The ULTIMATE TDC Tutorial | Type IIA UBOAT | (unstable) Beta 2024.1 (Preview 12)

In this video, we'll dive deep into the workings of the Torpedo Data Computer (TDC), a crucial piece of technology used by German U-boats during World War 2. Understanding how the TDC functioned and its various components is essential for anyone interested in submarine warfare or looking to master the art of torpedo attacks in simulation games like Silent Hunter or Wolfpack.
We'll explore the history behind the TDC, break down its key features such as the Salvo Spread, Target Bearing Display, and Gyro Angle, and discuss the optimal settings for each component to maximize your chances of hitting enemy ships.
By the end of this video, you'll have a comprehensive grasp of how U-boat commanders used the TDC to launch devastating attacks, and you'll be better equipped to put this knowledge into practice when playing submarine simulation games on higher difficulties.
So, if you're ready to take your virtual U-boat skills to the next level, join us as we uncover the secrets of the Torpedo Data Computer!
#uboat #tdc #knocommentgaming

[@kNOCommentGaming]

Correction: TDC (AOB) - 1. Line from your ship bow, to target ships bow. 2. Line from Target ships bow, towards direction they are traveling. (I put it as 90 in the video since that’s where I wanted to shoot.

[@kingsgambit7734]

correct. that took me awhile to figure out. LOL

[@exileops66]

Best video iv seen so far man. just bought the game and your vid was by far the most helpful! keep em comin! Headquarters walk through next plz!!!!

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@exileops66 headquarters doesn’t really need a tutorial. Mostly it’s just assigning an officer who you either don’t want on your Uboat since his skills aren’t what you’re looking for, or if you have too many officers, or you can promote/buy one and then just sit them in headquarters to research whatever you want. I tend to go off realism, so I turn Headquarters to automatic before the game starts setup settings. That way it follows what actually was available at certain times during the war. I’m all about immersion. 💯

[@dungeonmaster4108]

I bought this game years ago, but I always had it on automatic. I couldn't figure out how to do it manually even though I watched every video I could find. Your video was very informative and I will give it a try, to see how well I can do. Thanks for the video dude

[@kNOCommentGaming]

Dungeon Master 4108, Glad I could help. This game is so fun, but has a learning curve... nice to see the time I put into making this video helps others! Hope you get many hours out of this game! Full Release is August 2, 2024!

[@dennismitchell5524]

That was a GREAT Tutorial. After 3 patrols into the game, seeing this video made me start over on Hard. Thank you!!

[@kNOCommentGaming]

You are welcome Dennis! Once you get the basics down... playing this game on a harder difficulty is the way to go. Much more enjoyable, and terrifying. haha

[@JFulls94]

Great vid dude - also a note the Later Uboats have a different TDC, they can lock the AOB to the Attack Periscope so it auto updates im sure there are other features but im no expert 😊 something to keep in mind for when you progress!

[@kNOCommentGaming]

Good note! Yeah… once the game gets more stable… I could do TDC videos on those.

[@Redryder79]

Outstanding instructional style.

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@Redryder79 Thanks! 🫡

[@roballen2378]

Thanks for simplifying the tdc it's nice to start simple then learn the complexities of it through practice!. Keep the videos on uboat going!

[@SuperGoldenv]

Thanks for making this easier for me and thanks for your studies.

[@overlordzorn]

so happy i found this video!

[@vandekraats]

Wonderful video! Thanks for explaining this. Look forward to more videos from you!

[@kNOCommentGaming]

No problem. I’m glad you liked it. I wanted to be as thorough as possible. Learning the history, how it works, and then showing it off is the best way to learn about something. I will have more tutorials on this game in the future. I’m working on a few ideas now with A.I. testing out my theories. Haha

[@nath-hh2ff]

Thanks for making this video. Never played a sub game until now, and there's a pretty steep learning curve. The game is fun as hell though

[@kNOCommentGaming]

I know! I bought it like last year and never played then saw someone playing a week ago, and I redownloaded it and already clocked insane hours 😂 It was fun learning the game and tactics, was overwhelming at first but now it’s just so chill and relaxing and immersive!

[@dudeinadoughboy4327]

I think this is a great one to start with. It's in-depth enough to feel cool, while still being gamey enough to be accessible. And you can fine tune it in either direction you wish. It's a great game. If you REALLY want to feel cool, look into a game called Wolfpack.

[@benlouw7009]

Good tutorial. I just started myself.

[@kNOCommentGaming]

Thanks! Welcome to the game and community! I’ll try to keep good content coming!

[@positive0362]

THANK YOU Ive been looking for this type of vid for too long. TY for the good and simple info

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@positive0362 no problem! Hope you enjoy the game!

