TMO + RSRDC Sharing what I learned so far. [Will be updated as time goes on]
 

First, I only sunk two ship outside of training. If you are expecting help with manual TDC... Don't hold your breath. XD

But, I did learn a couple of things when it comes to approaching enemy waters. And stealth in general.

1- Do not use ahead standard. Find out the optimal cruise speed of your sub to maximize your effective range.

2- If you want to feel safe, travel underwater during the day. No matter where you are at. Also helps a bit conserve fuel.

3- One thing that helped me a LOT avoiding air patrol while saving time. Draw a 500nm circle around the closest enemy bases to you. You are WAY more likely to encounter air patrols within those ranges. This rule is NOT absolute but I did notice the risks skyrockets when I get within these ranges. So, draw those circles as a reminder of when you enter truely dangerous territory and consider that from then, traveling on the surface during day is suicide.

4- Incoming plane? Crash Dive. Do not even think of periscope depth. If you are playing TMO and dont have air radar, they most likely already are beelining for your position. Follow tip 3 as most as you can since even if you crash dive. They might get a lucky hit.

I do not recall RFB off the top of my head, but when you crash dive, take her all the way to 160 - at least for TMO (RSRDC) and FotRSU, else your boat might be seen underwater from a plane passing overhead. If you are in a sparsely populated area as far as planes go, you can generally come back up after about 15 minutes - if they didn't detect your radar or see your boat ~IF~... RR has a video on plane avoidance in the Sub Skipper's Bag of Tricks thread. Just remember that CV generate airplanes in the game, as well as the airfields. :salute:

TMO + RSRDC is the combination I use.
TMO changes the telegraph speed setting so that "standard" is the optimum speed except for S-18 class.
RSRDC changes surface traffic to as close to historical accuracy as the game allows.
Travelling under water during the day doesn't work to conserve fuel. You will drain your batteries, then while surfaced, you engines will run full until the batteries are charged.
You're correct about the airplanes. RSRDC routes the air patrols so that they around bases. TMO make the air patrols more aggressive and they can see you deep.

Do you still play? I guess it's been 5 or 6 years since I've been out on patrol. Time sure does fly! Anyways, there's rust on the rust that needs scraping off..

I still play. It's still an enjoyable game. Maybe you can get one of the newby's to scrape that rust. Maybe I can hand you my reigns of Subsim self appointed assigner of stupid jobs to newbies. I've been slacking on that lately anyway.
:Kaleun_Salute: