way too hard!

Late war attacks quite differ from the easy night surface runs against 1-2 usually inexperienced escorts. In 1942 destroyers and aircraft have radar so no surface attacks any more. You should have a radar-warning receiver (like Metox that is available from mid-42) with which you can get ahead of the convoy outside escort radar range (at least about 10-12 km, however they can detect you sometimes from 20 km).
For the attack you should always submerge and if you have Falke acoustic torpedoes, attack the escorts with them. Right after you fire your torpedoes dive immediately, you can follow your eels through your hydrophone, too.
If you previously played SH4, I advise you to start a career in 1940 to get used to the capabilities of your U-boat and find out the enemy's tactics.
Finally, should you still fail escaping escort after not so fruitful attacks, don't worry since in real life many U-boats were sunk even before having a chance to shoot their first torpedo. If stakes are against you, keep in mind that there always be a next convoy somewhere else in the ocean.

[Pisces]

I noticed you use timecompression in the heat of the moment. How do you fare if you let time run normal?

[fastfed]

Originally Posted by Pisces

I noticed you use timecompression in the heat of the moment. How do you fare if you let time run normal?

Well in game time it takes HOURS!!! That's my point, are you guys really playing this in 1xtc when avoiding chargers? I mean I couldn't do that. I slow down to 1x every so often to change course, adjust speed and general avoidance. But I do die when I'm advancing time, lol it happens fast, boom "dead" haha

[UKönig]

I only use time compression to travel long distances, or sometimes to help just get me in range a little faster. Once the action begins TC is used to speed up the torpedo until it gets close enough to strike, then I slow it down to watch the ship get hit.
If I am the hunted, I almost never use TC, I do it 1:1 until they (hopefully) lose interest and go away.
A lot of real time can tick off the clock while you're evading an attack.
I played the in-game single mission "break through to gibraltar" twice, with different boats. The first was the type VII they give you (U-96 from das boot) and the second was a "let's try 'what if' " and I used the type XXI for the exact mission. In the type VII, I started it at 4pm (my time, real time), and by just after Midnight, (my time, real time) we pulled into La Spezia. I was so intent on avoiding the english fleet that 8 actual hours went by without my noticing.
That same trip in the Type XXI took 2 actual hours.
Above all, never use TC when being depth charged, too much happens too fast for you to react and it is almost certainly 'fatal'...

[fastfed]

Originally Posted by UKönig

I only use time compression to travel long distances, or sometimes to help just get me in range a little faster. Once the action begins TC is used to speed up the torpedo until it gets close enough to strike, then I slow it down to watch the ship get hit.
If I am the hunted, I almost never use TC, I do it 1:1 until they (hopefully) lose interest and go away.
A lot of real time can tick off the clock while you're evading an attack.
I played the in-game single mission "break through to gibraltar" twice, with different boats. The first was the type VII they give you (U-96 from das boot) and the second was a "let's try 'what if' " and I used the type XXI for the exact mission. In the type VII, I started it at 4pm (my time, real time), and by just after Midnight, (my time, real time) we pulled into La Spezia. I was so intent on avoiding the english fleet that 8 actual hours went by without my noticing.
That same trip in the Type XXI took 2 actual hours.
Above all, never use TC when being depth charged, too much happens too fast for you to react and it is almost certainly 'fatal'...

WAT!!! , I don't see how its possible, it can take HOURS and HOURS dodging charges during a huge convoy battle. How are you playing real time ? I mean I love this game too, but just sitting in the sub waiting 5-10 minutes each time for the destroyers to turn around ?

I can't see this being true!

[jakethescot]

Being the hunted is one of the reasons I love NYGM. I've sat right here many hours trying to sneak away. Some times I survive, some times not. When you do survive, it's such a thrill, it makes the time spent well worth it.

This is also one reason I sail in a Type IIa. At depth, the IIa leaves a smaller signature than the VII or IX. Maybe you should try the smaller U-Boat and see if that increases your chance of survival.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by fastfed

Well in game time it takes HOURS!!! That's my point, are you guys really playing this in 1xtc when avoiding chargers? I mean I couldn't do that. I slow down to 1x every so often to change course, adjust speed and general avoidance. But I do die when I'm advancing time, lol it happens fast, boom "dead" haha

Originally Posted by fastfed

WAT!!! , I don't see how its possible, it can take HOURS and HOURS dodging charges during a huge convoy battle. How are you playing real time ? I mean I love this game too, but just sitting in the sub waiting 5-10 minutes each time for the destroyers to turn around ?

