Quote:
Originally Posted by StealthRabbit
I am starting to get the idea that you and I play SH-IV in a very similar way. It's all about immersion. I have always used the periscope in the exact same way... except for the very limited exposure above the water like you and the real captains did it. I try not to leave it exposed for more then 90 seconds and so far I have been spotted maybe twice which is not bad considering how often I play, which has been ALLOT, especially as of late.
I am not counting the 2 or 3 times I accidentally left the air search radar up which was spotted with disastrous results. Apparently that thing is very VERY easy to see.
I have always thought it would be nice to have an indicator panel that displayed a light that would be on if the air search radar was up, and to show what torpedo doors are open. That sounds more like a “Behind The Curtain” type of a MOD though, but I could be wrong. I know on the real boats there was the “Christmas Tree”, but in the game it's only for looks.
I just recently made a decision that when ever I decide to get a new computer I am going to keep the one I am using now and it will become the dedicated SH-IV machine. It's new and fast enough to run the game no problem, but not so new to have some of the very strange problems that seem to be happening with the newest machines and operating systems.
From everything I have read moving the control room down one deck on our new Virginia class subs has been a huge improvement as far as situational awareness and overall efficiency... or so some of the captains say. I can't imagine what the control room on the yet to be built Columbia class SSBN will be like. Modern day submarines are the closest thing to spaceships. Maybe on the new Columbia class they will actually put in a STAR TREK style captains chair. It possibly wouldn't be the most practical thing, but we would have the coolest subs in the world.
I'm thinking that if the Los Angeles class and Ohio class subs had been designed and built with STAR TREK type captains chairs, I would have gone to Annapolis and become a NAVY officer just so some day I could become the Captain of a U.S. NAVY submarine, just to sit in that chair and give orders like Captain Kirk. 
Did you serve on a Los Angeles or Ohio class sub?
I was born and grew up in Detroit and have always thought it should have been the Michigan class SSBN, and NOT Ohio. Just sounds better. |
Yes, does sound like we operate in a similar manner. When I am playing a actual career as opposed to testing, I play quite seriously (maybe too serious sometimes ..according to my girlfriend and a ex lmao) but that is what keeps this sim on my drive pushing 20 years after its release, with the proper mod set up and mindset of player, can be quite immersive.
My favorite career of all time in SH 4 was my final test run through of TMO Update V1.0. I started out with USS Drum in new construction in early 42, then kept the boat the entire war, just changed the Captains at proper times to match history. The patrols all matched Drum's historical patrol areas (I plan to release a exclusive USS Drum career one day) for most part. I learned a lot about how SH 4 works through that career.
I was quite invested as it took several months to play the patrols and remember a couple times in 43 and 45 when I nearly lost the boat due to intense depth charge attacks, it was quite a emotional rollercoaster lmao. I made to the end though, only time have survived the entire war in a Gato class in TMO. I actually did a patrol report for each one, posted them in the patrol logs thread.
Yes, have heard nothing negative regarding the movement of the control room in the Virginia Class boats. A Captains chair would be a interesting touch lol.
Well the Christmas Tree in game is tied to the boat being surfaced or submerged. SH 4 considers a submarine submerged at 40 feet, watch the Christmas tree this is (except for S Boats) when the lights change from red to green. The lights on the torpedo fire control panels correspond to being surfaced or submerged as well.
Yes, the SD mast is quite visible to the enemy, especially if left up for prolonged periods of time. Yes, to get a SD display planel/scope of any type would require a under the hood change. UBI failed to give us a functioning SD scope and panel, which is unfortunate for those of us who run without map contacts.
As you likely are aware, SD was non directional, only provided distance to aerial contact and contact's were tough to detect if flying below 1000 feet (I changed the SD radar in V2.0 to reflect the 1000 feet, reduced its range also) but they had a scope that showed range. Typically SD scope was in the control room on those retrofitted with the SD but those built after its introduction often had it in the conning tower along side the SJ radar's A and PPI scope. There were a lot of different setups, not as uniform as one would think, much like the conning tower silhouette and gun arrangements.
Unlike real life, by default in SH 4 the SD is always on, which is nonsense by the devs. In FOTRS, can turn the SD off, but don't have a retractable mast, as like many things in SH 4, its either/or, can't have both. I have no clue how to make this change and the modder who did this is no longer active in the community.
In real life, SD was kept over, with sweeps made at intervals, to prevent giving away position.
Well, I never served. Grew up in a Navy family and Navy city, I aspired to be a aviator after college, but knee injuries took military service off the table. At the time, it was one of the great disappointments in my life, but it all worked out in the end.
