Crew Management

[Major Johnson]

So then what you're doing is adding 8 extra crew members to the original number you receive when first starting a career?? And you are doing this after you complete your first mission and you've returned to base, right??

Wouldn't 5 low level bilge rats be rather inexperienced at repair work??

[Major Johnson]

Ok, so last night I'm on a patrol, I assign some crew members to the damage control slots. Left it that way for days. I noticed Zs by crew members in their regular slots, but never saw the Zs by the crew members in the damage control slots. I could have missed it I guess, but I kept checking in on it from time to time. Would they not have the same sleep period as the other guys from the area that I pulled them from?? Because there was at least one guy I know which cycle I pulled him from. His buddies were sleeping in there regular slots, but he was in a damage control slot, and apparently wide awake.

[Powerthighs]

The damage control slots are usually not activated, by default they are only activated when you are at battlestations. You can also click a button on the command taskbar to activate damage control yourself.

A station is active when it has a darker background. If not activated, the crew can sleep when they want and will go forever without getting tired.

[SuperCavitation]

Wouldn't 5 low level bilge rats be rather inexperienced at repair work??

When in port, look above the roster on the left. You'll see a box labelled "rank." That's actually a drop-down selector. Make it display by "skill" and look at the "mechanical" sailors. You'll see they will vary from the insane to low-40s. I usually try to get a few rats (cuz they cost zero reknown) with the highest mech skill. That particular skill seems to serve best in Dmg Ctrl.

Also, I never get sailors before my 1st patrol... instead, I go to crew management, do the drop down thing, and look at what I have available (who's the top gunner? he's usually in a torp room believe it or not) then make my adjustments at sea. When I return to port, that's when I recruit based on my need. Bear in mind you cant see who your best sailors are in port (that list is the recruits NOT on your boat) unless you feel like clicking on all 40-odd of them and memorizing names.

His buddies were sleeping in there regular slots, but he was in a damage control slot, and apparently wide awake.

When you move someone, you wake them. At least, that's what I've always seen.

never saw the Zs by the crew members in the damage control slots.

They do sleep. They just do it when they feel like it. :p Kidding. I'll post a pic since I'm on patrol now...

[SuperCavitation]

Here you are, MJ, and everybody else... Note the fatigue level to the left, and then note Willis' Mechanical, Leadership, and Guns skill. This is why you want gunners to be in DC when they aren't shooting at anything. The sailors with the highest Leadership in their compartment/shift should always be in the leftmost square.

Also note the two other guys with the Torps icons. Like I mentioned before, sometimes your best gunners arent even in the gun slots when you start Patrol #1. One is my AA gunner and the other is the loader for Willis.

Yes, I'm missing a rat; I forgot to get one in port.

[Major Johnson]

If seeing is believing, then call me a "Monkee" cause "I'm A Believer". :p Ok, I know, you're all thinking "he just didn't", but it's cheese music at it's best!! Plus in my other life I'm a musician.

Thanks for that screen shot SC! This whole crew management thing is getting clearer, although I have yet to play the game long enough to return to port to purchase/recruit/shanghai other crew members. I may have other questions at that time! :hmm:

[jazman]

When I had guys manning the deck gun station, and I've been submerged suffering a depth charging or a bombing, I notice that if the deck gun takes damage, they get wounded. Then, because of some damage repair issues, where I can't repair the gun at all (even though it's 0.017 or some such low amount), if I re-man the deck gun station they start accumulating wounds.

So I ended up using Damage control and put the gunners there, so they're out of range of the Deck Gun o' Death.

Also, I've been reading Spadefish, and on the last patrol they had nine officers and 75 enlisted men (going by memory here, although I'm pretty sure it added up to 84). (One was a Warrant Officer, which isn't the same as a CPO.) If you look at all the slots on a Balao, if you fill out the whole thing, that'll get you about there. So it's not unrealistic, as far as total crew count, to have the whole Damage Control station packed out with men.