New guy here, a few questions...

[MirkoS]

Hi guys,

New here, just picked up SH IV again after a few years and am looking to up the realism a bit and tinker with a few mods. I've heard of some great ones out there, and am wondering which are the best? From what I've seen, TMO looks to be what I'd like. I not only would like more athenticity, but for the graphics and sounds to be improved as well, and from videos I've seen on YT TMO looks to afford this.

However, I don't want a mod that necessarily demands more realism, but simply offers it. I'm as newb as newb gets and have a nightmare of a time sinking a single ship in prime firing position 1000m in front of me going 3 knots, don't even mention convoys.....ugh. I can target manually to sink the ship in the submarine school tutorial, not at full realism but it's a start I suppose. This is all vanilla though, and would I'd prefer to avoid over-complicating things with mods until my skills improve. But as mentioned, I'd like graphics and sounds to be better from the get-go.

This site will take me a good while for me to fully sort through, I guess what I'm wondering is what mods would you guys recommend for someone so new to this (is TMO a good start?), and how to install them as I'm not tech savvy in the least. I found this thread:

http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.php...n-Step-by-Step

....which is of great assistance, but many of the links are broken. Where can I find the latest TMO version, and do I need to have my game patched to a certain version before trying to install it?

Great to be here and thanks for any help!

[donna52522]

Well many suggest jumping right into a megamod before you learn bad vanilla habits. But if you want to ease into it, you may want to try GFO (Game Fixes Only) by Webster. It fixes a lot of the vanilla bugs and adds some things including sound fixes.

There is a huge list of things he corrected or added.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=151796

On top of that you can add a nice environmental graphics mod as well...
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=3590

Everyone has different tastes when it comes to the megamods, and they are all great, I have tried them all but personally favor TMO. However I have MultiSH and take a boat out in a different one now and again.

Welcome aboard MirkoS

Edit: In his GFO post it states that it's not compatible with any environment mods, but it works fine for me

[HW3]

I run TMO 2.5 with RSRDC for TMO. You have to be patched to 1.5 (The U-boat addon). Most mods nowadays require 1.5. With TMO, you can adjust the realism setting to your liking, so you do not have to jump into the deep end right away. Welcome aboard!

[Armistead]

Originally Posted by donna52522

Edit: In his GFO post it states that it's not compatible with any environment mods, but it works fine for me

It's not that env. mods won't work with most megamods, it's that each megamod tunes the sensors to connect with the env. they use in the mod.

Take TMO, sensors are tuned to work with the env mod, so it you use a different env. mod, some of the sensor values may go up or down, such as visuals. You've probably seen the light I added around the moon, a simple env. change, but it highly increased visuals, so you couldn't trust the visual ranges listed in TMO..However, most effects you would hardly notice, but a few can greatly effect sensors... Beyond that I don't think any of the env mods would cause a CTD, etc..

[Hylander_1314]

Yeah, what Donna said. If you're rather new, or just rusty, and need a little polishing, GFO is a great way to start.

[MirkoS]

Thanks for the help, I ended up using TMO and it's grand for what I need. After having played a bit more, I've a few questions. Pretty basic.

1) I'm having great difficulty with approaches, most notably convoys. Escorts usually stick to a few miles around the perimeter, which forces me to submerge early and chug along at a whopping 9 kts over many miles to attempt to try to sneak under them by to get in a decent firing position. During this time, even the slowest of convoys pass me by before I can get anywhere near enough to fire, unless I'm way ahead of them which usually doesn't happen. Surface speed of my boat is 17 kts (flank), submerged is a little over half that. I watched a video on YT where a guy said destroyers usually have a detection radius of 5 nm (depending on conditions/day or night). Is this a good assumption to make for all escorts? What about merchants? I've looked for a thread here explaining the basics of plotting and executing a good approach and really haven't found any.

