Cold Waters

[Toonces]

Barth,  if you have event camera set to on in the options settings, that might be why you're seeing sonobuoy drops by the Bears.

[Barthheart]

Barth,  if you have event camera set to on in the options settings, that might be why you're seeing sonobuoy drops by the Bears.

Ahhh... yep that could be it.

[Nefaro]

Barth,  if you have event camera set to on in the options settings, that might be why you're seeing sonobuoy drops by the Bears.

Forgot I turned that off.  Gave a bit too much weapon launch info, I thought.

Seemed a bit too much of the cheaty to me, but I may not understand the parameters for what it decides to show.   

We may well be detecting surface ships firing their rocket-delivered ASW torpedoes via sonar; I dunno.  That could warrant those early 'action cam' tip-offs if it were the case.  Plus it probably makes up for the lack of crew voice-overs, or UI warnings, when your sonar crew detects such things.

Plus it can be a pain, having to regularly hit F1 to move my camera view back to own sub after the camera gets hijacked.

[JudgeDredd]

Having played the tutorials.  Wish they made on-screen buttons instead of letting us memorize all those the keys.

...and for the few buttons that are there, no tool tips...

That.

Also I noticed it won't repeat an issue. For example, press 0 to put up your periscope when you are below 50ft and it'll tell you you can't put up the mast below 50ft. It'll do the same for the ESM and Radar mast.

Try it again and it won't give you the error. I don't know if it's like that for other messages or if there's a time when it might show the message again.

Small point - but without that feedback, I thought my ESM mast was up one time.

Another thing was the Bear. I just wasn't understanding how it was flying DIRECTLY over me every single time it came by...regardless of what I did and where I was. I was dropping noise makers, flank speed, turning, slowing to creep, diving and still, for 30 minutes, it continued to fly around AND directly over me. I followed it a couple of times and didn't see it dropping anything.

And finally a thing I noticed was torpedoes and noise makers. I thought the idea of a noise maker was to attract the torpedo, no? If so, that's NOT what it was doing. The torpedo would get a ping on me and head towards me, I'd drop a noise maker and the torpedo would head off on it's search pattern. It could be I've got it wrong and the idea of a noise maker is to create noise to disrupt the torpedo.

Having said that, I played the first tutorial 3 times last night and the second tutorial twice and really enjoyed it. I was rather excited trying to lose those torpedoes that the Bear dropped.

So far,  O0 O0

[Nefaro]

I'd like to make YT vid(s) with Tips & Tricks. 

I've watched a few different people's game play videos.  Noticed they're overlooking things mentioned in the manual, or are giving themselves a more difficult time due to lack of experience with modern sub sim things.  Which, admittedly, isn't common knowledge.

It's also been evident that past experience playing the old Red Storm Rising game pays off, since CW is similar in so many ways.  I played that oldie so much, I still remember a lot about it, along with a lot of sub sim nerd-knowledge I've picked up since.


Unfortunately I don't have a good mic for long strolls down Babble Stream Lane, along with some other less than ideal vid recording issues.  Maybe I can whip something up in awhile, though.  Old fashioned pics, if nothing else.   Although the manual is a decent primer on the basics (plus essential hotkeys).

[Nefaro]

Also I noticed it won't repeat an issue. For example, press 0 to put up your periscope when you are below 50ft and it'll tell you you can't put up the mast below 50ft. It'll do the same for the ESM and Radar mast.

Try it again and it won't give you the error. I don't know if it's like that for other messages or if there's a time when it might show the message again.

Small point - but without that feedback, I thought my ESM mast was up one time.

In the top right of the screen, you should see the little status notification indicators for those.  The little orange boxes with symbols.

While they don't have tooltips, you can learn what the symbols mean.  They're also listed in the manual. 

There are some for having your various masts up.  Along with other indicators, such as when you're cavitating (bad!), when a torpedo has acquired you and is homing (I'm told this is probably bad too!), and numerous others.  Very handy!

