Silent Hunter III

Canis Lupus

Got this game and let me take this moment to say that A: it looks stunning with an amazing damage model (blowing a merchant in half is just mesmerizing) and B the sound is so brilliant, with surround sound it's like being there.

BUT is there anyway to auto manage your crew? It seems a somewhat pointless chore to spend so much time sailing to the southwest coast of the uk and having to spend yur entire time rotating crew members on the way there. It's an interesting idea to have done it but please tell me there is a way to get the AI to deal with it cos it's as annoying as ****.

Sand

BUT is there anyway to auto manage your crew? It seems a somewhat pointless chore to spend so much time sailing to the southwest coast of the uk and having to spend yur entire time rotating crew members on the way there. It's an interesting idea to have done it but please tell me there is a way to get the AI to deal with it cos it's as annoying as ****.

Theres a mod of sorts that replaces the wimps in the out of the box game with real men who can stay at the posts for up to 4 days or so without a yawn. It was hosted on subsim.com, but its not there now and it looks like theyve stopped downloads for April:| Anyway, its call No_Fatigue and its apparently written by DickDastardly if that helps you google it. If it doesnt, I still have it here so I can email it to you or dcc it via irc. Its only 11kb.

The other thing to do is to take anyone you can offstation when en route to the UK and then cycle them on when you get there - you shouldnt need them until youre ready to start sinking ships.

Id also spread qualifications amongst the warrant officers rather than the main lads as you can cycle people into rest easier then.

Canis Lupus

Cheers, will look for that when I get home. What I just do is hit the "surface cruise setting" button which rotates everything for me but I still find it pointless to have to keep checking it when I'm on a long cruise although I do like the idea of stations not being effective due to lack of personnell in a fight, thats great, they should have just done away with fatigue.

Azza

I find the game abit too easy. I mean you can rack up insane amount of kills with the deck gun alone.

However I am using Real U-Boat 1.21 Mod which makes the game alot better.

Among the many changes is corrected crush depths and correct flotilla's start dates and ports.

Change the fatigue structure (torpedo room is most stressful and the bridge in storms.

You no longer get map updates on position of single merchant ships you will have to find them yourself ....(Note* you know your near a ship of some sort when the game slows down to x8 from high compression speeds i.e a visual or hydrophone contact)) using the hydrophone and determine if there friend or foe.

Some other small features included.

Improves the game much more realistic. Single merchant contacts are much rarer. More realistic amount of kills per patrol. More hard work for the captain.

TwoShedsJackson

Canis Lupus wrote:

Cheers, will look for that when I get home. What I just do is hit the "surface cruise setting" button which rotates everything for me but I still find it pointless to have to keep checking it when I'm on a long cruise although I do like the idea of stations not being effective due to lack of personnell in a fight, thats great, they should have just done away with fatigue.

Fatigue calculation is suspended at 64x time compression and above, so if you're on a long trip just stay at that or above to avoid losing any fatigue on the way.

BlitzKrieg

I find the game abit too easy. I mean you can rack up insane amount of kills with the deck gun alone.

which is a bit realistic as u-boat commanders perferred using deck guns to torpedoes because they were more effective and accurate. not too mention reliable.

Sand

which is a bit realistic as u-boat commanders perferred using deck guns to torpedoes because they were more effective and accurate. not too mention reliable.

Yup, they nailed up to 9 ships with deck guns whilst on a patrol.

As the manual itself says, they only removed the deck guns from later ships because well protected convoys meant they wouldnt get a chance to use them and it was slowing down the boat whilst submerged.

Improves the game much more realistic. Single merchant contacts are much rarer. More realistic amount of kills per patrol. More hard work for the captain.

Im not too sure about the merits of realism over simply striving for immersion. As long as the game is immersive, and it is, then thats good enough for me. Hell, I seriously toyed with the idea of not sinking a ship because it was Christmas Day in game! (Course, then I said **** it, theres a war on) Lets face it, it will never be realistic, and it wouldnt be fun if it was. I like games because theyre not realistic. I like plenty of kills per patrol, because quite simply sitting on the ocean waiting for a ship to come along once every few days and making every kill an epic struggle between you - a non submariner - and a submariners tools would be extremely boring/frustrating.

Balfa

Azza wrote:

I'm using manual targeting its really tricky. Find it very difficult to hit aything.

I see the guys on the main Silent Hunter Forum are easily racking up 100,000 tons on one mission.

I propose that using manual targeting is actually less realistic. Submarine aces have people on board to that stuff for them, mostly.

Sidane

This game looks interesting, might pick it up.

Haven't played a submarine sim since 688 Attack Sub back in the day. Anybody remember that?



The game was my first experience of multiplayer, hooking up two machines over a serial cable. Oh the memories!

Sidane

Just watched the E3 demo video. Those graphics looks gorgeous. I'm impressed!

BlitzKrieg

no sign of a playable demo?

Azza

which is a bit realistic as u-boat commanders perferred using deck guns to torpedoes because they were more effective and accurate. not too mention reliable.

The deck was primarily used to finish off crippled ships and attack smaller ships. The U-boat was not a very good platform as it was obviously very low in the water. After 1943 with the exception of the Mediterranean, North Sea and Indian Ocean where U-boats allowed keep there deck gun due to reasons already mentioned in this thread. By 1941 torpedo's where much more reliable.

