Sub Buddy - the World's First Attack Disc & TADS Computer on iOS & Android

Very nice!

[hachiman]

Any chance you'll "Fix" it to work on older android devices?
I purchased it without reading you needed Nougat or above for it to work.
Never had to pay attention to that before. My bad, but can't see any reason why you've made it so.

[PoutyBatFace Studios]

Originally Posted by hachiman

Any chance you'll "Fix" it to work on older android devices?
I purchased it without reading you needed Nougat or above for it to work.
Never had to pay attention to that before. My bad, but can't see any reason why you've made it so.

Hi Hachiman, thanks for your question. Firstly I'm sorry you didn't notice the system requirements before you purchased, Google do offer a 48 hour refund policy so please ensure you take advantage of that.

The reason Sub Buddy doesn't support Android OS prior to Nougat is the approach we took to create it. The best way to code an Android app (to my knowledge) is to use Java. I have no doubt that a Java developer who is well experienced coding Android apps would have been able to create a version of Sub Buddy that would support a wider range of devices and operating systems. We don't have that expertise in-house and hiring someone was not an option for this project.

The skills we do have available in-house are with a framework called React, which has a library called React Native that can be used to create mobile apps. This library is limited, which means the options we had to solve problems such as "how to tell which disc is being touched to rotate it", "how to animate a rotation smoothly" and "how to display a 3D model of a ship" had only one answer, rather than several that would have allowed choices around optimisation.

As a result when we tested the Android version in simulators and on physical devices we found that OS prior to Nougat had issues with loading and rotating the discs, and with the AoB estimator functionality, making the app unusable.

So this wasn't a decision at the beginning, but instead was a constraint imposed upon us as a result of the options we had available to create Sub Buddy on Android. Because of those constraints we don't have a route to making changes that would allow it to work on older OS. I know that is not the answer you are looking for, which is why I wanted to give this full explanation.

I totally understand your disappointment that it doesn't work on your phone/tablet. I wish we could have supported more devices. Given the challenges we faced creating Sub Buddy on Android we are really proud of how it has turned out, and the features that it has, which allows (many) Android users to enjoy the app, as well as iOS users.

[hachiman]

Thanks for the reply.
Appreciate the time taken to answer.

[Cherrybark]

Just returning to sub games, after a couple of years wandering in deep space with, Elite Dangerous. With lots of patient help from THEBERBSTER I just managed to get SH5 / Wolves of Steel installed and am a bit overwhelmed with the learning curve for full realism play, the attack disc, etc. There are scattered resources and YouTube videos but I'm delighted to find this app with tutorials.

Looks beautiful on an iPad!

[derstosstrupp]

Thanks for the review, Neal! I very much enjoyed working with Zoe on the app. The quality is there in spades!

[Gray Lensman]

Purchased this a few days ago. Kinda interesting, BUT, how useful is it with different speed torpedos. Do you have to separately "look up" lead angles for various "own" ship intercept heading(s) combined with different torp speed settings? Incidentally, I'm in the process of making a spreadsheet that does just that and that's why I question whether this device accommodates these various torp speed/intercept angle combinations.


For instance (SH4): using the vector analysis attack rules and the in-sim measuring tools (and just a zero gyro angle shot to keep things simple):

Let's say you are 80 degrees to the Target course using a Mk 14 at high speed (46 kts). and the target is moving 7 kts. The lead angle is approx. 8 degrees (set the optics to 72 degrees).

If you use the Mk 14 at slow speed (31 Kts), and everything else remains the same, the lead angle is approx. 12 degrees (set the optics to 68 degrees).


These lead angles also change according to the "own" ship course relative to the target course

For example again using the Mk 14 at high speed (46 kts), and the target is still moving at 7 kts, but instead you are 45 degrees to the target, the lead angle is approx. 6 degrees instead of 8 as above.

and if you use the Mk 14 at slow speed (31 kts), target still moving 7 kts, and you are 45 degrees to the target, the lead angle is approx. 8 degrees instead of 12 as above.


Nowhere in the tutorial(s) for this device did I find anything allowing for different torpedo speed settings for the various lead angle computations. I suspect (though I may be wrong), that the device is probably only good for a specific speed torpedo (maybe the German torpedos that were in use).