2) I've been trying to use manual targeting but am becoming increasingly frustrated by my hit rate. I probably succeed, I'd say, 25% of the time (if that) or less. For the life of me I can't figure out why. I play torpedo school over and over and over again to try to hammer into my brain, and still it's a shot in the dark every time. Ok, ok, my success rate with basic torpedo attack is probably 50%. But sometimes my fish will veer radically off to the left, where the previous try they made perfect hits, and I had put in exactly the same info. I know it'll never be 100%, but I'd think it'd be above what I'm getting now. I'd be very happy with 80%. As it stands, when I'm ready to fire I save my game, fire, more than likely miss, reload save, do the same, fire, miss again, reload, fire, hit one of four. This happens with every ship. SINGLE ships going 6 kts, 800 yards out, 90^0. Prime. I'm sure I'm the laughing stock of my gallant crew, their morale is more than likely in the gutter. At this point I've turned auto targeting on. I just can't get any consistency from manual targeting, which is unfortunate as it's far more satisfying when I do the work and make a good hit. But it's not as fun reloading my saved game over and over, or not reloading it and coming back from every patrol without a single sinking.

3) I'm unsure what AoB means exactly, perhaps this is my problem. I always thought it was the heading of the ship relative to my heading. But then I watch YT vids and they go into the map screen, click ahead of the boats path, then on it, then draw a line to their boat to calculate the angle. Why? I don't see why this is necessary when one can just look and make a best guess-timation. This may be why my shots are so off, but I don't know exactly how this works and experimenting seems to be of no help either.

4) I usually don't bother with planes and just time compress by them, but have one more than one occassion seen one, ignored it, only to be informed a short time later, "warship closing, bearing...". Pretty obvious, but I assume planes not only present the danger of strafing and bombing runs, but they betray my position as well? Just checking.

I know these are very noobish/dumb questions, but hey, gotta start somewhere. I love sims but have never really been that good at them. Many of the tutorial vids on this site are entirely over my head, especially plotting a solution solely with sonar. I have NO idea what they're doing, or why. Hopefully they'll come out with a "Silent Hunter for dummies" edition sometime soon, I need it.

[Sailor Steve]

WELCOME ABOARD!

I won't be much help with most of those, but the very best explanation of AOB is here:
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=3467

[doulos05]

Originally Posted by MirkoS

Thanks for the help, I ended up using TMO and it's grand for what I need. After having played a bit more, I've a few questions. Pretty basic.

1) I'm having great difficulty with approaches, most notably convoys. Escorts usually stick to a few miles around the perimeter, which forces me to submerge early and chug along at a whopping 9 kts over many miles to attempt to try to sneak under them by to get in a decent firing position. During this time, even the slowest of convoys pass me by before I can get anywhere near enough to fire, unless I'm way ahead of them which usually doesn't happen. Surface speed of my boat is 17 kts (flank), submerged is a little over half that. I watched a video on YT where a guy said destroyers usually have a detection radius of 5 nm (depending on conditions/day or night). Is this a good assumption to make for all escorts? What about merchants? I've looked for a thread here explaining the basics of plotting and executing a good approach and really haven't found any.

The best way to approach a convoy is from in front of it. You have to end around it and cut it off. If you're cruising your patrol area at 10 knots, fuel is no problem, so once you detect a convoy and know which way it is going, run ahead flank on the surface to a good intercept point (decided by you). You need to be able to arrive on-station at your intercept point 30 minutes to an hour ahead of the convoy. Sail decks awash (depth of about 25 feet or so) and hang out until you see the convoy and know which way the escorts are zigging. You want to present the smallest profile possible without them actually running over you. Ideally, you want to stay at least 1,000 yards from them also. Then, dive and begin your approach sailing into the convoy at 2-3 knots (ahead 1/3) and rigged for silent running while below the thermal. Come to periscope depth when your estimation of the convoy's speed puts them close to a good firing position).

2) I've been trying to use manual targeting but am becoming increasingly frustrated by my hit rate. I probably succeed, I'd say, 25% of the time (if that) or less. For the life of me I can't figure out why. I play torpedo school over and over and over again to try to hammer into my brain, and still it's a shot in the dark every time. Ok, ok, my success rate with basic torpedo attack is probably 50%. But sometimes my fish will veer radically off to the left, where the previous try they made perfect hits, and I had put in exactly the same info. I know it'll never be 100%, but I'd think it'd be above what I'm getting now. I'd be very happy with 80%. As it stands, when I'm ready to fire I save my game, fire, more than likely miss, reload save, do the same, fire, miss again, reload, fire, hit one of four. This happens with every ship. SINGLE ships going 6 kts, 800 yards out, 90^0. Prime. I'm sure I'm the laughing stock of my gallant crew, their morale is more than likely in the gutter. At this point I've turned auto targeting on. I just can't get any consistency from manual targeting, which is unfortunate as it's far more satisfying when I do the work and make a good hit. But it's not as fun reloading my saved game over and over, or not reloading it and coming back from every patrol without a single sinking.

