Trying GWX

[Renesco]

hey all I've started playing GWX recently and tbh I've spent several hours and still havent got a kill, firstly there was the first patrol before the war, which took ages because of constant message spam, second patrol I randomly died like 3 times while going up the east coast of england and even that took ages because of constant radio message spam, coupled with extremely long load times, so as you might have guessed I'm finding grey wolves pretty frustrating and not much fun at all to play, so..

1) how can I turn off the constant radio message spam? (shc commander doesnt seem to have the option)
2) why do I keep dying randomly, I thought mines but the mine maps only show mines in harbours, I'm guessing they are everywhere or something and randomly exploding is just a part of the game (fun times)
3) is the crew management window supposed to be extremely dark to the point where I cant read anything?
4) the radio messages that I keep getting are along the lines of (sss 46;55n 36w) are those actual co-ordinates I can use or just RP fluff?

[Hook]

That's not a bug, that's a feature!

Well, sorta.

1) To avoid constant radio spam, you could try leaving the radio/sonar room unmanned (untested) or getting depth charged and having your radio antenna destroyed (tested all too well). If the first one works, you'll probably get a lot of messages at once when you finally put someone in there. The messages are a lot less annoying if you never leave 1x time compression.

2) The entire east coast of England is said to be mined, as well as a lot of other places as well. Avoid Helgoland, for example, and the entire corridor south of the Faroes. If you're in high time compression when you hit a mine, you probably won't have time to deal with the damage.

3) Since the only way to be able to see the screen at all in some parts of the game is to play at night with all lights off, the dark crew screen is to keep it from being annoyingly bright. My suggestion is to either jack up the brightness on your screen (useful for most of the game) or do a Google search for a free utility called "Gamma Panel" that allows you to change the brightness of the screen on the fly with hot keys. That way you can play during the daytime.

4) The radio messages are for immersion only.

Hook

[Sailor Steve]

Give this one a try.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...do=file&id=545

[Jimbuna]

Mines

[Bosje]

welcome to GWX

your issues are features and they are the 'Xperience' in GWX
reading the radio messages might make you feel much more involved: other ships are out there and they are talking, attacking and getting attacked.
Mines are scary, yes. You are learning to respect them.

I know how you feel: it sometimes gets annoying when you're trying to reach the middle of the Atlantic, you're kicked out of TC every minute. I recommend trying to sail out of port in real time, pretty soon you'll be happy to get a radio message to read! Get on the bridge and look around you as you get through the Kiel Kanal or as you cross the Biscay Bay. GWX is not for everyone, I guess, but it is a thing of beauty

Happy hunting

[Pisces]

Yikes, never realised there were mines in the north west area too.

[Lord_magerius]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Mines
(Image)

I wish I'd have known some of that before, looking at a few of the places on there I like to hunt. Absolutely stuffed with mines, I'm a very lucky boy methinks

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Lord_magerius

I wish I'd have known some of that before, looking at a few of the places on there I like to hunt. Absolutely stuffed with mines, I'm a very lucky boy methinks

I know, the first time I saw that I was like

Although I typically avoid the English coast/channel (learned about mines there the hard way, i.e., not by seeing the map) my usual route into the north Atlantic was right down between the Faroes and the Hebrides. Never hit anything there, but still... it was only a matter of time.

[Wreford-Brown]

Originally Posted by Renesco

1) how can I turn off the constant radio message spam? (shc commander doesnt seem to have the option)

I've got a radio messages mod that keeps all the relevant GWX ones and takes out the immersion ones. Find it at my MediaFire site (WB's Mission Orders Lite).

Originally Posted by Renesco

2) why do I keep dying randomly, I thought mines but the mine maps only show mines in harbours, I'm guessing they are everywhere or something and randomly exploding is just a part of the game (fun times)

jimbuna's covered this one.

Originally Posted by Renesco

3) is the crew management window supposed to be extremely dark to the point where I cant read anything?

It shouldn't be that dark - you should be able to see it clearly. Are you using any mods that might effect it? Is your screen itself too dark?

Originally Posted by Renesco

4) the radio messages that I keep getting are along the lines of (sss 46;55n 36w) are those actual co-ordinates I can use or just RP fluff?

Rule of thumb - if it's lat/long then it's for immersion. If it gives an alphanumeric grid (e.g. AM52) then it's an actual coordinate where something is happening.

[Renesco]

Originally Posted by Wreford-Brown

I've got a radio messages mod that keeps all the relevant GWX ones and takes out the immersion ones. Find it at my MediaFire site (WB's Mission Orders Lite).

got it, thanks

[Hook]

Originally Posted by Wreford-Brown

It shouldn't be that dark - you should be able to see it clearly. Are you using any mods that might effect it? Is your screen itself too dark?

I have the same problem. My screen is set up to do photo manipulation, and printed photos look like the screen, so it's not a dark screen problem.

I could post a screen shot, but it would probably look ok to you. Many screen shots others have posted are way too dark for me to see.

So I'll describe the problem. A screen shot of the crew screen from the stock game is perfectly readable, not too bright, not too dark. A screen shot of the crew screen from GWX3 (and it's the only mod I have), the text like "stern quarters" and "command room" are good. Text like the sailor's name, I can barely make out his first name, I can't read his last. The word "Qualifications" is difficult, and I can only figure it out because I know what it should say. There's no way I can read the sailor's rank. I can make out the word "Morale" but the others are too difficult.

Some other things: the icons are the same brightness in stock game and GWX. For example, the crew icons and officer heads in the command room are ok. The submarine looks ok. The dials are ok. The officer portraits that I use to give commands on the lower left are dark and dull.

Much of the game has been changed like the officer portraits. Compare the pics for the recognition manual from the stock game and GWX to see some examples.

The only way I can see anything on the bridge at night in the game is to turn off all the lights in the room and play at night. Then I can barely see silhouettes of some of the guys on the bridge. During a storm at night when playing during the daytime, the screen is totally black. Nothing whatsoever.

I use Gamma Panel, a freeware utility, to change screen brightness, and I use 4 brightnesses in addition to the normal screen, and I generally have to switch between at least 3 of them during play, not to make the game look good, but to be able to play at all.

For what it's worth, I'm using a Viewsonic 21" CRT, model G225f.

Hook