Beginner Questions

[banryu79]

Originally Posted by BigWalleye

If you are using h.sie's V16B1 patches, the Torpedo Failure Fix will cause your torps to run at max depth (25m) if torp depth setting <= 0.4 W.

Thanks, I didn't know it. But I do not use said patch (btw, I know about it, I have seen it been mentioned many time in many threads).

So using a shallow setting with the impact pistol won't alleviate the problem in heavy weather. Better to use magnetic in high winds.

As I said, I do not use h.sie patch, no have used it (I'm a newbie kaleun).

I can't say for sure, but I really doubt that keel depth changes due to sea state are modeled in SH3. I'd bet that 6m draft means 6m, period.

Mmmm
I can see that weather dependant roll & pitch is modeled for "ownship" (the sub we command), and that has an effect on your sub draft!
I thought that this behaviour was modeled for any vessel in the game!

[Nukesub]

Originally Posted by flag4

...what a crackin' vid, many thanks Nukesub

No problem

Just an FYI I did NOT make it, simply found it through google searches

[flag4]

Originally Posted by Nukesub

5). Any advice on manual targeting? I have been using this video as a reference to learn:

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Not from me. I've been playing for nine years and my math hasn't improved one bit.

Steve, if I may. I, like you, can not grasp the maths. I shy away from it all the time, and I feel a little sad that I cant do those sums to get the torps to hit. but I just watched the above video and I was mightily impressed at potentially how easy it seemed. have a go and watch it. it runs for nine minutes and I reckon there aint maths to it except multiplying the time travelled by 10 to get the speed.
id be interested to hear your response...once you've watched it...?

[Sailor Steve]

I watched it, and I'm disappointed. I find it no more realistic than using Auto Targeting. First, there is no way you can use the periscope for a few seconds and have the exact bearing and range of every ship in the convoy. On the other hand, getting the speed of one ship will give you the speed of the entire convoy. Second, the stated goal is to keep the periscope above water for as short a time as possible. In real life they had to keep it up long enough to gather the correct information. They also had to recheck several times, which meant raising the scope for as long as was necessary. This means that the goal of keeping the scope underwater is contrary to what they actually had to do.

I technically use Manual Targeting, but I use WE Assistance to get the information, but because it's perfect I use it once every two minutes, and I leave the scope up for as long as seems reasonable to me. I use the Assisted Plotting Mod, which only allows you to mark the position of one ship at a time, not the entire convoy. Despite the "perfection" of the WE, I still manage to miss on a fairly regular basis. My way may not be as realistic as full manual targeting, but it feels right to me.

[Aras]

For manual targeting I can recommend to check this post : http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=88961

I use Manual Targeting as well however I leave Auto Map Contacts on to measure the distance. I really love to gather all the information including range manually however the stadimeter and the recognition manual are not handy in this subject.

Values in Recognition manual are generally false, even the highest mast in given picture does not match with highest mast value Which makes stadimeter useless in my opinion. Did i miss something about it?

I know that in real life everything was not perfect including recognition manual. My nerves can take being depth charged for hours but I can't handle wasting Third Reich's precious torpedoes just because I wasn't qualified enough to calculate a range correctly.

[BigWalleye]

Originally Posted by Aras

For manual targeting I can recommend to check this post : http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=88961

I use Manual Targeting as well however I leave Auto Map Contacts on to measure the distance. I really love to gather all the information including range manually however the stadimeter and the recognition manual are not handy in this subject.

Values in Recognition manual are generally false, even the highest mast in given picture does not match with highest mast value Which makes stadimeter useless in my opinion. Did i miss something about it?

I know that in real life everything was not perfect including recognition manual. My nerves can take being depth charged for hours but I can't handle wasting Third Reich's precious torpedoes just because I wasn't qualified enough to calculate a range correctly.

I use basically the same options. Have you tried Hitman's Optics? No stadimeter, but FoV and scaling are adjusted to give accurate estimates of range and AoB with the graticles. As I understand it (based on Cap'n Scurvy's work on SH4) It's not the rec manual that is wrong, but the image scaling. AAR, I've done quite a bit of static testing, and range and AoB can both be determined pretty accurately.

Couple of other advantages: You don't need to make a positive ID before attacking - many similar classes had similar mast heights. And you don't need to use that thin whisp if a mast. The rec manual also gives you funnel and superstructure heights, A nice fat funnel can be easier to measure than a skinny mast.