Turn off duds and try again. It's in the Realism settings. Also, check your PK (Position Keeper). Make sure it is off when you take the shot.

3) I'm unsure what AoB means exactly, perhaps this is my problem. I always thought it was the heading of the ship relative to my heading. But then I watch YT vids and they go into the map screen, click ahead of the boats path, then on it, then draw a line to their boat to calculate the angle. Why? I don't see why this is necessary when one can just look and make a best guess-timation. This may be why my shots are so off, but I don't know exactly how this works and experimenting seems to be of no help either.

Precision, that's the main reason. And the fact that, if you've calculated the ship's course, you can calculate AoB from the comfort and safety of the thermal layer without exposing yourself to pings and periscope sightings.

4) I usually don't bother with planes and just time compress by them, but have one more than one occassion seen one, ignored it, only to be informed a short time later, "warship closing, bearing...". Pretty obvious, but I assume planes not only present the danger of strafing and bombing runs, but they betray my position as well? Just checking.

Short answer, I think so. My rough understanding is that whenever a 'contact report' is generated for your sub, all anti-submarine assets within a given range make full steam for your position. They do that for x minutes, where x is a value in a file (can't remember which file), at which point, unless they have made contact with you, they turn around and go back. The timer resets every time a 'contact report' is generated.

I know these are very noobish/dumb questions, but hey, gotta start somewhere. I love sims but have never really been that good at them. Many of the tutorial vids on this site are entirely over my head, especially plotting a solution solely with sonar. I have NO idea what they're doing, or why. Hopefully they'll come out with a "Silent Hunter for dummies" edition sometime soon, I need it.

Don't worry about it, you'll figure it out eventually. Just keep plugging away and eventually you'll have the IJN plugging away too... at the massive holes you've blown in their ships!

[MirkoS]

Thanks.

Why can't I rearm at my bases? I'm on a patrol and have run out of fish. I head back to Pearl, but the box does not come up (postpone, end patrol, rearm). I head to Midway, same thing. I've gone to three bases so far. My fuel is almost out. I'm in the middle of a patrol but they keep giving me new orders one after another (believe I'm on my sixth).

Why can't I get resupplied? Do I have to finish all the patrols even though it's a waste of my time as I'm running empty? I can't keep this up with the amount of fuel I have left.

[twm47099]

Originally Posted by MirkoS

Thanks.

Why can't I rearm at my bases? I'm on a patrol and have run out of fish. I head back to Pearl, but the box does not come up (postpone, end patrol, rearm). I head to Midway, same thing. I've gone to three bases so far. My fuel is almost out. I'm in the middle of a patrol but they keep giving me new orders one after another (believe I'm on my sixth).

Why can't I get resupplied? Do I have to finish all the patrols even though it's a waste of my time as I'm running empty? I can't keep this up with the amount of fuel I have left.

I had the same problem, but then I noticed an anchor symbol in the upper right corner of my screen (where the submerged, battle stations, and silent running notifications are.) When I clicked that I got the postpone, rearm, end patrol notification.

Tom

[magic452]

Welcome aboard mate.

One thing that will help you get more hits is the order you input the data into the TDC. Most important.

First turn on the PK.
Second input speed and click the send to PK.
Third input AoB and send to PK
Third take a steadymeter reading to get range and bearing and send to PK.

Lots of other tips found here.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=146795
Lots of reading but well worth it.

Might also check out this post.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...8&postcount=16

Magic

[MirkoS]

Originally Posted by twm47099

I had the same problem, but then I noticed an anchor symbol in the upper right corner of my screen (where the submerged, battle stations, and silent running notifications are.) When I clicked that I got the postpone, rearm, end patrol notification.

Tom

Muchas Gracias.

[MirkoS]

Originally Posted by magic452

Welcome aboard mate.

One thing that will help you get more hits is the order you input the data into the TDC. Most important.

First turn on the PK.
Second input speed and click the send to PK.
Third input AoB and send to PK
Third take a steadymeter reading to get range and bearing and send to PK.

Lots of other tips found here.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=146795
Lots of reading but well worth it.

