New skipper.. first career

[verticalization]

Hey everyone..
New guy here, i've been lurking for a few days soaking up a TON of information, and i must say.. awesome forum.
Anyways, i've been looking for a sub sim for a while now, and finally sucked it up an bought SHIII.. i'm pretty much addicted.

So, I started my first career last night.. (no mods, stock SHIII) so far its been kindof uneventful.
I guess the major thing i noticed is, on ingress to my patrol grid i plotted a course along the coast over to AN81. I turned to the crew display, and set for 32x TC..
Little did i know i had to tell the crew what to do, lol.. i found myself "running out of crew in the diesel compartment" many times.
After a few hiccups i got back on track, however i found myself wishing i would have assigned more crew to my boat. I basically started the career, checked my boat and headed out on a mission. Oh well

Anyways, I get to my patrol area.. and set a zig zag course which i guess worked pretty well. i'd stop every so often and listen to the hydrophone for targets. I ended up behind a small merchant.. about 7000 yds away doing 9 knts. I was able to get within 6000 yds and fired off 2 fish (oops? didnt realize i only had 3 total on the boat) I set a intercept course and switched to the outside view (i'm only playing with 40% realism) and watched my fish get within around 700yds, and zing right by as the merchant must have seen them comming and did a hard turn. Sad..
I figured i had one left, so i'd head full steam to get closer to him.

Soon as i set my course, the weather started to take a turn for the worst.. visiblity dropped and i got stuck in a thunderstorm.. sadly i could only make about 9knts.. no way i would catch him.. So i turned back, and resumed my patrol.

It'll be time to head back to port soon.. i'm hoping to get a lil more action next time.. and i've learned my lesson about the crew.. going to have to assign a lil more help to the boat.

Thanks for reading, hopefully i'll have some interesting stories.. i'm sure ya'll enjoy stories about green captains almost getting blasted by destroyers an such :)

[GREY WOLF 3]

To get the full feel of the game install gwx 3 with shs commander:yeah:
Which is all for free

[Otto Heinzmeir]

Welcome to the forums. I havn't been here that long but have to say its the most helpful forums I've seen. Crew management can be tedious. There is a program called SH3 commander that has different options for crew management, including turning off fatigue off all together.

[Murr44]

Welcome.

"Not enough crew in the diesel or electric engine compartment" is a bug that's been around since the game's inception. I've encountered it a number of times (even with SH3 Commander set to "no fatigue").

Downloading GWX & SH3 Commander is really worth your while. I think that you'll be amazed by what the GWX team and Jaesen did to the game.

[Otto Heinzmeir]

The not enough crew in engines comes about because for some reason 2 crew members don't get transferred from diesel compartment to electric or vise versa when you either dive or surface. This can me minimized by qualifying 2 machinist PO's and also an officer. Qualified machinists crew give a huge bonus to engines and will always get priority when the game transfers engine crew. If you have at least 1 healthy machinist in engines it will save you some grief. You need two machinist PO's so you can keep rotating them when one gets fatiqued too much.

[RoaldLarsen]

The not enough crew in engines comes about because for some reason 2 crew members don't get transferred from diesel compartment to electric or vise versa when you either dive or surface.
Let me guess. Those two crew members are POs without machinist qualifications, right? AFAIK, when switching from electric to diesel or vice-versa, the game moves all seamen but only machinist-qualified POs from one engine compartment to the other. I don't remember whether an officer requires a machinist quaification to be moved automatcally - I don't usually have an officer in the engine compartment.

One can also get the "Not enough crew..." message when fatigue has reduced the efficiency bar below a certain limit.

[verticalization]

Hey, thanks for the quick replies & help.
I ended up installing SH3 Commander and set the fatique to GWX 8 hour which helped a lot.

The error was from the crew getting fatigued, was kindof annoying the first time out. Guess i have to pay a lil bit more attention on the way in an out.

I'll probly be installing GWX before my next patrol, see how things work.

[gord96]

GWX 3.0 is the best!

if not at least make sure you patch to 1.4! :)

[gord96]

another thing is get SH3 commander. I set the crew fatigue to "none", then you dont have to worry about it, but there is other settings there that fix the stock fatigue.

[Oneshot/Onekill]

Welcome aboard:salute:

You'll find ALOT of salty dogs in this forum. GWX3.0 gold is definitely the cream that rises to the top.

