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Old 07-22-06, 03:39 PM   #1
NeonSamurai
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Default SH3 Newbie Guide, FAQs, Tactics & Tips, Links, & other helpful stuff

Ok since we have been getting another influx of new SH3 players and we have been getting many basic questions about the game I figured I would make a links thread with information that would be helpful to the new player.


Guides and Helpful Links


Steam Silent Hunter III setup 2022


Previous stickied topics:
How to post a screenshot? [FIRST POST UPDATED WITH VIDEO TUTORIAL]'

Windows 10

Windows 7 and Vista troubleshooting

How to play Silent Hunter III without the DVD in the DVD Drive (Starforce free)

SH3 Guide 2014+

SH3 Hints and Keyboard Tricks



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Silent Hunter III Community Manual (Down again)
This site is probably the most usefull site any new player can find, in it you should find pretty much everything you need to learn to play well and become a U-Boat Ace. Absolute must read.

The Hunt: An illustrated example of how to sink a ship
One of the best guides available teaching how to properly intercept, stalk and sink a ship. Includes pictures too.

Wazoo's Manual Charting & Targeting Tutorial
This is the guide to teach you how to manualy plot everything onto your map. You need to know this if your playing with out the contact updates option in realism enabled. But its handy to know even if you are playing with contact updates enabled.

raduz's Hydrophone Hunting Tutorial
This tutorial will teach you how you use the hydrophone to track and attack targets with out using the periscope. Also includes a sound mod for GWX to allow this method to work in it. However some parts of this tutorial are unrealistic and are not possible in a real Uboat.


Gramophone Music Packs

War Radio Mod

SH3 Gramophone Tipperary Sound Pack


Game Mods

Generic Mod Enabler (JSGME)
The Generic Mod Enabler is a very helpfull program as it lets you change mods easily. It works by using its own mods folder where the mods are placed, and when a mod is activated, all files in the stock game are backed up that are going to be replaced with modded ones. This link is a download link only. See included documentation for instructions.

SH3 Commander
SH3 Commander is a popular addin mod with its own external program for management. This mod can be used alone, with "The Grey Wolves Supermod", or with the "NYGM Tonnage War. Go here for the readme with more details.

The Grey Wolves Supermod
TGW Site
One of the 2 most popular freeware super mods at SUBSIM available for SH3. This mod is compatable with SH3 Commander, but not with NGYM Tonnage War. GWX 2.0 is now out.

NYGM Tonnage War
NYGM Site
The other of the 2 most popular freeware super mods at SUBSIM available for SH3. This mod is compatable with SH3 Commander, but not with Grey Wolves. The thread for the 2.3 patch can be found Here

SH3 Random Weather Generator
This external (.exe based) mod alters the random weather to be more realistic and is configurable. Works with SH3 commander and should work with any internal mod or superpack.

SH3Gen Campaign enhancement SH3 Gen is another external mod used when playing campaign games and adds intel information inside the game on enemy shipping. Read the thread for more details. I belive it is compatable with either supermod, SH3 Commander, and the external mods i listed. But i havent used this mod yet.

SH3PATROL MOD
This little mod is used together with supermods that feature "Milk Cow" or refuel/ammo ships/submarines to reduce the number of days spent refueling/rearming to 1 day instead of the game default 28 days (which applies to bases). Both NGYM and GW feature Milk Cows. This is a download link

List of modifs. / mod tools / mod tips
This Post contains links to pretty much all the known player made mods available for SH3. Note however most of these are small mods that alter a specific function, and interoperabity between mods found here is questionable. You may also expierence conflicts if these mods are used with either supermod available (the supermods typicaly have many of these small mods alread incorperated). Also you can find moding tools here if you later on decide you wish to do your own modding.
The full thread can be found here


As for which super mod to choose, well both of them are good in their own right, and its ultimatly a matter of personal preference. My advice would be to try out both of them. Also if your going with a supermod, i would not recommend trying to add in other mods (other then SH3 Commander) with either supermod unless you are an exprienced SH3 modder or you may expirence problems.

Also my list of supermods is by no meens at all an exaustive list of all of the ones available on the net, just some of the most popular ones here at SUBSIM. For a more complete list i advise you go here and check out the Greater mod-packs section.


Find SHIII & GWX Things Easy
This site is dedicated to all the Silent Hunter Players, SubSim.com and all of the Modders.

Survey "SH3 - MOD & TOOL" April 2011: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=182111

Last edited by Onkel Neal; 11-02-22 at 09:13 AM. Reason: updated
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Old 07-22-06, 03:40 PM   #2
NeonSamurai
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NeonSamurai's most comonly asked questions from new players

Why do my torpedos keep bouncing off the ship?

