New to SH3

[Zosimus]

I've inherited the Silent Hunter 3 game with basically no docs. I used to play Silent Service back in the day (on my C64 if I recall correctly) and I loved it so I've been happy about the possibility of sinking my fair share of tonnage.

Since I have no docs of any kind, I'd really appreciate a run-down of the most useful shortcut keys. I've figured out "D" for dive, "P" for scope depth, and "S" for surface. I've even figured out that "Ñ" is for stop (the button just to the right of the L). Specific requests are: Is there a button for 1x time compression? When something interesting happens I want to hit something to go to real time. Currently I'm only hitting the scope or bridge icon to go there as that returns me to 1x. I'd also find a center-the-map hot key useful or anything else you can tell me.

Next, I must say that I'm having some serious problems with crew fatigue. My crew get tired very, very fast and so that's what led me to find this forum. Apparently most people just disable fatigue entirely and maybe that's what I should do but it just feels like... cheating. I can confirm that on 64x my crew doesn't get tired, but they don't rest up, either. So I've modified my basic.cfg file adjusting FatigueMax from 0.5 and 0.6 to 5.0 and 6.0 respectively. It's better, but I'm still having problems with my helmsmen. Obviously I can leave weapons and maybe even navigation empty. My thought was to take a 4-hour break to just let everyone sleep, but there are only two bunks for the lieutenants so they can't all rest at the same time. On the bright side with the mods I've made the guys no longer get the ! on their pics, but again that feels like... cheating. Suggestions?

The next problem is the weather. After the 6th day of all ahead 1 knot while we peer through the total downpour while cruising around my assigned patrol zone it gets tedious. I just can't sink ships in this weather. I can find 'em by hydrophone, figure out where they're going, and be there waiting for them. Unfortunately too often by the time I can see them they're about 100 meters off my keel–too close for torpedoes. I think the first sub doesn't have any guns. At that range pistols might work. Too bad we didn't bring any. Ooh that reminds me; if there's a hot key for crash dive that would be great because with no anti-aircraft guns it's dive, dive, dive.

[Jimbuna]

Links for GWX should you be so inclined:

GWX3.exe http://www.mediafire.com/?rrc1f9j3zhz0p79

GWX3.1 bin http://www.mediafire.com/?i134px2bbp9rnp2

GWX3.2 bin http://www.mediafire.com/?szsdqpy2z56ckeo

GWX3.3 bin http://www.mediafire.com/?mj8wgdkkcrgzn6w

GWX3.4 bin http://www.mediafire.com/?nl8chscc003xswt

GWX3.5 bin http://www.mediafire.com/?2u85d50b8410cm4

GWX3.6 bin http://www.mediafire.com/?qbbl441v9t5rk2u

GWX3.7 bin http://www.mediafire.com/?20ciea1m71z74m7

Welcome Aboard

[u crank]

Welcome to SubSim Zosimus.

[Pisces]

Isn't there a PDF manual in your SilentHunterIII/documentation folder?

I've even figured out that "Ñ" is for stop (the button just to the right of the L).

You apparently have a special country specific keyboard layout. As that symbol isn't part of the usual US-keyboard layout. Not even on the German QWERTZ-layout. The game uses specific key codes to make certain functions happen. Engines All Stop is the Tilde ~ key left of the number 1 on the US layout, and ^ on the German. So the layout will be all over the place on yours I fear. Quite a puzzle.

[Aktungbby]

Zosimus!

[maillemaker]

Welcome to Subsim!

There ought to be a PDF in your install folder for docs. If not, install GWX 3 and you will get docs that way. Makes for a much, much better game anyway.

For crew fatigue, many people install a mod to turn it off. They argue, correctly, that it would not be the captain's job to make and enforce duty rosters including sleep time.

