Realism Newbie Tips

[ExiledFish]

Hello,

I've been lurking round this Forum for a while now, but have only just decided to register properly.... I hope it's okay to start a new post like this, and I apologise if it's not

SH3 and SH4 were the first submarine sims I've ever played, but up until now I've always kept some of the Unrealism settings (57% realism, to be precise) firmly ticked - mainly because of my lack of knowledge of the basics. Unlimited Fuel and Automatic Targeting being the main two (though I do have Dud Torps, Realistic loading and Limited batteries, if that helps give me a tiny bit of credit *cue laughter* ).

After finding this Forum and reading a lot of members posts, I think I'd like to steadily up the realism - perhaps not all the way to 100 (I like the Free Camera y'see) but I especially want to conquer limted fuel and Manual targeting, and I'm wondering if anyone has any tips?

I've seen plenty of helpful threads about Targeting, so perhaps I'll specifically ask about the fuel for now- are there any rules of thumb or yardsticks regarding the fuel consumption vs speed? I assume all the cruising will have to be done at 1/3 engines - but how much leeway does that give you if, say, you wish to do an end around on a Fast/Medium convoy and have to go up to Flank speed? What about maximum ranges and the like?

Might it better to learn through the Single Missions rather than start a new Campaign? I'm using the 1.2 patch and the Flavored to Taste mod.

This post's a bit longer than I'd intended but anyway, Hello, I hope to learn lots from you knowledgable folk.

Cheers,