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General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Nefarious on March 16, 2005, 09:36:46 PM

Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 16, 2005, 09:36:46 PM: WOW!

Way better than I expected, especially after the dismal release of SHII.

I figured It would be hog on my low end system. But its really not.
I did see some graphic anomilies, like wierd shapes on the horizon, but I'm blaming my Card on that one.

P4 1.8
ATI Radeon 9200 AIW
512mb RAM

Interface command is way different from Part II, It reminds of B17 Flying Fortress with the 3D crew, They stare at you like "What do we do now kaleun?"

I sit staring at the controls, the Cheif stares at me, "Surface the Boat". The watch crew scans the horizon, I order the Cheif to get the gunners on deck.

Blasted Sea Gulls, fly around your boat, Too paranoid to stay above the Water. "ALARM!!! Crash Dive!!"

My crew rushes inside, when my Chief tells, me "Sir Were in Shallow Water!", Oh, now you tell me Fritz!, We impact into the Sea Floor! WHAM! The Lights go out and flicker. The ship is beyond repair.

So Ive spent a total of about 10 Minutes learning the Interface, Took a break when it was time to do some other stuff.

All in All?

Great Buy.

Now, time to sneak back into Scapa Flow.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nash on March 16, 2005, 09:40:28 PM: I know some of you purists are gonna call me a blasphemer or something.... but...

Is there a way to set up some kind of O'Club sub furball?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 16, 2005, 09:43:33 PM: Ive already mentioned it, in the Eye Candy Thread.

O'Club Virtual Flotilla.

The Thing is Though....

Box says Multiplayer available for up to 8 players Via LAN.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nash on March 16, 2005, 09:44:46 PM: LAN... Isn't that what the Flinstones used to do?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 16, 2005, 11:26:43 PM: Did a little more reading,

4 Player through Ubicom.

Other than that, Been exploring the game a little more and more.

Game is Fantastic!

Experienced my first Depth Charge attack.

New Feature called Event View, shows a small Picture In Picture View for Events, such as Depth Charge Attacks and Torpedo Hits.

When you click on the little picture, Its shows a Cinematic View Letterbox style, Destroyers have crews operating Depth Charge Rack. Depth Charges fall off the back of Boat...

Wait.

Ping.

Wait.

Ping.

When viewing the Command Room, (Get used to seeing it if you buy:D), The Crew Whispers when you go into Silent Run. the Ash Cans start to explode. Their far off, but the last couple hit near the boat. The Chief Grabs the Scope as the boat rocks gently. If you play without external Views, You can judge the distance by the motion of the boat.

Seconds later, the next Destroyer passes.

Wait.

Ping.

Wait.

Ping.

Boom!!

The boat shakes violently as Water spews from a overhead pipe!
The Lights flicker on and off.

WHAM!!

The Boat goes dark, Water can be heard from everywhere.

54 Dead.

PS.

Do not try to sneak into Scapa Flow Via SHII path. It doesnt work.

Unless I missed High Tide :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 16, 2005, 11:43:20 PM: Achtung... argh.... donnerwetter! release date on the 18th :(

I've been trying so hard to find it already today.
Stores will be opening soon.

I have to also buy a DVD drive...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Sandman on March 17, 2005, 12:06:34 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Fishu

I have to also buy a DVD drive...

Me too. Any recommendations around here?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 17, 2005, 12:19:13 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Sandman
Me too. Any recommendations around here?

Not much.. I guess I'm going to buy the NEC ND-3520 (DVD+-RW DL 16X/8X)
Couple of friends says its good, so I'll go with it.

No point in buying just a reader nowadays, since the writers are only about twice more expensive than the already cheap readers.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 17, 2005, 12:23:25 AM: Please read Ubi Forums before buying.

Ive been tinkering around in there, and have been seeing problems reported.

Certain problems described for some Nvidia Users.

Like I said I'm seeing some type of Graphic problem, with my Card. And Ive noticed when I go through start on my desktop, I get the White Blotch Bug being described.

But When I run it through AutoPlay, Its not there.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: SunKing on March 17, 2005, 12:24:14 AM: I'm going to pick this one up. Choose it over BIA. 10 buck says Makarov already has it.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 17, 2005, 01:21:42 AM: I ordered it through Amazon, and it hasn't shipped yet :mad:

I'll be waiting while playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. since I just got the notification that this one is shipped.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: SunKing on March 17, 2005, 01:31:09 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Saintaw
I ordered it through Amazon, and it hasn't shipped yet :mad:

I'll be waiting while playing S.T.A.L.K.E.R. since I just got the notification that this one is shipped.

Thought stalker's not out till late May?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Russian on March 17, 2005, 01:39:45 AM: Got it and Love it. :-) Everything expected and much more.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Russian on March 17, 2005, 01:41:16 AM: Quote
Originally posted by SunKing
Thought stalker's not out till late May?

It's a mistake. Not a single word on official site. Usually they update it when ever possible.

http://www.stalker-game.com/russian/index_rus.html
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 17, 2005, 02:43:41 AM: Sunking, I received the email saying STALKER was shipped yesterday.

I checked, and in yurop, the release date for SH3 is March 18th...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 17, 2005, 04:21:54 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Saintaw
I checked, and in yurop, the release date for SH3 is March 18th...

yup... damnit, I want it today :o
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 17, 2005, 06:40:11 AM: It'll be shipped tomorrow (if i'm lucky), meaning it won't be here before tuesday/wednesday.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: DoctorYO on March 17, 2005, 11:06:15 AM: Played a good few hours yesterday..

i have to agree the game is great... From the meats and other stuff hanging in fore control room to the crew(freaking helmsman on the left keeps eyeballing me.) to blasted aircraft parts out of the air its freaking awesome...

Ship explosions are incredible complete with secondaries that during the nightime light up the sky...

Appears to be extremely open ended, gramaphone etc... (currently got das boat soundtrack going across the deck..)

http://207.44.164.159/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=28146

(subsim.com )

Get this game..

All I know its currently sold out on Ubi (wtf the manufacturer gets sold out..) and seems to be flying off the shelves.. had to negotiate with EB games to find one in town with the frenzy..

DoctorYo
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 17, 2005, 02:07:57 PM: With a little bit more time at the Con,

I found a few things I dont like.

1-Very Little Info on how to operate Damage Control. And it took me a while to understand. You go to Damage Control Screen, And it shows a Cutaway of the Boat, Beneathe the Cutaway, are little Sailor Icons, Each one represents a crewman. You drag and drop, crewman where needed for Damage Control.

2-No other interior views of the boat. Only the Command Room is available, Would like to see other sections of the boat modeled and crewed.

3-Exterior view of your own boat, You can select and follow other vessels around except your own. You have to keep moving the camera to keep up with the boat.

Other than that. This game is outstanding.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: DoctorYO on March 17, 2005, 03:12:54 PM: "2-No other interior views of the boat. Only the Command Room is available, Would like to see other sections of the boat modeled and crewed. "

forward / aft control room.. (think by default your in the forward one.. when you click to where the meats are (the door) hanging then you goto the aft..)

Radio room... is there... (with crewman to pester)

Sonar also.... (also with crewman, clickable..)

conning tower internal.... has all working gauges..

move your mouse around the maincontrol room (f2 key)

when it changes color to red/orange then you can mess with whatever you are selecting... by selecting doors / portholes you get to the other areas of the ship..

Its not the whole ship... but the radio / sonar room is a nice touch.. and again i think someone (or even the developers will make a patch) will create a working torpedo room {i want to see people struggling with freaking torps das boat style}/ captains quarters /engine etc...

this game is lightyears ahead of SH2 in playability. Just cruising around the harbor was fun because the wave effects etc. best ocean effects in a game ive seen.. ( since pt 109 1.0 spectrum holobyte mac 20+ years ago..)

Devs put out a patch today... fixes issues with nvidia cards etc...

Subsim forums got tonnage ;) of information.

http://www.subsim.com

DoctorYo

PS: The camera is alittle goofy in external mode is a con I have to agree with.. once used to it, its alittle better. (clicking left click to go into mouse look when combined with the numberpad keys you can get around alright.)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: capt. apathy on March 18, 2005, 01:40:05 PM: I'd wait before buying.

so far I've got this huge white light, like an extra sun or a very large lighthouse that follows my boat everywhere. it obscures everything for about 50 degrees of the horizon to the SE.

patch didn't fix it.

was told it would go away if I started game from the DVD instead of the HD .exe, no help either.

concidering the 'quality' of UBI-softs tech suport on SH2, I'd recomend holding off a bit until we see if any of these problems are going to be addressed or if we will have to wait until a 3rd party fixes it for the for free, again.

hopefully I'm just being pessimistic about it, since this game seems to have a lot of potential, and I've had bigger release bugs on other games. but I'm still a bit gunshy from my last UBI sub-sim.

if the tech suport is as dis-interested as it was on sh2, this will be the last UBI product I buy.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 18, 2005, 03:03:24 PM: Quote
Originally posted by capt. apathy
I'd wait before buying.

so far I've got this huge white light, like an extra sun or a very large lighthouse that follows my boat everywhere. it obscures everything for about 50 degrees of the horizon to the SE.

patch didn't fix it.

was told it would go away if I started game from the DVD instead of the HD .exe, no help either.

Did you try using Auto Play?

Go to My Computer, Right Click where you SHIII disk is, select Autoplay.

This cured my white blob problem.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 18, 2005, 05:01:39 PM: Ahhh.. finally got it....
Also got my first kill out of a 1990 ton smallish ship, which required all my torps :I
I think I missed two, then one bounced into the bottom, fourth torpedo blew up right in its arse, but it was still floating after two hours and I decided to dump the last torpedo in the middle of the ship, breaking it in half.
Also dumped all the 20mm AA ammo at it while reloading torps.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 18, 2005, 09:02:30 PM: WOW what an amazing experience, simply incredible anyone with even the slightest interest in subs or ww2 in general would be mad not to be playing this right now. By far best subsim/sim I've ever played.

Incredible,detail,crew,damage,AI,graphics and the ocean.. :eek:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/davest/ScreenHunter_006.jpg)

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 18, 2005, 09:36:44 PM: Gixer what Particle Setting do you play at?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 18, 2005, 11:56:47 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Nefarious
Gixer what Particle Setting do you play at?

100% AA & AF 2x

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: -tronski- on March 19, 2005, 12:53:42 AM: Whats the campaign like Gixer?

Tronsky
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 19, 2005, 01:07:46 AM: Whops....

don't try to delete the games.
I don't know what I did, but I tried to delete my very first games and instead of deleting it, I lost all the other saves and only the first mission was left :eek:

Oh well, only had the one small ship, so I might as well do the 3 missions over again!
I just had a nice crew tho, one officer had 3 different specialties.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 19, 2005, 01:31:41 AM: Still no shipping info from amazon, I'm going to start crying and stomping my feet... I hope it'll help :o
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 19, 2005, 01:48:03 AM: Quote
Originally posted by -tronski-
Whats the campaign like Gixer?

Tronsky

Excellent,

I just died im my first campaign, on my 8th Patrol, destroyer came out of the rain squall and rammed me whle I was trying to close in on a convoy in the channel.

Campaign is excellent by far best I've seen in a sub sim other then wolfpacks don't exist but apparently this has been hinted on for a addon.

Even without it the campaigns are as they should be depending on the year and seem very realistic with volumes of traffic,convoys etc. Forget about racking up 150,000 plus tons in your first year.

This makes every other sub sim/sim look and play crap in comparisson imho. Just wait until you come across the searchlights and starshells.

There's just too much to talk about and too little time right now. :D

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: -tronski- on March 19, 2005, 02:11:54 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Gixer
Excellent,

I just died im my first campaign, on my 8th Patrol, destroyer came out of the rain squall and rammed me whle I was trying to close in on a convoy in the channel.

Campaign is excellent by far best I've seen in a sub sim other then wolfpacks don't exist but apparently this has been hinted on for a addon.

Even without it the campaigns are as they should be depending on the year and seem very realistic with volumes of traffic,convoys etc. Forget about racking up 150,000 plus tons in your first year.

This makes every other sub sim/sim look and play crap in comparisson imho. Just wait until you come across the searchlights and starshells.

There's just too much to talk about and too little time right now. :D

~~...-Gixer~~

Is it dynamic????

Tronsky
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Sandman on March 19, 2005, 02:21:21 AM: Quote
Originally posted by -tronski-
Is it dynamic????

Tronsky

According to the reviews, it is.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 19, 2005, 02:46:27 AM: I finally settled into the Campaign, and am half way through the first mission. Gotta a little Type II with the first Flotilla out of Wilhelmshaven.

Instead of sailing directly for my objective (Patrol near Scapa Flow), I sailed over to England and am slowly working my way up the coast.

Gotta keep most of time above the water at ahead 1/3 or i'll run out of fuel, Ive been at sea for six days.

Seen plenty of armed Trawlers, Destroyers, Tugboats, and a few Neutral Merchants And plenty of Hurricanes trying to strafe me and drop a few bombs. But no Enemy Merchants or Capital Ships and with the light load of torps with the Type II, Im keeping them until I see something more tasty. Besides I still got a fairly long way till AN16.

My Crew is tired but i try to keep people on 8 hour shifts, But its hard to manage the Key posistions, with such a small crew.

I want to keep playing but I got to go to bed :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Kirin on March 19, 2005, 02:53:02 AM: Wow - SHIII is my first sub-sim after "Silent Service" and I just love it.

Doing the campaign on full real (100% realism, e.g. manual torpedo computing, no outside view, duds and everything) right now. Into my 4th mission. Sunk a couple of small freighters and shot some planes. Had a big fat C3 cargo ship in my sights but missed 2 torpedos and the one that hit wasn't enough. Finally have enough reputation to go VII B now! Hello deck gun!

The detail and immersion is incredible. Just too bad they didn't ship the recognition manual with all copies.

Damn, now I have to split my time between SH3, Brothers in Arms, AH2 - not to mention family and job!!!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Replicant on March 19, 2005, 03:07:44 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Saintaw
Still no shipping info from amazon, I'm going to start crying and stomping my feet... I hope it'll help :o

Sub sunk shipping! :)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 19, 2005, 04:11:25 AM: Quote
Originally posted by -tronski-
Is it dynamic????

Tronsky

Yes it's 100% Dynamic. BDU give you a patrol area for the mission and if you reach it and sink a ship great, if you head off somewhere else and sink 5 ships even better. You can even go exploring enemy harbours.

Every encounter is random, so far I've come across everything from fishing boats and tugs to a large 10+ ship convoy and of course many destroyers etc. Oh not to mention the aircraft.

The convoys and routes are accurate,some areas (e.g west coast of Ireland) are heavier in shipping then others. There's also neutrals to worry about. Though I sunk a French Merchant when I saw since it was close enough to 1940 :)

It reminds me alot of AOTD, the campaign that is. Except in this the DD dosn't kill you in one pass, well in 1940 it dosn't. Which is great as you can acutually try and evade them, that was one of the bummers about SH2 and PA the DD's were far too deadly.

Only two gripes I have so far are no Wolfpacks and no Milkcows, though the Milkcows would be a easy mod if they don't patch it before then. Wolfpacks might take some time.

But even without that, it's worth the price of admission just for the crew management, alot like B17 but heaps better and more advanced, you get qite attached to your guys.

Oh and the Renown system is great, works very well. More missions and mor success gains you more renown allowing you to get the later subs,equipment and crew. Very cool. All this and after 2 solid days I've yet to have a single CTD.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/davest/ScreenHunter_002.jpg)

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 19, 2005, 10:47:29 AM: Gixer Ive got the Tipperary Sound Pack for the Gramaphone.

Now that I think about it, would be interested to see if Files from SHII's Projekt Swordfish could work in SHIII.

I always did like the Crash Dive Noise from Das Boot in Swordfish.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Sixpence on March 20, 2005, 01:06:05 AM: Not bad, found it at eb today
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Russian on March 20, 2005, 02:48:55 AM: (http://pages.sbcglobal.net/simfreak/pics/SH3Img.jpg)

Just past final exam (everything sunk). Time for a real deal.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 20, 2005, 02:52:20 AM: I eagerly await my own copy, which I ordered off the SH3 website. Hope it comes soon. It's going to be nice to play a WW2 wargame again.

