No enemy ships on first few patrols?

sublynx · 12-21-14, 05:06 AM

the only planes spawn near the player. there is no reason to delete them.

Kielhauler1961 · 12-21-14, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sublynx

the only planes spawn near the player. there is no reason to delete them.

Granted, but it's helpful to know that one could be attacked 'out of the blue' by a B-24 from, say, Ascension Island, when en-route to the Indian Ocean and not expecting to meet the opposition on or above the water.

Until this info came to light I would have assumed a voyage south would have been a 'milk run' until the Cape as the Brits would say, but I can see the reasoning behind making it not so. I still think it's sneaky. It's one of the things I love about this game - after nine years there are still many aspects of it that I don't know about...yet.

Just another tick on the 'things to be aware of' list. Thanks for the heads up.

KH

Foggy · 12-21-14, 01:00 PM

It definitely fixed it, although when I restarted my career and went on my first patrol last night, I still didn't get to sink anything. Saw two tugboats (German), got chased by a destroyer, picked up on two ships (via sonar or reports) in poor visibility and lost them somehow, then saw a really big lone cargo ship, put a torpedo in her side, then realized she was Norwegian (neutral at beginning of war). She turned all of her lights on me and started zig zagging but I didn't fire again because she was neutral. Luckily, she didn't sink lol.

Kielhauler1961 · 12-21-14, 01:52 PM

The Norwegian was a medium cargo wasn't it? They are difficult to sink with one torpedo even when legitimate targets. Try hitting them with a magnetic pistol (0.5m below keel) at the No. 3/4 hold position and you'll have more one-shot success. This tends to cause uncontrollable flooding aft and drags them down slowly by the stern. Not dramatic but it works.

95% of my patrols are in Type II's in the North Sea and English Channel approaches, the density of coastal shipping (once you get to know the sailing lanes) means you'll be out of torpedoes very quickly and sometimes have several different encounters on the same day. Nine or ten ships (half by gunfire) in one short patrol is not uncommon once you've got the hang of it.

Be wary of any single ships heading W or SW, more than likely it'll be a neutral. I have found a good position is 40-60 km offshore just about anywhere along the East Coast to intercept the north-south traffic between the Firth of Forth and the Thames Estuary. AN55 is a particularly rich fishing ground and has some patches of deeper water too but you'll have to accept being in shallower water most of the time. The area east of Flamborough Head is a 'convoy junction' from January 1940 onwards.

The flak gun is good for the small fry (anything under 1200 tons except large trawlers so long as you get very close and aim at waterline) and if you listen on the 'phones yourself you'll be surprised how much activity there is going on around you. They may not appear to be individually worthwhile but when you've sunk four or five the tonnage starts to add-up.

No long boring patrols like one can get stuck with in the Atlantic and from November 1939 the coastal convoys start to appear.

KH

Foggy · 12-21-14, 04:51 PM

Yeah, medium cargo. Is there a guide that shows you where to aim on certain ship types? I also need to print some kind of flag identification chart but I can probably find that on google...

Kielhauler1961 · 12-22-14, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foggy

...Is there a guide that shows you where to aim on certain ship types?

If you are perpendicular to the target's track, when it gets within 15 degs of dead ahead bring up the ship's recognition page and you will see the various critical zones highlighted against the ship image. Jimbuna has access to a table of these images for most ships, maybe he'll post it (again).

Quote:

I also need to print some kind of flag identification chart but I can probably find that on google...

In periscope or UZO view, top left of the screen are pull-down tabs for various tables and charts, one of which is 'Flaggen'. This is a summary of national ensigns for merchants and warships of most (all?) nations in the game. If you press 'F1', you'll find a sub-menu with a list of nations and their belligerent and/or neutrality dates. No more excuses for sinking innocent steamers...

KH

Foggy · 12-22-14, 01:39 AM

Yeah, I saw the list of dates for when the countries became enemies, I just need the flag listing. I'll see if I can find the Flaggen one. Thanks!

12-21-14, 05:06 AM	#1
sublynx Sea Lord Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: In the conning tower of my VIIC scanning the sea through the periscope Posts: 1,698 Downloads: 173 Uploads: 7	the only planes spawn near the player. there is no reason to delete them. __________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] NYGM+H.sie v16+Stiebler 4C+MaGui WS

12-21-14, 01:00 PM	#3
Foggy Loader Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Central CA Posts: 88 Downloads: 35 Uploads: 0	It definitely fixed it, although when I restarted my career and went on my first patrol last night, I still didn't get to sink anything. Saw two tugboats (German), got chased by a destroyer, picked up on two ships (via sonar or reports) in poor visibility and lost them somehow, then saw a really big lone cargo ship, put a torpedo in her side, then realized she was Norwegian (neutral at beginning of war). She turned all of her lights on me and started zig zagging but I didn't fire again because she was neutral. Luckily, she didn't sink lol.

12-21-14, 01:52 PM	#4
Kielhauler1961 中国水兵 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: East of the Firth of Forth Posts: 273 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	The Norwegian was a medium cargo wasn't it? They are difficult to sink with one torpedo even when legitimate targets. Try hitting them with a magnetic pistol (0.5m below keel) at the No. 3/4 hold position and you'll have more one-shot success. This tends to cause uncontrollable flooding aft and drags them down slowly by the stern. Not dramatic but it works. 95% of my patrols are in Type II's in the North Sea and English Channel approaches, the density of coastal shipping (once you get to know the sailing lanes) means you'll be out of torpedoes very quickly and sometimes have several different encounters on the same day. Nine or ten ships (half by gunfire) in one short patrol is not uncommon once you've got the hang of it. Be wary of any single ships heading W or SW, more than likely it'll be a neutral. I have found a good position is 40-60 km offshore just about anywhere along the East Coast to intercept the north-south traffic between the Firth of Forth and the Thames Estuary. AN55 is a particularly rich fishing ground and has some patches of deeper water too but you'll have to accept being in shallower water most of the time. The area east of Flamborough Head is a 'convoy junction' from January 1940 onwards. The flak gun is good for the small fry (anything under 1200 tons except large trawlers so long as you get very close and aim at waterline) and if you listen on the 'phones yourself you'll be surprised how much activity there is going on around you. They may not appear to be individually worthwhile but when you've sunk four or five the tonnage starts to add-up. No long boring patrols like one can get stuck with in the Atlantic and from November 1939 the coastal convoys start to appear. KH

12-21-14, 04:51 PM	#5
Foggy Loader Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Central CA Posts: 88 Downloads: 35 Uploads: 0	Yeah, medium cargo. Is there a guide that shows you where to aim on certain ship types? I also need to print some kind of flag identification chart but I can probably find that on google...

12-22-14, 01:39 AM	#7
Foggy Loader Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Central CA Posts: 88 Downloads: 35 Uploads: 0	Yeah, I saw the list of dates for when the countries became enemies, I just need the flag listing. I'll see if I can find the Flaggen one. Thanks!