If I buy this game?????

[Dr.Sid]

You simply must read all the readme. There is no way around it.
Some modifications add crucial features, like helo dipping sonar, some are cosmetic (some new models), some tweaks performance of weapons and sensors, which can make some missions unplayable (but same happened even for official patches).
As long you don't really mind bugs in official version, and you don't want to play MP with people who use LWAMI, you don't really need it. You can save it for the moments you will think you know everything in the game and you need something new

[Shearwater]

Thanks for the reply.

Originally Posted by Dr.Sid

some tweaks performance of weapons and sensors, which can make some missions unplayable

That's exactly what I'm afraid of

Originally Posted by Dr.Sid

but same happened even for official patches

and that is simply annoying
I think that I'll just play through the campain (which should take a couple of months/years/decades ) before I install any mods and go for MP. Also, since LWAMI is already 3.09, it looks like I'd have to read a lot of readme files before I get a picture of what this mod really does, so for the time being, I'll just stick with the 1.04 stock version

[Blacklight]

LWAMI doesn't make the game unplayable. Just the opposite is true. There are however some missions in the stock campaign that are impossible to do with LWAMI due to stuff tweaked to be more realistic. MOST missions and multiplayer missions are made with LWAMI in mind.

LWAMI comes with the Jonesoft Mod Enabler so you can have it installed and use the mod enabler to activate or deactivate the mod as you see fit.

[Molon Labe]

I think that's a pretty good approach. Don't worry, it won't take too long before things about stock DW start bugging you and you'll wonder if anything's been done about it. LuftWolf and Amizaur started with stock DW too, so the more you play it the more you'll understand exactly how they felt when they started the mod. (Oh, and by the way, the readmes are cumulative, so you only have to read the latest one)

As for "some missions becoming unplayable," by "some" he means one: Vladivostock, the first stock campaign mission. Can anyone think of any others? OK, I can add one: Race of the Cripples, from Bill's Red Storm Rising campaign. Out of dozens, possibly hundreds of missions out there.

If you'd like, I can explain in detail why those missions don't play well with LWAMI ("unplayable" is a bit of an exageration too; I've beaten them both with LWAMI active). The short version is that these missions were built around, or compensated for, deficiencies in stock DW. LWAMI corrected the underlying problems, which caused the missions to not play as intended. For the vast majority of old missions, fixing the things that are broken leads to them playing better, not worse.

Another thing to keep in mind is that LWAMI has been around long enough--and been the "standard" mod for long enough--that a majority of missions created in the last few years have been built around the mod. You're a lot more likely to run into compatibility issues going the other way. Just to give you an example, every mission I've ever designed with an Akula and an ASUW objective also has AEGIS ships around, to prevent the Akula's side from "automatically" winning by firing salvoes of SS-N-27s right from the beginning. When played with LWAMI, some missiles may get through and cause significant damage, but it won't be decisive, and the other side has a chance to react to the attack. Played with stock DW, most of the missiles get through, mission accomplished, not a damn thing the other side could have done about it.

[Dr.Sid]

Yes sure, don't get it wrong .. it will take some effort to find some mission which will have troubles. And stock missions are not without problems at all, and some may be even fixed by LWAMI.

I will correct my statement .. only don't install LWAMI if you don't understand some stuff in the readme. LWAMI will help you especially if you understand what it does.

[Shearwater]

Originally Posted by Ssgt_Wolverine

Hello!
I wanted to have your inputs about what fo I do next after buying this game? What I mean is there anything I should know on what mods, patch, campaigns if any, to download first.

I recommend to get yourself the manual. After trying to come to grips with the sim for about seven months with no avail (with a couple of larger intermissions, that is), I finally decided to order the manual, although it's a bit pricey (even more so if you're living outside the US and have to pay additional shipping fees. $36.95, or €28,89, was about three times the price of the game itself).

Something which I can also recommend, in case you can get it somehere: Have a look at the 688(i) Hunter/Killer manual. Although the game is from 1997, not much has changed in terms of interface (naturally, you now have four subs instead of one, but the basic elements are virtually the same for every sub, except the sonar suite for the Russian boats). However, I found that sometimes it does a better job at actually explaining things, not just describing.

Additional "non-official" documentation can be found on the subguru-homepage. I know it has already been mentioned, but I would like to draw your attention to the documents at the beginning of the page Things I found particularly helpful are the "Landlubber's Survival Guide" and "TimmyG00's Tactical Manual". They nicely explain why you should do certain things. However, how to do it, you depend on the (official DW 570 page spiral-bound expensive and extensive) manual.

Hope this keeps you busy for a couple of weeks