Back in the Hunt

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Gryffon300

Yeah - good one, Sir.
Permission to speak freely, Sir. The crew was wondering what we should order for you at the 'Hole'. A bottle of Bundaberg; Captain Morgan; or something more exotic (with or without an umbrella in it?). Sir.

There's no drinking allowed in the US Navy!

But...you know....eh....

I'll have a Root Beer since I'm not legal drinking age yet.

[Gryffon300]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

There's no drinking allowed in the US Navy!

But...you know....eh....

I'll have a Root Beer since I'm not legal drinking age yet.

Well....., not on duty... If you insist. But, what's a pirate without his tot?

Now, Old Son, I'm a little concerned about this negative attitude of yours. It IS 1942, after all. Get with the times! Next thing you'll be telling me that you don't smoke!!

It's admirable that you still feel the need to conform to your family expectations - altogether admirable for a young fella, like you - but you have a new family of Salt Water Brothers to rely on now, who rely on you. So, shape up son! and forget this Root Beer stuff (especially if you get rostered over here - it's Ginger Beer, son, not something you have with a fag after horizontal dancing with the squeeze!)

So, man up! Here's your Shirley Temple. Down the Hatch!

[Armistead]

Gryf,

Ignore the funny man behind the curtain {Red}, he's not the most honest sailor. He's faced the Subsim court numerous times over his lies, not even supposed to be doing anything but delivering wiping papers in an old Sboat.

[Mikemike47]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

The Crew Management is done in 3 watches.
As far as mods go,...

Nicely describe summary about crew management for us old timers and any newbies to the subsimmer world.

[Gryffon300]

Originally Posted by Armistead

Gryf,

Ignore the funny man behind the curtain {Red}, he's not the most honest sailor. He's faced the Subsim court numerous times over his lies, not even supposed to be doing anything but delivering wiping papers in an old Sboat.

Now, there, mate. Couldn't ignore the nice ol' fella. He's been a real champ, but he obviously needs someone giving him a hand now and then to stay upright and stay on the job. (Who knows, if he had actually got the swipe papers delivered on time, das Boot may not have got such a bad review by that loverly Texican lass the other day.... (personal hygiene is obviously Important to her.))

And tall tales are a prerequisite for advanced Sailorisation here at the Dolphin's Hole!

Speaking of which - you're not going to believe it, but I've just come back from playing patti-cake around Camranh Bay and generally being belligerent around the Singapore-Hainan Island line, and, guess what? Another Navy Cross and promotion to Commander!! Is this Navy short of talent or something? I think the Admiral must be a drinking buddy of the The Hunt's, and that ol' salt must have lied again about my Stirling Character. I wish he would stop putting in a good word about me to the Brass - its embarrassing - he knows how much i hate hanging out with the Braid!. The medal & promo sure as heck (see how polite I'm being?) can't have been for the tour!

I mean, let me be straight for awhile - 8 solo merchants for a total of 48,000 tonnes is hardly earth-shattering (is it?). The Hunt will think I was very naughty, but I finished off half of them with my nice new #4 gun (on paper the #5 looked too big and silly - especially the two-bag loading!). Although the re-load rate is slower than my previous #2, it obviously packs a much bigger punch and I took one out with gun only when both torps dudded (I have an Iron-clad rule that no 5,000 tonne merchant is worth more than two torps!). So, maybe my bloody-mindedness is what they mean by 'aggression' in the Citation. As long as I don't pop up till I'm 3,000 or more away, I haven't had any trouble Deep Sixing them.

So, there you have it. No IJN encountered (except one warship on radar heading fast past me at 9 nm in heavy rain - couldn't catch him: down to two torps by then anyway, so probably just as well...., and the few odd planes, easily evaded - especially with my improved radars). So, what's 'heroic' about all that, eh? I feel like a fraud. But still, the crew seem pleased for me. As The Chief said, "We had some fun; put some of them on the bottom; and you didn't get any of us hurt. What's wrong with that, eh?" Some people are blessed with a simple outlook on life, don't you think? Good people to know. Like you lot.

