forum newbie with Q's and O's

[superfecta]

Greetings to All:
I have been playing SH3 patched to 1.4b and have downloaded GWX2.1 but haven't installed yet because as I understand it, you have to uninstall and reinstall SH3 with patch to have a "clean" version for GWX to use. is this correct?
I have a career going in SH3 that I don't want to give up yet. Also 3 things that frustrate me a bit:
1. Is there a way to annotate the nav-map? ie; in plotting a convoy route I would like to put time stamps at markers as to when I think they will be there.
2. Is there a way to enter a course in degrees? (something I got used to in Janes 688I) The little course change wheel is .... well.....too little!
3. When using the deck gun binocular, I will sometimes switch back to periscope view to update for precise range; but when I go back to deck gun I have to re-elevate to where it was. is there any way to get the deck gun binocular range to stay where I left it?
Will GWX address any of the above?
Also I've noticed that hitting the L (lock) button in periscope view repeatedly while slowly scanning has returned contacts 20km+ ranges! Very handy in poor visual conditions. I used to feel guilty about this until I saw a destroyer go from 0 to 15 knots in under 3 seconds!?!? what the......
Will GWX disable this feature/ flaw?
In the deck gun binocular view I see the range index goes as high as 20000m. Hmmm.... wondering if its possible to get the attention of an escort or two to "cull the herd" before making an attack on a convoy. Has anyone tried the gun at high ranges with any kind of results?
Lastly..... the dang aircraft are really getting pesky...... I'm in late '42 in my career and figure it's only a matter of time before they start attacking from UNDER my boat. does anyone know when?

[Mush Martin]

Welcome aboard :up:

I will let others answer the rest but re your return to deckgun.

If you elevate the deckgun to what you estimate to be the
correct angle That is while in open sites before zooming in the
telescopic sight again. It will save a bunch of resetting time as
well as some frustration misses and lost ranges.

M

[UnderseaLcpl]

1.) Not in vanilla sh3 sadly. I guess you could draw letters with the ruler but thats about it. As far as I know, you don't get that in GWX either.

2) Not really. GWX does include a nice slide-out compass rose in the lower-right hand corner of the screen that does make entering a bearing a lot more precise.

3) I have no idea. Frankly I have better luck using deck gun from the "normal" view and guessing/looking for impact flashes. Also, you could just let your gun crew fire. With a good watch officer who has the gunnery skill they aren't bad.

I'm not sure if insane range periscope lock works in GWX, haven't tried it. Yes, destroyers and many other vessels can accelerate at absurd speeds. GWX doesn't really fix this. Best bet is to use an electric to torpedo them or take their inevitable spotting of the torpedo into account.

DD's will identify and pursue you from a pretty good ways if you shoot the deck gun at them. I don't know about 20000m but in GWX this won't really work. As soon as you sink one DD the rest will converge on you. As well as other sub-hunters within, like, 50 miles, and airplanes, and probably sharks, and Winston Churchill.

Airplanes. Oh you ain't seen nothing yet. In GWX sh3 stops being a subsim in late 41 or so and becomes an aerial bombing victim sim.
Your only hope is to use the latest radar detector, only surface to charge the batteries or in safe waters, and always cruise at 30m or more to keep them from spotting you and bringing destroyers to the scene. Incredibly frustrating, and incredibly realistic.

Hope that helps.

edit- Almost forgot, welcome aboard and happy hunting!

[superfecta]

thanks that would make sense!!!! I'm typically in such a hurry I jump right into the binocs before I lose the range.

[KeptinCranky]

1 sadly no

2 yes, with the tiny compass you mentioned, and also with the slide-out compass in GWX, setting a course by degrees is something I do a lot when intercepting a lone target when I don't wnt to redraw my plotted course

3 No, GWX will not make the deckgun work any differently in that regard, it will just make it a lot less accurate when fired by the crew, especially at longer ranges

as for the lock trick, that still works and I've used it at times to find out what a convoy I'm stalking is doing :oops:

as for the planes, ah yes they become a right menace until you can get the twin rapid fire 37mm for your boat, which equals the odds a little, until you run out of ammo or get a well-aimed banger down your snorkel


basically GWX will ensure you and your crew will live in even more interesting times :arrgh!:

[UnderseaLcpl]

1 sadly no

2 yes, with the tiny compass you mentioned, and also with the slide-out compass in GWX, setting a course by degrees is something I do a lot when intercepting a lone target when I don't wnt to redraw my plotted course

3 No, GWX will not make the deckgun work any differently in that regard, it will just make it a lot less accurate when fired by the crew, especially at longer ranges

as for the lock trick, that still works and I've used it at times to find out what a convoy I'm stalking is doing :oops:

as for the planes, ah yes they become a right menace until you can get the twin rapid fire 37mm for your boat, which equals the odds a little, until you run out of ammo or get a well-aimed banger down your snorkel


basically GWX will ensure you and your crew will live in even more interesting times :arrgh!:


Wow. Evidently my deck gun crew is a lot better than yours and my flak gunners are blind. I have never shot a plane down in four careers (1completed 2 dead 1 unfinished)

[KeptinCranky]

The trick to deckgunning is to do it yourself or to get close, but I don't do it that often except for passenger/cargos :damn:

as for the Flak, what I do, have a flak-trained PO and 1WO, man the guns when the plane is detected by RWR or eyeball mkI and turn away from it while going to flank speed,

If you have the twin 37mm odds are the plane dies before it gets a chance to drop it's eggs (Beware of Mozzies though) if it doesn't die on the first pass, turn away at the right moment so the bombs miss, this takes some nerve and a lot of practice (GWX testing gave me plenty of opportunity)

Don't try this with multiple planes or with only one popgun on your boat

You can do this maybe 2 or 3 times depending on the planes encountered before running out of ammo, then it's back to crashdiving... you might also go for the U-flak option with 3 Vierlings, which run out of ammo just as fast but make a very satisfying FRAAAAAP noise when firing....

:arrgh!:

[Torp III]

:rotfl: :rotfl: K S, you got me laughing off my chair again!!

[Sailor Steve]

WELCOME ABOARD!:sunny:

Great things about GWX: You've heard people telling you about how much harder the planes are, and they are. But, what they haven't told you is how much more realistic they are. You will no longer be attacked by 30 Sunderlands at one time. The bad news is, one is more than enough to ruin your whole career. And, later in the war, convoys are actually escorted by BLIMPS!

My favorite part is the harbors. In GWX, as you leave port you will see a wealth of friendly ships coming and going, drydocks, barrage balloons, flak escort ships to guide you out...all sorts of cool sights.

Once you install it you'll never go back.

[Murr44]

If you're manning the deck gun yourself get your IWO to call out the ranges by clicking on the nearest ship icon. This will help you by almost eliminating the need for you to estimate the range yourself or having to use the UZO. It will come in very handy when you switch to GWX.

When you do install GWX you'll find that gunnery (among other things) is a whole new ball of wax. You'll be limited to HE ammunition & you should be aware that hits on the target's deck & superstructure don't do a lot of damage. Try for hull & waterline shots as they do the most damage with the least expenditure of ammunition. You'll notice that your deck gun is a lot less accurate too. You will have to get in closer & you'll have to be more selective about what targets to engage on the surface. Some merchants are armed earlier in GWX than they are in the stock game. The enemy's accuracy is vastly improved so it's far more dangerous to get in to a surface gunfight.