Tips for evading corvettes/DDs

[Incubus]

I'm still new to the game, and one frustrating thing I've encountered is having a goddamn corvette/DD hounding me constantly. I'm in a Type VIIB right now, and usually if I see a ship charging me I'll try for a shot down his throat within 1000m then crash dive and try to hide. If I hit him typically he's either at the bottom already or crippled enough for me to make a run for it, but more often than not I'll miss because he turns and then it is a tedious matter of waiting him out while creeping along at 3 knots 100 meters down.

Is it simply a matter of patience? What really sucks is when there are multiple ships looking for me. I'm in 1941 right now, and I know it is just going to get worse as time passes in the game.

[Respenus]

Did you ever see "Das Boot". One of the best recreations of WWII U-Boat life and they had to evade a DD for 6h and very stuck on the bottom for 15h.

In real life, it took many, many hours of avoiding DD and they didn't have TC or load mode!

And what's your realism rating?

[SteamWake]

Heres a link to the community manual

http://www.communitymanuals.com/shii...itle=Main_Page

It has an entire section devoted to "evasion".

Good luck !

[Mack the Knife]

Yes, patience is the key. Fighting is normally suicidal (I don't even bother taking a snap-shot, as you do) and outrunning them is impossible. You only shoot yourself in the foot by trying to pick up some speed, as your engine noise becomes audible.

I'm still new to the game myself, so I'm not sure how well modeled some things are. For instance, if you hear depth charges going off behind you, you might be able to accelerate for 10-20 seconds because the noise of the explosions masks your engine noise (in fact, I think most hydrophone operators simply removed their headsets when depthcharges went over the side, because the noise of the explosions could damage their ears).

Also, ships have an area behind them, called their "baffles", in which their own engines render them deaf. It's a kind of blind spot. So when you hear a DD pass directly over you, you can accelerate for a few seconds (unless there are multiple ships around, of course, as the other ones might hear you).

Don't forget that while changing depth is useful to avoid depth charges, it can make noise as the pressure on your hull eases or increases (known as "hull popping" - that groaning sound you hear when you're diving and surfacing).

Zig-zag, accelerate in short bursts when you can, and wait. And wait. And wait. Prayer is optional.

[Mack the Knife]

Originally Posted by SteamWake

Heres a link to the community manual

http://www.communitymanuals.com/shii...itle=Main_Page

It has an entire section devoted to "evasion".

Good luck !

Cool. I haven't seen that yet, either.

[fredbass]

Dont' forget to switch to silent running mode.

[Mack the Knife]

Say, I only just thought of this, but can you monitor water termperature in these boats? For finding a thermal layer to hide under?

[Respenus]

Originally Posted by fredbass

Dont' forget to switch to silent running mode.

What if you have floodings?

[kylania]

Originally Posted by Respenus

What if you have floodings?

That's the choice you have to make.

[AVGWarhawk]

Instead of all that just join a panzer division.

[SteamWake]

Originally Posted by Mack the Knife

Say, I only just thought of this, but can you monitor water termperature in these boats? For finding a thermal layer to hide under?

While there is some debate as to wether or not they had the ability to do this in that era. It is not modeled within the game.

[mookiemookie]

If (and thats a mighty big if, since I've found I'm almost always better off scooting away quietly if I have DD pressure on me) you're going to play chicken with the DD and try a shot down his throat, make sure he's very close when you launch your torpedos. I tend to wait until they're 500-600 m away, and make sure your torpedos are set to run fast. That tends to minimize the room they have to make a sharp turn to evade once they realize your eels are in the water.

Originally Posted by Mack the Knife

Say, I only just thought of this, but can you monitor water termperature in these boats? For finding a thermal layer to hide under?

I remember reading somewhere that thermal layers are not modelled in stock SHIII, but the GW team (at least I think it was the GW mod) is working on something to approximate it in GWX.

[Mack the Knife]

Originally Posted by SteamWake

While there is some debate as to wether or not they had the ability to do this in that era. It is not modeled within the game.

Does depth degrade sonar performance at all?

[andy_311]

I don't know about a VIIB but an IXB or IXC can outrun a flower corvett on the surface and shoot it out (you control the guns) it's hard but can be done but on the other hand if it's a black swan (which I hate very much) that's anouther story.

[Incubus]

I have actually sunk a Clemson DD from surface action during the night. Incidentally I sustained relatively little damage...kind of ironic a submarine can knock out a destroyer by cannonade