Arggghhh, ever have "one of those days"

[Adlerkopf]

All,

I've owned SHIII since the day of it's release, played for a while and then set it down. Now, the past 2-3 weeks I've really been getting back into it. Especially have finding these boards and all the wonderful new mods. Not to mention some of the stories and logs that have been posted (like the U-46 tale) that really inspire one to want to get out on patrol ASAP.

As a newbie I figured I'd share a little incident from an SHIII session I had last night as only the members of these boards can probably relate to my pain.

I start SHIII and start my career. It's Dec. '41 and I'm in my IXC (The Adlerkopf) U-125. Orders are to sail to Grid BF19 and patrol. I think "great, a nice short hop, and it's in an area of heavy activity". So, I merrily plot a course and my crew and I head out of Lorient with expectations of a glorious patrol.

Well, after what seemed like forever getting out of Lorient (I've got the Harbor Traffic mod 1.47 going) and navigating the mine and nets, we finally hit open sea and make a bee-line for our patrol grid. We arrive without incident and begin our patrol. The whole thing comes and goes without any contacts at all. I send a patrol report and get the usual "be more aggressive" message from BdU. So I decide to skim the western side of Irelend hoping to find someone to tangle with there.

After 2 days of no contacts I'm ready to head home. Just then we get a message that there is a large convoy moving NNE just south of us. Yes!! I adjust couse and prepare for the hunt. after a while I get a report of a ship spotted. It's a Clemson class destroyer heading due west. I adjust course and think "our first catch of the day". I get in position and let loose 2 eels. Much to my horror I see (on the Event cam) that I've set the depth too low and both fish harmlessly sail under the destroyer. Now they know we're hear. They adjust course and head right at me. Through the periscope I order tubes 3 and 4 to fire. The destroyer starts to turn and I know both fish will miss, DAMN!!

I order a dive to 40m and hard to starboard. I can hear him start pinging and I'm thinking "crap, this is gonna hurt". He, for some reason, manages to not pick us up and goes right overhead. about 10sec. later he starts DC'ing. What luck!! I go rudder amidships and can hear him moving to my port side, he DC's some more but he's clearly just guessing. After a while I'm listening on the hydrophones and can hear him at 355 degrees moving away. I come up to periscope depth and see him making a bee-line away from us. I think "now I've got you" and then it dawns on me that he might have been the western edge ot the convoy. If I can get him, I'll be able to get right into the convoy and really wreck some havoc. I order ahead flank and close the distance to the destroyer. He's making a straight line right back to the convoy. I close to 1100m and let 2 eels go. the first one hits but he's still going. The second should've hit but there is no explosion so I think that it must have missed. Just then "BOOM!" the second hits and he goes down.

Now I'm thinking "the doors open, now we're gonna just waltz right in". I'm already starting to go through my plan of attack in my head and joyfully looking forward to the prospect of shredding this convoy when...




..The game booted me out to the desktop!!! I kid you not...I sat in stunned silence for about 2min. And then only mumbled "no...that's not fiar....that's so not fair".

This seriously happend to me last night. It's the first time SHIII has ever crashed on me, which sucks, but I'm hoping to try again tonight. Anyway, I figured the folks on this board are the only ones who can apprieciate the pain I went through.