[@pythosdegothos6181]

What a terrific video for this. You would make a fantastic instructor in the future!

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@pythosdegothos6181 That’s a great compliment! I’ll try to make all my tutorial videos informative.

[@pythosdegothos6181]

@@kNOCommentGaming Im a flight instructor, and your cadence, cador, and skill are that of such. Your explanations are just clear and concise.

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@pythosdegothos6181 Glad you feel that way. When I was editing it i felt cringe hearing me explain it certain ways. 😂

[@reynoldsvids]

Fantastic, thank you for posting!

[@kNOCommentGaming]

Yep no worries. One day I’ll get around to the Type VII subs TDC.

[@mikedowns2006]

Finally somebody made it simple. Thanks.

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@mikedowns2006 I’ll update it with other Uboats TDCs once I unlock them in my upcoming Uboat Captain series.

[@mikedowns2006]

Can you please do a tutorial using the new version of the game with the Type VII TDC? Much appreciated.

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@mikedowns2006 once I unlock it on career mode. I’m working on a series for the channel and trying not to spoil the Type VII for me, since I never used that Uboat before.

[@RucaTuga]

I have been searching for TDC guides or tutorials on manual solutions and these videos I´ve watched explain the TDC at the beggining but end up without manual usageof the TDC. No doubt that using the periscope interface to collect data makes it easier and I use it myself but the insert and send the data to the TDC defeats the purpose I´m looking for as it makes the whole operation half automatized instead of being ourselves inserting te data directly into the TDC. I don´t understand german plus all those knobs and buttons are confusing to me. Nice guide but a guide approaching direct TDC usage would be great, specially on the current game version.

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@RucaTuga it’s just manually turning the dials. That’s why in my video I went through explaining what each dial was, and how it worked. That way. Whenever you are in game, you do not have to push the button to update a solution, you can change views and go to the TDC and manually change it. The setting in the game is called Hardcore Aiming. You want to set that before starting a game. That way, you have to manually do everything. This is a burden in the game due to it being a computer game and not real life. In real life you had multiple people doing different tasks for the TDC to work. This is possible in game, but it’s a lot of camera switching. I have yet to meet or see anyone who does it fully manual due to these limitations. Which is why I explained in detail what each knob, dial, and button did for the TDC system.

[@kingsgambit7734]

Thanks so much for sharing. Would love to see you do multiple attacks in a video where you use it multiple times just to help us with memory with what to do. This has frustrated me immensely. :)

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@kingsgambit7734 I’ll try to make a better one for the type 7 which is kinda the same tactics… one day.. just iffy cause it’s beta, and video might be dated if they change something. No worries tho, this game has a learning curve, but keep going! You will get it!

[@kingsgambit7734]

Still a fantastic tutorial!!! Great Job.

[@kingsgambit7734]

@@kNOCommentGaming I may finally be getting the hang of it a little but I tweaked what you showed by using the tool and going from my uboat to the ship target and then straight off of that target ships nose. Still miss occasionally esp. if the ship is at greater than 2.5 k range but guessing that is due to speed being off a little. Or the range...but within 2K esp it seems to hit.

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@kingsgambit7734 sounds like the speed of the torp, and distance is the problem. After a certain range the torps propeller will stop. I did post a comment with the correction. Exactly what you said is what I forgot to mention.

[@KevinStoffel]

Good video, but a bit confused why you kept taking and entering AOB measurements from the perspective of the sub and not from the perspective of the target. Does the game let you enter the correct AOB value? Why did it autocorrect the (incorrect) values you entered?

[@kNOCommentGaming]

Yes you can enter in AOB measurements from the perspective of the Uboat. (You do this in either first person or Skipper Experimental view) The game does have a great PDF of how a targeted ship looks like from all angles and how to tell by looking at it what AOB it is. (You can see this pdf by entering the USO or UZO view as I did in the game, and looking in the top left corner of the screen for an “i” icon. Click on that opens the pdf) I did not do this for simplicity. My goal was to help with the understanding of what APB was, this is why I explained it the way I did externally. (in hind sight I should have showed both) the game lets you enter in an AOB value that is approximately close enough manually. (In first person or skipper view you turn the dial to approximately the value you want, in third person as I did you can enter it in exactly by typing the value and not turning the dial) Lastly it autocorrected the (incorrect) values I entered due to the scope being locked onto the target. (Note: The game auto updates the AOB for the angle the target is, and not your angle to the ship, this is encoded in the code of the game, and the TDC) Obviously in real life they have to keep following it, since this is a video game you can locked the scope to a target as I stated “lock the target” in the video. So, you can wait for the perfect 90-130 degree AOB without worry about manually fill the target and fire the torp(s). But…. You can unlock the target and follow manually if you wish. This is more challenging, but the game allows this for realism. (Once again I locked on target for simplicity of the video.) When I make a new TDC tutorial for the Type VII Uboats TDC (which is different) I’ll do it by showing the pdf and finding the AOB that way. Without using the external view or map view. (This TDC also auto follows once “locked” on. It is a video game at the end of the day. Haha) Hope this answered your question questions. Also thanks for watching and getting that far in the video! Update: As of today June 23, 2024 2024.1 Preview 16 just updated to be more precise with dial selections. You can now use the mouse wheel to be more precise! AWESOME!

