What U-boat do you prefer and why?

[gord96]

Hello,

New to the game and just wondering what everyone's favorite sub is and why. Not so much the "super" subs at the end of the war but the ones they used through most of the game. Trying to decided whether to stick with the VII or try the longer range boats. Thanks

[Ducimus]

My question to you is, how long do you like to stay at sea?

Personnaly im drawn to Long range boats, for many reasons. I think one of the most noteworthy reasons is simply the passage of time in the game vs how much time i spend playing the game sitting in my chair.

For instance, in the VII boats if find myself doing ALOT of down by day, up at night. Now i do this in an IX boat, but only after i get near or at my patrol area where i think the enemy presence might be greater. So in the process of getting to my patrol area, more time has gone by in game, with less time sitting in my chair. This in action gives me a sense of having accomplished something, because personnaly one of my underlaying motives is to survive the war. Pasage of time as an accomplishment in other words.

The passage of time in an VII boat, while the distance traveling isnt as far, the clock ingame seems to progresses slower because theres less travelling. Hence it takes me much longer to pass the same amount of time that i do in an IX boat.

On top of that, theres alot of distant areas seems to have chockpoints or generally areas where predicting shipping routes feels a bit easier to figure out. Although granted you could probably to the same thing sitting in a grid like (i think) AM54.

[Hueywolf123]

I like my little type VIIB, got speed, good diving times etc. I get bored on long range patrols and a smaller boat is harder to spot from above. My crew and I will be heartbroken if we get transfered away from it

[mookiemookie]

I love the Type VIIB/Cs. Plenty of internal torpedos, faster dive speed to avoid those pesky planes, lower profile than the type IX, and it doesn't handle as sloppy. I like being in the heat of the action instead of a million miles away. Personal preferences, of course.

[Steeltrap]

I suspect answer to this will depend, also, on how you play. Do you use a mod? Which? I'd hate to be in a IX using NYGM late '42 on due to effectiveness of escorts and, especially, the savagery of planes. That extra dive time etc would be a killer!

Using a VIIC myself.

[stabiz]

VIIC. Its the best boat, IMO. Its agile and fast, two key requirements for survival.

(I am currently in an IXB, and I quite like that one too, despite the sluggishness)

Originally Posted by Steeltrap

I suspect answer to this will depend, also, on how you play. Do you use a mod? Which? I'd hate to be in a IX using NYGM late '42 on due to effectiveness of escorts and, especially, the savagery of planes. That extra dive time etc would be a killer!

Using a VIIC myself.

It doesn't help much if you get caught with your knickers down, but when I do approaches to convoys or other contacts, or if there is an escort about, I go to deck awash ( 7 meters). My dive time then is less than 15 seconds, and that's not a 'crash' dive, just a simple submergence to periscope depth. And yes, that's with an IXC boat.

[Hybris]

Depending on what carrer I'm working on I either use a U-Flak (VIIC with extra flak guns) or my XXI. Personally I like harbor attacks or surfaceing in the middle of a convoy manning of the flak guns and blow away the ship I can reach.

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by mookiemookie

I like being in the heat of the action instead of a million miles away.

The action is all over the ocean, not just near the A and B grids


Honestly this topic has been beat to death in the past.

Heres some more info, id get into a long speil and basically say the same thing:

http://www.communitymanuals.com/shii..._IX_Comparison
edit: Ill have to add the info is old and had the stock game in mind at the time of its writing. As said, alot depends on the mod your running.

On a side note, ive taken IX boats to the end of the war with some 600 odd days at sea, and it wasn't easy. Most of my career games ended prematurely.

[GT182]

I'll take a IX/D2 any day. The Type VIIs and IX/Bs and Cs are fine but the killing power of the D2 is so much better. 26 torpedos, 105 deckgun and the killer quad flakgun does the job just fine. 19.2kts surfaced, 6.9 submerged and her range are nothing to sneeze at either. She's a great boat IMO. She's saved our collective bacon many times, but what do I know.

[Ducimus]

THat IXD2 has some incredible range. You can take that boat out of france, and cruise all the way to penang without having to refuel.

You can crash dive an IXD2 in about 20-22 seconds if your decks are awash. Ive taken one in the U505 mission and surived.. (once or twice ) On top of that if your pining for SH4, the IXD2 is VERY SIMILAR in stats to a gato class submarine.

Now, dispite all that, i still find myself looking at IXC's. Not sure why. I think i enjoy the challenge of fuel management, and while the type9's have more payload in general, you still have to be conservative with your fish.

Overall the type9's were really meant as the sole, solitary hunter, and not a boat you'd normally enlist into a wolfpack. Which i think is one reason why the type7's and 9's are designed the way they are. One works alone, the other in a group. Only problem is, there's no wolfpacks in SH3.

[MothBalls]

I like starting a career with a IIA and "earning" my way up. (II is a blast in rough weather.) Soon as I could I got a VII, then did 1 year in it and got a IX. When I got my 1st XXI I did two patrols, and actualy went back and loaded my last mission in a IX and finished the war in it. I wasn't a fan of the XXI.

When I traded my trusty IXC in for a DX2 I loved it. Not only traveled farther, but farther faster. Slipping up into the middle of a convoy and being able to use 12 fish..... well sometmes anyway....ok, maybe just a couple times I got away with it.... it was lots of fun.

Only thing I didn't like was the limited submerged range, sneaking away in the later war was tough. I did some harbor raids with it, there were some difficult situations getting the beast turned around, but again, the extra fish saved my bacon a few times.

Can't wait until SH4, pleeeeeeeeeenty of tubes.

[mookiemookie]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

The action is all over the ocean, not just near the A and B grids

Hee hee....reason I said that is that I'm in the middle of a boooooring patrol down in grid EJ93 (that's Cape Verde...they sent me there in my type VIIB! ). I haven't seen or heard anything for a couple weeks now. I'm about to milk cow it back to Lorient and give Onkel Karl a piece of my mind.

[Ducimus]

Honestly i hate any grid south of freetown. There really isn't that much traffic down there. You have some coming out of capetown but not a whole lot. The waters directly SW of capetown is sometimes lucrative. You go up on the shelf, and theres this deeper region. Between this area and freetown harbor is an island. You'll catch single merchants in this area.

North of freetown is ok too. I dont know which ilsand it is, but the main shipping route runs right in between the west african coast, and this island. This area is north of freetown. I think hunting south of this straight is the best location, as i think they typicaly zig at some point before they enter this straight, which is fairly wide.

[Hartmann]

I like the IX-B and C boats , and they are very similar to the pacific subs.


great load of torpedoes (22),good speed (20 knts) decent dive speed at deck awash, and a good range,

i use always large boats in sh1 and aces of the deep.