[MOD] Torpedoes for German Aircraft

[Beebop]

2 hours ago, LizLemon said:

I'm trying to make the ship AA less accurate right now.

[Blitzen]

I look forward to this graphics improvement & esp making the AA less accurate.

(I know its probably not a possibility but  it would be “fun “to have the choice of using the German practice torpedo graphics as well...)

Edited May 8, 2020 by Blitzen

[Noisemaker]

The German aerial torpedoes were all of the wet heater variety, so in order to make this mod perfect they'd need to have the steam bubble trail behind them in the water.

[Blitzen]

That sounds cool too!?

[DD_Arthur]

They leave a trail in the water now.  After dropping they run deep for a while and then come up again and you can see their track in the water. 

[Blitzen]

I guess I’ve never had the chance to observe , since generally My Heinkle He-111 has become a submarine shortly after torpedo launch!

[Beebop]

56 minutes ago, Blitzen said:

I guess I’ve never had the chance to observe , since generally My Heinkle He-111 has become a submarine shortly after torpedo launch!

I feel your pain!

[Blitzen]

...and me stuck with no life raft....

[Nil]

Thank you for sharing this @LizLemon 

You obviously brought a nice surprise for the community who enjoy this .

 

[Noisemaker]

1 hour ago, DD_Arthur said:

They leave a trail in the water now.  After dropping they run deep for a while and then come up again and you can see their track in the water. 

Not really visible in the videos posted earlier, so it could use some tweaking.  That wake should be bright and obvious in clear skies and calm seas.

 

[DD_Arthur]

14 minutes ago, OrderedNoise said:

Not really visible in the videos posted earlier, so it could use some tweaking.  That wake should be bright and obvious in clear skies and calm seas.

 

 

We'll just have to look forward to your version of the torpedo mod won't we?

[rieper_420]

@LizLemon

To make the ship AAA less accurate, I tried the following:

 

I checked the files in data\luascripts\worldobject\ships\turrets:

And found something called  "FireDispAngle = 0.2" => this variable sounded interesting...

 

I did a very quick test with FireDispAngle = 4.4 just to see what happens and the AAA was all over the sky and none hit me while flying slow circles around the ships

4.4 is really boring & looks unrealistic

 

See screenshot with FireDispAngle = 4.4: the tracers are all over the place and are all coming from the ship below.

 

 

=> So I made 3 versions:

 

ShipFlakFireDispAngle04double => FireDispAngle = 0.4 => double dispersion => 2x less accurate ship flak => I think I will use this, or maybe FireDispAngle =0.5

ShipFlakFireDispAngle08quad => FireDispAngle = 0.8 => 4x dispersion => 4x less accurate ship flak => seems a little too easy

ShipFlakFireDispAngle16oct => FireDispAngle = 1.6 => 8x dispersion => 8x less accurate ship flak => way to easy

 

Did not test much.

Should only affect ship flak.

Would be considered a cheat.

 

Best regards

Rieper

ShipFlakFireDispAngle04double.zip ShipFlakFireDispAngle08quad.zip ShipFlakFireDispAngle16oct.zip

Edited May 8, 2020 by rieper_420

[Blitzen]

can't wait to give this  a try...my AI crew might be a little less enthusiastic...

[Noisemaker]

1 hour ago, DD_Arthur said:

 

We'll just have to look forward to your version of the torpedo mod won't we?

Might take a while.  Just bought the game a week ago!  I'm just commenting as a SH3 sub simmer. 

[Yogiflight]

1 hour ago, Blitzen said:

can't wait to give this  a try...my AI crew might be a little less enthusiastic...

Especially the guy behind 'you' looks as if he wanted to say. "I don't think this is a good idea"

[Beebop]

2 hours ago, rieper_420 said:

Would be considered a cheat.

I understand, "tweaking" the game this way could be considered "cheating" but....

If AAA was as accurate in real life as in the game only about 5% of pilots attacking ships would have survived.  Even the kamikaze pilots fared better as many just plain missed their target and (apparently, visually in war films) were not hit.  And the USN was putting walls of lead in the air, much thicker than what we get in the game.

Dying on nearly every mission against ship AAA that consists of a couple of tracer steams per ship is demoralizing at best.

 

If this is a result of how the game is coded and any 'tweaks' make it too unrealistic, that is a shame.  This mod then becomes a "workaround" for a game deficiency. 

IMO, Oleg got it right in 1946 making the game scalable which was a response to "game limitations".  Those who wanted a 'hard' game could fly with all the switches on, those who wanted a realistic game could turn things off.  Those who wanted a (at the time) great graphics "arcade" could fly that way too.

