Thanks for clearing that up. I was kinda hoping it effected AI as well, all I have to do now to slip away is hit "z" and hit "d" and get below thermal layer. Oh well, nothing a good mod won't fix! :D

FUEL!

Fuel is infuriating. I never have enough to finish my first patrol!!

I have no idea how to travel without running my fuel to nothing. That run from Pearl to the home Islands is nuts. How do you people have enough fuel to do anything?

Travel at 1/3 speed [< 10 knots] ALL the time. Top off fuel with a refit at Midway - outbound and inbound. Use TC [time compression] to avoid boring times. I usually can go from there to the Rising Sun homelands and arrive there with 70-80% left in the fuel tanks via a Midway Island refit. I NEVER go beyond 1/3 speed ANYTIME, but will crank the speed up doing an "end around" on the map with the map scale around 21 miles ONLY IF a ship/convoy/task force is on the map. Hence, fuel is NEVER a problem for me.

Happy hunting, put the bastards on the bottom!

Just to add to the post above, you'll need to find the optimum speed for cruising. I find that at 9 knots my sub can cruise the longest distance (abt 15,000 miles on a full tank).

And to add another thing: stay on the surface! Recharging batteries takes a lot of fuel. If you stay under during the day and only surface at night to recharge batteries, you'll see your fuel fall like there's a hole in the tank. It's probably a good idea to fit SD radar (air-search) so you see airplanes coming in time and dive only if neccesary to stay undetected. If you don't have that option, it might be a good idea to run decks awash (set depth to 25-30 feet, the boat will settle at 25). It will limit you're speed a bit due to increased displacement, but it allows you to dive imediatly, since there's no one on deck. Don't forget to raise one or both scopes, or you can't see anything outside the boat.

just a tip: If you set depth to 40 feet, the masts on top of the conning tower, including the SD radar antenna, will rise above the surface, allowing you to scan the skies before resurfacing to make sure the bugger that forced you under is gone without exposing more of the boat than necessary. You only need to stay down ~10-15 min. Planes move fast, so he will have past by in that time, and you can quickly dive back down if neccessary like when running decks awash.

Good hunting, don't let the planes get you! ;)

Sweet! My first patrol is now going swimmingly thanks to you chaps.

But now I've encountered a problem. CO2 is building up despite being on the surface. I have no idea why, or how to make it stop building. How do I get my CO2 to decrease?

It's a "bug" that happens now and then.

Save the game [preferred on surface] . Exit the game. Restart the game, load your saved game - problem stops - CO2 levels start declining.

Happened to me 2-3 times [surfaced, but CO2 levels continue to climb if not kill you], but it has not happened again to me in the past 3 weeks.

My educated guess - Somehow the game loses track the you are surfaced and CO2 levels should go DOWN not UP. The save, exit, reload is the only work around that works for me.

Now get GOING!!! Put them rats on the BOTTOM!, nub :p

That took care of it no problem.

I learned a hard lesson about Aircraft-- I will not be trying to shoot them down again.

I'm addicted, now. Medieval II and Crysis sit alone, unloved. So sad.

Out of curiosity, can I end a patrol at any point? Or must I wait for COMSUBPAC's approval?

things Ive learned so far that are different from sh3
1) laying and wait stopped and silent; letting the convoy come to you works well
2) don't shoot at the aircraft, just dive
3) 300ft is about as deep as you ever have to go ( tested up to 1944)
4) radar is much more effective
5) you have sonar from day 1, use it
6) when you find aircraft contacts on the map dive immediately, you need all the time you can get

good hunting

Pointer For Jerik : Want To Live Longer Then 6 Months Leave K.k Alone

Hes A Devil Of The Sea

Ending a patrol
 

Jerik;
you can turn for home any time you want. The brass back at base may not like it if you haven't completed all your objectives. If you're playing 'stock' then IIRC if you don't complete your objective you'll get a tongue-lashing and obviously less renown points. If you're using TMO and RSRD (highly recommended once you get used to the game) then you'll receive updated objectives once you complete a previous objective. These can be quite numerous at times and you may have to turn back due to fuel without completing all but you'll not get penalized so to speak, simply receive less renown points.

As to fuel consumption, 2/3 speed will get you to most patrol areas and leave you with approx 3/4 fuel. My general rule of thumb is to start heading in a homeward direction once I reach 50% fuel. There is no towing service in the game so if you run out you are literally dead in the water and will have to abort or go back to an earlier saved game.
:up:

Or cheat...:D

Nope, return to home port and pick END PATROL. That is your SOLE choice for ending. I am up to 10, 000 renown after 6th patrol using manual targeting. Geez, where do I invest ..... agh Mark 14 and 24 Torpedoes is where I gamble and invest in the future.

Nice, i bought this game sometime ago but have not had time to play and its been a while since played last time. Going to take some time for it now :cool: but my patroles usually end up with crashing on a island or something :oops: