What do you do during storms?

[Akela]

This game is driving me nuts. Obviously I'll get better at it with time, figure out what I'm doing wrong. But arrrrrrrrrgggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't think I have a question here, I'm just going to vent.

So it's my first career, second mission, but only my first since the war has started so I actually get to shoot at stuff. Of course when I get to my patrol zone it's pouring rain and the middle of the night so there's absolutely no visibility. After about 16 game hours (1 real one) I finally get a contact and I spend another 2 trying to get within visual range, which I finally do.

It takes me another 90 minutes, but I work out his course and speed and I get in front of him and set up a firing position, perpendicular to his course, 250m away, which totally misses. Then another 90 to get in front again where I miss again. It's probably important at this point to mention that he is avoiding these shots by cleverly traveling in a straight line at slow speed.

So I'm not really looking for help here, as I said I'm just venting. I really think the main problem isn't something I'm doing wrong, it's the weather. For one thing, visibility is about 350 meters, which means that by the time I get visual on the target I have about a minute to set up the shot and take it. It feels like a minute anyway. Another problem is the surface, which is so turbulent that the periscope only holds a lock for about 10 seconds. Anyway, every shot seems to fall behind the target.

So what do you guys do during storms? Do you regularly sink targets in these conditions? In which case should I keep at it until I figure it out? Or am I beating my head against the wall and I should just follow him until the storm lets up?

[HW3]

One tip, you are too close at 250M, torpedoes need a 300M run to arm, any closer and they will just bounce off.

[Akela]

Originally Posted by HW3

One tip, you are too close at 250M, torpedoes need a 300M run to arm, any closer and they will just bounce off.

Thank you, I didn't know that. I will keep that in mind.

BTW, finally blasted the bastard. Actually took a shot at up his stern which hit believe it or not. Woot! One less Large Trawler to threaten the motherland, probably turned the course of the war right there...

[Schwieger]

When the waves get this high I usually set my fish to run as shallowly as possible. Way too easy to miss. I really hate bad weather. I prefer firing at long distances (and early war using my deck gun) but this forces me closer. The only good thing is I can use the waves to sneak in closer without having to submerge.

[VONHARRIS]

Another tip : Don't forget to open the torpedo tubes before firing. If you don't the crew will open them automatically but the 2-3 seconds wasted will cause the torpedo to miss astern.

[desirableroasted]

Foggy storms are bad news, and if you are not using the X-ray vision exploit, you really have little chance of setting up a proper shot.

Moreover, if you do manage to hit something, good luck finding it again in the murk. If you hit it good enough to stop its engines, your hydro guy will never find it, and neither will you unless you have been very good at charting her progress along the way.

So submerge, put on some soothing gramaphone tracks, take a break. There's always another day, another target.

[Brag]

One method that works in low visibility is get behind the target at 250 meters, launch torpedo. Since target is moving away, torpedo will have time to arm.

[K-61]

Why are you wasting a valuable Kriegsmarine resource on a lousy trawlwer? The torpedo probably cost more than that derelict barge. The renown is so puny, as is the tonnage. And you wasted at least two torpedoes on that thing?

Chastisement over.

In such foul weather I run submerged as much as possible, unless I am trying to make haste to get to my patrol zone or base on the return leg. The chances of running into something while surfaced is so low it's not worth it. As it says in Das Boot, "You can hear more down here than you can see up there." I only surface to recharge and then down again. By running at ahead slow I maximize my battery time and only need to surface for air and to recharge.

P.S. Regarding minimum running distances to arm, for the normal torpedoes it is 300 metres, but for the new acoustics I believe it is 400 metres. You also have to take into account the relative motion of the target, which could increase or decrease the distance. A target moving toward you will eat up some of the distance, so you need to allow more than 300 or 400. A target moving away will increase the effective distance, so you can fire at less than 300 or 400 and still get a detonation. The things we Kaleunen must know!

What wave mod is that in the pic? Ive NEVER had waves that huge, and what about the storm? Cuz it seems darker than normal, (My night time is dark but not that dark even with storms) and is there any mods to change how storms and fog behave?? Like make them more realistic looking I guess? Or is there an ability to have completely calm seas with tons of fog around??

Originally Posted by Schwieger

When the waves get this high I usually set my fish to run as shallowly as possible. Way too easy to miss. I really hate bad weather. I prefer firing at long distances (and early war using my deck gun) but this forces me closer. The only good thing is I can use the waves to sneak in closer without having to submerge.

[Akela]

Why are you wasting a valuable Kriegsmarine resource on a lousy trawlwer? The torpedo probably cost more than that derelict barge. The renown is so puny, as is the tonnage. And you wasted at least two torpedoes on that thing?

