Reassigned to S-class

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I would like to ask if it is an error or is it normal - After my third and very successful patrol early in the war (TMO+Small Patch, February 1942) in a Porpoise where I sunk 27 000 tons (all were enemy ships, all objectives fulfilled) I came back to Subaraya port. My Hull was damaged to 86% and instead big promotions I was given only the option to end my career or to be given a new command. I had no other choice than to accept it. But then I (and my crew also) came to a shock - we were given S-class Pigboat that just barely accommodated my whole crew. Is this normal? :)

[Sailor Steve]

I don't know if it's normal for the game or not, or if the game is sophisticated enough, but I would suspect that your might have something to do with it. New boats are at Pearl Harbor and Surabaya is a real backwater. They might have given you the only boat available.

Since that boat should already have a skipper I would think the more realistic thing would be to send you back to the States to work up a new boat, which might mean a year or more out of the war due to getting out of a remote danger spot first.

[donna52522]

That's strange, but I have never started a Porpoise from the Asiatic fleet. And I never had opportunity of being promoted to a new boat in Surabaya, the Japanese take that over pretty quickly. You will have to keep slugging away and see what happens when you get to Fremantle which should be your port after you next patrol. You may have to do a few more patrols though before you are given another promotion.

If you get stuck in an S-Boat then your career may be glitched, it happens, and you may want to start a new one. I recommend starting out of Cavite with an S-Boat or Salmon/Sargo. If your determined to start a career in a Porpoise take it out of Pearl.

Edit: Actually I think I have been upgraded in Surabaya before, from an S-Boat to a Sargo...not sure though.

[Stealhead]

I would like to ask if it is an error or is it normal - After my third and very successful patrol early in the war (TMO+Small Patch, February 1942) in a Porpoise where I sunk 27 000 tons (all were enemy ships, all objectives fulfilled) I came back to Subaraya port. My Hull was damaged to 86% and instead big promotions I was given only the option to end my career or to be given a new command. I had no other choice than to accept it. But then I (and my crew also) came to a shock - we were given S-class Pigboat that just barely accommodated my whole crew. Is this normal? :)


Ducimus has it set up to where if you come back with a lot of hull damage it reflects very negatively upon you.You got punished.That is the only way I am aware of that will get you kicked down to an S-boat.Normally you get an optional offer to get a new boat or you get a refit to your current boat.If you had no choice in the matter and had to take the S-boat it was punishment for nearly destroying the previous boat.It is supposed to happen.It is actually not unrealistic severely damaging a boat was frowned upon and considered near dereliction of duty.They wanted aggressive skippers but not reckless ones.

[Armistead]

I agree with Steal, if you come back with a lot of damage, regardless of career, you often get stuck in a lower class boat. I've sunk over 200K tons once, came back with 97% damage, but still got down graded.

[Red October1984]

Don't be hating on the S-Class guys...

I got quite a bit of tonnage in the S-Class. :)

[donna52522]

I agree with Steal, if you come back with a lot of damage, regardless of career, you often get stuck in a lower class boat. I've sunk over 200K tons once, came back with 97% damage, but still got down graded.


I was never aware of that, and I have sailed into port with a lot of damage before. That wouldn't be realistic though...I would imagine if someone like O'Kane came into port with a damaged boat he wouldn't be punished at all. He'd probably be congratulated for getting himself and his crew back.

But I can understand the premise, game wise.

[Stealhead]

Don't be hating on the S-Class guys...

I got quite a bit of tonnage in the S-Class. :)


The sugar boats are fun in game because work fairly well in reality they where 20+ year old roach invested hunks of steel which the crews should have received accommodation just for keeping them running on patrol.The highest kill ratio for any S-boat was 4 ships not for lack of effort mind you and some of the better skippers started as skippers in S-boats other good future skippers started as officers in S-boats many teeth where cut in the old hulks.

In TMO for heavily damaging your boats hull you'll get knocked down to the lowest available class out of Caviet(Manila) and Subaraya that will be an S-boat from Fremantle and Pearl it will be a Porpoise class(assuming you where in a better class) from Brisbane again likely a Porpoise.Later in the war the punishment might be a Salmon class boat and sometimes out of Pearl a Tambor.

[Red October1984]

The sugar boats are fun in game because work fairly well in reality they where 20+ year old roach invested hunks of steel which the crews should have received accommodation just for keeping them running on patrol.The highest kill ratio for any S-boat was 4 ships not for lack of effort mind you and some of the better skippers stared as skippers in S-boats other good future skippers started as officers in S-boats many teeth where cut in the old hulks.

