Question re: the deck gun

[MrBledsoe]

It's probably my ineptitude with SH4, but it sets the range (on that little dial on the left) and I can't change it. Can it be adjusted?

Thanks,

George.

[Crannogman]

Arrow keys (up & down); hold shift for faster adjustment, I think crtl for fine adjustment

[MrBledsoe]

Thanks so much...now I'm gonna be a real danger on the surface

[Rockin Robbins]

Not too likely. Any armed merchant with a popgun has better aim than you do and you have to hit them a hundred times to sink them. One or two hits on the sub and you're testing out your swimming skills. Destroyers can hit you three miles out with no problem. Same depressing math: several dozen hits to hurt them, one or two and you're toast.

One of the lessons of SH4 is that deck guns should have been left at home to prevent six week wonder skippers from playing Rambo and getting 65 guys killed.

[Crannogman]

Manning the gun yourself, you have the advantage at long ranges. I cannot recall the last time I was hit by something I was shooting at before I sank it - but I usually use deck gun at night, and start at about 8000y. The only daylight fight I can think of was against a lone 1500t patrol boat east of the Marshalls where he could not call for reinforcements and I could get home soon.

Have your sonarman ping them frequently (before almost every shot) to range-in quickly. Observe the fall of your shots - if you are moving East and the target is to the North, your shells will fall East of your aiming point. Waterline shots are great unless the target is coming straight at you - aim for their guns & superstructure instead to set them afire.

At best you can bring 2 guns to bear (but your AI guncrew is generally useless), while enemy combatants will have at least 2. Take them out before they can find your range. If there are multiple combatants/escorts, lure them away and sink them one by one. Expect to use 30-50 4" shells per combatant.

The deadliest merchant I have encountered is the 5100t medium European composite Zinbu Maru - it usually requires multiple torpedoes and has a good aft-mounted deck gun. I usually use the deck gun to finish-off wounded merchies - they usually turn away and may zig-zag, but are easy to put down. The Zinbu is usually harder because it will shoot at you as it scoots away, plus it is a relatively small target with low freeboard and shallow draft.

PS - you'll need to turn up the Gamma for good shooting at night. This may, to some, be construed as an ahistorical, perhaps unrealistic, hack. Since the game does not reward you for heavily damaging an enemy ship, I consider it fair to deliver a 4" [I]coup de grace[I/] even under unrealistic conditions

[Rockin Robbins]

In the real submarine deck guns were next to useless and were almost never used to shoot at merchants and never against warships with success. TMO is the same. I haven't tried out GFO yet to see if it is as unrealistic as Crannogman's experiences. The first thing Fluckey did with deck guns when he became Admiral is junk them.

[ColonelSandersLite]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

TMO is the same.

Nah, it tries but I can outshoot any merchantman in TMO. Basically, the merchants are completely unable to return fire past (very roughly mind you) 5,000 yards or so. I can successfully engage targets from well beyond this range.

So yeah, I'm in the camp that says that the deck gun is way too easy to use and I generally don't use it. Something I often do when I have torpedoed a lone merchant and it isn't immediately sinking is take a close look at it through the periscope and check its armament. If it has anything bigger than AA guns, I won't engage with the deck gun and find another solution. I absolutely consider it an option if he is only armed with machine guns and the like though.

[fireftr18]

Originally Posted by ColonelSandersLite

Nah, it tries but I can outshoot any merchantman in TMO. Basically, the merchants are completely unable to return fire past (very roughly mind you) 5,000 yards or so. I can successfully engage targets from well beyond this range.

So yeah, I'm in the camp that says that the deck gun is way too easy to use and I generally don't use it. Something I often do when I have torpedoed a lone merchant and it isn't immediately sinking is take a close look at it through the periscope and check its armament. If it has anything bigger than AA guns, I won't engage with the deck gun and find another solution. I absolutely consider it an option if he is only armed with machine guns and the like though.

I avoid using the deck gun unless under the same circumstances. Then I do the same thing.

[Crannogman]

I admit that using the Narwhal may have skewed my tactical doctrine...

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by Crannogman

I admit that using the Narwhal may have skewed my tactical doctrine...

Cheater!

Still, like you say, with the retarded crew (who shoot like reality, there's no way you get that kind of accuracy from a real submarine) it's like a gun and a quarter instead of two guns.

But in reality most armed merchantmen were much more accurate over a longer range than a submarine. If you wanted to pop one, you figured out where the gun was, picked a spot where the gun was masked, popped up and took some shots (no chance of sinking him), then submerged before he could bring the gun to bear. And I've never read a patrol report where even that happened.

[MrBledsoe]

ok, I'll just shoot at the fishing boats.

[captcrane]

Occasionally I use the deck gun for finishing off a ship that has been torpedoed. As far as planes go I never engage them. To me the risk reward thing is too lopsided