[@elvarsmar2280]

This was not a TDC tutorial. You did not even use it during the attack. You used the automatic function were you tell your officers to update it for you.

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@elvarsmar2280 that In itself is “using the TDC”. Also, explaining what the TDC is, and how it is used.. is in itself “a TDC Tutorial”.

[@JamesEtc3417]

@@kNOCommentGamingthis is a good tutorial on using the GUI but I’d say that “using the TDC” is actually using the TDC, as it’s fully interactive and most of us are looking to now how it works vs the mod.

[@urosdragutinovic3003]

+

[@joshbuxton8249]

​@@kNOCommentGaming You should look into Ausdampfverfahren. Then do a full manual TDC tutorial. Meaning only you enter the information in the Torpedo Data Computer. No officer help allowed. That method of finding a torpedo attack solution is pretty easy once you figure it out. Its pretty dam accurate even at 2k meters from the target. Also, if you are very close to the target, you dont even need to be at exactly 90 degrees AOB to the target. Once you get experience, and you can adjust on the fly, lets say your first targef will be at 90 AOB, that ship is easy, once it hits 0 on your periscope, you fire. Then you can quickly change the AOB to fire off more fish without calculating anything really. Also, at a close range the distance to target becomes barely important. Finding the speed, you match the course of the convoy, then follow one ship and see if your periscope goes left or right without moving it. Once your speed matches the target ship, the periscope will barely move. Which your speed now matches the convoy. A convoy moves as fast as its slowest ship.

[@illionore]

Absolutely a THUMBS UP from me! Great tutorial! One thing still confuses me very much and I don't know what's right... You have to input the "distance to the target"... but WHAT distance (or rather, the distance 'WHEN')? Is distance to the target supposed to be "the distance currently to the target, when you input that value into the TDC", or "the distance to the target at the moment you launch the torpedoes"? My mind says it should be the latter, but in the video you input the 'current distance to the target', when the target is still far from when you launch the torpedoes...

[@kNOCommentGaming]

Thanks! Once you see the target, and you are within a good solution (firing range) that’s the (distance to target) you enter into the TDC (which will auto update it once you put in an initial distance). It was still far, but the TDC updates automatically parameters.

[@DieWitness]

Finally I figured out what I was doing wrong Thx

[@kNOCommentGaming]

Glad to assist! 👌🏽👍🏽

[@overlordzorn]

Structure and explaining of the video are great, but there there are some mistakes. For example, if you wish to input current AOB, you have to use the Tool that pops up on the left, as well as other points brought forward in the comments already. Good work, but it might be worth while working on a secound version once indept knowledge is more refined :) 👍

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@overlordzorn yeah might update it with the Type 7 TDC. Who knows also, they might change something since it’s a Beta currently.

[@Deathraven693]

Nice video!

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@Deathraven693 Thank you

[@leoleen5491]

Thank you, buddy. Helpful for me. I saw how ppl do all of that actions manually on TDC and that made me sad.

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@leoleen5491 No problem! Welcome!

[@nicholasholloway8743]

Yes but I hit stuff myself better than the auto calculated solutions used here. I gotta figure this out, the old mod worked great, this new tdc I can set it up and its way off, idk why. Getting pretty frustrated myself

[@illionore]

Oh, there's another thing that confuses me... When typing the AOB value directly into the number field and then pressing the 'text bubble icon', it does not update the angle there... However, if you type the AOB value in the field and then first hit ENTER (before pressing the 'text bubble icon') it shows the typed value. I don't know if it's just me, or does the adjustment entered in the video not take hold? I like to use the dial to enter the number (red or green), which also adds the minus sign if needed. -- Or does the TDC just take the angle automatically because it gets it from the Attack Periscope (since that switch I think was set to 'automatic' instead of 'manual'?) EDIT: Also, what bothers me a bit... is that if you are about to launch the torpedoes and enter the AOB... the light goes on when it's ready... but if you wait a little while, the light goes OFF again... does that mean that the calculation has expired and you have to do AOB again? :/

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@illionore where ever the attack periscope is pointing as long as it is on target, that’s how the TDC auto updates the AOB you entered. Yes, cause the AOB has changed over time. The light just means everything is synchronized perfectly per your calculations… over time things change. If you want a perfect solution firing make sure all the lights are on. I think that’s what you are asking?

[@illionore]

@@kNOCommentGaming Yes, thank you! I played a bit around with it (loading saves just before an encounter several times, trying the same encounter with different approaches) and it looks like this works very well, but indeed I want all the lights to be on! :) I usually fired 2 torpedoes (instead of 3) but often 1 hit and 1 missed... I'm blaming that my spreading was maybe a bit too much... After reducing it, both hit. What do you recommend for spreading, really (on an e.g. 100 meter long ship)? Should I rather try to land 2 or 3 torpedoes in a volley, or spread them out further if I'm not sure my calculations are exact enough (in the heat of the battle) and aim for at least one of them to hit?

[@nibaba415]

good that you help explain this! Smooth American sounded a lot better to understand

[@kNOCommentGaming]

Thanks

[@Loraxpilot]

dude - yes!

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@Loraxpilot 👍🏽💯

[@stillwill761]

Thank u

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@stillwill761 no problem StillWill

[@nicholasholloway8743]

I used to be able to hit targets with the mod TDC but the one the released version has is ass, can't hit shit even though I'm using the same methods

[@kNOCommentGaming]

I feel ya... With the full release out now.. I too am having trouble hitting anything. Hmm... Killing my mood for even wanting to make more videos on this game!

[@rikmuao4699]

AoB is constantly changing as the target is moving forward. How you measured AoB was not correct. You use protractor on your sub to the target then out in the direction the target is moving. All you did was ask your number 1 to do the work for you.

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@rikmuao4699 works both ways in this game. 🤷🏽 It’s a game. But… yes for if you are doing hardcore aiming. Also, I did it at a 0 or 90 degrees from them to me angle, cause that was my firing point. 90-130 degrees, so yea I did do it correctly. (3/3 hits) (well maybe the TDC auto updating also helps lol) AOB was auto updating also as we were moving forward. So technically I didn’t need to redo it often. TDC follows the ship once locked.

[@dudeinadoughboy4327]

Actually tbh, AoB is just guesswork, lol. That's how they had to do it historically, and you kinda just got to get an eye for it. It's not too hard to get down, especially since you should, for the most part, be shooting from 80 to 100 degrees anyway.

[@Sam-pb9mx]

First of all great video, thanks for taking the time to make a video with such patience to explain everything. However I don’t understand the Idea or Title. You explain the complexity of the tdc (👍🏻) but further in video with the example with the freighter, u let the game or more specifically, u let your officer do the rest. Is that intentional? Because in my understanding that’s not a big difference to not using the TDC( I hope u understand what I mean). I was looking for a tdc tutorial where u actually have to put in the data manually, but maybe I have a wrong image of the tdc and this not required. This is not a criticism to your video, I‘m just a bit confused

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@Sam-pb9mx Hey Sam, In this game you can do both. I explained the TDC as an overview for if you wished to move the dials yourself. In the video I did the calculations, which upon pushing the button the officer on the TDC which I assigned to man it entered in the numbers I told him. Now you can do this on your own also, but it’s a lot of switching screens. To do this just DO NOT assign an officer to the TDC. Then you just calculate the solution you need on the attack periscope, change from the attack periscope view to the TDC view, manipulate the knobs and settings you need, change back to the periscope view, make sure everything is correct, the TDC will auto follow the target according to your entered values, once you are ready to fire, enter back into TDC view, and manually fire the torpedoes. You can also fix the torpedo solutions to the exact by changing views to the torpedo panel, and manually entering in what you need there also. The game makes it easier by allowing you to assign officers to these stations, so you can just find the solution you need on the attack periscope, and push a button (telling officers on assigned stations) to have officers enter in what your solution was. But… you can totally do all this on your own, just do not assign any officer to a station. This would be very tedious, but if you like that, then go right ahead! 👍🏽🫡😊 For entertainment and gaming purposes I had the cpu (officers assigned to stations) do it for me. Hope this answered your question and helped Sam!

[@Sam-pb9mx]

Yes definitely 💯 I love to play realistic but also don’t want to make things over complicated. I wish there would be a bit more of a mix.

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@Sam-pb9mx yeah, making games has to have a balance. If it was multiplayer that would be more realistic. I think that’s what you seem to be wanting, that balance.