Tight Hatches.

[Gryffon300]

Originally Posted by Mikemike47

Nicely describe summary about crew management for us old timers and any newbies to the subsimmer world.

Amen to that, Brother..

[Armistead]

You eventually hit the big convoys, protected by those mean Type AB's throwing 100's of charges at you, trying to control your dive due to all the damage.

The medals are made of tin, we give em out like candy, today, everyone gets awards.

Red has learned to be careful with his reports, so I guess he's OK now.
Red's just wishy washy, prone to mouth off, apoligize for no reason, then do it all over again, but I don't hold it against him.....too much.

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Armistead

Gryf,

Ignore the funny man behind the curtain {Red}, he's not the most honest sailor. He's faced the Subsim court numerous times over his lies, not even supposed to be doing anything but delivering wiping papers in an old Sboat.

What are you talking about!? You gave me my boat back after that Trial!

Originally Posted by Mikemike47

Nicely describe summary about crew management for us old timers and any newbies to the subsimmer world.

Thank you Sir.

Originally Posted by Gryffon300

Now, there, mate. Couldn't ignore the nice ol' fella. He's been a real champ, but he obviously needs someone giving him a hand now and then to stay upright and stay on the job. (Who knows, if he had actually got the swipe papers delivered on time, das Boot may not have got such a bad review by that loverly Texican lass the other day.... (personal hygiene is obviously Important to her.))

And tall tales are a prerequisite for advanced Sailorisation here at the Dolphin's Hole!

Speaking of which - you're not going to believe it, but I've just come back from playing patti-cake around Camranh Bay and generally being belligerent around the Singapore-Hainan Island line, and, guess what? Another Navy Cross and promotion to Commander!! Is this Navy short of talent or something? I think the Admiral must be a drinking buddy of the The Hunt's, and that ol' salt must have lied again about my Stirling Character. I wish he would stop putting in a good word about me to the Brass - its embarrassing - he knows how much i hate hanging out with the Braid!. The medal & promo sure as heck (see how polite I'm being?) can't have been for the tour!

I mean, let me be straight for awhile - 8 solo merchants for a total of 48,000 tonnes is hardly earth-shattering (is it?). The Hunt will think I was very naughty, but I finished off half of them with my nice new #4 gun (on paper the #5 looked too big and silly - especially the two-bag loading!). Although the re-load rate is slower than my previous #2, it obviously packs a much bigger punch and I took one out with gun only when both torps dudded (I have an Iron-clad rule that no 5,000 tonne merchant is worth more than two torps!). So, maybe my bloody-mindedness is what they mean by 'aggression' in the Citation. As long as I don't pop up till I'm 3,000 or more away, I haven't had any trouble Deep Sixing them.

So, there you have it. No IJN encountered (except one warship on radar heading fast past me at 9 nm in heavy rain - couldn't catch him: down to two torps by then anyway, so probably just as well...., and the few odd planes, easily evaded - especially with my improved radars). So, what's 'heroic' about all that, eh? I feel like a fraud. But still, the crew seem pleased for me. As The Chief said, "We had some fun; put some of them on the bottom; and you didn't get any of us hurt. What's wrong with that, eh?" Some people are blessed with a simple outlook on life, don't you think? Good people to know. Like you lot.

Tight Hatches.

Thank you for....well....sort of compliment...and yes. I don't smoke. Might as well keep the addictions to a minimum if I have a crew of 80 sailors depending on me.

I'm an American High School student that is also a Fleet Boat skipper. Yes, you've been taking advice from somebody younger than you.

Originally Posted by Armistead

Red has learned to be careful with his reports, so I guess he's OK now.
Red's just wishy washy, prone to mouth off, apoligize for no reason, then do it all over again, but I don't hold it against him.....too much.

It doesn't matter if I like external cameras or not, Self-Appointed Admiral Armistead!

