Let subs ping once before surfacing?

[bert_the_turtle]

I know this has happened to you at least once: you found a cozy space to surface your sub right at defcon 1, but two seconds after it pops up, a battleship kills it. Now, question: to avoid this, would it be a good idea to briefly switch it over to active sonar mode for just a bit? I haven't tested it yet, but I can't see any disadvantage provided you know before when you're going to launch and of course provided you can't secure the area from above for some reason and want to launch anyway. Your sub is going to get detected by anything in range anyway, so the ping does not give away information; but it has a chance to find and maybe even destroy that one guardian battleship.

[Mas Tnega]

The only downside is finding that you're within radar range and naval nuked with ever so slightly less nukes launched. Subs can't really get away at any appreciable pace.

It's definitely worth considering. If there's only a carrier nearby, you've pretty much every reason to wait about 30 seconds for them to start going into anti-sub, and then launch. If there's a battleship, you can kill it. If there's both, then you might want to consider backup.

[walrus47]

Might be worthwhile sometimes, but I think its still possible to ping and a battleship to be outside the pings range while remaining in radar/combat range of the sub when it surfaces. It may well be worthwhile if you really want to use them anyway, as you pointed out.

[Hyperion]

I never ever ping my subs...not unless its too tempting and for some reason i have my opponents navy on top of them...i usually use single bombers to cover flight paths for my subs...so i know their path and destination is free of waiting naval units.

I do this so my opponent doesn't have a clue where my subs are...if i ping them inside their radar range then they could easily keep air power above that location or ocean nuke the area.

I've managed to slip countless forces around Australia and through the bering because i've used air units radar to scout for pinging or waiting carriers.

[Chimaera]

As Mas Tnega said, it might just be best to get as many nukes off as possible. Yesterday in a game of diplomacy I had to launch my subs blind off the Western Seaboard of the USA, and I still managed to take SF and LA and a South American silos before being neutralised.

[die-abolical]

Not much to add to the replies you've already had, except to agree with the people who said its not the best idea.

In pinging you'd be giving up the element of surprise for a limited radar view. This could allow your opponent to start sending bombers, nukes, or nearby fleets towards your subs.
I'm not entirely sure on this, but i also believe that if his silos were firing, then the time it would take your subs to switch between 'active' and 'nuking' modes is the same time as it takes for a silo to bring its defenses back online, and hence you would possibly lose another advantage.

You could try firing one sub ahead of the others to check if its safe, which i have done on occasion. But i only do that if i believe i can get the rest of my subs safely out of the way if the worst happens.

My opinion is that its generally best to just fire them off and take the chance. Unless you have good reason to believe there's a fleet of battleships directly above you of course

[bert_the_turtle]

I'm not entirely sure on this, but i also believe that if his silos were firing, then the time it would take your subs to switch between 'active' and 'nuking' modes is the same time as it takes for a silo to bring its defenses back online, and hence you would possibly lose another advantage.

If you want to launch the sub nukes NOW because you see the enemy opening its silos, then definitely, switching them first to active mode and then to nuke mode takes too much time, and it is better to just fire away. The situation I'm refering to, however, is when you already know when you'll fire. Say you're NA and have snuck some subs past SA's navy and are in range to launch at Lima and Santiago at defcon 1. And I'm talking about just one ping, and if no ships are found by it, surface immediately. This gives the enemy only a couple of seconds more to spot your subs, and if you find yourself under a carrier, you can catch your enemy pants down twice: first, you can give your sub some extra time to kill the carrier, and then you can surface and launch and hope that nearby other carriers are in anti-sub-mode by then.

[All American Mobster]

usually, what I do, Is while waiting for the opertune time to strike, is to wait in passive mode, while i wait for cover from my other fleets, and then i strike. if i see one shot fired at the subs, i immediatly send them under again. If no fleets are available, i let them scout out a little bit of the area, then strike. Still experimenting, though.



-$tanley

[JESUS]

i usually use single bombers to cover flight paths for my subs...so i know their path and destination is free of waiting naval units.

I do this so my opponent doesn't have a clue where my subs are...

/ JESUS *makes note*

[walrus47]

If you are determined you are going to launch them anyway then the only really negative thing about pinging them once is the time it takes to switch to active to do it. If the enemy has something in range to see it ping then it would see them surface anyway, so youre just decreasing the chances of surfacing under some ships slightly.

[Hyperion]

i usually use single bombers to cover flight paths for my subs...so i know their path and destination is free of waiting naval units.

I do this so my opponent doesn't have a clue where my subs are...

/ JESUS *makes note*

STOP STALKING ME! and making notes

[tllotpfkamvpe]

.

[creator]

I agree with bert with this one, one ping is impossible to spot unless your enemy is staring at that spot. Whever i don't do this i can be sure that illsurface next to a battleship. (obviously scouting is better but beggars cant be choosers)

[martin]

I don't usually get involved with defcon discussion much because I don't actually play the game very much :p

But having said that I certainly have to agree with bert on this one, it would seem logical that a real sub would ping the ara it's about to surface at before revealing itself (although saying that, can't subs use hydrophones to hear moving surface vehicles?)

[Hyperion]

I don't usually get involved with defcon discussion much because I don't actually play the game very much :p

But having said that I certainly have to agree with bert on this one, it would seem logical that a real sub would ping the ara it's about to surface at before revealing itself (although saying that, can't subs use hydrophones to hear moving surface vehicles?)

Yes but in real life you're not looking down on the oceans as though we are gods and you do not see circular ocean ripples...you can't argue the reality side of it...whether it be true or not.

It is simply a matter of choice. I would prefer that people ping their subs when playing me because if i spot them then thats an information advantage i wouldn't have had without them pinging.