I would also like to just give you a little advice if i may. When setting up for an attack GET CLOSER than 6000 yards. At that range you pretty much have to get lucky to hit anything, the optimum firing distance is generally 500-1500 meters early in the war. Later on depending on what type of torpedoes your using 2000-3000 meters is about as close as i get. Good hunting!:up:

[verticalization]

Ahh, yeah.. i've been trying.. i'm on my second patrol tonite.. got sent to AF 87.. about halfway to it on route, my crew spots a C2 cargo ship (or something of the sorts? it was huge)
I tracked it for a while, set up for a nice shot.. 90 aob, this time i waited until about 5000 yds.. fired off two fish pretty close to eachother.. they were set to magnetic..

Ship didnt even see them comming, one hit under the stack, the other hit a lil ways behind that one.. they Defenitly hit, an defenitly exploded.. but the ship just kept chuggin on like nothing even happened.

I was gonna try for another shot, but only had 3 left in reserve.. decided i'd save them for my patrol area.. guess i should wait a lil longer eh?

[Oneshot/Onekill]

If you've got your realism set to realistic ships sinking, then it takes some time for ships to sink. It also depends on where your torpedo hit, if it was not a critical area such as an ammunition, or fuel comparment.

One more thing, if you ever decide to use manual targeting without a WO you have to get closer, I know it takes some pratice but there are lots of people here that can help.:up:

[TheDudTorpedo]

Welcome :arrgh!:

IMHO GWX3 can only be appreciated after playing SH3 vanilla for a while, but still immensely enjoyable. :yeah:

Definately go for shorter range on your torpedo's, and if possible use impact pistol, as the magnetic are notorious for failing, especially during the early war.

Enjoy - you have chosen the best sim around :yeah:

[={FH}=Paddy]

Welcome aboard verticalization:salute:
Now off to sea with ya!!!
:arrgh!:

[A Very Super Market]

Welcome to the forum!

[Threesixtyci]

Time compression has a cutoff speed for fatique.... I forgot it's default number (64, maybe?). With SH3commander I think it's the Time Compression setting called, something like, 3D View that controls the cutoff for fatique. So, if you want to have fatique to be a constant effect regardless of what TC you're at, just increase that 3d view TC setting to 1024, or something.

Frankly, I find it a complete bother having the engines shutoff all the time. I mean, honestly, does diesels really need that much supervision to keep running. Lately I just set SH3 Commander to no fatique and don't deal with it, at all.

The Time Compression cutoff for fatique kinda messes up the game, anyway. I mean, it turns off fatique recovery, too. And when you run into a contact, often you have key crew member still tired.

Air attacks have a cutoff point in TC, too... but I don't know if the 3D view setting, controls that, or not. Or if any of the other setting for Time Compression, in S3Commander, controls that.

As for critical points, with GWX3.0... if you have that ship manual open to the ship, and are close enough, to the target... like around 600meters or so, the ship manual shows you the critical portions of the ship with hollow boxes.

-------------

As for below water line shots and draft notes, the idea is to set the torpedo just under the draft, have magnetics active, and the torpedo will make a void under the ship causing it to break the back of the ship (aka: major structual failer). But, often when I try it, the torpedo fails to go off and just keeps on going...

I think the only time you have a chance of it working is when seas are extremely calm. And even then it's not reliable due to dud torpedos with Magnetics with pre detonating or not detonating.... Another thing with GWX and the ship manual is that there are a few ships that don't seem to show the correct numbers for draft with a few ships.

[verticalization]

Hey guys,
well.. for my second patrol, i did turn off fatigue.. for one, i agree with you threesix in that the diesel engines shouldnt have to be turned off just cuz theres not 5-6 crew back there.
And also.. i see it as my "Shift work".. i have enough crew to swap shifts around, but.. i shouldnt have to be telling each crew member when to take a break, they can do that themselves.

