Just about ready to hit the water with GWX

[Paulverisor64]

Upon the many recommendations on this forum I've installed the GWX mod and I'm quite excited about getting underway.

I've read through most of the manual.

Last weekend I watched the director's cut version of Das Boot to get a better idea of what the U-boat life was like.

I've passed all the GWX tutorial tests, but have had some trouble with the Flak Gun and Convoy tutorials.

I'm only really worried about the convoy tutorial which I've practiced several times. Last evening I finally grasped how you took care of damage control which is a big step forward.

I'll talk through the rest of the experience. I know I must have done many things incorrect, but I'm trying to learn.

I start the tutorial out by getting the green arrow on the lead destroyer. I open 2 of the torpedo doors, change the setting to fast, lock the target and let them fly.

Next I try to at least slow down the next 2 ships in line. I wait for the green light and let loose torpedos 1 per ship.

I must confess that I stay topside until I see what happens to the destroyer. Typically I hit the destroyer, but for some reason I don't normally hit the other 2 ships.

After I confirm a hit on the destroyer I perform a normal dive.

By the time the ASW Trawler reaches me I'm probably 80 meters deep. Sometimes I get depth charged but the trawler always hangs around where I'm at.

I feel pretty blind when I'm beyond periscope depth. The maps show contact lines which most likely are placed through the hydrophone, but I don't really know where the ships are. It would be cool if you could have a view just outside the sub which is under water. When I hit the F12 button that places me top side, but I'm not sure where I am in relationship with the topside boats.

Last night I tried getting down quite deep. My boat started taking unseen damage. That's when I learned that I needed to place my crew in the damage control area and then select the compartment to repair.

In another trial last evening I played cat and mouse with the trawler for a long time. I was 120 meters deep and from my previous effort I wondered where the bottom actually was. I pinged the depth to the floor and was shocked to discover that I was only 2 meters from the bottom. Immediately the trawler dropped depth charges. He must have been keyed into my ping.

I did numerous manuevers at a safer depth. I was hoping that I lost my ASW shadow. I went topside and put the periscope up. Immediately the trawler ran over my periscope and then proceeded to depth charge me out of the water.

In the tutorial situation could anyone share with me a good approach to losing the trawler tail?

As soon as I feel more comfortable with this situation I'm planning on starting my U-boat career.

[Sailor Steve]

Last weekend I watched the director's cut version of Das Boot to get a better idea of what the U-boat life was like.
Have you seen the 5-hour 'Uncut' version? Much more of the same good stuff.

After you master the tutorials (or give up on them - they are tough) you might want to try some of the single missions. There are some good ones there.

[Paulverisor64]

Last weekend I watched the director's cut version of Das Boot to get a better idea of what the U-boat life was like.
Have you seen the 5-hour 'Uncut' version? Much more of the same good stuff.

After you master the tutorials (or give up on them - they are tough) you might want to try some of the single missions. There are some good ones there.

No I have not seen the 5 hour version. I did really enjoy the 3 hour movie. It was very fascinating seeing the crew and equipment in action. It almost seemed in a couple spots that the film might have been cut. Does the 5 hour version tie together better than the directors cut? The end segment seemed a little confusing to me. Still I must say I love the film with it's adventure, joined with monotony leading to high tension. Life on the U-boat must have been amazing.

I will definately look into the single missions for some practice.

[Cheapskate]

My tactics on the Convoy attack mission start off more or less the same as yours.

Take out the lead Hunt destroyer first. Used always to employ two torpedos but with some practice it can be done with one.

While waiting for the Hunt to get under 1000 meters, set up the tramp steamer on the far side of the convoy. Recommend magnetic on Slow setting. Medium speed sometimes works but occasionally you get a premature detonation.

When the torpedo/s are well on the way to the Hunt, let loose at the tramp.

You can vary what you do next, depending on what the trawler is doing. If he isn't showing any interest, I might shoot one fish at the medium cargo.

If you hit the tramp, or the C2, he is definitely going to speed up to see what is happening.

