Couple of questions - New player

[pentegal]

I have had a look around the forum to try and find the answers to my questions but I'm not having any luck with the majority of them.

1.) The IXC submarine has optional canning towers (1941). 1 with 2 light flak and 1 with 1 heavy and 1 light. Not sure on which one would be best, I saved the game and tried both of them out. The problem is the tower with the heavy and light has just one AA gun? Am I missing something here?

2.) Battleships and Aircraft Carriers. Are these roaming the seas in game? Can I engage them and if so, where is best to look. Even if I can't attack, I would love to see one through the periscope.

3.) The 88mm vs the 105mm deck gun. I thought the 105 would down things a little quicker but I can't seem to notice any difference? Where is best to aim and where/when to use AP vs HE.

4.) Stupid question but can the Flak guns sink ships? I know you can destroy their visible cargo but wondering if it can do more.

5.) Is SH4 worth buying? I am playing SH3, Hearts of Iron 3, Tiger vs T-34 and IL2 Sturmovik (WWII fan in case you couldn't guess!). Will SH4 grip me just as much as SH3?

Thank you for any replies in advance :)

Edit: I am playing Vanilla. Game is mod free.

[94cruiser]

I would highly reccomend gray wolves mod. With stock game I was able to fight off a wave of 40 or so planes (I had the radar turned on).
With GW you see a plane you yell ALARM!


Yes, you can sink battleships and aircraft carriers.

I have never sunk anything with aa gun

I have not played SH4, when it came out it was plagued by errors and stupid AI, don't know if that got fixed or not.

welcome Herr Kaleun

[Jimbuna]

Welcome aboard pentegal....give GWX3.0 a try http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/pirate.gif

[Red Heat]

Welcome aboard pentegal....give GWX3.0 a try http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/pirate.gif

Holly and true words, Jimbuna... :up:
Welcome, Aboard, pentegal!

[JMV]

WILKOMMEN GENOSSE !

About 2 ) Theorically, you're only supposed to sink merchants, but if you sink 2 or 3 heavy cruisers, Uncle Karl certainly won't fire you, and your tonnage will go through the roof...
Look in the SH3 Community Manual ( Hunting Grounds ). After that it's just luck I guess. You can also have a look in the Mission Editor, I think, but don't remember which file must be opened ( Gasp :88) ) Date must be adjusted according what date you're looking for.

About 3 ) You can adjust loading time through SH3 Commander otherwise you would have to tweak some file ( which one ? Gasp again :88) )

About 4 ) I did finish one off once, but only because I had nothing else
( no torps, no gun ammo left ) and had already been badly damaged. Took a chance, It worked, but I guess it woul'nt have done it from the outset.

[Mopy]

Welcome welcome.

+1 for try GWX3 :sunny:

I have also sunk ships with the flak, but only after I ran out of deck gun ammo. Whether assuming I had unlimited flak it would have gone down anyway, I don't know. One thing is for sure though, I would not have sunk it using the flak alone given the ammo.

[Sailor Steve]

WELCOME ABOARD!:sunny:

1.) The IXC submarine has optional canning towers (1941). 1 with 2 light flak and 1 with 1 heavy and 1 light. Not sure on which one would be best, I saved the game and tried both of them out. The problem is the tower with the heavy and light has just one AA gun? Am I missing something here?
Not sure, as I've never made that choice.

2.) Battleships and Aircraft Carriers. Are these roaming the seas in game? Can I engage them and if so, where is best to look. Even if I can't attack, I would love to see one through the periscope.
As has been pointed out, you need GWX3. And SH3 Commander.

3.) The 88mm vs the 105mm deck gun. I thought the 105 would down things a little quicker but I can't seem to notice any difference? Where is best to aim and where/when to use AP vs HE.
There should be a difference. Aim for the waterline. AP vs HE is silly because AP is only useful against armored targets, and the smallest armored target in real life was a light cruiser, which carried at least six 6" guns.

4.) Stupid question but can the Flak guns sink ships? I know you can destroy their visible cargo but wondering if it can do more.
Yes, they do damage, but not much.

5.) Is SH4 worth buying? I am playing SH3, Hearts of Iron 3, Tiger vs T-34 and IL2 Sturmovik (WWII fan in case you couldn't guess!). Will SH4 grip me just as much as SH3?
I think so. You can play in the Pacific. You can use the new U-Boats Add-On (which should come with any version you buy now - look for SH4 Gold). You can use the very good Operations Monsun mod to increase the U-boat experience, or Real Fleet Boat or Trigger Maru Overhauled plus the Run Silent, Run Deep Campaign for the Pacific experience.

