New to GWX and frustrated

[rifleman13]

About the damage model...

'Tis was my 4th patrol in a Type VIIC I was cruising along SW of the Rockall Banks and my crew sighted a lone Passenger/Cargo ship. Since it was calm seas and no escorts are around I decided use a deck gun on it.

The first shot, it exploded like I hit something explosive. Just I fired the second shot, it exploded again and my Watch Officer said, "She's going down!" I was highly excited not wasting any more rounds on that thing.

Is that random, or it could be I was just lucky I hit the fuel bunkers?:hmm:

BTW, GWX rocks! Big time!

[Phaedrus]

Try to stick with the convoy a little longer - The ships will eventually sink.

I would also advise keeping "Realistic Sinking Times" unchecked.
It extends the sinking time of ships far too much, and is unrealistic.


As far as the offical history of the British Navy is concerned, as well as other studies of merchant shipping during WW II: 80 - 85% of ships torpedoed between 1940-1945 sunk within 1 minute of the initial impact, with only 13% surviving for an hour or more.

Some ships certainly beat the odds and survived single, as well as multiple torpedo hits, but these were the exceptions rather than the norm.

Generally, ships that survived torpedo attacks were tankers (particularly tankers in ballast, but all tankers proved difficult to sink due to compartmentalization), and cargo ships carrying buoyant cargo such as timber or empty oil / fluid drums.


In short, keep your current settings, but try to send two torpedoes per target just to be sure.

If you insist on single torpedoes, aim your torpedo near the bow (if you are sufficiently skilled in manual targeting), or at the engine room (beneath the funnel(s) ).

Given enough time, those two methods are the most practical ways to ensure one shot kills - but I usually only pick the nicest targets and send two to each.


Regarding patrol tonnage: Be prepared for a dramatic drop in tonnage compared to SH3 Stock.
If you are using high realism settings (limited fuel, realistic reload, dud torpedoes) expect to gain 30 000 on an ideal patrol. Anything above is exceptional.

As stated in a previous reply, GWX is not really intended to be an arcade experience.

You should find that you get tonnage totals closer to realistic values.

Have fun,


Phaedrus

[BasilY]

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

Try to stick with the convoy a little longer - The ships will eventually sink.

Phaedrus

Just curious, will a ship that will eventually sink be credited to you if you are either,

- Out of contact range with the sinking ship (I will usually get out of the escort range for a breather)
- Took the magic carpet home b4 the sinking
- Had yourself sunk by DD before the sinking...

[BasilY]

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

As far as the offical history of the British Navy is concerned, as well as other studies of merchant shipping during WW II: 80 - 85% of ships torpedoed between 1940-1945 sunk within 1 minute of the initial impact, with only 13% surviving for an hour or more.
Phaedrus

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

As stated in a previous reply, GWX is not really intended to be an arcade experience.
Phaedrus

So it is, ships do sink quickly most of the time in the real world. Just because someone think it too much like an arcade doesn't make it any less real.

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

Regarding patrol tonnage: Be prepared for a dramatic drop in tonnage compared to SH3 Stock.
If you are using high realism settings (limited fuel, realistic reload, dud torpedoes) expect to gain 30 000 on an ideal patrol. Anything above is exceptional.

Phaedrus

I check all these 3 you mentioned. So my 20k patrol really wasn't that bad... Had one at 50k including a floatinh dock too.

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

You should find that you get tonnage totals closer to realistic values
Phaedrus

The main reasons that we have more tonnage than real Uboat captains is that their lives are actually on the line and less likely to take on unwarrented risks.

[UnderseaLcpl]

I would like to say that IMO the GWX team did a fantastic job of making realistic ship damage.
If you're having trouble sinking ships it's because you are unlucky or hitting the wrong place or both.
The best place for a one hit kill seems to be the bow, where it begins to taper down, but not right on the prow. If you do it correctly the torpedo blast spot should be visible on both sides of the ship.
I don't know how ship damage is coded or calculated or anything but ships with a big hole in the bow seem to plow themselves underwater in relatively short order.
Also the manual says that cargo is a factor, so if you hit a 4000-ton freighter full of lumber then yes I can see it taking 2-3 hits.
My only regret is that fires don't do damage over time. This should have been in the stock game. Whether the GWX crew was either unable to change it or didn't care to I'm not about to overlook all the fantastic features of GWX just to complain about that.