Another thing was the Bear. I just wasn't understanding how it was flying DIRECTLY over me every single time it came by...regardless of what I did and where I was. I was dropping noise makers, flank speed, turning, slowing to creep, diving and still, for 30 minutes, it continued to fly around AND directly over me. I followed it a couple of times and didn't see it dropping anything.

Known bug.

Devs have stated that the MAD equipment on the ASW planes is performing wayyyyy too good.  He said that it can detect you out to a few thousand yards.  Which is nuts because I always heard & read that they only worked against subs at pretty shallow depth.  Getting fixed as we speak, amongst some other things.

And finally a thing I noticed was torpedoes and noise makers. I thought the idea of a noise maker was to attract the torpedo, no? If so, that's NOT what it was doing. The torpedo would get a ping on me and head towards me, I'd drop a noise maker and the torpedo would head off on it's search pattern. It could be I've got it wrong and the idea of a noise maker is to create noise to disrupt the torpedo.

Homing torpedoes have counter-countermeasure logic programmed in.  Many of them will "drive around" a noisemaker when it detects some decoy funkiness happened, and that it's single target suddenly became more than one, or a wall of noise.  Which can give it a better chance of getting to the real target faster, again, on the other side.  Or come around for a re-attack.

They often swing around, instead of driving through.

It's briefly mentioned in the manual, too.  And probably the in-game manual (F1).  So WAI.

I do think the UI could've used more information to help people get acquainted with commands, indicators, etc.  Especially people who haven't played modern sub sims much, because there is a lot of little things to learn.

I chalk up the lack of UI information to it being a game engine (and developer?) which got it's start as tablet software.  Their previous game was a port, and also was rather thin on PC-friendly UI stuff too.  I suppose they'll eventually learn the ways of PC UI over time.

Having said that, I played the first tutorial 3 times last night and the second tutorial twice and really enjoyed it. I was rather excited trying to lose those torpedoes that the Bear dropped.

So far,  O0 O0

:bd:


I'm 
Will be even more so after the bugs get fixed.

Seems like it's getting pretty positive feedback on the playthrough vids, despite some release bugs and the poor noobs having a tough go while learning.  If it does as well as I think, hopefully we'll get the proposed DLC with other playable nations & campaigns too.   :dreamer: 

Definitely a new, prettier RSR!  :clap:

[JudgeDredd]

I did see the icons. I was just pointing out that it gives you a message and then doesn't repeat that when you try again. It was only the first time I was caught out with that. The icons (at least the ones I have come across) are pretty self explanatory.

Thanks for the info on the torps and noise makers. I literally had about 2 hours with it last night and was just playing around with the mechanics of moving, firing, camera, depth, speed, interface etc, etc. The nuances of some of the detail in the game will come as more is played and I reference the manual for things I don't get. But last night's two hours was about evaluating my new purchase as a game - and it bode very well.

Some tool tips would be handy, but overall with the key commands printed out there's a pick up and go game there.

[Swatter]

Playing in the 1984 scenario, if the game accurately depicts system capabilities, Los Angeles class subs were very superior platforms and posed a significant risk to both surface and sub-surface groups. Your ability to stay quiet and deploy highly effective torpedoes is a devastating combo.

I have sent Victor I & IIs to the bottom without much effort. The Alpha's are a good opponent, though. When piloting an Alpha, the AI should attempt to rely on the capabilities of the boat, rather than actively pinging the sonar. Even when they are pinging, I've had trouble effectively engaging Alpha's.

Another thing, the ability to deploy your smart torpedoes en mass in the middle of a surface group is devastating. I wonder if this is over powered at the moment?

Also, a quick note I haven't hardly seen mentioned- your sub on the campaign map can get stuck in land masses, particularly when going into port. Don't attempt to steer all the way into port, just click on the anchor icon at the top when you are near a naval base to dock.

Btw, this game is very much what I wanted it to be. I am a happy camper. I suspect this game will be a classic after a few patches.

[Nefaro]

Playing in the 1984 scenario, if the game accurately depicts system capabilities, Los Angeles class subs were very superior platforms and posed a significant risk to both surface and sub-surface groups. Your ability to stay quiet and deploy highly effective torpedoes is a devastating combo.

I have sent Victor I & IIs to the bottom without much effort. The Alpha's are a good opponent, though. When piloting an Alpha, the AI should attempt to rely on the capabilities of the boat, rather than actively pinging the sonar. Even when they are pinging, I've had trouble effectively engaging Alpha's.

Another thing, the ability to deploy your smart torpedoes en mass in the middle of a surface group is devastating. I wonder if this is over powered at the moment?

Also, a quick note I haven't hardly seen mentioned- your sub on the campaign map can get stuck in land masses, particularly when going into port. Don't attempt to steer all the way into port, just click on the anchor icon at the top when you are near a naval base to dock.

Btw, this game is very much what I wanted it to be. I am a happy camper. I suspect this game will be a classic after a few patches.

I've seen a few complaints about Soviet subs using active sonar.

But, at the time, their Passive Sonar capabilities sucked.  Especially since the majority of American subs had much better quieting.

From what I read on the subject, during the Cold War period the Soviets would resort to using active sonar more readily.  Because their active sonar capabilities were far better than their passive.  So they would likely use it more often, in a shooting war, if they suspected a quiet enemy boat lurking about.  Surface ships especially.

I noticed that Soviet subs in CW will often start pinging after you launch something.  When they detect submerged launch transients spiking their passive sonar.  They probably only get a brief hit, and then lose you again after you're done firing, so they turn on the active sonar pinging to attempt getting a better solution for a return shot.  It's what I'd do, if I were blind and briefly heard someone shooting at me.  <:-)

They may also similarly start up if you were using LMB to move into the encounter on the campaign map, thus starting you off at 26-29 knots.  Which means they may start off the combat actually hearing you, when running that fast & loud.  Then, after you slow down to a creep and listen, you drop off their passive sonar.  So they may start panicking, knowing you're out there listening to them and preparing to shoot.

Saw a couple older interviews with ex-Soviet sub skippers talking about that period.  How their sonar tech wasn't comparably good enough, so they had to make up for it with action.

In CW, you can see an ID'd target's current sonar detection ratings, against you, at the bottom of the contact window (below your own->them).  IIRC, each sonar needs a +10 to get an initial contact, but only a 0 or 1 to keep/regain it.  It's based on how good your solution on the target is, of course, because it takes range, speed, depth, class, etc into account.  But you can get an idea just how much better the Soviet's active sonar is, on nearly all their vessels, by these numbers in-game.   ^-^

[jamus34]

From what I know of the era and note I was only a kid then and I do not have a professional military background, but the Russians knew their hardware was inferior so they developed other tactics to compensate. Wolfpack hunting groups, combined surface / aircraft and sub joint operations and when in doubt active ping the hell out of an area to try to flush a boat.

[glen55]

I'm so busy playing ME Andromeda, Steel Division Normandy, and Ultimate General Civil War that I won't be able to work this one in for a while yet, but I figured it's going to be a long time before the price goes down and I will certainly get to it before then, so I went ahead and splurged for it.

I already don't have enough time to play the games I've got, so I don't mind waiting. Based on what I hear here, I think it will be a much better game once they fix the OP ASW planes and do things like adding a hot key for periscope depth, so that's even more bonus points for waiting.

[JudgeDredd]

Well something has dragged me away from Ghost Recon:Wildlands!

[Toonces]

If normal difficulty is giving the U.S. boats a sonar range advantage, then that might be making the 688 seem OP. 

Or maybe it is just that good.

[mirth]

If normal difficulty is giving the U.S. boats a sonar range advantage, then that might be making the 688 seem OP. 

Or maybe it is just that good.

It's a 1984 campaign, right? The 688s were way ahead of anything the Sovs had in 84. They should seem OP because they were.

[jomni]

Is towed array automatically deployed?