[Zajcev]

Originally Posted by Penelope_Grey

VIIC can go deeper, and it crash dives faster than the VIIB. Also the VIIC has more options for upgrade, particularly with conning towers.

I never had a need to go very deep in 1940 or 1941. The maximum depth I went to was about ~60m before I learnt how to sink destroyers effectively. Now sinking ~6 destroyers is not a problem at all, and I don't need to go deeper than 25m.

Originally Posted by Penelope_Grey

Which gives you better defence against aircraft, however, aircraft aren't really much of a threat in the out the box game, so you'll have a happier time shooting at them with the VIIC/3 tower fitted.

I think the zwilling AA in VIIB can also down bombers quite easily if set to fire at close distance. If bombers are flying low, they mostly start burning straight away after 1st pass. Although additional AA might be good if I decide to go into their harbors and sink ships there (are there ships in harbors in stock SH3 anyway?).

Originally Posted by Penelope_Grey

As for your torpedoes, that sounds very odd, contact detonators never malfunction. I can only think you are perhaps hitting the ship at too extreme and angle?

I play original SH3 1.4 without any mods. It is odd, but when I use contact detonators and hit ship from ~50-80 degrees (where 90 is perpendicular) they don't explode in campaign. On the othe hand, magnetic detonators work quite well even from ~20 degree angle.

Originally Posted by Platapus

If you are playing with Dud Torpedoes activated, I would suggest that you disable the magnetic pistol and go for impact only. This is actually what Germany ended up doing as they had similar problems with their torpedoes that the American's and Japanese did. Don't just aim for contact hits, you have to disable the magnetic pistol or you will risk premature detonations.

I always use combined magnetic+impact pistol but set torpedoes to run ~1.3m beneath keel. I found this method most reliable. Actually, for some strange reason pure impact detonators don't seem to work at all (in campaign they don't, in training they work - but in training I don't have duds enabled). They work at times, but the chance is very small. On the other hand, I never had a serious problem with magnetic detonators, I depth is set correctly. Most of failures were due to torpedo running too deep, ship turning or due to those "invincible ships". So I always use magnetic detonators since for me in 1941 they are very reliable and very effective - which is quite strange. Perhaps most players set wrong depth on them? It might also be the fact that I don't engage ships further than 800m, and mostly engage at ~400m. If they run at maximum speed they don't have much time to suffer from depth control.

Originally Posted by Platapus

90% failure rate in contact detonators seems way too high. I have never experienced a failure rate anywhere near that high playing GWX.

I do not play GWX, just stock 1.4 without mods. Maybe in GWX dud torpedoes were fixed?

Originally Posted by Platapus

I would not shoot at under 400 M. The torpedoes need about 350 meters to properly arm. Could some of your "duds" be some of your torpedoes boinking on the side of the ship before they could be armed? I tend not to shoot under 500 meters

It is theoretically possible that I was firing from too close, but I sank another C2 from the same range that C3 was unsinkable. I think I also managed to sink a merchant from 200m. I always sank them using magnetic detonator.