If the compartment is at max efficiency, do flak qualified/prmtd ncos shoot better?

[crazypete]

I was wondering.... if my watchman/flak gunner/deck gunner officer brings the compartment to max efficiency, will adding specialist flak officers increase the flak guns accuracy?

My expensive flak gunners keep dying. I really care about them. However, if I can achieve the same result using 2 goofball regular sailors, they are more expendable.

Do 3 qualified deck gunners shoot faster or more accurately than 1?

[TarJak]

Efficiency is mainly to do with reload times and not acccuracy although I could be proven wrong.

Have you noticied any difference? I've only seen faster reload times with max efficiency. I tend to get better results using the flak dun myself, but abandon the idea in later years because it just becomes suicidal.

[crazypete]

Ironically, my two "blue sailors" do as good a job as my two senior flak gunners with all medals. Plus when my 2 blue noobs get killed, they are much easier to replace.

On the same note, do watchman officers see further than blue sailors with max compartment efficiency?

I had this crazy thought that why dont I just trade in my flak gunners and deck gunners and have a crew with 6 machinists, 6 torpedomen and 4 radio operators (2 shifts worth) and let the shining power of my flack gunner/deck gunner/watchman officer boost the compartment efficiencies to where they should be. Then, all the valuable people are below decks.

[TarJak]

You get earlier warning I think. Seeing further takes a mod.

Your plan is good but if you get caught on the surface you should really dive rather than duke it out with aircraft. They will eventually get you.

[The Munster]

I'm facing the same dilemma you're describing, I've lost too many Flak Gunners along the way that I'm thinking twice about sticking them up there... but... I mutter to myself.. that's what he's there for in the first place, not down below playing cards with Bernard !

[crazypete]

I can usually tolerate some moderate damage to down a couple dozen "big money" bombers for a nice boost to my reknown. I can usually down 7-8 before a bomb lands on my gunners' heads.

The average joe sailors can hit the bombers just fine. Not even my super flak gunners can hit fighters so I usally dive when they show up.

I think it's unrealistic that my decks are getting strafed and my guys are sitting there uninjured with the water around the sub practically frothing with bullet strikes. But its linked to compartment damge somehow so my guys are invincible until an actual bomb lands on deck.

[mookiemookie]

Eh, I still am in the "dive unless they're super close" camp. Taking down a bomber is like sinking a tramp steamer in terms of renown. Just not worth the risk of critical damage in my book. The hit to hull integrity that planes are almost guaranteed to cause means I can't dive as deep to escape DDs, and that fact alone makes me leery to go squaring off on them.

I have noticed that qualifed gunners have better aim than non qualified ones.

[theluckyone17]

I just upgraded to NYGM 2.2... in all the career's I've had prior, running either NYGM 2.1 or earlier, or just the plain vanilla SH3, I've rarely had to dive for aircraft. I play mostly early years, however, so that may have had something to do with it.

I laughed at the Hurricanes... they dropped their bombs, way off target, and my flak gunner happily sprayed lead at them. Not that we ever hit any of them, really, but it was nice knowing they were just as ineffective as us.

Fast forward to yesterday, after the NYGM 2.2 update... I get the "Aircraft spotted" warning, note that it's at long distance, and throw my flak crew on deck. They open fire in a few seconds, and so does the Hurricane... raked my deck with his cannon fire, and I lost all crew above deck. Actual damage done was just an annoyance, but I had a really experienced watch officer go down. And running a VII-B with one officer down does strange things to your fatigue management.

I must've been attacked by Hurricanes another five/six times yesterday, and each time they strafed my uboat. NYGM 2.2 put the fear of aircraft back into me, and I will be crashdiving immediately in the future. Immediatelly after checking the depth, of course.