SH3 Commander medals

[Nihilus07]

Does anyone here use SH3 Commander to award medals, or do you let the game decide when medals are available to award your crew? Thoughts?

[JScones]

I use SH3Cmdr as SH3 does not follow historic rules and availability. Thus I ignore all the crap SH3 throws at me (like clasps before 15 May 1944, Badges before 13 Oct 1939 and German Crosses before 28 Sep 1941).

You'll get some people here criticising SH3Cmdr as being a "cheat" in this regard because it allows them to award what they want, when they want (inside of historic availability and actual awarding sequency of course). What these people don't realise is that it *was* up to the Kpt to recommend the dishing out of medals to his crew. Thus it's all about maintaining discipline through understanding when and why medals were actually awarded. SH3Cmdr makes this aspect easier by providing suggestions, but at the end of the day, it's the *player* that determines who gets what and when if using SH3Cmdr.

So to players that can't maintain discipline and end up awarding all their crew German Crosses as soon as they are available and then proceed to criticise SH3Cmdr for letting them do so (yes, this has occurred a few times over the last two years :roll:), I say "Well don't use it! No-one is forcing you to!". I mean, in RL there was nothing stopping Kaleuns from doing the same. But did they? No - they exercised common sense. ;)

If you are disciplined and follow the suggestions, then using SH3Cmdr to award medals and badges provides the most realistic approach.

BTW, all medals and badges awarded via SH3Cmdr have the same impact on a crewman's performance as they would if awarded directly through SH3. Plus, SH3Cmdr allows the provision of the wound badge, which is not awarded in SH3.

[Nihilus07]

Thanks for your reply mate! I use SH3 Commander all the time. Its great.

[Samwolf]

I'm the Captain, I decide who deserves what medals and when.

I wouldn't play SH3 without SH3 Commander!

[Nihilus07]

Agreed Kaleun!

[GoldenRivet]

I use SH3Cmdr as SH3 does not follow historic rules and availability. Thus I ignore all the crap SH3 throws at me (like clasps before 15 May 1944, Badges before 13 Oct 1939 and German Crosses before 28 Sep 1941).

You'll get some people here criticising SH3Cmdr as being a "cheat" in this regard because it allows them to award what they want, when they want (inside of historic availability and actual awarding sequency of course). What these people don't realise is that it *was* up to the Kpt to recommend the dishing out of medals to his crew. Thus it's all about maintaining discipline through understanding when and why medals were actually awarded. SH3Cmdr makes this aspect easier by providing suggestions, but at the end of the day, it's the *player* that determines who gets what and when if using SH3Cmdr.

So to players that can't maintain discipline and end up awarding all their crew German Crosses as soon as they are available and then proceed to criticise SH3Cmdr for letting them do so (yes, this has occurred a few times over the last two years :roll:), I say "Well don't use it! No-one is forcing you to!". I mean, in RL there was nothing stopping Kaleuns from doing the same. But did they? No - they exercised common sense. ;)

If you are disciplined and follow the suggestions, then using SH3Cmdr to award medals and badges provides the most realistic approach.

BTW, all medals and badges awarded via SH3Cmdr have the same impact on a crewman's performance as they would if awarded directly through SH3. Plus, SH3Cmdr allows the provision of the wound badge, which is not awarded in SH3.

100% on the money

you dont go back to base and BDU just arbitrarily says "ok here are.... ummm... four iron crosses do whatever."

NOPE

the commander was the one who recommended individuals for medals and awards. Period.

SH3 just throws them out there 3 or 4 at a time, when historically the commander would have written letters of recommendation to his superior, and more likely than not a review board of some type would have conviened and decided whether or not the award was justified and i would assume in any branch of any military 80% of the time or more the commanders recommendation was justified.

my rule for SH3 is that after completing the first patrol, every man on the boat gets the U-boat war badge after two patrols or after one patrol that yielded high tonnage.

Iron crosses (either class) i award after "acts of bravery" if a sailor or two manages to shoot down a plane or something i will note their names and award them accordingly.... if a groupe of sailors or petty officers were on damage control when the boat took heavy damage but we managed to make it out alive i will award them for that sort of activity. or say for example that the deck gun crew took down a number of ships for the mission... iron crosses for them, or if a watch crew spotted an airplane or destroyer in the nick of time that was close to killing us - iron crosses and in some cases knights crosses.

Typically i award knights crosses or German crosses to officers only though.

after completion of four patrols or so i release my chief engineer to commander school and move all the officers on the boat up 1 number.

thats about as real as i can make it with the SH3 GWX SH3Commander combination short of actually going back in time.

[Nihilus07]

Thanks for the info Kaleun! Thats a great guideline.

[Nihilus07]

PS: How do you release your Chief to commander school?

[Nihilus07]

Found out how haha.

[Lagger123987]

SH3C all the way for crew medals,etc.

[Raus]

Had some troubles with SH3C at first, but now that I understand it, it's a great tool! :D

[KeybdFlyer]

I really wish I could strive for the depths of realism you true enthusiasts do! :) The nearest I get though, is reading the various threads here. As for the actual awarding of medals (the initial question) I've never let SH3 decide who gets what. SH3Commander has that great feature - and is accurate - so I've used it since from the first install. I DO try to take note of any special events though, such as gun-crew or torpedo-room perfomance that resulted in success above the norm. Love reading the threads though - nice to see "gamers" who make full use of a simulator's capabilities!

[Lagger123987]

How can you cheat to get the Knight +?