Perspective from a complete newbie :(

[Mittelwaechter]

SH3 is incomplete, has a very bad documentation and a steep learning curve. The navigation tutorial has an error too.

Not the best premise for a newbie to get into the game.

Choose one teacher and follow his advice, I'd recommend Snestorm. If he fails to give proper advice 25 guys will show up and correct his comments.

Don't be shy to ask simple questions - no one will take the mickey out of you.

[Pisces]

Poetic Hunter, you have a point in that the manual and Academy tutorial missions and movies could use some improvements. We all wish them. However Ubisoft has left SH3 'as it is' many years ago. There simply is no way to solve this without 'experienced knowledge' from other players. And forums like Subsim are the simplest and cheapest ways (well maybe not for Uncle Neal ) to get it across. I suppose it's possible to create replacement academy missions that requires no a priori knowledge. But those would come in the form of mods, a community generated 'patch'. Personally I think it is more likely that a new player is going to search for and find 'the proper steps to do' in the forum, rather than consider adding modified files before he has any idea how the game works.

If you feel that the community generated tutorial videos, documents and tutorial-threads are not clear enough for a beginner, then please say which. Or better, write a request for additional clarification in their respective threads. But do realize some of those threads are many years old. The original writer may not be around anymore. Or just can't be bothered for various reasons.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by HW3

Welcome poetic hunter! If ever we give an answer that you do not understand, just say so, and we will try again to give an answer that makes sense to you. Remember, we all were newbies once.

Precisely....simply ask and we will do our best to enlighten you.

NONE OF US IS AS CLEVER AS ALL OF US

[Herr-Berbunch]

Welcome aboard

There is not a friendlier forum out there, ask and ye shall receive (but try searching first )

We look forward to your tales of derring do in hunting down the convoys, but mostly we're looking forward to your tales of hitting the harbour walls as you embark on a mission - we have ALL done that, probably more than once too

[Sailor Steve]

WELCOME ABOARD!

Mr. "I don't know anything but I'm very patient" (that's me) is here to help. I understand that even the simplest things can be confusing sometimes, mainly because I'm simple myself.

I would invite you to PM me with any problems, but I'd also like to keep everything out in the open so anyone else who happens along can see each step.

STEP 1: Navigation. First rule of learning: In the SH3 game folder are two files labeled SH3_QRC_PG1 and SH3_QRC_PG2.

PG1 shows you all the in-game hotkeys, which keys to push to make things happen. This will become second nature in time, but when you are playing these are also available by pressing the 'F1' key.

PG2 shows the keyboard layout, including what each key combination does.

There is also a manual in there. It is pretty much useless, but it doesn't hurt to give it a look anyway, since any question you have will be answered here.

When in the Navigation tutorial, the radio messages will tell you to click on certain functions, and will also tell you which hotkeys duplicate those functions. At the bottom right of the screen are three dials. One is the depth guage. You click on it to set your depth when the message says "Go to 25 meters". When it says "Go to periscope depth", just press the 'P' key. Another guage is the engine telegraph. It is the one that is divided into sections with funny names like "Kleine Fahrt". You don't have to memorize the names, just note that there are five of them forward and four reverse, and they translate as "Ahead Slow", "Ahead 1/3", "Ahead Standard", "Ahead Full" and "Ahead Flank". You can click on them, or press keys 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

That's pretty much all you need to know to earn an "Excellent" in the Navigation Class. Practice that one and ask anything you don't understand, and then we'll move on to the next one.

[Hangman]

Hey, count me in on this action, I wanna play too.

I like your idea Poetic Hunter regarding a tutorial for the absolute newbie beginner. I have never played SHIII yet. I bought the game about a month ago and have just barely (over the Labor day weekend) loaded it onto my laptop. Unfortunately, I've run into a little snag trying to update it to v1.4b so I can't even get the mods on it yet.
<uh oh, long story coming on ... trying to resist>
I've read enough to claim a five credit hour course stretching months worth of work from an accredited university. But my schedule only allows me an hour or two a week to mess with this. So I can read all about it, but I can't participate much. Hopefully this coming weekend I'll get the v1.4b update and the mods going. From all I've read, I'm going to bypass the stock SH3 and go straight for GWX3.0 to start. I've worked out a 10 year plan so I should be good for sub work for a while. In five years I will pull GWX off and load Living SH3 v5, it sounds like a really good mod too.

I'm anticipating the starting of a career and hopefully by the first weekend of October I can begin. They say, "in a classroom setting, the teacher always learns the most"; I'd love to help in writing a newbies crash course on how to start this game, but I'm afraid my schedule would hold everyone back, much like the convoy can only go as fast as the slowest ship.

