Silent Hunter 5 Tactics & Tips - "How do I?" & FAQ! READ IF YOU ARE STUCK

[Subsim Monitor]

FAQ posts and Tips only, please Feel free to make a new thread to discuss other subjects.

thank you

[abbysinthe]

here's a pro tip for the people that can't find the mission icons on the map - after the tutorial - to start the campaign...go buy the game. the missing icons = one of the triggers used in the DRM that Sebastian Bach's band couldn't 'fix.'

[brandtryan]

I saw the question in this thread--but didn't see the answer--any help? I can't find my screenshots--

[alexradu89]

screenshots are in the folder where SH5 is installed, to take screens press CTRL+F11

[gerwim]

Hi guys,

So i'm completely new to the SH franchise and at this point I really like it. I'm playing on the most noobiest skill at the moment which is low. Yet I have a question:

I'm on the first mission to kill those british merchant ships, but how am I supposed to spot them? I just click in the area I need to be, and time compression to like 5000x until I see a red rectangle on the map and see it's a merchant ship.. Is this the way how to play this game? I mean I can go on top of the sub and check the horizon continually but that doesn't really work if you ask me.

Thanks in advance people!
Gerwim

[rsslcs]

How can I control flooding? My command room is at 30% flooding, and I cant order my chief engineer to make a damage control team. Is there another way that I haven't seen?

[gandalf71]

Originally Posted by gerwim

Hi guys,

So i'm completely new to the SH franchise and at this point I really like it. I'm playing on the most noobiest skill at the moment which is low. Yet I have a question:

I'm on the first mission to kill those british merchant ships, but how am I supposed to spot them? I just click in the area I need to be, and time compression to like 5000x until I see a red rectangle on the map and see it's a merchant ship.. Is this the way how to play this game? I mean I can go on top of the sub and check the horizon continually but that doesn't really work if you ask me.

Thanks in advance people!
Gerwim

Welcome aboard Gerwim!

Your experience is not so uncommon, that's like what the submarine war was in real life: boringly zigzagging around and watching holes into the sky for days and weeks without seeing any enemy ships. Have you ever watched "Das Boot"? That is what it was like.

OK now some hints:
- from my experience any TC value above 128x causes the simulation to behave strange, beside of that you won't be able to react if you run into an enemy.
- the red rectangles appearing somewhere near or far on the map, are radio contacts (contacts which have been intercepted by your radio operator or contacts radioed in by your supreme command). If you set course for those rectangles the ships will be gone long before you reach that point. Click on that rectangles and you get some further information about speed and bearing of that contact, if available. Go to the map and draw a line in the approximate direction of the contacts bearing. Draw a circle of the contacts travel distance in one hour and mark that distances along the line (e.g. a contact reported with 10kn will travel with a speed of 18,5 km/h). If you can reach a point on that line in about 5 hours with the contact presumed near that point, you'll have a good chance to intercept the target.
It´s always a good idea to dive to 40-50m from time to time if you expect a target nearby, because the detection range of an U-Boat's sonar is larger than it's line of sight.
- search for areas where ships have to pass inevitably to reach a certain area or harbour, your chances for intercepts will rise significantly, but be careful those "junction points" are also well observed by your enemy.

Patience is a virtue!

Cheers,
Michael

[gerwim]

Originally Posted by gandalf71

Welcome aboard Gerwim!

Your experience is not so uncommon, that's like what the submarine war was in real life: boringly zigzagging around and watching holes into the sky for days and weeks without seeing any enemy ships. Have you ever watched "Das Boot"? That is what it was like.

OK now some hints:
- from my experience any TC value above 128x causes the simulation to behave strange, beside of that you won't be able to react if you run into an enemy.
- the red rectangles appearing somewhere near or far on the map, are radio contacts (contacts which have been intercepted by your radio operator or contacts radioed in by your supreme command). If you set course for those rectangles the ships will be gone long before you reach that point. Click on that rectangles and you get some further information about speed and bearing of that contact, if available. Go to the map and draw a line in the approximate direction of the contacts bearing. Draw a circle of the contacts travel distance in one hour and mark that distances along the line (e.g. a contact reported with 10kn will travel with a speed of 18,5 km/h). If you can reach a point on that line in about 5 hours with the contact presumed near that point, you'll have a good chance to intercept the target.
It´s always a good idea to dive to 40-50m from time to time if you expect a target nearby, because the detection range of an U-Boat's sonar is larger than it's line of sight.
- search for areas where ships have to pass inevitably to reach a certain area or harbour, your chances for intercepts will rise significantly, but be careful those "junction points" are also well observed by your enemy.

Patience is a virtue!

Cheers,
Michael

Hi Michael,

Thanks! I went to one of their docks and shot the **** out of some ships! . Got only 1 warship on my tail which I sunk aswell. Problem with the game are the crashes, and indeed some kind of TC bug which makes my boat sink.. (it's going through the walls and on land.. grr).

To other newcomers: watch this movie, it helped me alot!


Cheers,
Gerwim

[Superbrad]

How do I recycle air or charge batteries?

[Viper114]

Maybe I'm just stupid, but there doesn't seem to be any indication on how to do this. How do I change the deck gun ammo from AP to HE? The control list doesn't state how, and no site seems to say it either...

[kylania]

Originally Posted by Superbrad

How do I recycle air or charge batteries?

Simple surface to recycle air, it happens automatically. Your batteries will charge while you're on the surface as well as your diesel is running. Not sure if they'll magically charge on their own if you just sit there though.

[andredr]

[QUOTE=gerwim;1300535]Hi Michael,

Thanks! I went to one of their docks and shot the **** out of some ships! . Got only 1 warship on my tail which I sunk aswell. Problem with the game are the crashes, and indeed some kind of TC bug which makes my boat sink.. (it's going through the walls and on land.. grr).

To other newcomers: watch this movie, it helped me alot!

To Gerwim

This one realy help me.... I thank you very much.

andredr

[SabreHawk]

Well Sergi, that did the trick on the deck gun. Yup, hit space while the crosshair was red in the binocs, that marked the ship for deck gun targeting and also manned the gun and then they started firing.
Sure was better than trying to go through that good for nothing WO.
Was a pretty good show.
Then also hitting space again had them to hold fire.
Well now to get back to a port to resupply, now I assume for this it can be any friendly port correct? I figure Hegloland if that'll do instead of going all the way in to Wilhemshaven.

[wildcards]

Q: I'm a but confused with setting the Angle on Bow.
Example, I'm lined up for a (almost) perfect 90° AoB attack.
My target will pass through my view from left to right.

When I'm looking at my target through my periscope at 330°, what do I enter as AoB. 60°, 90° or some thing else?

Q: When determining range, do I measure from the highest mast, the smoker or from some where else?

[Frederf]

Originally Posted by wildcards

Q: I'm a but confused with setting the Angle on Bow.
Example, I'm lined up for a (almost) perfect 90° AoB attack.
My target will pass through my view from left to right.

When I'm looking at my target through my periscope at 330°, what do I enter as AoB. 60°, 90° or some thing else?

Q: When determining range, do I measure from the highest mast, the smoker or from some where else?

1. The AOB value should be the one that makes the situation at the instant of firing. However the AOB updates based on periscope bearing change in a logical way. If you set a AOB 060 with the periscope at 330 and then swing the periscope to 360 the AOB will likewise change itself to 090.

2. It depends on what the target ship is. They all vary with no rhyme or reason.