Let's talk about crew abilities.

[gutted]

I'd like to start a discussion on the crew abilities. The manual is silent on them. Some are self explanatory.. though missing some details (like how much or how fast)... while others have me scratching my head.

So as people chime in on them and we figure them out, i'll keep this first post updated. (If i fail to stay ontop of this.. feel free to copy paste this into a new thread).




Colors:
Passive / Active



Chief Engineer:

Increase Repair:
Reduce Flooding Time:
Repair Itmes:



Motor Officer:
Engine Tuning:
Faster Battery Recharing:
Sound Coating:

Overcharge Diesel Engines:
Overcharge Electric Engines:



Navigator:
Crush Depth:
Diving Drills:
Maneuvering:



Executive Officer:
Battlestations:
Silent Running:


Torpedoman:
Torpedo Loading Drills:
Torpedo Maintenance:
Warhead Specialist:

Overcharge Torpedo:
Pre-Heat Torpedo:

Bosun:
Confident Officer:
Rationalize Oxygen:

Propaganda:
Riposte:


Cook:
Morale:

Special Meal:




Watch Officer:
Man Deck Gun:
Man Flack Gun:



Sound Guy
Darkness:
Direction Finder:

Reveal Hidden Enemies:
Total Revealing:



Radio Guy:
Direction Finder (Radar):
Direction Finder (Radio):

Safe Communications:



Gunner:
Precision Drills:
Reload Drills:

[gutted]

I'll start off.

Sound guy:
What the hell is the darkness passive ability for? And why does darkness affect the sound guy?

Torpedo man:
How much faster or further is each point in "overcharge torpedo". And wouldn't the torpedo being faster than it's listed speed totally fux up manual targetting? Anyone using a method that relies on a specific speed might want to steer clear of this.


I'll post more questions, but this is a start.

[Sgtmonkeynads]

All I know is that the diving skill level 2, makes my crashdive take four and a half seconds at full ahead. WAY TO FAST!!!!

Is there any penalty for NOT giving out these points? Their called promotion points, I figured they would raise moral if I gave them, but I ran out of abilities that would not drastically change the game [ ie. 4 second dives]

Does anyone have any information on this, or are we again left in the dark.

[Decoman]

Navigator: (Crush Depth)

I am thinking that using this command should perhaps be limited to a limited amont of usages so to speak. That way, pushing the uboat down to crush depth for the first time, should generally be ok, while repeated attempts would cause material fatigue. Perhaps someone knowledgable can sort out if such a problem is plausible, where material fatigue results from repeated dives to crush depth.

AND/OR

The crush depth ability could be some kind of ability for having the uboat stay longer at crush depth. Again, I wonder if this problem is plausible, that prolonged stay at crush depth, eventually cause material fatigue and impending disaster.

?
Would it be harder to navigate/manouver the uboat at crush depth? Maybe harder to control dive/rise rate? I don't know, but perhaps that could be another factor to include?

?
I don't really see how a navigator could personally change anything, for how a uboat handles the pressure at crush depth. Would it be a point at all to have the navigator rush the uboat down to crush depth as fast as possible?


Watch Officer: (Man Flack Gun)
If manning the flak gun in the shortest time possible is a point, then I think the AI has to work 100%. Both for when airplanes are spotted when they should be, and when the flak gun crew is supposed to open fire immedately after spotting, or immediately when the aircraft is in range. So I wonder if the AI is working well enough, so that the crew can spot and open fire on aircraft automatically. Maybe working with a captain's preset for the gunners to open fire at either long or short range?

[U-Bones]

I would have preferred documented variables to this WoW kiddie uber buff system. I guess the persistant connections stuff confused them and they think it is an online MMO now...

I ignore this kind of crap in game, many of he settings seem WAY too generous without awarding a point.

That said, I will happily leave it there for others to use. Not everyone gets into the mod scene, and this makes some "tweaks and settings" accessable to them.

