Where are the different ships?

[desirableroasted]

Not replying directly to you, Gereke, but you hit on a couple of points that are worth elaboration.

Originally Posted by Gereke

Again, a realism thing. In stock SH3 it's waaaaaay too easy to hit things with the deck gun,

Not only is accuracy overdone in stock, so is the power of the shell .. which is why we get a joker coming by here a couple of times a year bragging about sinking battleships with a deck gun. GWX corrects that.

Also, in stock, every ship tends to blow up like a munitions freighter. A real ship would never sink that way, and GWX takes care of that, too, by insisting on flooding.

Originally Posted by Gereke

The key to sinking vessels in a timely manner with the deck gun in GWX is to try to strike the waterline as much as you can to create flooding.

Or below the waterline. You want to see a splash and just enough time to doubt yourself before you see a (very) brief flash. 3-4 of those, spaced out along the hull, should sink anything under 5K. You might have to wait a while, though, which is one more "reality" that GWX adds.

[perky416]

Arghhhhhh how the hell do you defend against airplanes in GWX? I cant even do the training mission lol. It seems as though my flak gun is a pea shooter, i havent shot 1 plane out of the sky, getting one of the crew to man the flak has only shot 1 plane down.
Iv tried it about 4 times and now i feel like throwing my monitor out of the window lol.

[Jimbuna]

I'll give it a good home....I'll send you my address via PM

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by perky416

Arghhhhhh how the hell do you defend against airplanes in GWX? I cant even do the training mission lol. It seems as though my flak gun is a pea shooter, i havent shot 1 plane out of the sky, getting one of the crew to man the flak has only shot 1 plane down.
Iv tried it about 4 times and now i feel like throwing my monitor out of the window lol.

I was wondering if you'd get to the AA test in GWX. That's quite an eye opener, huh?

One of the things that GWX does to make the game more realistic is up the ante considerably when it comes to enemy aircraft. In RL they were a u-boat's worst nightmare, and there's no way a u-boat could've successfully fended off that many attacking aircraft. The AA training mission was made much more difficult to prepare you for the reality you'd be facing in real combat.

It's not impossible to shoot one down, or even two or three early in the war, depending on what type of plane it is and what weapons it has at its disposal... and how organized their attack plan is. And provided you are alerted to their presence in time. At least in the game, it can be done.

But most folks will tell you that the smartest thing to do when an enemy aircraft is around is dive as quickly as possible and hope they didn't spot you. Expecially as the war progresses and they are more likely to be equipped with radar and hunting you on purpose. By then they will know where you are long before you can see them coming, and when the come they will do so with both barrels blazin', so to speak.

[Schwieger]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

I was wondering if you'd get to the AA test in GWX. That's quite an eye opener, huh?

One of the things that GWX does to make the game more realistic is up the ante considerably when it comes to enemy aircraft. In RL they were a u-boat's worst nightmare, and there's no way a u-boat could've successfully fended off that many attacking aircraft. The AA training mission was made much more difficult to prepare you for the reality you'd be facing in real combat.

It's not impossible to shoot one down, or even two or three early in the war, depending on what type of plane it is and what weapons it has at its disposal... and how organized their attack plan is. And provided you are alerted to their presence in time. At least in the game, it can be done.

But most folks will tell you that the smartest thing to do when an enemy aircraft is around is dive as quickly as possible and hope they didn't spot you. Expecially as the war progresses and they are more likely to be equipped with radar and hunting you on purpose. By then they will know where you are long before you can see them coming, and when the come they will do so with both barrels blazin', so to speak.

I didn't even seriously bother with the AA training mission. Loaded up WSM 3.0 and let the Graf Spee shoot down the planes

But on a more serious note, the planes are a real menace. Nowhere is safe... been killed a few miles outside of port by them before where its not exactly safe to "crash" dive

[eryan762mm]

in stock sh3 i rarely saw any large ships, rarely...when i put in gwx3, after a few patrols, i was sailing north of england, hugging the coast, and then i spotted two battleships, two! totally unescorted, i managed to sink both of them and get away...idk if it was just a freak accident i managed to find em, but all i know is gwx has drastically increased my sightings of larger military vessels

[Gereke]

Originally Posted by desirableroasted

Not replying directly to you, Gereke, but you hit on a couple of points that are worth elaboration.

I appreciate the elaboration. I was pressed for time when I wrote my response so couldn't be as complete in my explanations as I would have liked to.