Well a couple of possible reasons, first your torpedo needs to travel a absolute minimum of 250 meters to arm itself (good rule of thumb is never shoot closer then 300m). Second for impact or impact/magnetic torpedoes (Torpedoes set to magnetic can still act as impact torpedoes) the torpedo head needs to strike a flat surface nearly head on to detonate (roughly between 70-120 degees), also this applies in the vertical as well as horrizontal, if the slope is too shallow the torpedo will bounce every time. Keep in mind that ships are not box shaped under water, they curve in many places, towards the rudder, and underneath towards the keel. Also occasionaly you will run into dud torpedoes. With magnetic torpedos in stormy weather you can sometimes have the ship pitch down due to waves and have the torpedo bounce off the keel.


What is the best depth to use for magnetic torpedos?

Well this depends on 2 factors, the draft of the ship, and the weather. The rule of thumb i usualy use is 0.5m deeper then the ship's draft for clear weather (0-5m/s windspeed) 1m for moderate seas (5-10m/s wind) and 2m for heavy sea states. Though i will say that when the sea is realy rough (12 or better m/s wind) i usualy dont attempt magnetic shots as the ship's actual depth varries too much which will cause magnetics to either run under too deep, or bounce off the keel as much as they would detonate. Instead i usualy set the torpedo to impact running 2-3m deep.


Should i set up my attack differently when using impact vs magnetic?

There are some differences between an impact torpedo attack vs a magnetic one, With impact torpedoes you idealy want to be shooting at around 90 degrees AoB (from the side of the target) to give your torpedos the best chance of hitting something flat so they will detonate. The depth setting should be low enough in the water to cause flooding to the targeted section, but not too deep so that the torpedo doesnt bounce of the curve of the underside of the hull. With magnetics while you can attack from 90 degrees AoB its often better to attack at an angle off 90 to give the torpedo more time under the target, which increases its chance of realising its under a ship and detonating. See above for depth settings. Lastly when firing any torpedo idealy you want your torpedo to go straight out from the tube and not have to turn to hit the target. The more the torpedo has to turn, the more inacurate the hit calculation becomes because the calculations are done as a straight line, not as a curved path. Also always open your torpedo doors first before shooting, otherwise the torpedo uses the settings from the moment you press fire, but doesnt actualy launch till a few seconds later.


What is the best place to aim at on a ship when using torpedos?

This varries depening on if and what mods your using, but good places for impact torpedos are the engine room (typicaly right below the smoke stack, if there are multiple smoke stacks its usualy in the middle), and fuel bunker (usualy infront of the engine room). Also hitting the engine room has the added effect of typicaly bringing the ship to a dead stop. For magnetic torpedoes, either under the engine room, or right in the middle of the ship is usualy best.


What are the differences between Auto and Manual Targeting

Well pretty much 2 things, in auto the game does all the work for you, its practicaly just point and shoot. Also with impact torpedos when using auto targeting, if the torpedo hits a section of a ship that has a critical explosion chance, you will get a critical explosion each and every time vs a random chance with manual.


What exactly is Angle off Bow (AoB)?

To put it simply, its the measurement of your bearing (180 degree left or right mesurement) from the perspective of the ship out to your Uboat. Imagine your standing on the bridge of the target ship looking out at your Uboat, the angle from the bow of the target ship your standing on to where your looking out at your uboat is the Angle off bow.


Why is there an option to turn off the weapon's officer in realism options?

Well the reason is many captains think he is a form of a cheat. The reason is he can provide firing solutions instantly, and pretty much perfectly. In otherwords he does his job waaaay to good. In reality the job of the weapons officer was primaraly to plot firing solutions, and imput data called out by the captain into the TDC. He also sometimes called out solutions when using the UZO for surface attacks. In SH3 he is either absolutly perfect, or if disabled near useless. On my uboat i typicaly leave his station unmanned the entire patrol.


What is crush depth, and how do i know when ive reached it?

Crush depth is the maximum depth the uboat can go before it starts to be crushed by sea pressure. The crush depth of a uboat varries depending on the type, model, and mod used. Fortunatly in SH3 your ship does NOT suddenly explode when you hit a magic number, you will get plenty of warning that your going too deep, both from your crew, and your sub starting to take damage. Also note that as your uboat gets damaged on patrol, your maximum safe diving depth will decrease based roughly on your uboat's structural integrity.


Do Destroyers ever run out of depth charges?

Yes they eventualy do, but be aware that a typical Destroyer with 2 depth charge racks and 4 K guns carries about 240 depth charges according to my research of the game's data files (which btw is not particularly realistic, 100 something was more typical).


What is the best way to avoid and evade Destroyers?

Well this depends on the situation, there is no magic rule or tactic you can apply that works every time. General rules of thumb are to submerge when spotted (you wont be able to out run a destroyer unless its damaged), use silent running, go deep, and limit your speed to 3 knots or lower unless your being depth charged at the moment. Try to sneak away from the destroyers.


