Is 1-2 big ships per patroll good?

[Dantenoc]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

Convience for sure. Think about it. You at the scope calling out the AOB, speed, course. Your TDC man making the adjustments. In the this game you cannot not call out the figures. So the lock acts as the voice command. This is why I use weapons officer assist so he can dial in the figures. It gets to be to much without assist.

Everytime you click on the checkmark on the notepad, it will (unaudibly) call that info to the TDC. The "lock on" feature is independant of this.

The periscope is "wired" into the TDC and will update the "bearing to target" in real time... again, independently of wether your "locked on" to something or are just swiveling your periscope around pointing at thin air. Here's the magical part: as your "bearing to target" is updated in real time by swiveling the scope around, the computer recalculates the AoB setting to compensate for your changing viewpoint. For this said recalculation the computer assumes that whatever your looking at is in your crosshairs. Speed is maintained constant and distance is unfortunately not recalculated in real time, so you might want to "call out" updates on that one... but be sure to clear the notepad of all other information, otherwise it will most probably screw up your AoB (the value leftover on the notepad was valid at some point, but not anymore, and clicking on the notepad with that value still there will force said bogus value in the TDC)

[AVGWarhawk]

Correct! Every value must be erased and fresh one entered on every vessel targeted.In simpler terms as the British called it 'is was' only German engineering turned the mathmatical 'is was' into a real time ever changing reality of the torpedo path. Therefore the British boats had to basically aim the boat using 'is was' were the German TDC was done mechanically and these value fed into the guidance system of the torpedo. So clear the pad or the TDC will be using the old values. Yes,one well placed torp on a liberty ship will break it in two as well as C2 and C3. Normally I get to within 1500m for my solution because you are close enough to account for any small miscalculation using the scope or UZO...unless you do some outlandish miscalculation! I generally find that incorrect AOB can cause a major miss so I attempt to make that bit of information as correct as possible. I always manually dial in the speed of target on the TDC...basically the merchants are doing 7 knots. I find using the stop watch gives outlandish speeds. I never use it.

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

I find using the stop watch gives outlandish speeds. I never use it.

The biggest drawback with the stopwatch-speed calculation is that in order for speed to be accurately calculated your U-boat must be at dead stop and your target at 90 degrees AoB. As the AoB becomes more acute, then speed will seem slower; at 0 or 180 it'll appear 0 knots. And since the speed calculation is essentially using trigonometry to calculate speed, if your U-boat is moving at all that buggers up the calculation too.

[P_Funk]

Originally Posted by Albrecht Von Hesse

The biggest drawback with the stopwatch-speed calculation is that in order for speed to be accurately calculated your U-boat must be at dead stop and your target at 90 degrees AoB. As the AoB becomes more acute, then speed will seem slower; at 0 or 180 it'll appear 0 knots. And since the speed calculation is essentially using trigonometry to calculate speed, if your U-boat is moving at all that buggers up the calculation too.

I dunno about you guys but I ONLY use the Stopwatch with the whole Wazoo tracking method. Unless you guys are referring to the notepad speed thing that doesn't work very well.

[The Munster]

Originally Posted by iven72

I am using the VIIB and when attacking the larger ships they take somtimes 4 or m ore trrpedos to sink is that average? I do use the targeting computer and GW mod. somtimes even the small ships take 2-3 torpedos. Also have you had problems getting credit for sunk ships? I had one on more than one occasion where its dead in the water 3/4 sunk I come back later after the weather calms down to finish it with the deack gun and its gone.

Hi, what has happened is you have gone too far from the ship; the ship 'revives' itself then goes on it's merry way. The solution is to either go to periscope depth then get a card school going or play 'I-spy' with the Crew [I spy with my little eye something beginning with 'S']. The other option, which I haven't tried but supposed to work is to stay on surface then go down to Ahead Slow then raise the TC and circle the sinking ship until it goes down completely.

I always wait until I get the 'enemy unit destroyed' caption and/or the red sunk ship on the map before I carry on.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by P_Funk

I dunno about you guys but I ONLY use the Stopwatch with the whole Wazoo tracking method. Unless you guys are referring to the notepad speed thing that doesn't work very well.

The notepad speed does not work well in my view. If you are at a dead stop and make the calculations it might work ok. Other than that, most merchants a making 7 kts and I dial that in manually on the TDC...it is more shoot from the hip than anything but if I'm in 1500m or less, any small varience in speed makes no difference. Sometimes you get that fast convoy making 10-14 kts so I just make my best guess and I do that by watching how fast the scope or uzo is moving. Am I in the 100k club as a result....nope but then again I was not attempting to get into the club. So I average 3-4 in my VII sometimes 5-6 if I'm getting the one torp kills.

[Perseus]

One torp, two torps, three torps...?

I had a little encounter y'day with a lone C3 cargo. Got myself into a superb firing position, set tubes to 'salvo' and jammed three eels right into its starboard side. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.

Stopped engines, waited. And waited. OK, wait some more. Dammit! Set time compression to 32. OK, 128 then. Tick-tick-tick... Nothing.

Darn. OK, another eel at broadside. BOOM. Waited. Waited. Waited, etc.
What the hell...!? OK, TWO EELS MORE THEN!!!

BOOM-BOOM.

Tick-tick-tick...



