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Old 02-09-24, 08:22 PM   #1
Fidd
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Blighty!
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Default Getting started in Wolfpack?

You may well have seen videos of gameplay, and the rich gameplay arising in a well operating u-boat, which attracted you to the game? What you may not realise is that there's a deal of practice involved, and gradual learning of the conventions used to do each job well as part of a team, to achieve that gameplay. The game, I think by design, has roles one can pick up quickly, and others which require some application, time and practice to get good at.

Advice if you're starting to play the game?

Learn one role well, and be honest, when joining games, about what you're abilities are, and are not. Other players won't mind in the least if you're new, but if one claims to be a reliable <insert role> and then make a complete dog's breakfast of it.... Try and resist the urge to learn lots of roles in a short time.

In ease of learning (IMHO) trades can be said to be, easiest to hardest:
(suggested period in weeks to become really proficient)
Helm 2
Dive Officer 4
Machinist 4
Radioman (simple radio) 3 +1 for Enigma
Chief Engineer 10-20
Navigator 20
Radioman (real-morse) 20+, +3 for Enigma
Captain 30+

Of these, the last 3 or 4 are more or less equally involved and can take a considerable time, practice and study to become "good at".


The first role you want to learn is "helmsman", which is steering the boat, controlling speed by sending Telegraph signals for the engine-room to implement. So, you're an important link between the Captain, usually giving verbal orders, and ensuring those orders are implemented. It's usual for the helmsman to also operate the TDC (Target Data Computer), so if you don't know how, or it's your first night, be sure to tell the captain beforehand!. An important part of the Helmsman's job is reading-back verbally orders he's given, or double-checking if he's not sure what he's heard, or if the order (with a little experience) seems "odd" in the circumstances. Spend a few weeks, at least, just playing helm, as along with teaching you that role or "trade", you will soak-up much more knowledge besides on the way other roles interact, which is really useful when you eventually move on to learningother ones.

It is, IMHO, a capital error to try and learn and play every role in days and weeks. One will almost certainly end up learning none of them well. By all means specialise initially as Helm, and start to learn Dive?

Some roles require a certain facility for physics and mathematics to swiftly train as, as understanding is aided by knowing a little about the pressure and properties of gases and liquids (Dive Officer) or electrics (Machinist/Chief Engineer). Don't worry, these can be taught without such knowledge on a "monkey-see, monkey-do" basis, however, you may pick it up faster and be more readily able to deal with confused or new situations if you do. There's a number of experienced players who instruct - not always the same way - but it generally comes out in the wash! I find the trick was to listen to everyone, then try each technique where they differ, and adopt the one that works for you!

Once you've mastered Helm and Dive, you will know, now from experience, if you wish to specialise in new roles, and if so which. If you find a role boring - try and aid the captain in other ways. For example, during surface attacks as a Dive Officer, I always used to calculate, and count-down to, each of the torpedo-releases, so that they all hit simultaneously, which becomes important in multi-boat games.

Speaking of which, the best gameplay is to be found in organised games. Subject to your timezone, there are many about, "Frost", "Duyfken", "9th Flotilla". These are usually "registered" or "enlisted" games where the lobby is password-protected. In order to start playing you need to use "discord", and to find one of these servers, on which you can introduce yourself, and then register for a particular game at a particular time. "Training" is not usually given to a great degree during such games, you will be expected to know your job. So learn in open-lobbies, ask for training amongst the steam or discord friends you meet there; and then start to register for the organised ones. Again, be quite clear with the captain about your inexperience - if any.

Currently, most games commence with meeting-up in the appropriate Discord channel of the registered players, who use it only for the period before the boats are spawned, and for a post-game debrief. During the game itself, it has become usual to only use in game voice, rather than Discord. This has made it difficult to contact anyone to get the password and informally join a game. So it's really important you start adding friends you make in Wolfpack as "steam friends" and then start to exchange information with them to learn where to find the Discord Channels of the organised games, or informal lobbies which are nevertheless locked. Later, once you're established on Discord, you will add them as "Discord Friends", which will greatly aid your ability to get into locked lobby games, or the full organised multi-boat games.

If you're lucky, you'll then start to play with the same players on the same boat, two or three times a week, probably under the same captain, and then start to enjoy the game at it's best!

There will be some dissenting views on all this from other experienced players. A few players will take to positions "like a duck to water" that most have to spend a lot of time learning, or will start as captains even. Most don't! So I've tried to produce an article likely to work for most new players, suggesting what I personally think are good strategies for getting the most out of the game whilst being the least aggravating new-player for captains to contend with! So other's may well have a different take on all this.

Good luck!

Last edited by Fidd; 02-10-24 at 07:21 AM.
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