Any of you guys know anything about the multiplayer option, how it works?

Das Boot - I never tire of that film. The first 20 minutes reminds me of one of the Eurocons some time ago. :lol Well, we weren't quite that bad, but you get my drift. And we didn't have a blonde tart in a red dress either. (had to go out for that!)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Darkish on March 21, 2005, 03:28:09 PM: Man! Got it Friday morning and gave it some serious time over the weekend. After the hype, hope and anticipation I was really quite unsure how it would grab me. Well, it appears to be one of those rare creations, a jewel of a sim that rewards you more the deeper you get into it.

It may well just be due to this just be my first sub sim but I'm absolutely hooked; and to paraphrase Bart, "Finally, a use for trigonometry!" (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/384_1111439467_loveit.jpg)

With the ability to control the sub with my own voice!!! (how sweet is that) the immersion level jumps up a couple of factors. Link for voice recognition stuff (http://clans.gameclubcentral.com/shoot/downloads.php) --- and if you want my SH3 profile I'd be happy to mail it to you.

I'm looking forward to see what the modders will come up with and have been playing with some of the .cfg's to fine tune it to my liking - no orange marker for submerged sub, slightly higher tolerance for going onto the bridge (decks awash).

I reckon if you think you might like this title you'll actually bloody love it!

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/384_1111439510_makeway.jpg)

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/384_1111440166_sweet.jpg)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: ygsmilo on March 21, 2005, 04:46:55 PM: Picked it up over the weekend, very cool game.

Any advice for crew management, seems like my crew gets exhausted very easy.

Nothing like panning the periscope around just in time to see a DD bearing down on you and you think ah, I will nail him with a down the throat shot, whoops, guess that only works in the movies!!!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: moose on March 21, 2005, 05:01:18 PM: oh ive gotten the 0 bearing shots to work every once in a while and its an instant kill since it usually blows up right underneath his keel

if you run at more then 32x time compression there is no crew fatigue or rest states, under 32 and they get tired and rest normally
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 21, 2005, 05:56:17 PM: Darkish,

I just wish the map tools would have included a tool to help with the bearings.
I'm just guessing the degrees and drawing lines "about to that direction". :(

Ygsmilo,

It gets easier when you pick up level & medals for the crews.
I was mostly annoyed with the officers getting exhausted, because there is only two bunks for them and it takes several times more for them to recoup than for rest of the crew.

However now I do have officers who doesn't get exhausted at all!
They haven't got exhausted since I awarded the knights cross to them.

Also rest of the crew can hang on longer with the higher rank.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 21, 2005, 06:25:31 PM: November 1939-

Getting ready for my 4th Patrol.

Using the Type IID Boat, Ive got my 1st Flotilla Emblem. A nice 20mm Flak for tommie too.

I was awarded Iron Cross 2nd Class last patrol. All of my officers have some sort of War Badge or U Boat Clasp. I also have a full crew which makes managing the crew a hair easier. But like mentioned above use 32x Speed to heal them fast.

I really like the IID, gets me farther than the IIA for sure. Guess I'll buy the VII next patrol.

When does it get impossible for Surface Attacks? 1940's?, I have yet to fire a torp submerged. I noticed the merchants wildy try to avoid you after being spotted, but its nothing to hard to catch.

Game is simply amazing.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 21, 2005, 07:38:45 PM: Quote
Originally posted by ygsmilo
Any advice for crew management, seems like my crew gets exhausted very easy.

Crew get more exhausted in rough weather and it's hard for them to rest. Idea is to submerge when the seas are very rough and spend a bit of time under the waves you should find your crew will recover from exhaustion at a higer rate Small crew of the TypeII's keeps you pretty busy.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: -tronski- on March 21, 2005, 08:17:20 PM: I run "skeleton" crews and rotate my officers through the CE, NO positions...only my watch crew are always fully manned. Especially when chasing a target, when I move into a killing position then I fill the engine/torps etc positions...not sure if thats the most effeicent way or not....not much space on a VIIB

Tronsky
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 21, 2005, 09:42:06 PM: Fourth Patrol assigned Grid AN51.

Definatley my most exciting patrol to date and its not over yet.

On the way to 51, Put two of three Torps into a Coastal Merchant and she didnt go under. Furious, I proceed to my objective.

Operating around the Firth of Forth is like playing Russian Roulette, I can imagine what it it will be like in 40-42. Spent all day Silent Run playing Fox and Hound with Aircraft, Destroyers, Armed Trawlers.

Have yet to see a big merchant yet, Still have two torps left.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: ygsmilo on March 21, 2005, 10:23:41 PM: Thanks for the x32 tip, did not know that.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 21, 2005, 11:01:53 PM: Finally got my VII, and a full crew to boot.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 22, 2005, 12:06:30 AM: (http://koti.mbnet.fi/fishu/temp/bullseye.jpg)

(http://koti.mbnet.fi/fishu/temp/bullseye2.jpg)

:D :cool:
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 22, 2005, 12:09:04 AM: Great Pics...

You been shot at with small arms fire yet?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 22, 2005, 12:11:37 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Nefarious
Great Pics...

You been shot at with small arms fire yet?

During the mission in a heavy fog a DD suddenly appeared next to me as I was merrily cruisin', it opened fire with machineguns and cannons.
Fortunately it wasn't hard to disengage in the fog.

I've also had a gunboat teasing me, until blowing up to pieces.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 22, 2005, 12:18:54 AM: BTW Nice Surface Attack on a Destroyer ;)

Have you noticed when your spotted by a target before you put it down, Destroyers and Aircraft come racing to your posistion!

Thats what happend to me in my fourth patrol. I was spotted and for the rest of the patrol they were on my every turn.

I still managed to sink a small Merchant on the way home :D

Like I said I got my VII, and I cant wait to take her out!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 22, 2005, 12:20:53 AM: Happens in the english channel alot... all kinds of small boats from DD and below comes from all directions and then puts up a merry-go-round party at the location you were spotted at.

Better get the hell outta there and stealthily!
They're going to dust up the whole area... laying in the bottom might be a bad idea.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 22, 2005, 02:30:23 AM: Canceled my order and got it in a local shop (:mad: )

This game is bad for my social life, I had to shoot myself in the foot to get out of the chair at 4 am, wasn't too happy when I had to get up at 7 this morning :D

Seldom in a game did I spend my time looking around, but this is "wow".

Did my 1st patrol to grid AL36, couldn't spot or reach any contacts during transit (went through Scapa flow) rough seas all the way, and my crew was on its knees when I got there. Large convoy spotted, sneaked in at 5 kts submerged... and poped up right in front of a C3 tanker (11Kt)... 3 torps on it & one back torp in a smaller merchant... 'boom boom!'. I then trailed them (submerged again) and when two other torps were ready I got myself a C2 tanker... NO OIL FOR YOU!!!

My only gripe is the crew management, they should have some automated way to have 8 or 6 hours "watches" without the captain having to manage manualy each & every sailor. I spent more time micromanaging the crew than I did in other stations...

From tomorrow, I'm on holliday for 6 days... I know what I'll be doing!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 22, 2005, 02:46:13 AM: Damn.. I ordered off the website and it's STILL not here. After what I'm reading here, I think I'll do what SAW did and get it at a local shop. I can't wait any longer!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: -tronski- on March 22, 2005, 03:31:32 AM: Just finished my third patrol (Type VIIB outa Kiel), and made up for a cursed 2nd (no kills) patrol with 5 kills.
Got a single merchantmen sth of Norway - put 2 in her and finished her off with the deckgun (my first such action). Patrolled my assigned BE33, and intercepted a large convoy in fairly rough weather. Got in a great position and fired the front 4 - 2 at a T3 Tanker, and 2 at a large merchant (c5?), swung full rudder and fired the single rear at a small freighter scoring 5 hits (sending the tanker to bottom). Dove away and stalked the convoy until tubes were reloaded - keeping watch on the scurrying escorts.
Got back in positon and fired my remaining weapons at periscope depth, finishing off the freighters, and sinking another tanker. With the escorts furiously searching for me....I broke away and RTB for medals and lager all round...

(http://uboat.net/men/decorations/images/badge1.jpg)

Tronsky
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 22, 2005, 06:27:41 AM: Alarm!!!

Got my copy. :)

Busy installing...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 22, 2005, 07:22:57 AM: Quote
Originally posted by GScholz
Plan your crew complement prior to leaving port. I only use 3 officers, 16 NCO's and about 20 enlisted men. This way I can have everyone resting in the forward compartment

I do use a full crew, just to get lots of skilled crew.

Theres one thing I noticed: after giving the knights cross to someone, he stops from getting exhausted!
4 officers out of 5 has been awarded the knights cross and I haven't seen them exhausted for one bit since then.
I'm yet to see what happens to the regular crew when they get it, maybe the same.

Oh btw... you can move freely around the interiors by pressing SHIFT-F2
**WARNING**: it might cause CTD and delete all your saves. I haven't this happen with the one try I had, but thats the word.
Also for other reasons I would personally recommend backing up the saves regularly ( \documents and settings\\my documents\SH3\ )
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 22, 2005, 09:41:32 AM: Quote
Originally posted by GScholz
A little hint for you Tronsky: You don’t need to return to base immediately after finishing your patrol. Cruise around Britton and use up your torps before returning. ;)

Also, stop your engine once in a while and do a manual hydrophone search. Unless your crew are experts (not likely early in the war) you will pick up contacts manually long before they do. Once you’ve found a bearing, just cruise down that bearing while intermittently stopping to correct your bearing. You will eventually find a target. Also note that your crew does not use the hydrophone while surfaced. You have to dive to (at least) periscope depth for them to start listening for contacts.

GScholz is right.

I alsways cruise at ahead one third, Gives me plenty of range. I usually head for my objective, complete it, then head for England.

If I got my objectives, and headed home immediatley, I'd probably have only sunken about one ship so far.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Siaf__csf on March 22, 2005, 11:37:02 AM: Quit talking about this game or I'll have to buy it.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 22, 2005, 11:45:33 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Siaf__csf
Quit talking about this game or I'll have to buy it.

You still haven't!?! QUICK, GET OUT AND DONT COME BACK WITHOUT!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: DiabloTX on March 22, 2005, 11:50:18 AM: I have an AMD 2100+, 512mb RAM and a nVidia Gf 4 Ti 4200 Vid card. Will this system handle this game?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: ygsmilo on March 22, 2005, 11:53:27 AM: My current system:

AMD XP200 1.66 CPU
512 RAM
MB Gigabyte GA-7 Nvida nForce 2 AGP
Radon 9200 vidio

Game runs ok, is a bit slow but I am going to upgrade soon.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 22, 2005, 12:24:23 PM: Quote
Originally posted by DiabloTX
I have an AMD 2100+, 512mb RAM and a nVidia Gf 4 Ti 4200 Vid card. Will this system handle this game?

I do have a TI4200 and it seems to be the slowest part.
It is still playable, but I really wouldn't mind a better performance...
No idea about the CPU or RAM, I got more of both.

GFX cards can be so expensive :I
Used this month 200 bucks to buy more ram, the game and a dvd drive to run the game.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 22, 2005, 12:25:46 PM: Quote
Originally posted by DiabloTX
I have an AMD 2100+, 512mb RAM and a nVidia Gf 4 Ti 4200 Vid card. Will this system handle this game?
Diablo, I installed it today and there is an automatic checker which tells you if your system is up to it, piece by piece.

Looking at the specs, your vidcard should be OK. However, your CPU is below spec. I have the AMD XP2600 which runs at 1.9GHz without being overclocked. The recommended CPU speed is 2.0GHz, so you're way under spec there. Also, 512MB RAM is the bare minimum. 1GB is recommended. I have 768MB (512+256) and I will get another 256 to add in my third RAM slot. You should get more RAM too.

The game seems to run smoothly enough with what I've got, but a few stutters...

Wow guys, that FLAK gun is quite a bit harder than the AH FG.

Doing my torpedo training next!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 22, 2005, 01:33:38 PM: "When the seas are calm, cannons thunder. "

And before armed merchants. :-)

Like the way merchants are relatively poor shots and have slow reload times compared to Warships. Just so many details to enjoy about this siim, simply fantastic.

Sure makes it harder then ever to look at the ocean and ship graphics of AH without laughing.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 22, 2005, 02:33:00 PM: Dammit!

My 3rd patrol has been pretty dark so far... patrol zone I was asssigned too was empty, and I had encountered nothing. I decide to get a closer look at one of the easetern brit harbours... about 100 Nm east of it... it started. (Kids, don't do this at home!)
First a couple fighters have a go at me (and miss... those two were tossing their eggs, they must not have followed AH school of pork & auger), soon followed by a destroyer. As soon as saw that one, I dove to PD... and evaded slowly south east. After 5 minutes, i count no less than 3 "warship" contacts on sonar (being a coward, I didn't go to PD and sneaked away...I wonder what those "Be more aggresive!" messages from BDU means...

It seems I have been spotted by radar... because when I am out of visual range of any contacts, as soon as I go to the surface, I get those planes (If you use time compression, by the time the airplanes are spotted, and it comes back to normal rate time, that gunner seems to take his time to aim... even if he was set at "shoot at anything you see... even seaguls if you have to" mode.

Of course, after the plane, comes in a couple of armed trawlers...I lost 4 torps trying to shoot them... all missed :mad: (How am I going to explain that to BDU?)

OT: I haven't found the options for me to set the resolution?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: SunKing on March 22, 2005, 03:07:05 PM: Does it ever get boring just cruising the sea looking fro the occasional AI boat, sink and repeat? Seems like a low replay value game.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 22, 2005, 03:15:32 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Saintaw
OT: I haven't found the options for me to set the resolution?

Thats because there is no option, It might be modded in, but I wouldnt hold my breath.

Also if your Computer isnt up to it, you can turn down the particle Settings. I use 30. It still looks great, And No Lag.

The only time I get choppy play is in port, when everybody is waving and sending you off. Very Immersive though, I wonder if they'll be there late in the war.

Also check out the Lighthouses when you leave Port, You'll see a man fishing :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: SunKing on March 22, 2005, 03:34:06 PM: Quote
Originally posted by GScholz
Hint: Convoys.

same questions applies. After the 3rd or 4th convoy what else is there in the game?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: g00b on March 22, 2005, 03:35:32 PM: I just moved and won't have DSL at my new house 'till next week. You guys are safe in the AH skies 'till then :)

So I bought SHIII. Wow! I'm into '41 in the campaign. About 1/2 up the u'boat aces list. Had a run of very low action sorties recently. Maybe I need to transfer?

Looking for hints on torpedos. Should I set them to impact or magnetic trigger? Seems like either way any shot more than about 10 degrees off a direct side shot will just bounce. And stern and bow shots never seem to detonate either. I tried setting the torpedo depth a bit deeper with magnetic trigger and that works occasionally. Really frustrating to watch your torpedos bounce off the nme hull :(

Also be carefull with save games. I've had several that don't reload correctly. The mission objective changes and the waypoints get all wonky.

g00b
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Darkish on March 22, 2005, 03:46:22 PM: That's what the game's about: finding stuff and blowing it up. That's it ... that's the game... a wwii sub sim - find stuff & blow it up.

From what I understand though, the shipping is random; it won't be the case of " ahhh 16th July 1941 means convoy X will be entering the AF81 sector at 17:25 from the ENE.

Much like AH - get a plane up and blow stuff/people up - the replay value is that no sortie is ever the same.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: DoctorYO on March 22, 2005, 04:30:23 PM: In the early war.. (1939-41) I would set most torpedos at impact...

the fuses are too iffy.. and i personally have had more success at impact

But... If set properly with depth the mag fuses are superior for damage potential.. (set mag fuses with greater depth than that of your recon manual)

EXP: it took 3 torps to down a c2 cargo with impact fuses.. (most likely hitting close or high on the water line..)

with 1 magnetic fuse it only took a 1 torp.. reason (i set my magno fuses to detonate below the vessel ) when a torp detonates below the vessel the dammage is usually catastrophic.... granted not a instant sinking but they go under with time... (10 minutes + sometimes less..)

