Torpedo pre-heating time indicator (and more)

[Talbot-Jaaskelainen]

Annoyingly I find myself often in a situation where I'm positioning myself for optimal torpedo launch position and when the time comes I notice that the torpedoes have "gone cold" again. Then I have to risk a thud or re-align myself while re-pre-heating them. The only way to see the status of your torpedo warming is to go to section view, go to bow torpedo compartment and click to open the torpedo tube window and there you see this little bar. That's quite annoying, you should really implement some more convenient way to monitor the torpedo warming situation.

Another issues I find problematic (I'm not gonna make separate posts about these so I'll just say it here), at least for me the leaders won't obey their schedule properly. I have all 6 officer slots (+skipper of course) and I have assigned them followingly: three engineers, two leaders and a radioman. Radioman is radioman (duh), one engineer is dedicated solely on torpedo management and a "handyman", he does kind of anything that he can whenever needed. The skipper is watch officer. Then the remaining two leaders and two engineers I have assigned to work in pairs on engines and navigation respectively, to maximize the fuel consumption reduction.
All the others obey my schedule without problems. I put those two pairs working on 4h shifts (4h free, 4h work). The engineers obey just fine, but the leaders don't. The officer who happens to be on duty when assigned to navigation after a torpedo attack or leaving harbor etc. just stays in the navigation post until he's exhausted and the other one won't come to relieve him automatically. That's just odd, because only the navigating officers have this problem, rest comply the schedule just fine.

Third thing, the fast travel between checkpoints doesn't consume any resources. A minor issue, but kind of stupid one.

Another little detail, the log won't recognize destroyed aircraft. I shot down a Short Sunderland, but there's no mention of it anywhere, only the sighting of contrail is written. And if I remember correctly, I didn't gen any reward from it. A small thing but just so you know.

And lastly, I think you devs should really look into the discipline system. U-boat crews were very highly trained men who required iron nerves. It's kinda silly that when I'm shadowing a convoy for couple of hours submerged or just generally stay submerged for even a little extended amount of time they become these little whiny ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ and have mental breakdowns and heart attacks. That's just plain stupid. I do think though that some sort of discipline factor is good thing, but the current isn't good or fun or realistic.


Don't get me wrong tho, this is a wonderful game and I love playing it! I'm just pointing out things, hopefully someone of you developers see this and consider my critique.

Cheers!

[Dewgle]

Originally posted by Talbot-Jaaskelainen:

The only way to see the status of your torpedo warming is to go to section view, go to bow torpedo compartment and click to open the torpedo tube window and there you see this little bar. That's quite annoying, you should really implement some more convenient way to monitor the torpedo warming situation.

That's a good idea. Torpedoes will stay warmed for 20 minutes before needing to be re-heated. But I've also gotten lucky with very few to no duds on un-warmed torpedoes as well.

Historically speaking though, warming torpedoes only helped to extend their maximum range and did not affect their dud chance. Perhaps the devs will change this in the future.

Originally posted by Talbot-Jaaskelainen:

Another issues I find problematic (I'm not gonna make separate posts about these so I'll just say it here), at least for me the leaders won't obey their schedule properly.

Just getting this out of the way because it's useful knowledge but leaders who have navigation in their schedule will not go to the nav table unless navigational correctness drops below around 30 percent. You can see how much navigational correctness is left by mousing over the nav table (Hold the ALT key to make it easier) or by looking in the top right corner of your map. Nav correctness is the one with an exclamation point for an icon, just below wind speed iirc.

I also made two videos covering crew management basics and more advanced techniques that some players have found helpful.
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/856275173
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/872749103

Originally posted by Talbot-Jaaskelainen:

Third thing, the fast travel between checkpoints doesn't consume any resources. A minor issue, but kind of stupid one.

This is a known issue, I've heard the devs are considering removing them entirely.

Regarding discipline. I try to tell new players this all the time but the discipline system isn't that big of a bother. A dropping green bar that resembles a health bar is enough to make any gamer worth his salt a little anxious. But it's not the end of the world in the case of Uboat.

Every time your discipline reaches 0% the game performs two RNG dice rolls in the background. The first one picks one of your sailors at random. The second roll determines what his hidden personality trait is if it hasn't been revealed already.

