Your favourite realism settings

[Nemo66]

Hi mates,

i'd like to talk a bit about realism settings. Which settings do you like the most and which do you use in your career?

After years of playing easy and medium, i am now very close to full realism, the settings name in English is "historic" i think. If i remember right, these names differ from english to EU versions. I think the 4 stock settings don't really satisfy anyway; i mostly use a personalized setting. Although i love to watch my boat from the outside, i don't use the outside cams at the moment. This makes the game a lot harder as you know, especially evading when detected underwater is really hard. But it makes your hair stand up, when you only can wait if your evasive course brings you out of the WaBos damaging range, or if you are blown away the very next moment.

What are your favourite realism settings/features? Do you play always the same or do you change back and forth also (like i do)

[UKönig]

I play the game to just enjoy myself, a simulated U-boat captain. Probably about as close to the actual environment as I would want to go.
I grew up in a navy family, from Halifax, NS. Which is one of the main staging points for convoy operations. This was taught to us as local history. Also, in the First world war, Halifax was destroyed by a large explosion when two frieghters, one french, the other norwegian, one an ammution carrier, the other a medical ship, collided in the harbour. As a result, we are kind of raised as kids to 'not like' the Germans. So this is my way of rebelling against that prejudice instilled when I was young. Now I've gone "full German", funny how things turn out. Anyway, I use about 42-47% realism. 47% is with unlimited gas, but limited battery (primarily). Limited air, both bottled and breathable. I have to have some ability to get away on my own merits, and if I can't in time...

[Scout614]

i do 49% witch is dud torpedos limited gas o2 compressed air realistic reload time and i believe realistic sinking times. i am a commanding officer my job is to command the boat not run the radio and the hydrophones. its not my job to plot attack charts nor is it mine to navigate. i make the orders and my men do as i say. to quote UKonig's signatute:Because I'm the captain, that's why! im an officer not a grunt

[UKönig]

i do 49% witch is dud torpedos limited gas o2 compressed air realistic reload time and i believe realistic sinking times. i am a commanding officer my job is to command the boat not run the radio and the hydrophones. its not my job to plot attack charts nor is it mine to navigate. i make the orders and my men do as i say. to quote UKonig's signatute:Because I'm the captain, that's why! im an officer not a grunt

I like where your head's at! :cool:

[Obltn Strand]

100% realism, NYGM, and I will take anything modders can create against my tonnage...

[Scout614]

I like where your head's at! :cool:

ditto:agree:

[kvbrock82]

I like to use 100% realism except I keep map updates on.. I would like to keep the external camera on to admire the scenery however i find myself cheekily using it when i shouldnt be so recently have decided to disable it.. i just cant trust myself :rotfl2:

[sublynx]

NYGM allows 100 % realism despite me having external view on. I have been thinking about allowing weapon officer solutions, as plotting properly would really need someone else to mark the bearings I get while using the periscope. I can pause the game of course but that slows the game down.

I wonder if I could train my wife or kids to do the plotting :ping:

[CCIP]

100% realism, NYGM, and I will take anything modders can create against my tonnage...

Same :D

Likewise, for a better experience, adding some house rules to set limits on your behaviour also help realism :yep:

[sik1977]

71% realism... can go a bit higher and give up event camera, and maybe even free view, but really keep it on for enjoyment in seeing my victims sink and burn...

But honestly, 71% is perhaps on the easy side as I have 3 million tonnage now in GWX 2.1 in some 25 or so patrols....

[CCIP]

But honestly, 71% is perhaps on the easy side as I have 3 million tonnage now in GWX 2.1 in some 25 or so patrols....

Yes, although I think here house rules and career limits play more of a role than settings. Kretschmer scored his record total in only 7 patrols on a Type VII. But no commander ever made even close to 25 - even 10 in a frontline ocean-going boat was an unusually long career.

The other side is that even at 100% there's a lot of things the game lets you do that real commanders wouldn't. That's why many players will introduce house rules (DiD play being the most common one, but there's many others you can come up with).