When I mouth off, I apologize for mouthing off!

*mutters about the Admiral being behind a desk too long*

[Gryffon300]

Well, 'Hunt', my young friend, you will find I am an Equal Opportunity Insulter, but prefer camaraderie and a barista coffee to a drunken brawl any day, and, like you, do not (and never have) smoked. Now, don't think that I feel that means I am in some way virtuous, because, if I can be so bold as to offer a philosophy of life garnered over a half-century of experience all over the world:
'If you must have vices, try to keep them down to only one at a time, so you can get really good at it.' I'll leave it to you to figure out what my current vice a la mode is.

That being said, you are welcome here at the Dolphin's Hole any time you are in port, and I'll have a steady stream of Virgins on tap for you (that's a Bloody Mary - wash your mind out!), and anyone that mutters about unmanly conduct will be swallowing some teeth. Either that or I'll force them to drink a Schooner of Creme de Menthe. That'll fix them!

Now, Gurus Mine, here are some gun questions for y'all (knowing how much The Hunt disapproves of the use of same, I'm OK if you cover your eyes and go 'La. la. la. la. la" for a while):

- as the AI is far less accurate at medium distance than I am on the gun (and only 'better' at distance because the inadequate zoom on the gun-sight means the target just gets too small to see what's happening), I have occasion to be concerned about the sanity of some of my deck crew. When slewing the gun far port or starboard to fire back over my shoulder, as it were, there is a crewman standing watch on either side and forward of the conning tower. It means two things: first, they block the view through the sight, and second, they are standing in front of the barrel. Now, I know they are all macho and fans of 'Kelly's Heroes', but, really?! Mod adjust anyone?

- Why, as I have 'No stabilise view' selected, is the gun so rock-steady regardless of sea-state? Is this native to SH IV? (Disappointing as the bouncing gun barrel in previous versions of SH was an appreciated 'realism' feature. (Waiting for the barrel to steady and timing swells became one of my better skills....)) Is there a Mod out there to amend this anomaly?

- If any modder actually wants to improve game play significantly for Gunnys, here's a couple of suggestions (if they haven't already been spotted and modded? If so, where, where!?):

- When gun is zoomed in, slew-rate on left-right arrows should be radically adjusted down to allow micro-adjustments. As it is the arrows are useless - it wildly overshoots left or right at the briefest touch, so you have to use the mouse and that's a Royal Pain.

- Have some kind of Range read-out slaved from the bridge glasses or have range called out from the bridge (the same way sonar contacts are called), say, every 100m change(?). (Its a real pain once you lose track at distance because the zoom is inadequate to see if you are under or over-shooting and have to leave the gun; run up to the bridge and take a range reading; then run back down to the gun AND BEGIN ELEVATION ALL OVER AGAIN FROM 500! That's a total waste - at the very least, couldn't the gun stay in the elevation last set, so long as 'Man Deck Gun' is selected. Re-elevating is a painfully slow waste of time!

- on a graphics issue, I notice my bridge crew are a little transparently ghostly. E.g. I can see the horizon line right through the head of my companion on the right. Is this a settings issue inside a mod, or native to this program?

That's all for now. Thanks for the fun.

Tight Hatches.

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Gryffon300

Well, 'Hunt', my young friend, you will find I am an Equal Opportunity Insulter, but prefer camaraderie and a barista coffee to a drunken brawl any day, and, like you, do not (and never have) smoked. Now, don't think that I feel that means I am in some way virtuous, because, if I can be so bold as to offer a philosophy of life garnered over a half-century of experience all over the world:
'If you must have vices, try to keep them down to only one at a time, but get really good at it.' I'll leave it to you to figure out what my current vice a la mode is.

That being said, you are welcome here at the Dolphin's Hole any time you are in port, and I'll have a steady stream of Virgins on tap for you (that's a Bloody Mary - wash your mind out!), and anyone that mutters about unmanly conduct will be swallowing some teeth. Either that or I'll force them to drink a Schooner of Creme de Menthe. That'll fix them!