I cannot comment on the latewar magnetic fuses...

remember to factor in sea state if your have 3m breakers out there then go impact for shure and maybe even set your default torp depth to a meter or two higher just to get a impact in the rough seas.

Currently I have 4 merchantment sunk in a Type II, bought a type vII (everyone should pilot a type II you really get a appreciation of the type vII series as well as you get indoctrinated in a type II which will really help your overall tactics....

BTW i play 100% realism And I have finished 1 mission in a type VII and had 4 downed merchantmen.. total tonnage after 3 missions is in the 28+ range... im about 4th on the leaderboard...

the keys to this game are just like real life submariner.. patience is key... set up your shots... I almost terminated a french trawler (not at war yet) the another night to getting too aggressive..

On all my torp hits its always the same... point your vessel to the target at 90 deg and get the most recent solution for your torps (dont use a old solution..) (worst case scenario just ask your weapons officer to plot your one.. he gets it right alot even on full realism)

again always point your sub at target.. your introducing more varibles by being off canter to your target and using the gyro's of the torp to correct..

Also i might add is that to use the fast speed setting on the old steam powered torps.. yes your max range downgrades to 5000m but you get a 45 kt torp... less time to target more likely a hit .......

Longest hit to date is 2600m... vs a 5 kter...training i got a 3500m but that doesn't count...

remember to use 300m or more for your torps to arm..

tricks of the trade...:

visit subsim.com lots of info..

up periscope down periscope... dont know if your fellas know but ctrl+insert (ob scope) will raise scope all the way and the same taking her down by adding the control key...(exp: ctrl+delete)

also you may pace your sub by using the ctrl+f2 key... (normal is f2 key alone) this give you the ability to traverse your sub.. be careful not to go outside it.. (blackness and easy to get lost..)( in short stay in the conning tower main control room and the sonar/radio rooms..)

I hear the crew management screen is a chore... well just double click whatever compartment to swap out the men.. your officers you have to manually do.. but even a tired officer is still worth it to have at whatever station trust me.. mine get tired all the time if im engaged they are at battle stations..

I suggest full realism it the way to go.. worst case scenario you have your officers do the math for you.. but overall every sinking is worth while this way and you get a appreciation to your efforts becuase you dont always bag them.. (just tracking them is a chore..)(ive missed 3 destroyer shots recently and am determined to get it right..) for fun navigate the channel.. I just did it last night trying to reach the North Atlantic.. Did it in a type vII at 15m depth (nighttime of course) and was harrassed by multiple destroyers patrol boats..... all in all the most target rich enviroment in the game that ive seen.. do the channel youll see.... btw i made thru unscathed , lucky maybe i not going to make it habit try it for yourself for a challenge..

DoctorYo
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: DoctorYO on March 22, 2005, 04:31:13 PM: In the early war.. (1939-41) I would set most torpedos at impact...

the fuses are too iffy.. and i personally have had more success at impact

But... If set properly with depth the mag fuses are superior for damage potential.. (set mag fuses with greater depth than that of your recon manual)

EXP: it took 3 torps to down a c2 cargo with impact fuses.. (most likely hitting close or high on the water line..)

with 1 magnetic fuse it only took a 1 torp.. reason (i set my magno fuses to detonate below the vessel ) when a torp detonates below the vessel the dammage is usually catastrophic.... granted not a instant sinking but they go under with time... (10 minutes + sometimes less..)

I cannot comment on the latewar magnetic fuses...

remember to factor in sea state if your have 3m breakers out there then go impact for shure and maybe even set your default torp depth to a meter or two higher just to get a impact in the rough seas.

Currently I have 4 merchantment sunk in a Type II, bought a type vII (everyone should pilot a type II you really get a appreciation of the type vII series as well as you get indoctrinated in a type II which will really help your overall tactics....

BTW i play 100% realism And I have finished 1 mission in a type VII and had 4 downed merchantmen.. total tonnage after 3 missions is in the 28+ range... im about 4th on the leaderboard...

the keys to this game are just like real life submariner.. patience is key... set up your shots... I almost terminated a french trawler (not at war yet) the another night to getting too aggressive..

On all my torp hits its always the same... point your vessel to the target at 90 deg and get the most recent solution for your torps (dont use a old solution..) (worst case scenario just ask your weapons officer to plot your one.. he gets it right alot even on full realism)

again always point your sub at target.. your introducing more varibles by being off canter to your target and using the gyro's of the torp to correct..

Also i might add is that to use the fast speed setting on the old steam powered torps.. yes your max range downgrades to 5000m but you get a 45 kt torp... less time to target more likely a hit .......

Longest hit to date is 2600m... vs a 5 kter...training i got a 3500m but that doesn't count...

remember to use 300m or more for your torps to arm..

tricks of the trade...:

visit subsim.com lots of info..

up periscope down periscope... dont know if your fellas know but ctrl+insert (ob scope) will raise scope all the way and the same taking her down by adding the control key...(exp: ctrl+delete)

also you may pace your sub by using the ctrl+f2 key... (normal is f2 key alone) this give you the ability to traverse your sub.. be careful not to go outside it.. (blackness and easy to get lost..)( in short stay in the conning tower main control room and the sonar/radio rooms..)

I hear the crew management screen is a chore... well just double click whatever compartment to swap out the men.. your officers you have to manually do.. but even a tired officer is still worth it to have at whatever station trust me.. mine get tired all the time if im engaged they are at battle stations..

I suggest full realism it the way to go.. worst case scenario you have your officers do the math for you.. but overall every sinking is worth while this way and you get a appreciation to your efforts becuase you dont always bag them.. (just tracking them is a chore..)(ive missed 3 destroyer shots recently and am determined to get it right..) for fun navigate the channel.. I just did it last night trying to reach the North Atlantic.. Did it in a type vII at 15m depth (nighttime of course) and was harrassed by multiple destroyers patrol boats..... all in all the most target rich enviroment in the game that ive seen.. do the channel youll see.... btw i made thru unscathed , lucky maybe i not going to make it habit try it for yourself for a challenge..

DoctorYo
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: DoctorYO on March 22, 2005, 04:33:41 PM: sorry for the double post first one in like 4 years....

skuzzy work your magic.......

DoctorYo
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 22, 2005, 06:20:29 PM: Is there another way to determine the nationality of the ship other than the flag? I just sank 12Kt worth of american boats (1939, not at war yet.... ooops :D)

One of those fast patrol boats killed my experten flak gunner while I was touristing the channel area :mad: REVENGE!!!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 22, 2005, 07:14:24 PM: BACKUP YOUR CAREER

I just lost a career with 12 patrols in the North Atlantic due to some sort of strange bug where all your saved games are removed.

Make a copy of your career folder at the end of each session and save it somewhere else just incase, it's located at

MyDocuments/SH3/Data/CFG/Careers

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 22, 2005, 07:20:36 PM: BY the way on the issue of Torpedoes and pistol setting, I've had more success (no matter what year) setting them all to magnetic making sure I set the Torpedo depth between 1 to 2 meters under the keel and always trying to shoot from 90degrees or close to it as possible otherwise they just glance off.

Usually one hit under the Keel in the right place is enough to sink anything upto 10k ton range.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: DiabloTX on March 22, 2005, 10:42:40 PM: Quote
Originally posted by beet1e
Diablo, I installed it today and there is an automatic checker which tells you if your system is up to it, piece by piece.

Looking at the specs, your vidcard should be OK. However, your CPU is below spec. I have the AMD XP2600 which runs at 1.9GHz without being overclocked. The recommended CPU speed is 2.0GHz, so you're way under spec there. Also, 512MB RAM is the bare minimum. 1GB is recommended. I have 768MB (512+256) and I will get another 256 to add in my third RAM slot. You should get more RAM too.

The game seems to run smoothly enough with what I've got, but a few stutters...

Wow guys, that FLAK gun is quite a bit harder than the AH FG.

Doing my torpedo training next!

Much obliged to ya.

(that's Texan for "thanks!")
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: -tronski- on March 22, 2005, 11:35:15 PM: Quote
Originally posted by GScholz
A little hint for you Tronsky: You don’t need to return to base immediately after finishing your patrol. Cruise around Britton and use up your torps before returning. ;)

Also, stop your engine once in a while and do a manual hydrophone search. Unless your crew are experts (not likely early in the war) you will pick up contacts manually long before they do. Once you’ve found a bearing, just cruise down that bearing while intermittently stopping to correct your bearing. You will eventually find a target. Also note that your crew does not use the hydrophone while surfaced. You have to dive to (at least) periscope depth for them to start listening for contacts.

Yup doing that mate :)

My 2nd patrol was a disaster, between torpedo dud city and when i got a couple of hits on a convoy - nothing would go down (weather too rough for deck gun!!!)...in my wunderbar third patrol I was chasing around the Welsh coast looking for easy meat before I went to my assigned sector when I ran into an ASW group..even got a snap shot at a destroyer bearing down on my six (bloody bounced off)...

Good tip on hydrophone...

travelling 1/3 out of Kiel to Norway is a long trip, but does lengthen your range alot!

Tronsky
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 23, 2005, 12:49:44 AM: I've been playing it "safe" except for my little incursion in the english port... and as far as the torpedoes go, unkel kartoffel told me to set the pistol on "impact" at about 4 meters, and as I still use the steam torps, I try to take my shots below 1K at the best angle I can get, they seem to bounce less than the magnetic ones, but of course, you need more.

4th patrol starting in ... 5 minutes :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 23, 2005, 01:01:01 AM: I tend to blow up the torps below the ships....

but another thing which I do also, is to try hit the ships fuel tank, which has a great chance of cutting the ship in half or causing massive structucal damage.

In C3 Cargo ships the sweet spot is high up in the hull in front of the smoke stack, but not below the smoke stack.
From about front end of the bridge to the front of the smoke stack.
BOOOOOOM.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: moose on March 23, 2005, 02:21:46 AM: wasnt there outlines of where fuel/ammo were on the original recognition manual screenshots?i seem to remember them, maybe im creazy
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: DiabloTX on March 23, 2005, 03:11:13 AM: Hope they come out with an official Beatles "Yellow Submarine" mod. That would be kewl...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: LLv34 Jarsci on March 23, 2005, 03:19:14 AM: I´m running late 1940 campaign and managed to ambush a convoy without any cover.. 4 ships destroyed with torpedoes, managed to spend all of my torps while doing that. 75% of hits just resulted bounced torps.. couple of torps missed and rest just worked..

I was pissed and surfaced the ship. Then spent all my ammo on enemy ships and total was 70000 tons of shipping sunk.

Funny thing I haven´t seen a single escort yet...

Playing with 75% difficulty (god map mode is on..)

Me likey!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Kirin on March 23, 2005, 03:41:10 AM: I use magnetic pistol whenever possible. I only got a few duds that way. Explosion under keel kills em with 1 or 2 hits. Usually I add 1m to keel depth. Another advantage of magnetic pistol is that you get better succes at steep angles. I blown up ships from dead 6 that way - e.g. when you cannot catch em.

Drawback is that they get very unreliable in bad weather conditions. High waves makes keel depth unpredictable.

If I really need to sink a big target in 1 go (convoy for example) I use a salvo of mixed magnetic and impact. Ok, that takes a lot of torpedos but usually a fat tgt is worth it.

---

At the moment I am in the middle of a huge convoy (10+ vessels). I sank a large tanker and a C2 in the first attack. Being chased by the destroyer now. Man, it's fun to dodge between the ships. Stayed at persicope depth most of the time trying to get one of the convoy ships between me and the destroyer. I flanked a C3 (first one I saw) by 5m or so. It's american and we got early 1940 - so I am unsure to sink it. Well, it IS supplying the British - so I guess it's ok... :D

Using the hydrophone with that many tgts is hard though. I hope I make it out alive!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Schutt on March 23, 2005, 04:22:33 AM: I saw that map screenshot listing M, i installed my game in german version and play in german and the map lists kilometers which is a chore.

Does the english version list land miles or sea miles?

calculating knots to kilometers is unnecessary for a naval game i think.

Apart from that, i think the maps should really have the ports mapped to.

Never crashed on me so far, but i dont use the crew auto management.

I leave one crew spot empty in the Type II boat, made it easier for me to handle the crew, have the same amount in the back crew room than in the engine room but only 6 crewman and 4 maates needed.

If the crew is exhausted from a battle make sure to switch as soon as you have fully rested ones. Fully rested sitting in the bed will make you loose "overall resting capability".

Cruising to and from target at one third gives enogh fuel to rturn to base and spend some time at full ahead chasing contacts.

The merchants are using routes, once you know them in your area you can travel along those to find em.

I found a lot of traffic and no enemy destroyers at the begining between danmark and norway.

I travel back all the way to my harbor but im not sure if that gives extra points or not. I am sure the hit is not big, so before you run out of fuel after completing mission you can hit esc and return to home base, eaven if your nearly out of fuel, guess they sail home.

I use magnetic under keel but untill now always needed 2 for C2 cargo, smaller ones needed 1.

Best shot was a C Class destroyer from 3000m out, couldnt get closer without surfacing cause he was to fast for my dived speed of 7 knots. 2 Torps in 2 degree fan, one of em hit and sunk it.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Bluedog on March 23, 2005, 04:42:40 AM: Quote
Originally posted by moose
wasnt there outlines of where fuel/ammo were on the original recognition manual screenshots?i seem to remember them, maybe im creazy

I'd say there's little doubt moose, you are certifiable ;)

But that feature you are talking about is definately still in the game, it shows up when your U-boat is pointed within about +/- 10 deg from having a 'perfect' 90 deg deflection shot, or 180 deg for the stern tube.

You must have the recognition manual open on the right class of boat for the one you are targeting also.

You can just click a box for engine room, fuel tanks, keel etc, and let her rip.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 23, 2005, 06:25:05 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Schutt
I leave one crew spot empty in the Type II boat, made it easier for me to handle the crew, have the same amount in the back crew room than in the engine room but only 6 crewman and 4 maates needed.

If the crew is exhausted from a battle make sure to switch as soon as you have fully rested ones. Fully rested sitting in the bed will make you loose "overall resting capability".

The Sims U-Boat :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 23, 2005, 06:27:32 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Kirin
Another advantage of magnetic pistol is that you get better succes at steep angles. I blown up ships from dead 6 that way - e.g. when you cannot catch em.

Man.. my torps from behind only gets deflected by the force shi.. erm... propellers.
Instead I use the under the keel system.. lots of metal to trigger the magnetic fuse :D

Jarsci,

Use magnetic torps 1 meter below the targets draft.
Goes from all angles.
Only problem is when you have already hit a ship and want to finish it, then it might be little bit deeper and you don't know how deep.

Works nicely against the destroyers trying to run you over :D

Then you'll also benefit if you aim particular spots on the ships.
When you know where to hit, you can get even the 11 ton ships to cut in half with a single torpedo, which could otherwise take even 3 torpedos.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Kirin on March 23, 2005, 06:51:39 AM: Phew - just finished the patrol I met the convoy (see above).

Got away from the destroyer by sitting still at 100m until he had enough and went back into formation. Then I set a new intercept point. Set myself up about 2km from the convoys course on about 90° angle. Wanted the destroyer bad!!!

Problem was that it was still alert and was doing a search pattern in front of the fleet. Well I wanted him. Set myself up right in front fleets path, periscope depth, all engines stopp. I got too anxious and wasted 3 torps while I had him 90° off at about 1000m - but he turned too early...

Well, side effect was he went back to fleet since he must have noticed the torp explosions in the rear.

So, outta front torps I had enough. I surfaced and opened fire with the deck gun. For my luck it was night. The destroyer did not discover me until I had hit him 4 or 5 times. Then he opened fire with his deck gun. Ok, I wanted to bully it out. I kept firing as he turned on me and closed at flank speed. Tracers went past me, near hits but no directs. Luckily I made some AP hits just below the waterline.