Stay at periscope depth, load one front tube, plus the rear tube, and keep him under observation using periscope (briefly) and hydrophone. When he comes within range, either across the bow or astern, let him have it!!

I you are lucky and get a hit...the rest of the convoy is there for the taking.

Good Luck

PS These tactics are almost guaranteed to work with GWX 1.03 which is what I use at the moment. If the GWX lads have toughened up 2.1 (which wouldn't surprise me!!) then they might not work exactly as outlined. However the general idea could still be valid. Hope so , for your sake!

PPS Have never seen the Director's cut of DB. However have seen the Mini Series twice on TV and have now bought the DVD version. Brilliant film. Best ever (of any genre) IMHO.

[Jimbuna]

Welcome aboard Kaleun.....there's always a safe haven here on the forum to help you get to grips with the mod....enjoy the GWXperience http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/pirate.gif

[Laufen zum Ziel]

You are on the right track. Keep alert and learn from every patrol.

[rifleman13]

You are on the right track. Keep alert and learn from every patrol.

And keep sinking those merchant to the bottom of the sea!:arrgh!:

[Brag]

You may want to read the articles on my Kielman website. Lots of practical info on tactics there.

[Sailor Steve]

Does the 5 hour version tie together better than the directors cut?
I think so. Mostly it has a lot more of the same. Ullmann's girlfriend is actually a character onscreen, there are more air attacks, more crash dives, more monotony, an actual conversation about the ethics of leaving the British sailors behind in the water, plus a good amount of narration by Leutnant Werner. Unfortunately the ending is still the same, so you won't be unconfused until you've seen it a few times. The sound is better in the Director's Cut, as are the subtitles, but overall the longest version is much more satisfying.

It's still more fun to play the game, though.:sunny:

[papa_smurf]

Welcome aboard:up:

Your always learning with this game. I've been playing it for about a year now, and am still learning new huning techniques. And as you learn more you get more satisfaction sinking ships/evading enemy destroyers.

So keep at it, and give 'em hell!:arrgh!:

[predavolk]

1- Depth pinging should give you away, but the game doesn't model that effect, so you can ping for depth without betraying your position.

2- Any repairs will make noise that betrays your position. Keep it on silent running, 2 knots or less to avoid detection.

3- Use bursts of speed just before and after a depth charge run. Stay at 30M depth and use the observation scope looking above you to see the boat make it's pass. In less clear water, that doesn't work, but it should work in stock GWX 2.1 (I think?). That will give you practice in determining when it's time to speed up, and how well you are evading the path of the depth charges.

Essentially, the gist of evading sub-hunters is that you have to get far enough away from where they think you are without being detected. You can try to do that at 2 knots, but they may end up using active sonar to find you even if you aren't making much noise. That's were those brief dashes at flank speed around the time of depth charging can make a big difference. It allows you to get far enough away from where they expect you to be. Then, as they waste time look there (where you're not), you can creep away at a slow speed. With skill and luck, you eventually get far enough away from their last known contact spot that they loose you entirely. That's also why it's a good idea to go to flank speed sometimes after you shoot your last torpedo. They rush to the spot where they think the torpedo was fired from (and are unrealistically accurate in determining this- after all, it should be a bearing, not a location). If they are charging towards your position, they can't hear you (going too fast), so turn 90-270 degrees away from your last course and boot out of there. Personally, I like to either turn away from the convoy (making them choose between guarding the convoy or hunting me) or turning into the convoy (hindering their search ability due to the noise and/or hinders their ability to freely maneuver in their search for you).

4- Install and use the red contact line mod. The one that only changes warships to red lines. That makes sorting out contact information MUCH easier when dealing with convoys. And honestly, it's 100% realistic IMO to mark warship contacts differently than non-warship contacts.

I don't know if the mission requires you to take out the destroyer, but most of the senior captains here avoid escorts rather than shoot them. Using electric torps, or deep-running steams, will help you avoid detection longer too.

[Cheapskate]

I don't know if the mission requires you to take out the destroyer, but most of the senior captains here avoid escorts rather than shoot them. Using electric torps, or deep-running steams, will help you avoid detection longer too.