If he's a coward he'll produce around 91db of noise until he's calmed down or choked out. Choking out is preferred as this puts the sailor out of action in his bunk for a while. If sailor has a heart-attack, well, at least he's doing it quietly and it's free exp points for your radioman or other officers who possess a medkit.

What you ultimately want is for the sailor's hidden personality trait to be a stoic sea wolf because if a sea wolf is picked during that first dice roll at 0% discipline, absolutely nothing happens.

Your first few patrols will be interesting ones but so long as you dismiss the cowards and invalids every time you return to port and replace them with fresh crewmen, you'll eventually have an entire boat filled out with sea wolves.

Originally posted by Talbot-Jaaskelainen:

U-boat crews were very highly trained men who required iron nerves.

Indeed they were highly trained. A 3 year training program which was a mix of classroom education and hands-on training requiring 66 simulated attack runs while submerged and surfaced aboard mocked-up minesweepers and training U-Boats denoted with their bright yellow training stripe on the conning tower.

But not a single one of those sailors has seen actual combat until they step on your boat. It's unfair that the BDU has designated your boat as the one to receive freshly trained recruits but the Kriegsmarine high command has entrusted you with shaking down these sailors and molding them into fine crewmen and officers worthy of their next transfer :)

[Talbot-Jaaskelainen]

Originally posted by McDewgle:

That's a good idea. Torpedoes will stay warmed for 20 minutes before needing to be re-heated. But I've also gotten lucky with very few to no duds on un-warmed torpedoes as well.

Yeah sometimes unwarmed torpedoes do work, once I was trying to sink HMS Rodney and 2 of 4 did detonate. It wasn't enough tho, but hopefully it took her out of commission for a while atleas ;-)

Originally posted by McDewgle:

Historically speaking though, warming torpedoes only helped to extend their maximum range and did not affect their dud chance. Perhaps the devs will change this in the future.

Yes indeed. Maybe they will, imo tho this current mechanic is fine. It could perhaps be one of the realism options to choose like the realistic bilge and other things; "realistic torpedo thud chance".

Originally posted by McDewgle:

Just getting this out of the way because it's useful knowledge but leaders who have navigation in their schedule will not go to the nav table unless navigational correctness drops below around 30 percent.

I see and good to know, this was new info to me. But in that case it's kinda useless to have the fuel consumption bonus for navigation, if the officers cannot be on the post at all times and hence enabling that bonus, at least that's what I think.

Thanks for the tips tho, I'll have a look at them. I have quite well working shift schedule already but it never hurts to learn more and try out other ways!

Originally posted by McDewgle:

This is a known issue, I've heard the devs are considering removing them entirely.

Yes, that's a good idea. Or maybe there also could be a realism option, "enable fast travel points". I'm not a coder tho and that sounds like not so easy to implement, so perhaps its just better to not have them. I don't even use them, I want to experience the cruise to hunting grounds ;-)

Originally posted by McDewgle:

Regarding discipline. I try to tell new players this all the time but the discipline system isn't that big of a bother. A dropping green bar that resembles a health bar is enough to make any gamer worth his salt a little anxious. But it's not the end of the world in the case of Uboat.

I see your point again. And you're quit right.
I dunno but seems like my solution to everything is to have it as a realism option XD
But as you say it's not that big of an inconvenience. It just sometimes annoys me, once I was attacking HMS Illustrious and just when I was in optimal position someone started panicking and that caused some hustle.
But in the end, wouldn't I too be a little tense with my nerves if I was attacking a heavily escorted aircraft carrier :D
He was dismissed as soon as we docked, I would have him court marshaled if it was an option :D >:-(

Originally posted by McDewgle:

But not a single one of those sailors has seen actual combat until they step on your boat. It's unfair that the BDU has designated your boat as the one to receive freshly trained recruits but the Kriegsmarine high command has entrusted you with shaking down these sailors and molding them into fine crewmen and officers worthy of their next transfer :)

That makes sence :)

Overall, I love this game and although it is in early access it's already is so much fun! And it is fun and exiting to be part of the community while it is still in development because it gives the opportunity to be part of the developing process via feedback to the devs.

Cheers and good hunting!