One thing I'd like to add about deck gun use as well, is general insights about it's use.

If one thinks about when it's appropriate to use the deck gun, it's at times when there is very little risk to the overall well being of the U-boat. Meaning you're attacking an unarmed freighter and there is little chance of being attacked from the sky or by a escort ship you didn't know was just over the horizon.

So there isn't anything wrong with closing the range gap between you and your target to improve the precision of your shooting. Meaning, don't be afraid to close to 800m. You'll waste less ammunition due to misses and your probability of getting those below water line hits is going to be much higher. After all, you're attacking a single (or multiple) unarmed merchant ship. There isn't any risk so long as you don't collide with it. Basically, it's unnecessary and wasteful to make the engagement from a stand off distance.

Deck gun is great in an early war scenario, but there will come a point (even while using lower difficulty settings) that it is nothing less than suicide. So don't become too reliant on it. Focus on it for what it is... a secondary weapon.

A fun little game anecdote about deck gun usage. I used my deck gun to sink a freighter just off the coast of Iceland, in the approach area to Reykjavik. Just as it sank below the waves I was attacked by an aircraft and barely escaped being sent down to the locker. After I submerged I got a message from my hydrophone operator that a warship was in the area.. Medium range. I did a quick 'scope scan and sure enough, a Destroyer was hunting for me. Hindsight being what it is, I had taken a risk by choosing the deck gun over a submerged attack with a torpedo. I was lucky that my career didn't come to a wasteful end because I wanted to save a torpedo.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by perky416

The main thing that bugged me was how hard it is to destroy ships. I know its probably more realistic however i love going around sinking merchants with my deck gun to save on torps.

Yes, it is much more realistic. But realism isn't for everyone, and sometimes we need to just have fun. One thing you can try is Multi-SH3, which is a tool that makes it easy to have more that one installation of the game.

I restarted my career and was re-doing the training, i only managed to sink 3 of the ships before i ran out of shells.

If you don't fire until you're within a thousand meters you won't have that problem.

1 - When i am in the command room, there is a big pole which looks like the periscope directly in front of my helmsman.

That is where the observation periscope was in real life. The stock game has it totally wrong. Watch Das Boot (preferabley the five-hour Uncut version). You'll see just how crowded those boats really were.

2 - On the bridge to the left there is something that looks like a hoop that restricts my view.

That is the Radio Direction Finder loop. Get this mod http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=1882. It will let you raise that loop up and down yourself, as well as the flag on your boat.

3 - When using my binoculars on the bridge, the headings at the top of the view have disappeared, and also when using the binoculars and your facing the fornt of the sub, when you look as far down as you can you can actually see the front, however in GWX you cant, i found this really helpful when steering towards enemy ships.

There is a way to put the bearing marks back, but it involves changing a file that is very easy to screw up if you don't know what you're doing. I find that looking in the general direction without the binoculars, and then looking through them works just fine. If you really want that back I'll tell you how to do it, but be warned that it can be dangerous.

Also, to get the full 1500 renown bonus from the training in GWX you only have to do the Navigation training. The AA class is unecessary.

[the.terrabyte.pirate]

Originally Posted by perky416

Arghhhhhh how the hell do you defend against airplanes in GWX? I cant even do the training mission lol. It seems as though my flak gun is a pea shooter, i havent shot 1 plane out of the sky, getting one of the crew to man the flak has only shot 1 plane down.
Iv tried it about 4 times and now i feel like throwing my monitor out of the window lol.

My trick was to let my deck officer and a rating man the gun, set to target all aircraft incoming only. I concentrated of steering the boat in mad, sharp turns at high speed to avoid the bombs and bullets. By manning the gun yourself you find the boat tends to go in nice predictable straight lines, and your men turn into aircraft fodder.

I passed... barely, but didn't lose a man.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

That is the Radio Direction Finder loop. Get this mod http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/down...o=file&id=1882. It will let you raise that loop up and down yourself, as well as the flag on your boat.

Just out of curiosity, when was that thing lowered? Just when they submerged?

There is a way to put the bearing marks back, but it involves changing a file that is very easy to screw up if you don't know what you're doing. If you really want that back I'll tell you how to do it, but be warned that it can be dangerous.

Danger is my middle name. Please tell me how to do this! You can PM me if you don't want to lead anyone else into temptation.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Just out of curiosity, when was that thing lowered? Just when they submerged?

