[devnull]

Sub buddy is great, and I use the TADS computer side every time I hop into my good old friend the type Vii, usually either in Wolfpack or U-Boat. Using it on my iphone just wasn't doing it for me though, so obviously there was only one option available. Reverse engineer it, and build a real one!

It took me a few weeks in total, but it was a fun process. I learned more than I ever thought I'd want to know about slide rules. Then figured out how to use MS Excel to turn those slide rule formulas into useful coordinates for plotting the various rings and tick marks. And finally I learned how to use GIMP and PyFu to automatically and more importantly, very precisely, draw everything out in a file for laser cutting.

Luckily I have an uncle with a pretty sweet workshop, which includes a CO2 laser which we used to cut and etch the final pieces. CO2 is important because the top layer of acrylic has to be transparent, and less expensive laser cutters won't work on clear acrylic. Anyway, after cutting and etching, I just used a little paint to fill in those etched lines, and I had the final product in hand.

It's so satisfying to generate firing solutions by turning the rings on that big hunk of acrylic, and having the torpedos hit their mark! Anyway, I guess you could say I love Sub Buddy a bit too much. But yeah you did an amazing job with that app, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone that's even a little interested in a more realistic vibe.