What are your own "rules" you follow? Campaign start dates?
 

Just curious as to what kind of "rules" you other skippers out there follow when starting a a new campaign. This question is mostly for those of you of you that follow the "dead is dead" rule. Do you go all the way back and start over in 1941? Or do you start at a later date in the war? Maybe at the point that you died? Or another date? And what is your rationale? Just looking for ideas.......

For me I usually return to Dec 7th. I like the handicap of the early war boats I guess but I know that isn't to everyone's taste. I will say that mid 43 to very early 44 has some good hunting with TMO and RSRD what with the Japanese pulling units from Rabaul and Truk back to home waters and juicy but somewhat dangerous convoys to locate.

I'll start in 1939 but it simply depends on my mood. Sometimes I like coming in later in the war but I do not see it as a big deal since that is exactly what happened over the course of the war. Even O'Kane didn't start until 1942.

Wait, 1939? I guess I was only referring to U.S. boats. Are you basing your 1942 figure on American boats/campaigns? Or U Boats?

Back in the SHCE days I started two careers, one from each available home base. As the available bases grew, so did my careers. If one retired or died I would start a new one in the same theater to take its place.

I continued that practice with SH3, and when I get to 1942 I'll be doing the same with SH4.

I usually play a campaign until I get dead, or so pissed off at all the bugs that I restart. I like to start early and use the early boats. Once you get up to a certain level, there's not much difference in the classes. There's huge difference in running an S-boat and making the shots without touching the TDC.

Although, in my current game, I'm running TMO's "Terrible T" option.

39 ... yes U-Boats. I'm not sure there is a mod out there that can touch what Operation Monsun created. I have yet to see a Japanese DD be as ferocious as the British DD's in OM. Last night at 0200 I was in the Mediterranean and there are hunter killer groups all over the straights of Gibraltar. We are talking 4-8 DD simply hunting in a group and multiple groups, Nets around harbors, minefields ... things I do not find to much off on the american side and those escorts are FAR more persistent than the Japanese from TMO. They can hound you for 48 hours not simply a few hours and leave. TMO is great and I love the challenge but in all my years I have yet to finish a campaign alive running the U-boats.

Generic Mod Enabler - v2.6.0.157
[Z:\SHOM\MODS]
OpsMonsun_V705
OMv705_to_V720
OMv720_Patch5
Traveller Mod v1.7 for OM 7.20
Battleships
ddpackv2_1
Nav Map Make-Over for OM
Kriegsmarine Chart Colour Scheme 2
Aircraft_reflections
Webster's Eliminate Floating Plankton for v1.4 and v1.5
Webster's Missing Voices for v1.4 & v1.5
Webster's Ship Manuvering Fix for v1.4 and v1.5
GE01 Operation Tiger
Alternate OM Loading Screen
plants small
rocks small

Yes 42 was when O'Kane got his boat.

I start Dec. 7 from either Manila or Pearl with a rookie crew in a Porpoise class (USS Pickerel SS 177 if I can), dead is dead.

I take out all but a couple of high ranking officers and officers, leave the number of petty officers as is and change out some of the sailors to better one's (to let my crew grow so to speak). After a patrol if I have any.I'll give out medals and if I can, promote crews.


I know mines exist (I blew up one time without ever been attacked near a harbor entrance and it wasn't a coastal battery, hole was to big) but haven't seen them in game, haven't ever come across a sub net before.
I don't know if its possible but I'd love to see some hunting parties, more (visible) mines and sub nets around harbors and harbor entrances.
It would make you think twice about harbor raiding's and dread the photo recon mission.

I play RFB + RSRD on sh4. Haven't touched the German Campaign on sh4. That's what I have Sh3 + GWX for. Do you have it as well and if so, which one do you prefer for the German side?

I'm concerned about the most realism possible. Even if it makes escorts weaker. That's why I selected RFB over TMO because I had heard TMO made the Japanese ASW a lot tougher than it was in reality.

You mind giving a link for the non-major mods you're using? I have never seen that Battleships or ddpack before.

One of my personal 'rules' is making sure to have the Eye of Gawd turned off. The amount of information it provided spoiled the immersion for me. Also, every patrol end I randomly remove 5-7 crew and put random replacements in by using a pair of well worn dice.

TMO does have harder escorts and I have played both german and american submarines. Operation Monsun and other german side mods for SH4 really pumps up the german side and makes for some really good game play. I have not played SH3 in ages. SH4 really peaked my interest.

Even with the added mini mod "harder escorts" Ducimus made for TMO I find them very easy to avoid.

Halsey forgive me those were two SH2 mods that I accidentally threw in the mix. Both found in the download section.

Try adding Ducimus's Harder Escorts to TMO and see what you think ladies and gentlemen.

Harder_Escorts

I don't have any particular "rules" to follow. I play each campaign a little different each time, depending how I feel.