Playing the Frigate

[Goat]

I actually bought this game to drive the Frigate around, clobbering submarines. [Retired Surface Sailor here]. It looked like the order of events was learn the Sub(s)... then the Frigate. I don't think my interest will hang on that long.

Any suggestions of how to go about my goal... or it is [once again] a matter of slugging my way through the manual for the Ship and her Chopper.. then trying to run a mission ??

Thanks, Mates.......

[Sea Demon]

Just MHO. If your goal in this game was to play as the FFG, then start there. It is a difficult platform to learn, but I have spent many enjoyable hours learning the ins and outs of how to put this platform to work. If you're experienced in the world of naval surface ships, then you'll probably be more successful than I have been. I'm an outsider (former Air Force guy). But even so, I've gotten pretty good at it.

Take one station at a time. I would recommend learning how to operate and drive your ship first. And making changes to course, speed, and countermeasure deployment as second nature. Learning where to find everything is also helpful as a start. Then move into Weapons control, weapons coordinator and learn how to defend yourself from incoming missile attacks, enemy aircraft, and enemy surface ships. And how to destroy enemy surface ships. Then ASTAC, Towed Array (whiz-wheel), TMA, torpedo control, hull sonar, and learn how to put together the tools necessary to prosecute subs.

And as you do this, you'll start to see yourself becoming proficient at the total use of this platform. This is really the strength of a game like DW. It gives you an enjoyable opportunity to learn these platforms and keeps you busy for a long time.

And If you got any advice for us amatuer surface guys who have never been out on any real ship other than a bass boat, maybe you can pass some of your experience along. :cool:

Hope you enjoy the FFG as much as I do. :up:

[Goat]

Thanks for the 'words'. Yeah, I think that's what I'm gonna do. I have tried to get interested in Broadband, etc... Wind up returning to M*A*S*H . I did my Sea-Going days as an ET... 'Electronics Technician'... but, there are different areas of technical application there, and none help in playing these games... unless it is to keep the fool Grey Box running right ! Other than avoiding being underway in the latitudes higher than ... say... 45 degrees North.. or South... Sea Duty is just a job, where things don't stay put, and the Phone doesn 't ring...:D Liberty in ports of interest is good, and I don't think anybody ever appreciates the taste of good drinking water until they have kept alive on Distilled Water. We'd come home and I swear, I'd 'slosh' from all the good water I force fed myself. But when something breaks it is nice to STOP and fix it. Can't stand around on a cloud...

I'll get the FFG going... steam up and underway...

[Goat]

THAT was funny !!! :D :D :D

Unless I missed something, DW does not model the Ship with seperate controls per shaft. I backed out of a pier...couldn't swing the bow fast enough and plowed the stern into a pier across the channel... B O O M ! Not a good way to start a patrol...

[OneShot]

Well the FFG only has one Shaft ... I guess you tried the African Bees Nest mission .. when backing out try using the APU as well, that helps.

Cheers
OS

[Goat]

One shaft? Funny... Never even HEARD of a ship like that that is Single Screw, Real Life. AND... I did find that Right Clicking on the throttles lets me set them independantly.

[Kazuaki Shimazaki II]

Just practice a bit. Use the 3D view to help you visualize the setup (yeah, its cheating but it makes it easier, especially to judge drift). I'm pretty lousy and I can still get a frigate out without crashing (well, most of the time).

The FFG was meant to be a cheap, low-tier thing for greater numbers. That's why it only has 1 shaft.

[sonar732]

If you are backing away from the pier and are new to the platform, use the APU's. If you move the time compression, it doesn't take that long. Since there are two APU's, you can "control" the drift of the ship.

[kage]

One shaft? Funny... Never even HEARD of a ship like that that is Single Screw, Real Life. AND... I did find that Right Clicking on the throttles lets me set them independantly.

Look again. One is rotation, the other is prop pitch.

[kage]

Look again. One is rotation, the other is prop pitch.
Mind the fact that although only the rotation is supposed to appear on DEMON, it's the speed only that affects it. (Pitch will variate the TPK)

[Dr.Sid]

Look again. One is rotation, the other is prop pitch. Mind the fact that although only the rotation is supposed to appear on DEMON, it's the speed only that affects it. (Pitch will variate the TPK)

Is this realy simulated in DW ? I guess demon display is based on platform speed, divided by database TPK. I did not test it against human controled platform, but most things are simulated in the easiest possible way in DW.
For example cavitation too should depend on screw RPM (and pitch), not ship speed. In DW it depends only on ship speed.