GWX Review

[Brag]

Gotta give the GWX Mod Team five stars!

Here's the straight scuttlebutt:

At least with my computer, it takes a long time to load. A good five minutes or a bit longer, enough time to go outside and have a cigarette. However, the wait is worthwhile. To test GWX I started a new career based in 1940 Lorient on a IXB boat.

The dockside band played a much more appropriate march than Deutschland Uberalles . Low level puffy strato-cumulous clouds dotted the sky, giving the scene a fresh, seaside feel. To the left of the departure basin, a destroyer sat tied to the dock. The other pleasant surprise was a compass card one could actually read and click an accurate heading.

The chart reflects more accurately the geography around Lorient. At 0705 hours we set off with slow ahead. The boat accelerated to 7 knots. Turning at the end of the southern docks a pleasant surprise awaited. A French coastal steamer sat next to the dock. Now, this looked like a harbor!

Outside the breakwater, an armed tug maneuvered waiting for us. About a mile down-river, a destroyer and a tanker steamed out to sea. There were other small vessels loitering about, this gave the sym a feel of reality.

The tug fell into formation with us but lagged behind as I ordered 14 knots. At the river mouth, the destroyer, doing 8 knots, changed course and we had to alter heading a bit to avoid collision. Normal stuff.

I tried the gramophone and we got some great German songs that would stir any crew going out to war.

So far excellent (except for an annoying bit of black water the IXB generated in my computer even before the mod). A live harbor, traffic problems and the scattered clouds gave the departure great realism.

Our patrol orders were for AL33 (south of Iceland.). After a day, the weather changed to stock SHIII, clear with calm seas: clear, rough seas; cloudy rough seas. We reached AL33 without sighting ships nor getting ship reports. One large convoy was reported entering the Celtic Sea.

A few hours after reaching AL33, a convoy popped up SE of our position doing 8 knots. I calculated we'd catch it in 24 hours by racing at 15 knots. That was mistake number one.

The convoy changed course more than once and we never found it. Then I chased another convoy--again, no luck. Burned lots of fuel. Then I positioned on the approaches of the North Channel.

This paid off. In lousy, murky, rough, rainy weather, visibility 300 meters. W found ourselves in the middle of a convoy. I got a hazy glimpse at the battleship Nelson, sent a torpedo and got a hit after the ship vanished from sight. Fired 2 torps on an ore carrier, which eventually sank.

I can't tell what the visuals are like with torpedo hits, but the feel of reality of battle is enhanced. When you get a hit, the crew cheers. There are a lot of new sound effects that seem real life. The murmur of conversations, someone coughing, new hull sounds.

Was I not testing the game, I would have gone deep and silent, immediately after zapping the ore carrier. Instead, I stayed at pero depth and tried to stalk Nelson.

A destroyer came actively pinging. We went down to 50 meters while depth charged. The destroyer's second pass caused serious damage, knocking the batteries down to where we hardly had power to move at one knot. Unable to dive deeper, the struggle to keep the boat in one piece was dramatic. On the damage control schematic, you can visually get the level of flooding. You can also better hear the approach of a destroyer than in the stock SHIII.

Finally, the depth charges overwhelmed the sub. This took quite a while. One man was injured, then eight died as the forward compartment flooded.

From what I've seen. GWX brings the sim to a new level of realism. The only glitch I found: when in the middle of the convoy and in very close proximity of a ship and swinging the periscope, the game stops and you have to let the ship get by.

The sound bearings are now all black, which makes it more difficult to tell where the escorts are.

[AVGWarhawk]

What do you mean 14kts in the harbor. For someone who lives by the Chesapeake Bay should know there is a "no wake zone" while in the harbor:rotfl:I live up in Glen Burnie, the arm pit of Maryland:rotfl:Anyway sounds like you have played SH3 vanilla only until GWX. Let's face it, GWX completed what UBI failed to do

See you on the bay! We can have a few blue crabs and beer before the next patrol

[mr chris]

Nice story.
Im glad to hear that you are enjoying GWX get out there and sink them all
If you died on your first time out just wait till the latter years Good luck

[LeafsFan]

Nice review!!

HB

[Brag]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

What do you mean 14kts in the harbor. For someone who lives by the Chesapeake Bay should know there is a "no wake zone" while in the harbor:rotfl:I live up in Glen Burnie, the arm pit of Maryland:rotfl:Anyway sounds like you have played SH3 vanilla only until GWX. Let's face it, GWX completed what UBI failed to do

See you on the bay! We can have a few blue crabs and beer before the next patrol

AVGWarhawk, eh?
Sounds like you've been flying-tigrin' If I can find my way to Glen Boogey, crabs and beer sounds good. -- Hehe, I keep to 7kts inside the ship's pond. 14 outside to reduce time exposed to Pommie bastards bombers. Wakes are good to thrill Frenchmen fishing on the shore

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by Brag

AVGWarhawk, eh?
Sounds like you've been flying-tigrin' If I can find my way to Glen Boogey, crabs and beer sounds good. -- Hehe, I keep to 7kts inside the ship's pond. 14 outside to reduce time exposed to Pommie bastards bombers. Wakes are good to thrill Frenchmen fishing on the shore

Glen Boogy LOL. I call it Glen Burnout. I'm a New Yorker and for the life of me do not know how I ended up in Glen Burnout.

[The Munster]

Brag, your writings are excellent as usual You should be a Novelist !
PS. If you get a chance, check out "Voyage to Disaster" in the General Topic's section.