Holy Cow no contacts is hard!

maillemaker · 06-17-13, 08:42 AM

So I have been playing my latest campaign with 100% realism including no map contacts. In GWX, you can get 100% realism listed even with map contacts on. This time I decided to go absolute 100%.

Holy cow it's hard! I had not realized how "video gamish" I had been playing the sim. I had been basically driving my sub from the map screen, making perfect interceptions and perfectly dodging escorts and even shooting circling escorts from the TDC map screen!

Now all that is gone. I now have to do all my maneuvering from the bridge or through the periscope - just like real captains did!

I'm having a tough time estimating ranges. I still rely on my watch officer to give me range and bearings for plotting on the map manually.

Same for speed - I used to just make a mark on their nose at zero second and 3:15 to accurately determine speed. Can't do that anymore.

My tonnages have dropped dramatically. Hits, especially beyond 1000m, are no longer a guarantee. I think my hit rate has dropped to about 50%, when I was up to 80% or better.

If you thought manual TDC was hard (it's nothing), try no map updates!

Steve

06-17-13, 08:42 AM	#1
maillemaker Sea Lord Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 1,639 Downloads: 75 Uploads: 0	Holy Cow no contacts is hard! So I have been playing my latest campaign with 100% realism including no map contacts. In GWX, you can get 100% realism listed even with map contacts on. This time I decided to go absolute 100%. Holy cow it's hard! I had not realized how "video gamish" I had been playing the sim. I had been basically driving my sub from the map screen, making perfect interceptions and perfectly dodging escorts and even shooting circling escorts from the TDC map screen! Now all that is gone. I now have to do all my maneuvering from the bridge or through the periscope - just like real captains did! I'm having a tough time estimating ranges. I still rely on my watch officer to give me range and bearings for plotting on the map manually. Same for speed - I used to just make a mark on their nose at zero second and 3:15 to accurately determine speed. Can't do that anymore. My tonnages have dropped dramatically. Hits, especially beyond 1000m, are no longer a guarantee. I think my hit rate has dropped to about 50%, when I was up to 80% or better. If you thought manual TDC was hard (it's nothing), try no map updates! Steve