Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!agate!headcrash.Berkeley.EDU!felixh
From: felixh@headcrash.Berkeley.EDU (Felix Hack)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.games
Subject: Re: Harpoon...ASW
Message-ID: <1990Nov29.085633.20243@agate.berkeley.edu>
Date: 29 Nov 90 08:56:33 GMT
Sender: usenet@agate.berkeley.edu (USENET Administrator)
Organization: ucb
Lines: 34


  The Harpoon computer game's sonar model may be compared to the boardgame
and to reality.  Clearly we want it to be realistic, but the programmers
are probably only interested in emulating the boardgame and hoping that
system takes care of reality.
  While the computer game has the detection probabilities from the board-
game built in, it's not possible to check whether all the sonar modifiers
are done the same way (i.e. correctly).  There's not even a uniform set
of mods; take a look at the Harpoon ASW Forms Module for revisions to
the sonar modifiers (higher speed to cavitate, for one thing).
  Regarding changing depth to break track, changing depth shouldn't work
against CZ detections.  The scale of CZ is concentric circles of width of
order 5 miles at ranges of order 30 miles and multiples thereof.  The
diagrams are grossly off true scale since they show depths of 1000 feet
as large as something like 5 miles horizontally.
  The RSR model seems reasonable.  I have no access to data on real sonar
performance vs hostile subs, but then who does?  If you're trying to track
enemy subs and you fail to detect them, you don't know it.  Anyway, from
all I've read and from playing lots of RSR I can't complain.
  In the computer game the LA creeps at 5 knots, the improved LA at 10.
While the former speed earns a quieting and sonar improvement bonus, the
improved LA's speed does not earn a creep bonus in the boardgame.  The
improved LA is merely quieter and gets a -10% detection mod.  The same
seems to hold for the Trafalgar; it too creeps at 10 knots on the 
computer and gets -10% for its shrouded propulsor.
  An LA at 0 knots still makes noise, since it has to operate machinery
to keep the reactor cooled.  This isn't much though.  I've read that
the boat is not any noisier cruising at a few knots than at full stop.
I guess flow noise is low at first, and of course there's no cavitation
at slow speeds.
  I've heard rumors that the boardgame's ASW will be revised.  I sure
hope the computer game follows suit.
 
 Felix