I can't see this being true!

It's true. Way back when I played Silent Service time compression was automatic for travel and it was a very fast 80,000x or so (one second was a day on the world map, and one second was a night), but I don't recall TC even being available in regular play. When I started playing SH1 back in 1998 I got discovered an irritating bug: If you went to any kind of TC while within sighting distance of a destroyer they would automatically turn around and come running right to your location. You had to wait until they were out of sight before attempting time compression.

The habit stuck with me in SH3, and I have spent many happy hours waiting for the escorts to finally decide I was gone. Of course I did forget that one time I was stalking a lone merchant in the fog. I was doing 32x when he rammed me.

This may really shock you: There have been players who did whole patrols in real time.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...al+time+patrol

[fastfed]

Yea I remember reading that psycho's post

but I don't want to spend 5 REAL hours (if not longer) 1x-ing when I see a convoy

I don't mind an hour, but 5-10 hours? of real play time?

Besides I thought one of the golden rules was to never save submerged, or even in a convoy.

I think Im gonna make a new career, 100% realism, and start at 1939 and an IXB boat

[banryu79]

Originally Posted by fastfed

Well in game time it takes HOURS!!! That's my point, are you guys really playing this in 1xtc when avoiding chargers?

Absolutely yes.
I think it's suicidal to do otherwise (and a waste of fun ).

I have my own "rules" on how to play the game and one of them is -- never use TC if my boat is in visual range of anyone --

[vanjast]

I was in a NYGM career at '43 then lost it (windoze system bombed).

But just prior to the loss, IIRC.. I got close to a convoy then was spotted, and chased down. I spent 8 hours (guaranteed) at TC=1x, been harassed by at least 4 escorts, or most likely a hunter killer group - I'm not sure as I operate at 100%+

I got to sleep about 4am, after escaping using a tactic I'd developed during this career. I spent at the whole 8 hours at the hydrophone station tracking every escort, and could pick out who was attacking and who was pinging.

Once I ID'd the 'pinger' I, went under that ship at full speed, then went back to silent. I kept this cycle going for the whole period, then I broke their attack rhythm, and escaped through the 'gap'.
'They' were still dropping a charge or two when I was miles away... stayed deep until dark. Funny enough very similar to Das Boot - yeah!

[Obltn Strand]

8 (real) hours shadowing/attacking convoy, same 8 (real) hours evading escorts. That's NYGM for ya.

[Kapitän]

Sh3 is not a shooter game. I only use TC when traveling longer distances, max x512. During attack and escape, always real time. If R/L time constraints prohibit that, I'd rather not play for a while and start again when more suitable.

[enjoi]

sorry but SH3 is not "way too hard". I'm currently at August 1944 in my career playing the NYGM mod and I've just hit 313,000 tons. The Destroyers seem a little more difficult to shake in GWX but by no means is it a piece of cake in NYGM either. You just have to know how to escape and survive. It's all about technique.

[maillemaker]

I'm not looking for realism. That cannot be achieved without a holodeck.

What I'm looking for is a game with realistic parameters.

Steve

[BigWalleye]

Originally Posted by maillemaker

I'm not looking for realism. That cannot be achieved without a holodeck.

On the contrary, it is perfectly possible to simulate some aspects of submarine warfare quite accurately using paper, pencils, and dice. It all depends on which aspects you wish to simulate, and to what level of accuracy.

"Realism" is a highly ambiguous and often subjective term which gets tossed about as though it had some precise, quantifiable meeaning for everyone. It doesn't.

What I'm looking for is a game with realistic parameters.

Steve

I'm afraid I have no better understanding of what you are looking for than before you wrote your post. What parameters? And what degree of "realism" (sic)? More precisely, what aspects of the simulation do you want to see modeled more accurately?

With all the mods that have been created for SH3 over a period of nine years, it's possible that some mod does exactly what you are looking for. But before anyone else can point you to it, we need to know more unambiguously what it is you want.