how incompetent the escorst could be?

[LCQ_SH]

Playing with TWoS, I was raiding a long convoy (they do spawn like ducks in summer time o.O ) and I sank three ships. The farthest was at no more than 3,200 m. By the time the torps hit the first two, escorts become crazy and start looking for me.

I can tell, four of them passed in front of me at no more than 1,500 m. Engines were at 100 rpm, calmed seas, I was at periscope depth, never dived in and...well it was like the best dream of any U-boat skipper, but I am pretty sure there is no way that could have happened in real life. This was in Dec 1940.

If there are multiple escorts, shouldn't at least one of them should be listening and at least one beeping??

Please somebody tell me that escorts will get better with time, otherwise, I will end up with more than 1000 sunk ships at the end of the war

[Polak2]

Can someone with experience comment on this? I have watched the entire series of Norsecast Let's Play and this was my first impression that level of aggressiveness of destroyer defenses in SH5 was not too prominent. Am I wrong here?
I have very little experience of SH3 with GWX mod and recall quite a big difference in gameplay as far as defenses against convoy screens are concerned. Great simulation series and mods no matter what.thanks.

[Markus Witt]

I've done a few patrols with TWoS and Sober's mod list (I've played SH3 mostly) and have experienced the opposite. I always start in 1941 and in one career in TWoS I was on my second patrol (after a 54000 ton first patrol) and I attacked a convoy sinking 3 or 4 ship's for about 24000 tons and thought: Well this SH5 is pretty easy. After the attack I went deep and silent but after a while I was pinged. I never had a change. I did everything I could: changing dept, changing course, using decoys. No matter what I tried, they were all over me all the time, never letting go. On the hydrophones I could hear at least 5 escorts surrounding me all the time. After more than 20 hours they were still all over me. As long as I was deep I was pretty safe, but I never had a chance to get away. In the end I was desperate and went to 40 meters trying to invite a massive depth charge attack hoping to escape in the confusion. Unsurprisingly this resulted in my dimise. As I went to the bottom I turned on external view to see how many there were and I counted 10 escorts circling over my watery grave. At least I perished with the idea that an unescorted convoy was out there to be taken by someone more fortunate.

Playing SH3+GWX I never experienced an attack so severe. I could usually slip away pretty easily or a least after a few hours the escorts would return to the convoy.

In another career with Sober's mod list I went out for my second patrol and on the second day I spotted a formation of 4 ship's, still in the Bay of Biscay fairly close to France. I could not identify them but went to periscope depth to avoid detection, but apparently a tad late. They turned out to be 4 British destroyers and somehow they had spotted me and again I suffered a 20+ hour deadly horror ordeal without ever a chance to get away.

Right now my favorite method of attacking a convoy is a medium distance night surface attack from outside the escort screen. In my present career I attacked a convoy this way and fired 4 torpedoes into the convoy at a distance of about 5000 meters. All 4 missed. Never mind, I just left the scene and let them go. One of the worst showings for me playing SH3 or SH5 but hey, at least I am still alive. I've grown a bit weary of the escorts in SH5.

[palmic]

I play TWOS full Campaign from September 1939, currently at Summer 1940 and my experience is different.

Last few weeks Convoys has 4+ escorts and its enough to turn my attack into nightmare often.
Most of the time i escape, but its always long hours battle without any extra TCs...
Most of the time its because of my luck after many tries for some maneuver.

If i want to have REAL chance for easy escape i always have to attack convoy from about 7-10km by slow steam eels..

[VynalDerp]

Hm. I have absolutely no problem escaping the AI.

It's October 13, 1939, and I literally just attacked a battleship being screened by 7 destroyers just off the coast of north Scotland. I saw the task force on Hydrophone, shadowed it and then surfaced roughly 2000 meters out (it was a stormy night, so I was well out of sight). I fired 2 torps, and sunk the battleship. Their vision range practically tripled, so I immediately dropped to 25 meters (just below their detection range) and began sailing away, I let the destroyers rush around and freak out for a while. I realized one was getting rather close, so I fired a third torp from the rear and sunk him as well, and now I'm merrily sailing towards Scapa Flow and HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The only mods I have makes ship damage more realistic, and the other adds new UI elements. Nothing to tamper with the AI at all.

[Aktungbby]

VynalDerp!

[vdr1981]

Late 1943... I cant even approach the convoy, not even trough dense fog and I'm certainly not "fresh" SH captain...Damn radars and improved sonars...

[THEBERBSTER]

A Warm Welcome To The Subsim Community > VynalDerp
Subsim <> How To Donate <> See The Benefits <> Support The Community
If you are new to SH5 look > > HERE <<
Highly Recommended SH5 > The Wolves Of Steel Mega Mod

[Kapizi]

Its january 1940, 450 miles of the coast of britain ( in the atlantic), its starting to get dark and my sound guy reports a convoy, long range , closing, medium speed.

Its geting dark so intercept couse and half speed ahead.

22:36: smoke on the horizon bearing *somethig*
Its full mon so theres some visibility

23:00: aircraft carrier spoted
Imediate dive to periscope depth

They are heading strait to my 90° bering

23:00 to 00:00
Multiple escorts and 2 battleships (i think it was a battlecruiser and a battleship)

00:34 : 17 destroyers so far

About 01:00
There are now 27 destroyers

They are about 1000 meter out by now

S*** 10 destroyers turn strait into me, is it normal?
Lets stay like this about 15 min

Its about 01:30 and i get this

Contact beariing 90° and another in my 270° ( left and right)

Update: i have 10 destroyers right in front and more god now how many in my sides

DIVE! DIVE! DIVE!

When im at 40 meter i start to hear pings ( lots of them, needed to turn the volume down or i would get crazy)

By 60 i start to think how the hell they new i was there (really need a answer)

By 02:00 im at 200 meter and being depth charged over and over again, but its fine cuz they are not droping anithing below 150 i think

So its tome to move out.

But my ignorance of the game works i start ploting a course

Half speed ahead says the *******

Imidatly shut engines down but to late ping again and i se depth charges passing the point where they used to explodes.

DIVE! DIVE! DIVE!

Order to 300 meters!!!

When i get 220 i hear the hull snaping as its crushed

Keep going or u die!!

250 and its ok but depth charges exploded where i was, about 200 meters

Stop at 250 and 1 knot and pray a lot to get out of there.

Its now 05:00 and i use external view to see whats on the surface

2 destroyers can be barely seen heading east so its ok now.


So if this AI isnt bad ass i dont now what is
BTW im Using WoD (Wolves of the Deep), and a couple of personal teaks on the AI xD

[Onkel Neal]

Nice action summary

[Kapizi]

But no screens sorry
To damm busy to take them