What's the best way to evade depth charge attacks?

Most destroyers when doing a depth charge run will try to line up from behind you and drive along your path. This gives them the best chance of staying off your hydrophones (due to your own engine sounds) and have you running into their falling depth charges). The best methods to avoid this is to stay deep (gives you more time to get out of the way of the falling depth charges), change your depth as the charges fall. Go to flank speed, and turn hard left or right. After the depth charges stop exploding immediatly go back to ahead slow with silent running engaged and change your course. Also dont forget to use your own ears, when standing in the control room you can hear the sound of the destroyers and guess where they are coming from through the hull, use this to your advantage.


Why is my crew refusing to repair damage, or reload my torpedoes?

Well 2 likely reasons, 1 you are in silent running mode, when in silent running mode all noisy activities stop, that includes all repair efforts, and torpedo reloading. Or 2 You dont have enough crew assigned to do the job.

Last edited by NeonSamurai; 12-04-06 at 12:22 PM.
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Old 07-22-06, 03:41 PM   #3
NeonSamurai
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If i missed any major links feel free to let me know and ill add them

Btw if any mods for this area drift by, mind giving this a sticky.

Last edited by NeonSamurai; 07-22-06 at 03:48 PM.
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Old 07-22-06, 03:50 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NeonSamurai
If i missed any major links feel free to let me know and ill add them

Btw if any mods for this area drift by, mind giving this a sticky.
SH3GEN and SH3 weather of the top of my head
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Old 07-22-06, 05:06 PM   #5
NeonSamurai
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K added them, also SH3Patrol Mod.

Also i will add in general for suggestions relating to mods, Im only interested in linking the major "must have" mods, All the others can be found in the mods list link. The intent of this thread is to help those who are new find what they need most.
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Old 07-22-06, 05:23 PM   #6
Seaveins
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Default Thanks!

Many thanks to you and the other patient veterans! I am late in playing SHIII although I have owned it since it came out. The problem was my old computer and I needed (family man) a better justification to buy a new computer than I wanted to play this game. I now have the capability and am greatful that you are still out there to teach navigation to the swabbies.
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Old 07-22-06, 06:13 PM   #7
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Nice list NeonSamurai and great comments. I use SH3Gen and it is compatible with Grey Wolves and Commander 2.5 or 2.6. Commander 2.4 requires a patch that JScones posted in the SH3Gen thread.

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Old 07-22-06, 10:02 PM   #8
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Stickied. Great thread, NeonSamurai!
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Old 07-23-06, 09:27 AM   #9
NeonSamurai
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Thanks mate
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Old 07-25-06, 08:08 AM   #10
shift-E
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Default Depth Charges

forgive me if this has been asked elsewhere ....

but do the tommy and yank destroyers/frigates EVER run out of depth charges? I'm often able, by means of course/depth changes, deployment of decoys, and changes in speed when sonar conditions merit, to evade their wrath (even while they're in the neighborhood) for hours ...... but the DDs and Frigs NEVER seem to run out of DC's.

Has anybody else noticed this?
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Old 07-25-06, 10:31 AM   #11
NeonSamurai
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Well according to my examining of the file DC_R_KG.sim, yes they do have ammo limits.

Each rack, K gun and Y gun is said to have 40 depth charges. So your typical destroyer with 2 racks and 4 k guns will have 240 depthcharges in total.

Historicly i think that is way off (where the heck would you fit that many depth charges in a typical destroyer)
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Old 07-25-06, 11:12 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by shift-E
forgive me if this has been asked elsewhere ....

but do the tommy and yank destroyers/frigates EVER run out of depth charges? I'm often able, by means of course/depth changes, deployment of decoys, and changes in speed when sonar conditions merit, to evade their wrath (even while they're in the neighborhood) for hours ...... but the DDs and Frigs NEVER seem to run out of DC's.

Has anybody else noticed this?
Yes they do run out
Trouble is they carry on as if they think they still have them
No danger of being blown to pieces but of running out of air unless you can get away
Not sure what they would have done in RL when they ran out ?
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Old 07-25-06, 11:32 AM   #13
NeonSamurai
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About the same, they would hang around and wait for the boat to run out of air forcing it to surface, then shell it to pieces. About the only times they would give up is if they lost the sub, thought they had sunk it, or if their convoy they are escorting was getting to far away or came under attack.
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Old 07-25-06, 01:21 PM   #14
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There are certainly more than two big mod-compilations popular among various SH3 communities.
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Old 07-25-06, 03:35 PM   #15
NeonSamurai
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Yes there are but the purpose of this thread was not a complete mod list, but rather something to get players started with and answer their questions, which is why i only listed the 3 main mods which are stickied in the mod forum. They are also the ones i see refered the most to in most peoples posts here.
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