ron
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Post by ron on Jan 10, 2018 3:26:54 GMT
Hello and thank you for the US Fleet. I put myself on a simulator point near Everett, Washington and watched as the ships got underway, especially the Nimitz. I rode Nimitz many times out of Everett and the sim brought back memories.
I checked out the RFN gauge but have yet to make a decision on using it. I'm more into reconnaissance missions than flying the ball. Right now I have the ARS4 radar by Dietmar Loleit in my Virtavia Lockheed P2V-7 and I go hunting for ships and subs. It has up to a 40 nautical mile range and is a great aid in finding submarines that run on the surface. Each target can be ID'd as to heading, distance and speed. Now if only I could drop sonobuoys!
The documentation is outstanding and I wonder about schedules for the subs. I know that they remain in port except for one twenty-four hour period and during that period they get underway, run about 15 knots for about twelve hours, come to a stop for about an hour and then return to port. Is it possible to get a list of submarine departures and arrivals that will make it easier to intercept them enroute and to be able to identify them by name?
Ron
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Post by Ripcord on Jan 10, 2018 19:40:58 GMT
Ron, sure it is possible. Not sure what format it will be, since the subs work on 2 week intervals, vs the 5 week intervals for the surface ships, but I think I can figure something out. I honestly didn't think this would be of interest, but for a former Neptune guy, I'll damn sure make it available.
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ron
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Post by ron on Jan 11, 2018 4:20:03 GMT
Many thanks for the possibilities. I like the Neptune for several reasons but one big one is the searchlight. I take off from Jacksonville NAS after dark and use my ARS4 radar to locate ships. I line up on one, get down close to the water, about 100 feet and when I get within a few hundred yards turn on the searchlight. Unfortunately, unlike the real 70 million candlepower steerable light, the Virtavia plane treats it like a landing light and it does not project well until you are practically on the target. And it does not actually illuminate it. Most ai ships are lighted at night so it takes away part of the fun, but your submarines will be darkened ship all the way and I think the effect will be more challenging.
I certainly wish that some others would express their interest in having sub schedules to go along with the surface ships before you spend time on them. Ron
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Post by hangar200 on Jan 11, 2018 20:27:59 GMT
Alas Ron, the landing lights/search lights only illuminate the ground.
That said, it is possible to make all the ship’s dark at night. Although I haven’t tried it (and I’m on my iPad outside the veterinarian office) if you move the appropriate self-illumination texture file(s) out of the appropriate texture folder, it will darken them.
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ron
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Post by ron on Jan 11, 2018 20:55:37 GMT
Yep, but I expect surface vessels to light up at night, Naval vessels not all the time. The boomers would not show lights and I wanted to simulate as much as possible. Of course it would be another step toward reality for the subs to have wakes on the surface and disappear at some predetermined dive point, then reappear later on. I was able to pick up a boomer on the radar and followed him until after dark then made a sweep over at 100 feet with the searchlight. Did not see the sub really even when I flew right over him. I just keep pushing the simulator to learn more about what it can do and what it cannot do.
I don't see any sense in pursuing this aspect of the fleet simulation further, although I can imagine I will come up with another thing later.
Thanks for the reply and I hope some readers sign on with other ideas for using U.S. Fleet.
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ron
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Post by ron on Jan 19, 2018 16:23:31 GMT
Congratulations again, Ripcord, on a fine add-on to Flight Simulator. I do have an observation to report with, perhaps, hopes of a response that shows an error on my part. I mentioned that it would be nice to have a schedule for the subs. I have concentrated on the boomers and have been able to discover a rough schedule for them at Bangor and at Kings Bay. In that schedule I find 8 boomers operating at Bangor and 6 boomers at Kings Bay. This leaves 2 short at each location. I suspect the four SSGN converted subs. These four have separate models in the boat section of sim objects and they also have a separate traffic file in the scenery world scenery section of the flight sim. As a test I removed the SSBN traffic files with the result that NO subs appeared at Bangor. My conclusion is that none of those subs were SSGN subs. My belief is that the combination of the SSGN models and SSGN traffic files should produce those four subs. Can't see them at Bangor or King's Bay.
Please take the following as an observation, something for a later version perhaps.
I am now able to park myself on a small boat in the Hood canal and watch a boomer slide by. Awesome! Ron
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Post by Ripcord on Feb 11, 2018 17:28:59 GMT
Ron, yes I made the 4 SSGN boats into their own 'class' of subs. Same model, at least for now, but I wanted to allow for a possible change/upgrade at some point. Never know.
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Post by Ripcord on Feb 11, 2018 17:57:04 GMT
Ron Delivering on some promises here -- please down load these files. drive.google.com/file/d/1qsMyfj8Y_nIQKPhhkbl0DonOu1W_sU7G/view?usp=sharingI whipped this up on excel, and created a PDF version of it -- so use whichever one you prefer! Now this is a rather abbreviated format... departure time is when it leaves the pier, and return time is when it comes back to the pier. You do need to operate with the understanding that our sub traffic moves on a 2-week interval schedule, and Day 0 is always a Monday, as is Day 7. First Monday of the year is Day 0, the second Monday of the calendar year is Day 7, and so on and so forth, etc. You being a former VP guy, I know you are sharp and observant as hell, so I am sure you get it, but if you do have any questions, just ask. Have fun! PS. If you are having any scenery issues at Kings Bay, let me know. Hangar200 and I worked up some fixes there, and we'll enlist you to do a bit of testing. |
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ron
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Post by ron on Feb 15, 2018 2:36:32 GMT
Ripcord, you are a man of your word.
Your schedules for the subs will give me plenty to work with.
Right now I am more interested in the boomers so did some checking.
At Bangor I see all works well with the eight boomers. I finally located, by use of your sub tracks file, the Michigan at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (been there, done that). I located your Ohio off of Indian Island, probably supposed to be handling munitions.
So those two are accounted for and West coast is complete as far as I'm concerned.
At Kings Bay your SSBN-740 Rhode Island lays on the beach, although it does do it's underway ok. The six boomers go out on schedule.
I see there is a bgl file for the two SSGN's Florida and Georgia, but am unable to see them, with flybys or my radar. I am wondering if, like the West coast subs, you put them elsewhere.
I took a trip on my coast guard ship From Point Loma into San Diego and the Navy Base there. As you noted, lots of junky boats and ships riding anchor looking rather forlorn. I will try your exclusion files and will also report.
Thank you for your work, making a great product even better.
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Post by Ripcord on Feb 16, 2018 0:56:34 GMT
Ripcord, you are a man of your word. I have a few more items I need to make good on, but yes, I make an effort. Ron, also on the topic of exclusions, I did not make any for sub bases other than Pearl, so perhaps some are needed? If so, please advise. |
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