way too hard!

[vanjast]

I was in a NYGM career at '43 then lost it (windoze system bombed).

But just prior to the loss, IIRC.. I got close to a convoy then was spotted, and chased down. I spent 8 hours (guaranteed) at TC=1x, been harassed by at least 4 escorts, or most likely a hunter killer group - I'm not sure as I operate at 100%+

I got to sleep about 4am, after escaping using a tactic I'd developed during this career. I spent at the whole 8 hours at the hydrophone station tracking every escort, and could pick out who was attacking and who was pinging.

Once I ID'd the 'pinger' I, went under that ship at full speed, then went back to silent. I kept this cycle going for the whole period, then I broke their attack rhythm, and escaped through the 'gap'.
'They' were still dropping a charge or two when I was miles away... stayed deep until dark. Funny enough very similar to Das Boot - yeah!

[Obltn Strand]

8 (real) hours shadowing/attacking convoy, same 8 (real) hours evading escorts. That's NYGM for ya.

[Kapitän]

Sh3 is not a shooter game. I only use TC when traveling longer distances, max x512. During attack and escape, always real time. If R/L time constraints prohibit that, I'd rather not play for a while and start again when more suitable.

[banryu79]

Originally Posted by Kapitän

Sh3 is not a shooter game. I only use TC when traveling longer distances, max x512. During attack and escape, always real time. If R/L time constraints prohibit that, I'd rather not play for a while and start again when more suitable.

Another rule of mine -- Never ever use more than x128 TC factor --

And yes, that means it takes a very long time to just complete a single war patrol... but I like it very much in this way!
If I want quick & cheap videogame fun I turn on my Xbox...

[maillemaker]

You guys have too much free time.

I TC out of darn near everything, and use 4028 (or whatever it is) for traveling.

Steve

[Obltn Strand]

Convoy attack+escape=thing to do in rainy day...

[maillemaker]

When I sit down to play, my goal is to complete an entire patrol in an evening. Sometimes two.

Steve

[banryu79]

Originally Posted by maillemaker

You guys have too much free time.

I TC out of darn near everything, and use 4028 (or whatever it is) for traveling.

Steve

Not much free time... I started playing SHIII near the end of February and now, after about 6 months, I am still playing my 4th war patrol (5th patrol in GWX) with my main career and just the shakedown patrol with a secondary career.
Go figure, I bet I can grow older with this game

[Hinrich Schwab]

Originally Posted by fastfed

I've played this game for years, I come and go when I get the bug and just recently came back. I've always loved SH4 for many reasons but I think I JUST NOW realized why. It's not insanely hard!

its a perfect balance of killing some juicy targets and barely escaping. But this game while im sure great in realism, is just way too hard!
It's 1942, yes the dd's are now improved and ready to kill me, but, I can NEVER survive!
if I see a convoy I know I will die, no matter what. I can maybe get a kill or 2, then dive to great depths, 200M or more, I run my motors at 50rpms, 5 degrees turning left and right, throw decoys out, time compress some, and dead.

Ok, try again, this time when I get the message of depth charges in the water, I change course harder, increase speed, it works a little, time compress.. DEAD!

No matter how hard I try, im always gonna die.
I've read many books, and even in 1942, skippers were still doing surface attacks in convoys(at night of course) ,you couldn't dare to in this game.

I can't even get close to the convoy let alone in the middle of one without getting detected. I try from the side surface, detected. From behind, detected, from the front, you guessed it.. Detected!

I try submerged with all angles, detected.
I dive to 220M and JUST SIT THERE in front of them.. before the convoy is even close "Enemy is pinging us"

ARRRRGG!G!G!G!G

I just wish there was a good balance, with the amount of great mods out there is there some how an easier one?

I'm running NYGM right now and the hard coded patches.

I mean, do I really have to take the real life 10 hours and not use time compression? is there a trick? or a mod?

thanks guys!

Others have really said it. You have hinted at it. However, I will be blunt; yes, time compression is getting you killed. Seconds literally make the difference between surviving and eating that one depth charge that kills you. I make it a rule to NEVER use TC within 25 NM of hostiles. There is just too much risk involved. Also, the AI does appear to amp up on TC. In the early war, there is a lone Black Swan corvette that appears in BF17 (or is it BF13) That goes completely uber if the TC is above 1.

