Question from a noob about GWX 3.0

[ShadowHawk]

Hi all,

I am a member of these forums for some time now but I mostly just read or search posts.
In fact I can't even find any old posts of me at all :)

I have a question though.
I was lucky enough to get me a copy of SH-III, something I looked very hard for since it's almost impossible to find it in the stores anymore.
Now I read a lot on these forums about GWX 3.0 so I downloaded it and installed it. Wow was my first reaction, my seccond one was Wooow !!! :)
It looks absolutely fantastic and I before I ask my questioin I would like to thank the Grey Wolf team for such a great effort in making this mod !!!

No my question is :
I normaly play SH-IV with the U-boat Expansion but only the US campaign.
Now I have SH-III with GWX-3.0.
Am I gonna survive a first patrol or is GWX that realistic that I need to run back to base as fast as I can when spotting the smoke from a British DD ?

I have just begun my first patrol starting in 1940 from Lorient in a IXB and somehow I feel a big chunk in my throat the whole time in fear of an encounter with an advisary.
Sounds stuppid maybe but the Silent Hunter games get to me in some way, I love it but I don't realy feel like a hardwintered subcommander right now,
I feel a bit more like this :gulp:

So my question realy is, is GWX-3.0 cool for newbies too or..... ?


Any tips would be very much appreciated.

Cheers

[Madox58]

Since you've played SH 4?
Then your not new.

GWX is harder the SH 3 Stock.
But not impossible for new players.

Just take it slow and use your brain.
Read the Manual, as there is alot of information
in there that will save you.

You are in Command of a Crew.
Thier lives depend on your decisions.
Sometimes it's better to let a Target go,
then to kill your Crew.

Enjoy!!

[irish1958]

PRIVATEER is right; you can play it. However, I really think that you would feel better and have a better understanding of the game if you go through the naval academy with vanilla SHIII, and run at least two patrols to get the feel of the game. You will immediately recognize how good GWX is. (There are other mods out there that are very good also.) I would also recommend you play at 50%+/- for a while.
and RTFM. It is easily the very best game manual ever written. (thanks Pablo!)

[Otto Heinzmeir]

They Type IX is a tougher sub to survive in. Bigger target and takes longer to dive. You might start in a type VIIb as a break in period.:up:

[Contact]

As for myself I'm finding stock SH3 even more terrifying than GWX, just because vanilla's overcrowded aircraft units in the early war and bloody 8 km distance.
Under GWX at least you get a feeling when and what to expect knowing the history :) In most cases you would have to try on purpose to be dead in early stage of war with GWX. As it was in my career at Dunkirk harbour :nope:
Can't tell what was pulling my leg to go there actually :shifty:

[ShadowHawk]

Thank you very much for your quick replies !!
Opinions are a bit versatile though except for one thing , reading the manual, something I am doing right now, it's a great manual (the GWX one) with a lot of background information, I like that, gets me all into it.

I decided to keep GWX installed and take it slow and easy, not taking on any large battlegroups right now.
The VIIb is a good idea if it's faster to dive and a smaller target then the IX so I'll change to that boat.
If GWX turnes out to be to hard at first then I can only learn from my mistakes and try again. If it stays to hard then I can always revert back to Vanilla.
And yes I will do the naval academy although I am very anctious to go on patrol.

I do play SH-IV a lot and have an above average tonnage including battlegroups and anti sub groups, so I'm not a complete noob :88)

Somehow the atmosphere of SH-III is a bit more scary then with SH-IV, that's a personal opinion maybe but I like it, it crawls up your neck :DL
Maybe I shouldn't watch "Das Boat" so often !!

Thank you all for your replies you gave me some helpfull tips :yeah:

Wish me good luck and maybe we'll see eachother back in port :salute:

Cheers

[Jimbuna]

SINK EM ALL!! http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/pirate.gif

[SeaWolf U-57]

Posted by Shadowhawk..... Somehow the atmosphere of SH-III is a bit more scary then with SH-IV, that's a personal opinion maybe but I like it, it crawls up your neck :DL
Maybe I shouldn't watch "Das Boat" so often !!

Oh yes thats because in this version of the game one mistake and the enemy units can and will kill you. :salute: enjoy the game its one cool way to pass some time

[Laufen zum Ziel]

Dont look at GWX as a game. Look at it as real life, learn skill and use
your brain and you will be fine. Merchants are not always easy prey
(Q ships and others armed). Never take on aircraft unless you cant dive
because you will lose. Make sure there is depth below you or run
like hell.

Good luck.

[ShadowHawk]

Thanks all for your great replies and encouraging words.
Man I love this game, the weather is realy striking, I love going Full Ahead in a storm with the waves thundering over the bridge, makes you wake up after a long period of being pushed below by a DD :DL.

One other question though, if I sink a neutral ship i.e. a portugese merchant, what does that do to my rankings and renown ?

I have stumbled across a neutral ship twice now and let them go, just to be sure (in fact the second one was impossible to reach in stormy weather and to set up a propper solution.)

Cheers.

[irish1958]

If you sink a neutral ship bad things happen :down:; you lose a whole bunch of renown (5,000), the country of the ship you sank will get you if they can, and you will get hemorrhoids.

[KeptinCranky]

But not as bad as accidentally sinking a friendly, that costs even more renown, and if you're very unlucky, will get you an nice sunny wall to lean against while you smoke a final cigarette...:doh:

I feel that sinking neutrals IS justified, IF they're obviously heading for England and are in the "free fire zone" west of the UK, but you won't meet a lot of Portuguese there :D

[ShadowHawk]

Okay so sinking a neutral ship is a no no, I'll keep that in mind and leave them alone.
I was tempted to take out the first one I encountered, it was a nice merchant of reasonable tonnage. I'm glad I didn't sink it and setting a bad start on my first patrol.

Thanks for the quick replies.

I think that keeping GWX installed was a good choise I'm very much enjoying this setup, gameplay wise and graphics wise.

Oh and as mentioned earlier in this topic by "Laufen zum Ziel" I will evade airplanes as much as I can, shooting one down isn't the real purpose of a U-boat anyway and any damage can always turn into critical damage at the worst moment.

Cheers.

[Oneshot/Onekill]

@ShadowHawk. There is a way that you can sink neutrals w/o being punished with a loss of renown. Go int you SH3 main folder, then click on the data folder. Now look for your Cfg folder nd click on it. Go to Basic, look for the command line [RENOWN] underneath you'll see NEUTRAL= ALLIED= AXIS=. Go to the neutral line and change it from -1 to 0 for no renown rewarded, or to 1 to have a renown reward equal to what you get when sinking an enemy ship.

I have mine set to 1 to simulate neutrals that travel in enemy convoys or running dark, BDU gave all U-boat commanders permission to attack ANY ship that was providing aid to the allies.