Understanding My Career

[Reinhard Dietz]

I'm distinctly new to the notion of multiple objectives that may require a rearming/refueling at a port while staying out on patrol. Suffice it to say that this ol' Kriegsmarine hand is sort of confused as to how this should work if one is going to play with an eye towards reality.

If I understand it right, so long as the boat isn't damaged and the crew's alive, I can keep sailing right on along with new objectives after starting in mid-December 1941, right up until August of 1945, unless the career ends for me. Given that I'm used to the concept of long R&R in and around Lorient, this is a bit alien to me, and I don't think I understand how to do all this.

What's the "realistic" way to play all this while keeping the picky logic of the game's mission objective system happy? I want to try and make it to August 1945, so how do I go about doing that? I'm just in the stock campaign, running around in a Sargo, if that's any assistance. I don't even know the rated patrol duration for this thing--would you reset it after a trip to a refit port, or not?

[Gibus]

You must know that all ships and convoys that you will encounter in the course of a career are stored in files that are activated depending on their timing and off depending on their end date.
For a career it has maybe 10 or 15 successive files. For a file is enabled, you must sail after its start date. So if you make a career without ever returning to port after a while, you will not encounter more enemies or friends.
Furthermore you and your crew will never receive a reward. Too bad!

Good hunting.

[magic452]

Early in the war I will try to complete 3 or 4 missions, by than fuel and arms are low so I just don't call in and RTB when I have to. Completing missions will get you a better boat sooner. I also have a 60 day more or less, limit on any patrol, refits or not. Out of Pearl I fuel at Midway on the way out and if necessary on the way back.

The only time I refit is when something unusual happens very early in a patrol. EX just pulled out of Midway on my way to Japan and ULTRA advised about the IJN invasion task force. Intersected the TF and used most of my torpedoes. I did a refit at Midway and than continued to Japan. Had huge tonnage on that one as I sank 3 CV's in the TF and found a very good convoy near Japan. Feeling real good about myself and when returning to Pearl I hit one of those small islands near Midway and almost sank my boat. :eek: :know:

If you keep calling in they will keep giving you new missions, very seldom get a RTB order so 60 days seems the best. If you don't complete a mission it's no big deal if you've sunk enough ships.

At least in this game Fleetboat captains have a lot of discreation.

Magic

[Armistead]

I allow one refit, sometimes two if I know I need to get something. In reality crews didn't do 3 day refits and had back to sea over and over, but you can do so within the game to a point. Some refit many times, just not realistic. I'll complete one patrol and go hunting where the ships are, sometimes two patrols if they're close.

Only danger about many refits is all that info has to store. Many have complained getting to a point and bam, crash. More danger in saving lots of sunk ships, patrols, ect..just more error for bugs if you save and reload a lot, so be careful.

[HMCS]

I role play it out. I stay at sea a maximum of 2 months; in reality, that's about all a crew could stomach before efficiency dropped like a rock.

I will top up fuel tanks once on my way out, and once on the way home.

It's a shame that the crew replacements are hard coded; IRL fleet boats rotated 20% of their crews out to other boats or new construction. Crews were always a mix of green and veteran seamen.

[WarlordATF]

I hardly ever radio home, i go out do whats ordered of me and head back home. Now if its a photo recon or insertion mission i'll take some time to stalk the shipping lanes looking for targets, but using the radio gives away my position so i avoid that as much as possible.

As to reality, The Captain of the USS Shark was chastised by command for reporting too many contacts with too little info, shortly after that the Shark was never heard from again. Its possible that the reports he sent gave the boats location away and it was located and sunk due to this. We will probably never know because the final resting place of the USS Shark is still unknown.

I have never had a problem with my career by not using the Radio or even not completing a mission. If they send me on a suicide mission i never leave port, i just dock again and get a new mission. I blame a faulty hatch or machinery and take the next mission offered and i have made it to late 1944 without any issues (After that i was sunk and had to start over LOL)

[Bothersome]

What I'd like to know is...

Once you complete your primary mission. When you sail off doing your own thing, do other ships and convoys appear the same as when you radio in for a new mission? In other words, if I radio for a new mission and get one. Are more ships generated as a new mission is created versus not getting a new mission?

[razark]

What I'd like to know is...

Once you complete your primary mission. When you sail off doing your own thing, do other ships and convoys appear the same as when you radio in for a new mission? In other words, if I radio for a new mission and get one. Are more ships generated as a new mission is created versus not getting a new mission?

The ships are there. The only difference is whether you have an assigned mission or not.

[Admiral8Q]

It's good to end your patrol after a month or two. That creates new opportunities. You can upgrade your sub, and crew, give promotions or fire the useless idiots. I tend to roleplay myself, (it is a game after all) and give medals to the crew that really helped out in the last patrol.

[Reinhard Dietz]

OK, so about 50-60 days at sea all things being equal and do what's necessary to meet about four or five objectives? That's fine; I just want to avoid being sent home early.

I think I've found some kind of convoy up ahead anyways; I've just got to loiter long enough so that it's nightfall when I arrive. That'll be about the third or fourth objective for my first patrol, so yay. Thanks for the input!

[Maverick342]

Does anyone know if there are saved careers to download for training (Starting out in middle of battle?) so you can continue the career from that point forward.:salute:

[magic452]

Welcome to the boat mate.

Nothing like that, wouldn't work anyways as everybody plays different mods.

The closest thing is to play a single war patrol like Hellcat.
You can use it as a training mission.. Can refit as many times as you want.
Get a good situation save and replay it. Forget the star mission just go to Java Sea/ Flores Sea, Luzon Strait, etc. Very good training and no career pressure to worry about.

Magic