It has much improved crew management and graphics, and a map with both Kriegsmarine grid coordinants and latitude/longitude. All-in-all money well spent, especially since it's cheap now.

Edit: I am playing Vanilla. Game is mod free.
Said it before, but it bears repeating: The game is much better modded.

[ryanglavin]

For number 1:

The heavy flak gun is actually that gun on the stern of the ship that looks like a deck gun... tis not every good and i wouldn't use a heavy flak until the quad barrel and the C/38. And don't even use the flak gun unless you can't dive to 60 meters...

[pentegal]

Thank you for the replies.

As suggested I have downloaded GWX3 and installed. I start it up and the first thing I notice is the increase load times, which isn't a problem, I just want to make sure this is inherant of the mod and not something else.

I hop into a game and love the ports. A hive of activity with alot going on! I then head to my designated partol area and pick up a convoy - excellent!

I move ahead of the convoy and wait patiently for it to come. The Escort rolls by so I slowly move in but in my horror I realise that about 80% of the ships in the convoy are more escorts!? Is this as intended? I know I wanted to see more Military Naval Units but a convoy of escorts? :O:

Is there a place where I can find ALL the changes the mod makes to the game? Also, on installing the mod I shortcut was created for JSGME. I'm assuming that these are further changes I can make to the mod?

Further to my original post, now that I have the mod, where would I be best looking for some Battleships and Aircraft Carriers?

Are there any additional mods which you would highly recommend?

Sorry for so many questions but there is really alot to take in and reading thread after thread of information, I am finding it hard to absorb. I find it much easier to learn myself and ask the questions on what I am unsure of.

Thanks.

[Sailor Steve]

As suggested I have downloaded GWX3 and installed. I start it up and the first thing I notice is the increase load times, which isn't a problem, I just want to make sure this is inherant of the mod and not something else.
It is indeed the mod causing it - specifically the many many many new ship models being loaded.

I hop into a game and love the ports. A hive of activity with alot going on! I then head to my designated partol area and pick up a convoy - excellent!
One of my favorite parts is to sail out of the port in real time, watching all the ships and planes doing their thing.

I move ahead of the convoy and wait patiently for it to come. The Escort rolls by so I slowly move in but in my horror I realise that about 80% of the ships in the convoy are more escorts!? Is this as intended? I know I wanted to see more Military Naval Units but a convoy of escorts? :O:
Don't know about that one - I've never seen it before.


Is there a place where I can find ALL the changes the mod makes to the game? Also, on installing the mod I shortcut was created for JSGME. I'm assuming that these are further changes I can make to the mod?
Read the manual. It's all there. JSGME is an installation tool that lets you install - and uninstall - further mods painlessly.

Further to my original post, now that I have the mod, where would I be best looking for some Battleships and Aircraft Carriers?
You're job is to sink enemy merchant shipping. Big plums are to be sunk when they come to you, not hunted for.:rotfl:
(sorry, couldn't resist)

Are there any additional mods which you would highly recommend?
Many that I like - the list is very long. The only one that is really essential is SH3 Commander, which is not a mod but a tool that lets you change a great many things in the game with one mouse click, and which gives your captain and crew a life of their own. Must-have - every bit as important as GWX.

Sorry for so many questions but there is really alot to take in and reading thread after thread of information, I am finding it hard to absorb. I find it much easier to learn myself and ask the questions on what I am unsure of.
You'll have more. And we'll have answers. Ask away.

[Spike88]

Welcome aboard.

I just uninstalled SH4 for the second time, prefer SH3 with GWX. Although part of my dislike for SH4 is, I have to play it on lowest settings due to my computer, which prevents me from trying the mods.

Edit: And yeah GWX3.0 makes the load time long for SH3, but its well worth it. GWX3.0 takes longer to load than Stock SH4. :haha:

As Steve said, SH3Commander, and JGSME are both needed to get the most out of SH3.

I have the following mods/programs
GWX3.0
SH3Commander
JGSME
16km Atmosphere mod (greatly improves the seeing distance in the game)
No medals on crew
Contact color (GWX makes every map contact Black, this brings color back to the map contacts)
Enhanced Damage Effects

I also have 200ish gramophone tracks
And a pinup mod(which I need to install)





A bit off topic, but if you love strategy games and WWII games I'd suggest giving Pacifc Storm:Allies a try. You can find a demo online.