No it doesn't specifically, although there is a stated mission objective to destroy all the ships. Not sure if that includes the escorts though.

The hints sheet which is displayed before you enter the mission, says that your priority should be to attack the merchantment, avoiding the escorts as far as possible. Sound advice for tackling convoys with multiple escorts and represents what most often happened in real life.

However,it is only a training mission (a good one though,which stands replaying) and a newcomer to the game may just wish to get through it quickly and successfully. Hence my hints earlier on the thread.

First time I played it, I got the famous bug where I got spotted by the trawler and the Hunt. They both opened fire on each other. The trawler went down and the Hunt was so badly damaged it could hardly move. Not much of a challenge there. Second time around I played it straight and it took hours! It was fascinating to see the escorts probing with their searchlights to see where my sub was.

Your advice is much more likely than mine to help Paulverisor have a longish and successful career. However, if if he comes across a convoy with the same makeup as the training mission, I don't think he would be in too much danger if he whacked the escorts first!!:D

[bootmang]

Hello everyone. I'm also about to take the GWX plunge, maybe. I have about 3 days of experience with SH3. I finished the tutorials and exams. Should I go right into GWX? I'm reading the manual of course. Will my integrated GeForce 6150LE be enough to handle it? I noticed some choppiness after destroying ships from the explosion effects. If I reduce particle density I should be good to go right?

[Nyarlathotep]

Here's a few hints that might be of use. I'm sure you could find this info & a lot more by looking through the forums and such. A couple of good books are Iron Coffins and Operation: Drumbeat.

* Once you identify a target, try setting your torp's depth to around their keel depth. Early in the war they run about 3m too deep, so adjust accordingly. You can pretty easily sink anything up to 10,000 tons with one shot this way, if you hit it under the funnel. GWX drasticallly improves the damage model, though, so something like a tanker in ballast (holds empty) can be very difficult to sink. As a general rule I use one torp for anything under 10k, larger targets I will fire one at about 1m less than keel depth and another higher up at whatever I suspect to be a weak point. And for something REALLY big I just fire 'em all at various settings. :D

* I used to always go to flank speed and dive deep after an attack. Lately, however, I've tried to get inside the columns of ships and fire both bow and stern tubes. This seems to confuse the escorts, and instead of creating an enormous datum by hitting the throttle and turning away, I've been turning into the convoy's path at silent running and diving to about 25m. It's a lot harder to hunt you when you're inside the convoy, rather than trying to run away immediately. So far I tend to end up on the other side of the convoy with the escorts nowhere nearby.

* Like someone else said, you can get away sometimes by going to flank speed as the DD's make their depthcharge run. This is a lot less effective when there's more than one enemy hunting you. Try turning hard one way, then killing the engine and turning about 15 degrees the other way. The attacker will often try to lead your turn, and you can creep away as they circle back around.

* Once they're circling, kill your engines as they approach, then run at about 1 knot as they turn away. Of course you'll want to hit the throttle if they make an attack run!

One other thing, once you've run a career or two, try using manual targeting. It's a whole different experience, having to identify targets and set up your shots in advance. Also you have to pick and choose, rather than up-scope and "machine-gun" away.

Oh, & I would recommend using SH3 commander, if you're not already. There are some extra files you need to install to make it work with GWX, but the GWX manual has instructions. Adds a lot to the game, and its well worth the additional trouble.

[Jimbuna]

Hello everyone. I'm also about to take the GWX plunge, maybe. I have about 3 days of experience with SH3. I finished the tutorials and exams. Should I go right into GWX? I'm reading the manual of course. Will my integrated GeForce 6150LE be enough to handle it? I noticed some choppiness after destroying ships from the explosion effects. If I reduce particle density I should be good to go right?

Welcome aboard Kaleun bootmang http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/pirate.gif

It is normal for your fps (frames per second) to drop when your close to fire on the water surface.

Enjoy the GWXperience http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/thumbsup.gif

[rifleman13]

Hello everyone. I'm also about to take the GWX plunge, maybe. I have about 3 days of experience with SH3. I finished the tutorials and exams. Should I go right into GWX? I'm reading the manual of course. Will my integrated GeForce 6150LE be enough to handle it? I noticed some choppiness after destroying ships from the explosion effects. If I reduce particle density I should be good to go right?

You're lucky compared to me!:cry:

I play GWX 2.1 with some excellent mods. I have a GeForce FX5500. It gets a little choppy for me so I dropped the particle density to 25%. Of course the explosions look timid, but I compensate by hearing the explosions!:up:

BTW, welcome and keep raking up the tonnage!:arrgh!:

[bootmang]

Thanks for your replies. I've added GWX, and it looks absolutely gorgeous. Kudos to the sea dogs who put in the work to make it.

As for raking up the tonnage, I'm going to be spending a lot of time reading and practicing before that happens. I'd never have started with this simulation if it wasn't for all the discussions and literature generated by this community.

I look forward to all the challenges that await.

[Paulverisor64]

I'm sorry that I haven't been able to drop by to commend everyone for their excellent advice. You've given me a wealth of knowlege to incorporate into my game. As I mentioned above I wish to begin my career after I feel comfortable in the Convoy tutorial, I believe your advice will help me evade the escort(s).

Friday morning I woke up to a real underwater adventure. I live in a basement, and I opened up my door to find water almost level with my family room (which is 4.5 inches above the cement floor). The water rose above that and flooded the family room and carpeted bedroom. I've been battling this monster all weekend. I've made many trips to the Home Depot brushing shoulders with many people dealing with similar situations. Northern Michigan is not the ideal place to live at this moment. I can deal with all the rain, but I've never seen ground water rise like this before. After I restore the basement and replace the carpet I hope to be back in the ranks again.

Thanks again for giving me a lot of sound advice!

[Brer Rabbit]

Since you have read most of the manual and gone through the tutorials, successful or not I recommend that you dive right into a career starting at the begining of the war. You will have three years of game time to perfect your techniques and tactice until the going gets really rough.
Secondly periodically try the sinle misson happy days and gibralter. Happy days will help you mprove convoy techniques, and gibralter will give you excellent experience in escaping thoes dastardly DD. ( I have yet to make through the straits, but I am getting better at avoiding and escaping from them.)
I am having good success during the early years, but have not yet reached 43. I am a relative NUB, but I have enjoyed my careers. I am running one in stock SH3, currently in early 1941, 14 patrols to date at 85% realism, and the second with GWX curriently in Nov 39, at 95% realism currently on my 4th patrol. Every minute is a joy and a challenge.

Good luck up your careers

Brer Rabbit

[Laufen zum Ziel]

Welcome,

You will become an addict with no hope of a cure
except GWX.
Visit the below site to find tools, mods, photos, music, resourses and other goodies.

[Murr44]

I'm sorry that I haven't been able to drop by to commend everyone for their excellent advice. You've given me a wealth of knowlege to incorporate into my game. As I mentioned above I wish to begin my career after I feel comfortable in the Convoy tutorial, I believe your advice will help me evade the escort(s).

Friday morning I woke up to a real underwater adventure. I live in a basement, and I opened up my door to find water almost level with my family room (which is 4.5 inches above the cement floor). The water rose above that and flooded the family room and carpeted bedroom. I've been battling this monster all weekend. I've made many trips to the Home Depot brushing shoulders with many people dealing with similar situations. Northern Michigan is not the ideal place to live at this moment. I can deal with all the rain, but I've never seen ground water rise like this before. After I restore the basement and replace the carpet I hope to be back in the ranks again.




Thanks again for giving me a lot of sound advice!

The GWX manual has a good convoy tactics section near the end. When you get your flooding situation sorted out have a look at it. I sympathise with your problem. Thirteen years ago I rented a basement room from a shifty little bugger. I'd asked him about flooding & he lied; saying that it wasn't a problem. Sure enough there was flooding during the January thaw. When it was over the little SOB (landlord) wouldn't even let me take up the carpet which that started to reek very soon.:down: Not long afterward I moved out as the smell was just too awful to go on living there.