another noob question

[nappy]

So i get a message. enemy task force is otw from truk to rabaol. it is expected at x.y at 16.00 hours 7 july 1942. To my utter amazement im actually close enough to get there in time.. in fact ill be there several days in advance.

So i move to the point.. put engine on idle until about 6 hours before the task force is expected to arrive and start doing my stuff to try and locate them (mostly going by hydrophones) and.....nothing..absolutely nothing.. i expand my search area.. still nothing.. i reload my game to the save point i have about 1 day ahead and start searching towards truk in a z moving across the expected approach line.. still nothing..i reload again. wave my magic wand.. still nothing. i pray to thor and odin, do complicated search patterns.. still nothing...

my question.. when these types of messages appear, are they allways more or less correct? or could it be that the convoy turned back? or something else coulda happened so they wouldnt be anywhere near the expected location at the expected time ?

oh and one more thing:
its now july 18th, 1942, im using an S18 boat (the one i started with), up to this point i have not been able
to "buy" a single upgrade for my sub. The upgrade table in my home port is completly empty..nothing there. is this normal ? i have about 1820 renown, but nothing to use them on


nappy-curious

almost forgot, im using:
SH IV, version 1.5 with the following mods:
RFB_2.0
RFB_2.0_Patch_23April2010
RSRDC_RFB_V575
RSRDC_V5xx_Patch1

[G2B]

They are there somewhere, if all else fails look at the shipping lanes and get ahead of where they are going to be

Not sure about your upgrades, usually early on pickin's are slim as far as new equipment.

[nappy]

i was ahead of where they were going to be by several days, they just never showed

my S boat really really needs to be replaced.. slow, no aft torpedoes, no anti air, and only HE shells for my gun.. me want bigger and better boat

nappy

Originally Posted by G2B

They are there somewhere, if all else fails look at the shipping lanes and get ahead of where they are going to be

Not sure about your upgrades, usually early on pickin's are slim as far as new equipment.

[Admiral8Q]

You have to tough it out at the start of the war. After about 3 or 4 successful patrols they will usually offer you a new boat

[rein1705]

download the mid war conning tower mod. the old S-18's could still dish it out my friend. it's just harder. I'm currently using the S-36 in 1942

[Keelbuster]

Well, based on a radio report you only usually have information on an area where they are expected to be. If they are travelling SSW, that defines a large cone covering the area from S to SW. This can be a very large area, especially if the intercept point is far away. Secondly, I find that in SH4 (with TMO), convoys and TFs zig very often. They change course constantly, and while they might have their overall destination constant, the way they get there can be very complicated. It takes a lot of luck to actually detect and close with them. Radar can _really_ help with this. Finally, I would never just sit and wait for the intercept, rather, patrol a grid over where you expect them to be, and do so at ahead full, so that you cover the search grid as fast as possible and increase the chance of an intercept.

[nappy]

it is now september 1942, and although i havent been able to buy a single upgrade for my S boat, i have managed to sink about 40.000 tons of cargo ships...kinda proud actually. on my last mission i even managed to sink 3 cargo ships

nappu

[rein1705]

Most impressive. Way to go, win one for the S-Boat skippers out there like me.

[Admiral8Q]

Well done Nappy! What realism are you playing on?

[nappy]

hmm...somewhere around 85%

i have external view on for the beautifull graphics.
dud torpedoes turned off
map contacts turned on.

im expecting to reverse all these settings on my next campaign with 100% realism

nappy

[Admiral8Q]

Originally Posted by nappy

hmm...somewhere around 85%

i have external view on for the beautifull graphics.
dud torpedoes turned off
map contacts turned on.

im expecting to reverse all these settings on my next campaign with 100% realism

nappy

I prefere a game that is fun. I have map contacts on, cam of course, the pics I get! Dud torps on, that's why I take the Mark 10's

[rein1705]

i play about 50% but im an S-boat give me some props lol. All the limited fuel batt o2 co2 no duds no stable view map contacts on. um... unrelistic damage repair but i still get my ars handed to me if i make a mistake.

[nappy]

well, this is my first real campaign, im still trying to figure out what my difficult level should lie at to give me the best experience. at the moment i expect that to lie somewhere between 85%-100%.

the only thing im kinda worried about is the auto map update. i can see that removing that will yield an entirely different game. in any case i will have to try it at least once

nappy

Originally Posted by Admiral8Q

I prefere a game that is fun. I have map contacts on, cam of course, the pics I get! Dud torps on, that's why I take the Mark 10's

[rein1705]

its flippn hard good luck buddy

[raymond6751]

As in real life, the radio report was a guess on the destination of the task force.

You were right to get to the projected spot, as HQ would expect you to. After that, using best estimate of speed from their departure point, how far could they get in your direction?

What port would be their likely destination, if not the one mentioned in the message? What mission might they have? Should we abandon search?

Realistic problems.