So don't fret. I'm sure I'll see you out there on the vast expanse and stop you for some helpful information.

Lemme think here; 52 weeks (weekends) in a year, two hours a weekend will give me 104 hours. A 60 day patrol could take ... what, 12 hours on 8x speed.?. That's 12*2 = 24 weekends ... I should be able to get two whole patrols done in a years time. If I can manage to last the entire war, I'd need the whole 10 year plan just on GWX3.0, but given the odds of history, I should only last until 1941-42. That's do-able.

By the way, keep the questions rolling. I can learn from these and so - in five years - I won't be asking questions regarding SH III and these guys here are working with SH VIII.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Hangman

I bought the game about a month ago and have just barely (over the Labor day weekend) loaded it onto my laptop. Unfortunately, I've run into a little snag trying to update it to v1.4b so I can't even get the mods on it yet.

If you only bought it a month ago odds are it's already patched to 1.4b and Starforce-free. You should be good to go.

In five years I will pull GWX off and load Living SH3 v5, it sounds like a really good mod too.

I've been playing the game for five years - since its release - and have never finished a career, due to starting over with new mods. I'm currently setting up muliple installs using MultiSH3, one each with GWX, LSH3 and WAC.

I'm anticipating the starting of a career and hopefully by the first weekend of October I can begin. They say, "in a classroom setting, the teacher always learns the most"; I'd love to help in writing a newbies crash course on how to start this game, but I'm afraid my schedule would hold everyone back, much like the convoy can only go as fast as the slowest ship.

I consider myself to be a poor writer, but years of experience being unable to grasp certain concepts has left me with a unique perspective: I'm willing to explain things bit-by-bit in excruciating detail, as I did in my previous post. So I'm more than willing to lay it out that way, but if my explanations can be simplified by someone else, that's cool too.

Lemme think here; 52 weeks (weekends) in a year, two hours a weekend will give me 104 hours. A 60 day patrol could take ... what, 12 hours on 8x speed.?. That's 12*2 = 24 weekends ... I should be able to get two whole patrols done in a years time. If I can manage to last the entire war, I'd need the whole 10 year plan just on GWX3.0, but given the odds of history, I should only last until 1941-42. That's do-able.

Don't forget the extra time it will take to run the actual attacks, which require running in normal time, sometimes for hours on end. On the other hand the best TC for cruising is 128x, so that helps.

Why are we whispering?

By the way, keep the questions rolling. I can learn from these and so - in five years - I won't be asking questions regarding SH III and these guys here are working with SH VIII.

I tend to run multiple careers at the same time, so it takes me forever to progress from one year to the next. So I'll be playing them all seemingly forever. So yes, ask any questions.

If I don't know the answers, I'll make 'em up!

[Hangman]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

If you only bought it a month ago odds are it's already patched to 1.4b and Starforce-free. You should be good to go.

I just learn't that today, thanks. Hopefully this coming weekend I'll move on to installing the mods, which by the way, I'm having issues with JSGME. Who would I talk to about changing the default 'mods' directory ?

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Don't forget the extra time it will take to run the actual attacks, which require running in normal time, sometimes for hours on end. On the other hand the best TC for cruising is 128x, so that helps.

Why are we whispering?

Not whispering, ... talking to myself quietly. One of the sure signs of insanity. Most all uboat captains suffer from this, especially those who's schedule don't allow sufficient time on the high seas.

You're right, I didn't figure in the time running an attack and only half the time to leave the scene afterwards.
I thought I had read a post somewhere suggesting with GWX3.0, you not run TC over 8x as it causes some mishaps in the career.?.

[poetic hunter]

Originally Posted by Snestorm

These are the only two things he will do for you. The other buttons look very impressive, but do nothing. They don't work. There, SH3 is messed up, not you.

Originally Posted by Mittelwaechter

SH3 is incomplete, has a very bad documentation and a steep learning curve. The navigation tutorial has an error too.

Not the best premise for a newbie to get into the game.

Ah..I see. So the game does have some bugs and a few functions that don't work as intended. That's good to know ! It would have saved me some hours of frustration, if I knew this before.


Thanks for the encouragement, guys. I will take Snestorm's advice and just start a career. I will use the career mode to learn more about the game, and help me with that tutorial I intend to write later on for complete beginners.

And if I run into serious snags, I will run back here with my tail between my legs.

[poetic hunter]

Ran into a problem already.

Does the Weapons officer make mistakes with Torpedoes? Or am I the one making mistakes?

Tell me where I'm going wrong:


Step 1: I press F3 and go to periscope, I raise the periscope and turn around. I see different ships. Some have a green arrow, some have a yellow arrow and some have a red arrow. What is the difference between these arrow colors?

