Rudder destroyed = Game Over

[csengoi]

Today I was on my way to home after my patrol. I had several aircraft attacks, and I've decided to stay on surface and fight the attacking plane. Then in an unlucky attack I sufferd some damage, my propeller shafts went red, and my rudder was destroyed, so the submarine could only go straight ahead. My damage control team did nothing to repair it.
My questions are:
-Why don't I receive a normal report that it is unfixible?
-I could make my way to Norwegen, but I could do nothing, I mean I made a status report, but the answer was: continue my mission. Well thanks a lot, without rudder???
Why can't I call for a repair or tug boat?
Why can't I order abandon ship near friendly shores?
All I could do is to run on shore, and my sub was destroyed. All hands lost...

[Will-Rommel]

Indeed this is really an immersion killer. Dev's should work around this in any future project (Game) they plan to release.

[W4lt3r]

Same thing happened to me aswell on my 2nd career on German side. Oddly enough, i was submerged around middle of the indian ocean, periscope up and havent seen anything and im already pinged, had plotted an attack route for a convoy and seemingly the escorts magically heard my sub going 2 knots underwater.

Anyhow, a DC popped off my rudder aswell, along with taking some damage on my hull and deck guns but most stuff i got fixed but was thinking "why the heck i cant steer" and checked the rudder. Well it was blown off... *sigh*

Yes, it should be fixable.. especially if you got that super engineer or whatever he is that can repair destroyed items..

[Pablo]

Hi!

I think any destroyed item can be replaced during a mission only if you have the engineer with the "repair destroyed items" special ability. I'll bet the Bismarck wished they'd had such an engineer on board....

IRL the U-boat could steer by running its port and starboard engines at different speeds or in opposite directions, albeit not as quickly as a rudder, but that is not possible in SH4.

Pablo

[csengoi]

Originally Posted by Pablo

Hi!

I think any destroyed item can be replaced during a mission only if you have the engineer with the "repair destroyed items" special ability. I'll bet the Bismarck wished they'd had such an engineer on board....

IRL the U-boat could steer by running its port and starboard engines at different speeds or in opposite directions, albeit not as quickly as a rudder, but that is not possible in SH4.

Pablo

Yes, I remember in SH2 you could do it. Furthermore, you could switch to electric propulsion even on the surface, and manually set the diving planes. I miss those things.

[Bosje]

i not only miss them, i need them. having awful trouble getting my head around the way the game engine controls my depth. it's not at all working like it should and it damn near killed me just now.

If there is any way at all to control the dive planes, please let me know. As it is, there seems to be something working its magic deep inside the system, using ballast tanks and making noise and generally not doing what it's being told. without me, the player, having any control over it.

edit: oops going off-topic. sorry.
shame about your boats being doomed without the rudders, guys. sorry to hear that

[Carotio]

This is one of the reasons why I save the game now and then.
If something like this happens, the game limits you in a way that you wouldn't be limited to IRL, a reload is in order, that is if you normally play DID.

[csengoi]

Of course I did make a save, and I've reloaded it.
But I want to "cheat" as less as possible. And I love realism as much as possible. Controlling the dive panes and propulsion, switching to red lights/blue lights etc is needed. And I thing it would not be a big deal to implement them.

[donut]

Originally Posted by csengoi

Of course I did make a save, and I've reloaded it.
But I want to "cheat" as less as possible. And I love realism as much as possible. Controlling the dive panes and propulsion, switching to red lights/blue lights etc is needed. And I think it would not be a big deal to implement them.

Might require source code Damn rudder Fix engine steerage way.

[beresford]

It is rubbish isn't it. Don't know why the coders think it would go up and down like on a railway track. IRL it would change course due to the wind if nothing else. You could launch a dinghy and SLOWLY tow it round to a new heading.

[merc4ulfate]

There are some SOS mods out there. I know Traveller made a mod to send an SOS in case of a destroyed item and there was a renown penalty for using it.

The latest version of ISP is great for boat physics but it does not work with U-Boats but I'm lobbying for that to change. I think ISP is the best environmental physics mod I have seen to date.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by beresford

It is rubbish isn't it.

What I think is rubbish is somebody commenting in a thread that died seven years ago. The guy who started the thread hasn't even visited Subsim since 2011.

[SeaviewSkipper]

Yes, but it IS an issue that should be dealt with. Has it? It happened to me a couple of patrols ago. I was in a very shallow area and took some serious depth charge damage. My after torpedo room fully flooded and the engine room partially flooded. I crashed into the bottom stern-first. I didn't realize it at the time, but that caused my rudder to break-off. Somehow I survived and laid on the bottom until my crew repaired the bulkheads and pumps and expelled the water. I surfaced at night after many hours under, still not realizing I had no rudder. When I couldn't change course I knew there was serious trouble. I used the free camera to zoom into my stern and saw that the rudder was gone. End of patrol and end of sub.

I don't think damage as severe as a missing rudder should necessarily be repairable, because you'd have to send divers over the side and try to jury-rig something. I doubt it could be done successfully.
But I DO think you should have some options, like radioing for help from another sub or perhaps abandoning ship and going ashore somewhere. I sent a status report back to base and they acted as if nothing was wrong. Obviously the game programmers didn't include an option for the "lost rudder scenario".

[Hartmann]

In this case an alternative steering option with propellers would be needed , but very difficult without the code.

A destroyed or jammer rudder could be only fixed in surface in good weather, but in 1943 the danger is obvious, the boat it´s like a sitting duk like the Bismark