Diesel Boat - Battery Recharge Suggestion

[Werewolf13]

1.08 fixed the no battery recharge issue for diesel boats.

Great Job!

The fix notes say that diesel boats will now recharge when at periscope depth up to the surface.

Which begs the question: does the boat's sound profile change when charging the battery because of the noise that the diesel engines make? If so then that will seriously limit the real life advantage diesel boats have at periscope depth and running on the battery - which is they are just about the quietest thing in the ocean. So quiet that US nuke boats don't find them by the noise they make but find them by the sound holes in the ocean they do make (they find the spots where the noise levels are much lower than they should be).

So my suggestion is to add a toggle when the boat is at a depth where it is capable of snorkeling. That way the diesel boat can recharge when in a safe area and run on the battery when conducting a periscope observation/attack.

On the other hand: If the sound profile doesn't change (or maybe it isn't even modeled) then one supposes that automatically charging the batteries when at periscope depth or shallower isn't an issue.

[ComDev]

I'll look into this after the summer. We'll probably need a new doctrine setting (or two) on how the AI should behave re: battery useage underway, when attacking or there is a threat nearby, etc. And we also need a way to configure AIP useage.

The mission transit/patrol speed/depth is currently only functional for aircraft and I'd like to add it for ships and subs too. Which will be a rather complex thing to add, esp if the logics also need to take any battery doctrine into account.

So guys, what do you think these doctrine settings and overall behaviour should be like?

[AlanChan]

Plus, snorkeling also gives away sub's position to sea searching radars.

[Werewolf13]

ORIGINAL: emsoy


So guys, what do you think these doctrine settings and overall behaviour should be like?

1) Add a toggle so that a human player can either use doctrine as defined or switch it off and control battery charges manually if the sub is at a depth and moving at a speed that makes snorkeling possible.

2) AI controlled diesel boats with batteries at less than - say 80% (player/scenario designer should be able to set that) - should change to a depth and speed to charge batteries. If not at snorkel depth it moves to that depth and adjusts speed to one that makes snorkeling possible. Prior to the depth speed change there should be either no known contacts of any type detected or if there are known contacts they've all been classified as either neutral or friendly. Charge continues until battery is full or an unclassified contact shows up. At full battery the sub returns to throttle depth settings established by current course. If charge is halted due to unknown or hostile contacts in area charge is suspended and sub returns to depth and speed it was operating at prior to assuming a battery charge profile or acts in accordance with scenario designer settings/behaviour.