Might also check out this post.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...8&postcount=16

Magic

I pretty much know what I need to do, that's not my problem. My solutions are just never acurrate enough with the info I input, even at very short distances. I've learned to calculate speed (distance over time=speed), know range, and am fairly certain AoB is good. Here's what I'm doing:

1) ID target with manual, click check mark, close manual.

2) click on PK.

3) click range button, drag ghost image down until waterline is at top of mast, click red button to send to TDC.

4) go to map screen, calculate AoB, adjust accordingly and send to TDC.

5) calculate speed and send to TDC.

6) change torpedo settings as needed.

Before firing I'll quickly redo range a final time and make sure AoB hasn't changed. The only thing I can think of is maybe I'm misidentifying ships in the manual, though I'm not sure if this would have a serious enough impact on my solutions. Is there anything I'm missing? I'll try the method in that second link, let you know if I have better luck.

@doulos-duds are off. It's not a matter of premature detonation or faulty depth, but of simply hitting the ship.

[doulos05]

Originally Posted by MirkoS

I pretty much know what I need to do, that's not my problem. My solutions are just never acurrate enough with the info I input, even at very short distances. I've learned to calculate speed (distance over time=speed), know range, and am fairly certain AoB is good. Here's what I'm doing:

1) ID target with manual, click check mark, close manual.

2) click on PK.

3) click range button, drag ghost image down until waterline is at top of mast, click red button to send to TDC.

4) go to map screen, calculate AoB, adjust accordingly and send to TDC.

5) calculate speed and send to TDC.

6) change torpedo settings as needed.

Ah, you have to send range and bearing last. Range and bearing define the starting point for the vector you're drawing. You have to define the vector first, then you tell it where to start.

@doulos-duds are off. It's not a matter of premature detonation or faulty depth, but of simply hitting the ship.

Duds includes circle runners, which veer off wildly. But based on your entry method, you're probably correct, it's not the duds.

[twm47099]

Originally Posted by doulos05

Ah, you have to send range and bearing last. Range and bearing define the starting point for the vector you're drawing. You have to define the vector first, then you tell it where to start.


Duds includes circle runners, which veer off wildly. But based on your entry method, you're probably correct, it's not the duds.

I think you also have to turn on the PK after you have entered the range and bearing, so it starts at that point and doesn't just update from a previous point. One thing you can do if you have map contacts on (and whichever mod you are using shows the target shape), is after you have entered everything and turned on the PK is go to the attack map, and check that the solution for the target position and course is accurate. The white "X" should be on the target and the white line should be along the ship axis.

The usual problems I have with manual targeting is getting the range from the stadimeter and estimating the AOB. Again with contacts on, I can use the course from the navigation screen to measure AOB (which is probably cheating). But I usually find my range from the scope is not very accurate.

When manually targeting, I have resorted to using one of two methods -

1. Zero gyro angle attacks, either O'Kane 90 or more usually a 60 degree attack, where I draw a vector diagram or use a table I put together to determine lead angle and AOB setting (check in the hints and tips thread). These methods eliminate the need for accurate range estimates.

2. Sound bearing attacks (determine course while remaining stationary using 3 bearing measurements with constant time intervals, followed by another bearing made after moving a reasonable distance to triangulate and determine range and speed). If I have time, I'll do a couple of more triangulations to check and refine the solution.

When I have used this method (TMA or sound bearing only threads detail the method) , I enter all the parameters into the TDC and then shoot at a predetermined point when the TDC shows a predetermined target AOB or a near zero torpedo gyro angle. There's no need to even raise the scope.

When I first started using this method I ran checks by doing all the calcs with the periscope down so I won't see any actual contact locations. Then as the target got near the firing point I would raise the scope just to show contacts. The white "X" in the attack scope was very accurately located over the ship shape. (In one case it was centered along the length but was on the far beam of the contact. The white line (predicted course) was along the axis of the ship. By shooting at near zero gyro angle, I again minimize the effect of any range error. This has been one of the most accurate methods (probably not very historical since I've read that there were no successful "sound only" attacks in WWII. Our sound bearing information seems to be much more accurate than real life.)

The short coming of the TMA method, is that it is difficult to do this for more than one ship at a time, and in convoys you have to carefully keep track of the bearing line for the same ship. The course and speed of the target also need to be constant, although I have used it successfully with a constantly weaving target. It also does take some time. Depending on the relative heading of the target, I use 6 to 12 minutes between bearings when I'm stationary and at least 2 times that for the range bearing.

Tom