Fair enough I guess.

Now, Gurus Mine, here are some gun questions for y'all (knowing how much The Hunt disapproves of the use of same, I'm OK if you cover your eyes and go 'La. la. la. la. la" for a while)

Disapprove? You haven't seen my gun control posts or my stories of deer hunting. I live in Southern Missouri. I'm far from disapproving of guns.

- as the AI is far less accurate at medium distance than I am on the gun (and only 'better' at distance because the inadequate zoom on the gun-sight means the target just gets too small to see what's happening), I have occasion to be concerned about the sanity of some of my deck crew. When slewing the gun far port or starboard to fire back over my shoulder, as it were, there is a crewman standing watch on either side and forward of the conning tower. It means two things: first, they block the view through the sight, and second, they are standing in front of the barrel. Now, I know they are all macho and fans of 'Kelly's Heroes', but, really?! Mod adjust anyone?
- Why, as I have 'No stabilise view' selected, is the gun so rock-steady regardless of sea-state? Is this native to SH IV? (Disappointing as the bouncing gun barrel in previous versions of SH was an appreciated 'realism' feature. (Waiting for the barrel to steady and timing swells became one of my better skills....)) Is there a Mod out there for this anomaly?
- on a graphics issue, I notice my bridge crew are a little transparently ghostly. E.g. I can see the horizon line right through the head of my companion on the right. Is this a settings issue inside a mod, or native to this program?

I'm honestly not sure why the A.I. is inaccurate. Maybe somebody could up the A.I. for you in a small mod to tweak it to your liking.

The gun view is usually stable...but the shots aren't... At least in my experience.

And the bridge crew is notorious for graphical errors. You know....staying on deck while submerged....etc...

That's all for now. Thanks for the fun.

That's what it's all about isn't it?

*picks up the phone*

Yes Admiral...Sorry sir. Got it. No more fun. Thank You Sir. Sorry once again.

*hangs up*

Well, COMSUBPAC says no more fun around here....but we're going to do it anyway.

Tight Hatches.

Bow planes 15 degrees. AND CLOSE THE DANG MAIN INDUCTION VENT! DO YOU WANT US TO FLOOD AND SINK?!

[Gryffon300]

Originally Posted by Armistead

You eventually hit the big convoys, protected by those mean Type AB's throwing 100's of charges at you, trying to control your dive due to all the damage.

The medals are made of tin, we give em out like candy, today, everyone gets awards.

Red has learned to be careful with his reports, so I guess he's OK now.
Red's just wishy washy, prone to mouth off, apoligize for no reason, then do it all over again, but I don't hold it against him.....too much.

Yes, Amistead, I certainly hope for imminent convoy action. I've just received some flash traffic about an expected 42 unit re-supply convoy that will be transiting Celebes ex Singapore in three days which is easily achievable, (currently north of Bali) so, wish me luck - I'll see if I can hit them as they come through Balabac Strait.

What technique do you use for long-distance detection? With this early war gear, do you find the quoted ranges (10,000 for WCA acoustic and 20,000 for SJ Radar) are accurate? (In SH III I would often get best results submerging and going Silent, all stop and listening hard to pick up screw sound well beyond horizon - but I suspect that was better gear than this.)

TH

Gryff

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Gryffon300

Yes, Amistead, I certainly hope for imminent convoy action. I've just received some flash traffic about an expected 42 unit re-supply convoy that will be transiting Celebes ex Singapore in three days which is easily achievable, (currently north of Bali) so, wish me luck - I'll see if I can hit them as they come through Balabac Strait.

Good luck to you! Early War IJN Escorts don't react as well as mid to late war escorts do. You can easily take your cut from the convoy and evade.

Aircraft is a completely different concept altogether. I tend to avoid all the aircraft I can. I don't want to be caught in the open.

It has happened a couple times....but one of two things happened to cause it.

