Would you believe...

[Galanti]

I've been playing SH4 since release more or less constantly, with a month off here and there, and in all that time I have never sunk anything larger than a cruiser in career mode? And I have actually had one or two zero bag patrols.

I believe this is a good thing. I dont think I suck, I usually get between 10-20K a patrol, which is in line with historical norms. I just think with RSDC/TM/RFB/NSM, we're getting to a point where if your playstyle is more or less authentic (no surface slugfests with DDs, etc.), you will get more or less authentic results.

Plus, I may be guily of holding back a little, as I like to roleplay to a degree. For example, I would probably pass over an escort carrier in favour of troopships if there's an invasion imminent (whether it's actually modelled in the game or if the gamedate corresponds with a historical invasion).

Anyone else fail to bag a CV or BB in career mode, after what, nearly two years after release?

[SteamWake]

Well I cant claim that I havent.

Hell I sunk two flat tops at anchor in port once.

But then again that was long ago near release before the mods were available.

I say choose whatever playstyle you have fun with. Personally I play in a more 'real' mode now but have played plenty of 'blow em all up' style.

Again whatever floats (or sinks) your boat, just have fun.

[tomoose]

Galanti;
6 patrols in current career (TMO, RSRD on 1.4) and have not sunk any military ships as yet. I've spotted a few but they were either heading in the wrong direction at a high rate of knots or were not in a good posn to setup for an attack (speed being a factor again).
I agree with you in that it's what I'd expect in real life. I do not go looking for a "slugfest" but prefer to be silent, stealthy and....hopefully....deadly.

[Galanti]

But then again that was long ago near release before the mods were available.



I suppose that's my point really, to congragulate the modmakers for doing away with the massive carnage of the early days and bringing a sense of authenticty to the sim.

[Reliant121]

I've never taken more than a Takao class cruiser. I almost got a Chitose seaplane tender, but i missed and ended up taking a Fubuki destroyer.

[Seminole]

Yep. I believe it. I had a thread about that a couple of weeks ago in fact.

I have never gone looking for the heavy stuff prefering to concentrate on shipping rather than naval forces.

If one wanted to find the heavies, I assume it would only be a matter of passing up convoys and intercepting task forces.

[Reliant121]

I tend to prefer chasing Freighters and transport vessels because they seem to involve less risk than the big boys. :D

[Quillan]

I will not say that I have never sunk a BB or CV in a career before. However, I will say that since I switched to TMO/RSRDC and manual targeting, the only capital ship I have sunk was the result of one of those flash radio messages, telling me of an IJN battleship movement that was upcoming and giving me both coordinates and a time they were expected to be there. If it weren't for that I would not have.

[magic452]

I generally take what ever I can find but those flash messages are helpful if you
can get into a good position. I recently got one and fallowed up, only to find the
Yamato. A six hour chase got me into a firing position and I got six bow torps into her.
Slowed her to 6 knots. Two hrs. of dc later I slip the one remaining DD and another
3 hours later I was in position again. My last 3 bow and 2 stern torps took her down.
:rock::rock::rock: This was about the best patrol I've ever had. It took all day because I
played it in real time or at best 8X TC. Didn't use external cam to see what I was chasing so a BIG surprise to see Yamato when I came to PD.

SH4 1.4 with TMO and RSRD. Two great mods. :up:

[Rilder]

Honestly I don't think Ive ever really sunk any big ships.

Certainly tried a few times.


Playing vanilla 1.5, mostly because none of the mods so far have caught my eye to the point where I'd dl them.

[Lexandro]

I have sunk a number of capital ships and a couple of flat tops. Playing 1.5 stock, but pretty much in "easy" mode due to 50% realism settings. I still havent got a clue how to work the TDC and the advanced plotting from sonar only contacts. I still need to get a better idea on the way the game works in detail like fuel range @ Xknots before I up the realism settings more. With my current US career Ive got well over 200k+ tonnage in late '42, but 100k of that was from one patrol that went extremely well during the invasion of Java, thanks to a task force laying at anchor off the coast.

I attacked them in the shallow water at periscope depth and to cut a long story short got a lucky first contact with an escort and broke its back with a single mag torp. The two halves of the ship made a nice V shape in the shallow water for me to park my boat in at periscope depth and just lay out some hurt on the Japs without fear of DD's depth charges. I didnt even need to go quiet I just kept firing single torps per target down low on the hull, and sticking in a second or third on the big ones to finish them off as needed.

I think it was 2 capitals (30k tonnage ones) , 2 light cruisers, and 8 destroyers. I fired off the rest of my remaining torps again in singles at the transports and merchants that remained and the surfaced and gunned the ones that lived to the bottom.

Thats my best patrol and I really learned a lot from it, my worst is of course 0, zilch, nada first few times out of port when I got the game.