Your best hints

[Darth Brooks]

I'll give the obligitory "New Here, Just got the Game" out of the way and ask my question.

What's your best advice for a newbie? What deciding tactic has helped you the most to go from fish food to hunter? I've been reading up on what I can before starting the first patrol and though I'd ask the forum (and game veterns) for advice FIRST, before making some stupid and fatal mistakes.

(noting that this topic may have been brought up numerous times.....)

[slow_n_ez]

You'll actually have a boat that can go below the surface of the water.. Good place to hide :lol:

[Sir Big Jugs]

The community manual:

http://www.communitymanuals.com/shiii/index.php?title=Main_Page

[donut]

DD's,Learn there distance being able to sight you & hear you,noise meter.Keep your distance,scope low, takeum out,if you need hole in screen, to axcess convy other wise don't waste torps.Little tonnage.

[jasondef]

Use the deck guns for the small fry, save your torps for C2's, C3's, T2's, T3's, passenger liners, and other big ships. Use the deck gun as much as you can early in the patrol, as later in the patrol the weather can get bad and stay bad, making it unusable!

Its fun to get right in the middle of a convoy and start blowing things up, the escorts can't find you in the middle of all that traffic!

[Graafenstein]

For each 40 000 tons sunk, you get the Gold Cross medal,
which you can give to a crew member for infinite fatigue.

When a convoy appears, always go for the ships with high renown/tonnage first.

Be careful when asking the navigator for depth under keel,
as he pings (position giveaway!) to determine the depth.

Happy hunting!

[STEED]

When in among a convoy select your targets carefully, and keep a watch on escort ships, only attack if the odds are in your favour, overlapping shots are good. If you’re in a position to study your enemy do so and plan your attack, better odds if you can plan. Never risk reckless attacks.

[Darth Brooks]

Thank you (for the responses so far)

I like these two best (again, so far);

Be careful when asking the navigator for depth under keel,
as he pings (position giveaway!) to determine the depth.

Use the deck gun as much as you can early in the patrol, as later in the patrol the weather can get bad and stay bad, making it unusable!

Very good hints so far and if you have more to add feel free to do it.

[THE_MASK]

Don,t die .

[Letum]

Read the community manuals, search the forums for them. Some are VERY helpful.
:D

Enjoy the game!

[SubSerpent]

-Slow and quiet is the key!

-When stalking a convoy it's best to stay hidden. I like to run on the surface during the night time and when I see smoke on the horizon in the day I dive and go slow.

-Don't waste torpedos on warships such as DDs, they're just not worth it unless it becomes critical for survival.

-Your best weapon is your ability to sink below the sea and 'hide'.

-Don't play Rambo in this sim and try to take on escort ships and lone destroyers or you will become food for the fish my friend.

-It's good practice to use your observation periscope to get a look see at what's above you before surfacing. The OB scope dosen't zoom out as far as the attack scope but it can see upwards better, allowing you to see if there is any aircraft lingering about.

-Do your assigned patrol first before hunting for ships in other patrol grids. It is foolish to waste so much free renown. In smaller U-boats such as the type II you will not have enough fuel for much of anything after doing your assigned patrol so don't be foolish and try or you will be driftwood out there for enemy warships.

-Don't stand behind the sonar man and make funny faces at him. I tried this once but he caught me and gave me a backslap across the chin.

-Keep an eye out on your crew. I've caught a few of mine using the sausages for 'other purposes' that are not defined by the Kreigsmarine.

[bookworm_020]

Use your flack guns for all small vessels (small costal, tugs, fishing boats and elcos :arrgh!: ). Save your deckgun rounds for costal and small merchants.

Star shells can also be used against ships if the range is lower than 1500m.

Don't use torps to finnish off criple thats doing only one or two knots, use the deck gun, aiming at the waterline. This is a good tactic early in the war, but by 1942 most ships will be armed so torps will be the best option. :up:

Small tankers, Costal and small merchants - 1 torp.

C2, C3, T2, T3, Victory ships - 1-2 torps

Troop ships and passenger liners - 2-3 torps

Sometimes you can use one torp on a ship and it will sink, using the vunability mod for the recogniction guide will help you place torp for maxium damage (troop ship - mag shot inline with aft mast will sink it 80% of the time, C2 & C3 - torp just in front of the bridge, T2 & T3 - torp just forward of the aft deckhouse/bridge, passinger liner - torp under the second funnel)

Sometimes it will take more (small merchant - 3 torps, C2 - 6 *&$@$! torps!) but that the way it goes.

Min fireing range is 300m if you don't want your torp to bounce of the side of the target. Learn to doge destroyers, the maybe dumb in the early years, but they'll get nasty as time goes on, plus you get more renown for sinking merchants than destroyers.

Sometimes you'll want to take them out (found a convoy with only one escort, one torp took care of him, and I got to go duck hunting with no bag limit!) or you'll need to take them out (get him before he gets you). 600 meters is the best range, as ther is little time for them to doge it. Use an electric if he dosen't know your there, or a steam set on high if he does. Set torps at 3 meters and aim for amidship.

Before firing torps it's best to open torpedoe tubes, it means less lag in time between the order to fire and the actual shot. This could mean the difference between a hit or a miss.

Good luck and good hunting, and remember, a torpedo brought home is a missed oppertunity! :rock: :rock:

[Alyebard]

Be patient, a lot of boring patrols until succes ;)

[jasondef]

Be careful when asking the navigator for depth under keel,
as he pings (position giveaway!) to determine the depth.

This is also true for radioing in contacts and your patrol progress back to submarine command. It gives away your position.

[AO1_AW_SW_USN]

Everything in the posts from the other users above is great advice!

IMO, even though the "Naval Academy" lacks in-depth (no pun intended) coverage of how to run your U-boat successfully, keep utilizing them!

Everyone plays this game in his or her own unique way. If you practice your torpedo attack runs, deck gun exercises and the all-important experience of evading an escort you will develop your own style. More importantly, you will gain some experience playing this game because trial and error in the Naval Academy is the key. When you think you are proficient... adjust the realism settings and try it again. To change the realism settings without starting a career, follow this procedure:

1. Go to start a career
2. Click on start patrol on the huge map on the wall
3. On the bottom of your screen, click "Change Realism"
4. Adjust your preferences and click "Ok"
5. Back out of your career using the back arrow button on the lower left-hand corner of the screen
6. Open the Naval Academy again and try the scenarios with the new settings.

"Practice makes Perfect", right? Well, if you do this until your comfortable then it will make your patrols in the Campaign mode run much smoother.

[U-104]

Do not attempt to sink a battleship with your deck gun no matter how damaged it appears.

[Curval]

Remap the "fire torpedo" key (Enter) to Cnt-Enter or something other than just "Enter". I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to fire a torpedo by accident.

[slow_n_ez]

another good tip is to always tell your watch officer to tell the deck gunner to hold fire .. otherwise they seem to be trigger happy to shoot at anything thats close enogh to shoot at :-?

[VonHelsching]

-Do not use magnetic torpedos during storms
- Adjust your snorkeldepth, so it is less thasn 1m above the surface
- When avoiding DCs, change all three spatial axis. If in grave danger hit only flank and change speed, because turning slows you down. Do not hit full back speed, because you will stay still for about 10 seconds.

- Get SH3Gen application
- Get the Advanced Holywood Damage Mod

[zombiewolf]

:up: I got an easy button.


:|\ he best way is to die a few times .school of hard knocks :arrgh!:

[Pkunzipper]

When attacking a convoy don't wast time watching your torpedoes run... as soon as you fire them go as deep as you can!