Gameplay Questions/Advice

[Nukesub]

Ahoy Gents!

Bit o background here, I originally started playing SHIII back in March and then picked up DW at the end of this summer. Really enjoy it, don't get as much time as I'd like to play it but hey, thats life :yeah:

I have a few questions I was hoping some of the DW vets could weigh in on.

I play stock DW, FYI.

I have a basic understanding of all the different platforms stations and how to operate them (except for FFG7 torpedo control and TMA). Some questions I have though are:

1). What is the recommended speed of the LA and sea wolf? Or, in general, how do I know what speed I should go when stalking/hunting another sub?

Generally I don't know if 5 or 3 knots is better/more appropriate. For that matter, shouldn't the sea wolf tactical/silent speed be HIGHER than the LA?

2). I was recently playing the player made mission "We Dive at Dawn". At one point I was ordered to establish a covert trail on a Victor. Here is my predicament though.

Say I can determine the course, speed, and somewhat accurate range of the victor. He is 6.5 nm away, do I somehow adjust my own course to come up behind him and try to stay directly behind him? Would that be considered tailing? and if that is the case, I lose my best sensor on him! (towed array baffle is directly in front of the sub). More over, HIS towed array would still be able to read me. I guess I am confused on what tailing constitutes.

I'd figure tailing is getting in behind their sub just like they do in some of the stories in Blind Mans Bluff (Whitey Mack's tale comes to mind).

3). Strike missiles like the TLAM. I have failed horribly with these so far. It was in the same mission "We Dive at Dawn" (very fun mission btw). I was ordered to strike a shack ( little yellow x on the geoplot) 50 nm or more inland.

Here is how it went:

I open the fire control station. Assigned 2 TLAM's to the inland target track number, then launched. Both TLAMs flew off in the OPPOSITE direction of the target, straight out to sea until they ran out of fuel :hmmm:

I tried again, this time with waypoints. The TLAMs did go to shack, but the waypoints were just barely off the actual physical location of the shack and they blew up on the ground dealing no damage to the shack.

Finally, I right clicked the shack on the geoplot, engaged, then selected TLAM's. These were my last two in this mission. They got halfway there overland then disappeared. No idea why, maybe terrain?

Is there a better way to do this? What is the recommended/successful procedure?

4). Covering distance - Near the beginning of "We Dive at Dawn" I have transit ~40 nm in 3 hours. What is the best way to do this? If there is a layer, should I just go below it, kick up to the minimum speed to make it on time, sprint for some time (how long?), then come up and listen? Then sprint again?



Thanks in advance guys,
I appreciate everyone's input/thoughts.

-Nuke

[FPSchazly]

Ahoy Gents!
1). What is the recommended speed of the LA and sea wolf? Or, in general, how do I know what speed I should go when stalking/hunting another sub?

Generally I don't know if 5 or 3 knots is better/more appropriate. For that matter, shouldn't the sea wolf tactical/silent speed be HIGHER than the LA?

2). I was recently playing the player made mission "We Dive at Dawn". At one point I was ordered to establish a covert trail on a Victor. Here is my predicament though.

Say I can determine the course, speed, and somewhat accurate range of the victor. He is 6.5 nm away, do I somehow adjust my own course to come up behind him and try to stay directly behind him? Would that be considered tailing? and if that is the case, I lose my best sensor on him! (towed array baffle is directly in front of the sub). More over, HIS towed array would still be able to read me. I guess I am confused on what tailing constitutes.

I'd figure tailing is getting in behind their sub just like they do in some of the stories in Blind Mans Bluff (Whitey Mack's tale comes to mind).

3). Strike missiles like the TLAM. I have failed horribly with these so far. It was in the same mission "We Dive at Dawn" (very fun mission btw). I was ordered to strike a shack ( little yellow x on the geoplot) 50 nm or more inland.

Here is how it went:

I open the fire control station. Assigned 2 TLAM's to the inland target track number, then launched. Both TLAMs flew off in the OPPOSITE direction of the target, straight out to sea until they ran out of fuel :hmmm:

I tried again, this time with waypoints. The TLAMs did go to shack, but the waypoints were just barely off the actual physical location of the shack and they blew up on the ground dealing no damage to the shack.

Finally, I right clicked the shack on the geoplot, engaged, then selected TLAM's. These were my last two in this mission. They got halfway there overland then disappeared. No idea why, maybe terrain?

Is there a better way to do this? What is the recommended/successful procedure?

4). Covering distance - Near the beginning of "We Dive at Dawn" I have transit ~40 nm in 3 hours. What is the best way to do this? If there is a layer, should I just go below it, kick up to the minimum speed to make it on time, sprint for some time (how long?), then come up and listen? Then sprint again?



Thanks in advance guys,
I appreciate everyone's input/thoughts.

-Nuke

1) If dealing with enemy subs, I'll always try and go 3 knots unless conditions dictate otherwise (I have to get somewhere within a certain time or something). I may get impatient at some point and go to 5 knots so my towed straightens out more quickly. Or maybe just through turns.

Yes, the Seawolf is quieter than the LA.

2) I wouldn't say towed is the best sensor; it simply has the highest detection range. Honestly, I prefer using the spherical/cylindrical and the hull arrays when I can because they're not susceptible to inaccuracies due to the towed turning or being pushed around by currents or something. So, I tend to use the towed to initialize contact and then I like to refine my solutions with spherical/cylindrical and hull, when possible.

Yes, that is what tailing is, and yes, that's why Victors got toweds: to thwart tails. I know they technically have towed arrays, but I'm not sure if Dangerous Waters actually models it. I'm not sure what the conditions for tailing in that mission constitute, but usually when I've read stories of submarines tailing submarines, they're usually within 2 nm, I'd say.

3) No, not really. I hate missions that require me to use the TLAMs as they are quite buggy. Also, if you launch TLAMs and then save the mission, leave the game, and come back to that save game, your TLAMs will never blow up on the target, they'll just fly around it. (Shameless plug: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwngIHOEK9s&t=4m12s)

4) I'd probably go for minimum speed to make it on time, maybe a few minutes buffer. Either that or you could do sprint and drift, sprint for a bit and then slow down to listen. If you're pretty confident no one is around (can be hard with those pesky Kilos), I'd say sprint and drift. If the minimum speed is like 15 knots or above, I'd probably rather sprint and drift then make that kind of noise for a constant amount of time.

These are just my opinions, others will have theirs. Hope this helps!