[FIXED] Submarine Operating Too Shallow in Patrol Area

[tshugart3]

Hello All,

I recently noted an issue where my submarines operating in an assigned patrol area in shallow-ish water will sometimes operate shallower than periscope depth, resulting in their prompt detection and destruction by maritime patrol aircraft.

Specifically, I saw a Japanese Soryu Class SS operating at 52ft depth (well shallower than its apparent normal 66ft periscope depth) when in 187ft of water depth. Obviously this doesn't work well for the submarine.

Is there something I need to do different for patrol settings or do they just need to be kept out of shallow water? Of note, I have seen that, even when I assign a patrol area of mostly deep water, sometimes the submarine will choose to drive over a shallow spot, come shallow in its depth, and then get killed.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Scorpion86]

If you're using a patrol mission, you can manually define the patrol depth for the subs. You'll find the dialog underneath the patrol area reference point list, IIRC.

[tshugart3]

Thanks; I'd prefer them to operate at a flexible depth, just not at a depth shallowed than PD.

[Dimitris]

That sounds strange.

Was the submarine instructed to sat just above the thermocline? Perhaps there is a flaw there that, if the layer ceiling is shallow enough, forces the sub to go above it and expose itself.

If you can post a save of the situation it would be great. Thanks!

[tshugart3]

There aren't any designated operating depths in the mission editor (the fields are blank), but it looks like the AI is indeed having the sub sit right above the layer.

So I guess when the water gets shallower the layer does too (though this doesn't generally actually happen in the real world) and the sub just keeps going shallower with it, to the point that it's shallower than PD and broached (which a real sub would asp basically never do on purpose).

How do I load a save game file? I don't see a way to load a file in the reply.

Thanks!

- Tom

[Scorpion86]

ORIGINAL: tshugart3
How do I load a save game file? I don't see a way to load a file in the reply.

1 - Zip it!
2 - Attach the zip file to the post! (The "Click here to upload!" link beneath the text box.)
3 - ???
4 - Profit!

[tshugart3]

Ok, I uploaded a zipped save game file to the post above. I don't actually see a "click here to upload" link on this new post itself. Weird.

Thanks!

[Dimitris]

Thanks for the save! Shows the issue clear as day.

Fixed for the next release; subs will now rise to at most 25m depth (5m under periscope depth) when they follow the over/under layer logic.