Just installed Comnmander

[PapaG39]

right now I have the cd install & 1.4b patch only.
I'm jjst beginning my 13th patrol, (3rd patrol out of Brest) with my brand new VIIB boat... Dang, this thing is big one. I really liked the IID, but only 5 torpedos was always a problem...Hopefully I can do better with more..

however, Enough chit chat... I Just installed the Commander prior to this patrol & I printed out the read-me & have read it through, but for the life of me I can't see anything that would be useful except being able to keep the water as it is in the stock game & the crew rest as zero when I make the move to install GWX.

With the exceptipon of those two items what use is it?

I'm not interested in different boat skins or creating some fictional history on any crew member.

The standard cd installed scenarios for a patrol seem fine to me. I have no commander experience so I really can't make a derogatory statement about it, I just don't see what it can do as far as making game play better then it is...
I'm sure that I must be missing something here, so perehaps some of you old sub guys can enlighten me.. I do want to get the most out of the game.
Thanks

[looney]

I like most of the stock settings also. I use SH3Cmdr mainly so I can play the VIIC/41. and I like to see names for the ships I sank.

[TarJak]

One of the main uses is to get your crew trained up faster. Rather than one guy at a time you can send the whole crew to school in one go if you want and get them all qualified in what you need.

There is also the immersion factor with malfunctions and sabotage bringing up random problems occaisionally as would have happened in RL.

Not to mention being able to choose the type of boat you start your career in and the number and exact date of career start gives you some added flexibility.

[slow_n_ez]

I use it to adjust my time compression to what I like.. such as 2048 max instead of the default 1024 , have fatuigue set at zero ( but it don't work ) , have the water clarity set at .20 ( highest ) , give certain sailors qualifications such as torpedoman ,radio , flak gunner , helm ( not only the pettie officers can get them ) , show my hull intergirity % , plus always stop and have a drink at the nightclub with my fellow Kaptains before setting sail ............... I don't use the malfunctions and sabotage option as described by TarJak plus some of the other things it offers .... its a nice mod to have and a great addition to sim ....

[PapaG39]

Yes, All good points...

Slo n ez...what about the water? you mean it doesn't keep it as clear as the cd installed water because I like that. I don't want water that I can't see stuff under the waves.. That, to me, is immersion in the game play..

Whoa, what about the crew? I definately do NOT want to even mess with crew problems. Having the boat slow down or stop right in the middle of a situation because they are all tired...BS..don't want that at all..It's just a-game...I pretend that they all get their rest as needed when needed.

I re-read the SH3 Commander readme file again tonight. 2nd reading is always best. I did pick up a few things that I understand better now what they are.

The Single missions scenario:
Is this something that sets up random actual missions done by u-Boat Kaptians or do you have to specify what you want?

Maybe I'll get some situations figured out by the time I get back from the patrol that I'm on now...

For instance, My sonar/radio guys on my 12 Patrols on the IIA-D subs never did become full green on the slider even though I promoted them & gave them both medals galore.

[slow_n_ez]

Papa .... someone with better experience with the Commander will have to answer the question about water .. I read in another thread ( in the mod workshop I think ) that the water option set at .20 makes it more clear and reflective ... seems to work but I really don't notice any difference since I use the GWX , which has tweaked the water bit I think .....

My sonar and radio guys ... I have never seen the green bar go all the way to right ( full ) in any campagin I ever done ... don't know why ...... have to keep an eye on sonar man ..if he too tired he won't give me contact reports ....

My last patrol I was setting up to attack my first convoy I found that wasn't in a hurricane and all of a sudden I get dead slience , cannot comply , not enough crew in torpedo room , not enough crew in engine compartment ... bunch of whimps on my boat who can't throw some cold water on their face and go to battle stations I guess ....

[PapaG39]

yeah Slo...That is exactly what I have experienced, and in my humble opinion, That is not right. In the heat of battle training takes over along with adrenalin and people get the job done.
I will not load GWX if I am going to have crew problems like that. I plaly the game at around 50% or so and I do not see any reason in the future to change those settings. I like it just the way it is..

Views within the game are a BIG part of the game to me. I know others feel the same about their experience, so they turn the views off. we are both having fun right...& that's what a-game is all about in my opinion...

I downloaded the GWX manual onto my external hard drive & have been taking it to work (dedicated work ethics here) and when everyone is gone I have been reading through it.

The guys who put together this GWX manual are some very sharp guys. It is about the best I have ever come across.
The background historical information is extremely well done and interesting.

I think every single new person to SH3/4 should be directed to that manual as required reading while they are getting started in SH. It is a wealth of information and will definately give you a "heads up" on the u-boat operational areas & what to expect in and from the game.

I am looking forward to installing GWX & experiencing its way of doing things, but not right now. heck, I'm having a blast just the way things are now.
I really can't gauge how much better GWX game play will be but if it is better then the original install then it must be great...

