For U-189, i hadnt even exited biscay proper. I was closer to the Northern coast of spain, but not quite on the "priening route". I was crusing, outbound in route for another caribean patrol. They key thing here is, i left my radar on, which i think the game detected.

So im outbound and I get "Radar signals detected", and crash dive. As im sitting down there i get a single high speed screw report. Then another, and another, and another. MOving fast, right for me.

It's was obvious by then who it was. So i went deep, fast and tried to get out of that general vacintiy. Which didnt do me any good. I don't know what it is with HK groups like that, but if they smell you out, their on you link stink on ****.

It was a grueling 2 hour fest. But i was surviving, and it looked like i might get out of it. The upper decks were trashed, utterly. It was during this depth charging that i made a decision NEVER to remove the deck gun.

One depth charge landed right accross the main deck. The only reason i didnt sink me is cause it hit the deck gun first. Blew it clean off, BUT, the boat survived hull intact.

Another depth charge landed right on the wintergarden. THe Flak guns absorbed the damage. I surived, hull intact.

Another one exploded just above the conning tower. Left a big scorch mark. Destroyed the periscopes, Radar, RWR, and snorkel, the conning tower was red in the damage report, but i survived.


You know how i really died?

I ran out of time to play, saved the game, with the intent of finishing it later. I was sort of left on a cliffhanger.

So i came back later, reloaded the game, and everytime i reloaded the game, my boat was being spinned 360 degrees (imagine the boat rotating so the conning tower is going aruond in circles around the hull) and died.

I really felt cheated. I might have made it. I thoguht about acutally reloading that game from an earlier point given the circumstances, but my feeling for that career sank. They were dead regardless , and i just coudlnt continue with it. It felt cheap to do so.

Very nice log to read Ducimus. To bad U-178 got nailed. R.I.P.

This thread actually made me start a D.I.D. campaign. U-53 was the number.

First time I played a campaign on 100% realism. Got tired of my Elite weapons officer. My first patrol made me feel like a green Kaleun (actually I AM a green captain, lol).

My first engagement was a long one and it only resulted in the loss of U-53. I was sneaking up on a medium sized convoy, 2 escorts - or so I thought (november 1939). Sea was pretty calm but the visibility was poor. I got detected by the side escort (who was sailing starboard of the convoy, it seemed like it was really sweeping the area - or maybe it saw my boat on the approach). I crashdived to 180 mtrs when it came straight for me. First DC wave damaged me slightly. I used the silent run / break starboard/port at flank speed when he made his attack run strategy which paid off after 20-30 minuts. This boat, and his partner in crime who arrived at the scene after 10 minuts orso, kept DC-ing my last known area.

I figured the convoy was unprotected now so when I was at 2km I surfaced and made a dash for the convoy. When I finished my plot I went for the attack run and 10 seconds away from firing my torpedo's when... another destroyer spotted me and started shelling. I never saw - or heard - this baby. It's third salvo damaged my boat while it was about to go under. I don't think I have to tell you what his DC's did to poor U-53.....

Things like this happen at 100%. I think I let myself be tempted by the big T3 tanker in this convoy. I did a piss poor job at checking out screw sounds - missed the damn thing....

Anyway - U-101 just embarked on it's maiden voyage. Let's hope I do better this time....

Well to walk into HK-Walker is a honor of a bad things for sure!
:(

The most exciting thing ever ( beside my almost death by taking damage and sinking down to around 320m due flooding) was actually just tiring. I spotted a small convoy at the lower end of the Channel. After sinking three, i thought i was cool...wrong this resulted in 3 hours real time punding by three angry DD. Lucky for me one run out of DC's And i somehow managed to slip last them and sink one too.
But there nothing cool about it i was tired. Just went to sleep after that.

I freaked everytime i thought i escaped and the PING was heard again. But those are old logs. Ever since...it's just sailing... :rotfl:

I know exactly what you mean about the exhaustion thing. When my baby (U-71) was on her last patrol before she went missing (may she rest peacefully in the depths), I took a wicked pounding from 3 high-quality Black Swans. It was like a fireworks show - 20 DCs at a time. It lasted hours. I evaded them several times and was re-acquired. It almost ran me out of decoys and i had light damage all about the boat. But I was worse off than U71- I was dizzy, covered in sweat, my heart was beating irregularly, and I was sick to my stomach. It was a FULL on stress response. I just crashed, kinda panting, close to tears. That was some of the most intense gaming I've ever experienced. Reminds me of those old DiD campaigns in Xcom....terror sites...whole squads of seasoned veterans turned into crysalids...the horror...i will never..forget.