I don't know, this was an extremely dangerous trawler, very menacing. Seriously though, I almost cried when I first got an id and saw the tonnage, but after spending 5+ real-life hours tracking this guy down I was determined to sink him.

In such foul weather I run submerged as much as possible, unless I am trying to make haste to get to my patrol zone or base on the return leg...[snip]...I only surface to recharge and then down again. By running at ahead slow I maximize my battery time and only need to surface for air and to recharge.

Interesting, I was doing exactly the opposite, running on the surface as much as possible and only diving for 5 minutes or so to get updates on contacts. Mostly I was afraid of launching an attack with a depleted battery and being unable to get away from a counter attack.

I'm curious though, when my VIIB is submerged it can only do 8kts at flank. If the contact is moving "slow" that seems to be about 6kts, I can only imagine that "medium" is at least 8kts. How do you close on anything unless you are moving at flank?

Originally Posted by Akela

I don't know, this was an extremely dangerous trawler, very menacing. Seriously though, I almost cried when I first got an id and saw the tonnage, but after spending 5+ real-life hours tracking this guy down I was determined to sink him.



Interesting, I was doing exactly the opposite, running on the surface as much as possible and only diving for 5 minutes or so to get updates on contacts. Mostly I was afraid of launching an attack with a depleted battery and being unable to get away from a counter attack.

I'm curious though, when my VIIB is submerged it can only do 8kts at flank. If the contact is moving "slow" that seems to be about 6kts, I can only imagine that "medium" is at least 8kts. How do you close on anything unless you are moving at flank?

I always like to run submerged until I get a contact, then surface (to recharge batts) and run in his general direction then dive every few minutes to get a contact update and follow him, I had to track a convoy in foggy / stormy weather one time like this and it worked pretty well, besides the fact that an escort heard me and came to Depth Charge, but after that I snuck into the convoy, it was hell though, huge waves and extremely thick fog. Which brings me to another question waht are the "levels" of fog?? because even Poor visibility I seem to be able to spot things at a football field away with the naked eye. Is there ever fog so thick that you can run right up on ships and not know it?

[K-61]

The best way to make your batteries last is to run at the slowest speed setting until you find it necessary to run fast or surface and run faster. You can also tell your CE to not charge batteries in order to get every possible knot of speed. 25% is generally the lowest I will let them run down. Running at lowest speed I eventually run out of air but still have at least 75% battery left. Plot a few sound bearings to get a general idea of the target's course, then surface and make a high speed dash, submerge to pick up the trail again and repeat until you intercept.

[desirableroasted]

Originally Posted by USNSRCaseySmith

I always like to run submerged until I get a contact, then surface (to recharge batts) and run in his general direction

If you are in fog and storm, stay on the surface. They can't see you any more than you can see them, and they can't hear you (unless the storm dips you below 10M, but that's briefly).

Originally Posted by USNSRCaseySmith

Which brings me to another question waht are the "levels" of fog?? because even Poor visibility I seem to be able to spot things at a football field away with the naked eye. Is there ever fog so thick that you can run right up on ships and not know it?

A "football" field away is 90 meters or so. In an VIIB, you are in a 66 meter boat. If your "sighting" is 90 meters away, it is about 55 meters from your bow. And if you are traveling at 4 knots, you will collide in 24 seconds.

Since you need at least three football fields of visibility to set up a shot -- unless you want to shoot into murk -- I'd say "a football field" is about as much fog as you want to encounter.

[Schwieger]

Originally Posted by USNSRCaseySmith

What wave mod is that in the pic? Ive NEVER had waves that huge, and what about the storm? Cuz it seems darker than normal, (My night time is dark but not that dark even with storms) and is there any mods to change how storms and fog behave?? Like make them more realistic looking I guess? Or is there an ability to have completely calm seas with tons of fog around??

SH3 Commander with wave height set for twice normal and also the Green Atlantic water mod



If you look closely you can see my watch crew standing on deck. The waves washed completely over my deck... causes the engines to constantly switch from diesel to electric and back

Originally Posted by desirableroasted

If you are in fog and storm, stay on the surface. They can't see you any more than you can see them, and they can't hear you (unless the storm dips you below 10M, but that's briefly).



A "football" field away is 90 meters or so. In an VIIB, you are in a 66 meter boat. If your "sighting" is 90 meters away, it is about 55 meters from your bow. And if you are traveling at 4 knots, you will collide in 24 seconds.

Since you need at least three football fields of visibility to set up a shot -- unless you want to shoot into murk -- I'd say "a football field" is about as much fog as you want to encounter.

My fault, I meant it seemed like a football field to me, it in reality must be over 4 or 5. I was able to sit in the middle of a convoy with poor visibility and see ships on both sides of me and probably a couple down each row, with what was definately more between them and me than the length of my type VIIB