Then I'd had enough. Fired TWO MORE eels and only then did the final "She's going down!" come through. Of course, by that time, sonarman was going NUTS about the high-pitched screws of three destroyers moving in at high speed

In total I spent nearly a full 24 hrs on one C3 and wasted 8 eels. Fortunately I was relatively close to France so sailed back to St Nazaire and start a new mission.

Originally Posted by Perseus

One torp, two torps, three torps...?

I had a little encounter y'day with a lone C3 cargo. Got myself into a superb firing position, set tubes to 'salvo' and jammed three eels right into its starboard side. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.

Stopped engines, waited. And waited. OK, wait some more. Dammit! Set time compression to 32. OK, 128 then. Tick-tick-tick... Nothing.

Darn. OK, another eel at broadside. BOOM. Waited. Waited. Waited, etc.
What the hell...!? OK, TWO EELS MORE THEN!!!

BOOM-BOOM.

Tick-tick-tick...



Then I'd had enough. Fired TWO MORE eels and only then did the final "She's going down!" come through. Of course, by that time, sonarman was going NUTS about the high-pitched screws of three destroyers moving in at high speed

In total I spent nearly a full 24 hrs on one C3 and wasted 8 eels. Fortunately I was relatively close to France so sailed back to St Nazaire and start a new mission.

It isn't necessarily how many torpedoes you fire, as it is where they hit. If you're using auto-targetting and just keep hitting the center of the ship, it doesn't help a lot. Try (if you haven't already) evenly distributing the impacts. Also try and target the critical hit areas: engine room and fuel bunkers.

[mookiemookie]

I like to put one just in front of the bridge on C3 cargos. Like right where the bridge ends and the cranes are. Set it to 3.5m depth and use impact triggers. Makes a nice big boom more often than not.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Albrecht Von Hesse

It isn't necessarily how many torpedoes you fire, as it is where they hit. If you're using auto-targetting and just keep hitting the center of the ship, it doesn't help a lot. Try (if you haven't already) evenly distributing the impacts. Also try and target the critical hit areas: engine room and fuel bunkers.

Yep, got to hole each part of the ship

[Laffertytig]

someone said " Your torpedo will go wherever the periscope crosshairs are"

does the tdc automatically update WHENEVER u move the scope oe must u move the scope then click the tick button to update it?

[AVGWarhawk]

I believe you have to hit the check mark!

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

I like to put one just in front of the bridge on C3 cargos. Like right where the bridge ends and the cranes are. Set it to 3.5m depth and use impact triggers. Makes a nice big boom more often than not.

That's because that's where its fuel bunker is located, and you're running the right depth to hit it smack daub. Makes fer a purty fireball.

The fuel bunker is one of several 'critical hit' locations. Some examples are the fuel bunkers, engine room, ammo bunker, keel, steering and propulsion. Those locations will appear in the recognition manual as selectable boxes when certain criteria* are met:

You have to be within a certain minimum range (with the stock game it seems to be 500 meters, and with GW 1 km; not sure about NYGM), with an AoB around 80 - 100 degrees, and a bearing of 0 +/- 30 degrees (180 +/- 30 degrees for stern targeting).

In other words, near-perfect targeting position.

If you are locked onto the target, have the manual open to the correct ship type/class (easiest [i.e. 'cheating' ] way is to click 'ship' at the upper left of the notepad; that automatically will open the recognition manual to the correct nationality and ship type) and meet the above criteria, you will notice odd little boxes appear superimposed on the ship. Resting your cursor atop them will show you what it is (ex. engine room, fuel bunker); clicking it will shadow-light it, and aim your torpedo there automatically. You're virtually guarenteed a hit under those conditions (unless you forget to open the outer door first, which delays firing and throws off the computation).

I think it's roughly 50-50 with the fuel bunker whether the ship explodes or not. But it definitely greatly improves your chances for a 1-fish kill.

There is a mod out there (I think it's called the merchant vunerability mod) that, when installed, color-codes the ships and always shows the appropriate sweet spots. Just be forewarned: just because the mod shows them, it doesn't permit you automatically targeting them. You still need to be in the right range and position for those boxes to appear. But what the mod does do is help you determine where to try manually targetting your torpedoes for maximum effect.




*I'm not positive about the exact numbers, but from in-game experience (or lack thereof? )

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Albrecht Von Hesse

There is a mod out there (I think it's called the merchant vunerability mod) that, when installed, color-codes the ships and always shows the appropriate sweet spots. Just be forewarned: just because the mod shows them, it doesn't permit you automatically targeting them. You still need to be in the right range and position for those boxes to appear. But what the mod does do is help you determine where to try manually targetting your torpedoes for maximum effect.

Oh I know exactly what I'm doing when I aim for that spot. I have that mod installed and I love it. Sure it's probably a little bit of cheating, but hey, I'm sure captains knew where these areas of a ship were. hee hee hee...

[GT182]

I have the Full Vunerability mod installed and on just a few occasions have I been able to click on a "sweet spot" and have it work. Ususally it's the fuel bunker but that puts them down for merchants. Trying to use the ammo bunker or engine room on a warship never seems to work. I can click on the ammo bunker on the ship or in the top header above it but nothing happens. When it does work tho the icon for the merchant's fuel bunker turns a darker red. Keep in mind I use the impact pistol and I'm at AOB as close to 90 degress as I can get.

BTW... even sinking only one ship on patrol is better than none.