[Mopy]

but in my horror I realise that about 80% of the ships in the convoy are more escorts!? Is this as intended? I know I wanted to see more Military Naval Units but a convoy of escorts? :O:

Squares on the map are convoys of merchants usually with one to four escorts or so. Task forces are diamonds and full of warships. Sounds very much like you ran into a task force.

Is there a place where I can find ALL the changes the mod makes to the game? Also, on installing the mod I shortcut was created for JSGME. I'm assuming that these are further changes I can make to the mod?

The GWX manual details all the changes I believe. A good read too as it has some tactics and strategies in there to explore. JSGME is the mod enabler, and if installing with GWX allows you to enable some other mods just by running it and enabling the ones you want. Highly recommend the enhanced damage.

Further to my original post, now that I have the mod, where would I be best looking for some Battleships and Aircraft Carriers?

That task force you found might be a good start if you dare hang around long enough to scout it out. Other than that, normal convoys sometimes contain large warships, and if you're really lucky, you might catch them alone out in the open. You could raid ports as well if you wanted to find some. Sneaking in Scapa for example. Such shallow waters aren't good for your health though :dead:

[Shearwater]

2.) Battleships and Aircraft Carriers. Are these roaming the seas in game? Can I engage them and if so, where is best to look. Even if I can't attack, I would love to see one through the periscope.


You'll have a pretty hard time sinking those. They move much faster than merchants and have better escorts, and of course they can put neat holes in your hull. You really have to be lucky, i.e. be in a good position on detecting them.

[JHuschke]

I have had a look around the forum to try and find the answers to my questions but I'm not having any luck with the majority of them.

1.) The IXC submarine has optional canning towers (1941). 1 with 2 light flak and 1 with 1 heavy and 1 light. Not sure on which one would be best, I saved the game and tried both of them out. The problem is the tower with the heavy and light has just one AA gun? Am I missing something here?

2.) Battleships and Aircraft Carriers. Are these roaming the seas in game? Can I engage them and if so, where is best to look. Even if I can't attack, I would love to see one through the periscope.

3.) The 88mm vs the 105mm deck gun. I thought the 105 would down things a little quicker but I can't seem to notice any difference? Where is best to aim and where/when to use AP vs HE.

4.) Stupid question but can the Flak guns sink ships? I know you can destroy their visible cargo but wondering if it can do more.

5.) Is SH4 worth buying? I am playing SH3, Hearts of Iron 3, Tiger vs T-34 and IL2 Sturmovik (WWII fan in case you couldn't guess!). Will SH4 grip me just as much as SH3?

Thank you for any replies in advance :)

Edit: I am playing Vanilla. Game is mod free.

1. I am highly recommending you get the Grey Wolves MOD (GWX 3.0)
http://www.thegreywolves.com/

2. They do roam the seas, but not all the time, you will see them someday in your career or maybe never. It is possible to sink them if you do so correctly.

3. Some AA guns are slightly different, mainly in capacity of ammo and firepower but it depends on how and where you aim when firing upon an enemy airforce.

4.I have never sunk a ship with a Flak Gun or attempted to, but deck guns and torpedoes do sink ships..

5. Silent Hunter IV only shows the American side in a submarine and has great graphics. But, the least I can say is that I didn't find it addictive as Silent Hunter III, may beat the game in graphics but SH3 is worth more than SH4 in my opinion. Stay with Silent Hunter III and the GWX mod! :arrgh!:

[pentegal]

Thank you for the many replies guys, hugely appreciated. Its nice to find a community where newcomers are treated as such, instead of feeble-minded leppers.

I have the GWX mod as suggested and though the load times are a tad annoying, they are worth it as somebody mentioned.. which leads me to my next questions :D

I got SH3 commander as suggested. Looking through the options I saw 'Start patrols at Sea'. I enjoy leaving port but for whatever reason, I seem to lag alot with all the activity (though I dont when I find a convoy). The option doesn't appear to work though :(

I found a lone destroyer out at sea about 7000m away. I choose to man the deck gun (love deck guns!) and start firing, missing initially but score a hit around 6000m. I then notice my shells start to miss by miles which confused me. I noticed that the shells aren't being aimed towards the center of the sight, but instead to the FAR right of it..... then another time to the left of it... confused! Is there a reason for this?

No doubt there will be more questions but thank you in advance for all your help :)

[totodog]

Thank you for the many replies guys, hugely appreciated. Its nice to find a community where newcomers are treated as such, instead of feeble-minded leppers.