Yes, it sucks that a single attack and evade session can last a full day or more, but that is why SHIII is a sim and not a game. Likewise, if you are using METOX, stop. METOX is notorious for giving away your position, just as it was historically. Do not bother with radar until NAXOS is available. I would also disregard the suggestion to switch to a Type II boat. Type IIs are too slow, lack endurance and cannot run deep enough to attempt any real evasion tactics in the late war.

BOLD canisters definitely do help, but BOLD I and II do not last long enough to be practical. BOLD becomes useful with BOLD III.

Sometimes, it is just nigh impossible to avoid detection. The only option is constant maneuvering in the hopes of duping the destroyers in setting the depth charges at the wrong depth. The great risk is that the destroyer may underestimate your depth drastically while you are maneuvering into shallower water and you may get killed as you cross the depth charges. Escape and evasion is constant, wild mass guessing. Sometimes you guess right and live another day. Sometimes you guess wrong and become a cloud of flotsam.

[Kapitän]

Originally Posted by Hinrich Schwab

... but that is why SHIII is a sim and not a game.

[álvaro]

I´m going to do a real patrol in real time, without compression. I´m going to choose the NYGM supermod because I think the most realistic supermod. Now, I´m trying choose the U-boot and its flottille. I´m going to follow the information of historic KTB and I hope to come back alive at home. I haven´t got any tomb in the sea.

[Hinrich Schwab]

Originally Posted by álvaro

I´m going to do a real patrol in real time, without compression. I´m going to choose the NYGM supermod because I think the most realistic supermod. Now, I´m trying choose the U-boot and its flottille. I´m going to follow the information of historic KTB and I hope to come back alive at home. I haven´t got any tomb in the sea.

I have done this before. Believe me, it is quite stressful. 90% tedious boredom and 10% OMGWTF!!!!!!!!!!! The periods where you will be active are nail-biting. Anticipation of the kill, the frustrations of duds and the consequential necessity of a time-consuming end-around maneuver and the severe stress of dodging angry destroyers who are dedicated and motivated to make you more than dead. I have a story elsewhere on the forum where I was playing the cat and mouse game with five destroyers for over 8 hours in real time. It was extremely stressful. I also survived that encounter. I didn't get any sleep that night because I was maneuvering around and away from very angry destroyers. Even after losing them, I spent another four hours avoiding annoying them further before I could surface and make good my escape

[banryu79]

Originally Posted by Hinrich Schwab

I have done this before. Believe me, it is quite stressful. 90% tedious boredom and 10% OMGWTF!!!!!!!!!!! The periods where you will be active are nail-biting. Anticipation of the kill, the frustrations of duds and the consequential necessity of a time-consuming end-around maneuver and the severe stress of dodging angry destroyers who are dedicated and motivated to make you more than dead. I have a story elsewhere on the forum where I was playing the cat and mouse game with five destroyers for over 8 hours in real time. It was extremely stressful. I also survived that encounter. I didn't get any sleep that night because I was maneuvering around and away from very angry destroyers. Even after losing them, I spent another four hours avoiding annoying them further before I could surface and make good my escape

This is awsome when done by other players and I can read teir AAR.
Too extreme, too extremly extreme to my taste, not fun and surely not pratical. YMMV.

[Hinrich Schwab]

Originally Posted by banryu79

This is awsome when done by other players and I can read teir AAR.
Too extreme, too extremly extreme to my taste, not fun and surely not pratical. YMMV.

I failed to mention that I had some nasty bags under my eyes from the lack of sleep and stress.

[Sailor Steve]

I usually use a fairly low TC when travelling and none when in combat. A full patrol in real time doesn't seem real to me simply because I've been a sailor, and when you're on a real ship you do other things to break the monotony, but you can't leave the ship to go to the store or to work, so to me lost time might as well be spent TCing around the ocean.

The biggest advantage was pointed out by Golden Rivet after his 1x patrol: The radio messages that everyone complains about jolting them out of TC all the time are a totally different thing at 1x, only coming every few hours and really helping to break up the boredom.

I'm glad everyone gets to play their own way.