The standard wire antennae are fine for sending and recieving messages. The RDF loop is just for pinpointing the exact direction a signal is coming from. This is valuable for navigation and for stalking a target. Otherwise it's useless. I usually only have mine lowered only while in port, just because it makes me feel good, but now that I think of it probably the only time it's needed is when...well, never really. But it looks cool.

Danger is my middle name.

And here I thought your middle name was Wombat.

Please tell me how to do this! You can PM me if you don't want to lead anyone else into temptation.

It's simple, really. Open menu_1024_768.ini. Scroll down to [G27 I5] (I know it says 'Name=Compass', but the entire [G27] block is the Binoculars). Danlisa was kind enough to leave both visual files in the game, so all you have to do is change

Mat 0=data/menu/gui/bearing2.tga

to

Mat 0=data/menu/gui/bearing.tga.

Yep. Just remove the '2' and it will redirect to the .tga file with the bearing marks.

I guess it's easier than I let on, but the standing rule is always think twice before touching Menu_1024_768.

[frau kaleun]

[QUOTE=Sailor Steve;1594858]The standard wire antennae are fine for sending and recieving messages. The RDF loop is just for pinpointing the exact direction a signal is coming from. This is valuable for navigation and for stalking a target. Otherwise it's useless. I usually only have mine lowered only while in port, just because it makes me feel good, but now that I think of it probably the only time it's needed is when...well, never really. But it looks cool. [quote]

Great, now I'm gonna want the mod that lets me lower it.

I think I may be turning into one of those people that spends more time tinkering and testing than actually playing.

And here I thought your middle name was Wombat.

The Angry Wombat is my superhero alter ego. Thanks for blowing my cover.

It's simple, really. Open menu_1024_768.ini. Scroll down to [G27 I5] (I know it says 'Name=Compass', but the entire [G27] block is the Binoculars). Danlisa was kind enough to leave both visual files in the game, so all you have to do is change

Mat 0=data/menu/gui/bearing2.tga

to

Mat 0=data/menu/gui/bearing.tga.

Yep. Just remove the '2' and it will redirect to the .tga file with the bearing marks.

I guess it's easier than I let on, but the standing rule is always think twice before touching Menu_1024_768.

Okay, thanks! I really would like to have those back.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by frau kaleun

Great, now I'm gonna want the mod that lets me lower it.

You don't already have it??? I considering having my flag up while in port and down while at sea to be a "must-have". And the loop looks so cool when it goes up and starts rotating. And it raises and lowers the radar as well (not that I've ever played far enough in to see that).

I think I may be turning into one of those people that spends more time tinkering and testing than actually playing.

Sorry, but I find it hard to muster sympathy. I've played one patrol since last September.

The Angry Wombat is my superhero alter ego. Thanks for blowing my cover.

But I thought "Frau Kaleun" was...

I assume "Valkyrie" is just the job description.

Okay, thanks! I really would like to have those back.

I, on the other hand, always orient myself visually first, then switch to the goggles.

[frau kaleun]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

You don't already have it??? I considering having my flag up while in port and down while at sea to be a "must-have". And the loop looks so cool when it goes up and starts rotating. And it raises and lowers the radar as well (not that I've ever played far enough in to see that).

I have looked at it, and started reading threads about it, I may have even downloaded it - not sure. But I think it probably conflicts with something else I'm using and won't give up or else there's a fix for that but it's complicated or else I'd have to do a lot of manual editing of files that I've already tinkered with for other reasons... I can't remember. Whatever it is it always looks like more tinkering and testing and I've got 3-4 of those little projects already on the back burners, front burners... I'm out of burners!

I, on the other hand, always orient myself visually first, then switch to the goggles.

See I always end up scouring the horizon with my binocs, and then get frustrated because I can't find whatever it is the WO is nattering on about, so I switch to the UZO so I can turn to the the exact bearing and try to find it. Of course after that I can switch back to the binocs and usually find it with those, because I've already seen what I'm looking for.

It just feels weird to always be peering into the UZO to get a look at something. Plus with assisted targeting on, if I find it on the UZO it will tell me what it is even if it's 18km away when we first spot it.

[perky416]

Thanks for all the info.

Iv decided to go with GWX, however i installed it after completing the training missions .

Thanks for telling me how to get the bearings back in the binocs, i can edit the files no problem.

Im going to be trying to replace the GWX uboat skins with those from the stock game, as although they GWZ ones are more realistic, it isnt that important to me, i was more comfortable with how they looked before i installed the mod.