However, for me, building an "indefatigable" crew is part of the benefits/process of working through the war. Eventually when a crew member earns the Gold Cross (or something like that) they will no longer fatigue. Building up an elite crew that no longer fatigues is what makes me feel invested in my crew, and when you lose a crew member or a whole boat and have to start over that loss [i]hurts[/i!].

So I like the fatigue model.

The weather can be a real bitch. I think there are some mods that try to make the weather more seasonal/correct.

But yes, sometimes you end up on a patrol where the weather seems dismal for a week on end. The good news is, rough seas reduce sonar performance for the bad guys, too.

Steve

[HW3]

c=crash dive to 70M so do not use it in shallow water.
q=opens selected torpedo tube
w=closes selected torpedo tube
keyboard period=next object view
F12=external view
There are others but, those are the main ones I use.

[Zosimus]

Thanks to everyone who replied. Yes, it turns out there IS a .pdf file in the install folder. Well, I'll save any further questions until after I've read that.

[Ifernat]

I would definitely recommend GWX and SH3 Commander mods. That combination offers several options including an 8 hour model that works pretty well if you're not willing to turn off fatigue entirely (which does add some micro to the game). Also note that as you add decorations to your crew they will eventually get more resistant to fatigue eventually becoming fatigue immune (without turning off fatigue) when they've earned up to a German Cross in Gold.

I would also emphasize the the Q and W keys to open and close the torpedo tubes. If you don't preopen the tube doors then you're adding about a 3-4 second delay in the firing procedure which if you're making a difficult shot or at longer ranges can result in misses.

Also U to go directly to the UZO without having to click on it from the Bridge...which with some mods and in some weather conditions is not quite as simple as it sounds given the extremely low light conditions.

F3 to go directly to the periscope
CTRL and Page Up/Page Down to automatically raise/lower the periscope all the way.

[THEBERBSTER]

A warm welcome “Zosimus“ to the Subsim family.

You will always find someone here to help you.

Link to my SH4 - SH5 posts:

Step By Step Tutorials & How To Do It

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=211804

[THEBERBSTER]

A warm belated welcome “Ifernat“ to the Subsim family.

[scott_c2911]

There are mods available to personalise the keyboard controls available on subsim if you need to change them to something more ergonomic. I actually use a speech recognition program called shspeech which I have working on both sh3 and sh4. You give the crew verbal orders through a headset or microphone. The immersion factor is very good. It takes a little patience and a bit of tweaking though. If you can speak english or german well it should work ok for you.

[Zosimus]

Originally Posted by Pisces

You apparently have a special country specific keyboard layout. As that symbol isn't part of the usual US-keyboard layout. Not even on the German QWERTZ-layout. The game uses specific key codes to make certain functions happen. Engines All Stop is the Tilde ~ key left of the number 1 on the US layout, and ^ on the German. So the layout will be all over the place on yours I fear. Quite a puzzle.

Yes, you're right. My keyboard starts with the º key at the top and goes from numbers 1 to 0 and then has the ' and ¡ keys, which two keys control the full-left and full-right rudders respectively. I had thought the 0 key or the º key (the one that would be the tilde on your keyboard) would be all-stop, but it turns out not to be the case. I could, I suppose, always return to the US standard 101-key configuration while I play, but it doesn't seem necessary.

The keypad +/- keys seem as if they will be quite useful for controlling time compression. The "U" for targeting when surfaced will also be extremely useful. I was using "B" for binoculars, to find the ship and then I had to partially raise the periscope to find the particulars on the ships. That will no longer be a problem. It may also explain why I was finding it so hard to target ships in bad weather at night.

[Zosimus]

Is there a way to set a specific course? For example, if you want to go 270º and you click on the compass it always seems to say 271º and the person informs you that you will soon be going 272º as ordered.

It's not a big deal, but what if you really, really, want to go 270º and not 271.5º?

[maillemaker]

I don't know of any way to set a precise heading.

I find it's generally not necessary. On long hauls, you will follow navigator waypoints from the map, and in combat, you will basically be saying, "Head thataway!"

Steve