Unable to pass exam 5 (GWx mod installed)

[CaptBones]

My suggestion - forget about him and concentrate on sinking the merchant ships first.

The Naval Academy training convoy has two escorts, a Destroyer leading and an ASW trawler following. Sinking the DD is a good idea, that takes out your most capable opponent. The ASW trawler does not have active SONAR/ASDIC, he only has passive sonar. You will be detected at the start by the tracks of the torpedoes you've fired. And, if you leave the periscope up for "sightseeing" they will all see it...make short observations and use slow speed; it's your engine/propeller noise that the Trawler will use to accurately locate you and attack.

Start your attack the same way you've been doing, sink the DD with one eel and then the C-2 freighter with a 2-torpedo salvo. Stay at periscope depth and use minimum speed to position to take out the first of the two tramp steamers with the stern tube and the tanker with a forward tube shot. Then the trick is to maneuver as necessary to line up for a bow tube shot at the second small steamer; that's when it gets interesting, playing cat & mouse with the Trawler while lining up for a good shot at the freighter.

The thing to keep in mind with the ASW Trawler is that he can only get an accurate location by hearing you or seeing your periscope. If he's got an accurate position and is making an attack run, use "Flank" with rudder amidships to gain speed and then go to silent running and change course and depth while you're "coasting down".

I've used the last small freighter as "bait" a few times to get the Trawler in a good position...about 600-700m ahead of me (running at silent speed) and torpedoed him. After that, you can reload tubes and surface to "leisurely" pursue the last freighter. I've also used myself as "bait" a few times; after taking out the lead DD, leave the scope up to get the Trawler lined up dead ahead (or astern) of me in an attack run and put a "down the throat" shot into him at 600m. Then the merchant ships are all sitting ducks.

Practice makes perfect...sink 'em all!

[Incendio]

Exactly, my problem is that ASW Trawler. I hate to be so annoying, It´s not my intention but unfortunately I am still unsuccessful and I tried 3 or 4 times again, it´s so frustrating...

I will give you details about what I am doing now...

Attempt 1: I read a good tutorial somewhere else about sonars and their range so I tried the following:

1) Up periscope to 13 meters, lock to leading destroyer, select torpedo I with dial "T", manual targeting (Manual entry toggle button) and "Target speed input" to 13 Vg / Std (good angle), I wait and shot 1 torpedo to leading destroyer, then she's going down.

2) Unlock periscope, lock periscope in the largest merchant (4800 tons as I remember), again manual targeting and target speed input, dial "S" Salvo torpedoes II and IV, if I have luck, she's going down or is getting slowing down.

3) Down periscope, I try to escape to the right (full ahead) and I dive as fast as I can to 80-100 meters. I put propellers in silent run mode. When I hear depth charges, I stop engines and wait until ASW trawler give up, then she goes to the last tanker and I take advantage, I put propellers to flank and go to periscope depth. Here it´s the big problem, the convoy is far at the right so I try to reach the merchants at 8 knots (flank) and again the nightmare, the ASW motherf... is persecuting me again even if I didn´t up the periscope. I understand, Captbones, that the reason is because the noise of the propellers but otherwise how can I reach the convoy? I am so confused

Attempt 2: Trying to follow Captbones tips...

1) and 2) the same as Attempt 1.

3) The same as Attempt 1 but instead of diving to 80-100 meters, I tried to put propellers in silent mode and aheading slow at periscope depth. It seems that ASW is confused and she really doesn´t know where I am, but again, I have the same problem because I am so behind that the convoy I can´t reach merchants in a good position. My solution: put propellers at flank and try to reach the convoy but the motherf.... ASW seems to hear the propellers and is annoying me again like a disturbing fly (midge) and I give up the exam.

Well, that´s all. Despite I am stuck in this exam (I pretend to make a good exam to start missions), the game is amazing and I am enjoying it despite annoying destructors.

PS. I think the next time I will upload a video to youtube to see better what I am trying to do.

[siege00]

Another suggestion, given the full scenarios that you've presented: Once in a position of disadvantage, fully break contact with the convoy. Let them get out of visual / sound range but track their movements on the nav map. If you know their heading and speed, you can predict where they will be. Then you can flank the convoy outside of detection range, get back in front of them and re-engage. This would potentially make the mission a bit longer than any of the others, but this is also what you'd do in a mission/campaign if you fell behind a convoy.

Let us know if you upload a video to Youtube.

Originally Posted by Incendio

Exactly, my problem is that ASW Trawler. I hate to be so annoying, It´s not my intention but unfortunately I am still unsuccessful and I tried 3 or 4 times again, it´s so frustrating...

I will give you details about what I am doing now...

Attempt 1: I read a good tutorial somewhere else about sonars and their range so I tried the following:

1) Up periscope to 13 meters, lock to leading destroyer, select torpedo I with dial "T", manual targeting (Manual entry toggle button) and "Target speed input" to 13 Vg / Std (good angle), I wait and shot 1 torpedo to leading destroyer, then she's going down.

2) Unlock periscope, lock periscope in the largest merchant (4800 tons as I remember), again manual targeting and target speed input, dial "S" Salvo torpedoes II and IV, if I have luck, she's going down or is getting slowing down.

3) Down periscope, I try to escape to the right (full ahead) and I dive as fast as I can to 80-100 meters. I put propellers in silent run mode. When I hear depth charges, I stop engines and wait until ASW trawler give up, then she goes to the last tanker and I take advantage, I put propellers to flank and go to periscope depth. Here it´s the big problem, the convoy is far at the right so I try to reach the merchants at 8 knots (flank) and again the nightmare, the ASW motherf... is persecuting me again even if I didn´t up the periscope. I understand, Captbones, that the reason is because the noise of the propellers but otherwise how can I reach the convoy? I am so confused

Attempt 2: Trying to follow Captbones tips...

1) and 2) the same as Attempt 1.

3) The same as Attempt 1 but instead of diving to 80-100 meters, I tried to put propellers in silent mode and aheading slow at periscope depth. It seems that ASW is confused and she really doesn´t know where I am, but again, I have the same problem because I am so behind that the convoy I can´t reach merchants in a good position. My solution: put propellers at flank and try to reach the convoy but the motherf.... ASW seems to hear the propellers and is annoying me again like a disturbing fly (midge) and I give up the exam.

Well, that´s all. Despite I am stuck in this exam (I pretend to make a good exam to start missions), the game is amazing and I am enjoying it despite annoying destructors.

PS. I think the next time I will upload a video to youtube to see better what I am trying to do.

[Incendio]

Originally Posted by siege00

Let us know if you upload a video to Youtube.

Here you have my video, please watch in 720p HD.



I didn´t record everything and It was not my best attempt. I tried to dive and escape in the same direction of the convoy playing the cat and mouse game but ASW never gave up.

Feel free to recommend mods that you think I do not have by the way

[siege00]

Couple of things you can do.

1. After firing at the destroyer, immediately set up your shot and fire at the cargo ship. Don't wait until your torpedoes hit. If you wait, you're just giving the trawler extra time to close on you. You can be moving away before your first torpedo even hits.

2. After you fire the trawler already has a great idea of where you are. Go deep, 50m or so maybe, immediately after the last torpedo leaves the tube. If you can get your submarine icon to turn and stay green, that means you're not being detected. If it's red, you're detected. Solid green for long enough and the trawler should give up. Patience is your best weapon here.

3. Navigate your sub by heading using the compass instead of the course marker. Everytime you release the course marker, your speed it set to standard, which can be detected after you've managed to break contact. If he doesn't have you, you're a green sub, be patient and don't run but continue to maneuver.

4. If he's right on top of you at 50m, try sneaking down to 70. Remember you can't outrun him, you've got to be sneakier. If he's on top of you and your icon is still green, be patient and see what he does next. Playing without the icon is a lot harder. lol

5. You broke contact several times but he picked you back up when your engines went to standard.

Thanks for sharing the video.

[GT182]

Keep your stern or bow pointed at your attacker. Try not to show your broadside to him. The less of you to be seen by their sonar the better off you are. If you can get a 1000 meters away shut down your engines and drift. Momentum should keep you moving a bit farther on your course. Dive 20 to 30 meters deeper if you can.

If you are in the midst of a convoy, stay as close to a ship as you can and he'll mask your engine sound. Hopefully it's one you hit and is slowed down but not sinking. Hopefully after a while the escorts will leave you alone. I've actually sat dead still under a ship that I torpedoed and wasn't moving or sinking. There's no way the enemy will try and drop depth charges or hedge hogs on you. Wait them out.

Good luck.

[CaptBones]

First…let me assure you I’m trying to help you succeed in this specific training exercise and get a good score; I hope you don’t mind a long message with some constructive criticism.

