Medals and Promotions
 

I would imagine that promotions give some kind of bonus, but I've never really payed close attention to how it affects the crew.

As for Medals, do these give any kind of bonus like perhaps a morale boost that allows them to gain experience faster?

Just wondering...:06:

Imagine that the game was a classical tabletop game.
You would go to paragraph Moral and learn what are the relevant game mechanics and how to implement them.
Compare to what we're suffering nowadays (and not specifically targeted to SH4 or UBI). Your typical manual does not reveal fundamental aspect of the game. Relevant tables and equations are hard coded, some parameters are "moddable" but usually need alot of trial and error to fine tune, etc. Now why all this "secrecy"?
1) Models/mechanics are hilariously simplistic or
2) Models/mechanics are "stolen" from other similar games (sometimes even age old tabletop or miniature games) so there could be copyright or similar issues
3) Models/mechanics are original and/or well developed and the designer/publisher wants to "protect" his intellectual property.

Now which of the above do you think applies in our case?

:shifty:

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I just try to spread medals and promotions evenly ....

I promote guys with higher command abilities first.


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Kind of the same strategy here, but if my deck gunner did really well in the last patrol then I'll give him a medal first, or if I really needed to reload torpedoes quick, then the torpedo men. Basically I tend to role play it after each patrol. I was just wondering if it actually does anything other than add flavour to the game.

I guess no one knows then. I'll go with promotions add command ability and medals add experience growth.

Wow, it's been a while since I have posted on here. I do not know how the medlas effect the crew. I award based on performance. That is the way I have done it. Like you, if an AA gunner shows excellent performance, then I would award him with a medal. Those wounded recieve wounded medals, and so on. Low rank, or high, if they've earned it, they get it.

Boilerman, that is the way I've been doing it. A few patrols back, I was in the USS Perch, a porpoise class. I was badly damaged by planes and sinking in the aft if I submerged. So I manned the AA gun, told him to fire at will, I maneuvered, and fought it out with the next few planes. None were shot down (It's TMO) but we managed to fight them off. My AA gunner has 100% skill now and I was sure to give him a medal when we got back to port:DL

I didn't even have to load. I rarely do, only if I die which has only happened once in this campaign with the super duper destroyer, but that's anouther story...

In the service, they sometimes do the opposite. Just because someone was a 3rd, or second class, and they went way above and beyond, some wouldn't award them with anything higher than a NAM. That being some felt as their rank wasn't high enough to do so (maybe they didn't want a junior person with a higher award then they). I feel that robs folks of something that they deserved, and the sailor, soldier should be awarded what he earned, based on what they achieved, and not because they are a lower rank, therefore they shouldn't receive a higher medal.

Some empirical results...
 

I wanted to verify a few things as to U-Boat crew management...

As a test, I took a save file and promoted the same Matrosmann Oberfreiter (3) to Bootsmannmaat (4) and chose each of the various specialties.
Here were my resulting skill increases

Promotion Elec Mech Guns Watch
Engines 20 20 00 00
Sensors 20 00 00 20
Command 10 20 00 20
Torpedo 00 20 20 00
Gunnery 00 10 20 10
Watch-K 00 10 10 20


As part of the testing I tried awarding several of the medals...
No medal changed ANY of the stats on the crewman's cards as far as I can tell. No increased efficiency, no additional experience. Course everyone is on shore-leave so morale is great.

Based on the above, I'm guessing that the Key Skills, by compartment, by priority are :
Torpedo Rooms: Mechanical, Guns
Engine Room: Mechanical, Electric
Radio Room: Electric, Watch-keeping
Command Room: Mechanical, Watch-keeping, Electric
Watch:Watch-keeping, Mechanical, Guns
Guns:Guns
Damage Control:Mechanical - Depends on what's damaged

I have seen a CPO promoted to Master Chief suddenly gain a new ability with the promotion, same with an Ensign promoted to LJG. Nothing from awarding medals though.

Promotions will increase ability but medals are simply eye candy and no affect on crew merit.

Promotions increase all skills, with a greater increase with the particular skill. Efficiency increases also. A medal is supposed to give a small increase with the particular skill, and boost morale.

So far I've only been able to promote lower ranks. I give medals compartment head preferentially (because efficiency trickles down), and they do seem to boost that guy's morale a bit. I rarely consider the tropedomen's efficiency to be particularly important, since I'm generally not trying to reload fish during an engagement when time counts. Engineers, watchmen, sonar/radarmen, and gunners seem to be the places to concentrate skill/efficiency