At approx 1500m I alarm-dived and headed straight into the convoy at flank speed. As I had freighters all around me by using the hydrophone I went to periscope depth again. And there he was, the destroyer doing his search pattern again, but with searchlights this time. I kept the periscope as low as possible. I noticed he got "Schlagseite" - so the waterline hits must have breached the hull. But he was still fully manouverable.

I again got anxious. Since I only had aft torpedos left I let one go at a T3 tanker my rear. It was a bad angle and 2500m away. The stopwatch went beyond the redline and I thought the torp wasted. But I heard an explosion - no kill message though.

That woke the destroyer up again and he started going in front of the fleet. Maybe he thought I'd be still out there.

Well, as he passed 1500m I surfaced again and opened fire! This time I got noticed as soon as my tower peaked out. Tracers went flying again. As he showed me his side I was able (or rather lucky) to get one of the rear guns. A few hits later the destroyer actually gave in. The top HE hits plus the waterline AP hits must have been too much!

I couldn't believe it - I won a shoot-out battle with a WV Destroyer... :D

So there I was in the middle of that convoy with no protection left. Too bad I wasted all my AP ammo. But still I was able to sink a C3 cargo (american!!), a T3 tanker (which was already partially submerged from the 1 torp hit), a T2 and a small tanker, 2 C2s and a small freighter that crossed my line of fire to the C2 (don't do that!).

All in all 10 merchants and 1 warship sank. Finished the patrol by sitting 24h at AN13 and heading back to Brest.

On the way back I got a radio message on another convoy - but absolutely no ammo left.

Got 2200 points for it (maybe some deduction because of the "neutral" american C3 cargo?). Couple of EK and promotions for the crew plus the small stuff.

Playing at 97% realism (event movie on so I can judge the manual torpedo solution after launch)
---

some cool observations :cool:

- One of the C2 had tanks laden!
- the american C3 had trucks laden - I shot them burning for the fun of it - after a while the exploded and fell of deck!
- some of the freighters tried to run, others went for collision course and most stayed on course

tip on shelling C3
- there is a cavity below the bridge; put some HE into that hole from front angle and it will explode rather quickly (maybe 10 shots or so)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 23, 2005, 07:05:33 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Bluedog
But that feature you are talking about is definately still in the game, it shows up when your U-boat is pointed within about +/- 10 deg from having a 'perfect' 90 deg deflection shot, or 180 deg for the stern tube.

You must have the recognition manual open on the right class of boat for the one you are targeting also.

You can just click a box for engine room, fuel tanks, keel etc, and let her rip.

I haven't seen that happen? :I
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Kirin on March 23, 2005, 10:52:27 AM: Doesn't compartment tgt'ing only work in easy mode? And you have to be fairly close.

I read about it - but never managed the compartment side (it's a third page in the reco manual) to pop up. Not very interested either though... ;)
Title: Titanic
Post by: Saintaw on March 23, 2005, 11:51:03 AM: Wow... talk about a blind crew :D
I just survived a mid-sea collision with a small merchant, rough seas, rain & heavy fog...I was merely cruising at 15 knots trying to follow a sound contact. I am looking at the map, when I hear screaching sounds and "we're taking damage sir!", I go on the deck to investigate... and we're flanking & scraping the hull of a ship 3 * our size... hard rudder left, flank speed... go to repair crew & repair minor damage here & there. I went back to the heading of the ship I just saw (at that point I already lost visibility on the ship.... visibility is about 300 meters.). Go to PD, listen to the bearing and wait with the periscope out, franticaly scanning the sound bearing. Set the back torp to magnetic 8-9 meters deep. Here he comes, by the time I ask my torpedo officer to set a firing shot, the ship is already passed 40 deg to my right flank... Switch to the two front torps I had set to aproximately the same settings, and at 280 is I rip two ... tic tic tic...BOOM! ....tic tic...BOOM!

You can hear the sounds of the breaking hull in the hydrophone room :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on March 23, 2005, 12:15:47 PM: Have to see if this thing is out in Canada yet.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 23, 2005, 12:26:44 PM: Did a little excell sheet (simple) to convert the speeds & distances (One or the other is ok for me... as long as I don't try to use them both at the same time).

http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/19_1111603134_speeds.xls

(Edited to put a new version)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 23, 2005, 12:50:44 PM: Wow, some of you guys are doing amazing things, considering this game has only been out since last week! :eek::cool:

OK, I have the 60 page manual that came in the box, and there's a .PDF version of it in the installation. But is there any more training material than that? Positioning the boat to attack with torpedoes is quite a substantial task. Surely there must be more training than the guidance notes at the start of the exams. I have only done the exams so far - no career missions yet.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 23, 2005, 01:05:45 PM: Beetle, did you see the training videos? If not, when in training menu, click on the "view tutorial" (bottom option).

Am going back under to get out of that fog (Wish we could have weather forcast from BDU).
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on March 23, 2005, 02:54:54 PM: You guys all suck.

My copy is being delivered sometime...probably the classic "Two Weeks".
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 23, 2005, 04:11:03 PM: Don't sweat it, I have two copies :D
(If anyone is interested in having it shipped from Yurop, but be warned, I cannot ship it before next tuesday). Got the one in the shop... and had the shipping confirmation of the other one as I got home.

Straffo, si ca te dis, j'ai la version avec le manuel en francais.

That patrol was horrendous, all of it was under very heavy weather... it felt like walking with the eyes binded in an elephant park. 2 more C3's in my logbook though :)

PS: I can't figure where the he** are the screenshots I did?

Meanwhile... this would be AH related: Planes attacks screenshots:
http://forums-de.ubi.com/eve/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=59010161&f=469102863&m=3221048692
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 23, 2005, 04:17:29 PM: SAW - found the tutorial, thanks. On my first attempt, I didn't hit a sausage. It wouldn't let me fire until I had "solution". I think I'll watch the tut again. :mad:
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: straffo on March 23, 2005, 04:22:22 PM: Merci mais non :)
Vu le temps que j'ai passé sur les versions précédente et sur 688 ces jeux ne sont que des accélérateur de divorce :)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 23, 2005, 04:30:28 PM: Celui ci c'est la marque "divorce guaranti" :D

edited for Straff-ism. (eh?)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: straffo on March 23, 2005, 04:37:44 PM: Guarantie ?
Tu pense trops en englais :p
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on March 23, 2005, 04:46:14 PM: Cut it out you guys...you're talking about me...I know it.;)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on March 23, 2005, 04:51:10 PM: Got it.
Now I need the hack to start with a Type XXI.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Skuzzy on March 23, 2005, 04:54:56 PM: I think Saintaw is asking straffo for a divorce, but he wants a guarantee in the decree that he gets 688 Attack Sub in the deal, while straffo is arguing whether he should learn English and teach Saintaw how to spell.

Yep,..I think thats it.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on March 23, 2005, 04:56:04 PM: Dating yourself Skuzzy.
1989?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: straffo on March 23, 2005, 04:57:07 PM: My god :rofl

As usual my wife said : you look dumb when you laught in front of your PC :)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Skuzzy on March 23, 2005, 04:57:07 PM: I would never date myself. I find geeks to be a turn-off. :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: straffo on March 23, 2005, 04:58:38 PM: Plus Saw didn't noticed I mispelled Anglais on purpose.

The bait was to stinky I think :)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pei on March 23, 2005, 06:32:13 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Curval
You guys all suck.

My copy is being delivered sometime...probably the classic "Two Weeks".

I think I might have just sank the Merchant ship that was carrying your copy to Bermuda...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pei on March 23, 2005, 06:36:47 PM: Btw has anybody found a good guide to the tech tree and what you can get when (and for how much): the diagram is pretty vague.

I've just started a '39 campaign and I'd rather like to upgrade to a Type IX boat rather than a Type VII. According to the tech tree I can do this sometime in late '39 or early '40 but I have no idea how much renown it's going to cost me and whether I have to transfer flotilla to get it (I am currently in 1st Flotilla at Wilhelmshafen).
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: thrila on March 23, 2005, 06:40:58 PM: I've recently bought SHIII. I have been dong the naval academy missions. I've discovered i don't really have much a of a clue when it comes to torpedoes- even with the training video. The deck gun is mighty fun though:)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 23, 2005, 06:43:05 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Saintaw
Did a little excell sheet (simple) to convert the speeds & distances (One or the other is ok for me... as long as I don't try to use them both at the same time).

http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/19_1111603134_speeds.xls

(Edited to put a new version)

Saint,

Nice work here's a little rule of thumb guide I use to help plotting those intercepts.

Speeds and distances
Map Marking Speed Distance per hour

Slow speed 5 Knots 10 km
Medium speed 10 Knots 20 km
Fast speed 15 Knots 30 km
Top speed 20 Knots 40 km

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 23, 2005, 07:04:23 PM: My first patrol with Type VII, 26000 Tons Baby :cool:.

I came back with only one aft torp and a reserve.

Gave my Chief the Iron Cross Second Class, Every Officer aboard has War Badge and Front Clasp. And so far Two Sailors Promoted to Senior Seaman.

Time for Patrol 5.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 23, 2005, 07:19:27 PM: Well, I've been sinking ships with torpedoes at last.

But the torpedo process is not very well explained. Did the U-boat have to be pointing directly at the target at the moment of firing, or was it possible to tell the torp what bearing to steer? In that case, the Uboat need only be pointing in the general direction of target.

Is it possible to "fire and forget"? Or do you have to keep your periscope view locked on target until impact?

Hmm, the torpedo tutorial (in English) is less than 3 minutes in length. I bet the RL torpedo crews did more training than that. :lol

Right now, it all seems a bit vague. :(
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pei on March 23, 2005, 07:52:43 PM: Quote
Originally posted by beet1e
Well, I've been sinking ships with torpedoes at last.

But the torpedo process is not very well explained. Did the U-boat have to be pointing directly at the target at the moment of firing, or was it possible to tell the torp what bearing to steer? In that case, the Uboat need only be pointing in the general direction of target.

Is it possible to "fire and forget"? Or do you have to keep your periscope view locked on target until impact?

Hmm, the torpedo tutorial (in English) is less than 3 minutes in length. I bet the RL torpedo crews did more training than that. :lol

Right now, it all seems a bit vague. :(

Beetle you can fire torpedos at angles off your bow (or stern) (this is what the gyro compass setting is for in the TDC). IIRC it is +/- 60 deg early way, increasing later. Be aware however that firing off bearing is more inaccurate (adn the greater the angle the greater the inaccuracy).

Once you have fired you can leave: they aren't wire guided so you can do whatever you want (when attacking escorted convys or warships I highly advise you fire then dive and change course).
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 23, 2005, 08:14:08 PM: Beetle,

Some basic points on Torpedoes and the TDC to remember.

Assuming your using Auto TDC.

1. Try and fire at 1000 meters or less (torp has to travel atleast 300m to arm) and at 90 degrees from target especially early on the war otherise you will just get duds and torps will glance off the hull at greater angles.

2. When you look through Periscope or UZO the little triangle changes colours from green through to yellow,orange and red. The close to red the better the solution your crew and TDC have and angle for the torp. Though I've yet to see it go any higher then yellow up the scale.

3. Try and fire when the angle from the bor is within 20 degrees this will reduce the amount of angle the torp will need to travel. Though early torps can be fired from as much as 90 degrees maximium later models can fire upto 135 degrees.

4. When you lock onto the target and TDC has the solution you can fire and forget. However instead of using the lock funtion aim where you think a weakest part of the ship is, I usually go for below a funnel. As where ever you aim the crosshairs on the ship is where it should hit. So unlock the TDC before firing if you have the time.

5. If you have time always open the tube doors first for the selected tubes. This helps reduce firing time and I think reduces the lag during the firing process which may cause torps to miss stern of the ship in some instances.

6. Torp settings if you can use magnetic pistol setting and set dept to 1 to 2 meters below the keel of the target ship. This also allows you to shoot at greater angles compared to impact pistol. However early on the war you will get a few duds until the later version torps.

7. You don't need crew in the torpedo rooms for firing only reloading and if you can have a officer with torp speciality or atleast as many WO's with torp speciality as possible otherwise torp reloads will take for ever and external ones not at all.

8. Another point on external torp reloads must be on the surface and in calm conditiions.

9. Don't leave the torpedo setting on salvo, I've accidently hit the return key and lost 3 torpedoes :mad: Now I always leave the aft one as selected during sailing.

10. Save the electrics for daytime, as the merchants will see the wake of the steam torps and try and avoid, of course if you have them set to fast and shoot within 1000 meters all they can do is pray. :D

If you come across a big convoy always send a radio contact. If there are Axis Air Units within range they will come in and put on quite a display.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Darkish on March 23, 2005, 08:28:49 PM: Beetle, check out the subsim.com forum as well as the silenthunteriii site - you're not alone in befuddlement. A couple of pointers for you:

i) The torps can guide themselves up to about 90degs from lauch. So no, you don't have to be pointing at the target to kill it but the closer to the perpendicular the torpedo's course is on impact with the target the better.

ii) I would reccomend entering all the data into the TDC station (F6) manually - to do it on the notepad in the scope seems all a bit of a rush to me: in order to get an accurate speed calculation the range and angle off bow has to be spot on, which means the target's got to be close to reduce errors.

I like to work out the targets speed way in advance and input it into the TDC. 2 ways of doing this on 100% realism; easiest is to ask your wepons officer to plot a solution (vessel must be id'd first) and use his speed value, and the second is to time the ship over a set distance.

All that's left is to set up the shot you want, say 10degs off your port bow and 80degs starboard AOB for the target - here I'd be positoned at 90deg to his course and he's travelling from left to right. If positioned at 45deg to his course I might want to shoot a bit sooner, say 75 AOB so my angle would increase to 30deg on the starboard side now (45 - 15).

Back to the scope then, wait for the target to cross the predetermined bearing and "Losse"!

N.B. There are a shed load of commands in the command.cfg file that arn't assigned to keys. After a days headscratching I've managed to amend it so that some more usefull ones are assigned keys. I've got it so that from the bridge I can assign crews to the guns and engage targets as and when I say along with specific aim points (hull, waterline etc). The nav officer now promptly responds to my inquirys for depth, max range and snaps to it when I order a return to course. The sonar operator and Watch officer are most help regarding the bearing of the closest contact.

And all this is done without touching the keyboard or mouse in game, all done with voice commands. It is so sweet!
Title: Re: Titanic
Post by: Fishu on March 23, 2005, 09:39:46 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Saintaw
Wow... talk about a blind crew :D
I just survived a mid-sea collision with a small merchant, rough seas, rain & heavy fog...

Thats not too bad.. I had once a DD drive by in the fog :D
Now that was creepy..
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: -tronski- on March 23, 2005, 10:13:57 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Nefarious
My first patrol with Type VII, 26000 Tons Baby :cool:.

I came back with only one aft torp and a reserve.

Gave my Chief the Iron Cross Second Class, Every Officer aboard has War Badge and Front Clasp. And so far Two Sailors Promoted to Senior Seaman.

Time for Patrol 5.

I've read that you qualify for the U-Boat combat badge after 2 combat patrols (less at the Captains disgression)....it'll take 20 patrols for all the crew to get theirs :)

Quote
Originally posted by Gixer
Beetle,

Some basic points on Torpedoes and the TDC to remember.

Assuming your using Auto TDC.

1. Try and fire at 1000 meters or less (torp has to travel atleast 300m to arm) and at 90 degrees from target especially early on the war otherise you will just get duds and torps will glance off the hull at greater angles.

2. When you look through Periscope or UZO the little triangle changes colours from green through to yellow,orange and red. The close to red the better the solution your crew and TDC have and angle for the torp. Though I've yet to see it go any higher then yellow up the scale.

3. Try and fire when the angle from the bor is within 20 degrees this will reduce the amount of angle the torp will need to travel. Though early torps can be fired from as much as 90 degrees maximium later models can fire upto 135 degrees.

4. When you lock onto the target and TDC has the solution you can fire and forget. However instead of using the lock funtion aim where you think a weakest part of the ship is, I usually go for below a funnel. As where ever you aim the crosshairs on the ship is where it should hit. So unlock the TDC before firing if you have the time.

