Question for the DiD players: How long did you survive?

[meduza]

I'm only in my second true Dead is Dead career, and my last one ended in June '40, after an aircraft attack.

My previous careers were Dead is (Almost Always) Dead , meaning that I would reload if I thought my demise was stupid or unnecessary (being sunk by tramp steamer or pressing D instead of S at high TC would qualify as such :rotfl.

So, how long did you survive?

[mcf1]

I played DiD 3 careers.
The first one ended in GWX 2.1 training mission, I somehow managed to beach my boat while on TC (ooops).
The second time a DD depth charged me to death in 42 .
And the third time I managed to survive the war

[Annatar]

Started in August 1939 and managed to clock up 14 patrols taking me into may 1940 until getting caught trying to screep into Scapa Flow last night. That was my longest DID to date, ended by my own hubris more than anything else.

[msalama]

My longest career started in 08/39 and IIRC ended in 11/41 when I died of stupidity during a convoy attack. It's what you get when you're too keen, and forget that silent running can be advantageous to your health

The shortest, however, lasted all of 5 glorious days. Sailed out of Kiel on 09/03/39, ended up sitting on the seafloor sometime during the night of 09/08/39.

[RoaldLarsen]

I'm running a series of careers from '39 to '45 in each of the modelled flotillas. They are all DiD and all 100% realism. I started two careers at the start of the war in each active flotilla, and then one new career for each flotilla for each eight months that have elapsed. I don't start a new career in a flotilla until there are no remaining active careers in that flotilla.

I use a modified version of SH3 Commander's Realistic Career Length option, so most of my careers end in retrirement after fewer than 10 operational patrols. There have been some exceptions. My longest completed career went 16 patrols in a Type IXB, from May 1940 to January 1942 and resulted in 394,046 tons sunk (an average of 24,628 tons per patrol).

My longest-serving currently active Kaleun started in January 1941 and is now in the middle of his 18th patrol in his type VIIC in late December 1942. He has sunk about 285kT so far. He is finally rethinking his policy of shooting it out on the surface when attacked by aircraft, after having lost 6 deck crew over two engagements on this patrol. He did shoot down two Sunderlands in exchange. He had two more shot down for the loss of one crewman on a previous patrol.

This is the only career in which I have such an approach vs. aircraft. I try to model a different personality with each career. All my other currently active type VII Kaleuns dive on all aircraft contact. A couple of type IX Kaleuns will stay on the surface if the aircraft are too close to allow time for a crash dive to submerge before the bombs hit.

One Type VII Kaleun started the war in the Baltic and develped a taste for harbour raids (Gdansk in Sepember 1939). Over a series of raids he sank a carrier and an auxiliary cruiser (Scapa Flow in early 1940), five destroyers, two armed tugs and two torpedo boats before being sunk (of course) on his 10th patrol. He was credited with a total of just under 300,000 tons. Very few of my other Kaleuns have any warship kills.

Most of my boats have much more sane commanders, though there are a couple who have chosen to fight gunnery duels with single armed merchants, armed trawlers or corvettes. I haven't lost any boats to gunfire. I find I can often put the other ship's gun out of action if I am firing at a range of 2,000 to 2,500 metres.

My seven losses include four to depth charges (all destroyers, I think), two lost to aircraft (both times while diving), and one boat surrendered after both diesels were damaged beyond repair in an air attack. Three of these losses were on the boat's first patrol, one on the second and one on the third. My 29th Flotilla boats have to get through the Strait of Gibtralter before they can begin patrolling the Med. One of my first patrol losses was a boat that didn't suvive the attempt.

Generally, my experienced commanders survive to retirement. Only 2 of 23 have been killed after the third patrol. They do this by staying cautious about exposure to the enemy. I also use the sabotage and malfunctions option, so some of my patrols are cut short because of damage even without engaging the enemy. Despite the caution, I am satisfied with my level of aggression. I am averaging over 21.1kT sunk per patrol. Over a quarter of those patrols were in type IIs, and only 1/5 were in type IXs.

Until recently, my losses have been spread fairly evenly over time: 1 in 1939, 2 in 1940, 1 in 1941 and 3 in 1942. I am about to enter 1943 and I expect things to get tougher.