Anyway, I pick a ship with a yellow arrow on it, and it's automatically identified as a cargo merchant. I then press Tab to zoom in, then I press lock to lock on to it.


Step 2:

I go down to the weapon officer and click on torpedo attack, then I click on identify,and find solution.

Step 3:

I click on hatch number 1 to open it, then I press fire. Do I have to stay on the F-3 periscope screen after I fire a torpedo?




Step 4:

The torpedo goes straight out of my sub's front. Whereas the target was off to the side.

In other words, a complete miss.

Where did I go wrong?

----------------------


(I also notice that I always miss whenever I use hatch number 5. Is there something special about torpedo hatch 5?)

[Convycmg]

Hatch number 5 is your stern tube (on a Type VII u-boat). It points out of your rear end, whereas your hatches 1-4 are your forward tubes. For your stern tube you need to line up your boat so that your stern is facing where your WO calculates the ship you want to hit will be.

[Convycmg]

In fact sounds like a more general point about torpedo gyro angles would help you out, going by what you said, though there are many here that would do a far better job at it than me!

The gyro angle is the amount your eel has to turn itself when you fire it in order for it to intercept the target. Zero degrees is ideal; that is you've calculated that the target ship will be directly in front of you at the time your toprpedo will find it so you simply fire your shot directly ahead (for your front tubes; for your rear tubes the ship will be passing directly BEHIND you at the point of impact). Anything more than about 5 degrees of gyro angle is problematic, which is why if you aren't aware that tube five points backwards you will never hit with it. Any poor torpedo you fire at a ship in front of you would have to make a massive turn in order to meet the target.

Also remember that at the point of impact your torpedo should hit the target ship as close to a 90 degree angle as possible or it will sheer off she hull instead of detonating. You can check this kind if thing early on as long as you have the event camera enabled. It's all about angles

[desirableroasted]

Originally Posted by poetic hunter

Ran into a problem already.

Does the Weapons officer make mistakes with Torpedoes? Or am I the one making mistakes?

Tell me where I'm going wrong:


Step 1: I press F3 and go to periscope, I raise the periscope and turn around. I see different ships. Some have a green arrow, some have a yellow arrow and some have a red arrow. What is the difference between these arrow colors?

Anyway, I pick a ship with a yellow arrow on it, and it's automatically identified as a cargo merchant. I then press Tab to zoom in, then I press lock to lock on to it.


Step 2:

I go down to the weapon officer and click on torpedo attack, then I click on identify,and find solution.

Step 3:

I click on hatch number 1 to open it, then I press fire. Do I have to stay on the F-3 periscope screen after I fire a torpedo?




Step 4:

The torpedo goes straight out of my sub's front. Whereas the target was off to the side.

In other words, a complete miss.

Where did I go wrong?

----------------------


(I also notice that I always miss whenever I use hatch number 5. Is there something special about torpedo hatch 5?)

What's happening is that you are "losing lock", which will screw up your approach.

I would do things pretty much the opposite.

Let's assume calm, Academy weather... (there is plenty of advice about how to approach in bad weather on these forums).

0) Targets out there. Green means a good shot for impact torps, Yellow means very iffy, Red means impossible. (Magnetic pistolled torps are a different breed, stick to impact for now).

HOWEVER: the game assumes you are going to use tube 1, which is a forward tube. If you want to use tube 5 -- the rear -- click on it and the triangle will change accordingly. But see below.

1) Identify the target. It has a draft of 6 meters? OK...

2) Go to TDC. Click on Tube 1, set your depth to 3 meters, since you are going to make an impact shot. Set your I/M (Impact/Magnetic) switch to I. Set your Torp speed to the highest.

3) Hit Q to open your tube. This is very important; failure to do so delays your shot by several seconds, long enough to ruin your shot.

4) Angle the boat so that you are pretty much perpendicular to the target. We call this "AOB" and, again, there's pages of material about approaches here on the forum.

5) Go to your scope or uzo and "lock" the target. Fire (later you will learn to nuance your shots, but for now just shoot on lock).

These are the bare bones basics. Hope it helps.

[Draka]

For the real simple answer - green means a pretty good firing solution - torpedo los! Yellow is very iffy - only gonna work if the target does something stupid like turn into yer eel's path - work towards green. Red is forgetta-bout-it - no go. Like firing your stern tube at a ship on yer bow - ain't gonna happen.

[Pisces]

Originally Posted by desirableroasted

...
2) Go to TDC. Click on Tube 1, set your depth to 3 meters, since you are going to make an impact shot. Set your I/M (Impact/Magnetic) switch to I. Set your Torp speed to the highest.

Not your (Uboot) depth! The depth of the torpedo run!