I watched the video and noticed that you are consistently violating the most important principal of submarine warfare, “Real World” or simulated…BE INVISIBLE…use your stealth to maximum advantage, don’t needlessly give away your position. But, the very first thing you should do when this training scenario starts is get moving, slowly, and get down to periscope depth, your motors are stopped and you’re too shallow…and get that scope down, at least so it’s barely out of the water. You’re starting off with three feet or more of periscope sticking out of the water and you leave the scope up far too long; once they see it, it tells them exactly where you are. The AI shares its information, if one ship knows where you are, they all know where you are and that’s where the Trawler will head towards. The Trawler doesn’t have active SONAR/ASDIC…all he’s got is passive hydrophone listening ability. It doesn’t matter what your heading is relative to him, that’s only relevant to active sonar detection; you’ll need to remember that advice when dealing with multiple escorts in convoy battles later on.

I think you’re wasting a lot of time clicking back and forth between the scope and the attack map, especially if you’re leaving the scope sticking way up the whole time. The “TDC” will do a perfectly good job of computing your solution. Until you have more experience, I recommend you let the Weapons Officer and “TDC” do the work; you really only need to use the attack map to select the torpedoes and set speed, depth, pistol, and the spread angle for the salvo shot.

Don’t wait until you hit the DD before setting up your shots at the C-2 cargo ship. BTW, before firing at the C-2 you can send a single torpedo at the tramp steamer on the far side of the convoy. Set it for magnetic pistol and 2m below the keel; it’ll run just ahead of and under the C-2. You should be able to get off all four forward torpedoes at three separate targets before they even know you’re there. Don’t forget to open the tube doors before you shoot, it’ll cause a delay otherwise and the torpedo might miss.

If they don’t spot your scope at first, the wake of the G7a T1 torpedoes will point right at you; they’ll definitely see that as soon as the first torpedo hits, if not before. You need to get moving away from the point from where you launched your attacks; that’s where the Trawler is going, that’s where they know you were when you fired at the DD and C-2 cargo ship…and get that scope down! Otherwise they’ll just track your every movement.

Siege00 is right-on…don’t use waypoints to change course. In fact, get the Navigator out of the control room, put him in the aft torpedo room to help them reload faster (you also need to get the forward torpedo room fully manned).

But OK…in your video you’ve sunk the DD and hit the C-2…why are you turning way off to starboard and running at Flank speed? That’s just giving away your position to the Trawler and taking you out of the path of the rest of the convoy. Don’t do that…stay at slow speed, dive to no more than 20m while you reload. Maintain your original course or change no more than 30deg to starboard to get away from your initial firing position and get into a good position for attacking the rest of the convoy (they aren’t racing away somewhere, just more or less “zig-zagging” along their original base course).

The Trawler can’t hear you if you’re not making a lot of noise; he doesn’t have active SONAR/ASDIC. All he can do is listen for the noise you make and it appears that he's not that good at picking up the sound from reloading the torpedo tubes. He’ll initially go to the position where you fired from and were last seen (get that scope down!) and he’ll bang away with a few depth charges there. He typically sets his depth charges too deep (probably assumes you’re going to dive to evade his attack). If you give him lots of propeller noise to detect and track you, he’ll know exactly where you are and where you’re going.

But, if you behave like a “hole in the water” and keep moving toward the convoy (course 000 or 030) for a couple of minutes, you’ll be almost in the middle between the remaining ships. Then put the scope up (just barely above the surface, not all the way up) and plot the positions of the ships. You should be able to set up to attack one of the tramp steamers with a stern tube shot…but get that scope down again as soon as you’ve identified your target. You’ll also be likely to see that the Trawler is hopelessly running around at your initial firing position looking for you and dropping random depth charges…let him, all he knows is that’s where you used to be. Work out the solution and open the stern tube before you make your final observation and shoot.

Then get out of there again…now’s the time to increase your speed briefly, get down to 20m or so and move away from your firing position…turn to parallel the convoy’s course while the forward tubes are still reloading. Remember, the torpedo wakes will point right at the location where you fired from; that’s where the Trawler is going to head for now.

If the Trawler is giving you a hard time, you’ll do well if you speed up and make a slight course change (30deg or so) when you hear the Trawler making his attack run. Making a radical course change slows you down too much…speed is your friend at that time. Also be sure you get down to only 20m or so; I’ve found it takes too long to get back to periscope depth when you’re ready to shoot again and if you’re somewhere near periscope depth when he starts his attack run, he seems to typically set his depth charges too deep as well. Sure, it’s a little nerve wracking to play that game with depth charges going off nearby, but it’ll keep you hot on the convoy’s trail and ready to shoot again as soon as the tubes get reloaded.

Keep at it, practice makes perfect.