Back in Black
 

Well, I stopped playing (and posting) for almost 2 years mostly because I got a new computer with Windows 10, and I couldn't get SH3 to run on it. But, yesterday, I sat down and carefully went through everything and I got it running. Yay!

I did all the training routines in vanilla and then I installed GWX. I didn't put on the 16km atmosphere and now I'm afraid to activate it in the middle of a campaign.

Anyway, I just completed a cruise today. I got sent to some boring square and I ran around there for 24 hours before heading for the north of Ireland to see what kind of trouble I could get into. I stumbled across a convoy on my way, but my feel was off. I seem to recall that you could see things 7-8km away with moderate visibility, and my hydrophone had them around 6-7km out, but I couldn't catch sight of them at all. I think it may be the 16km mod, which isn't enabled.

At any rate, I worked my way inside and hit my target with a two-torpedo salvo, sinking it instantly. I then turned towards the one behind it and waited for it to zig in such a way to turn broadside to me. Just then I heard the first ping, and I realized there was a frigate about 800m off my port bow. So I fired the salvo and then crash dived. It went to 69m — I seem to recall that I had modded my settings before to have it go to 90m on a crash dive. I don't remember how to do that any more. And I don't remember how to turn fatigue off.

Anyway, the second salvo hit but only one torpedo exploded. Fortunately, that sank it so after a long time I managed to get to the surface again and around and to fire again at a couple of ships. I fired a salvo at one, then I realized that I had fired at the wrong ship!! So I fired a salvo at the second one and then dived. I heard both shots hit the intended target and I wrote the other one off, but surprise! Both hits landed on the second one too, and maybe 15 minutes later it sank.

Long story short, I worked my way up, around, and back into the convoy and sank another large ship. Then I gave up on the convoy because all the rest of them were tiny.

Then I wandered around for awhile and sank 3 ships with gunfire. Then I ran into a big one and I decided to sink it with the aft torpedoes. I started to line things up, but then I realized that the ship was zigzagging. It must have already spotted me. So I decided to go to the surface to just take it out with the deck gun.

BIG MISTAKE. It opened fire on me before I was in position, and scored two shots to my port broadside. I finally got my bow on its broadside and I felt safe but a third shot killed my watchman officer! By that time, I was taking on water and had to put guys to work on repairs when another lucky shot killed all the deck gun crew. So I had to put more guys up there and put the repair guys to work on the deck gun.

Finally, the ship went down and I made a beeline for home. When I docked at Lorient, I found out that my hull integrity was a hair over 31 percent. I probably wouldn't have even been able to go to periscope depth in that shape.

Speaking of Lorient, I had forgotten how hard it is to get out of that place! It takes forever and because of the shallow water, you can't set the time control higher than 1. Any tips on getting out of Lorient and the 16km atmosphere?

Welcome back! I don't understand why some people have trouble with Windows 10. I've run it with no problems from the day I upgraded. Maybe I should say I don't understand why I have no trouble with it. I doubt it's anything I did right, and if it was I have no idea what it was.

Don't bother. GWX disables the renown for reaching and patrolling the Grid Square, so there's no reason to go there at all. I'm a historical nutcase, so I go to my grid for a week, and if I haven't seen anything by then I roll a die to see if I move on or stick around some more, and if I do move on I use the die to determine where to.

I believe 70 meters was the norm. As for fatigue, you can do it by editing files, but SH3 Commander has all that covered with just one click.

As for the rest? Great story!

Well, what I read said: "Once all hatches and induction vents are closed, the diving planes (like the control surfaces of an airplane) pull the boat below the surface and level it out at the desired depth—typically between 70 and 90 metres…"

I don't know why people can't spell the word meter. Anyway, I found out how to edit it. I went to .\SilentHunterIII\data\Submarine\NSS_Uboat9b and there's a cfg file. The file reads:

[Properties]
PeriscopeDepth=13.5;meters 12.5
SnorkelDepth=14;meters
CrashDepth=70;meters

So all I need to do is change the CrashDepth to 90.

Try Stiebler's "New Patrol Grid" option via his patch. It does the "determine where to go" for you.

Thanks for the great story. It is making me want to re-install SH3 again! :Kaleun_Salute: