Hello from a Newb

[thebigJ_A]

Hey everybody!

So, I'm a history buff, but a complete virgin when it comes to sub sims. I've always had an interest in the Battle of the Atlantic, so when I saw the writeups of SH3 being done at Quarter to Three (http://www.quartertothree.com/fp/), I figured I'd give it a go.

I got SH3 off Steam, and the Grey Wolves mod, and I'm going to get Commander once I have a vague idea of what I'm doing. That could take a while, seeing as the manual just for the mod is 644 pages long!

I was just wondering if anyone had any advice on how to get to grips with this game. I see the SH3 Newbie Guide post, which helps (though the "community manual" appears to be down, which is unfortunate) but I think I need something even more basic. Any tips?

[Mouftic]

First of all welcome! :salute:

My advice to you would be to get the lastest patch and install GWX 3.0. and get to know the game, learn the keys, do the tutorials and you are on your way.

Play a little and then get commander.

Have fun.

[Fish In The Water]

I see the SH3 Newbie Guide post, which helps (though the "community manual" appears to be down, which is unfortunate) but I think I need something even more basic. Any tips?

Welcome aboard! :DL

There was a recent thread regarding the community manual, (might be helpful - web archive link)...

More info here:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=182023

[frau kaleun]

Welcome aboard!

I was just wondering if anyone had any advice

Don't get sunk. :O:

Other than that - RTFM (which is fine for me to say, I still haven't read the GWX manual all the way through :doh: ) and ask questions here.

Best advice I can think of for total n00b - don't make savegames when you are submerged, or within contact range (visual or on hydrophones) of other other ships, planes, land, etc. Corrupted savegames are a known unresolved issue with SH3. Some people never have any problems no matter when and where they make a save, but you never know... following the advice above seems to be the best way to avoid the problem insofar as it's possible to avoid it at all.

[Bakkels]

Welcome!

I guarantee you'll enjoy it. There are a lot of other mods out there that make the game a lot more fun. If you're new and you're using GWX, I do recommend installing the GWX_ContactColors mod. Otherwise all contacts will just be grey icons, and when you're just starting, that makes it a lot more difficult.
The manual is a very good read, and it looks like a lot to take in, but large parts of the manual are just descriptions of all the new ships/aircraft.
The most useful for you now (imo) are the appendices at the end of the manual. They give a very good explanation on how to play the game, and there's a ton of good tips in those.
Happy hunting!

Oh yeah, one more thing:
*Warning; Silent Hunter III may have adverse effects on your social life and / or your sanity*

[Herr-Berbunch]

Welcome aboard :salute:

Don't hold back in getting Commander installed! :yep:

SH3 from Steam should already be patched so you've no worries there. Have fun, sink 'em all, as some would say. Ask questions and let us know how you're getting on.

[thebigJ_A]

Thanks everybody! Quite friendly here, it seems.

...The most useful for you now (imo) are the appendices at the end of the manual. They give a very good explanation on how to play the game, and there's a ton of good tips in those.
...

This is just the sort of thing I needed. I might never have noticed those appendices had you not mentioned it, since, realistically, I probably wouldn't have gotten through the whole manual before starting a campaign.

Unfortunately that archive of the community manual just has the front page. I'll just have to make due with what's available. Any advice on which '39 flotilla to start with? Does it matter?

Edit: Oh, and I just want to say, whoever is responsible for the GWX manual is my new favorite person. It's full of a ridiculous amount of information that they really didn't need to put in. They could have just given an outline of what the mod does. Instead, there's instructions on how to play, as well as all this awesome historical background info. It's the sort of stuff that increases one's appreciation for what's happening in game. I really think he/they went above and beyond.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Any advice on which '39 flotilla to start with? Does it matter?


To start with I'd go for Wilhelmshaven, as you want to be out into the depths (?) of the North Sea as soon as you can. Going either through the Kattegat or the Kiel Canal, as scenic as they may be, seemingly take forever.

After there I'd recommend jumping to any of the French Ports as soon as you can. Although somebody will probably come along now with a great reason why not to...

[Bakkels]

To start with I'd go for Wilhelmshaven, as you want to be out into the depths (?) of the North Sea as soon as you can. Going either through the Kattegat or the Kiel Canal, as scenic as they may be, seemingly take forever.

After there I'd recommend jumping to any of the French Ports as soon as you can. Although somebody will probably come along now with a great reason why not to...

Nope. I always do the exact same thing :up:
Plus, if you start out in Wilhelmshaven, you're in the 2nd flotilla, and the 2nd flotilla gets the Type VII and IX earliest in the game I think.