[Spruence M]

My experience with SH3 Commander:

Best dang MOD yet. GWX is right there with it, together, they are an unbeatable combination, best subsim yet. IMHO.

Commander lets you do things like work up crew and captian profiles, gives you play by play reports on your patrols. Thats a big thing for me, when I am playing Silent Hunter, I like to role play as if I were actually there. Being able to see my "Official" patrol reports is a must. Also, in my experince, the "No Fatigue" model works flawlessly. I throw my guys where they need to be at the outset of the patrol and I dont have to move them around unless I am using the deck gun, or swapping my deck officer to damage control.

Also, being able to promote your sailers when they are ready, and not when BdU is ready, is also a big advantage. I once promoted ALL 5 of my officers off the boat because they all were ready for their own commands, and my NCOs were so skilled, that I barely noticed any kind of preformance drop. Pety officers and sailors, for me at least, is what keeps my boat running.

as slownez said, the Time Compression is nice tool too. Pulling out of Lorient with the shallow water takes about 10 to 20 minutes to do stuck on 8tc. With SH3 commander you can set that higher so it only takes a couple of minutes to get out of port.

Assigning a picture to your captian is nice as well. I feel like I am getting to know myself when I load commander cause there is a face looking back at me.

With historic U-boat date availability on, the IXB is available as early as 1939, for those people who like that boat, with the heavy deck gun and heavyer eel loadout, it can bring back some heavy tonnage.

Also, being able to pick your own boat number is kinda nice. I can pick my daughters birthday or any other number that I like.

SH3 commander is a must in my book, team with with SH3 Weather plugin for a little extra flavor.

[PapaG39]

yeah, Thanks spruence M. Sounds good to me. I like to look at the same face on different crew members also. I think I will have to rethink building a profile on the Kaptian, that actually is starting to appeal to me as I go along with this game.
However, it is da+ned frustrating at times...like now! I have 5 minutes before I have to rush the door & tear off to work and I just discovered my first ever convoy. It's a long way off & this is going to take a bunch of planning because I have so far, shyed away from DD's & kept to the single merchants.
I guess it had to happen some day...
Dang, it's gonna be a long 8 hours at work...

[Spruence M]

They say that u-boat warfare was 99% boredom, and 1% adrenaline induced nausea.

[i_b_spectre]

Kind of like being a fighter pilot...90% boredom interspersed with 10% sheer terror.

[PapaG39]

Hmmm, so much for my first convoy... I should have stayed at work.
I got home land with great anticipation fired up the computer & got back into contact with my first ever convoy. I planned to run way ahead & then try & slip in alon the flanks somewheres. along the way I had this bright idea that I should let bdu know that I had sighted a convoy so they would send more subs so I sent a report...
I think this was the wrong thing to do because about two minutes later this DD from about 8000m away made a direct beeline for me. I actually got off a frantic shot which missed, & then he blew both my rudders clean off da boat.
I spent the next hour going flank for a few seconds to get from under the DC's until he finely went away...
So ended my first convoy misadventure. Some new Kaptian had to come & tow me in with my old Type IID boat. It was a very humble experience plus very embarressing.

I guess you don't send contact reports if you want to stay undetected.

Actually, in this game is it better to never touch the radio after leaving port? If so whats the radio guy for? I'm going to start using him to clean the head.

[Spruence M]

Use the radio guy for your sonar. I don't think sending radio messages effects game at all. With the standard 8km atmosphere, its hard to make surface attacks because you see ships at the same time you do. Then, in late war, they always see you before you see them.

In GWX, you actually enjoy the historic see them first in the early war.

Try brushing up on this topic: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=121561&highlight=attack+convoys

It may give you some insight on how to make an approch. Approch is everything when attacking a group. Getting in close enough, submerging, then waiting at 20 - 14 meters silent while they come to you.

Try it out, can't hurt. Might want to get rid of your IID before making other convoy attacks, I don't think that boat was really disgned to do that.

[Sailor Steve]

Um, it gives you fingertip control over the Time Compression settings. It lets you adjust so many things so easily I don't see how anyone can live without it. It lets you give all your crew the U-boat Combat badge at the same time, which is correct.

You mean you don't like having the ships you sank have real names? You don't like losing crewmembers to transfers and bar fights?

I don't know...if I only could have one mod, that would be it.

[PapaG39]

Thanks Spruence M. I will definately read through that.

As far as the boat. I would rather have my IID back. This thing is so long that it takes half-a-day just to turn around...

I I only had the choice between the B & C..I couldn't tell which was better so I just took this one...

[HW3]

If you send a contact report when you are within range of the Luftwaffe, they will show up and bomb the target. Also you have to man the radio station in order to recieve messages.

[Spruence M]

If you send a contact report when you are within range of the Luftwaffe, they will show up and bomb the target. Also you have to man the radio station in order to recieve messages.

Really? What is the range of the Luftwaffe, how would I find that?

