First thing - turn off the external camera: "Use the Force, Luke":) But seriously, I wouldn't be runnign at 1kts. I find that a lot of people on these forums advise going at 1kt in evasion. I think this is wrong. Oh yea - and get rid of the stealth meter. You'll be slave to it. Instead, think about getting distance. That's what I'm always saying on these threads - distance. Get far from them. To do so you need speed. 1kts will never get you out of their radius. Flank for as long as you can - do it longer than it feels comfortable - RUN! Then, instead of going totally silent, go ahead 1/3rd. This will take you from 7kts back to 5kts for a while - the momentum from flank will hold you at 5kts for a bit, but fairly silent - remember ahead 1/3rd is almost silent. In anything but calm sea, ahead 1/3rd IS SILENT. And forget what your stealth meter says - probably glitchy. Anyway, only go to ahead slow when you're at the end of a long run. If they're pinging you, there's no reason to go 1kts - if they're pinging you, they can see you anyway! Only go down to 2kts silent when you've made a good solid run out of their radius. Escorts do a circle search. They'll try to run over you, then circle around. When you do your flank run, try to cut across the center of their next circle - that way when they start using asdic, they'll have to make a full 360 degree revolution before they pick you up (if your escape route is tangential to their circle, they will pick you up in like 270 or so). Every meter of distance from that escort counts. Finally, put them to your stern - when you've made like 600m distance from the escort, turn your stern to them (or better, to where they're _About_ to be). This will narrow your asdic profile. I find that unless it's calm water, you're basically invisible to asdic if you're stern is facing the searcher.

Finally. PERISCOPE DEPTH RULES. In everything but calm sea, the waves and the shallow angle will hide you from ASDIC. Some of my most successful evasion is done at PD or shallow (like 25-40m). Going deep takes a long time, and it blinds you. Also, if you're at 220m and a fish bumps into the boat, it's enough to cause a pressure crush. At shallow depth you can sustain quite a bit of damage. And, you can get further away faster, by keeping an even depth. Go down in increments. Every depth charge run that is actually a threat (i.e. overtop of you), go down 20 or 30 m. Drop decoys at the depth you were at, but are about to not be at.

I could go on. One fo the most important things is being somewhere other than where they're going to search. That's another chapter though.

Most of this is contained in The U-Boat Commander's Handbook. Order it immediately. It's the ultimate read for the crapper. You'll be pinching it to get back to the computer and try the tactics. And they work!

Good luck Kaleun. If there are too many escorts after you, sink a few!

Now that's what I call varying opinions!, one thing I discovered is that if you are useing SH3 Commander, the AI_Sensors.dat file is replaced with one that is supposed to be close to how the AI sensors should be for the particular year you are playing, I removed them from the random date folders (rolled back first) as this would be detrimental to Rubinis mod.:yep:
I think that the main problem is the depth I was at, since I couldn't go lower than 85 meters I'd say this was possably the main problem, but as Spytrx said:
Does make me wonder sometimes! certainly seemed easier with stock!:-?

It is easier with stock. But I was never challenged in stock.

Again: There must be something totally different in your installation. Yesterday I escaped after an attack on a convoy in 88 meters deep water. The escorts were about one kilometer away. AK to 80 meters, then silent running. Only one of four escorts went after me, dropping its dc near only once.

I seldom have real trouble with DD/DDE's either...In later years it is somewhat common to get home with a little hull damage but probably 75 percent is due to damage done by aircraft.

My method is to get ahead of the convoy and inside the escort screen at periscope depth, go silent, come to a dead stop or a 1knot speed (depending on what mod is in use for depth keeping) let the convoy roll over me, raise the scope just high enough to select targets, launch all torps, lower scope, and *head into the convoy and a little ahead (so they don't pass over you too quickly) and go real deep. While in the midst of the convoy the escorts cannot get a good fix on you, they also have to avoid running into members of the convoy. This buys you time and gives you a chance to watch the escorts behavior and plan your escape accordingly. If by chance an escort comes after me while I am in the open...such as if I choose the wrong path out of the convoy, I use decoys *before they get a good fix on me* change course slightly increase speed (hoping the decoy makes enough racket to cover the small increase)....I go even deeper (if possible). If they do pinpoint me I use the standard, silent running go to flank when the DC's start popping, change course, drop decoys, etc. So far I have lived almost 2 and a half careers with this method with out being sunk by an escort (1 and a half without being sunk period...knock on wood). The previous 5 careers were cut short by aircraft or escorts before getting out of '44....actually the end of 43 was hardest to get past for me.

