Immersion in Silent Hunter 4

[Armistead]

DID= Dead is Dead.

[Bubble Head]

Originally Posted by Armistead

DID= Dead is Dead.

Ahhhhh... Hardcore

And your pref for TC settings?

[Armistead]

I use TC all the time, about 3500 getting where I want and around 1500 patrolling near Jap controlled waters. Yes, I use the lag cheat, but the cheat really isn't in TC, it's in the sonar contact zone where you can take advantage of it yourself..

[Sniper297]

Somebody has to use the pun.

For immersion;
1. Find sheltered bay with warm water.
2. Stop engines, drop anchor.
3. Cut junior ensign in several places, throw him overboard.
4. Station lookouts with M-1s on main deck.
5. Rig diving board on cigarette deck.
6. Remove clothes.
7. Cut another ensign and throw him overboard to make damn sure there ain't no sharks.
8 Go swimming, now I'm IMMERSED!

[CapnDon]

SH4 is a nice respite from responsibilty, but also brings back the feel of being at sea. I spent 28 years in the Navy, 11 of that at sea, although not on submarines. Given that these subs are really submersibles, one spends most of the time on the surface. I enjoy piloting in and out of harbors, particularly harbors I have actually been in - Surabaya, Sasebo, Manila, Subic Bay, San Francisco, San Diego, Long Beach, among others.

I spend time learning about the various areas and the history of the war in those areas.

A fantasy of mine is to increase the detail on the nav chart in SH4 with more local names, including points often used for navigation, such as in the Sulu Sea.

Overall, I spend a lot of time just sailing the Pacific Ocean and enjoying the scenery.

As far as the game itself is concerned, I am taking the USS Tambor through the war. I did that once several years ago and am starting over, again. Currently on my second patrol in the boat - early 1942.

[CapnDon]

A favorite pasttime is to watch episodes of Victory at Sea.

[Snarf]

I found that playing aboard a naval vessel on the open sea was great immersion, although being in a stateroom with a laptop and a desk on a supply ship isn't exactly the same as hot bunking in a sub in enemy waters, it certainly adds to the experience.

Great sub books I've read (or re-read) since playing SH4:
Dangerous Ground - Larry bond
Cold Choices - Larry Bond
The Hunt for Red October - Tom Clancy
Thunder Below! - Eugene Fluckey
Wahoo - Dick O'Kane
Clear the Bridge! - Dick O'Kane
Silent Running - James Calvert

[Sniper297]

Internet, PC, laptops, cell phones weren't invented yet last time I was at sea, but we did throw the masts and sails overboard to run strictly on steam power.

[BigWalleye]

Originally Posted by Sniper297

Somebody has to use the pun.

For immersion;
1. Find sheltered bay with warm water.
2. Stop engines, drop anchor.
3. Cut junior ensign in several places, throw him overboard.
4. Station lookouts with M-1s on main deck.
5. Rig diving board on cigarette deck.
6. Remove clothes.
7. Cut another ensign and throw him overboard to make damn sure there ain't no sharks.
8 Go swimming, now I'm IMMERSED!

It was a dirty job, but somebody had to do it!

[Sniper297]

Ensigns are expendable.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Originally Posted by Sniper297

Ensigns are expendable.

[BigWalleye]

Don't put on a red shirt!

[fireftr18]

Originally Posted by Armistead

I use TC all the time, about 3500 getting where I want and around 1500 patrolling near Jap controlled waters. Yes, I use the lag cheat, but the cheat really isn't in TC, it's in the sonar contact zone where you can take advantage of it yourself..

I don't think of the lag cheat as a cheat, but as a feature to alert me during tc. I think of it as when the sonar operator hears something, but isn't sure. Alerts the captain and continues to monitor the contact until it's confirmed.

[Bubble Head]

Originally Posted by Snarf

I found that playing aboard a naval vessel on the open sea was great immersion, although being in a stateroom with a laptop and a desk on a supply ship isn't exactly the same as hot bunking in a sub in enemy waters, it certainly adds to the experience.

Great sub books I've read (or re-read) since playing SH4:
Dangerous Ground - Larry bond
Cold Choices - Larry Bond
The Hunt for Red October - Tom Clancy
Thunder Below! - Eugene Fluckey
Wahoo - Dick O'Kane
Clear the Bridge! - Dick O'Kane
Silent Running - James Calvert

Great list of books here - just finishing the Hunt for Red October at the moment. Can't believe I managed to go all this time without really reading any Clancy - much better than I thought it would be given his highly populist style.

[Bubble Head]

Originally Posted by Armistead

I use TC all the time, about 3500 getting where I want and around 1500 patrolling near Jap controlled waters. Yes, I use the lag cheat, but the cheat really isn't in TC, it's in the sonar contact zone where you can take advantage of it yourself..

For a relative newb to SH4 could you explain the "lag cheat" to me?