Torpedo Loadout for Supply Missions - anybody know?

[panthercules]

Finally got my first supply mission, running some vital materiel to our gallant boys still holding out on Bataan. Got me wondering, and I haven't been able to find any historical data/accounts about this yet - would it be normal for a sub on one of these supply missions to take a full complement of torpedoes on the mission, or would they have perhaps skipped some or all of the torpedo reloads in order to make more room for supplies to be dropped as part of the mission? As skipper, of course, I'd be pushing hard to take a full load of torps, but on the other hand, if the supplies are that desperately needed that they'd divert a sub from its primary purpose and best and highest use, you'd think the powers that be might decide that delivering the maximum possible supply tonnage would make more sense.

Anybody have any historical data/facts to say what the practice was for these types of missions? If they skimped on the torps I'd like to do the same when I go on these missions, as having fewer torps than usual would presumably alter the mission profile for these sorts of patrols more than just being a normal patrol where you happen to stop by a beach on the way.

[tater]

For supply or troop missions from my reading they'd take fish in the tubes ONLY.

No reloads at all.

tater

[switch.dota]

I always wondered where I had room to fit 6 extra people. Not like they had passanger cabins on subs :P I know the torp racks were converted into bunkes after the fish were expended.

Unrelated question: was there such a thing as external torpedo tube?

[tater]

While the varied mission types in SH4 are great, like many things in game they are not well thought out. Some can be fixed, others, dunno, guess we are stuck with some.

I was looking at ways to limit torpedos, for example. One way was via cost in renown. The problem is that all torpedos seem to come in the same numbers at port, and I can't figure out how to control it. Ideally patrol objective could control torpedo availability/cost, sadly this isn't the case.

One thought I have experimented with was to make the mk10 and mk14 torpedos cost enough that you need a sinking or 2 to fill the boat up early war (assuming you expended all or most of your fish on patrol). I thought that the renown reward for such supply missions could have enough points to offset the reduction in torpedos. A player would have to then click the map to see his mission, then instead of leaving port, go back to the office, and dump all his torpedos except those in the tubes (check missions FIRST before reloading). If torpedos are set to cost 50 each, say, then a supply mission would get you 800 points, enough for 16 toropedos. A lot has to be the player wanting historical limitations.

We need almost all of the the special missions to disappear for the Asiatic Fleet before they move to Freemantle/Brisbane. Then they need to go to the Philipines or even the Slot (coastwatchers). The PH boats need early special missions from PH to Bataan. All the missions to drop spies in Japan need to go away, a few might be changed to China instead I guess (maybe not historical, but also not rediculous like dropping spies in major jap ports).

All the photo recon missions need to be changed. Photo recon wasn't done on moving targets like ships (even at anchor), it was done on beaches, etc, for invasions. That'll require making some "ship" objects that can be placed so that there is a target for photography that aren't ships. Perhaps things like beach obstacles that can sit in the water as "anchored" ships?

[Bando]

Wow Tater, you've been given this some thought. It sounds all good though. Version 0.7??

Reg
Bando

[panthercules]

Thanks for the info. Being able to mod some of these results would certainly be nice - I guess for now though (since I've already left port on my supply mission) I can just not reload any of my tubes. Next time I'll try to remember to empty out my reloads before I leave port.

Originally Posted by switch.dota

I always wondered where I had room to fit 6 extra people. Not like they had passanger cabins on subs :P I know the torp racks were converted into bunkes after the fish were expended.

Unrelated question: was there such a thing as external torpedo tube?

The French used a sub with external tubes, however they can't be reloaded, and the ones they used first sat on the deck, then swung down to the sides of the hull on hinges to be fired, making them fairly inaccurate. This was, of course, before the world wars, and the submarine had an odd design to begin with. It was the Morse class, in case you want to look it up. The Gymnote may have used the same launchers as well, but I'm not sure.

[haegemon]

Originally Posted by tater

All the photo recon missions need to be changed. Photo recon wasn't done on moving targets like ships (even at anchor), it was done on beaches, etc, for invasions. That'll require making some "ship" objects that can be placed so that there is a target for photography that aren't ships. Perhaps things like beach obstacles that can sit in the water as "anchored" ships?

We can create static land objecs clonning files from the "Land" folder, and changing the mesh. From the "navarone canons", to a deployed SDK.FZ7/1 truck, or an Ai-Defence battery, a building....whatever. Another history is to make them playable, cause our inability to build new zon, sim, and dat files. But still traying.
I started playing with the "search light" to make it point to air. No success yet.

[tater]

I said "ship" because I think that the target for photography missions has to be a "ship" type. If it can be set to land type, then existing land units (coastal guns) would work!

tater