Just my two cents.


edit- tankers are another highly variable ship. For me they either take one hit or several. I wonder if GWX represents empty tankers with water ballast.

[Phaedrus]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

I would like to say that IMO the GWX team did a fantastic job of making realistic ship damage.
If you're having trouble sinking ships it's because you are unlucky or hitting the wrong place or both.
........ I'm not about to overlook all the fantastic features of GWX just to complain about that.

Agreed.
If every ship exploded instantly and went to the bottom, it wouldn't be much of a game.

As far as I have read in other posts, fire damage isn't implemented because the hard coding of SH3 doesn't permit it.

[Kpt. Lehmann]

Originally Posted by Phaedrus

Agreed.
If every ship exploded instantly and went to the bottom, it wouldn't be much of a game.

As far as I have read in other posts, fire damage isn't implemented because the hard coding of SH3 doesn't permit it.

@Pheadrus,

Concerning the selection of 'Realistic Sinking Times' you are advising GWX players incorrectly. Leaving it unselected can actually increase sinking times.

GWX was designed with the intent that players have the 'Realistic Sinking Times' selected and active.

I have lots more to say on the matter, but must leave for a real life engagement for a few hours.

Read pages 85-87 of the GWX manual.

[difool2]

Any ships you damage with one torp will eventually drop behind the convoy. Depending on sea state (if you want to use the gun) and remaining torps (if they have a lot of deck guns), after you evade the escort's counterattack just fall in behind the convoy about 20 km and mop up the damaged stragglers as you encounter them.

[Murr44]

I've left the "realistic sinking times" option checked since I started playing the game. In stock SH III I always found that ships sank far too quickly; most ships going down in about 1-3 minutes. GWX made it far more realistic in my opinion; ships sink much more slowly & don't break in half nearly as much as they do in the original game.

There's a mod that does enable the contact tails. Do a forum search for GWX Grey Contact Tails. The file says that it's for GWX 2.0 but it works fine with 2.1.

P.S. Concentrate your deck gun fire on the target's waterline or hull. This will do the most damage with the least expenditure of ammunition.

[Phaedrus]

Originally Posted by Kpt. Lehmann

Concerning the selection of 'Realistic Sinking Times' you are advising GWX players incorrectly. Leaving it unselected can actually increase sinking times.

GWX was designed with the intent that players have the 'Realistic Sinking Times' selected and active.

I apologize if the information is incorrect, but I was basing my statements on the information provided in game in the Options menu.
Under Realistic Sinking times it states "Ships will take longer to sink".

[Sailor Steve]

On the other other hand, in the stock game 'Realistic Sinking Times' never seemed to make any difference; at least for me.

[bookworm_020]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

I wonder if GWX represents empty tankers with water ballast.

Yes they do, Tankers leaving England will be harder to sink than ones heading to England. The England bound ones can still be hard to sink (personal experience speaking here!), but tend to go down esaier than the ones heading to American (as they are in ballast)

[BasilY]

Originally Posted by rifleman13

About the damage model...

'Tis was my 4th patrol in a Type VIIC I was cruising along SW of the Rockall Banks and my crew sighted a lone Passenger/Cargo ship. Since it was calm seas and no escorts are around I decided use a deck gun on it.

The first shot, it exploded like I hit something explosive. Just I fired the second shot, it exploded again and my Watch Officer said, "She's going down!" I was highly excited not wasting any more rounds on that thing.

Is that random, or it could be I was just lucky I hit the fuel bunkers?:hmm:

BTW, GWX rocks! Big time!

Never had that kind of luck. How close are you to the target? With sea state anything more than 4 knots, and your target armed and dangerous, I rarely take down a merchant with anything less than 20 shots. I almost always substain some damagein return. The visual image of your target rarely betrays any sign that it is about to sink. So I am certainly using more shots that necesary. Lone merchant in GWX? What lone merchant?