Is this gamey ?

[LuckyJim1001]

Just got the Gold pack and am having a great time learning the game.

But here is my dilemma.

Playing my first Pacific campaign and have departed from Pearl to patrol the Marshalls.

I completed the patrol objective (playing with TMO 2.0) and having lurked around for 2 days with nothing happening I decieded to head over to the small island near Truk to see what was happening.

I had enough fuel to hang around for a few days and it payed off. Took out 2 merchants running to the small harbour there.

But would a real world sub commander have left his patrol area to do such a thing ? It was about 400 NM away from the patrol area.

It is my intention to play the game as realistic as possible and this just did not feel realistic. Having said that did some Skippers have a maverick streak ?

[Armistead]

A real sub Captain wouldn't have done that on his own. In real life you stuck to your patrol zone. US subs were everywhere, it was dangerous to go outside your patrol zone, one of your fellow skippers may sink you. Command needed to know where you were. That's basically why you can send a status report and get a new patrol zone once you complete your patrol. A few times subs did go into patrol zones next to them why chasing ships.

This changed and developed more during the war with tactics like convoy college, wolfpacks, ect. Also subs patrol zones were somewhat different.

However, many a Captain did go outside his zone looking for targets, morso early war.

I seldom stick to patrol zones, I tend to go where the battles are, but two things may help. Load the convoy map for TMO that shows the shipping lanes in TMO, the stock map is poor for the game.

Don't leave your patrol zone early. Hang around a few days after the star grays out, this seems to work good with RSRD.

[tater]

^^^ true about the danger. That would be a cool thing in a better sub sim some day. I'd love to see fratricide, safe traffic lanes (and USAAF planes seeing your sub and attacking anyway!), etc.

[Bubblehead1980]

Unfortunately part of being a sub skipper in RL and in the sim if looking for "realistic" play is dealing with boredom and not always finding a fat convoy or TF on every patrol.

My current main career is in 1944 on my third patrol.I had two unusually spectactular patrols before this one.This patrol was 14 days in area of boredom, but stayed in assigned area and spotted a TF (historically accurate one leaving Halmahera on 14 June 44, heading north to join the IJN carrier forces in the Philippine Sea, which would engage the US in the Battle of the Philippine Sea a few days later) about to get a shot at Two Yamato class battleships.

I'm running TMO 2.0 and RSRD. Guess if youre going for historically accurate played stay in your area or near it, if not, then go wherever.

[Bubblehead1980]

^^^ true about the danger. That would be a cool thing in a better sub sim some day. I'd love to see fratricide, safe traffic lanes (and USAAF planes seeing your sub and attacking anyway!), etc.


I wish US Destroyers would attack you if they detect you submerged...thatd give you incentive to not get close when you encounter a "friendly" TF eh?

[Armistead]

Dang bubble, you really are after punishment.

[LuckyJim1001]

Thanks all - I am restarting the campaign and intend to follow orders :-)

Must admit friendly fire would add a new dimension to the sim.

[Bubblehead1980]

Dang bubble, you really are after punishment.


lol well I think it'd give you a more realistic picture of what the US subs were up against.The Seawolf was lost to f'riendly fire'...a DD or DE detected her when she was submerged and attacked, sinking her.Perhaps if the AI was good enough, would not attack if spotted you on surface bc could ID you but if picked you up submerged, would come in after you.Add that in with friendly planes on occasion coming after you in addition to the enemy, you have some "fun"

I wouldnt mind the occasional mechanical failures either esp in the pre war subs who had the german built engines that were prone to failure.