[@szabolcscsengoi4231]

I would only salvo Battleships / motherships.

[@arnauds69]

OK, i must be an idiot but i dont see how TDC improves / changes the way I aim (in the stable version). Basically i still need to use map or periscope tools to get speed AoB and distance....exactly like before, maybe i can refine the spread angle using the target's length but the rest of the dials are displays or TDC calculated numbers that are better left unmodified. I certainly am missing something here.

[@kNOCommentGaming]

No, you’re not an idiot. You can do it all manual without the map, but you will need the periscope. TDC allows for auto tracking once you lock in with the scope though, and setting up salvo solutions. This is all possible in first person without the map, just more difficult. There is a difficulty setting up”Hardcore Aiming” it forces you to use only the scopes to aim and fire. I think it’s just for added immersion. Adds to being more hardcore and realistic. Technically the auto lock and aiming isn’t real, but it a video game at the end of the day. Haha

[@overlordzorn]

Footage seen here is from the unstable beta branch, the update and features seen here arent pushed on stable yet.

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@overlordzorn correct! 👍🏽

[@dudeinadoughboy4327]

It's just another option for players to use to have fun. You can get targeting data entirely from the map tools, purely from the periscope view, or you can use the TDC and control boxes. It's not supposed to necessarily be better or more accurate, just more fun. Whatever way you find most satisfying, it's there for you to utilize. If you want to use the TDC, I find it helps to focus on the basics: target speed, AoB, and distance. Everything else you can pretty much tune out. Although, one specific instance where TDC is better is if you want to have multiple tubes flooded and ready to go, but only fire one torpedo. Before, that was impossible in game, but now you can use the control box to select a specific tube to fire, which is pretty nice.

[@power2084]

Hello. Do you take questions ?

[@kNOCommentGaming]

What’s the question?

[@power2084]

@@kNOCommentGaming ok here it is. At 12:10 we can see that you have multiple gauges opened at the same time, on the top right side of the screen. You tried teaching us how to do that but I didn't really understand what you said. Also, I tried doing it in game, it doesn't work. Only one gauge can be opened at a time... there could be some sort of game setting that needs to be activated for this to be possible. Or maybe it's something else. Please help !

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@power2084 at the top right (the brown area for the gauge) click the gauge you want, next click and hold on that gauge to move it around the screen. Next click a new gauge you want (the brown area for the gauge) and repeat by moving that newly selected gauge around the screen to an area you want. Hope that helps. Make sure to not click a new gauge (the brown area for the gauge) before moving one you selected around the screen. If you didn’t move a gauge you selected it will be replaced with a new gauge… that’s the problem you are having.

[@power2084]

@@kNOCommentGaming you said "click the gauge you want, next click and hold on that gauge to move it around the screen", that's what I thought I heard you say in the video. That's also what I tried, it doesn't work. Nothing happens while trying to move it around like you said. I also tried moving it while holding CTRL, or ALT, or SHIFT, and it's the same thing. Is it possible you activated some graphical option ? I can imagine something named like "free floating gauges" ? Or maybe you have mods installed ?

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@power2084 I just tried it without mods and it worked for me. I am not sure why it is not working for you. Step 1: In the view by pressing "F2" (Technically this works in anyview you are in) Top right, selecting "Telegraph" (left mouse clicking it) It opens. Step 2: Left mouse holding on the Telegraph gauge (Location of the mouse is at the center in the green area of the gauge..l. other locations don't work when you click and hold to move the gauge... Only click in the top center area of a gauge...if the gauge turn dark while clicking and holding in the top center it can be moved) and while still holding left mouse button down, dragging it to whatever location I want. Step 3: Going back to the Top right, selecting "Depth Meter" (left mouse clicking it) It opens. (Telegraph stays open cause I moved the location from the top right where all gauges open at.) *Repeat the process to move it where I want.) Steph 4: To remove a gauge click it and drag it to the top right of the screen will remove it from view. To bring it back... repeat steps 1/2... Hope that helped. This works in the base game.. You just need to know how to click and drag the gauge.

[@hege750]

I can't wait for the unstable to get stable, so many good new features and improvements. Btw, the English voiceover in this game is horrible and totally immersion-breaking. 😂

[@kNOCommentGaming]

@@hege750 I imagine it as the Germany crew speaking only English so when they do messages it tricks the English since they are only speaking English. 😂

[@calumlittle9828]

Heavy accent lol. I bet I know who you mean. I also bet you talk loud in the restaurant to get your voice warmed up good for the movie theater.

[@kNOCommentGaming]

??? I'll just put that. I never go to the movies, or restaurants, so that's def not me. I'm a homebody... rather be with family, than out and about.