On a good note, i finished up my second patrol a few minutes ago..after my screw up on the ingress trying to sink the C2 cargo.. i got some redemption, i was halfway back to base when my lookout spotted a coastal merchant pretty far away.. after about an hour (game time) i ended up in a pretty good position to fire, 3200 yds out, i was slightly behind, with a 120º aob.. This time i set the torpedos to impact, and it paid off.
Two hits directly where i had them aimed, the second was critical.. she went down QUICK :DL

Anyways, i got back to base and got a good amount of renown, and also have a chance to upgrade my sub to VIIB.. which i'm super excited for (it'll take a few more patrols to save up for, thats okay)

Anyways, i do have a quick question.. if i turn off auto targeting (point the periscope and shoot??).. can i still ask the WO for a solution? thats usually what i do anyway, open the tubes, point at the correct point at the boat, ask for a solution and fire. I guess i wouldnt mind the extra % or realism, but i'm not ready to do any manual targeting myself yet.. thats for sure

[Jimbuna]

Welcome aboard verticalization http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/welcome.gif

[mookiemookie]

Anyways, i do have a quick question.. if i turn off auto targeting (point the periscope and shoot??).. can i still ask the WO for a solution? thats usually what i do anyway, open the tubes, point at the correct point at the boat, ask for a solution and fire. I guess i wouldnt mind the extra % or realism, but i'm not ready to do any manual targeting myself yet.. thats for sure

Yes. Tick the "manual targeting" box on your realism options screen, but leave the "no watch officer assistance" box unticked.

[bookworm_020]

Welcome aboard!:yeah:

[Henry Wood]

And also.. i see it as my "Shift work".. i have enough crew to swap shifts around, but.. i shouldnt have to be telling each crew member when to take a break, they can do that themselves.

That's the way I've always played the game since about my second day at it. As I've posted before, surely in real life just about every crew member had his relief working back-to-back with him, and any sailor getting really fatigued because his relief was failing to show on watch would soon either sort it for himself, or his immediate superior would sort it without the Kaleun becoming involved. I always thought the fatigue thing was a detail too far.

[verticalization]

So the war keeps getting crazier.. and keeps getting me hooked the more i play.
I finally earned enough renown to upgrade my sub to the type VIIB, and i must say.. this thing is sweet compared to the IIA i was using.

So i head out on patrol, its Feb, 1940.. i'm sent off to patrol AN 18. No action on ingress, but as i'm about a grid away, a merchant pops up on my map. I figure i have plenty of fish in reserve so i head over to intercept.. it takes me about 4 hours of game time to finally get within firing range.. poor coastal merchant didnt even see it comming, i used 1 fish.. set to impact at a depth of 2.5 meters.. i thought i had missed, as my fish started to go a lil farther towards the rear than i had planned.. but it paid off.. she went down almost instantly.

So, i head down to periscope depth and continue on my way, and what does my sonarman tell me? Warshpi, closing!.. i bet hes comming to investigate, hes comming from the north, heading due south .. so i set myself up, and wait.. 2 hours later there he is, a class C destroyer heading at a perfect 90 AOB path, 2000 yds in front of me. Fired off two at her.. i guess i keep getting lucky engine room shots cuz the first fish caused massive explosions.. now i'm hooked even more, the anticipation of watching the torpedos in the last 30 seconds before they hit.. crazy.

I finished up my patrol of the area, took down a C3 cargo pretty easily.. and figured, i have 3 in front, and 2 in back.. so i went hunting.. down the coast i went. i get 2 warships on sonar.. so i go after the closest, he's moving pretty fast so it takes a few hours of flanking to get up ahead of him.. i set myself up for a shot.. 2000yds away, its nearing him, 20 seconds out.. and he speeds up and starts a turn.. crap.. i rig for silent, set my depth to 30 meters, do a lil turn an wait.. hes comming close but cant find me (its about 0100hrs).. so i wait til i think hes given up?.. set myself up again.. obviously he didnt give up, i fired off 2 fish.. almost as soon as i fired them off.. he started his turns again.. no more bow shots.. so i wait.. i manuever, i guess i got a lil anxious, if i woulda waited longer i probly coulda hit him.. but my bow shot missed. Next time... time to get out of there...

Made it back to base with no real action, i guess a plane attacked me when i was in the bathroom? but he never came back.. i kinda wish he would have.. shooting down a plane woulda been the icing on the cake from that patrol.

Soo.. sorry abou tthe long story, its pretty easy to get carried away when talking about this game.. time to start bumping up the realism.

[={FH}=Paddy]

Good going, good rendition of events too! :up:

I have to admit, i hate those "Bathroom Bombers" too! :nope:

Now..................get back out to sea! :arrgh!: