Defining the undefinable: The type IX addiction

Ducimus · 03-07-07, 03:39 PM

So there's this little cliche of players who are generally under the umbrella of "IXoholic's anonymous" or the "IX Club" or whatever somebody decides to call it. Im not sure how it started (although i wonder if i had a hand in it :hmm: ), but i think it maybe i'd post about it to help eliminate some confusion.

First, a concession.

The type 7. It IS sleek, it is visually appealing, it is manuverable, and as a submersible underwater it outperforms the type9 in every respect. It was the perfect combination of endurance, weapons payload and manuberablity. What's more, its an icon of an era in history. When people think of german Uboats, they immediatly think of a type 7 with a netcutter on the bow.

So why then would anyone want a boat that is slower to dive, slower in underwater manuverablity, and in general isnt like the type 7?

The reasons are many, and im sure i wont list them all.

- some like the fact that you can see the bow while you stand on the bridge.

- some like the fact that it has more torpedo's and has better surface performance in a type 7. During early war, this is a big big big perk.

- some like the fact that it has more fuel, enableing them to travel faster, or longer, or reach places they'd like to check out. The sirens call to feel like your going someplace exotic.

- Some just like certain theaters of war for whatever reason. Maybe its because its closer to where they live, maybe they like the tonnage or the shipping routes , but for whatever reason, they like to go to certain far away places.

- Some feel that north alantic is dull.

- some like being that lone wolf hunter. This is what a type9 was really meant to do, it wasn't really meant as a wolfpack uboat like a type 7.

- for some their true love was a gato submarine, and a type9 is the cloest thing to that.

the reasons are many, and im sure others could add a few more.

But it doesnt stop there. Its also about gameplay in context to a career game. Generally speaking you get a patrol grid, do your 24 hours, and then move on to where you know you'll find traffic. The patrol grid, im wagering, for most is nothing more then a formality to obtain renown. In both a type 7 and a type 9 you do this. Go to grid, do 24, move on. The difference here is that to a type9 career game, a patrol grid isnt just a formality, it represents an entirely different theater of the war.

-If you get a grid to GR, you know your going to the south atlantic and possibly even the indian ocean fuel permitting.
- ED? You know you'll be around port of spain in the carribean.
- CA or DB? you know you'll be off the US east coast.

And now im going to make one assumption but im pretty sure im right. For the most part, i think all of us play the game to
a.) sink ships
b.) survive as long as possible, hopefully even the war.

The second part is key here. If ones goal is to survive for a few years, or even the war, there isn't a better way to do that then in a type 9, for the simple reason that your at sea, per patrol, for a very long time compared to a type7. Your patrols usually go at a 60 day minmum, to as long as 120+ days, and you usually get around only 4 or 5 patrols a year. The crux of this is passage of time as a feeling of accomplishment, and the passage of gametime in a type7 is feels much longer in real world time as compared to a type 9 where the passage of game time is feels much quicker in the same amount of real world time by virtue of having to travel far to reach your grid.

Anyway, im out of time. thats all i got i guess.

03-07-07, 03:39 PM	#1
Ducimus Rear Admiral Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 12,987 Downloads: 67 Uploads: 2	Defining the undefinable: The type IX addiction So there's this little cliche of players who are generally under the umbrella of "IXoholic's anonymous" or the "IX Club" or whatever somebody decides to call it. Im not sure how it started (although i wonder if i had a hand in it :hmm: ), but i think it maybe i'd post about it to help eliminate some confusion. First, a concession. The type 7. It IS sleek, it is visually appealing, it is manuverable, and as a submersible underwater it outperforms the type9 in every respect. It was the perfect combination of endurance, weapons payload and manuberablity. What's more, its an icon of an era in history. When people think of german Uboats, they immediatly think of a type 7 with a netcutter on the bow. So why then would anyone want a boat that is slower to dive, slower in underwater manuverablity, and in general isnt like the type 7? The reasons are many, and im sure i wont list them all. - some like the fact that you can see the bow while you stand on the bridge. - some like the fact that it has more torpedo's and has better surface performance in a type 7. During early war, this is a big big big perk. - some like the fact that it has more fuel, enableing them to travel faster, or longer, or reach places they'd like to check out. The sirens call to feel like your going someplace exotic. - Some just like certain theaters of war for whatever reason. Maybe its because its closer to where they live, maybe they like the tonnage or the shipping routes , but for whatever reason, they like to go to certain far away places. - Some feel that north alantic is dull. - some like being that lone wolf hunter. This is what a type9 was really meant to do, it wasn't really meant as a wolfpack uboat like a type 7. - for some their true love was a gato submarine, and a type9 is the cloest thing to that. the reasons are many, and im sure others could add a few more. But it doesnt stop there. Its also about gameplay in context to a career game. Generally speaking you get a patrol grid, do your 24 hours, and then move on to where you know you'll find traffic. The patrol grid, im wagering, for most is nothing more then a formality to obtain renown. In both a type 7 and a type 9 you do this. Go to grid, do 24, move on. The difference here is that to a type9 career game, a patrol grid isnt just a formality, it represents an entirely different theater of the war. -If you get a grid to GR, you know your going to the south atlantic and possibly even the indian ocean fuel permitting. - ED? You know you'll be around port of spain in the carribean. - CA or DB? you know you'll be off the US east coast. And now im going to make one assumption but im pretty sure im right. For the most part, i think all of us play the game to a.) sink ships b.) survive as long as possible, hopefully even the war. The second part is key here. If ones goal is to survive for a few years, or even the war, there isn't a better way to do that then in a type 9, for the simple reason that your at sea, per patrol, for a very long time compared to a type7. Your patrols usually go at a 60 day minmum, to as long as 120+ days, and you usually get around only 4 or 5 patrols a year. The crux of this is passage of time as a feeling of accomplishment, and the passage of gametime in a type7 is feels much longer in real world time as compared to a type 9 where the passage of game time is feels much quicker in the same amount of real world time by virtue of having to travel far to reach your grid. Anyway, im out of time. thats all i got i guess.