Sailing home..

[Olsin]

I often read "when i was sailing home" or "on my return trip" when reading posts and thats got me thinking....
I never sail back to port....As soon as i either have no torps left or my hull damage is down to a level where i can't hide in the depths anymore or i have other damage that effectively limits my chances of carrying on in a sensible manner........yeh..........I get myself on the surface away from any contact and simply hit esc and select "Exit Patrol".

I'm sure i read a while back that collecting renown for successfully making it back to base was bugged and has never worked...but now i'm thinking...."did i read that right, am i missing out on renown by not sailing back to base"?

[Kip336]

That depends on if you're running a supermod

If you are running GWX 3+, you only get renown for sinking ships, and shooting down aircraft.
I have no experience with other supermods, so I wouldn't know about those


For the stock SH3, you get renown for following orders (Patrol grid XX for 24 hours), so I logically assume you also get renown for returning to base.


Though, with a little planning, the return trip can't be that dangerous in the early years.

[Tinman764]

I think most people who sail home will say they do it for the immersion. I know I do. It just wouldn't feel right surfacing and warping home when so much could happen on the way - most times nothing happens, but that's normally due to me taking early action to avoid contact.

[sublynx]

My game version (SH3 + GWX + SH3 Commander) does not let me return to port by exiting patrol if played at 100 % difficulty. I have to be 25 kilometers from the port to end patrol.

Sailing back to port is dangerous from 1943 onwards, because there is a lot of air activity. Running out of torpedoes doesn't mean there won't be any action. In fact I think getting back might be the most difficult part of the mission. I might be running low on fuel, AA ammo, BOLD capsules or even oxygen capsules (I have just begun using Hsie's realism mod too, so I have to keep that in mind too). I like evading destroyer's, calculating courses, evading airplanes, so the return trip is fun too - though I admit I a nice torpedo hit on a target is the best part of the game

On the subject of renown, however, I think SH3 has never given renown for returning to base, as it was supposed to be - the threads here say that the routine of giving renown points for returning were bugged.

[Olsin]

Ok, thanks guys.....so it seems there is no renown for returning to base.....and maybe i should have mentioned that i'm running sh3 stock with a few basic mods....I've downloaded GWX and installed it but it was so laggy i had to delete and reinstall sh3 stock...For the same reason i can't play sh4 or 5 although i have them here beside me...annoying!
And thats another strange thing...i'm sure i've read a few who have said that sh4 runs just as well if not better than sh3 on the same machine.....Wasn't my experience!
My comp has a 2.5 gig processor with 1½ gig ram and 128 meg on my graphic card.......Haha...just reread the system requirements for sh4...it's reccomended a 4.2 gig processor...so that kinda explains why i'm getting no joy there...aw well...i guess i'll upgrade sooner or later.

I started my campaign (the 3rd or 4th) in 41...i'm now up to Jan 44 and i haven't been killed yet......so if i can get back to base without actually having to sail there and i lose no credit because of it then...yeh...seems a fair tactic to keep the campaign going.....I'd hate to lose all hands and boat on a return trip especially when i have no torps to defend myself or my boat is so damaged that any single hit from boat or plane will send me to the bottom...............Then again.....maybe thats why i've been able to get to 44 without losing boat or crew..hmm...food for thought!

[sublynx]

Originally Posted by Olsin

My comp has a 2.5 gig processor with 1½ gig ram and 128 meg on my graphic card

I think with a little bit more ram and a 512 MB graphic card and you might be able to run GWX with no problems. But I'm no expert on these, maybe some one more GWX and technical savvy person can confirm.

[max-peck]

Runs just fine here on a 2.4 gig processor with 4 gig of RAM.

I'd try more RAM first, it's pretty cheap these days.

As others commented in this thread, whilst you are supposed to get a bit of renown for sailing back to base yourself, it has never worked.

@sublynx: The reason you have to sail back yourself is because you are playing at 100% realism, which disables the 'teleport back to base' function. If you were playing at 99% or below that option would be re-enabled.


Finally I sail back to port myself simply because I enjoy it. There's no knowing what may happen on the way home. Hell, I've even been sunk on the way home before. It's all part of the fun

[Alpha Von Burg]

Originally Posted by Tinman764

I think most people who sail home will say they do it for the immersion. I know I do. It just wouldn't feel right surfacing and warping home when so much could happen on the way - most times nothing happens, but that's normally due to me taking early action to avoid contact.

I do it for the Feel of it as well.

But you coulad have an unexpected surprise on your way back. As for me, on my way back to port, we spotted an S-class british sub, AN95. By this time I had no Torpedos left, so we engaged with the deck gun as it did so to us. It was quite a duel, if I may call it. I sunk it, but I suffered heavy damage but they ended up with only 4 survivors (life boat mod).

You never know you you will find out there on your way home.

[TheGreatHonker]

I usually sail back.
On longer missions you can double your kills with the deck gun while sailing home. It's not uncommon to come across some tanker or medium cargo ship or something. I usually try to save at least 2 torps for the return trip.

[Kapt Z]

Originally Posted by Tinman764

I think most people who sail home will say they do it for the immersion. I know I do. It just wouldn't feel right surfacing and warping home when so much could happen on the way - most times nothing happens, but that's normally due to me taking early action to avoid contact.

My feelings as well. Though I have been sunk on the way home!

Also, when you warp home there is no passage of time. Sometimes it can take me over a week to sail back to port. Lot can happen in a week, good and bad.

[Missing Name]

I try to sail back, and then hit "esc" when I'm 25km or so away from home.

If fuel supplies say I can't make it to my home base, I head to the nearest friendly port or supply ship.

If I can't even do that ("Both propellers destroyed, Herr Kaluen!"), THEN I teleport. Not much else to do except surrender, I suppose.

[Herr-Berbunch]

I get close enough to home, certainly within the area Commander starts me at sea, and then teleport - I ain't tying up and then getting bombed during an air raid! I've seen the film!

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by sublynx

My game version (SH3 + GWX + SH3 Commander) does not let me return to port by exiting patrol if played at 100 % difficulty. I have to be 25 kilometers from the port to end patrol.

That's true of the stock game as well. At 100% you cannot teleport home. Because you can't control the engines separately it is impossible to steer home if your rudder is damaged, so for that reason alone I manually set the difficulty to 99%. It's my understanding that the game is broken, and no renown is awarded for sailing home, so there is no reason not to teleport if that is a concern.

I personally never use it, because for me a big part of the adventure is the outbound and inbound trip. I always sail all the way home and don't quit until I've actually tied up at the pier. This isn't bragging, because I do use time compression. It just feels right to me, so I'm stuck with it.

Oh, and I never start at sea either.

[VONHARRIS]

Originally Posted by Missing Name

I try to sail back, and then hit "esc" when I'm 25km or so away from home.

If fuel supplies say I can't make it to my home base, I head to the nearest friendly port or supply ship.

If I can't even do that ("Both propellers destroyed, Herr Kaluen!"), THEN I teleport. Not much else to do except surrender, I suppose.

Exactly. Only one difference.
If the Uboot is disabled and cannot return home (engines , propellers destroyed) I roll a dice. If a 6 shows up then I am saved by another Uboot and I can continue my career with a different sub as the current one will be destroyed. If any other number appeares then it is over POW or dead by exposure.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by sublynx

On the subject of renown, however, I think SH3 has never given renown for returning to base,

Correct