 

I'm not saying that things should be easier but I also think the game should remain a "game" that is fun to play with the option of being able to play a really hard, as close to real flight sim as possible.

Personally I'm going to give this a try and see how I like it because so far, when torpedoing ships, I'm so low and slow I get shot down 90% of the time.

 

I say, to each his own.

 

[DetCord12B]

22 hours ago, LizLemon said:

 

Send me the texture. I'm trying to make the ship AA less accurate right now.

 

PM sent.

[Beebop]

I tried "Angle04" and although the tracers were dispersed, they still found me, and killed me.

[Blitzen]

Yes but it took longer for me & my crew to die. To be honest I really can’t expect to live while getting to within 100 yards or so of a well armed ship,before launching my torpedoes.If only I had a sight to judge when to launch further out ...I know well beyond the scope of this terrific mod....

[jollyjack]

Well, all in all, i still enjoy this mod, especially trying to get a fast destroyer is pure game fun. Historical or not.

 

BTW I still haven't figured out what the ideal distance and flight height is, as flying too high seems the torpedos to go down pretty deep before 'surfacing' up again,

and how many seconds the bomb contact time should be for a torp.

 

I can understand the frustration on this torpedo business from Jason and his team ... But IMO it's a game, and  this sort of modding makes it worthwhile for me.

A Big Hurray for the Torpedos and Liz !

 

[Beebop]

42 minutes ago, jollyjack said:

But IMO it's a game

EXACTLY!  And if you don't think that torpedoes are historically correct in this or any GB environment, no one forces you to choose a particular loadout.  If the mission designer "locked" that loadout you could either contact them and ask for an unlocked version or, if capable/comfortable, open the mission in the ME and make the changes yourself.

 

It may not be historically accurate on this map, at this time, but that doesn't mean it's not fun.  And if you are playing games where fun is not supposed to be a factor, I suggest you are playing for the wrong reasons.

Oleg got several things right in 1946. 

He made the game scalable so if you wanted a hard core sim, you had it. 

If you wanted something more relaxed in an historical setting, you had it. 

And even if you wanted arcade gameplay, you could have it.

I really think having those options helped make the game more popular.  People were drawn into the game and as they got more experience, turned off more "helpers" until they got to a place they were comfortable with.  That's how I approached it.

As long as there are "Full Real/Expert" settings for those who want them, I see nothing wrong with "lighter" versions.  After all, we already have 'Auto Engine Management', Unsullied ammo, aiming assists and various other helpers.  How "difficult" the game is is your choice.

 

42 minutes ago, jollyjack said:

A Big Hurray for the Torpedos and Liz !

ABSOLUTELY!   I say march on!  It's something we wanted, it's not a total arcade, and now we have it. 

Now as it stands they torps are nearly indestructible, can be dropped from any height and at any speed but (hopefully) all that can change to make them more realistic. 

I see this mod as in a 'Beta Test' stage.  I hope there will be further development.

Even if this is as far as it gets it's a wonderful way to wile away some time, (and don't we all have more of that right now),  sinking ships with tin fish.

 

[jollyjack]

3 hours ago, Beebop said:

 .......I really think having those options helped make the game more popular.  People were drawn into the game and as they got more experience, turned off more "helpers" until they got to a place they were comfortable with ...

 

That has been why the sometimes very crappy Microsuck stuff won commercially from Atari and Amiga. MAC was clever, they created a sealed off expensive platform with an elitair "Be Exclusive Club" like the Rotary, and show-off 'Look at Me Ma' attitude for it's uses. I remember those very expensive little mac towers of early with all that Oooh and Aah-ing about it in the Days of DOS.. Green Screen little dragons.

 

Atari and Amiga systems were about "just switch it on" and it works. With the house of cards as Microsoft called Windows everybody helped to keep pushing it's crappy walls to keep it from collapsing. Thus a commercial success; the windows users needed each other in a desperate attempt to survive in this half-finished draughty building (why the name windows was chosen?) 

 

So lets keep on pushing Jason et Al ? Torpedo's were on my wish-list, and now a Flyable C47?

A way to create roads and railways. More train types? The trains in IL2 are IMO a winner and far better fun than all those 'realistic' train sims like Train Simulator etc.

 

Edited May 11, 2020 by jollyjack

[Beebop]

12 minutes ago, jollyjack said:

and far better fun than all those 'real" train sims like Train Simulator

Of course.  You can't blow up Train Simulator trains.

I want a mod called "Addams Family Trains".

