GWX - It starts before the war?

[uallas5]

First, as this is my first post I'd like to thank everyone here as I just picked up SH3 a little bit ago and have learned much that makes this great game even more enjoyable.

I almost completed the war in stock (it was late '44 an i got hit by the external torpedo bug for the IXD2 so bad I couldn't get any) an have decided to start another career with GWX (thank you's go out to everyone involved in that as well). I started my 1st mission and it was 1 August 39, approx 5 weeks before the war starts and I'm a little confused as to what to do. Not realizing the date I started to sink any allied ship I came across, and when I came back to port my crew got medals but I lost all my renown I earned at the Academy.

I then re-started my 1st mission, this time patrolling my grid and heading back to base without attacking anything as, well, with no war yet, why would I? When I got back to base, I earned no renown for completing my mission. Now it's 16 August 1939, so I still have 3 weeks to get rid of till I can start sinking ships.

I guess my questions are:
1) Does GWX normally start well before the war does?
2) Does GWX not give renown for completing your assigned mission as the stock game does?
3) If the answer to #1 is yes, how does everyone here kill that 5 weeks before the war begins?

On my 2nd mission I could sit off the coast of Ireland at 1024tc for 2 weeks, but why should I know war is going to break out on 9 Sept.

[Sailor Steve]

WELCOME ABOARD!:sunny:

1) Yes

2) No

3) Read the manual. It explains everything, including doing a short patrol (the game only lets you start on the first day of the month, so the time has to be dealt with), so after the time spent in port you will sail again just before September 1 and be in position when the war starts.

Or you can be like some of us and make a goodwill tour to spy out all the British ports. Lots of pretty stuff to see for those who care to look.

You wouldn't know war was going to break out, but on August 19 BdU sent 14 u-boats to the north Atlantic, 'just because'.

[uallas5]

Thanks for the quick reply Steve.

Oh I hate it when I forget to RTFM :oops:.

[GoldenRivet]

first - welcome to subsim.

second - the GWX crew took a great deal of time and effort to write a manual for their product that could easily win a world class award for depth of information, technical writing technique, organization and the list goes on... i HIGHLY recommend you read at least some of it just for grins. GWX is a super mod, and changes A LOT of things in SH3... in fact its not even the same game anymore.

third - historical accuracy was one of the chief priorities of the GWX crew, and as such, the text within the manual reveals - U-boats wer dispatched weeks before the opening of hostilities so they could be in a position on the western approaches to the English West coast to formulate attacks immediately upon reception of such orders as opposed to receiving the orders AND THEN having to travel a week and a half to reach their patrol areas.

because of this GWX 2.1 starts in August 1939, generally - according to the manual - you should start a 3 day "shake down cruise" in the general vicinity of your home port (say within 250 km)

upon completion of the shakedown, go back to port and on patrol #2 you will start out about a week before hostilities begin... this gives you time to reach the western approaches and assume attack position.

EDIT: sailor steve is quick... thats what i get for taking a few minutes to handle a small household crisis mid sentence.

[Kielhauler1961]

If you install SH3 Commander you can vary the "days spent in port" option so that you leave on the day of your own choosing. No more "hangin' around".

[Reise]

I use 20 day in port with commander
Carry out test patrol for 2 or 3 day then dock
Next patrol is 22 or 23 August
Plenty of time to be in atlantik ready

[uallas5]

Thanks for the tips Riese an Keil. Since I'll be redoing my first patrol (perhaps a pleasure cruise up the Thames or a scouting mission of Scapa Flow) it'll be a perfect opportunity to install some other mods/options I wanted to check out.

[Sailor Steve]

I use 20 day in port with commander
Carry out test patrol for 2 or 3 day then dock
Next patrol is 22 or 23 August
Plenty of time to be in atlantik ready
Strictly random for me. I've spent more than a month, and once in a Type II it was five days. Love the randomizer.

[Reise]

After first patrol use random
Dont want miss war start :up:

[Sailor Steve]

Good point!:sunny:

[HuskerNlincoln]

I just loaded the mods and was tooling around and noticed this too. I left port, took out a few freighters, then got dinged on the renown, I'm starting over and think that I will position myself out side of southhampton, see if I cant knock out a few large liners when the war starts.

Funny though, I didnt fire a shot and passed by everyone, yet a british destroyer started in on me, I thought the war hadnt started yet.

I actually docked at Portsmouth, it was an option in the game, but as soon as I got ready to leave every ship opened up on me!

[meduza]

I actually docked at Portsmouth, it was an option in the game, but as soon as I got ready to leave every ship opened up on me!
I guess the war broke out while you were docked in the English port. :D

[Kielhauler1961]

Keep an eye on the date. I read a post once where an unsuspecting kaleun docked at his home base in France and then when he tried to leave on the next patrol the port was hostile! Got sunk in seconds. The port had been captured by the Allies while he was dockside. Check your history.