1. I was damaged and couldn't dive

2. I wasn't paying a lick of attention. Probably messing with the gramophone or the pretty details inside the boat.

What technique do you use for long-distance detection? With this early war gear, do you find the quoted ranges (10,000 for WCA acoustic and 20,000 for SJ Radar) are accurate? (In SH III I would often get best results submerging and going Silent, all stop and listening hard to pick up screw sound well beyond horizon - but I suspect that was better gear than this.)

When I'm on station somewhere, I run submerged at ahead slow during the day and ahead 2/3 at night to recharge batteries for the next day's run.

Until you get Surface Search Radar, it's like SH3.....just a shot in the dark along the shipping lanes.

At least in my experience.

[Armistead]

If you're using time compression, your PC will start lagging out when a convoy is near, larger the convoy, the more lag you will feel. Some prefer to activate the stopwatch to notice the lag, but you can hardly miss it.
Anytime a group enters the contact zone around your sub, about 20nms, you'll feel the lag. You can then dive and get a sonar bearing. It's basically a bug or cheat, because you can hear on sonar to the max limit anytime during the war, your crew will hear only within range of the sonar on board. The game isn't perfect, it only uses one sensor at a time. You'll get equipment upgrades as the war progresses.

Now, once you get into the action, moreso if you play with cams off, don't trust sonar. You'll see sonar lines which may clue you in on range, but several factors come into play, your speed, his speed, weather, being below the thermal, etc. A sonar line may appear long, so you come up to scope depth feeling safe, only to find the escort in much closer than you thought. Often escorts will stop as well listening and usually a sleeper is left behind once the convoy gets away. If you have cams off, come up above the TL first, change directions a few times, clear your baffles. Some make the mistake of thinking it's clear, blowing tanks, surface to find a escort blowing them out of the water. Always come to scope depth first for a peek.

Don't do anything stupid like walking around the boat looking at walls, playing with the radio why under attack. I know, you're thinking "what idiot would do such a thing," but they exist.

Check out the sub patrol thread, I've posted several reports of my heroic crew in action.

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Armistead

If you're using time compression, your PC will start lagging out when a convoy is near, larger the convoy, the more lag you will feel. Some prefer to activate the stopwatch to notice the lag, but you can hardly miss it.
Anytime a group enters the contact zone around your sub, about 20nms, you'll feel the lag. You can then dive and get a sonar bearing. It's basically a bug or cheat, because you can hear on sonar to the max limit anytime during the war, your crew will hear only within range of the sonar on board. The game isn't perfect, it only uses one sensor at a time. You'll get equipment upgrades as the war progresses.

Now, once you get into the action, moreso if you play with cams off, don't trust sonar. You'll see sonar lines which may clue you in on range, but several factors come into play, your speed, his speed, weather, being below the thermal, etc. A sonar line may appear long, so you come up to scope depth feeling safe, only to find the escort in much closer than you thought. Often escorts will stop as well listening and usually a sleeper is left behind once the convoy gets away. If you have cams off, come up above the TL first, change directions a few times, clear your baffles. Some make the mistake of thinking it's clear, blowing tanks, surface to find a escort blowing them out of the water. Always come to scope depth first for a peek.

Don't do anything stupid like walking around the boat looking at walls, playing with the radio why under attack. I know, you're thinking "what idiot would do such a thing," but they exist.

Check out the sub patrol thread, I've posted several reports of my heroic crew in action.

Very good advice.


I've never been caught spectating in an attack on a ship...

but those planes can come out of flippin' nowhere sometimes.


and I used to post my patrol reports....until I was courtmartialed for my mental inability and incompetence.

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

Very good advice.


I've never been caught spectating in an attack on a ship...

but those planes can come out of flippin' nowhere sometimes.


and I used to post my patrol reports....until I was courtmartialed for my mental inability and incompetence.

You were never court martialed,you were found mentally unfit and placed under the care of Dr. Steve, also mentally unfit.