In Silent Hunter III it is a combination of the fact that on manual fire the deck gun is incredible accurate and the chances or encountering out of preporation averages for single merchant contacts in a patrol mean't that you can in the early stages of the war rack up large numbers of deck gun kills which is unrealistic. I know some U-Boats did it but not mission after mission.
Thats why I prefer the mod I got. Limits the possibilty of running into up a dozen ships on the way to a patrol zone or on the way to enagaging a convoy (where the deck gun is no good).
There are other issues with the realism for this game like how well the U-Boats hold up in a fire fight on the surface against enemy ships.
The fact that Wolf Packs where not implemented (mulitplayer does not count). A feature that was promised while the game was in development.
No refueling at sea (yet).
Dumb AI for enemy aircraft resulting in unrealistic amounts of aircraft being shot down.
Oh and enemy destroyers are not persistant enough in attack. Loss interest too easy.

Still after all these complaints I still like playing this. Still find it an execellent purchase. If your wondering how I can still like a game/sim after I listed so many faults in it you should see what the Axis flyers in the IL-2 Sturmovik/Pacific Fighter series have had to put up with over the years.

Im not too sure about the merits of realism over simply striving for immersion. As long as the game is immersive, and it is, then thats good enough for me. Hell, I seriously toyed with the idea of not sinking a ship because it was Christmas Day in game! (Course, then I said **** it, theres a war on) Lets face it, it will never be realistic, and it wouldnt be fun if it was. I like games because theyre not realistic. I like plenty of kills per patrol, because quite simply sitting on the ocean waiting for a ship to come along once every few days and making every kill an epic struggle between you - a non submariner - and a submariners tools would be extremely boring/frustrating.

This game is classified as a simulation the purpose of which is too strive for a high level of realism. I prefer more realism although I do realise that compromises for playability have to be met. I appreciate that everone has there own view. Mine differs from yours but looking at the posts on the offical SHIII forum I believe most people who play this simulation would agree with my perspective.

I propose that using manual targeting is actually less realistic. Submarine aces have people on board to that stuff for them, mostly.

As opposed to a completly unrealistic scenario of a U-Boat with an automated firing system???. Yes I wish there was a proper implementation of an officer preforming the calculations for a firing solution like before patch 1.2 but in a realistic time frame which was not implemented before patch 1.2
But then again for playability sake there would not be alot for you to do in this game if you where not allowed to do it yourself. Just think of it that your the U-Boat weapons officer!

Dyr

Azza wrote:

how I can still like a game/sim after I listed so many faults in it you should see what the Axis flyers in the IL-2 Sturmovik/Pacific Fighter series have had to put up with over the years.

luftwhiner

i feel your pain, the amazing ability of axis fighters to blow their engines and throw oil onto your cockpit at the first sign of trouble was the bane of my life online :rolleyes: Really must install Pacific Fighters again

Azza

You don't know the half of it!!!!

Azza

The next midlans I'm going try an organise a Silent Hunter Competition 8 U-Boats attack a large convoy who ever gets the most tonnage and lives to tell the tale gets a prize.

Mind you if there was enough IL2/PF people around I do a competition in that.

Canis Lupus

Slowly getting into this game... One final question or two... Are the "missions" basically go to this sector and patrol and blow up what u find or do they eventually give u missions like go to this sector to find X battleship and sink it like they do in the single missions?

I can't see the game having that much longevity (sp?) If it's just a continual go there and attack what u find. I find that a little too random for my tastes.

Also does anyone have any good recommendations for a sub sim set in modern times? I played the dangerous waters demo and I reckon it's not that bad but is there anything better?

Trine

No Canis, you are never given a specific target in the career game, always a grid coordinate. If you take these grid positions as your sole target patrol area for 24 hours and then head home you're missing the point. Just use it as a rough guide, and then travel to busier areas; harbour bays, convoy routes, merchant routes etc. If you read through this thread we mentioned before how a patrol should really be approached.

Alot of people find the lack of the typical "Go here and destroy target x" missions a turn off, but I like the way it's so open ended, it lets the player decide his own course of action.

Azza wrote:

The fact that Wolf Packs where not implemented (mulitplayer does not count). A feature that was promised while the game was in development.

Yeah that's the biggest let down in the game for me, although the Multiplayer games make up for it.

Canis Lupus

Right then once I'm off home thats what I'll do altho will have to see how this game copes in the long term... A go there and blow that up mission would have helped lots I reckon cos the way it is doesn't give u a feeling that u are accomplishing anything. Where's the point in going out and attacking stuff if it has no detrimental effect on the enemy within the game? Why blow up a warship when u know if u hang around long enough it will just reappear? But then why am I making this complaint when I'm up to my eyes in paperwork.....

Azza

Again this is a sim and its suppose to encompose the entire Battle of the Atlantic no amount of tonnage sunk by a single U-Boat is going make up for the amount of ships being produced. There was thousands of ships you aint going sink them all. Besides you can't win the game ends in defeat for the Kreigsmarine.

Canis Lupus

Hold on a second. Your saying Germany didn't win the war?