My average completed (by death or retirement) career length is 6.25 operational patrols. Only 3 of the 23 I've started have gone past 10 Patrols. I've described two of those above. The other did 15 patrols in a type IIA before being made an instructor. Statistics for my completed careers are in my sig.

If I wasn't using the retirement option but ran each career until death or the end of the war, I would expect that my average career length up to the beginning of 1943 would be about 10 to 12 patrols and that I could get at least one career to 25 patrols.

[Silverleaf]

Part of the allure of this game is I "think" I'm playing close to what the average sub commander netted. So even though my totals are way below most people here, it "feels" realistic. Although..

I am averaging over 21.1kT sunk per patrol.

Good lord, I must be close to being booted from service or shot out a tube.

I'm through 5 missions, and have 20,405 Tons total. First 2 patrols netted zero - so I've picked the pace up slightly.

Cheers,

[Annatar]

My most recent career went up until Christmas 1940, 14 patrols with some 350,000 tons sunk. (including 2 Battleships and an ocean liner turned troop transport)
With the impending release of 3.0 I'll never get to finish that one.

[RoaldLarsen]

Originally Posted by Silverleaf

Good lord, I must be close to being booted from service or shot out a tube.

I'm through 5 missions, and have 20,405 Tons total. First 2 patrols netted zero - so I've picked the pace up slightly.

We all get better with experience. I may have pushed my average up over 20kT per patrol now, but when I started out with this game I had much worse numbers. After my first 5 patrols (in a IIA) I had accumulated just 19,280 tons. My first, sixth and eighth patrols netted zero.

Besides player experience, another major factor affecting tonnage sunk is the type of boat, or perhaps, more accurately, the number of torpedos you are carrying. My first patrol in a IXD2 netted 60,296 tons. That's about 2.5 tons per torpedo. The same efficiency in a type II would net 12,500 tons, and 35,000 tons in a type VII.

Other important factors affecting your tonnage are the difficulty/realism level you play at, the mods you use, and the year of the war. It is probably much easier to achieve a 100,000 ton patrol in 1940 at low realism in the stock game than it is to get a 100,000 ton career in 1944 with 100% realism in GWX.

[Rhodes]

Had a DiD career that began in mid 43 and end it on may 45!!!Eehehehhe with gwx 2.1 and etc! Possibly luck and also sinking one or two ships from a convoy at 5km and run away. in 44 my kaleun got the knights cross...

[G.K.]

I played 4 DiD careers, each about 9 patrols as simulated with SH 3 comm...

The first one was an Atlantic campaign starting in late 1942 and ending early in 1944 when I was assigned to a training fleet...

The second one was a type XXIII career from Jan 1945. I got sunk on the first patrol by an aircraft while recharging the batteries via Snorkel... Radar detector attached to it warned me when the airplane was just 1,2 km far...

The third one was a Black sea campaign, after 11th patrol I was retired...

And the fourth one is a Med campaign starting in mid 1941... And In mid 1942 after 6 patrols, I am still alive...

[GoldenRivet]

on average.

Late 43 ~ early 44 is when i usually buy the hofbrau

I have only survived GWX a couple of times

[Sledgehammer427]

lets see...i guess the allies should be glad i was never a U-boot captain....

Jan.1941, 100%realism,
265,976 Tons, after 15 patrols..

Started early war, and was paranoid after a PT boot managed to fire one round right thru one of my lookouts...

[GoldenRivet]

I have come to decide that there is not such thing as 100% realism

we simply encounter far too many ships in game

most boats never even attacked a single target

[IanC]

Originally Posted by Sledgehammer427

lets see...i guess the allies should be glad i was never a U-boot captain....

Jan.1941, 100%realism,
265,976 Tons, after 15 patrols..

Started early war, and was paranoid after a PT boot managed to fire one round right thru one of my lookouts...

All that and at 100%! Good going
I still leave the targeting to my weapon officer

[meduza]

Originally Posted by Mikhayl

My first DiD career ended in June '40 between Dunkerque and Dover

A very dangerous palce to be at this time. I was once nailed there, too.

Originally Posted by mcf1

And the third time I managed to survive the war