[HW3]

I would say off the coast of any country Germany occupies.

[Dekessey]

Isn't it also possible to change the waves height in Commander?

[PapaG39]

Well, all I know is that I was about 2 days west of Brest and I gave a report to Bdu & that destroyer made a straight non-stop highspeed depth charge dropping run on my boat & knocked my tail feathers right off...

I couldn't even see his boat, only some smoke on the horizon...

I'm definately going to be on radio silence from now on...

Oh, by the way...Just what was the VIIB designed for? <The only boats available in the first fotilla were the IIA or DIIA or D & the VIIB & C. I couldn't see any difference between the B or C except the price was 500 renown higher for the C.

[slow_n_ez]

Not real sure .. but I think the C can dive deeper slightly more than B ... other than that they are the same ...........

[Sailor Steve]

Isn't it also possible to change the waves height in Commander?
Yes it is. If you aren't using it, download it and install it, and have a look around its different screens. It affects nothing until you tell it to, so you can look at it without actually having to use it.

As for what it can do:
http://www.users.on.net/~jscones/software/SH3Cmdr%20Help.html

[Avatar]

Install Sh3 commander.
It, coupled ith GWX1.3, is the greatest subsim in the world.
I love being in "command" of my crew. Handing out medals, promotions, choosing different areas of experience... etc. Also, the bar is a nice touch, kinda like Command Aces of the Deeps club scenes.
Also, it is possible to set wave height. It's on the same screen where adjust water clarity is located.
If you use 16km visibility distance, via JSGME, you'll loose the clarity of water unless you change it. I just did the stock distance. Forgive me I'm not at my computer and I dont know what is the value.

Oh, this may be a bug with sh3 commander. If youre in the file cabinet section(crew management) of the main career menu in SH3 and you wish to add a new officer, make sure the photo image of him is different from the rest of your officers. Otherwise, when you return to sh3 commander and go to manage crew his picture will not show. This is no big deal, but I like for my officers to look different, because in the heat of battle you need to know who is who real fast.

[Trygvasson]

1. Water clarity: Any divers out there? Water clarity should be turned way down, if you want any kind of realism. Seeing any further than the tip of your U-boat is fairly unrealistic in most circumstances, especially at night or anywhere near rivers, harbours, sand banks, shallow waters, high-current waters, waters with high tide differences, etc.

2. Radio silence: the Brits will detect you with HF/DF(called "Huff-duff") radio emission detectors. That's what those big masts on the destroyers are for; to capture your radio signals. Unfortunately, you are under orders to report any convoy contacts immediately to BdU. It's all for the Greater Good.

[PapaG39]

Some Commander questions;

1) At every game exit the rollback box appears. Am I suppose to rollback on each exit of the game or just leave it alone & say no. How about when I get back to base after a patrol. I want to add a water mod. would I put it in commander? Where?

2) After completing a patrol must I do all the crew awards etc before exiting the game or can I just exit & do that stuff later? i don't want to loose the patrol that I just completed so I want to do things correctly.

3) can I use my own unique boat number or just the ones that commander offers. how would I use my own, if it is possible?

[melnibonian]

1) At every game exit the rollback box appears. Am I suppose to rollback on each exit of the game or just leave it alone & say no. How about when I get back to base after a patrol. I want to add a water mod. would I put it in commander? Where?
You need to Rollback if you want to add a new mod you MUST also be at port

2) After completing a patrol must I do all the crew awards etc before exiting the game or can I just exit & do that stuff later? i don't want to loose the patrol that I just completed so I want to do things correctly.
You can give the medals (within the SH3 game) any time you like BEFORE you start your next patrol. I personally do this via SH3Cmdr but it's totally up to you.

3) can I use my own unique boat number or just the ones that commander offers. how would I use my own, if it is possible?
You can use your own if you untick the "Select realistic U-Boat availiability" box in the Options Menu.

[3Jane]

I renamed my own boat by editing the SHIII config files and SHIII-C u-boat numbers for the type of boat I am using. I still have realistic u-boat availability activated. Activating mods mid patrol can be done, but it's safer whilst in port to avoid possible problems. The only mods I have avoided activating mid patrol were the skin packs merchants/escorts/destroyers/capital ships and the GWX patches. I always do a copy paste backup of my named career folder when I exit the game before I activate any mods, just in case anything happens. Always keep a career folder backup anyway, sometimes the game will loose your saved games.

[PapaG39]

another small problem...
I put a picture into commander & set a name for myself. Now I want to edit the birth date and place of birth. However, It will not allow me to change what's already there. I have clicked on everything that I can see to click on, right clicks,, double clicks, left clicks, but to no avail...
I know that there must be a-way to change those items, but I can't do it.

[PapaG39]

Ah ha..another commander question...
I hava been trying to figure out how to change the date of birth plus the place of birth in my commander profile. But so far I havaen't been able to do it. I kknow it must be something simple, but I can't figure it out..