5. If you have time always open the tube doors first for the selected tubes. This helps reduce firing time and I think reduces the lag during the firing process which may cause torps to miss stern of the ship in some instances.

6. Torp settings if you can use magnetic pistol setting and set dept to 1 to 2 meters below the keel of the target ship. This also allows you to shoot at greater angles compared to impact pistol. However early on the war you will get a few duds until the later version torps.

7. You don't need crew in the torpedo rooms for firing only reloading and if you can have a officer with torp speciality or atleast as many WO's with torp speciality as possible otherwise torp reloads will take for ever and external ones not at all.

8. Another point on external torp reloads must be on the surface and in calm conditiions.

9. Don't leave the torpedo setting on salvo, I've accidently hit the return key and lost 3 torpedoes :mad: Now I always leave the aft one as selected during sailing.

10. Save the electrics for daytime, as the merchants will see the wake of the steam torps and try and avoid, of course if you have them set to fast and shoot within 1000 meters all they can do is pray. :D

If you come across a big convoy always send a radio contact. If there are Axis Air Units within range they will come in and put on quite a display.

~~...-Gixer~~

I thought green was good, and red bad on the auto TDC!!!?!!?!?

Tronsky
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: lasersailor184 on March 23, 2005, 11:26:14 PM: I'm not sure how it is ingame, but you can try doing what they did in real life.

Most of the deck guns on the destroyers and such (british) could not depress enough when you are right ontop of them.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 24, 2005, 02:50:41 AM: I dunno what happened to that excell sheet... I had a fancy calculation thing in the 2nd version, but it wasn't saved... oh well... back to mental calculus I guess ;)

Gixer, where do I find the screenshots? (I tried in the game folder and in the documents folder... nothing?)

I tried changing the resolution to 1600/1280 in the cfg file, but it hasn't worked (Yes, I have a big soup system :p) what did seem to work was setting the "real time" shadows 'On'. I wish they had put more options visible in game.

What cfg file should I edit to be able to have a low profile ? (7M deep/surface)

Re: VIIB Boat... I don't know, I guess it depends of your station, I started from Kiel with a VIIB right from the start... I just got a VIIC, and upgraded engines & batteries.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 24, 2005, 03:30:01 AM: Pei/Darkish/Gixer

Thanks guys, you've been a great help. I learned more from your posts than from the SH3 tutorials!

I must have been very lucky - I blew up a ship at 4600 metres. Didn't really know what I was doing... All this about elctric torps/steam torps is not covered in the naval academy programme, it would seem.

Yes I wondered what that yellow/green/red triangle thing was about. I have had the red one, but it was little use to me at the time as I didn't know what it meant. None of this stuff seems to be in the tuts. Did you guys have SH2? You seem to know an awful lot about a game which came out only last week. I'm impressed! :)

Magnetic/impact pistol setting has not come up in the naval academy exercises, and neither has depth setting. I guess the game is saving these for me!

And what's all this about voice commands??? I haven't seen how/where you can do that.

I'm beginning to understand what is meant by "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". :lol;)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Kirin on March 24, 2005, 04:31:48 AM: Heavily pictured Stuka attack on allied merchant and destroyer happening on a regular patrol.

Link from the german SHIII forum (http://forums-de.ubi.com/eve/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=59010161&f=469102863&m=3221048692)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 24, 2005, 04:54:33 AM: Quote
Originally posted by -tronski-
I thought green was good, and red bad on the auto TDC!!!?!!?!?

Tronsky

Yes correct sorry got it the wrong way around when typing it out.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 24, 2005, 05:06:00 AM: Saintaw,

I don't know where SH3 sticks the screenshots by default as I've always used ScreenHunter 4.0 for taking screenshots as it's free,small,simple,uses next to no resources and allows you to crop and install into any directory.

http://www.wisdom-soft.com/products/screenhunter.htm

Beet1e,

Subsims have always been my favourite from SH1,AOTD and SH2 I played SH2 constantly since it's release especially once the mod teams got to it and when Pacific Aces was introduced (Pacific War Mod) that was pretty much the end of my AH days.

As it is this sim is outstanding out of the box but with a patch and mod or two it will be the definitive sub sim for quite some time.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Schutt on March 24, 2005, 05:15:06 AM: Quote
Originally posted by beet1e

Magnetic/impact pistol setting has not come up in the naval academy exercises, and neither has depth setting. I guess the game is saving these for me!

[/B]

the magnetic stuff was somewhere. I think in the tutorial video?

Anyway... green triangle is best, red is sure miss. I usually fire on merchants from 600 to 800 meter, 1m below their keel, in the book it is listed how deep they go, with magneto fuese and high speed steam.

I still have trouble sinking a c2 cargo with one torp.... out of 8 c2 i sank only two went down after the first hit. Seemed to me it has to be just forward of the smoke stack.

On the torpedos... when your in your office and klick on the right table and select the torps at the equipment there is a description with range, i think it also lists the steam problem.

With heavy sea with breakers no enemy ship has detected my torps yet. From close in they have no time to reakt anyways.

Crew only rests and gets tired at time multiplier of 32 or less. Since i know this its easy, just spend most time at higher multipliers or at 1.

In the weapon resolution map the path of the torpedo is listed, with auto TDC its also updated. I usually fire from there with target locked, when the green line is straight its fine.

When you have a weapons officer you can open the torpedo hatch (?) before fireing.. this way you save a second between the torp is set to course and fired, adds to hit probability.

The game sometimes kicks you back to 8 times or 32 times acceleration... when you spot an enemy or something happens, i found these worsed for crew tiredness, switch to 1 time accel, do my stuff and put the time up to 64.

When its good weather i use the sonar, go to the hydrophone and dial in the target in the direction the guy reports the closest target. Then it lists "frachter" or "kriegsschiff". When you click the mark he selects this as target, now he can tell you the distance. I dont know how he determines the distance but eaven destroyers did not get alerted by that.

Now i print the heading and distance on the map in 5 minute intervals, put a line through the points and get the course the target is traveling without putting up the periscope. Then i set up an intercept course where i sit just 800m off his course with 90 degree angle on him. When hes close to torp solution put up periscope, lock on target, shoot and put down periscope. Note that at this moment he is about 10 to 20 degrees off my bow to one or another direction (020 or 340) because i want him to be in front of me when the torp hits not when i fire.

Destroyers spot me a lot... if the periscope comes up 2000m or closer they see me it seems. anyone got a strategy to take down destroyers without being seen?

Hydrophone also helps in verry bad weather... check distance with hydrophone.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 24, 2005, 06:32:56 AM: Schutt,

C2 seems to blow up the best when hit between behind front of the bridge and smoke stack.
Hitting in front of the bridge structures or behind the smoke stack just makes 'em float forever..
Quite a small place to hit with a torp. If possible, just use impact pistol against it. Tried one with like 4 meters depth and the ship blew up good.

Best strategy to kill destroyers IS to get seen :D
Then they'll merrily rush at you and all you have to do, is to keep your stern or bow at them.
Then launch a magnetic torpedo and they'll merilly blow up into it.

They're easiest to pick off when you can shoot them from the side while they're cruising.
Doesn't really matter if its a long range, just make sure the angle is good for pistol fused torpedo and use shallow depth, so it wont bounce off from the curved bottom side.
One hit with a torpedo and the DD's goes down to the bottom :)

British V&W's can be picked off with the deck gun quite easily, when hitting the waterline. They got a lousy aim too. Just make sure you have some distance... otherwise, if you fail to sink them in time, they might run you over or drop charges on ya.

Gixer,

Screenies goes right into the main folder of SH3 :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 24, 2005, 11:06:35 AM: Got my 1st two destroyers on the east coast of Ireland. Like Fishu says... "lure them" onto your tail... boom!

A couple of screenies (thanks for the location, doh!

Moon:
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1111683757_sh3img@23-3-2005_1.5.23_703.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=19855)

Burning oil slick, in the middle of a very dense fog (almost a day's pursuit using stop & listen...)
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1111683793_sh3img@23-3-2005_18.40.9_406.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=19856)

Brussels like weather:
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1111683926_sh3img@24-3-2005_12.1.52_796.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=19857)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: thrila on March 24, 2005, 11:20:41 AM: Ok i'm getting used to torpedoing things now. I had SHII but never really got into it, so manual targetting is a learning experience for me.

I finally killed all the ships in the torpedo training mission. The C2 tanker took 4 torpedoes, i couldn't believe it! it's never taken that many before! i straddled it with a salvo of 2 magnetic torpedoes. She had stopped so i thought i would finish her off with an impact torp, it landed smack bang in the middle in the middle- still she didn't sink, just a slight list. Ok...a fourth and it bounced off- doh! So i turned a fired off my ventral torp... BOOM! she sank in a couple of seconds. It took 5 torps but i got her:D All the other ships took 1 torp each luckily enough.:)

I think i'm ready for my first patrol:)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 24, 2005, 11:51:19 AM: Today I hit one ship so that the screw fell off.. it still continued at 3kt :rolleyes:

An hour ago replaced my GF TI4200 with a GF 6600GT.
Now the game is sweet, since I can use the FSAA and anisotrophy and the FPS is still far better :cool:

Thrila,

Avoid shooting the tankers cargo compartments, those are already filled with liquid, so it does little difference if theres a little more liquid...

Tankers do usually blow up merrily when you hit the stern, where the crew area or whatever bridge begins and at least to halfway the structure.
Usually causes very nice explosions and most of the ship is engulfed in flames.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 24, 2005, 11:59:45 AM: Well, I tried a single mission (not naval academy). But I don't know where to start! Lost my first 2 Uboats - one to depth charges, and the other to a collision with a destroyer.

Pity there's no real training for technique - unless it's buried somewhere and I haven't found it. I don't think one could make Uboat commander by reading a 60 page booklet. :lol

First mission, there were ships all around me, I was getting pinged, and it was all over pretty fast!

On the second mission, I found myself somewhere near Egypt, with various enemy ships at various points around me, and try to give chase but they're all faster than me, and seem to begin about 4km ahead, so no chance to destroy them.

So come on guys, what's the trick to this? Where to start, and how?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Creamo on March 24, 2005, 12:10:14 PM: Lol, it's like you posting on the AH BBS. You surface, and just get demolished. No trick, you just don't get it. :0)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 24, 2005, 02:26:08 PM: Quote
Originally posted by beet1e
So come on guys, what's the trick to this? Where to start, and how?

Hey Beet1e,

Think the easiest start in the game is 1940 out of one of French bases, 7th Flotilla has a nice base at St Nazaire as it's very easy to navigate in and out of with lots of easy picking near by.

Or the 27th Flotilla out of Spezia as the travel times are generally short with lots of single merchants trying to make it to and from Alexandria for you to practice your deck gun on. Just stay clear of Gibraltar, making a pass through there other then at night and on the surface in low visibility is certain to end your career.

No matter where you start and what year study the map that came with the sim,convoy routes and the years they operate.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 24, 2005, 02:32:36 PM: You can choose a base? I transfered from 7th to 1st fleet (From Kiel to Wilemshaven) but didn't know I could choose a base... as I've been spending a full game year in storms, I wouldn't mind going south...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 24, 2005, 02:48:29 PM: When you start your career it defaults to 1939 but you can click through the years and view the different bases (historically) become available or lost. Obviously starting anytime after 1943 is really going to up the difficulty level. One of the best things about a U-Boat sim as the years progress it historically gets tougher as you and your crew gain more experience.

Opposite to you my next career I'm definetly going North to Norway and hunt the convoys with Condors and Stuka's amongst the Icebergs. :D

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: g00b on March 24, 2005, 02:59:36 PM: A couple things that were the BIG help for me.

1. When you are looking at a target click on the "ship" text at the top-right right of the screen. That will pop open the identification book. Look at the draft. Press F6 and set the depth for your torpedoes to 1 m below the draft. BOOM! I didn't figure this our 'till about mission number 20 in my career ;p This DOUBLED my combat effectiveness.

2. Make sure to award all the medals and qualifications you can after each mission. Again I didn't know about this untill late in my career and I could have had a much more experienced crew. Make sure to assign you most experienced guys to sonar and radar and on look-out.

3. Save after EVERY kill you are happy with.

I am into '42 in my career with over 200,000 tons sunk and I now get the acoustic homing and pattern running torpedoes. The acoustic torpedos work GREAT on trailing destroyers. 1 shot, 1 kill almost every time.

My most successfull mission I sunk 50,000 tons of cargo and 2 destroyers and an armed trawler. I sank the two destroyers through inadvertant collisions. I took some damage but they went down! Dang U-boats are tough.

When I get my DSL it's going to be a very difficult choice of what to play.

g00b
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 24, 2005, 03:23:34 PM: Well Patrol Five is definatley the most exhausting mission to date.

Patrol AN52 for 24 Hours.

Did that, And Turned for England. Headed South from the Firth of Forth, Figure I would have learned my lesson? Nope. Got spotted by a Destroyer at Night Snuck away fairly easily. But It seems like there following me.

I havnt seen one Merchant, only Destroyers, Every time I surface, I sail for a little bit, maybe 5 or 10 minutes on compressed time. Here comes the Hurricanes, followed by Destroyers.

Figure maybe I'll see some more Merchants, South, as I did on Patrol Four.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: SFRT - Frenchy on March 24, 2005, 03:42:03 PM: Alright ... enough BS ... 3 pages of reading is exausting ... I'm going in my closet getting fishing pole!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on March 24, 2005, 03:48:08 PM: Finished a couple of the training classes. Have to re do the torp one.
I did the standalone mission against the Barnham. I of course updated my sub to an experianced Type XXI. Poor brits never new what hit them. First time it was my sub bouncing off the bottom of a battle ship. Thought it would dive quicker then that!

It seemed the early war brit destroyers didnt have much of a chance of detecting me, and thier AI to defend the BBs was hillarios. 7 or 8 of them just sailed away accross the horizon. One returned. Once I went to external view and saw one of my own pattern torps miss me by about 1/2 a sub length.
Hope they do a Pacific version of this game. Wish they had included the Brit subs from Malta..would have been neat.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: thrila on March 24, 2005, 04:54:55 PM: Just had my first patrol in a IIA in 1939. I sank a C2 tanker and a merchant ship totalling 8338 tons.:) I only had 5 torps so there wasn't really much more i could do i guess.

Lets see how my 2nd patrol goes...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 24, 2005, 05:22:44 PM: G00b - 200,000 tons sunk - and this game has only been out since last week ??? I think you must be playing in your sleep! :eek::cool:
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 24, 2005, 11:59:45 PM: Finally got the IXB, swapped to it from VIIC.
More torpedoes and *two* stern tubes :D
...tho, much bigger too.

One thing is annoying, since I had to transfer to Lorient from Brest (1st flotilla -> 2nd flotilla in late 1940).
In Lorient ground is everywhere and it forces time multiplier to 1x.
Well, no worries, I modded the ground proximity maximum time multiplier to 16x... hopefully.

Heard this from a friend and went to verify it before modding the time compression.
I drove out of the harbour and apparently you're expected to make a right turn, since I noticed shore ahead of me and ran aground pretty hard.. one crew member died in the bow torpedo room :D
Oh well, no worries, was just a test run to see whether the time compression needs tweaking.....
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: -tronski- on March 25, 2005, 12:59:32 AM: First attack of the 5th Patrol low vis surface attack - lined up a real nice fat cargo ship 800m range ,set 2 mag fused torps to salvo...PERFECT angle etc...fired and BANG both bloody exploded about 300m short, sending a destroyer steaming over...crash dive..depth charges...bang bang bang, eventually managed to break off with a real badly busted boat...rtb

Tronsky
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 25, 2005, 01:20:06 AM: I ordered my men to wear scuba gear. This is the 6 th patrol in heavy weather, I think I had 2 days of sunshine, can't wait to be transfered in the med or something... this maximum 300 meters visibility with the 300 meters torp minimum run is getting to me :eek:

Just ended last mission with a C2 burning in front of my eyes, but not sinking... no more torps and a destroyer closing in. I've been collecting the "be more agressive" messages from BdU, I made a huge dildo in "papier mache" out of it and when we get back to port... I'm going to shove it up his **** !
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: brady on March 25, 2005, 01:32:19 AM: This game rock's, talk about eye candi:

(http://www.myphotodrive.com//uploads/686_Coolindead..s.jpg)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 25, 2005, 02:51:21 AM: Just finished my third trip to Scapa Flow and found nothing.
On the second trip found nothing.

On the first trip found this :D
(http://koti.mbnet.fi/fishu/temp/britcv.jpg)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 25, 2005, 03:02:59 AM: YUMMY! :)

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 25, 2005, 04:03:31 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Gixer
Hey Beet1e,

Think the easiest start in the game is 1940 out of one of French bases, 7th Flotilla has a nice base at St Nazaire as it's very easy to navigate in and out of with lots of easy picking near by.
Hehe, The single mission that was generated for me put me close to a convoy, periscope depth, sea surface like a mill pond, broad daylight and good visibility. No wonder I didn't last long. :lol

Clearly the name of the game is stealth, the bugging out if detected.

I've read all these reports ^ - has given me inspiration.

Anyone got that voice interface working?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: scspook on March 25, 2005, 04:09:22 AM: 7th mission starting from early 1939 now early 1940. 6 enemy Biplanes shot down, 2 transports sunk and as im pulling starboard to turn for home, my sub strikes the 2nd transport before it sinks completely below the surface causing the loss of my sub and the deaths of all 27 crew.

Sigh......
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 25, 2005, 04:24:21 AM: Spook - I feel for you. Maybe we're too old!

I'm going to have another go just now.

Tronski - love your avatar - has Lazs seen it? :lol
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: thrila on March 25, 2005, 06:27:47 AM: Has anyone else had this happen? I was in heavy seas and the crew kept rushing up and down from the conning tower when i loaded up a saved game.

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/87_1111753573_hehe.jpg)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Siaf__csf on March 25, 2005, 06:36:24 AM: Thats it you bastages I had to place an order.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: moose on March 25, 2005, 08:20:42 AM: ARGGhh

i finally found a large almost completely unprotected convoy last night and sunk a T2 medium tanker with a spread of 3 torps, two C2s with backbreaking under the keel shots, and a large T3 tanker as he sped to catch up to his buddies

then while im messing around at 1024 the whoopee game crashes! aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrg. i was at 31000 tons and counting with a load of torps left and a full load of 88mm :mad: :mad:

thats what i get for not saving. i had just turned off auto targeting too so i was really excited about how well that patrol was doing
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 25, 2005, 08:32:48 AM: (http://koti.mbnet.fi/fishu/temp/konvoi.jpg)

Damn.. had to go for a lunch break before going sinking those ships :D

I like the new gfx card so much... no low FPS with the big convoys and its running at whopping 8x AA and 8x anisotrophy, still better FPS than the GF4200 gave!

thrila,

Yeah.. just press A to maintain the current depth and the guys will rush back in.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 25, 2005, 09:09:49 AM: Woohoo! Got my first (non naval academy) kill - a 28,000 tonne merchant ship. :cool: I think I damaged another, but can't be sure I didn't hit the first one twice. Had one torp apparently explode for no reason. The periscope was too low to see if it hit a ship, but I hadn't seen one in that position. Another torp went straight in to the propeller cavity of the target, and failed to explode. :(

Couldn't be arsed to RTB all the way to Alexandria, so in AH parlance, I augered.

BTW, it took forever for one of the torp tubes to reload - should I have manually moved an extra man into the torpedo room?

This game is amazing! :eek:

Technical Questions

Any of you guys running at below spec? My CPU runs at 1.9GHz, so a little below the 2.0GHz recommendation, and I'm short by 256MB on memory. But I don't see any problems. Initialisation seems rather slow, however.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: DoctorYO on March 25, 2005, 09:31:00 AM: Thrila that happens when you save the game while underwater.. and then later reload the game... your deck crew will be breathing underwater highlander 1 style..

go to surface and then go back down and they will be back to normal...

I think subsim covered it in the bug forum but it happened to me also before I read about and i was like neat....

Great game so far... with all the trash publishers are putting out these days (billion dollar game industry is freaking gold rush for snake oil pushers it seems) its a nice change to get a great game..

Was really turned off by sh2 because of the destroyer command/sh2 fiasco in multiplayer...(hiring 3rd party programmers just to get it to work..) talk about false advertisement.. but this one redeems UBIsoft to a degree.. (lockon wasn't bad either..)

dive silent.. dive deep fellas..

DoctorYo
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 25, 2005, 09:45:07 AM: You get what you asked for...

I finaly have a patrol with little or no fog, flat sea and sunshine (Kurt and hans, my two experten spotters have brought an extra case of sun lotion... just in case). I now start off Kiel, and my patrol is in the channel between Ireland and Whales... do I go round the island? naaah... lets "sneak in" the main channel.

On ze vay to our assigned patrol sector, right before entering ze channel, ve spot ein scheuune C3 cargo... this time mein froind, you are NOT RUNNING AVAY from me! One torp below the keel and a few shots of our 88milimeter cannonen.. and the C3 ist kaput.

Sheun dag:
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1111766085_sheun_day.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=19928)

As I order the navigator to resume our previous course, ve are alarmed by Hans screaming from above(He now pretty much looks like a lobster, I am affraid we crew might vant to eat him if ve have rough days). As soon as I am on the bridge, I spot two torpedo booten comming flank speed straight at us. Himmel! Ze flat beeer drinkers have spotted us! Hans, get the main gun on zem! Und I jump in our new dual 20mm antiaircraft cannons... ze rest is a blur of shells wizzing by, splashes in ze water und tsvei torpedo boats on fire! Shnaps for the crew, und double ration fur der captain!

Torpedo boats kaput!:
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1111766001_die_torp.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=19927)

Needless to say, the channle was interesting once they had spotted us... all the way to protsmouth, we had to dive during the day as we were harassed non stop by Hurricanes and other unidentified planes taking turns (bombs and drop charges)... evading the destroyers (except 4 ve had to sink, sorry your majesty... TAKE IT!) ... I now finaly arrived on the coast of Ireland, our hull is very kaput, and we have only 8 torps left... and Hans has started drinking the sun lotion.

Planes kaput:
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1111765949_die_plane.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=19926)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 25, 2005, 10:12:11 AM: Quote
Originally posted by DoctorYO
go to surface and then go back down and they will be back to normal...

Refer to above, just press A.
If doesn't work, just use periscope depth toggle or click a depth in the depth guage.
No need to surface or even try.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Makarov9 on March 25, 2005, 11:29:31 AM: Fishu, can you tell me how to mod the ground proximity maximum time multiplier to 16x like you did? I find leaving Lorient to be a royal pain in the arse.

Thanks!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: thrila on March 25, 2005, 11:34:25 AM: Ah thanks:)

I just got myself a VIIb, i'm currently midway through my 4th patrol in dec '39. So far i've sunk a couple of C2 tankers a 3 small merchant ships- mainly using the deck gun, i've only fired 2 torpedoes so far. Saving them for a convoy route i'm about to patrol:)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 25, 2005, 11:45:01 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Makarov9
Fishu, can you tell me how to mod the ground proximity maximum time multiplier to 16x like you did? I find leaving Lorient to be a royal pain in the arse.

Thanks!

C:\Documents and Settings\\My Documents\SH3\data\cfg\main.cfg

-> landproximity=1 to whatever value you desire.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Makarov9 on March 25, 2005, 11:55:01 AM: Thanks Fishu!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: DoctorYO on March 25, 2005, 12:28:06 PM: Thanks fishu didn't know that one... the game is pretty vast... lots of tricks etc.. until subsim posted the ctrl f2 set i didn't know you could pace your boat...

:)

DoctorYo
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 25, 2005, 02:10:26 PM: Quote
Originally posted by beet1e
BTW, it took forever for one of the torp tubes to reload - should I have manually moved an extra man into the torpedo room?

This game is amazing! :eek:

Beet1e,

For reloading you want to have as many men as possible as it reduces loading times alwyas try and have a couple of guys as torpedo specialists and a Officer if possible. Also as soon as you have a free slot in the internal reserves, move the exeternal to a free slot but it has to be calm and safe to surface for the hour or so it takes to move, you want to do this asap as you might not get another chance during the whole patrol. Also you must have torpedo specialists to perform the move.

Also note that before you leave the docks you can choose all your men and their positions in the sub . So when you double click on that area they automatically go there unless they are exhausted. Just helps to keep the different sections balanced with experience.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 25, 2005, 02:19:37 PM: Quote
Originally posted by beet1e
Hehe, The single mission that was generated for me put me close to a convoy, periscope depth, sea surface like a mill pond, broad daylight and good visibility. No wonder I didn't last long. :lol

I spotted a convoy near CH last night during the day, it only had one escort. I called in the radio contact and a hour later Stukas were falling out of the sky, damaged a few ships and sunk two. Leaving the remainder for me over the next two nights once darkness fell. :D

Love this game, especially the AI. like it when you damage a merchant ships and he sends out a u-boat contact/attack then any aircraft and DD's in the area come looking.

Great stuff!

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: stantond on March 25, 2005, 02:47:24 PM: The sea is awesome. I found that ctrl+p is still needed for UZO torpedo operations because of a claimed 'sea foam' particle issue with Nvidia. Strange though, because patch 1.1 fixed the exact same problem with binoculars. In the unpatched version I was using the observation periscope instead of bioculars. The managment systems are very good.

I have to wonder, what is the observation periscope used for? Is that supposed to give a better view over the horizon when surfaced or allow a greater field of view when submerged than the attack periscope? I had a couple of dud torpedo's occurr during Naval training which was annoying, but cool!

Without a doubt this is the best WW2 Submarine sim I have ever seen. The last Sub sim I played was Aces of the Deep. Never played SH2.

Regards,

Malta
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: CyranoAH on March 25, 2005, 05:26:56 PM: I have only played 1 patrol and it was quite uneventful (not a single convoy sighted), but a funny thing happened during my last training mission... I torpedoed the C2 and dove for the other merchant to avoid detection...

One of the destroyers came after me but instead engaged the other destroyer!! :D

I guess one's cannon shells came a bit too close to the other one for comfort and that pissed him off. Result: one DD sunk and the other completely forgot about me :D

Daniel
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: thrila on March 25, 2005, 05:31:55 PM: Well my SHIII has just gone tits up.:(

When i enter the game, whether it's a saved game, naval training etc.. it is paused and nothing will get rid of it. Going to have to reinstall the game.:( I was midway through my 6th patrol too.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pei on March 25, 2005, 05:35:39 PM: Quote
Originally posted by thrila
Well my SHIII has just gone tits up.:(

When i enter the game, whether it's a saved game, naval training etc.. it is paused and nothing will get rid of it. Going to have to reinstall the game.:( I was midway through my 6th patrol too.

See if you can copy out your saves and put them back in after the install.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 25, 2005, 06:14:38 PM: Muahahaha, last patrol: 5 destroyers, 10 planes and 4 merchants for a tonnage value of 38Kt ! :D. I spoted a convoy in my patrol zone, with only 1 bow torp & the aft exterior torp... had to be under all day since whenever I pop up, I have planes... then destroyers. The closest is a T3 Tanker (There were so many fat targets, I was about to cry)... launch the front torp, hit! It's listing in the back, but still going 2 kts... play cat & mouse with two destroyers... I hide at 300 yds from the tanker's trail... wait (endlessly) for the destroyers to go... 8 rounds of AP in the front waterline, tadaaaaa!.

Now, I transfered to Lorient, got myself a nice IXB, and crashed on the bottom while exiting port :o
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Dnil on March 25, 2005, 06:28:17 PM: just got back from my first patrol and had sunk 6 ships for like 22kt. It shows it on my captains log but not on the flotilla list or on my overal patrol list, shows zero ships sunk, what gives.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: ygsmilo on March 25, 2005, 08:59:55 PM: Quick question,

When you get back to port, how do you end the mission?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 25, 2005, 09:18:47 PM: Escape/Save and Exit/Return to Base.

I think you dont have to be in Port, just in "Friendly Waters" Without Any Enemy Units Near.
Title: SH3 whine list
Post by: beet1e on March 26, 2005, 02:05:17 AM: Imagine a list of SH3 whines, like we used to see in AH GD forum. My whines would be these:
Get rid of day!
Move the ports closer together
Perk destroyers.
"Harden" the flak gun.
Change the colour/texture of the map (too hard on eyes)
Add an orange flashing light to enemy ships to tell you when they had received mortal damage - lol
Perk depth charges (for ruining fun - lol)
Ban the 90 metres depth monkeys.
Add to this list!

What fun this game is, but I think I'm going to max out my memory to 1GB and maybe upgrade the CPU.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: -tronski- on March 26, 2005, 04:21:16 AM: Quote
Originally posted by beet1e
Spook - I feel for you. Maybe we're too old!

I'm going to have another go just now.

Tronski - love your avatar - has Lazs seen it? :lol

I don't think he'd recognise the handy, quite readily available British and Australian "gun" in Sean's hand ;)

About to leave on my eighth patrol, 100k+ tonnage...TypeVIIB out of Wilhelmshaven , Knights Cross with Oakleaves

Tronsky
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 26, 2005, 06:39:30 AM: ping...ping...ping...PING! ;)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 26, 2005, 12:49:45 PM: March 6th 1940

Just Finished Patrol 6.

Another 25000 ton adventure :cool:

Gave the IC 2nd Class to my Navigator this time. And handed out some more Clasps and War Badges.

Finally got to use the deck gun, matter of fact I used every single round :D The seas were finally calm enough.

I dont know if this could be used as advice. But Im seeing alot of Merchants in the SE corner of AN73. C2's and C3's mostly.

I think Im gonna try to go through the Dover Straits, And see what I can find on Patrol 7.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 26, 2005, 02:20:23 PM: I met no less than 3 convoys in a row west of portsmouth in the summer of 41. Went home without torps... and 3 T3 tankers in the belly and the knight's cross with oakleaves and diamonds :)

I am now about to invade America... well, I'm on the canadian coast sinking a couple of coastal merchants... waves are higher than the periscope mast when surfaced, at one point I thought the boat would roll over.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 26, 2005, 02:59:16 PM: wewpt... finished my longest mission so far, 1st Jan 1941 to Feb 11th.
Had a mission from Lorient to DT28, where was absolutely nothing for thousands of miles and then I headed to intercept traffic passing the gibraltar strait.
Of course the bottleneck caused some good opportunities. With also 11 planes shot down.

Some 34 ships sunk, worth of over 90,000 tons.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on March 26, 2005, 03:48:18 PM: Quote
Originally posted by CyranoAH
I have only played 1 patrol and it was quite uneventful (not a single convoy sighted), but a funny thing happened during my last training mission... I torpedoed the C2 and dove for the other merchant to avoid detection...

One of the destroyers came after me but instead engaged the other destroyer!! :D

I guess one's cannon shells came a bit too close to the other one for comfort and that pissed him off. Result: one DD sunk and the other completely forgot about me :D

Daniel

Same thing happend to me. I let the big one kill the little one then surfaced and finished off the big one pretty easily, I then guned down the rest of the convoy.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Schaden on March 26, 2005, 05:11:22 PM: Okokok enough already, I give in, I'll go and get my copy tomorrow!!! Bastards!!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: thrila on March 26, 2005, 05:24:59 PM: I kept my saved games and reinstalled and everything is fine now. I restarted my 5th patrol as my midway save was gone. Well my patrol has started off badly- i spotted a lone destroyer and thought i would use him as target practice. I got to within 500m and let lose with a torp... oh no! it's a dud!....eeeek! The destoyer turned to ram me and steamed into my conning tower. Flak destroyed and periscope destroyed...bugger. sod this! so i emergency surfaced, 2 shots from my deck gun into his water line and he split into 2.:)

If i want to torp anything i have to use the UZO, however it's bugged, i only see foam from 310 to +50 degrees:( So i'm continuing my patrol picking off single ships using my deck gun. I've sunk about 18.000 tons of shipping with 50 HE and 40 AP rounds remaining. I also have a couple of ventral torps left over too.

