SH3 Newbie Guide, FAQs, Tactics & Tips, Links, & other helpful stuff

[KptnLt Eric Karle]

Hi all, been a long time since I was around. I have just recently started playing this wonderful game again and was looking for a copy of Wazoo's Manual Charting & Targeting Tutorial, to brush up my rusty manual targetting skills however the link at the beginning of this threadappears to be dead, does anybody have a copy of the file or knows if it is uploaded anywhere I could get it from. Much appreciated

[FlankSpeed]

Wazoo's guide:

http://www.finael.fr/sh3/charge/charting_&_targeting.doc

And if you like video here is a series of youtube vids called 'The Hunt' which is pretty much the same as Wazoo's method, except he uses the WO for range instead of the stadimeter thingy.

[KptnLt Eric Karle]

Originally Posted by FlankSpeed

Wazoo's guide:

http://www.finael.fr/sh3/charge/charting_&_targeting.doc

And if you like video here is a series of youtube vids called 'The Hunt' which is pretty much the same as Wazoo's method, except he uses the WO for range instead of the stadimeter thingy.

Thanks Mate, really appreciate this

[Mustang01]

Gentlemen,

I'm currently playing GWX 3.0 w/SH3 Commander and loving it. I'm in my first "real" patrol with a Type 7 out of Wil in Dec '39. In playing a few "prototype" patrols before starting my "real" career, I started to feel that the "Opportunity Map Contacts" seemed unrealistic. I felt as if I had an AWACS or JSTARS flying for me that was way too effective at spotting random shipping contacts. My kills skyrocketed but I was nagged by the feeling that I was cheating. As such, I turned the decay time for the Opportunity Contacts to zero so I do not see them (note, this is not the Important Contacts that you get from BdU). This makes quite a difference as I now have to really hunt with the hydrophones and waiting for that fateful BdU message of "convoy spotted" takes on a lot more meaning. Am I the only one who feels this way or have other skippers done the same? BTW, what are the opportunity contacts supposed to represent, reports from other boats, Kondors, SIGINT? I strive for max realism in all things SH3 and have really gotten into manual targeting, trying to learn in the early years in order to survive after '41 if possible. Would appreciate any perspective.

[gi_dan2987]

Originally Posted by Mustang01

Gentlemen,

I'm currently playing GWX 3.0 w/SH3 Commander and loving it. I'm in my first "real" patrol with a Type 7 out of Wil in Dec '39. In playing a few "prototype" patrols before starting my "real" career, I started to feel that the "Opportunity Map Contacts" seemed unrealistic. I felt as if I had an AWACS or JSTARS flying for me that was way too effective at spotting random shipping contacts. My kills skyrocketed but I was nagged by the feeling that I was cheating. As such, I turned the decay time for the Opportunity Contacts to zero so I do not see them (note, this is not the Important Contacts that you get from BdU). This makes quite a difference as I now have to really hunt with the hydrophones and waiting for that fateful BdU message of "convoy spotted" takes on a lot more meaning. Am I the only one who feels this way or have other skippers done the same? BTW, what are the opportunity contacts supposed to represent, reports from other boats, Kondors, SIGINT? I strive for max realism in all things SH3 and have really gotten into manual targeting, trying to learn in the early years in order to survive after '41 if possible. Would appreciate any perspective.

Welcome aboard
Kudos on your quest to maintain 100% realism. Many out there that play SH3GWX3 do not take advantage of the full capabilities of the sim because they play with certain things enabled like Weapon Officer assistance, map contact updates, sonar updates, external camera view (im sure real U boat Kaleuns would have loved having a birds eye view of their sub in relation to attacking DD's during a DC attack). All in all, 100% realism means exactly what it says. You get as real as you can get without physically stepping into a U boat in WW2.

The opportunity contact updates you get are ships that are spotted by any friendly unit that decided to put out an enigma message. Examples of friendly units are: Another U-boat, friendly aircraft, friendly merchant, or friendly naval vessel. Likewise you can radio out map contact updates if you spot a ship or convoy. I'm not sure if you get wolfpack assistance or not in GWX3, but it enhances the realism.

The one thing I have a problem with is doing night attacks against convoys. you really cant see enough on the surface to do visual targeting, and if you go below the surface to use the 4 bearing hydrophone method, your math will be off since you will be picking up numerous contacts. In case you didn't know, the 4 bearing method only works if the following statements remain true: the contact is a single contact, contacts course remains the same, contacts speed remains the same. If any of those variables change drastically at anytime during the hydrophone calculations, you will get false information, and therefore your torpedo solution will be trash. You also will not be able to tell if the contact made any of these changes until you fire and your torps miss. It happens a lot in the dark during stormy weather, as the wind and waves make ships cross drift and change speeds. Also if you can't see, you can't accurately identify your target, so you better not be in an area that is also traveled frequently by friendly or neutral ships too.

Renown in this game is much less than stock SH3, in the way that you don't get credit for merely reaching your patrol sector or returning to port. Merchants carry much less renown value, and if you happen to sink a friendly or neutral, you will watch all your hard earned renown go down the ****ter. Unless anyone has any better ideas of racking up immense tonnage scores, I would say your best bet is to attack during the day AFTER properly ID'ing your target. Good Hunting!

-Commander, U-65

[Fish In The Water]

Originally Posted by gi_dan2987

I'm not sure if you get wolfpack assistance or not in GWX3, but it enhances the realism.

Sadly no...

Would be a great addition if the engine could be adapted.

[gi_dan2987]

Originally Posted by Fish In The Water

Sadly no...

Would be a great addition if the engine could be adapted.

There are things about video games that can't encompass real life, and there's things in real life that can't encompass video games. I suppose being in a real U-boat would not have been a pleasant experience, but you would also have had more options and abilities available to you than a video game allows you to have. One being the ability to bottom out in shallow water to escape from enemy sonar pings, and two, the ability to jerry rig your sub if you had to in order to make it home. None of this, woops rudders gone, game over type of stuff.

I'm still curious as to how they did night surface attacks against convoys when it was a pitch black night.......

[Depth Charger]

Evening

I downloaded SH2 onto my netbook a few months back and I think that you will all understand what has happened to me since then as I began to play it more and more...

In fact, I loved it so much that I ordered a really nice PC to run SH5 on, which arrived this morning...

But I then read the forums and I felt that SH3/GWX etc = no brainer and decided to go that route instead and will watch SH5 for later. (After a few months on SH2 - you can only imagine my sheer desperation for a proper campaigne and a career to follow with port departures and promotions not to mention that gramaphone!)

So today - I downloaded what appears to be a DRM free version of SH3. I then followed all advice and instructions in this and the other forums to add all the usual mods and I thought that you would like to know that I dont need any help at this juncture. None at all...

In fact, it is all working perfectly and I put to sea a few hours ago and am currently heading into the North Sea on my first patrol.

I cannot begin to thank all of you for all that you have done here. I am an experienced simmer and played flightsim many years ago and I am pleased to say that I am also quite impressed with all the goodies that I am finding on your guys site! SH is clearly supported by a dedicated and professional user community that encompasses some excellent skills - All I can say is "Wow!"

Lastly, please forgive me if I dont respond to any replies for a short while but as you can imagine, I am headed into a very very long and eventful evening. In fact, I seriously doubt that I will get to bed before tomorrow night. Ah cool!

Thanks again and a small donation to Subsim will follow shortly. It's the very least that I can do.

Depth Charger

PS - Phere is in fact one place I could use a bit of help please - How do you attach a tag line to your posts? Einstein once said that genius had its limits, but that stupidity knew no such boundires...

[frau kaleun]

Welcome aboard! Glad you are enjoying the game and getting what help you need from what's available here.

To add a signature (tag line) to your posts, click on User CP at the far left of the nav bar above where all the posts are on this or any other thread page.

When you get to the User CP (Control Panel), you'll see a section running down the left of the page under Your Control Panel.

Look under Settings & Options and click on Edit Signature, then you can create a signature that will appear at the bottom of all your posts.

FYI, really huge pictures and seizure-inducing animated gifs are generally discouraged, and you should follow the basic forum standards for your sig as well as your posts... but if you can see all the other signatures that our members use you'll have some idea of what's acceptable.

[Depth Charger]

Thanks for the help. Here to grab some engine sounds quickly and then headed straight back in!

********************

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Welcome aboard! Glad you are enjoying the game and getting what help you need from what's available here.

To add a signature (tag line) to your posts, click on User CP at the far left of the nav bar above where all the posts are on this or any other thread page.

When you get to the User CP (Control Panel), you'll see a section running down the left of the page under Your Control Panel.

Look under Settings & Options and click on Edit Signature, then you can create a signature that will appear at the bottom of all your posts.

FYI, really huge pictures and seizure-inducing animated gifs are generally discouraged, and you should follow the basic forum standards for your sig as well as your posts... but if you can see all the other signatures that our members use you'll have some idea of what's acceptable.

[Bakkels]

Originally Posted by Depth Charger

Thanks for the help. Here to grab some engine sounds quickly and then headed straight back in!

********************

Lol, don't forget to eat or sleep once in a while
But your enthousiasm is refreshing.
Btw, I've been playing flight sim too a couple of years back, but that learning curve was just to steep for me. I didn't have the time for that unfortunately, because it's a really beautiful game, and as far as sim-realism goes the #1 sim for me.
Sh3 compared to that is a little more arcade-like (easy people, don't flame me, just a little more ) but sh3 has something Flight Simulator never had IMO and that is atmosphere. I can't really explain, but let me put it like this; flight sim gives you the most realistic simulator, sh3 gives you the most realistic feeling. As someone else put it here somewhere; sh3 has got soul!

[Wildskill]

1943- I found big fat convoy grid FE or something.So if i tag it and transmit information will i be joined by other submarines (GWX with some other mods)or to strike alone?

U-33.

[sharkbit]

You are going to be by yourself. Unfortuneately, the game doesn't model AI submarines or wolfpacks. If you are close to a German airbase, there is a chance Goering's vaunted Luftwaffe may steal your kill..er..I mean aid you in making your kill.



Oh yeah...Welcome aboard!

[Wildskill]

Thanks.I ask because i saw a screen of a nav map with sunken axis submarines by enemy convoy,but im not that sure and i read that when a convoy is marked with a circle its being tagged by other submarines.Then again I could have been dreaming. And do SH4 or 5 simulate wolfpacks?

[sharkbit]

Originally Posted by Wildskill

....i read that when a convoy is marked with a circle its being tagged by other submarines.

The circle for a convoy means there is an enemy submarine in the convoy. I believe it would be in the lead cargo ship position of the convoy if the convoy is marked with a circle.
I think I've run across other convoys with enemy subs in them that are in other positions and the convoy marker on the map is still a square.

Sh4 doesn't simulate wolfpacks. While rumored during pre-release that SH5 would simulate wolfpacks, I don't believe it does, but I don't play SH5 so I don't know for sure.