Convoy hunting = frustrating!

[Raven Morpheus]

Thanks.

I'll try diving to the thermal layer and see if I get any better results (although I'm not 100% sure of how to follow contacts on SONAR) - how deep is the thermal layer BTW?

Also need to work out the diving controls as well, in SH5 I use the keyboard shortcuts or the menu buttons along the left side - in SH4 the only thing I can find so far is 1 "periscope depth" button or "crash dive" button or the dial - I'd rather use keyboard shortcuts for diving to specific depths than use the dial as it's qiucker, guess I'll have to check the manual.

I'm kind of a noob anyway, in SH5 I generally spot convoys from persicope depth and don't seem to generally have any trouble doing it.

I also don't like the way the ship contacts are represented on the nav map in SH4 - usually they're just a line (blue for warships and black for merchants), you seem to have to get really close and be at periscope depth to get a proper red mark showing the little ship icon. That works fine in SH5 for me, but obviously it's not working for me in SH4.

Perhaps I'm looking at the map in too high a scale but all I generally see (apart from the contact reports you get once in a while) is those lines and they don't make tracking a convoy easy because I can't properly see which direction the convoy is moving in so I always end up having to follow them rather than plot an intercept course.


As for playing as the Germans, I was getting bored of playing Das Boot in SH5 (even with Open Horizons II) and I've barely got past the first part of the campaign. Hence I'm now playing SH4 - change of theatre and all that.

Thanks for the suggested list of mods though.

I do have TMO, so I may install that (I previously played SH4 with it but gave up after a while, I got frustrated with having to wait hours just to get to a destination (even with time compression), but I've gotten used to that with SH5). Haven't got RSRD so I'll look that one up.

Maybe I just had bad luck with these 2 convoys but it definitely seems harder to track convoys in SH4 compared to SH5.

[magic452]

You might pick up some good info here.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=208242

Magic

[fireftr18]

Originally Posted by Raven Morpheus

Thanks.

I'll try diving to the thermal layer and see if I get any better results (although I'm not 100% sure of how to follow contacts on SONAR) - how deep is the thermal layer BTW?

The thermal layer varies. You need to check it every game, even in different areas. Be sure to go about 50 feet below.

Also need to work out the diving controls as well, in SH5 I use the keyboard shortcuts or the menu buttons along the left side - in SH4 the only thing I can find so far is 1 "periscope depth" button or "crash dive" button or the dial - I'd rather use keyboard shortcuts for diving to specific depths than use the dial as it's qiucker, guess I'll have to check the manual.

Keyboard shortcuts have a "dive" button and a "level off" button, but no specific depth. I like clicking on the dial myself, so I don't know those off the top of my head.

I'm kind of a noob anyway, in SH5 I generally spot convoys from persicope depth and don't seem to generally have any trouble doing it.

I also don't like the way the ship contacts are represented on the nav map in SH4 - usually they're just a line (blue for warships and black for merchants), you seem to have to get really close and be at periscope depth to get a proper red mark showing the little ship icon. That works fine in SH5 for me, but obviously it's not working for me in SH4.

Perhaps I'm looking at the map in too high a scale but all I generally see (apart from the contact reports you get once in a while) is those lines and they don't make tracking a convoy easy because I can't properly see which direction the convoy is moving in so I always end up having to follow them rather than plot an intercept course.

You really need to use the map tools. By marking the lines as they move, you can get the direction of travel. From there you can plot a proper intercept course. You don't get the little ship icons until you have visual contact.

As for playing as the Germans, I was getting bored of playing Das Boot in SH5 (even with Open Horizons II) and I've barely got past the first part of the campaign. Hence I'm now playing SH4 - change of theatre and all that.

Thanks for the suggested list of mods though.

I do have TMO, so I may install that (I previously played SH4 with it but gave up after a while, I got frustrated with having to wait hours just to get to a destination (even with time compression), but I've gotten used to that with SH5). Haven't got RSRD so I'll look that one up.

Maybe I just had bad luck with these 2 convoys but it definitely seems harder to track convoys in SH4 compared to SH5.

While learning the controls, I suggest waiting on installing TMO. Also, the tutorial missions are your friend. The first one is great for learning and practicing the navigation, diving, and detection controls. Make generous use of it.

[merc4ulfate]

If you want to add a real challenge to the game your should turn the auto targeting off and simply use manual targeting practices. You would not have to worry about colored lines nor arrow indicators in the scope you can fire when you are pleased with your own solution.

I do not even compute solutions any more. Most of the time I can line myself up so close that I can simply fire when the target is 10 degrees off zero and get hits. Even during the day I can normally get inside a convoy and fire from the stern and forward tubes at two ships simultaneously and wait for a second ship to cross my bow for another shot before having to dive to escape escorts. It helps greatly to have the German G7es homing torpedoes. Many times I allow the escorts to see me and then dive to lead them away from the convoy and then take them out first before attacking to the convoy itself with torpedoes and deck gun.

Some of the environmental mods increases the fog and therefore reduces surface distances where the AI's see you so being that I can control the deck gun myself I can see silhouettes in the fog where my AI crew members can not and use the deck gun without having the opposing vessel fire back. They simply can not see me. On my last patrol I took out 2/3's of the convoy this way after sinking all the escorts with the G7e's.