I think i'll avoid destroyers from now on, or perhaps i'll fire off 2 torpedoes instead.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: vorticon on March 26, 2005, 05:34:42 PM: moan...this miserable computer cant even try play the game...

bastards.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 26, 2005, 06:00:52 PM: Nice work Fishu ! :D

I'm headed for my 12th Patrol (Yes, I played too much) to CF28... near the canari islands. Plenty of lone ships so far... I will linger on the patrol zone (after following the convoy route on paper map) ... and if nothing fat shows up, I'll head over to Gibraltar *shivers*

I found something interesting: Whenever you send in your status report, within the hour you will get contact reports in your region from BdU.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 26, 2005, 06:17:48 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Saintaw
I found something interesting: Whenever you send in your status report, within the hour you will get contact reports in your region from BdU.

Haven't had that happen.
I get contacts randomly on the map, but no reports of other than large convoys... very rarely.
Otherwise they just send back a word "keep up the good work" and once "return to the base".
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Darkish on March 26, 2005, 06:29:02 PM: thrilla - if you've got patch 1.1 installed CTRL "P" will temporarily turn off particle effects to let you look through the UZO.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: -tronski- on March 26, 2005, 11:48:36 PM: Yeah..bloody Nvidia bug...I always hit Ctrl-P as a standard thing before I use the UZO, at least thats an easy fix (and control P back to watch the particle goodness)

Tronsky
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 27, 2005, 12:42:34 AM: Fishu, no paper notes, but the contacts that appear beyond your visual/sonar range are contacts reported by radio, when in a very calm area try it... send a 'situation report' and look at the contacts appearing soon :)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 27, 2005, 04:29:43 AM: If anyone is struggling with the strategy of this game (like me) there is a wealth of expertise from one of the other guys in my WB squad board. I'm not sure whether I'm allowed to link to the board from here, but I'll find a way to post it. Some excellent tips about RL UBoat captaincy and techniques, dos and don'ts.

I got frustrated on Single Mission #3 - sink the Courageous. The large carrier is steaming along at 20 knots, and my Uboat can do only 17 knots at surface. The mission starts in broad daylight, and I have no way of knowing how to get in torp range of the target without being detected. I end up being targeted by two destroyers that come at me at 36 knots! I got fed up with that, so I brought the boat around and fired off a torpedo from about 600m range. Much to my surprise, I got a single hit which sank the destroyer. Just at that moment, dinner was ready, so I had to save the game. So...

... can someone tell me how I should resume that game, later on? The intended target was steaming away. I don't know that I can catch it!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: thrila on March 27, 2005, 06:10:10 AM: Thanks for the tip guys. Just found a 20 ship convoy just W of england with only 2 escorts. I wish i had my periscope i closed to about 3000m and let lose with a salvo of 3 torps. One ship destroyed, 1 damage:) i'm currently dodging the 2 escorts, if i was more confident i would have tried to sink the escorts (1 is only a tug with single gun), i just can't sneak up on them with my preiscope out of action. I'm deciding whether to show myself to the destroyer and try to sink him, or to shadow the convoy and let loose with another salvo. I'm currently at around 30,000 tons sank this patrol - not bad without a periscope.:)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 27, 2005, 06:20:50 AM: Quote
Originally posted by thrila
Thanks for the tip guys. Just found a 20 ship convoy just W of england with only 2 escorts.
hehe - right near where you live IRL!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: thrila on March 27, 2005, 07:07:57 AM: Hehe...it was just off lands end, so i guess it wasn't too far away from plymouth. I have thought about visiting plymouth to see if there is anything to sink in the harbour.:)

Well i surfaced and was smack bang in the middle of the convoy. I fired a couple of torpedoes, both scoring hits, 1 of them damaging a tanker badly enough forcing it to be abandonded by the convoy. I waited for a couple of hours for the escorts to move on with the convoy and sank her with my deck gun.

I'm not sure what the plan is now. I may head back and follow the convoy or search for some lone ships.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Schaden on March 27, 2005, 09:02:21 AM: Blech mine won't run, error 1331 (I think) tried rebooting, cleaning CD at the moment am coppying disk onto spare HD to load from there - any bright idea's anyone?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 27, 2005, 09:19:36 AM: Hopefully the "CD" part was just a slip, since it's a DVD.

A friend of mine actually wondered why he can't read the disc, when he wasn't aware it was a DVD and he didn't have a DVD drive :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: thrila on March 27, 2005, 09:26:46 AM: aaargh it happened again! it crashed loading a saved game and now everything is paused. Going to have to reinstall it....again....
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 27, 2005, 09:34:31 AM: Schaden, I hear some have trouble with the copy protection system on RVR-RW... check out the tech forums at subsim for more info.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 27, 2005, 11:17:56 AM: To avoid problems, Try intsalling the game on a DVD drive not a DVD-RW drive. I have both on my rig, And havnt seen any problems yet.

The Starforce Piracy Protector is a very tricky beast, and most new games are using it. It puts new DLL's and all sorts of stuff on your computer. Theres a warning right on the SHIII Box.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Creamo on March 27, 2005, 11:59:10 AM: To avoid problems, crack it. Only thing I could do to play it.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Schaden on March 27, 2005, 01:46:35 PM: Copied onto my spare drive and loaded from there, works now...very very awesome, quite like the old Aces of the Deep but much better.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Creamo on March 27, 2005, 04:04:28 PM: Oh yeah, it is a terrific sim. The free camera is awesome, and I have learned tons about the subs. The last batch the nazi's had was pretty incredible. A Destroyer tried to ram me after a heated battle and actually sank himself. And when air attacked, those deck guns were quickly efficient.

I don’t have an extra drive to install too, so just saying if like my disk you can't play while it locks up trying to protect itself, (how ironic) crack it. Works perfect. But not 1.01 yet.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nath_____ on March 27, 2005, 04:54:56 PM: when i try to install it it says 1607: Unable to install InstallShield Scripting Runtime. is this copy protection? anyone else had this problem?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: straffo on March 27, 2005, 04:57:21 PM: Do you have administrative right Nath ?
Retry with an administrator account.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: moose on March 27, 2005, 05:37:05 PM: i snuck into scapa flow today and put 3 torps into the Illustrious.. 5 corvettes converged on my position and i pulled up next to the half sunken carrier and waited out a 6 hour barrage. i eventually was able to sneak out very slowly and ran to the western exit and out after taking down a cruiser that was parked as well

im one lucky SOB :)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nath_____ on March 27, 2005, 07:53:17 PM: Quote
Originally posted by straffo
Do you have administrative right Nath ?
Retry with an administrator account.

I am on an admin account -- that error still comes up. I tried some stuff on the microsoft website but none of it worked.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Siaf__csf on March 28, 2005, 12:22:22 AM: The new copy protections are so lame that they stop normal people from playing the game but they don't stop pirates from hacking them.

The first thing I'm gonna do is to install a no-cd hack to the game once I get it.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 28, 2005, 12:31:15 AM: Quote
Originally posted by moose
i snuck into scapa flow today and put 3 torps into the Illustrious.. 5 corvettes converged on my position and i pulled up next to the half sunken carrier and waited out a 6 hour barrage.

What Month and Year?

I tried to sneak in on the 9th and 10th of April 1940.

Was surfaced until about 1130, spotted Armed Trawler Dove to escape. Thought I was in clear, wrong, he pinged me! He dropped a few Cans and I lost him.

More Ships inbound but far off for now, Silent Run for a few hours then surfaced spotted coastal search lights at main entrance to Scapa. Ship Spotted! I stay surfaced and try to avoid it. Wrong! Flower Corvette starts firing, I should have engaged him with my deck gun, but I dove.

He makes several passes and I get sunk just inside the main entrance.

Tell you the truth its the first time Ive been Pinged by Sonar and Depth Charged in my Career (Patrol 7)

I saved it in the open ocean outside of Scapa, but I need to get to bed, its been a very long day.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: moose on March 28, 2005, 12:44:17 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Nefarious
What Month and Year?

I tried to sneak in on the 9th and 10th of April 1940.

it was feb of '40 or so i think.. my 7th patrol

i had been tasked to AN23 and didnt find crap. sank a c3 on the way west to scapa and snuck in at periscope depth at 3kts during the middle of the night.. started my attack at about 0430 and didn't leave until after noon

was wonderous fun but realistically i should have been toast. funny thing was the 'vettes circled like a pack of wolves around the hulk of the illustrious (which was half sunk with me right alongside it at 20m) and a bunch of fighters went to bomb me and hit the carrier... it blew up some more and sunk into the sea floor leaving me with no cover. i quickly booked it and somehow snuck out without as much as a scratch

of course once i got out of the area and into open water i got divebombed by swordfish and a direct bomb hit killed my entire topside crew including my highest decorated officer. i was having problems anyway keeping the officers rested so im not too upset but i had him qualified as 3 jobs already so its going to be a pain until i can train someone else
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on March 28, 2005, 01:36:03 AM: probably the best simulation of anything I have ever seen.
Hope they do a fighting sail game. They could do an awsome job of it.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nath_____ on March 28, 2005, 02:30:07 AM: Got it to work.

Awesome game.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: -tronski- on March 28, 2005, 02:50:41 AM: Quote
Originally posted by moose
i snuck into scapa flow today and put 3 torps into the Illustrious.. 5 corvettes converged on my position and i pulled up next to the half sunken carrier and waited out a 6 hour barrage. i eventually was able to sneak out very slowly and ran to the western exit and out after taking down a cruiser that was parked as well

im one lucky SOB :)

I went in to Scarpa Flow early in my career, and after a few close scrapes with patrols, and a lifetime limping along with the battery near death..i get finally there to find an empty port!

Quote
Originally posted by Siaf__csf
The new copy protections are so lame that they stop normal people from playing the game but they don't stop pirates from hacking them.

The first thing I'm gonna do is to install a no-cd hack to the game once I get it.

I could never get pass the copy protection on superpower II ( a legit copy too) it just flatly refused to recognise the disk...and i've never played it

Ran (literally) into a convoy with vis less than 500m on the surface - had 3 torps left - fired the front 2 into a T3 Tanker directly in front, and fired the rear at an american (neutral!) liner sinking both, before crash diving away...
Is there any penalty for sinking nuetrals? I've passed so many Norwiegen freighters without firing...When I rtb i got the diamonds to my Knights Cross - I was expecting a reprimand for the liner.

Tronsky
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: moose on March 28, 2005, 02:55:12 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Nath_____
Got it to work.

Awesome game.

what was the solution to your problem? im curious
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Schaden on March 28, 2005, 03:46:56 AM: What level of realism is everyone else using - I'm at 54%
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 28, 2005, 07:02:03 AM: I got 92%, with only the external view enabled. Just so I can watch the ships blow, admire the graphics etc. :D

tronski,

You get negative renown and the neutrals will declare a 24 hour war on you.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: ygsmilo on March 28, 2005, 08:35:18 AM: 77% realism,

Anyone else get stuck on the bottom yet? Was in shallow water and crashed dived to avoid air attack, forgot to check the depth and crashed into the bottom. Not much damage but I could not move.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on March 28, 2005, 10:32:55 AM: Tronski
I think medals are only based on tonage per patrol. The knights cross is defaulted to 40 000 tones. So I bet that liner got you the knights cross but cost you some prestige points.
Uboat badge is 10k
Iron Cross second is 20 k
Iron Cross first is 30k
Knights cross is 40k.
Dont know if they do diamonds and stuff at higher levels.

I was hunting arround in the config files trying to get my rest time between patrols down from a month(why would it take a month to rearm the 5 torps and the quart of oil in a Type II?) I found that out and set it to a week. And I found the medals config. I might have missunderstood it (maybe its tons in your career?) but thats what it looked like.

Im playing with the torp computer and with external camera.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Habu on March 28, 2005, 11:42:36 AM: Quote
Originally posted by stantond

I have to wonder, what is the observation periscope used for? Is that supposed to give a better view over the horizon when surfaced or allow a greater field of view when submerged than the attack periscope? I had a couple of dud torpedo's occurr during Naval training which was annoying, but cool!

Regards,

Malta

In RL the attack periscope was smaller and harder to see on the surface. It was used for quick up and down looks to check convoy positions and verify the calculations on the target speed and angle.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 28, 2005, 11:47:08 AM: Will try again tonight.

Im thinking head up and round Scapa and Enter that smallest Entrance to the WNW, Anyone try that yet? Are they moored out in the open? or Near the base itself moored to a dock?

BTW the way I'm second in tonnage behind Schepke. 76000 Tons right now

And I play with full realisim, plus External View and Event View and Auto TDC I beleive its 61%
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Furious on March 28, 2005, 12:21:02 PM: I find it frustrating that we can't shoot bearings on the Nav map.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on March 28, 2005, 12:29:38 PM: I still hate you all...my copy doesn't appear to be due to arrive until Friday.:mad:

Still, this thread is going to make most of my questions I'm bound to have obsolete.

By the way...is this game totally mouse driven, or is it keyboard and mouse?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 28, 2005, 02:52:49 PM: I beleive they had Gyros for the initial turn, but that was it (It's best to take your shot with a 5 deg angle max to avoid using the gyros)

I went to Freetown, and found nothing. If you guys have the time, go & visit NYC (In the game) looks fantastic!

66% here now... I put the external view back on cause it's just soo prety :)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 28, 2005, 02:57:12 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Nath_____
Anyway... could those torpedos really turn once they left the tube? Did they have some kind of built in gyro? I always thought WW2 torpedos were only accurate in so far as how you could lead the target with the firing platform.

Yes.
U-boats could have launched multiple torpedoes at multiple targets at "same time", if the next target had a same course (convoys).
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 28, 2005, 03:18:59 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Pongo
I was hunting arround in the config files trying to get my rest time between patrols down from a month(why would it take a month to rearm the 5 torps and the quart of oil in a Type II?) I found that out and set it to a week.

Explain in Detail Please. I would like to know how.

And after the Fall of France do you automatically Transfer to differet bases? Or do you have to select it?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on March 28, 2005, 03:36:22 PM: Quicker for you to look at the config files then for me to tell you from memory.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: CyranoAH on March 28, 2005, 03:49:25 PM: [singing mode on]What a difference... a (gun) day makeees[/singing mode off]

After sinking no more than a lone C2 in the II subs, I had a blast with my first VIIB. 40 Tons and munition to spare, but the weather was awful and I didn't think a real commander would stay without torpedoes, so I ended the patrol.

I was leaving the E coast of England with a single astern torp left... rough seas... C2 in sight, darn!

I bet on the single shot magnetic pistol wonder and pray... "Torpedo Missed Sir!"... but wait, explosion right under its soft spot! Enemy target destroyed! Yesss!!

Having loads of fun, and still in 1940! :)

Daniel
Title: Sitrep
Post by: g00b on March 28, 2005, 04:08:04 PM: I'm into nov '42 in my career now. Still in the 1st flotilla. I found a HUGE convoy, managed to sink all the escorts, took out two T3 tankers and C3 cargo and a couple merchants before that. It was too stormy to use the deck gun and I ran outta torps, I tailed them for a week waiting for the storm break to no avail, sigh... There was a bunch of fat liberty cargo and troop transports just waiting to be shelled mercilessly.

52,000 tons in one mission though.

g00b
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 28, 2005, 05:06:12 PM: July 41, I just went to Gibraltar "for a quick look-see" after an empty patrol zone... hadn't seen much last time, and I had only fired 2 torps so far... I am in for quite a treat :D

Airplanes as soon as you get near the coast (I found it doubdfull, since weather is bad & there's medium fog...) nevertheless, I spot a nice C2 ahead, It'll take a while to catch up (11 Kts at flank speed... 15 kts wind in the face). While I'm shadowing him, I have to get underwasser often, since those pesky airplanes come round every 10 minutes or so... and now I have 5 destroyers chasing me. 4 Actualy, already took care of one :D

The IXB feels like a bus next to the IIVC, but the ammo load is tempting...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on March 28, 2005, 05:28:16 PM: Quote
Originally posted by GScholz
Considering they serviced the whole sub including hull inspections and engine overhauls, a month is more realistic. Even longer if the boat had damage or were to be fitted with new equipment.

