1st Career

[Red October1984]

As you can see by my sig...It did not go well.

Any advice for starting a career? I didnt see a ship until the 3rd patrol... :nope:

[BigWalleye]

Hey, being a dog robber isn't such a bad gig. It worked for Jim Garner!

Seriously, I like to start a career in an S-boat out of Manila in December '41. You don't have to go looking for the enemy. Just hang around, and they'll come to you. Caveat: I play RFB+RSRDC, so I don't know how well this'll work in TMO. YMMV. But there'll probably be plenty of action! :)

[Red October1984]

I'll try that out. I don't much like sailing from Pearl

[Armistead]

You're not gonna find much starting at Pearl, cept if you hang south of Wake, you'll run into a few CA groups.

If you want action, start at Manila. You'll also see a lot of action late Feb to about March 7 off the coast of Java or hang out in the strait right above Timor in Feb, you might catch the large carrier force making a foray into the Indian Ocean. That strait is a honey hole in Feb and a great ambush point, nothing can get passed you.

[Red October1984]

I started a new career out of Manila in the S-33 (U571 reference?) and i patrolled through the two coordinates they gave me. I had to RTB at best speed so i plotted course for Manila and went. But then, when I get there, Im out of gas and they changed bases on me. So i ran on batteries as far as i could. Then i decided what the hell and dived to crush depth and died.

I'll start again in a bit. :har:

[BigWalleye]

"Best speed" from a fuel conservation point of view is about 10 kts. in any American sub. Flank speed will run you dry in a hurry, and Full is not much better. Need to monitor Range at Present Speed, especially when you are below 50% fuel. And don't take statements like "at best speed" in the orders too literally. They expect you to figure out how to get back.

And, as you noticed, the situation in the Philipines in the first few months of the war is, as they say, "fluid." Always expect to have to shift base farther south, until you eventaully find yourself based in Australia. Keep fuel in hand.

[Armistead]

With TMO standard speed used to be 10 knots, but he decided to give people more speed at the same milage so people didn't have to snail around the ocean. If you actually go use 10 kts, your sub will get unreal milage. You also have several tabs with TMO where you can check milage at current speed, etc....

Now, how you ran out of fuel before Manila fell.....you would have to explain that, least you know when it will fall. Sometimes starting Manila I will use flank speed and head to the Bungo so I can attack the TF returning from attacking Pearl Harbor. If I flank back to base after the attack, I still make it in time.

I don't see how anyone can run out of gas in TMO if they go at 10kts, so if you run low, take advantage of it.

[Red October1984]

Thanks for the advice. I downloaded the Rescue Sub mod so if i'm in a pinch, I'll have a bit of help.

The TMO description wasnt kidding when it said that the A.I. is ramped up. Ive been getting shot at while almost out of visual range at night. :nope:


I will be getting the easier A.I. mod too.

[Hinrich Schwab]

Thanks for the advice. I downloaded the Rescue Sub mod so if i'm in a pinch, I'll have a bit of help.

The TMO description wasnt kidding when it said that the A.I. is ramped up. Ive been getting shot at while almost out of visual range at night. :nope:


I will be getting the easier A.I. mod too.

That is the big thing about TMO. The AI performs at extreme peak without altering files or more mods. I remembers some threads discussing anti-AI tactics that help mitigate this, but I cannot remember them for anything.:doh: It was another reason I chose RFB. The AI is still better than stock, but is not to the point of making Captain MacIntire of the HMS Walker look like an amateur, which many feel TMO is capable of doing.

The best advice for either of the megamods and the AI is to remember that they are just as good if not better than the GWX AI in SH3. Don't let them even think you are in the area.

[Bilge_Rat]

I play with the stock TMO 2.5 AI. It is tough, but not superhuman. I am not prepared to say it is not realistic.

You can sneak up on it at night. I managed to get within 1500 meters of a small TF, 1 CL, 2 DDs on the surface in Dec. 41 before they spotted me.

In daytime, they will spot you almost as soon as you can see them, so you pretty much have to dive as soon as smoke appears on the horizon.

Spotting is influenced by: light, sea state, speed, visual aspect, etc., so if you are running at flank speed parallel to an escort in daytime in calm weather, you will be picked up from much farther out than if you sneak in at night, slow speed, perpendicular in moderate waves, etc., etc.,

In SH5, there is also another modifier depending on whether the AI is on "Passive" or "Alert". "Alert" kicks in when any AI in the area spots you, a torpedo or something explodes. I have not been able to figure out if this is in SH3/4 as well.

Underwater, you can escape if you go deep and slow, only going to flank to escape DCs. I have been sunk or heavily damaged, but usually manage to escape.

TDWs IRAI AI in SH5 is a lot deadlier. :o

[Red October1984]

The Easier AI mod makes it easier. I'll play with that until it becomes too easy. When ive learned the game i'll take it off

[msumpsi]

Hi, i would recommend to be pacience. If you play RSRD for a while the initial frustrations will run out as you discover the sweet spots, and the is the reward of RSRD will not be a challenge anymore. If you learn those things too soon then you burn the campaign and will get bored with the game. That is my avice if you like the game enough to play it for a long time and enjoy it. If you just want to play the game occanionally then you can read some of ww2 pacific war history or just take a look at the ME files.

It also happend to me the first time i play the campaign, 2 patrols not anything to shoot. But this will change as you play. One little trick is to time compress either sumberged or surface pop out the clock and when you see a sttuter it means the game has load something into your sonar range, about 20nm, thene submerged go to sonar station an look for the green light, and you have a ship there. This 20nm is far beyond your sonarman cpacity and the suppoed capacity of your sonar ( about 7000 yards RFB in the begining), but it works and it seems to me unrealistic that by 1942 us sonar could only range 7000 yars while the german sonar could range about 20 kms. So although some consider it a cheat, i do not think it is, and brings more excitement to the game, since you are in a huge ocean by yourself and with a crew half blind and deaf.