Refit, Return in My Quest for Glory?

[misha1967]

And squeezing as much out of the campaign as possible before it ends.

Stock SH5 campaign, game itself thoroughly modded, though, but no OHII or the like.

Having just returned to the franchise and loving every minute of it (Mann o Mann does this baby ever look PRETTY?) I remember the considerations back ages ago when I was playing SH3 at all hours: Do I return to base and get a new patrol or do I refit and carry on?

What's the better way in SH5 to not end up spending most of the game time in port? How long does refueling/rearming take vs. returning to base for shore leave and full refit entirely? When is it a better choice to return to port than to just go on with a resupply (or ten)? Can I pick up a new mission without a full return to base (such as when I hit the 50,000 ton mark for the Coastal Waters. Can I request Western Approaches without returning to base completely?)

I'm asking because I just want to spend as much time as possible hunting targets before I'm involuntarily retired in '43 (after which time, historically, there wouldn't be much "hunting" left to do anyway).

Of course, this is all assuming that I even survive that long. I'm a "no resurrection" kind of simmer, so if I die I have to start over. Needless to say, that made getting to 1944 in SH3 for the first (and only) time feel like a true accomplishment

[Michael13]

Don't know about refitting time, still didn't use it. But can say about rest things:

You spend 2 weeks for full repairs/refit between patrols.
And you don't really need to take missions at all. Because all this missions like "Patrol area till sinking any ship" or "Sink any warship in area" giving you only 1-2 skillpoints for crew (and may be some renown, don't really know).
Global missions like "Eastern Coastal Waters" or "Western Approaches" you can do at any time. Just go to designated area and do what mission asking for.
When you ending patrol - you get skill point for crew too. I guess depending on your results in last patrol. I usually got ~15.
And one more thing - you can repair hull integrity only in dry dock - by ending patrol.

So, if you don't need skill points, new upgrades for your boat or even new boat - you can never end your patrol

[misha1967]

Only two weeks for a full refit? Great. I remember SH3 where you, until you, ahem, "fixed" it, would spend enough time in port between patrols to watch your grandkids grow up and go to college! OK, I exaggerate. A bit

I'll definitely want to go back for R&R every once in a while (doesn't crew morale and, therefore, efficiency, suffer greatly if you never do so?), but right now I'm on a dream patrol because the gods of sub warfare smiled upon me. Only four days out of port since the beginning of the war and I run into an unescorted convoy of 6 merchants right off the British east coast. In the middle of the night. Overcast. It was a blood bath, I tell you, even with my severely rusted skills. If there is one thing that I learned to do back in the SH3 days, it was how to set up a 90 degree run on an unsuspecting, unescorted convoy. Even a fool like me can do that in my sleep.

I don't expect to be that lucky very often and, with half my loadout still available, I really didn't want to go back home to spend a month or two drinking stale beer and watching all of the other Kaleuns get all the glory during the early days when the war is still balanced in my favor. God knows it's only going to get harder.

So no data on how long the "reload" or "refit" option takes? Well, with only two weeks for the whole nine yards, it doesn't really matter, does it?

Still, I'd like to know.

Thanks for your reply, Kamerad.

Vsevo choroshevo, i ni shagu nazad!

[0rpheus]

Reload/refit option at port or at milk-cows is instantaneous and uses no game time; returning to port is two weeks as already mentioned (though this value can and has been modded; check the mod forum).

If you're using the OHII campaign mod (and if not, why not? ), then you don't need to return to port to 'request' a mission in order to complete it - sinking the correct ships in the correct area of operation will still count towards a mission that has appeared while at sea. I assume the same would be true of the stock campaign, but since I've never actually played an un-modded campaign I can't say for certain If no mission is available, free patrol & sink what you like until the next one appears (mission availability dates are now available in the main OHII thread, courtesy of Trevally).

Returning to port updates the crew experience total so you can 'upgrade' your sonar operator etc, and is the only way to alter your weapon/equipment loadout - but beyond that, there's no reason you can't stay at sea and just refit/refuel when you begin to run low

[oscarenwickler]

[QUOTE=mission availability dates are now available in the main OHII thread, courtesy of Trevally).=QUOTE]
where is this? i cant find it.

[Trevally.]

post 2 in the OHII thread

[GeneralLawson]

Originally Posted by misha1967

Only four days out of port since the beginning of the war and I run into an unescorted convoy of 6 merchants right off the British east coast. In the middle of the night. Overcast.

You know you've played this game too much when reading this literally gives you chills.