Malfunctions + Sabotage?

[K-61]

I have enjoyed using SH3 Commander for its many great additions to the SH3 experience, but I have never enabled the "Malfunctions + Sabotage" option until my last two patrols. I have read a lot of scary stuff in other posts, but I have decided to be brave and give it a go.

I am now in February 1941, based at St. Nazaire. This is my second patrol with this option enabled, but so far I have not detected anything wrong.

Do you get something happening every patrol? Or is this a now and then thing? Does it increase in frequency or severity as the war progresses? Does the game notify you, or do you have to find the sabotage and malfunctions yourself? Alternately, can your boat put to sea seemingly find, and then later in your patrol it happens?

What types of events do you encounter? I was wondering if someone had tinkered with my torpedoes, as several of them were deep runners. On the other hand, I think this may still be due to early war torpedoes being faulty, a situation that is well depicted in LSH2015.

Thanks.

[Niedowidek]

Not sure if it's connected with this option but my seaman was killed once by partizans in 1939 when stationing in Kiel (a message when loading a game through SH3 Commander). German anti-nazi resistance was strong from the very beginning ;-)

[Sailor Steve]

I have enjoyed using SH3 Commander for its many great additions to the SH3 experience, but I have never enabled the "Malfunctions + Sabotage" option until my last two patrols. I have read a lot of scary stuff in other posts, but I have decided to be brave and give it a go.
I always have Malfunctions activated, and plan to add Sabotage if I ever get to a French base.

Do you get something happening every patrol? Or is this a now and then thing?
It's randomized, so it doesn't happen every patrol. I don't know what the parameters are, but they are listed in the cfg file in Commander that controls it, so you can actually change the way it works if you want.

Does it increase in frequency or severity as the war progresses?
Yes, the frequency changes.

Does the game notify you, or do you have to find the sabotage and malfunctions yourself?
No, it doesn't notify you. You'll be cruising along fat, dumb and happy and then you won't be able to use flank speed, or one of your periscopes will be blurry and out-of-focus because it's filled with water.

Alternately, can your boat put to sea seemingly find, and then later in your patrol it happens?.
That's the only way it happens. I've never seen something go wrong just as I'm leaving port, though I suppose it could happen. I'm pretty sure that you can simulate repairs by exiting and restarting the game.

What types of events do you encounter? I was wondering if someone had tinkered with my torpedoes, as several of them were deep runners. On the other hand, I think this may still be due to early war torpedoes being faulty, a situation that is well depicted in LSH2015.
A look at SH3 Commander/Cfg/Randomised events will tell you exactly what can go wrong and what the conditions are. You can also use that text file to change those conditions. You may encounter problems with flak guns, periscopes, snorkel, radar, engines (top speed reduced, cruising range decreased, crash depth increased), batteries (submerged speed and/or range decreased, dive time increased), jammed dive planes, and possibly some others that I missed.

[K-61]

Not sure if it's connected with this option but my seaman was killed once by partizans in 1939 when stationing in Kiel (a message when loading a game through SH3 Commander). German anti-nazi resistance was strong from the very beginning ;-)

That is an option called crew transfers or similar wording. One to two crewmen may be transferred to other commands, or get arrested, bumped off, etc. It can really ruin hit your morale when a trained gunner or repairman leaves your boat, but the needs of the service come first. Newly commissioned boats need a leavening of veterans.

Partisans in Kiel? Verdammt nochmal! Himmler better pull up his socks if that is happening.

[K-61]

I always have Malfunctions activated, and plan to add Sabotage if I ever get to a French base.


It's randomized, so it doesn't happen every patrol. I don't know what the parameters are, but they are listed in the cfg file in Commander that controls it, so you can actually change the way it works if you want.


Yes, the frequency changes.


No, it doesn't notify you. You'll be cruising along fat, dumb and happy and then you won't be able to use flank speed, or one of your periscopes will be blurry and out-of-focus because it's filled with water.

.
That's the only way it happens. I've never seen something go wrong just as I'm leaving port, though I suppose it could happen. I'm pretty sure that you can simulate repairs by exiting and restarting the game.


A look at SH3 Commander/Cfg/Randomised events will tell you exactly what can go wrong and what the conditions are. You can also use that text file to change those conditions. You may encounter problems with flak guns, periscopes, snorkel, radar, engines (top speed reduced, cruising range decreased, crash depth increased), batteries (submerged speed and/or range decreased, dive time increased), jammed dive planes, and possibly some others that I missed.


Steve, thanks for those helpful replies. Can any of these malfunctions or sabotage be remedied at sea, or are they dock repairs only? Yes, I know, check the files. Thanks.

On my most recent patrol I seem to have done well, with no noticed defects. However, on the way home my diesels started to make an off beat sound, as if something was clanking and causing them to run rough. In spite of that, they held together and my speed was not impaired.

Perhaps Kaleun is getting paranoid after listening to all those stories at the club?

[Sailor Steve]

Steve, thanks for those helpful replies. Can any of these malfunctions or sabotage be remedied at sea, or are they dock repairs only? Yes, I know, check the files. Thanks.
As I said, I believe that saving and restarting the game will fix things.