With only a few early morale, UI and sensor tweaks, I am finding the kernel of a good game under all the mistakes and omissions. I was up until 3am, and logged out on the bottom of the channel, 46% hull, 5% CO2, and two escorts still very interested. Most fun I've had in quite a while, starting to look like this could be the end of a promising career...

[Decoman]

Torpedoman: (Pre-Heat Torpedo)
An on-screen-hint informed about (iirc) how electric torpedoes had their batteries taken out and heated every so often, in order to keep the performance at an optimal. Supposedly, the optimal way was to pre-heat the batteries to 30 deg Celcius prior to launching electric torpedoes, so that they reached 28 knots with a maximum range of 3.300 meters.

[mattgn]

Just thought I'd add this note so you'll all be aware (posted this bug in bug thread too).
When training up the full line of "Engine Tuning" you get up to 20 knots at flank. But when you submerge and then surface, the "Engine Tuning" has reset itself to 0, so you're back to trundling along at 15 knots at flank.
So before spending precious points in it, have a quick think.
Good eh?

[RickC Sniper]

I have not actually gotten started on a campaign yet, but how do you acquire these "points" needed to give the crew abilities?

[Iron Budokan]

All I know is that the diving skill level 2, makes my crashdive take four and a half seconds at full ahead. WAY TO FAST!!!!



Okay. I've been critical of this game. But...Wow. Are you serious? I swear I hadn't heard this before. Man, if this is true, it just goes to show you what direction this game was meant to go in, and be marketed in, and for whom it was marketed and developed, doesn't it?

Four and a half seconds for a crash dive. Sheesh.

I guess all you can do at this point is laugh about it.

[SteamWake]

I have not actually gotten started on a campaign yet, but how do you acquire these "points" needed to give the crew abilities?

Easy way to grab points right off the start is to go ahead through the 'tutoiral'. Anytime I start a new carrier I go ahead through the tutorial just to gain those points.

Why? I dont know I just seem to lose them on loading a saved game :doh:

Anyhow I have a question about 'active' abilitys. My soundguy :haha: has an ability of [reveal hidden enemys] but when I select him I see the ability is greyed out with a cost of 1 S.

Okay what is an S and why doesent he have any?

I mean the cook nailed that turbo turle soup and we had sent a few tons to the deep. Crew was in good moral.

[sideways]

the 's' is a point of morale, which you can get by chatting to the crew, serving special meals, and (i think) sinking lots of stuff.

you then get to spend it on these special abilities.

[SteamWake]

S=Morale makes perfect sense...

Good night forum :salute:

[Johansen Housen]

How about having 80+ apparently unspendable promotion points. I was able to "level up" my crew once. They each had a little golden plus sign in the bottom right corner of their portraits. Since then though nothing. My torp officer mentioned making a torpedo mine out of one by rigging the rudder to make it 360 in one spot. But I am beggining to think this is just misleading. Furthermore my crew is fully upgraded but crew efficiency is not maxed out. :o

[EAF274 Johan]

Just thought I'd add this note so you'll all be aware (posted this bug in bug thread too).
When training up the full line of "Engine Tuning" you get up to 20 knots at flank. But when you submerge and then surface, the "Engine Tuning" has reset itself to 0, so you're back to trundling along at 15 knots at flank.
So before spending precious points in it, have a quick think.
Good eh?
Are your batteries recharging, by any chance? That would explain the speed loss. Once they are fully recharged, you should be able to get full speed again.

[mattgn]

Yup, batteries fully charged.
And I've discovered why, well partly anyway, this is happening.
When I look at the crew sheet, the points I put into "Engine Tuning" have somehow been transferred to the Navigator/Chief Eng skill of reducing Dive Time..eh? I never put any points into that skill, but sure enough, according to the sheet I have. It's like as soon as you dive, your points get taken out of one skill and put into another skill that you didn't even want.