GWX and "Small Freighter"

[heartc]

Check this out:



The warhead power in torpedoes hasn't changed much since WWII, something like 600lbs vs 650lbs, in case of MK14 and MK48 torpedo. Also, from most all information I've read, including from first hand accounts like Capt. Edward L. Beach, USN, one (detonating!) torpedo was usually enough to blow the target to hell. Neither Small Freighters, other Merchentman nor Destroyers were BB's like the Yamato. The Torpedo is a tool made specifically to destroy ships in a war. Freighters were not designed for war, and Destroyers were just tin cans. I don't know where the notion of "about 2 torpedoes seems right" comes from.

Oh and bigboywooly, the effect you describe is real. However, for numerous reasons including the ones given above by Woof1701, this is just a "fact of life" and true for all simulations. If we were to try and "nerf" simulated "careers" as per your approach, we could as well go ahead and shoot with rubber bullets in flightsims. Do we want to simulate an authentic "kill board" or a weapon system in a simulation? Anyone answering "both", is free to go and kill himself after being sunk in the sim. Will make for more authentic tonnage counts, no doubt.

[Kpt. Lehmann]

Well we'll take a look at it.

However, a reminder first:

In GW, Small Merchant = 6+ torpedoes to sink
(Just look at Stabiz "Merchant from Hell" video.)

In GWX, Small Merchant = 2 Torpedoes to sink (maybe)

From Kpt. Lehmann: Quit yer bitchin' and be more aggressive!

[azn_132]

Originally Posted by Kpt. Lehmann

Well we'll take a look at it.

However, a reminder first:

In GW, Small Merchant = 6+ torpedoes to sink
(Just look at Stabiz "Merchant from Hell" video.)

In GWX, Small Merchant = 2 Torpedoes to sink (maybe)

From Kpt. Lehmann: Quit yer bitchin' and be more aggressive!

I am aggressive why u think Im still alive in my boat? And the small merchant is not hard to kill.

[Tikigod]

I'm agressive too. Its the reason Im not letting the small merchants slip by. Nothing escapes me.

Here is a recent video of my last patrol and my encounters with small freighters. They are a piece of cake I tell you!



Watch from 3:30-5:00

[azn_132]

Originally Posted by Tikigod

I'm agressive too. Its the reason Im not letting the small merchants slip by. Nothing escapes me.

Here is a recent video of my last patrol and my encounters with small freighters. They are a peice of cake I tell you!



Watch from 3:30-5:00

Nice find.

[Kpt. Lehmann]

Originally Posted by Tikigod

I'm agressive too. Its the reason Im not letting the small merchants slip by. Nothing escapes me.

Here is a recent video of my last patrol and my encounters with small freighters. They are a piece of cake I tell you!



Watch from 3:30-5:00

Very cool. That is the most realistic looking SH3 patrol footage I think I've ever seen.:rotfl:

Interesting that the first three small frieghters they sank were done with the deck gun in rough seas.

[Woof1701]

Originally Posted by Albrecht Von Hesse

Interesting that the first three small frieghters they sank were done with the deck gun in rough seas.

My thought exactly. Seems like we have to do something about that as well (again) :rotfl:
No worry: I won't start that discussion again


@heartc
Thanks. Especially for the video. Seeing that up close and in slomo really gives you an idea of the explosive power. Old WW2 foottage normally only shows the water spraying up.


@Tikigod
Impressive work there with the deck gun. It only took you two shots. How the hell are you doing it.


@Kpt. Lehmann
Ok. But you must agree that 6+ torpedoes is a wee bit excessive for almost any ship ever built. I doubt that even a modern Nimitz class Carrier could take 6 torps But I appreciate the fact that this has been greatly improved. I still see some room for enhancement though.

Thanks a lot for having a look at it. I really appreciate that, and that's all I wanted to ask you for!



BTW:
Just looked for the video. "The Merchant from Hell"

Have fun.

[Corsair]

My personal thoughts about small vessels of all kind :

If weather and ammo allows it, they go down with deck gun. If not, I don't think they are worth 2 torps as 2 torps can bring you much bigger boats.
If I let the little buggers go away and don't find bigger targets after, well, I had back luck... but this rarely happens.
Being aggressive is for me trying to sink largest possible tonnage with the ammo at hand, not shooting at anything that moves in any weather conditions. I have often left even big juicy targets get away if I felt the conditions would lead to several misses.

[Capt.Crackerjack]

The choice to attack any of the smaller vessels is obnoxious to me as it hardly seems fitting nor justified. I have personally instructed my watch crew that we are not on patrol to bully little boats as we risk revealing our general patrol location to the U-boat killer planes and ships. We also do not hunt capital ships since we are instead charged with choking Britain by destroying the merchants. We will be patient and we will be cautious, thus we shall succeed.

[Woof1701]

@Corsair.
That's an approach as well. In the beginning of the war in my tiny Typ II I didn't have the range to find the large ships and convoys and didn't have a deck gun either. With my "new" Typ VII that's different, so I guess I'll let go of the smaller ones more often too to save torpedoes for larger targets. After all it's kind of crappy to come home with three kills rating 2000 tons each.

Last time when I wasted my last five torpedoes on 2 small ships in a convoy off the English East Coast (there were no big ships in it), I grabbed the deck gun and sank two deep sea fishing trawlers and another little thing like that. If the lightship and the schooner hadn't been such a pretty sight, I'd have sunken them too. But my girl friend would never forgive me. She loves sailing boats

[Ducimus]

I dunno if anyones mentioned it yet, but ive found with tramp steamers and small merchants that if you aim the torpedo just under the forward mast, the front of the ship floods in fairly short order and drags the rest of the ship down with it. I've tried the same by shooting under the after mast, but didnt get as good results as shooting under the forward one. Im guessing theres a cargo hold zoned there with alot of boyancy.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

I dunno if anyones mentioned it yet, but ive found with tramp steamers and small merchants that if you aim the torpedo just under the forward mast, the front of the ship floods in fairly short order and drags the rest of the ship down with it. I've tried the same by shooting under the after mast, but didnt get as good results as shooting under the forward one. Im guessing theres a cargo hold zoned there with alot of boyancy.

I have seen the same. The little bugger seems to be nose heavy anyway. I had a few in a convoy, rough seas. All were ok with exception of this little streamer plowing the water and just seeming to be going down. At any rate, hit just below the forward mast and the nose will sometimes break off. I have seen a similar thread over at the SH3 forums as well.

BTW, 2 torpedoes sure beats the heck out of 6 and 90 cannon shells like 1.1a

[Woof1701]

Ok. So I'll try shooting them under the front mast then for the time being. Thanks

[Kpt. Lehmann]

Originally Posted by Capt.Crackerjack

The choice to attack any of the smaller vessels is obnoxious to me as it hardly seems fitting nor justified. I have personally instructed my watch crew that we are not on patrol to bully little boats as we risk revealing our general patrol location to the U-boat killer planes and ships. We also do not hunt capital ships since we are instead charged with choking Britain by destroying the merchants. We will be patient and we will be cautious, thus we shall succeed.

For service to the fatherland... I hereby award you the Deutch Cross in Gold!!!!

Thank you for not quibbling.