Another piece of advice is to upgrade or get all defensive add-ons you can *as soon as they are available* (anti-sonar and radar coatings, schnorkel, radar warning sensors(the most important!), decoys, sonar and lastly radar (radar being the least important).

Just a couple of things to consider:

If you get a DD that just won't let you go in early war, who's to say he's not a ace or vet DD.;) Not all RL DD's in the war were n00bs and they certainly did not all suddenly say "hell it's 1942 we better start getting good".:lol:

Also, I see people saying they can't loose an attacker @ 100-150m, well, go deeper. Any of the U-Boats in GWX can go deeper than 200m (except maybe the Type 2) when undamaged.

The only other situation is when you find yourself in relatively shallow water i.e less than 100m. If you want to conduct an attack in this depth then you must consider that it will be hard to escape, as per RL. Conducting an attack like this must mean you adapt your approach & evasion routine. Here are my rules for convoy attacks, Less than 100m depth - Fire from distance (1500 - 2000m+) - Then turn tail and run. Greater than 100m depth - Plan your entry point past the escorts & get stuck into that juicy convoy.:arrgh!:

The 'stealth meter' will & does give an inaccurate indication of what is happening, try not to use but if you want to use it, then just remember it will not always give you the true story.

Lastly, just because the attacker is pinging, does not mean he's found you, only that he's searching. Keep calm. Make minor course adjustments while trying to keep your aspect to attacker at a minimium, if you are deep enough when the cans do start to fall, you have enough time to hit flank, change course & then return to silent running @1-2kts before the cans even reach your depth. When the attacking DD is in an attack run, he is deaf.;)

I will not argue that GWX is a huge departure from stock in this aspect but once you get used to it or find a tactic that works, this new gameplay is the most rewarding part of GWX. My advice, take a change of underwear with you, I have lost count of the times where I have been actually shaking with adrenaline & fear, seriously.:rotfl:

Keep at it guys, it will be worth it the end.

Happy Hunting.:arrgh!:

I recently had an experience with a corvette which followed me until it was 30Km lagging behind it's convoy catching it up after I lost it on the surface in the dark. I very often find there is one of the escorts, often the one at the rear of a convoy. Which has what seems to be a more sensitive hydrophone crew and will draw the rest back to your possition after loosing them.

You get it all wrong - I don't have problems with the attacks or even escaping. I have a problem as to how the escorts and hunters suddenly are able to find me.

Last night for example I thought my luck had changed - a very large convoy South of Iceland with a nice opening in the escort screen just from the direction where I was coming from (I mean it was too good to be true right from the start). It was just getting dark, the sea was heavy so I had a peak with the periscope (barely had the lens above waterline) at my prey - a nice juicy Troop Ship 2.5oo away. Bfore I could even start do any calculation I hear sonar inform me that a warship approaches - can't have found me - I have no engines going and leave hardly any signature on the sea so I ready my fishes, shoot three of them off in quick succession and then fold in my scope and just sink to the floor (which was just 67 mtr at this particular spot).

The first DD didn't even ping me before dropping DS right above me! - Now how the hell did he know where I was??? They made minced meat out of me before I had a chance to blow the hatches... It really seems that not only the sensors have been made hyper sensitive, but the environment has been changed as well, but to favour the Allies rather than to make it more realistic - where have all the layers gone?

Now reading through some war journals of both Allied and Axis sailors the Allies weren't that good at finding the U-boots at the beginning of the war, particularly in bad weather and at night. I also noticed that there is a lot of warships trafficing about - far more than was available and/or in the areas in question of the time. So my conclusion is simply that this Mod is deliberately designed to make the game harder to play (to keep some people more interested) rather than more realistic (my opinion, not a scientific fact or anything). Don't get me wrong, I like a challenge, but one with a learning curve attached (even a short one) - they teach you to swim in the pool, not by dropping you in the middle of the Atlantic ocean...