But the most important thing is that you enjoying your game the way that you like it best :yep:

[Kielhauler1961]

81% is the number displayed when I've checked all the boxes I want to check but it doesn't mean anything to me. I like the event camera and, as others have said, I don't believe that the captain's job is micro-managing every station or duty on the boat. I also prefer to crawl about mostly at x1 TC but that's mainly because I don't like surprises at higher TC. The only time I use any of the 'unlimited' options is if I feel like making a patrol to the Caribbean in my Type II.:D

I expect my weapon's officer to work for his salary, just like everybody else, although I do have one non-working crewmember who is excused all watch duties as he has the most important job of all on the boat - the cook! The only time I'll normally head home before expending all torpedoes is if we run short of coffee. The lack of a 'We're running short on provisions, Sir' factor in the game is a glaring omission, more so than fuel. I guess we've all got the 'unlimited sandwiches' option checked?

It's always amused me how the argument over 'realism' rumbles on. None of us have commanded a real U-Boat so it's all just hot air. Play the sim the way you want to, the way it gives you the greatest satisfaction. It's a game after all, not a job.

KH

[BigWalleye]

Rockin' Robbins (over on the SH4 forum) said it well:

"Realism isn't about the settings. it's about how you play the game."

[u crank]

It's always amused me how the argument over 'realism' rumbles on. None of us have commanded a real U-Boat so it's all just hot air. Play the sim the way you want to, the way it gives you the greatest satisfaction. It's a game after all, not a job.
KH

Well said Mate. :salute:

For me if you can play a simulation like SH3 and have those heart stopping, scare the crap out of you moments as well as the times when you accomplish something, all while sitting in a comfortable chair....well that's what its all about. Great fun. :up:

BTW I play at 79%. Map contacts on and external view.

[Sailor Steve]

I'm running at 84%. I don't use the Event Camera because pop-ups of any kind annoy me. I do use the External Cam, because I like looking at all the cute things there are to see. I'm terrible at any kind of calculations, so I have Manual Targeting on but use WE Assistance.

It's always amused me how the argument over 'realism' rumbles on. None of us have commanded a real U-Boat so it's all just hot air. Play the sim the way you want to, the way it gives you the greatest satisfaction. It's a game after all, not a job.
Yes and no. The concept of 'Realism' is an art term, and has nothing to do with reality itself, but with the depiction of reality.

I've played naval games for thirty years now, mostly tabletop miniatures games. They have had an ongoing argument for a lot longer than that, called "Realism vs Playability", the idea being that with a hands-on game it is difficult to have both at the same time. The more "realistic" the game gets the more complicated it gets, and the harder it is to play. I like to change "realism" to "feel". Does it feel real to the player?

Yes, it's just a game. No, it can never be real. On the other hand, for some of us that feeling of reality is something to strive for. That said, we all have different limits. I have no desire to play in real time, especially because for me that is less "realistic". Other people do.

While "Realism" is in the title, I think it's an accepted fact that we're not talking about reality, but about how "real" it feels to the individual player.

NYGM allows 100 % realism despite me having external view on.
It is possible to adjust the settings so different functions control different percentages. I have mine set so the "Realism" shows at 99%. 100% prevents teleporting home, which is extremely unrealistic, but then so is not being able to maneuver with your engines when the rudder is destroyed.

[Tupolev]

NYGM at 100% plus some house rules with Hitmans optics. Stabilize view is the only option I'm using.

I finally just stopped using the Assisted Plotting Mod. Been trying to do most of my aiming via the bridge, binocular, and UZO/periscopes. AOB estimates by eye are hard! I realize now why Kaleuns ran to AOB 0 a lot before attacking then closed to ~500m.

Had my best patrol yet with this kind of shooting though. Sank 7 ships out of Freetown. 6 were in convoys too. Only missed with 6 torpedoes!

i love how many ways there are to play this game. Whether you want pure destruction, look at the sights, or a realistic experience chances are there's a mod and setting for you!

T

[Zedwardson]

I play 45-47 percent on the realism settings, but since I play Dead is Dead and GWX, I still get mauled a fair bit.