I have the GWX mod as suggested and though the load times are a tad annoying, they are worth it as somebody mentioned.. which leads me to my next questions :D

I got SH3 commander as suggested. Looking through the options I saw 'Start patrols at Sea'. I enjoy leaving port but for whatever reason, I seem to lag alot with all the activity (though I dont when I find a convoy). The option doesn't appear to work though :(

I found a lone destroyer out at sea about 7000m away. I choose to man the deck gun (love deck guns!) and start firing, missing initially but score a hit around 6000m. I then notice my shells start to miss by miles which confused me. I noticed that the shells aren't being aimed towards the center of the sight, but instead to the FAR right of it..... then another time to the left of it... confused! Is there a reason for this?

No doubt there will be more questions but thank you in advance for all your help :)


I can't believe you're deck-gunning a destroyer. :eek:

[pentegal]

I can't believe you're deck-gunning a destroyer. :eek:

haha! I know I shouldn't but I find it I engage straight on and at a large distance, I will normally take out its forward firing guns. It will start to snake towards me exposing its sides. Several shots below the water line and it begins to lean, slowing it considerably. Continue shooting and it will visit the fish.

[WAKDADDY]

I'm a three week old nube,,, SHIII,,,, so I'm by no means an authority on this,,, but,,,

deck guns seem to be affected by the course and speed of the target, and the U-boat. In addition,, if the sea is marginally rough,,, fire off the bow, and wait for the deck to descend. It seems the deck gun can compensate for the boat dropping out from under it,,, but not for the boat rising up,,, forcing your shots high.

That is off course,,, if you are manually firing the deck gun. The crew mode,,, well,,, the angle of error is what,,, 5% or more,,,, and at 6000 yards,,, that's a big miss.

I tried the long distance shot,,, and found it very hard to range in on target. 1 damaged tanker, with 3 merchants,,, the only remnants left of a large convoy. Of course, the merchants had deck guns,,, so staying at range allowed my 105 to hit, while they couldn't even get off a shot. But,, a bunch of ammo went into the water,,, and it was very hard to judge where the last shots feel to correct fire.

[JMV]

Hello WAKDADDY :

Depending on the state of the sea of course, try to fire your gun not too many degrees of your bow, so you can see the gun's barrel going up and down, so you can ajust. If you fire too many degrees off from your bow straight ahead, you won't be able to see the gun's barrel anymore, and it's up and down motion will accentuate due to the sub's roll.
I suppose you know the "Tab" magnifies your target's view. you can push up to twice.
Also for aiming, on the left scale, choose about ~ 200 m less than the real distance from the target.
Aim just below the target's water line. Best is when you see a splash immediately followed by a bright reddish or yellow flash. That's the most efficient spot in height. Laterally, you ajust according the type of target, and their respective compartment locations.

[Jimbuna]

I'm a three week old nube,,, SHIII,,,, so I'm by no means an authority on this,,, but,,,

deck guns seem to be affected by the course and speed of the target, and the U-boat. In addition,, if the sea is marginally rough,,, fire off the bow, and wait for the deck to descend. It seems the deck gun can compensate for the boat dropping out from under it,,, but not for the boat rising up,,, forcing your shots high.

That is off course,,, if you are manually firing the deck gun. The crew mode,,, well,,, the angle of error is what,,, 5% or more,,,, and at 6000 yards,,, that's a big miss.

I tried the long distance shot,,, and found it very hard to range in on target. 1 damaged tanker, with 3 merchants,,, the only remnants left of a large convoy. Of course, the merchants had deck guns,,, so staying at range allowed my 105 to hit, while they couldn't even get off a shot. But,, a bunch of ammo went into the water,,, and it was very hard to judge where the last shots feel to correct fire.

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

TBH, I wouldn't be surfacing any where near merchants that are armed, they have a far more stable platform to fire from and an uncanny knack of zeroing in on you within a few rounds.

[JMV]

Sorry guys, Something must have already been said about it, but I forgot...

Sometimes the shells go of 2 or 3 tics left or right from the center cross sight.. Is there a simple way to remedy this ?

[Jimbuna]

This generally happens as a result of trying to traverse the gun whilst the deck is under water....there has been no fix found thus far IIRC.

[WAKDADDY]

OK,, paid some close attention today...

at long range,,, the shot will move left or right,,, as the target moves. IE,, target moving E to W, you are 90 of bow, you aim at the stack,, and the shot lands behind the stack. This seems normal to me. Leading is required.

I made a manual adjustment,, aimed at the stack,,, kept my cross hairs on the stack and noted how far from center the shot impacted. Make a quick mental note on the horizontal line,,, and use that spot as your center to land on target.

Same as shooting a bow in the wind,,,