Kb

You know, im thinking about resurecting U-189. That was my most favorite, long lasting, and successful career. And while i died, it wasn't REALLY my fault.

I did start a new career already. U-123, an IXB. ALready on my second patrol, its dec, 1940, and im already bored. This is just too easy. Infact its patheticaly easy.

This is after i attacked a convoy, took out 3 ships. slipped out the back of the convoy. Not so much as ONE active sonar ping from the 3 escorts. I surfaced with the ship still in sight, sent off two contract reports, reloaded all 6 tubes, AND im bringing external stores in.. been shadowing for about 4hours, not a peep from the escorts...


zzzzzzZZZZZZzzzzZZZZzzz :snore:


http://www.ducimus.net/sh3/shadow_convoy1.jpg
http://www.ducimus.net/sh3/shadow_convoy2.jpg

nevermind im just out of their visual range :roll:

Dude, I think it's fair to reload 189; it was a crash. I always reload for that (though I never had the spin-cycle death that claimed yer sub). What patrol were you on? I guess the question is: will you remember yer boys? I have a hard time going back to old boats.

A bit OT, but, right now i'm the Kaleun of U-45, Type VIIB, upgraded (pulls 21kts on surface in good weather, 5kts at 1/3, PD, and 8kts at flank PD. I'm proud of this boat. She's a fast hunter, like the motorcycle of submarines. She packs a light load (14 torps), but when commited it can tear the living shiatsu out of a single convoy. It's also perfect for a task force assault followed by some single merchant attacks. Short patrols keep the action up - no major transit across the ocean. Anyway, I'm very proud of her. She's on patrol 12, July 41, and yes, it's been a boring couple of years, but the boys are getting _good_ at what they do. Among the latest notables, we've caught an illustrious, a revenge, and a few cruisers. I'll keep you posted if anything crazy happens, but I don't expect it until next year. Although, I was DCed hard in '40 by a black swan with side lauchers. So, it's possible in early war to get caught up, but not that likely.

You seem to like the epic patrols overseas - ever play a Biscay Bandit (i.e. VII)?

Btw - you should try turning off map contacts and do the plotting yourself. I'll never go back to auto-update. I love the data-collection/estimation aspect of this game.

Kb

I'd have to restart. When i die in a career, i get the logs from SH3 commander and save those, but i delete the career so im never tempted to use it again. Dead is most truly dead on my computer :D

I think ill restart u-189 a little earlier. Say,05 Nov 41. and get a grid to patrol near halifax. Takes me 20-25 days the cross the atlantic. that gives me a week or two to site see NY harbor or what not before the US enters the war. At which point ill let loose with the torpedo's.

I think this time ill just keep a photo log if i do a log at all. This log, was acutally alot of work to keep up. Id write the occurances in a notebook, then transcribe it to this thread, scale all the pics, save them as JPGs, and then FTP. Its a fair bit of upkeep.

I know about the labour of keeping a patrol log. I did that with u71 - it's like a full-time job. NOrmallly I play SH3 on my main box while working on my laptop. But when I was recording patrol logs on my laptop, I got interrupted so often that it became a full time thing. Now I don't bother with the logs. I'll tell a good story when it happens.

But when you say 'restart' - what do you mean? What is the number without the crew?

Kb

I have a personal set of rules that i try to follow when for sh3 career games:

Basicaly:
1. Boat must not be too famous or over used by others. (you'll never see me with u505, u96, u47, etc, although i broke this one when starting with u123, all the more reason i need to abandon that one)

2. Tower Emblem must match the one acutally used by the boat. ( I coudlnt find U-178's unforutnatly)

3. Start time must at least be in the same year as the boat first appeared. Not neccessarly accurate by month and day, but at least the same year it was commissioned. (following this rule, then i should start jan42 instead of fudginig it and starting nov41 for u-198)

4. Must belong to same flotilla it did in real life.

5. Dead is dead. Period.

6. Choose a new boat, dont reuse one you already tried.

So to answer the question, I had already started U-198. I failed. THat boat is done. Dead, end. period. So using that number, with that emblem would be going backwards in a manner of speaking. I had already used that one. So it would be restarting.