[K-61]

As I said, I believe that saving and restarting the game will fix things.

Sorry I didn't click mentally the first read through. I will keep that trick in mind if I judge the damage to be repairable at sea. Some might think that a "gamy" thing to do, but sometimes we have to do that sort of thing to get around something we might consider unreasonable.

Cheers!:salute:

[KingOfNothing22]

I've had it enabled for about 15 patrols with different careers now and so far only had one incident. It certainly makes for more interesting game play. Some kind of engine trouble - I couldn't make more than 8 knots! Luckily I was just off Norway so I decided to dock at Stavanger, upon resuming the patrol from there (though it's technically classed as a new one) everything was fine again.

[Sailor Steve]

Some might think that a "gamy" thing to do, but sometimes we have to do that sort of thing to get around something we might consider unreasonable.
I don't think it's "gamy" at all. The way it works is itself artificial, but it's the only way Jaesen could make it work. Of course most malfunctions could be repaired at sea, and were. Sabotage, on the other hand...

SH4 has nothing to compare to Commander, so one player who is also a board gamer came up with a series of die rolls for the player to simulate his own malfunctions. It's a bit of work, but it can be a lot of fun.

[K-61]

Steve, that takes me back to my teenage years [and later!] when I played war boardgames by the, now defunct, company known as Avalon Hill. With my brothers and friends we enjoyed endless hours of Third Reich, Panzerblitz, Panzer Leader, Midway, Squad Leader, Luftwaffe and another one, the title of which escapes me at present, which dealt with WW1 fighters, and maybe a few more I don't recall. Not all of them were wargames; I still own and enjoy both boardgame and PC game versions of Rail Baron.

I am now at that age where I am hoping for grandchildren who might wish to play such games with their grandfather. My son was interested for a short time in playing a few games with me, but he got diverted by other interests, which is fair enough. I want my kids to enjoy their own amusements in life, but if they coincide with mine, bonus. It may take a while anyway, as I only have two granddaughters at present and they are both less than six months old. :haha:

Edit: How could I forget the most relevant game to this forum: Submarine! It featured a board that depicted ocean, overruled with a numbered hexagonal grid system. It featured submarines from various nations, but the U-boats were our favourites. One player placed all of his vessels on the map and moved them turn by turn. The submarine player secretly plotted his own moves and attacks while the other person temporarily left the room or averted his eyes. The player with the ASW vessels moved his ships about and made his searches by consulting various charts and rolling the dice. When a submarine was "spotted" it was placed on the board for all play thereafter until it was again "undetected."

We spent many hours playing that one on the large dining room table. One time our father was serving up supper and came in with a dish of potatoes. He said to us, "Boys, can I place these potatoes on the table, or will I hit a mine?" :har:

Edit: I just remembered the name of the WW1 game: Richtofen's War. You used the dice in that one as well. When you attacked you sometimes scored a "critical hit." When you got one of those, you had to consult the Critical Hits Table and roll two dice. 12 was the one you hoped for: pilot killed. Other damage would be to ailerons, engine, rudder, etc. but the pilot killed result was heartbreaking. It ended the career of your pilot, just as getting killed does in SH3. You spent so much time and effort keeping him alive. If he got "Ace" status you enjoyed bonus benefits which allowed you to execute more agile combat maneuvers and made things harder for other non-ace pilots. SH3 is not the first game to give me the experience of vicarious attachment to a game personality.

[Kip Chiakopf]

SPI also had a good WWII submarine game, "Wolfpack."

[Sailor Steve]

Steve, that takes me back to my teenage years [and later!] when I played war boardgames by the, now defunct, company known as Avalon Hill. With my brothers and friends we enjoyed endless hours of Third Reich, Panzerblitz, Panzer Leader, Midway, Squad Leader, Luftwaffe and another one, the title of which escapes me at present, which dealt with WW1 fighters, and maybe a few more I don't recall. Not all of them were wargames; I still own and enjoy both boardgame and PC game versions of Rail Baron.
Funny, just a few weeks ago...
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=222269

Edit: I just remembered the name of the WW1 game: Richtofen's War. You used the dice in that one as well. When you attacked you sometimes scored a "critical hit." When you got one of those, you had to consult the Critical Hits Table and roll two dice. 12 was the one you hoped for: pilot killed. Other damage would be to ailerons, engine, rudder, etc. but the pilot killed result was heartbreaking. It ended the career of your pilot, just as getting killed does in SH3. You spent so much time and effort keeping him alive. If he got "Ace" status you enjoyed bonus benefits which allowed you to execute more agile combat maneuvers and made things harder for other non-ace pilots. SH3 is not the first game to give me the experience of vicarious attachment to a game personality.I've spent the last forty years of my life playing what I consider to be the best air war game ever made. We still get together every other Thursday to play. In fact, I'm about to load up the car and head there now.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2036879&postcount=36
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2159395&postcount=395
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=2214200&postcount=585