Is this abnormal?

[pstein]

I've fired roughly 250 Mk. 14s during my patrols on Tambor, Pollack, and Albacore, but have never experienced a premature. I have only experienced one dud.

Keep in mind, these patrols were all conducted no later than June 1942, so it's very odd that I'm not having torpedo problems.

Anyone else experiencing this?

[in_vino_vomitus]

I once had an early war patrol in the Aleutians where I fired upwards of twenty Mk14's in rough seas, set to magnetic - with no prematures whatsoever. I thought it might have been the game modelling the difference in the Earth's magnetic field in Northern latitudes. Your run blows that away though....

Standard question - What mods [if any] are you running? If I understand Ducimus correctly, the Mag. pistol can be modded to give more or less prematures, but the dud rate is low and can't be altered. Prematures tend to occur in heavy seas. The impact pistol can be modded to give more or less duds, and, premature detonation isn't an issue.

So the question, assuming I've got that right, would be: What conditions are you firing in? Calm seas, close range and mag. pistol enabled, in the stock game, ought to give you the least amount of duds. The fact that you've had one suggests ...... Actually I have no idea what it suggests except that you obviously haven't unchecked the dud torpedoes option by mistake.

I don't want to be alarmist, but it sounds as if you have quite a karma debt building up there......

[merc4ulfate]

I guess this would depend totally on the mods your running as to it being odd or not

[TorpX]

What mods [if any] are you running?

...unchecked the dud torpedoes option by mistake.

I think the explanation must lie in one or the other, above.

Otherwise, it is more than a little odd.

[pstein]

So I said I had fired 250 Mk. 14 torpedoes (more or less) with only one dud and no premature explosions. That all changed tonight. In an attack on a SINGLE Large European Composite, I fired all 24 torpedoes, with only one hit. I was forced to leave it afloat and go back to Pearl in disgust. I noticed at least 5-10 prematures, as well as one or more duds. I was firing in moderate seas at relatively close ranges (under 2000 yards).

I'm not running any mods.

[in_vino_vomitus]

Karma is a bitch

[pstein]

Originally Posted by in_vino_vomitus

Karma is a bitch

Yep. I'm disabling the magnetic exploder from hereon out. I think that's going to reduce the number of prematures, at least.

[in_vino_vomitus]

If you can find it, Ducimus' "Weather Rock" post is well worth your time. In a nutshell, the mag. pistol is prone to premature detonation, but has relatively few duds, the impact pistol is immune to premature detonation but has lots of duds. Premature detonation happens most in rough seas, so if the sea is rough, go with impact. If the sea is calm go with magnetic. Try to avoid 90 degree impacts with the impact pistol.

I was going to say I'm glad the issue resolved itself, but given what that entails..... I bet you're kicking yourself for mentioning it now.

[merc4ulfate]

You can get premmies in rough sea using the contact detonator

[TorpX]

Not to rain on anybody's parade, but the way the game simulates the exploder function is complete nonsense. In the US Mk. VI exploder (the one used in the Mk. 14 torpedo), there was no setting the exploder to "magnetic" or "contact"; it was a dual function device. The magnetic feature was sometimes disabled by cutting wires (so I've read), and rendering the exploder a contact only unit. This was a permanent change and until fairly late in the war, AGAINST ORDERS. Because of this, it was not generally admitted, and tended to obscure the actual number of exploder failures.

The point is that the tactics people use, involving changing from magnetic to impact and vice-versa, are very much at odds with the history.

[in_vino_vomitus]

Originally Posted by TorpX

Not to rain on anybody's parade, but the way the game simulates the exploder function is complete nonsense. In the US Mk. VI exploder (the one used in the Mk. 14 torpedo), there was no setting the exploder to "magnetic" or "contact"; it was a dual function device. The magnetic feature was sometimes disabled by cutting wires (so I've read), and rendering the exploder a contact only unit. This was a permanent change and until fairly late in the war, AGAINST ORDERS. Because of this, it was not generally admitted, and tended to obscure the actual number of exploder failures.

The point is that the tactics people use, involving changing from magnetic to impact and vice-versa, are very much at odds with the history.

Yep - No getting away from that - nonetheless, duds and prematures suck and the game can be played in a way that minimises them, without taking the blue pill and ticking the "No duds" box. I guess it would have been better to maybe give an option to disable the magnetic exploder in port as a once and for all option, but the game we have is what we have.

It occurs to me that if time travel were developed, somebody somewhere would use it in an attempt to tweak history to better fit the dynamics of a game such as this one. Anyone feel like writing that story?

[c13Garrison]

Good idea Vino, I'll just pop in my Tardis & go back to the 30's to the early design stage of the magnetic exploder and convince them the user should be able to select between magnetic & contact detonation! I wouldn't at ALL be motivated to correct the problem entirely, after all SHIV is the important thing!

Actually, if I were feeling whimsical and could manipulate time & space, after a lifetime of preventing horrendous evils I'd just want to make a universe where Cindy Crawford, Rita Hayworth & Liv Tyler knew my name. I'd call that a good day's work.

[in_vino_vomitus]

Originally Posted by c13Garrison

..............

Actually, if I were feeling whimsical and could manipulate time & space, after a lifetime of preventing horrendous evils I'd just want to make a universe where Cindy Crawford, Rita Hayworth & Liv Tyler knew my name. I'd call that a good day's work.

I know how you feel. If I ever won the lottery, I'd give five million to Jenny Agutter to stay away from me

[Dread Knot]

Originally Posted by c13Garrison

Good idea Vino, I'll just pop in my Tardis & go back to the 30's to the early design stage of the magnetic exploder and convince them the user should be able to select between magnetic & contact detonation! I wouldn't at ALL be motivated to correct the problem entirely, after all SHIV is the important thing!

While you're there, fill them in on the circular run problem. There's about four US subs which would have survived the war otherwise. Should be a simple fix. The US Mark 15 torpedo used by destroyers had collars to prevent circular runs, but the Mark 14 was never given this feature.

[in_vino_vomitus]

Originally Posted by Dread Knot

While you're there, fill them in on the circular run problem. There's about four US subs which would have survived the war otherwise. Should be a simple fix. The US Mark 15 torpedo used by destroyers had collars to prevent circular runs, but the Mark 14 was never given this feature.

Plus there's Congressman May to deal with.......