Do you play WaW? It sounds like you would fit well there, as long as you could start man targetting and man plotting. I'm thinking of getting in on the next one (i.e. WaW II). Any interest?

Kb

I do manual targeting. Although i admit i have the WO as backup incase im not feeling good about a solution, but i always try to obtain the solution first myself. The whole "silver bullet" thing with unrealistic tonnages it brings was my primary motivator.


Manual tracking i freely admit i've not been doing, and would be hard pressed to abandon map updates. Although i should take the advice and try at some point.

I hear ya Keepbuster. Imagine how tiring this can get for us...and now just think about the real deal! Jesus what a torture.

I always start a unknown Boot and unknown Kaleun-persona. I don't feel ok using the Real numbers or Names. Beside it's me pretending to be a U-Boot man, not someone else!

WaW II will Rock!
It will add a factor of human-ess the game needs badly!
I registered; finished the Training run and sent my Log. Now i just wait for the answer!
:hmm:

ive been waiting for an answer for like 1 week now, and WAW1 is almost done :( I was hoping to get in on the last patrol...

I know i said im burnt out on patrol logs, but ive been mulling another one over.

What can i say, i like telling a story, i just hate the upkeep that comes with telling one.


They say a picture is worth a 1000 words, so would anyone be intrested in a patrol log that:

1.) Entries ripped straight from SH3 commander, with minimal verbosity.

2.) Pictures to go along with said entries.... black and white one, pictures that are processed to look semi authentic. Like the two i posted here: (only a bit smaller, so they fit on the page better and maybe a little sharper in clarity )
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...=83681&page=44

3.) all pictures would be taken from a first person perspective. No external camera this patrol. Although i think i would enable the event camera. Other caveots being i revamped indian and caribean traffic, and am now running NYGM ship damage mod. So i should be in for some intresting times.


Would that be worth the time and effort for me to post and you to read? Or is verbosity and writing style what makes patrol logs worth reading?

(kinda like this one , War diary of U-189 i was doing awhile ago: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=88654
Ironically this was my favorite boat, but i have to say, this was ALOT more work then i wanted to put into it. )

Can u tell me the mods you are using DUCIMUS?!

Mods im using constantly change, cause im constantly tinkering.

Even the thread i started in the mod forum "modding vanilla" that has just about everything i was using in it, is out of date now.

Generally speaking, besdides Graphics mods:

- One higly customized version of UC vanilla. (see thread in mod forum, "La rachelle anyone?" for detials)

- the usual assortment of Sensor mods for myself and the AI.

- The usual depth charge mod/fixes with a bit of extra OMMPH from your standard ones.

- Just started using NYGM Ship damage mod, and im really liking it.

- Improved airpower from HT 1.47

- boats with range/endurance fixes.

etc etc, I dont run NYGM or GW in specfic, im one of those do it yoursellf'ers. Been mixing/tweaking/combining stuff since IUB or RUB. :roll:

I posted patrol logs similar to what you are suggesting. Some called them inspirational, others called them boring.

No offense to the writers here, but I'd rather read action reports than soap opera, no matter how inspired. I'm interested, Ducimus.

My experience with an IXD2 was not a good one, Sunk on my maiden patrol just after leaving Bergen and the fjauds behind, I was out in the open North sea for less than and hour when 3 Avengers swooped down and Blew me to bits before the boat could even start to dive. :down: :nope:

i myself have never used a IXD but thats all set to change
i have had 2 completed patrols and just recently upgraded my VIIC to an IXD so this will be my first patrol in one.
i will maybe do a visual log aswell but i will never be as good or as long as Ducimus's.
I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO CONGRATULATE DUCIMUS ON A SUPERB AND HIGHLY DETAILED PATROL LOG.
this made GREAT reading to me and i also learned a few things too:D
I whish my fellow IXD Commander the very best for more patrols ;)
LEUTENANT Z.S CHRIS,