Commander vs SH3 & GWX

[Kip Chiakopf]

There are huge differences in crew management between Commander and SH3/GWX. Which is the best to follow for realism? Commander is much more liberal when it comes to awards and abilities. Is it considred too "gamey" to use crew management on Commancer?

[Aras]

After the first patrol, I give some qualifications to my crew since I find it unrealistic to start with 50 crew with any qualifications. As far as I know Submarine crews and Captains in 39 were highly trained.

[RConch]

As long as you are not too lavish with the rewards.
Myself, all my guys get there U-boat badge after the first wartime patrol, my officers and PO's get their qualifications, and the two seamen I always choose as flak men get their qualification.
I pass out other awards (ICs ect) early, per what the game gives me, after each patrol.
Later I try to award per merit. Same with promotions.

[Sailor Steve]

First off, the so-called 'Crew Management' in SH3 has nothing to do with real life. The crew are organized into rotating 'Watch Lists' and trade themselves out after two, four, six or eight hours, depending on the navy, the ship and the job. SH4 fixed this so it works much more realistically, but in SH3 this is seemingly impossible. The captain moving the crew around whenever they complain about being tired is just not the way it works. Commander allows you to turn off fatigue altogether, which in this case is the most realistic, unless you like moving the crew around yourself.

@ Aras: I too use Commander to qualify my crew. After a 'False Patrol', in which I make a tour of the harbor and then dock again, I qualify all my petty officers on the grounds that being qualified is what gets them called 'petty officers' in the first place. We had an interesting and educational discussion on the subject in this thread .

Qualifying your non-POs doesn't affect their abilities but it does let you remember who you assigned where.

[VONHARRIS]

I totaly agree with Steve and Aras. In fact I am doing the same thing. It looks realistic with the SH3 engine limitations.

[maillemaker]

I prefer to play with the game mechanics for fatigue because it is what gives you a feeling of investment in your crew as you build them up from nothing until you finally have a tireless crew that operates at maximum efficiency.

If you turn off fatigue and train them up all through Commander from the start, there is nothing to give you a feeling of investment in your crew's progress or a sense of loss if you get sunk and have to start all over again.

Steve

[Sailor Steve]

I used to feel that way and play that way. After changing out the watch crew every two hours on a Type II for a week straight of storm and not having enough crew to do it with, I decided I was done. SH3 was the first subsim to have crew fatigue and they got it wrong. SH4 is so much better in that department, and so much more realistic, yet you still don't have that "investment".

Never again.

[edit] Well, maybe not. I do like watching their stats grow, and I may eat those words the next time I get to play.

[Aras]

Originally Posted by maillemaker

I prefer to play with the game mechanics for fatigue because it is what gives you a feeling of investment in your crew as you build them up from nothing until you finally have a tireless crew that operates at maximum efficiency.

If you turn off fatigue and train them up all through Commander from the start, there is nothing to give you a feeling of investment in your crew's progress or a sense of loss if you get sunk and have to start all over again.

Steve

Yeah, Yeah. A few mann cried today, some other mann cried yesterday and you let entire bridge unmanned. A hole for the entire British armada to slip undetected

* Now read it with Jürgen Prochnow's voice.