I am a glutton for punishment - I always drive both out of harbor and back in. If nothing else, just for the "eye candy" all the new mods add in to the harbor areas. As for renown - I "cheat" and edit the files. I always equip a "new" boat with all the latest - and simulate what would be available at the flotilla later on IF I live long enough. One of the best things about being in the Wolves at War group is a lot of that is handled by the staff - I merely request items and then get told what is available!

I don't know if I am lucky or not with magnetics
 

I know the history, and am very happy GWX models it. And I didn't know GWX modeled it until I was told in another thread by Jimbuna.

In my current career (now November 1940, VIIB, GWX, 14 patrols, 270K), I have been using magnetics left and right because I thought there was not any GWX modeling. What I have found is that it still pays off. Even if you factor in "duds," the magnetics are a far better value.

Looking over logs and trying to remember what I fired, I am guessing I have about a 10-15% "dud" rate (that is excluding prematures in choppy seas and my own firing solution mistakes).

Am I lucky? What do you all think?

During WWI it was an unspoken protocol to always leave 1 torpedo for the return home, it was uncommon for them to find enough targets to expend them all during their patrol time. After the 160 day South Africa trip of one of the type IX's resulted in only 36,000 tons Donitz was furious and ordered that if hunting grounds were stale and no convoys were to be found to come back home rather than sit out and wait for two or three more weeks and have nothing to show for it. He knew it wasn't the crew's fault, so probability wise was better if things were going horrible boats would be more likely to have better success over a longer period of time with more shorter patrols than fewer extremely long ones.

Until this thread I didn't know you could use esc to warp back to home, always would plan my trips and fuel such that I'd have enough for a round trip ticket.

There's 1 condition that I admittedly modify my renown as imo the game punishes you twice for the same thing - hull damage. Personally I see that it should have no negative effect on your patrol's renown, besides the 3/4 weeks you're required to stay before you can start your next patrol + 1 day per point of damage it can be months before you can take on another patrol; that in itself is punishment enough.

So if I were to return to port with 15% hull integrity left, but have sunk 200,000 tons in the process getting 1,500 renown is just a big fat slap in the face, why bother even trying to return if your ship is that damaged? Though I've never had it happen, if on that same patrol instead of 200,000 tons you only managed to get 20,000 tons would you get negative renown? While each case is subjective, if I crawl home with 44% hull left and 130,000 tons I feel entitled to my full share and compute and edit the delta renown to what its full value would be. Real u-boat captains never got tonnage subtracted from their patrol regardless of what shape their boat was in when they arrived in port, why should we?

I often head for home with one eel left in the stern tube just in case I need it (provided I'm patrolling all that far from home to begin with). But I almost always end up using it before I get there. Targets of opportunity usually pop up in the upper Western Approaches, or in the North Sea on occasion. There's a limit to how far off course I go to chase them, since fuel could be an issue - but if they cross my path and I can get in position without too much of a hassle, I'm going for it.

BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!! http://www.psionguild.org/forums/ima...ies/pirate.gif

Getting the boat home again is part of the game for me. A lot can happen on the journey, especially as the war progresses. Like many, I save one torp. for the trip, and pray for good weather so I can use the deck gun - at least in the early war.

Well why not reward yourself with a few hundred points if you take the long way home? That should take some of the sting out of it.

You also receive more renown per sinking as you raise the realism level. You get 100% renown only at 100% realism.

As for what I do, I edit back in any renown costs for major purchases like new subs or upgrades.

I always sail back into the dock. I love to hear the band playing, especially with randomized marching tunes. The only time I will ever use the 'teleport' button is if my rudder is damaged, as the game doesn't allow for steering with the engines, and that certainly was a last-ditch option.

As for renown, I almost never buy upgrades, so it's not really a problem. I suppose that will change someday, but i'm not too worried about it.

You're a girl after my heart! I do the exact same thing. It does break my heart, though, if I use my last torpedo on a runt and then have to sail by a fatter target on the way home. As my English wife likes to say, "The things you see when you don't have a gun!"

:rotfl2:


I came home once (early war) with one stern eel and used it to take out something - don't remember what, but it was fairly small potatoes - NE of the Shetlands. Then I'm sailing south towards Willy in the deeper water off the coast of Norway when what did I spy with my little eye but a large merchant flying a Union Jack and heading for England.

Fortunately the seas were calm and the weather was beautiful... so I bagged her with the deck gun. :yeah:

Gotta love the deck gun... but that's one reason I love the big IX: so much room for torpedoes. The type VII might be more survivable, but all it takes is one good convoy and several loners to free up all those extra bunks in the torpedo room.

I think it is great that we have frau Kaleuns playing this game. I'm able to tell my wife of them, as she thinks this game is a guy thing. Mainly it is, but it's refreshing to see some ladies like it, too. When I was a teenager I used to play Avalon Hill wargames with my brothers and buddies but I never met any girls who enjoyed them. I always fantasized about a hot chick in short shorts who knew how to handle a panzer korps, but never did meet her.