 

 

[=gRiJ=Roman-]

The Devs need to implement the torpedoes, period. We all want them in the sim. It's high time.

[jollyjack]

Credits go to Liz. It's his fault we're happy now already.

4 minutes ago, Beebop said:

Of course.  You can't blow up Train Simulator trains.

I want a mod called "Addams Family Trains".

 

So for Normandy we need French Resistance units capable of blowing up railways etc ... The More Mods the Merrier ...

[Beebop]

3 hours ago, jollyjack said:

for Normandy we need French Resistance units

YES!  Something to protect as Allies and something to destroy as Axis.  Everyone wins!

Make the C-47 flyable and we could bring in agents and supplies, evacuate assets, even Nazi gold!  RRRR Matey!

[jollyjack]

Torpedoing practice. What are the proper speeds, distance and fly-heights?

Been practicing with a He111, i like that plane by the way. Slow but easy flyer once in the air.

I still get the feeling that being lucky has more to do with a hit than flying-dropping expertise LoL.

[Beebop]

Here's what I was able to find about the F5 and the torpedo we have, the F2b;

 

 

The F5 was a low-performance Norwegian Torpedo developed by Schwarzkopf. Dropping speed was 75 knots (139KPH) from 50 - 80 feet (15 to 25 m).

 

The F5b was in service from late 1941 to the end of the war with relatively minor changes. To control flight in the air a wooden K3 tail was used that broke off when entering the water. This was replaced in 1944 with L2 which was similar but had ailerons operated via a heavy gyro. The L2 tail permitted increased dropping speeds and heights, the maximums actually achieved were 183 knots (339KPH) and 390 feet (120 m).

 

Generally I drop at under 200KPH and 50~75 meters, which may explain why they put a coffins next to my bunk right after I leave on a sub hunt. ?

Edited May 17, 2020 by Beebop

[BP_Lizard]

Eff me! Thank you very much.

[Blitzen]

Today something wonderfully odd happened during a Ju-87 career  mission: apparently with this mod turned on ,all the squadron was equipped with torpedoes on a "destroy the bridge "mission. It was pretty odd watching an entire group of Stukas so equipped.When they reached the target bridge, I'm afraid they didn't know quite what to do with their load & the bridge escaped destruction.I'm sure out ordance officer back at the field is in for a very hard time & perhaps a one way trip to the Russian Front...oh hang on a tick...we already are at the Russian Front...hmmm...

Perhaps someone can answer a somewhat more serious question: do any of the AI pilots in any of the aircraft carrying torpedoes know what do do during a torpedo attack on shipping in the seas off the Kuban?

Edited May 30, 2020 by Blitzen
added info

[Yogiflight]

1 hour ago, Blitzen said:

Perhaps someone can answer a somewhat more serious question: do any of the AI pilots in any of the aircraft carrying torpedoes know what do do during a torpedo attack on shipping in the seas off the Kuban?

Certainly not, as the AI don't know, that they have torpedoes hanging under their fuselages. For them there are 1000kg bombs hanging at the racks.

[Blitzen]

...and they took ff in the dark so how could they know? The poor guys tray but usually are shot down for their trouble...sigh...

[SL19711105buhesulong]

my mod he111h6 torpedo 

[Beebop]

Nice!  ?  Have you got something in a dull aluminum? ?

[SL19711105buhesulong]

我国防部JU88A4鱼雷 

[Beebop]

?  Likin' it.

[gimpy117]

I hope there is a US version soon, and this gets whitelisted for multiplayer, or the devs agree to put this in game 

[migmadmarine]

On 7/5/2020 at 11:58 AM, gimpy117 said:

I hope there is a US version soon, and this gets whitelisted for multiplayer, or the devs agree to put this in game 

I imagine they'll add it as a feature eventually.

[vonGraf]

Wouldn't make much sense without proper aiming device. (Like it was said already before)

[Off_Winters]

Hi All,

Thank you very much @LizLemon for a great addition. I have only just installed it. I noticed that in the main modification weapon loadout screen you see the new Torpedo name listed but the reference picture is still showing the 1000kg bomb rather than the new torpedo. 

I had a look in the files and found one image has been named incorrectly. in a couple of folder locations
data\swf\il2\modifications\mini
data\swf\il2\modifications\big

there is a file called "ger_bomb_sc1000.dds" if you change the name to "ger_all_bomb_sc1000.dds" 
you will then see the correct torpedo reference picture when selecting the load out from the modification screen.

thanks again for a great addon.

regards Rob.

Edited July 19, 2020 by Bo_60_OFF_Winters
alter path locations for effected files