Looking for some hunting tips....

[sixcoins]

Was hoping an experienced player might be able to provide a hunting tip or 2. I have gone full stupid, and shut off contact updates.

I finished my first patrol, with no contacts... here is how I did it.

I went to the grid, inside the northeast corner.... roughly 60 Kilometers due southwest. I drew a compass range of 30KM, then listened manually. After that, I waited 30 minutes. (at about 20 meters, by the way.) I asked the sonar operator to have a listen. No contacts.

I surfaced, then moved 60 kilometers to the south. Did the same procedure. Dive to 20 meters, stopped the screws, had a listen, then had my hydro guy listen.

Then I went 60 Kiometers west... and so on and so forth.

I found nothing. However, it was fun covering the whole area in a nice controlled pattern like that.

Incidentally... I have NEVER found a ship in my patrol area. But that's neither here nor there.

So now I intend to go towards the East Coast of GB...

As far as I can imagine, it's a turkey shoot from here on.

Where do I go? How far from the coast? Just keep moving 60 kilometers til I run out of fuel?

I'm at a loss on the 'proper' way to hunt for new quarry, so I'm open to any and all tips.

Thanks in advance.

[sublynx]

A thought or two on this:

1. Somebody once made a statistical test on what is the most efficient search pattern in SH3. If the typical movement of the enemy is east - west, west - east, the grid should be searched with in the same direction. Run from east to west, then head south or north a bit, then run back. The speed should be faster than a single merchant's typical speed. If you go 5 knots you will never catch up on any targets, if you run at 8 knots you might catch those that run at 6 or 7 knots. (However historically the U-boats usually saved fuel and typically moved very slowly in their patrol grids, AFAIK)
2. Regular hydrophone dives help, but depending on the grid there might not be much to find
3. Higher time compression might make you jump right over a contact and not get a report. I usually use 128. However if you are feeling bored you might go to 512 or 1024 - if there is ship near you, there might be a glitch in the running of time, your boat's movement on the navigation map will seem to slow down a bit, the clock seems to slow it's running for awhile. If you take time compression off immediately after a glitch and dive for a hydrophone check you might hear a contact.
4. Higher experience crewmen might spot more targets. I hope someone can confirm this

I no longer think it's a big problem if I don't get contacts. Usually that only means that I'm saving my torpedoes for the best part of SH3 - convoy battles. I usually patrol my grid with a TC of 128 and I feel that I always get a contact report if a convoy gets near me. I think that the game engine almost always gives convoys away with a nice contact report. I think I get at least 90 percent of my convoy contacts from the radio.

[flag4]

...it really is a case of patience.....and a little luck, but patience and what you have described sublynx

[RConch]

Practice. To get really good, it takes time. With the super mods, it is no arcade game.

[Pisces]

Sixcoins, that was a good start. Now, do more of it.



Yup, in all your boredom, don't neglect watching the map closely for (radio) contact reports. They are the most frequent in open water. Hydrophone detection area is still a speck in the North Sea.

If you want to preserve fuel but still need to go somewhere, set speed to 8 knots. That gets you the furthest. (in a Type7) Creeping along, or fast only burns up fuel more quickly. But you may find in the end of your return home that you have ample of it. So feel free to use it anyhow. Type 2 is another matter in this.

Keep TC in 3 digits, or speeding it up to prevent boredom will be counter-productive.

Since you need room to dive in case of air-attack, do not go near land at all.

(Looks around ... in before Jimbuna: )

BE MORE AGGRESSIVE!!!!

[sixcoins]

Thanks everyone!