1. yes, the darker parts are deeper. Selecting a marker on the map gives you an approximate scale. Be aware that the left part of the map is kind of dirty
2. I'm sure that some one from the GWX team will provide a better explanatons, but here are my 2c
- to get familiar with the boat (diving depth, dive and turn times etc)
- get an additional qualification for one crew member before going for the first war patrol
- there's a bug in SH3 which sometimes costs you your renown if you upgrade the boat (and tamper with the crew?) before first patrol. After the shakedown patrol you can safely upgrade.
- the most important: you can get to your patrol grid before the war starts, as it was done historically
3. I don't use "base at sea" and can't speak from experience, but it shoudn't lose you any renown. Not returning to base won't influence anything, but will make your patrol a bit shorter.
You will lose the joy of sailing into friendly port after long and hard patrol.
4. THe crewmember is blue in the Crew management screen after patrol, if he's eligible for medal, promotion or qualification, depending of which of those you selected.
5. Click on the waypoint, then CTRL + left click
6. If you're asking this out of the fear of collision at sea, don't be afraid. I've never had one, the other vessels will avoid you, regardless of sea conditions or TC. Beware of the docks, though. :rotfl:
7.
8.
I've never seen a ship without the markings. Perhaps you mean the light ships, sometimes found in coastal waters? I don't know if they can be sunk...
9. Click on the shell icon to reload the gun. You only have to do once during the patrol.
10. It looks to me like you tampered with the Time compression settings in Commander. Try reseting them.
Hope this helps.