First upgrades priorities

[Mau]

Hi,

Playing a career mode, I was wondering if there is a tread in regards with which upgrade we should be doing/buying with our renown (i.e. Experienced radio operator, equipment...)

Thank you

[Platapus]

Hi,

Playing a career mode, I was wondering if there is a tread in regards with which upgrade we should be doing/buying with our renown (i.e. Experienced radio operator, equipment...)

Thank you


I think there are a few threads that address specific issues but nothing all encompassing.

One thing to keep in mind, there is a difference between an upgrade you "purchase" with renown and training of your crew (which costs no renown).

I always try to train two petty officers in radio/sonar as soon as possible.

I don't bother training crew in Flack and Guns as most of the time I won't be using flack and when I do use the deck gun I manually aim it.

I do train my petty officers in torpedoes and engines as I find it really helps.

Any extra petty officers get repair for the inevitable depth charge attacks.

One or two Petty Officers with watch depending on your fatigue model

As for purchased upgrades your choices are limited by the date.

My worthless opinion?

Don't bother with upgrading your flack guns or superstructure on your Type VIIC. I did that on one of my first full war careers and it was a waste of renown. By the time you can get the upgrades the Allied aircover is so heavy you never get a chance to use it. From 1943 on, all I did was dive to escape air attacks.

I don't upgrade to Radar any more. I tried it in the past and did not find it all that useful and there is the risk of the Allies homing in on your signal. I stick with radar detectors though.

Because I wasted my renown on upgrading my Flack guns and superstructure as well as radar sets, when the cooleo torpedoes became available I found myself short of renown. That stynks.

I like the anti-sonar coatings and the Bold launchers. Anything that can keep me alive while submerged is worth renown.

Engine, battery and hydrophone upgrades are always a good idea in my book.

I don't bother with active sonar. Used to get it, never used it.

This is how I do it? YMMV :hmm:

[predavolk]

Well, I got some excellent replies to that question on my thread here. (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=137779) Personally, I'm just getting to use some of these upgrades, so I don't have a strong opinion on them. Although I think radar is fairly useless, sonar can do much the same and you'd use it more often in poor weather I imagine, particularly late in the war vs. armed everything.

As far as personnel, I don't hire experienced ones. I get enough renown that they experience up pretty quickly. I try to uber-up my sonar and radar operators ASAP, as detection there is critical. Also critical is an upgraded lookout noncom in case I forget to kick the watch officer's ass back on deck after diving!

I then have a bunch of torpedo non-coms, a pair of damage control, two flak, one deck gun (weaker crews take longer to load!), a single medic, and two engineers.

Officers get the lion's share of medals, especially service medals that affect others' performance. I spread out the joy pretty evenly, only making sure that I have two watch officers in case one gets waxed (which just happened in my last patrol!:nope: ). A good officer can max out most stations with only a pair of skilled non-coms. Frankly, I have the minimum crew for a Type IX, and it's extremely rare that they're all in action at any given time.