead standard. Regardless of what I had intended, everyones going to go around at 2/3rds and exploit the flaw in design. So, what the hell, "all ahead harbor speed at 2/3rds for teh win!"

I enjoy your hard work on TMO. One of the many reasons I use TMO is because of the speed setting and milage. I enjoy traveling the vast ocean at standard, and if needed slowing to 2/3. Just want to thank you again for all your hard work. I really enjoy it. Makes the game a challange and fun to play