Several questions

[jgf]

I enjoyed SH1 for ages, picked up a used copy of SH4 a couple of months ago, patched it to V1.4, added TMO, played most of the single missions and started a career. Now it's time for questions:

1 - I have "no dud torpedoes" selected yet seem to not only still have duds but their frequency seems to be increasing. In my 7th patrol now (mid '43), raiding facilities in Tokyo harbor (if a torpedo misses its target it will hit the dock), and at least 25% of my torpedoes apparently disappear. I see the wake, the stopwatch counts down ...and nothing. No "dud torpedo, sir", no premature explosion, no delayed explosion.

2 - Speaking of 7th patrol, I had the impression SH4 "retired" you after 4-5 patrols; I was given a new sub at the end of my 5th patrol and sent back to Japan.

3 - Speaking of Japan, in seven patrols, four were SE of Bungo Suido, three were NE of Tokyo. Will I ever see any other patrol areas? After each of my last two patrols I requested reassignment and was told I couldn't be reassigned.

4 - Are Japanese subs not recognized as targets by the game? The first time I encountered one (don't recall the class - had the recon seaplane on the foredeck) it was in port and I thought I'd found an easy target ...certainly one torpedo can take out any sub, even a modern one. Three torpedoes later I'd started a small fire on the bridge, a fourth had her settling by the stern but not sinking. With no one around to shoot at me, I surfaced and finally sank her with 40 rounds from the deck gun. I received no "she's going down, sir" nor was I credited with the sinking (no mention in the log). And apparently you aren't recognized as an enemy by the Japanese subs either, this one had a small (75mm?) gun but never returned fire.

5 - I'm quite confused over the apparent random strength of torpedoes. I can sink a heavy cruiser with two hits, a carrier with three, yet it often takes three to sink a doddering old 2000 ton freighter, and I've put six into a "modern large tanker" before it sank (I waited half an hour after the fourth hit, she was listing and down by the stern but still making 2 knots; after the fifth she was dead in the water with the stern awash, but after another half hour showed no signs of sinking).

[donna52522]

1 - If you have "no dud torpedoes" selected, you shouldn't have any duds at all. Even with it selected, by mid 43 the duds should be getting less and less. Try going into the clock on the top of the book case at the left side of the captains office and re-check your gameplay settings.

2 - As long as you sink ships and keep taking new boats when offered, you shouldn't be retired.

3 - You will not get a choice to reassign every time. When you do get and choose the option, your first patrol from the new port will be in your old patrol area.

4 - There are no submarines in the target recognition manual that I know of. I have sunk enemy subs at sea with like 4 torpedo hits and yet some times I do not get credit for them. Not sure why that happens.

5 - The torpedo strength are the same if you use the same type. It depends on where you hit the target, I believe there are certain damage sections on the target, such as hitting a magazine. It's good to hit the merchants under the stacks (at least for me). Merchants have different cargo loadouts even though they are the same class ship. Some tankers may be empty while others are loaded with aviation fuel.

Donna

[Soviet Creeper]

Did you get the TMO version thats for 1.4? the most recent version of almost all mods require SH 4 1.5 (you get it via buying Uboat missions) That may very well be your problem.

[andy_311]

2 - As long as you sink ships and keep taking new boats when offered, you shouldn't be retired

Wanna bet? Some time ago I litrally wasted a TF 2BBs,2 HCs and light cruiser. did a rtb and got fired.

[pabbi]

If you start a carrer you have to set your realisim in the office, the radio on the left.

[jgf]

Thanks for the input.

Originally Posted by donna52522

1 - If you have "no dud torpedoes" selected, you shouldn't have any duds at all. Even with it selected, by mid 43 the duds should be getting less and less. Try going into the clock on the top of the book case at the left side of the captains office and re-check your gameplay settings.
....
5 - The torpedo strength are the same if you use the same type. It depends on where you hit the target, I believe there are certain damage sections on the target, such as hitting a magazine. It's good to hit the merchants under the stacks (at least for me). Merchants have different cargo loadouts even though they are the same class ship. Some tankers may be empty while others are loaded with aviation fuel.

Donna

I set all my options before starting the career (full realism except no duds and no manual aiming) but had duds on my first patrol. I've doubled checked several times and "no duds" is still selected.

I usually accept the default torpedo setting for the first shot then put the next towards the stern, a third, if necessary, towards the bow. If that isn't sufficient, and no annoying destroyers are around, I maneuver to put the next shot into the other side of the target; unless I can safely surface and enjoy some target practice with the deck gun.

Originally Posted by Soviet Creeper

Did you get the TMO version thats for 1.4? the most recent version of almost all mods require SH 4 1.5 (you get it via buying Uboat missions) That may very well be your problem.

After noticing the various versions I double checked my d/l before installing.

Originally Posted by pabbi

If you start a carrer you have to set your realisim in the office, the radio on the left.

Mine were set in the options screens before starting the career (and are still correctly set); does it make a difference accessing them from the radio?

[donna52522]

Originally Posted by andy_311

2 - As long as you sink ships and keep taking new boats when offered, you shouldn't be retired

Wanna bet? Some time ago I litrally wasted a TF 2BBs,2 HCs and light cruiser. did a rtb and got fired.

That's why I said "shouldn't" not "wouldn't".

I get puzzled when they retire my Balao and give me a Porpoise class in early 1945. But if I stuck with the Balao I would have been retired with it.

[magic452]

The main options screen is for single missions or war patrols only.

To set options for a career you must set them with the radio in the office before you start a patrol. Click on the radio on the left side of the office screen and it will open the career options screen.

Magic

[Armistead]

Seems you took on a Sen Toku I-400-class jap sub. Seems TMO and RSRD may have a basic non working version of this sub that you will find only in ports, so I don't think a non working version gives any credit for sinking. Newer versions of TMO do have other working AI jap subs that do travel the seas and you can sink and get credit.

The is a mod for the Sen Toku that you can add, however I don't think it would be included in the traffic for TMO. I don't think sub classes have a generic setting for traffic and I don't think Duci ever added the working Sen. The only way you could add it is install the Sen mod and add it to the traffic layers yourself, easy to do.

I've always used RSRD, but recently started playing TMO without and and like what Duci has done with the traffic, it's not historic like RSRD, but more realistic zigs, speeds and AI reaction. He uses many generic settings for ships, so it's very easy to install other ships, I've installed over a dozen and they show up in traffic per class at random, no need to add traffic layers, but again, I doubt he set any subs to generic, but used a specific class, certainly wouldn't want to spawn midget subs at random.

[pabbi]

What magic said.

[jgf]

Originally Posted by magic452

The main options screen is for single missions or war patrols only.

To set options for a career you must set them with the radio in the office before you start a patrol. Click on the radio on the left side of the office screen and it will open the career options screen.

Magic

Hmmm, must have been a government project. I'll look into this at the end of this patrol.