Sub Skipper's Bag of Tricks

[K9us]

WernerSobe link to "Sonar Only Manual Targeting" is not working.

[Rockin Robbins]

Thanks K9, I'll look into it and get it working.

[DrBeast]

Got a new mic yet? The crowds (well, only me, really, but I'm wide enough for three!) would like to see the O'Kane Sonar Only video

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by DrBeast

We need a Like button!
(And I think I've been spending WAY too much time on Farcebook...)

You can't "Like" the thread, but you can "Rate" it in the upper right corner, just below the page list.

[DrBeast]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

You can't "Like" the thread, but you can "Rate" it in the upper right corner, just below the page list.

You learn something new every day...cheers, Steve!

[Sailor Steve]

[Rockin Robbins]

Rumor has it that at or about the time of my birthday, April 27, I will have a small amount of cash liberated, enough to buy that Microsoft microphone I've had my eye on. Wives sometimes have compassion on their husband's inexplicable and incomprehensible character defects, like the need to produce video tutorials for an arcane and utterly uninteresting submarine simulation.

Actually she thinks it's pretty funny and has a hard time not laughing when she catches me making a video. When she laughs, I can't keep from laughing too, so it's back to the beginning for take 24. She avoids being around during recording now.....

There are a couple other projects I've been thinking of too!

You know DrBeast, maybe it's about time I air out the LeoVampire memorial badge for 30 days or so. It's hard to believe that was four years ago....

[DrBeast]

Can't say I blame her. You, sir, crack me up!

As for the badge, it had been about a year after Dave had passed when I stopped frequenting Subsim. When I came back a few weeks ago, I noticed the badge was still there so I decided to keep it, and I'll keep it as long as I'm around. It's the least I can do to pay homage to a true GENTLEMAN. Such was the quality of that man that he managed to make a profound impact on people who had only known him from his posts, and only for a few months.

[ColonelSandersLite]

Hey robbins, something I learned the hard way: don't go usb on that. I found that you can't record the game output sound on the last one I had. I believe it was an ms product too. I forget the exact reason, but it had something to do with the way the sound channels where split. If you've got the standard plugs on either an integrated or standalone sound card, that'll be more likely to successfully do what you need it to do.

[Rockin Robbins]

O crap! As Strongbad would say. I have a USB mic out for delivery by USPS right now and will probably be there when I get home. Right now my strategy is to use the Mic but record stereo mix, which hopefully will include the microphone. Otherwise it's back to the drawing board!

[Rockin Robbins]

Confirmed that getting my voice overlaid with the game sound track is going to be difficult with a USB microphone. That is really unfortunate. They should require a warning sticker on all USB microphones: Warning! Your style is about to be seriously crippled by this piece of dog squeeze.

Possible solutions include recording the game session and mixing my voice in later. My son says he likes to make videos that way because he can think about exactly what he wants to say and do retakes if necessary. I'm a spontaneity type guy and although I will do that if forced, would rather have an authentic video where everything happens real time.

I'm looking at some other alternatives and all I can find is paid programs, when I'm spoiled by Linux to think that great software should be available for free. After all, I paid extra to get a Microsoft LifeChat 3000, only to find that in order to use it I have to spend that much again for software? Makes me cranky just thinking about it.

So the search continues for free software that will take the USB microphone feed and repeat it into the stereo mix. Google is gonna earn its money today!

[ColonelSandersLite]

Damn, bad timing huh? If only I had seen your post sooner...


Edit:

You might be able to record both audio track seperately, rip the audio from the vid, use vdm sound to integrate the two, and tell virtualdub to use your new integrated sound file as the soundtrack. I can't say I really recommend going this route, but it (or something really similar) might work.

[Rockin Robbins]

Originally Posted by ColonelSandersLite

Damn, bad timing huh? If only I had seen your post sooner...


Edit:

You might be able to record both audio track seperately, rip the audio from the vid, use vdm sound to integrate the two, and tell virtualdub to use your new integrated sound file as the soundtrack. I can't say I really recommend going this route, but it (or something really similar) might work.

Yup, that's the plan using Audacity for the mixer. I'll just record the game using Fraps or CamStudio while doing my narration recorded with Audacity. Then I'll mix the two soundtracks with Audacity, then add them to the video with VirtualDub.

That's just too much trouble to do something that can be done real time in one step if you use the old fashioned microphone plugged into the mic jack of the sound card. But it will work.

[Rockin Robbins]

I've discovered a new video for everybody on . He does a sonar only attack that works out quite nicely.

I hate to put any corrections to his technique here, but there are a couple that absolutely have to be covered.

• He does all this from a stopped submarine. In a real submarine this wouldn't be possible. His results would have been just as good from a moving submarine. He was too worried about precision when precision is not on the menu with a sonar attack. I'd be moving at a knot or less while pinging and quite quickly when moving for a great firing position.
• He uses a calculator for determining speed when it just isn't necessary. The number of hundred yards the target moves in three minutes is his speed in knots. If, as he did, you choose 15 minutes, that is five times three minutes. 2500 yards divided by five is 500 yards in three minutes: 5 knots. See how fast that is? Look Ma! No calculator!
• Looks like he forgets to open torpedo tube doors before firing. In his case with the slow target it meant he hit the aft part of the target. With a faster target that buys you a miss.
• He pauses the game. Real sub skippers couldn't pause the game and in his case it did not buy him any advantage. Use the three minute rule, keep sub speed at a knot when pinging and calculating and you're all good!

He did this in weather conditions so bad he couldn't cheat if he wanted to. He did it with naked SH4 1.5 so instructions are extremely clear. He is very well-spoken and complete. If you watch his video you WILL succeed at bagging a nice juicy target without ever laying your eyes on his filthy carcass.


What's not to like! Thanks HalfjackHJ! Great job! I'm editing post #1 to reflect the addition.

[Ruff EL]

ok....im learning this technique just to expand my toolbox and i have one question.
Im running 1.5 w/tmo 2.5 and RSRDC 502 and im unable to move the haired triangle on the TDC to maximize range. Does that matter if you cant change that from the default setting?