[frau kaleun]

Nope. I always do the exact same thing :up:
Plus, if you start out in Wilhelmshaven, you're in the 2nd flotilla, and the 2nd flotilla gets the Type VII and IX earliest in the game I think.

2 Flotilla, Wilhelmshaven, Type VII... FTW! :yeah:

[Sailor Steve]

WELCOME ABOARD! :sunny:

Edit: Oh, and I just want to say, whoever is responsible for the GWX manual is my new favorite person.
That would be Pablo, with help from a bunch of other folks.

It's full of a ridiculous amount of information that they really didn't need to put in. They could have just given an outline of what the mod does. Instead, there's instructions on how to play, as well as all this awesome historical background info. It's the sort of stuff that increases one's appreciation for what's happening in game. I really think he/they went above and beyond.
There was a time when official game manuals were like this, and the came in print form in the game box. Things have changed since then, and not for the better.

[Bakkels]

Things have changed since then, and not for the better.

Is you birthday getting to you Steve? ;) :D

[Gargamel]

There was a time when official game manuals were like this, and the came in print form in the game box. Things have changed since then, and not for the better.

Yes, i can remember games that were so 'weak', or limited in some way (graphics, CPU power, etc), that they required that amount of historical context to make it playable. The large amount of information those manuals provided ended up immersing you way more than you would have other wise been able. As mentioned todays games just dont have that immersion.

[Hotspur1337]

I can't find the GWX_ContactColors mod. Anyone have a link?

[frau kaleun]

I can't find the GWX_ContactColors mod. Anyone have a link?

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/downloads.php?do=file&id=33

:salute:

[Hotspur1337]

Thanks, Frau Kaluen, just found it.

Sometimes searching these forums is hard. You have to have the exact wording.

[Hotspur1337]

Also, can you confirm that it is compatible with GWX3? It doesn't say so in the description and I don't want to take a chance of messing up the game.

Thanks.

[frau kaleun]

Also, can you confirm that it is compatible with GWX3? It doesn't say so in the description and I don't want to take a chance of messing up the game.

Thanks.

Yes, it was designed for GWX - what it does is return the relevant files to their original pre-GWX versions, so ships are still color-coded on your Nav map and the navigational tails are visible again.

[Hotspur1337]

Cool. That's one thing GWX changed that I didn't like. I'm not good enough yet. When I get better, I'll remove the mod.

[Gargamel]

IMO, unless you are going for a a more gamey feel, try to play without that mod. Yeah it sucks for a while, but you get used to it, and it adds more tension and challenge to the game. Having that unknown contact appear, and then trying to figure out if it's worth killing, or if it's going to kill you is a lot of fun for me.

But as it should be the mantra of this forum, play the game as you want to play it. Everybodys definition of fun is different.

Sometimes searching these forums is hard. You have to have the exact wording.

If you are having trouble using the search, sometimes use google. Subsim forums are frequently at the top of the list, and if that doesn't work add "site:subsim.com" (I forget the exact syntax though), it will search only ss.c, and it frequently provides better results than our built in search.

[Hotspur1337]

Good point.

Hmmm...maybe I just need a good reference for who the neutral nations were. That part of the history I'm a little fuzzy on.

[Gargamel]

Good point.

Hmmm...maybe I just need a good reference for who the neutral nations were. That part of the history I'm a little fuzzy on.


Ahhhh! You're in for a treat!

You can eaither hit F1, and try to figure out which nation is on that flag...

or.....

You can use the "flaggen" (?) pull down tab found in the top left of the UZO / Scope views. This shows the Flags, nations name, side, and dates of which side they were on.

That's what makes it fun! If they made something harder in GWX, they added the appropriate tools to make it more fun.

[frau kaleun]

I used it and really appreciated it as a n00b, losing that additional info (as unrealistic as it was) was quite a shock when I installed GWX.

Now that I've got the MFM, I had to grit my teeth and let the color-coding go. The whole point of having "neutral"-looking ships spawn from enemy rosters is to give you the responsibility of deciding which ships are truly neutral and which aren't... which gets completely negated if the Nav map is doing the work for you.

I'm keeping the navigational tails, though, for now. Baby steps!

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zinu6MzEMpI/S-gZFI5_tiI/AAAAAAAAAEI/RtKDbo1oRFw/s1600/bill_murray_what_about_bob_i_feel_good.jpg

[Jimbuna]

Welcome to SubSim Kaleun http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/welcome.gif

[thebigJ_A]

Ooh, I found a Let's Play, here (http://www.youtube.com/user/Frontier359#p/c/68ECAB3D3D6DA949). (It's under "Playlists")

I'm going to check it out, it may be helpful.

[desirableroasted]

I'm keeping the navigational tails, though, for now. Baby steps!

You know, the tails are only indicative of "SW" "SSW" etc. And drawing a line through them accurately is pretty much impossible.

So when I lost the tails, I started using the "Ruler" with the enhancement (the ? mark tool). It lets you draw an accurate line "north" or "east-south-east" from a target, without trying to use the "tail".

Obviously, the real course can be several degrees port or starboard of the reported one, but at least you lose the imprecision of trying to align with the tail.

[thebigJ_A]

Well, I went through the training missions (turns out I'm crap at torpedoes!) and started a campaign. This one's just to mess around with while I figure things out.

My first cruise so far has been interesting. I successfully sunk a Polish merchant (with the deck gun; it didn't seem worth a torp and I didn't think I'd hit anyway). Then, while I was heading the long way around the Shetlands to get to my assigned patrolling area, I noticed a contact off to the North.

I now understand how all those scouts in WWII mistook small ships for bigger ones. In the twilight I saw what seemed like two huge ships and a smaller one heading right towards me. I got all excited, thinking I could take out a battleship or some such. Of course they turned out to be three destroyers, one a tad smaller than the rest. Feeling foolish, I decided to get revenge by killing at least one of them.

Bad idea.

It was dark by now, so I submerged and slowly put myself in a position a bit to the side of their path and waited. I let the first two pass to focus on the third. He was a bit closer, and it took me forever to identify which type of Brit destroyer it was. I was just finishing putting in the data when spotlights lit up everywhere! The destroyer fired a star-shell (I didn't even know that could happen!) and they opened up on me. Miraculously I remembered the button to crash-dive, and I spent the next two hours dodging depth charges.

Somehow I came out of it unscathed. It was very close. I probably would've missed with that torp, anyway. It's what I get for trying to play a sim like a normal game, I guess.

It was awesome!

[Sailor Steve]

:rotfl2::rock: Welcome to the wonderful world of simulated reality. Games are fun, but a good sim will amaze, terrify and delight all at the same time.

[MILLANDSON]

Ooh, I found a Let's Play, here (http://www.youtube.com/user/Frontier359#p/c/68ECAB3D3D6DA949). (It's under "Playlists")

I'm going to check it out, it may be helpful.

I watch that LP too, and whilst it's fun, you have to watch out, because he often makes mistakes in sorting out his torpedo runs and the like.

[Madox58]

I still haven't read the GWX manual all the way through
:o
BLASPHEMER! BLASPHEMER!
Burn the Witch!!
http://mmoreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/3b9f4cf5-burn-the-witch-burn-witch-kill-monty-python-demotivational-poster-1223816026.jpg

[thebigJ_A]

I watch that LP too, and whilst it's fun, you have to watch out, because he often makes mistakes in sorting out his torpedo runs and the like.

I've only watched the first 5 or so. I'm hoping he actually explains how to use the nav map to find out positions and such, and what the heck I'm supposed to do with all the fiddly knobs on the attack map. I always learn best by reading something, then seeing it done on a video when it comes to things like this.

[frau kaleun]

You know, the tails are only indicative of "SW" "SSW" etc. And drawing a line through them accurately is pretty much impossible.

So when I lost the tails, I started using the "Ruler" with the enhancement (the ? mark tool). It lets you draw an accurate line "north" or "east-south-east" from a target, without trying to use the "tail".

Obviously, the real course can be several degrees port or starboard of the reported one, but at least you lose the imprecision of trying to align with the tail.

I don't have any problems using the ruler to draw an extension from the tail showing a prospective course for a target. Depending on how close I was zoomed in when I drew it, the ship might actually be sailing some distance to one side of it or the other, but they're usually doing so on a course parallel to the line itself so the heading is pretty accurate. By the time I'm within range to start setting up a shot I've had plenty of time to adjust for any other inaccuracies.

[Gargamel]

:o
BLASPHEMER! BLASPHEMER!
Burn the Witch!!
http://mmoreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/3b9f4cf5-burn-the-witch-burn-witch-kill-monty-python-demotivational-poster-1223816026.jpg

http://www.smbc-comics.com/comics/20061117.gif

[frau kaleun]

http://rlv.zcache.com/emperor_palpatine_dont_tase_me_bro_poster-p228319364026046006vsu7_500.jpg