Hitman says that these graticles are based on actual surviving Uboat periscopes. He tweaked the camera values to make the measurements work. And they seem to work. My tonnage scores are up, anyway.

[banryu79]

Originally Posted by Aras

My nerves can take being depth charged for hours but I can't handle wasting Third Reich's precious torpedoes just because I wasn't qualified enough to calculate a range correctly.

I have little esxperience (still on the course of my first patrol) but 'till now I'm doing well with "The Straight Shot" and "The Perfect Shot" methods described in the document section shipped with a GUI Mod [hsGUI]

Both methods make use of your torpedo speed and target speed/course to give you a reference bearing to aim to -- no need to calculate target range at all! --

Both methods rely on precompiled tables you use to index 'target speed' on one axis and 'LB angle' (explained in the document, and to calculate it you need to know target course) on the other axis to find the 'shoting bearing'.

Each specific table is build for a specific torped speed settting: I'm using [MaGui F], a Gui Mod, that provides me with three in-game precompiled tables: 30/40/44 knot (plus other useful tools, but these tables are what I was looking for).

If you do not want to use the [MaGui F] mod you can still use the above described methods: just download the [hsGUI] mod for the explanations, then write down the tables on paper (I can provide you with a txt version of the tables if you are intrested, I do not remeber if they come with the documents in [hsGUI] mod folders).

[Nukesub]

Got another quick question.

I noticed in this thread, http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=166320, that there is a screenshot listed with torpedo bearing tables.

Can anyone explain how to read these? In the top left corner there is a lb/u symbol. What does this denote?

Thank you in advance!

[Pisces]

U (vertical) is target speed in knots

lb (horizontal) is AOB in degrees.

At least then all the values make sense as degrees of lead angle. Lead angle is the angle between periscope view at firing, and bearing to impact straight ahead (0). Note the table says straight shot. So the torpedoes make no turn.

If you set these values (target speed and AOB) into the TDC-dials, then this adjusts the gyro angle appropriately anyway. So I don't really understand the need of these tables if one does manual targeting. I guess you would need this if the TDC is somehow non-functional.

And no, I don't know why it is abreviated that way.

[Nukesub]

Originally Posted by Pisces

U (vertical) is target speed in knots

lb (horizontal) is AOB in degrees.

At least then all the values make sense as degrees of lead angle. Lead angle is the angle between periscope view at firing, and bearing to impact straight ahead (0). Note the table says straight shot. So the torpedoes make no turn.

If you set these values (target speed and AOB) into the TDC-dials, then this adjusts the gyro angle appropriately anyway. So I don't really understand the need of these tables if one does manual targeting. I guess you would need this if the TDC is somehow non-functional.

And no, I don't know why it is abreviated that way.

Okay that makes much more sense, thank you.

Something else I have been a bit curious about. I realize that Silent hunter 3 is a bit dated (not that it has suffered thanks to this community!) so perhaps this just comes with the territory, but does anyone have issues with screen tearing? And if so, had any luck fixing them?

I have tried to force Vsync with an Nvidia Control Panel but it hasn't seemed to have changed anything.

[Pisces]

If I ever had such tearing in my view then I forgot about it. I can't remember any solution.

But maybe that your settings have antialiasing and anisotropic filtering enabled with negative effect. Double/tripple buffering usually helps with framerate and Vsync issues. I have tripple buffering enabled in my settings. I'm just guessing here for clues though. No idea if it really helps.

[HerrWilkus]

Originally Posted by BL!TZKR!EG

I just went downstairs and had a look into my shelf - and yes! I still own that original box of a 1985-Silent-Service-C64 !!!

Man, I am addicted to playing Subsims since almost 30 years now!

If that is not an addiction, tell me what it is

Haha. I remember Silent Service when I was a kid. Dad worked for IBM, so we were early IBM PC adopters. Everything was light blue and pink, gotta love those CGA colors. But by the time I picked up Silent Service, was already a 'highly experienced' Skipper.

Because it wasn't my first subsim - that would be GATO.
I was in 3rd grade and the Challenger hadn't blown up yet, so that would be around fall 1985. I still have the 5 1/4" floppy in a box somewhere, probably right next to the original King's Quest.
Badass box art too.

Even as an 8 year old, I don't think I ever had to dive - you could just blow everyone away on the surface. Ah yeah, see-through ships on that lovely pink ocean.

Sank every single 'Maru' there was in the database many times over.