Is it normal not to see ONE destroyer after two patrols?

Quagmire · 10-26-07, 02:58 PM

Hey folks,

The last to patrols I wreaked havoc off the coasts of Hokkaido and Honshu. However it have to admit that it wasnt very exciting. It was one lone merchant after another like lambs to the slaughter. Not a destoryer in sight let alone a convoy.

So, is this historical? I am using the latest TM which I assume includes Taters latest campaign layers. These guys did great work by the way. The merchants actually zig-zag before they are spotted. But without without any Jap resistance at all it has become a rote practice of plot and sink. Dare I say my favorite sim is getting (gasp) BORING.

I am reading WAHOO by Dick O'Kane and to my surprise he even describes the Japanese waters as a bit of a merchant shooting gallery. At least he could cut the boredom with a Cribbage game with Mush Morton! (Now that would be a mod!) :rotfl: [REL] Cribbage with Mush 1.0!

Anyway, I digress. O'Kane does recall much more Jap resistance than I am seeing. Most notably he says that the merchants would hug the coast in shallow waters since such depths are very unsafe for subs. However all the merchants I encounter are out in the deep blue.

Anyone else experiencing Merchant Melancholy?
.

Ducimus · 10-26-07, 03:03 PM

Early war?

Quagmire · 10-26-07, 03:06 PM

Oh sorry, Ducimus. I should have said that. It's July '43.

Probably makes a difference, eh?
.

tater · 10-26-07, 03:12 PM

Most of the ASW patrols are patrol craft, not DDs. Subchasers, and minesweepers. old DDs were also used (minekaze and mutsuki in game, some as stand ins for ODDs).

tater

AVGWarhawk · 10-26-07, 03:16 PM

The coastal hugging happened late war after most ASW were dispatched to the bottom.

Powerthighs · 10-26-07, 05:52 PM

I've been wondering about that myself lately. While I love the overall reduced traffic, I've just finished reading Clear the Bridge and Silent Victory, and while it was not rare to run across a few ships alone, an unscientific sampling of my memory seems to indicate that the majority of encounters included at least one escort.

10-26-07, 02:58 PM	#1
Quagmire Watch Officer Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 335 Downloads: 52 Uploads: 0	Is it normal not to see ONE destroyer after two patrols? Hey folks, The last to patrols I wreaked havoc off the coasts of Hokkaido and Honshu. However it have to admit that it wasnt very exciting. It was one lone merchant after another like lambs to the slaughter. Not a destoryer in sight let alone a convoy. So, is this historical? I am using the latest TM which I assume includes Taters latest campaign layers. These guys did great work by the way. The merchants actually zig-zag before they are spotted. But without without any Jap resistance at all it has become a rote practice of plot and sink. Dare I say my favorite sim is getting (gasp) BORING. I am reading WAHOO by Dick O'Kane and to my surprise he even describes the Japanese waters as a bit of a merchant shooting gallery. At least he could cut the boredom with a Cribbage game with Mush Morton! (Now that would be a mod!) :rotfl: [REL] Cribbage with Mush 1.0! Anyway, I digress. O'Kane does recall much more Jap resistance than I am seeing. Most notably he says that the merchants would hug the coast in shallow waters since such depths are very unsafe for subs. However all the merchants I encounter are out in the deep blue. Anyone else experiencing Merchant Melancholy? . __________________ The day publishers figured out that they could sell flashy first person shooters to teenagers in numbers greater than sand on a beach was the day that quality simulations died. --Col. Tibbets UBI SHIV Forums I guess they should have made SH4 an open boat where we run around inside and shoot each other a 1000 times. They seem to handle those games with numerous patches. --Longam UBI SHIV Forums A sad day has dawned...

10-26-07, 03:06 PM	#3
Quagmire Watch Officer Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 335 Downloads: 52 Uploads: 0	Oh sorry, Ducimus. I should have said that. It's July '43. Probably makes a difference, eh? . __________________ The day publishers figured out that they could sell flashy first person shooters to teenagers in numbers greater than sand on a beach was the day that quality simulations died. --Col. Tibbets UBI SHIV Forums I guess they should have made SH4 an open boat where we run around inside and shoot each other a 1000 times. They seem to handle those games with numerous patches. --Longam UBI SHIV Forums A sad day has dawned...

10-26-07, 03:16 PM	#5
AVGWarhawk Lucky Jack Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In a 1954 Buick. Posts: 28,257 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	The coastal hugging happened late war after most ASW were dispatched to the bottom. __________________ “You're painfully alive in a drugged and dying culture.” ― Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road

10-26-07, 03:03 PM	#2
Ducimus Rear Admiral Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 12,987 Downloads: 67 Uploads: 2	Early war?

10-26-07, 03:12 PM	#4
tater Navy Seal Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: New Mexico, USA Posts: 9,023 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 2	Most of the ASW patrols are patrol craft, not DDs. Subchasers, and minesweepers. old DDs were also used (minekaze and mutsuki in game, some as stand ins for ODDs). tater

10-26-07, 05:52 PM	#6
Powerthighs Beach Leaf Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 287 Downloads: 11 Uploads: 0	I've been wondering about that myself lately. While I love the overall reduced traffic, I've just finished reading Clear the Bridge and Silent Victory, and while it was not rare to run across a few ships alone, an unscientific sampling of my memory seems to indicate that the majority of encounters included at least one escort.