I know they were bad in real life but they're good in the game.

[arrow]

Thanks for great answers. I will be less aggressive in the future, but who wouldn't be tempted to take 10k tons tanker down:) I had to do it on the surface during night, cause I had only stern torpedoes and I came a bit too close, but managed to sink it. Now I'll have to get my reputation back in the old rusty S-class, but for sure it will be interesting :)

[CptLoonee]

Don't be hating on the S-Class guys...

I got quite a bit of tonnage in the S-Class. :)

Had a blast in my S-boat. It has its limitations for sure, but in my first patrol in Manilla Bay I was able to sink a light carrier and a fleet carrier!

Sure, the fleet carrier was moored, but that bay was crawling with active pinging destroyers and the S-boat got me home.

[Stealhead]

I was never aware of that, and I have sailed into port with a lot of damage before. That wouldn't be realistic though...I would imagine if someone like O'Kane came into port with a damaged boat he wouldn't be punished at all. He'd probably be congratulated for getting himself and his crew back.

But I can understand the premise, game wise.


It depended on the situation some things are outside the control of the skipper others are if a skipper where to cause reckless damage to a submarine be by grounding it or a reckless exposure to attack they could be and where relived of command.

O'Kane lost his ship because he was hit by a circular running torpedo he did everything he could to try and save the Tang.The Darter got run aground near Palawan she successfully sank an IJN cruiser and was pursuing a damage cruiser when she ran aground.Neither of these skippers got punished.Other skippers that made poor choices did rightly get relived of command some could also have been courts marshaled but where not.

The kicking of command actually makes a lot of sense and is a fairly good way to reflect as best as possible the way skippers where reviewed two poorly rated patrols and bye bye one serious error in judgment and bye bye.But there is no way to actually review your actions besides counting renown points.So the inclusion of the high damage suffered punishment actually is a good way to reflect historical accuracy with in the limits of what SH4 allows.

Besides you have to suffer 50% or more damage in TMO to get "punished" you either really had a very bad day or you made a bad decision in the game to suffer that much hull damage or you where overly aggressive to the point of recklessness.

The last time I suffered serious damage in TMO I stupidly assumed that they had lost track of me after an attack despite the fact that they where pinging (I assumed they where off as the last string was way out in left field) I sat with engines off while the IJN thought "this guy is a bozo" and preceded to drop a string right on me.Had I have been doing the correct thing and actively evaded even though i felt confident those DC would have missed or at least had done much less damage.

[Armistead]

I was never aware of that, and I have sailed into port with a lot of damage before. That wouldn't be realistic though...I would imagine if someone like O'Kane came into port with a damaged boat he wouldn't be punished at all. He'd probably be congratulated for getting himself and his crew back.

But I can understand the premise, game wise.

It's been so long that I've played. It may be that it happens that if you come into port with a lot of damage at the same time you get offered a new command, you get kicked back to an old boat. As you said, I've also come back numerous times with an almost destroyed boat and suffered no punishment, just repaired. Again, I think the issue is the damage and a new command happening at the same time.

I've also had it happen that if I turned down a new boat 3 times, the fourth time I'm told to retire or take a new command.

[TorpX]

I would like to ask if it is an error or is it normal - After my third and very successful patrol early in the war (TMO+Small Patch, February 1942) in a Porpoise where I sunk 27 000 tons (all were enemy ships, all objectives fulfilled) I came back to Subaraya port. My Hull was damaged to 86% and instead big promotions I was given only the option to end my career or to be given a new command. ...
I can't comment on how TMO decides to reward/punish you as Captain, but here are a couple real-life things to consider:

A boat with 86% damage could only be considered a total write-off; it would never be sent on patrol again, and, imo, at that level, could not even be used as a training boat.

In the first months of the war, the USN sub commands had few new boats to hand out. They had to use what they had. Later, when numbers of new fleetboats were arriving, all the S-class were withdrawn from active service, but that could not be done in the crisis period.

I wouldn't consider any new command to be a "punishment". If you were judged to be a poor skipper, your next command would be a supply ship, or even a desk.

[Red October1984]

I wouldn't consider any new command to be a "punishment". If you were judged to be a poor skipper, your next command would be a supply ship, or even a desk.


ARMCHAIR GENERAL REPORTING FOR DUTY SIR! :salute: