Tracking Active Sonar Contacts

[Shadriss]

Originally Posted by Destex

In the context of Cold Waters gameplay, do you think that tracking ESM contacts should contribute to TMA solutions?

Yes, but in specific circumstances. It is possible in the game to have ESM contact with a SAG, but not yet have gained them passively. In such a case, having at least a bearing is useful. I wouldn't want them to contribute in the same way Sonar does, but if you are willing to keep your masts out of the water that long, I'd be ok with a very slow TMA build over time. Very slow. Think glacial drift.

Personally, I would rather have ESM tracks to provide classification (ignoring that in real life different platforms might use the same radars for the sake of simplicity), and active intercept tracks to create targets that can be TMAed (slowly, unless tracked by a passive Sonar array).

From a gameplay standpoint, agreed for the most part. For Active Intercept, the bearings are, for all intents and purposes, gold. Unlike the current system where they contribute nothing, Active Intercept needs to have the same contributions and effect as passives for TMA purposes.

Originally Posted by The Bandit

My (admittedly limited) understanding of both ESM... and Active Intercept is that both of these exist as warning systems first and foremost ... than they are a means for classifying... or even localizing a contact.

ESM is somewhat like that certainly, for the reasons that have been discussed. Active Intercept as it's currently implemented was designed for both. I can't get into the hows and whys, but suffice it to say that we rely on it pretty heavily for classification cues if there is active sonar being used.

EDIT: As a side note, I just saw that my Forum Rank is now A-Ganger. I find myself slightly insulted. Not really, but the true A-Gangers will understand that I don't want (nor deserve, at some levels) to wear their name. On the other hand, it is fairly low in the rankings, so maybe all it well in the world. Unless Sonarman isn't in the ranking somewhere higher? Where it should be?