Some interesting replies here:
U-Dog said
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Well once you have SH Commander installed you can choose your own patrol grid.
I just started type ix campaign & am off to the mid-atlantic myself.
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I didn't in that campaign, but have since just started using that and the latest version of IUB. SH3 Commander I installed more to try and "undo" some of the features in IUB that I wasn't interested in, plus I like its bio features. Not sure I want to choose my own grid though, the option's nice but part of what made that last campaign (the first half of it, in the type VIIb) was that for 10 missions straight (all the VIIb ones in 7th flotilla) I was sent on either a "hair raising" mission to places like scapa flow or on routes where I subsequently intercepted convoys.
Ducimus said
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Well, if your not into Long range patrols, definatly stay out of the 2nd and 10th flotilla's, and IX boats.
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Yeah I think you nailed it. I was having one of my best campaigns ever in the 7th flotilla/VIIb combo until I transferred to the 2nd and upgraded to a IX. It went south from there.
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As per convoy's, being in an IX boat has nothing to do with if you engage convoys or not. Your position on the grid does. Generally speaking your not goign to run into convoys south of gibralter, or on the US east coast. You'll usually find them somewhere in the mid atlantic making the crossing between the america's and britian. Or coming out of, or gonig enroute to, Gibralter.
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Yeah that confirms my experience and now I know that it wasn't "unique" to that campaign but instead what I can expect in future campaigns as well if I get sent to those locales (didn't know about the US though as I "retired" before they formally entered the war). Given my preference for taking assigned grids, shorter patrols, and operating north of Gibraltor, my best bet then is probably the VIIb/c and sticking to either the 1st or 7th flotilla.
Montbrun said
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Depending on what MODs you use, I usually save my Renown, and upgrade from a VIIb to a IXc, so I can get all of the nice "goodies" when I do...
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That was more or less the route I went my last campaign, except that I got really lucky in my first few patrols and was able to get a huge enough renown boost to go to a fully modded IXb in Dec '40 then IXc in July '41 (didn'thave quite enough left for everything though).
In my first patrol that game I intercepted a convoy at noon, overcast, light fog, calm sea & lone escort well in front of the convoy (a V&W Destroyer I think). At 10 deg bearing, 5 km range he was nicely outlined while I was certainly invisible to him sitting on the surface so I went ahead slow and engaged him with my deck gun, sinking him with only minor damage before the rest of the convoy came into sight and I then got a nice deck gun/torp spree sinking 70,000 tons of enemy shipping.
My third patrol had an almost identical intercept (same weather, about the same time of day) with what looked like a lone DD out front again, but a little closer to me and to the first line of merchants. Engaged, sunk him (took more hits that time) and almost missed the trailing flower corvette that, before the gun fight was over, had observed it and sped to intercept and ram me broadside. Anyway I torpedoed it @ less than 1000 meters (decided to turn and fight rather than try and dive) but had it been anything other than a slow corvette I would have been toast; as it was I racked up another big gun/torp spree.
After those two encounters and other narrow escapes my IX missions were kinda dull by comparison so now I'm really leaning on just sticking to type VII variants.