I'm starting to think that attacking a convoy in depths shallower than 100m is committing suicide!:lol: One approach I will try in shallow waters, is once escorts have passed to be around 2k away, fire torps, crash dive to the max depth, then run silent (2knots) & change course by around 90degrees keeping stern to the enemy, might work!:yep:

Goto the top of the class!:know:

There is no need to crash dive, if your target is more than 2000m away then you have plenty of time to change course and depth with out sounding the 'come get me' bell.:lol:

Funny you say that Dan because as soon as the torpedo's hit their target the DD's seem to know exactly where I am & head streight for me, mind you they probably know from where the target was hit as to roughly where I fired from, generally I can get fairly deep (40m) before the torpedoes even reach their target but at 2 knots I don't get far, just by the way I run at 78% realism no stealth meter for sure!:yep: Next time I will take some snapshots as I go just incase they are Uber!:up:

Edit: Another thing I might try is going streight ahead under the convoy, the other boats noise might help camouflage mine, especially since they go to roughly where I was, doing a virtual u-turn does slow me down quite a bit!!

Try this as an experiment. Try to aim/hit a target that is in the farthest column away from you. 99% of the time you will see all the escorts start to head over to the far side and start searching there, leaving you free to decimate the nearest column.;)

The above should really help you.

As far as the DD's coming straight for you, you are right, they know the general direction that the torp came from. Also (bit of a cheat) when a DD has detected you he will start zig zaging as soon as he in 1500m from you, use this as an indicator.

I usually avoid this as the torpedoes often hit another, why is it always a poxy small merchant, by mistake!:lol:

I'll make a mental note on a piece of paper!:yep:

PS. I checked out the reports for SH4 patch 1.2 but looks like there are just as many bugs as before, guess I wont be dusting it off yet, especially since I will need a new video card!;)

Spotted your periscope? Last night I was guiding an attack by hydrophone in heavy fog. I had to get REAL close so I was inching towards the center of the targets' course (small merchant + escort), keeping him at 90 degrees. I've got the periscope all the way up, and the seas are high - i'm squinting to catch a glimpse of the escort's hull, just to situate me so that I can make adjustments for my shot on the merchant soon to follow. He looms out of the mist, and sure enough, at about 300m, he goes ahead flank and does a DC run - suddenly, without zig-zagging. He plasters the place I just was, passing maybe 100m behind me. It's a little unrealistic, but I'm assuming he spotted my periscope. Conversely, there have been too many occasions to count where I've had escorts drive right beside me, basically over me, while I'm sitting silent with engines off, and the have NOT detected me.

Yeah, DDs always seem to know where you fire from. Was that way in Stock SHIII, and still that way with GWX with any patch right from the beginning. But maybe that can't be changed with a mod.

I've always countered by changing depth and direction. Don't use Full Speed or Crash Dive as that just lets them know where you are faster. Use Slow as soon as you fire and change your course. If they still know where you are drop to Silent Running and 1kt while you dive deeper, and get between them if there are 1 or 2 after you. Once in the middle of the 2 DDs go to full stop and wait it out. You should be safe until they give up. The 1 or 2 DDs will circle and drop where they "think" you were. And I hope you don't have any clear weather and calm seas...... they are not helpfull either.

I'm in between 2 DDs in this screenshot at fullstop and 150m. They haven't a clue where I am. You can just makeout the sub icon to the left of the DC blowing up on the right.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v64/GT182/Trouble.jpg

Or change your course and nail the DD's coming at you with T-1s, or the Acousticale torps if they're available. Then run like hell before the outer DDs come running in. I use T-IIIs only for my attack on merchants or the big fat juicy warships.

It's worked for me up to mid 1940..... if they can't hear you they can't find you. I haven't gotten past mid 1940 with GWX so I can't tell if it will still work. Hopefully you can dive deep enough for the thermal layers to help hide you. It might not work for everyone either but it's worth a shot. Remember, you have to change your tactics with GWX. It's not as easy as Stock was, your tactics have to change too. And shallow water is not your friend. Just like The Channel... don't go there. ;)