Crew Management

[Kip Chiakopf]

What's the consensus about crew management, the main interface or the Commander interface? I notice that available medals and awards differ between the two.

Depends. do you mean managing the crew from within the game itself or commander??? wellll if you want a crew with many qaulifications from the get go, commander is the way to go as you can assign each sailor that can have one a qaulification. I usually like to at least give my officers two qauls total after my shakedown patrol but thats just me. Awards I usually do from within the game, save the uboat war badge since everyone should get that if they all were on patrols.

[frau kaleun]

I use a combination of both, but mostly Commander. I'll give out what promotions and awards the game allots after a patrol from within the game (provided they are appropriate - the u-boat war badge usually isn't, the way the game handles it) and then supplement that in Commander if I feel more of either is merited.

Qualifications are handled in Commander, since as noted above you can assign at least one to everyone that way, even the ratings. Even if it doesn't count for anything in the game, it helps keep track of who belongs where and who is responsible for what job on board - very helpful when it comes to handing out medals later.

When it comes to dismissing a crewman I will usually do that in Commander, although it's a tossup as to whether I will let Commander replace him (at a cost of renown) or wait until I'm in the game to add a replacement. If it's a crewman of some importance I will usually let Commander replace him since IME I'm more likely to get someone who is better qualified to replace him in that fashion (and if he's not, I can give him the qualification while still in Commander). Once you go into the game, you're limited to what's available in the "barracks" and if all I need is a replacement Matrosengefreiter, I can get that at no cost - but if I need an officer or senior NCO, there may not be one who is already qualified in the area where I my crew is now lacking.

In general, probably 95% of my crew management is done in Commander... but then I may spend as much as 2-3 hours, total, in between patrols just on that alone. So I do a lot of crew management, lol. Especially early on when it's a new crew and I'm still sorting out who goes where and does what.

[WH4K]

I don't put nearly that much effort into crew management, but I did notice something odd when doing it the "regular" way, from inside SH3.

Why is it that some petty officers have 2 qualifications, but I can't add a second one myself?

For example, in my Type IID I now have a PO who has both Helm and Watch qualifications. But the game won't allow me to create any other POs with a second skill.

I'm not sure whether it really matters anyway. Due to the OLC GUI's method of doing longer repair times, I have no green efficiency bars.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by WH4K

I don't put nearly that much effort into crew management, but I did notice something odd when doing it the "regular" way, from inside SH3.

Why is it that some petty officers have 2 qualifications, but I can't add a second one myself?

POs have different ranks, not all of them can have 2 quals. IIRC only a senior PO - Stabsoberbootsmann - can have more than one.

[desirableroasted]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

POs have different ranks, not all of them can have 2 quals. IIRC only a senior PO - Stabsoberbootsmann - can have more than one.

Officers: up to three qualifications. Radioman and helmsman don't work, and medic has so little effect as to be worthless. Also, in real life, you wouldn't have an officer with any of those qualifications on a small boat.

Petty Officers: you can give more than one qualification, but the 2nd one is only for eye candy. Radioman works, here, but helmsman does not. Some people give it out for eye candy; I give it to my senior PO. If you are going to waste a qual on a medic, here is the place to do it.

Seamen: no qualifications work, even if you assign them.