Quote:
Originally Posted by 3catcircus
Wait? You guys just sit idle? I normally pick a promising spot inside the patrol zone and tool along at A1/3 on the surface at night and the dive during the day - running in close to populated areas and back out.
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Early in the game, fuel is a scarce resource and trips from Pearl to Honshu are right at the edge of the boat's range, with minimal extra... In that instance, I'd prefer to save fuel for a high speed run to intercept a convoy in my too-slow boat rather than patrolling a barren area seeking a low probability target. Proximity to the shipping lanes is a plus, making parking close to them more successful, but in low probability areas, IMO using precious fuel isn't worth it.
FIMO spending fuel in target rich zones is important with RTB for another mission being #1 on the Hit Parade...
Later in the game with better boats, better sensors and trained engine room crews adding range to the tanks, I have more latitude and will spend fuel in longer range searches, but still lay low when in shallow water or in low probability zones.
An interesting side note is that patrolling target rich environments either along the E/SE coast of the Home Islands or in the area around Rabaul is that I usually run out of torpedoes with 60ish% fuel remaining, often allowing a high speed RTB to replenish
If hunting around Rabaul using Tulagi for refit often provides some low hanging fruit running through The Slot, and a harbor raid at Honiara adds a bit of fun