German engines need an overhaul after half a tank of fuel? Dont think so. If the game took into account the state of your boat and crew I would leave it as is. But a 6 day patrol in clear weather with out a ping of sonar and no dive deeper then 20 meters doenst take a ship yard 5 weeks to get you out the door again. The crew was unhurt, the ship was unhurt. When I saw that my next patrol was in October I said the happy times will be over too soon at this rate and adjusted it.
I aggree it would take a month to rest a war weary crew and refit and renew a war weary boat.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Furious on March 28, 2005, 06:16:51 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Furious
I find it frustrating that we can't shoot bearings on the Nav map.

Ok, someone modded it to do just that.

http://forums.ubi.com/eve/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=400102&f=9091085392&m=6241078692

..and its use

http://forums.ubi.com/eve/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=400102&f=9091085392&m=6241078692
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 28, 2005, 06:19:03 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Saintaw
The IXB feels like a bus next to the IIVC, but the ammo load is tempting...

..and with more fuel you can cruise at faster speeds.
Tho, with less fuel they have to give you shorter missions, if you feel lazy ;)

The two stern tubes are nice, along with 2 reserve + 2 external loadouts.

Sometimes I just do a drive by shooting at the convoys, by running right through, while shooting torps ahead and behind, then rinse and repeat from the other side :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 28, 2005, 10:00:07 PM: I'm gonna tune it down to a week and a half or two, A month is just too long for me to wait. My Crew is too anxious to get killed i suppose.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: -tronski- on March 29, 2005, 01:55:58 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Fishu
You get negative renown

Doh!

I knew there had to be something...

Quote
Originally posted by Pongo
Tronski
I think medals are only based on tonage per patrol. The knights cross is defaulted to 40 000 tones. So I bet that liner got you the knights cross but cost you some prestige points.
Uboat badge is 10k
Iron Cross second is 20 k
Iron Cross first is 30k
Knights cross is 40k.
Dont know if they do diamonds and stuff at higher levels.

I was hunting arround in the config files trying to get my rest time between patrols down from a month(why would it take a month to rearm the 5 torps and the quart of oil in a Type II?) I found that out and set it to a week. And I found the medals config. I might have missunderstood it (maybe its tons in your career?) but thats what it looked like.

Im playing with the torp computer and with external camera.

I've got about 177k tons = gold oakleaves, diamonds, swords. Still haven't got a U-boat combat badge though :)

Tronsky
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Staga on March 29, 2005, 02:19:42 AM: Sightseeing (http://koti.mbnet.fi/staga/silent/silenthunter3_08.jpg)
Too bad my IX didn't had deck gun...
Title: Lazy bastages in the torpedo room
Post by: beet1e on March 29, 2005, 03:42:45 AM: I couldn't work out why it was taking so long for my torps to be reloaded. I had an energetic crew in the torp room, but it seemed to be one long coffee break.

Well Duh! I was rigged for silent running. :lol

Had an interesting duel with a destroyer yesterday. My sub was on the surface so that flak gun repairs could be made. A destroyer appeared from nowhere - my hydrophone or sonar must also have been damaged. In fact my boat was a bit of a mess. I had three guys at the deck gun, and even though the destroyer was blasting my boat, the deck gunners were returning fire and really had the destroyer blazing. (I think the destroyer was out of depth charges(?)) I turned to evade, and also to align with the destroyer and fired the aft torpedo from about 400m for a successful hit - first time I ever won a "duel" with a destroyer.

No career yet - still in single mission mode!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: moose on March 29, 2005, 06:25:20 AM: i think its a general thing that the hydrophone operator is about as good as hellen keller when it comes to picking up ships. apparently in a career the best thing is to have your highest ranking petty officers be the sonarmen with the radio qual. because otherwise they cant tell crap

i was sitting behind a C3 in a storm and the range from my sonar guy was like 3000m off. he was saying ship at 000 @ 3300m and i came up to look and almost got my periscope broken off i was so close.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 29, 2005, 06:29:07 AM: I don't understand this constant complaint about Hydrophone Operators. Maybe you should look at how your operating the boat as captain before blaming bugs and AI.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 29, 2005, 06:41:18 AM: Your sonar guy must've pinged something else around in the storm.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 29, 2005, 07:01:08 AM: There IS something wrong with the spotting, while in storm, my bridge crew will not spot a ship I can clearly see myself. Sometimes the sonarman will report a contact I cannot hear for myself, and sometimes it will not detect it at all. And it often happens as well when waves of planes ar attacking, the crew will sometimes fire at them, sometimes not. My sonar & bridge crew "functionality" bar is full and they are not or resonably tired.

I'm in 41 and the best option already is to dive to PD when planes are spotted...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Habu on March 29, 2005, 07:42:07 AM: In real live the larger U-Boats like the type IX were more vunerable to depth charges than the smaller type VII. In fact some of the really small one man boats were practically immune to them.

Thus if you look at the survivability of the different boats the smaller ones had the advantage. The Milk cows were all creamed as they were large and un manoverable.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: moose on March 29, 2005, 08:07:50 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Gixer
I don't understand this constant complaint about Hydrophone Operators. Maybe you should look at how your operating the boat as captain before blaming bugs and AI.

~~...-Gixer~~

oh come on gixer, give me more credit then that

one contact, a lone c3, and as i passed by him clicking 'report nearest contact' changed the bearing as well following him.

ive seen a remarkable improvement since i trained a warrent officer for the sonar suite, but they're still morons. i'd toss an officer in there if i could for sure to straighten em out.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: moose on March 29, 2005, 08:08:48 AM: btw where does the 2nd flotilla operate out of and with what boats? ive been thinking of transferring from the 1st in brest
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: takeda on March 29, 2005, 08:38:36 AM: Had my first "really cool moment" with SHIII today.
4th patrol, first with a type VII, to the Scapa Flow sector.
Had just sunk a merchant, and was at periscope depth, 1/3 ahead, listening to another one that sounded pretty faint when someone reports that we've been detected.
Detected?
Being at the wheel already, I turn it around, and exactly at bearing 180 I can hear something a lot louder than my own engines.
I order rudder full left, and depth 25, lets just get out of their way.
It was about time.... I love to watch the sub dive and turn from the outside view, so I set the camera, just in time to watch the keel of a DD pass just 1 m. over the sub!
I got away, but I better don't need the flak gun, because it must be hanging from "HMS Blind" :lol
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 29, 2005, 09:27:56 AM: 2nd Flotillia operates from Lorient (West coast of Fance on the Atlantic), at least it does in 1940/41. You'll want to edit you land-proximity-time-compression settings though, or you'll be going out manualy.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 29, 2005, 09:48:00 AM: 2nd Flotilla is in the beginning the first one to operate with the IX's.
1st and 7th sails with the VII's.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on March 29, 2005, 10:31:20 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Saintaw
There IS something wrong with the spotting, while in storm, my bridge crew will not spot a ship I can clearly see myself. Sometimes the sonarman will report a contact I cannot hear for myself, and sometimes it will not detect it at all. And it often happens as well when waves of planes ar attacking, the crew will sometimes fire at them, sometimes not. My sonar & bridge crew "functionality" bar is full and they are not or resonably tired.

I'm in 41 and the best option already is to dive to PD when planes are spotted...

Was it enemy or neutral? I found that the whole crew was hesitant to call in a contact on a neutral.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 29, 2005, 11:47:51 AM: Finally got my adventure in Scapa Flow.

After drowning near the main Southerly Entrance, I figured I'd take the long way into Scapa Flow. I restarted my saved game, and Headed Around the Islands.

I timed it right so it would be dusk when I approaced the Small Inlet on the WNW side of the Island Port.

Unfortunatley I was spotted by Aircraft, and Had to dive outside of my objective. 2100 I surfaced again, I just entered the Inlet and proceeded East, Within minutes I was attacked by Swordfish.

I dove again, and surfaced almost an hour later. It was finally dark enough to continue on the Surface. Wrong! Here come the Swordfish again and to top it off an Elco Torpedo Boat is circling my last known posistion. Dive again and navigated between the First Small Island. Around 1130 I surfaced again and put her on All ahead Full.

I spot some Coastal Bunkers and Guns, But no ships yet. I finally make it into the Large body of Water of Scapa Flow. All of a sudden a shell rings down in the water ahead of me. ALARM! I pick up a few Sound Contacts, but there outside of the harbor down by the Main Entrance. I raise my Periscope and scan around, all sorts of contacts appear. Two Aux Cruisers and the Illustrious. I posistion myself 6oo yards off the CV, She goes down with Four Torpedos, Then everything comes to life, But the Destroyers are searching the wrong spot. Then as quickly the came to life, they stop, I guess the search is over.

Then I put two into the Aux Cruiser, She starts to list and limp away, Out of Bow Torps, I turn around and give her an ugly Aft Shot, Almost 45 degrees, but it hits and the Cruisers Magazine Explodes and the rounds inside Cook off shooting into the Night.

By 630, I cleared the Inlet Entrance and headed back out to sea, Time to go home :D

Will finish that up tonight.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 29, 2005, 01:36:52 PM: Nice Job Nefarious :)

Pongo, they were enemy (England), and the planes definately were too (I was off the coast of Britain, and another time off Giibraltar).
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nath_____ on March 29, 2005, 01:42:53 PM: Why does it take so long to reload torpedos? 8 minutes?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on March 29, 2005, 02:05:16 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Nath_____
Why does it take so long to reload torpedos? 8 minutes?

Because thats the second world war and nowadays it takes like two minutes to reload, with all the technology.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on March 29, 2005, 02:07:08 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Nath_____
Why does it take so long to reload torpedos? 8 minutes?
Check that you're not rigged for silent running! And check that your torpedo room has a full crew.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Staga on March 29, 2005, 02:11:35 PM: I seem to remember XXI was first sub where hydraulics was used to help reloading torpedos; earlier models did use chains and pulleys.
Gotta see if I can find some info.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Staga on March 29, 2005, 02:15:17 PM: http://uboat.net/types/xxi.htm

Quote
Also they had hydrolic torpedo reload system that enabled the commander to reload all 6 tubes in something like 10 minutes which was even less than it took to reload one tube on the VIIC normally.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 29, 2005, 03:05:50 PM: The Type 21, was ground breaking when it was released.

And most of the Allied Powers copied the design almost to the bolt, after the war.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nath_____ on March 29, 2005, 03:23:14 PM: thx for explanation!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nath_____ on March 29, 2005, 03:42:52 PM: Another question, if Type XXI were being built in 1943, why didn't any of them see combat why did it take until September 1944 for the first one to be commissioned? Lack of crews?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Staga on March 29, 2005, 05:37:41 PM: Earliest I could find:

Quote
U-2501 XXI
Laid down 3 Apr, 1944 Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Commissioned 27 Jun, 1944

Guess the manufacturing took some time like always with the ships; with Graf Spee the time between the laid down and comissioning was over 3 years.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on March 29, 2005, 05:54:46 PM: Quote
Originally posted by moose
ive seen a remarkable improvement since i trained a warrent officer for the sonar suite, but they're still morons. i'd toss an officer in there if i could for sure to straighten em out.

If the experience bar is right across to the right and you have an experienced sonar guy. Using a later model Sonar (obviously the earliest models aren't that great) dive to 20 meters stop the engines and listen.

Then see if he is still a moron. Or if your execting your sonar guy trying to pick out targets 10 nm away while at full speed.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on March 29, 2005, 06:02:15 PM: There was no prototype for most of the technology and it was a new production method for the germans. They really were very quick to get to service consdering who revolutionary there where and the situation that Germany was in.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: moose on March 30, 2005, 01:07:36 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Gixer
If the experience bar is right across to the right and you have an experienced sonar guy. Using a later model Sonar (obviously the earliest models aren't that great) dive to 20 meters stop the engines and listen.

Then see if he is still a moron. Or if your execting your sonar guy trying to pick out targets 10 nm away while at full speed.

~~...-Gixer~~

at the time, i had two warrent officers with the radio qual. my strategy is to dive to 25m, all stop, and listen. this is with the updated hydrophones in a VIIB, as well.

the instance i speak of was in the middle of a storm with no visibility, and i got a radio contact while surfaced.. i immediately headed that way and when time compression dropped to 8 i knew he was in the direct area. my gripe lies in the fact that when i dove down to try and get a fix on him the hydrophone operator could not tell range for squat, even when stopped. after i realized that he was close quarters, i pulled to all stop and i was still showing a 3000m discrepency in how far he really was

ive got two chiefs now trained, so hopefully that will give me better luck.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Habu on March 30, 2005, 07:54:48 AM: They type XXI spent a long time in development because it was not a priority until late 1942 to replace the VII. In 43 they started to rush the development but the propulsion was originally supposed to be powered by hydrogen peroxide. If you look at the sub hull in cross section you will see that it is actully two cylinders stacked one on top of the other and joined together. Originally the bottom cylinder was supposed to be filled with the Hydrogen Peroxide fuel.

If it had been built that way it would have had an incredible speed (for the day) of over 30 knots submerged but a relatively short range. That did not suit the mission requirements but somewhere in 43 a bright engineer realized that if you filled the bottom cylinder with batteries then you would have a boat with amazing underwater range.

It was put into production and was designed so that sections could be built at different locations and then mated together in final assembly. Thus it could be built in a very rapid time. It actually was taken from prototype to production in very rapid time and with relatively few teething problems.

Like all subs the training time to get a crew up to speed was long with that result that the first war patrols did not happen to 1945 when the writing was on the wall regarding the war.

One XXI actually did stalk an allied warship underwater and had a firing solution on it but did not pull the trigger as the command for the surrender had already been sent.

It left and was never even detected by the oblivious warship.

All of this is from memory but I can look up exact figures if anyone is interested.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 30, 2005, 09:53:28 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Habu

One XXI actually did stalk an allied warship underwater and had a firing solution on it but did not pull the trigger as the command for the surrender had already been sent.

It left and was never even detected by the oblivious warship.

All of this is from memory but I can look up exact figures if anyone is interested.

Adalbert Schnee was the Captain. You can recognise his conning tower art in game as the Snowman.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on March 30, 2005, 11:50:52 AM: Got Knights Cross with Oak Leaves for 49000 Tons last Mission, Every officer except for one has Iron Cross.

Upgraded to TypeVII/C
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: takeda on March 30, 2005, 12:21:44 PM: Have been fiddling with voice commands today... lots of fun, but lots of problems too

My horrible german pronunciation befuddles the voice recongnition software and leads to sad misunderstandings, like for example ordering "up periscope" with just 4 meters under the keel in Dutch coastal waters and have the crew perform a crash dive. :lol

And having too short words like "feuer" or "los" for the torpedos can be a problem, because just breathing on the mic can release one :)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 30, 2005, 12:34:03 PM: Takeda, you can edit it to the words you like (English?) in most softwares, or simpler just edit the command "Los!" to "Torpedo loss" (2 words).
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on March 30, 2005, 12:45:32 PM: When I upgrade to a Type VIIB from the Type IIa what happens to my crew? Does it move over complete? Do I get extra guys for the extra numbers needed or do I have to have enough prestige left over to recruite them?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Staga on March 30, 2005, 02:04:12 PM: You just fill up ranks from the available crews.

IIRC type XXI did use batteries because the Hydrogen Peroxide was HIGHLY corrosive and all tanks and fuel lines would have to be lined with rubber (this was scarce material at that time; I believe butyl rubber, developed by German engineers in fourties because of lack of rubber, didn't work) and even then it was more than risky way to power a submarine.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on March 30, 2005, 03:02:09 PM: You get to keep your crew Pongo. You can sack some, or hire more.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Habu on March 30, 2005, 05:34:32 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Staga
You just fill up ranks from the available crews.

IIRC type XXI did use batteries because the Hydrogen Peroxide was HIGHLY corrosive and all tanks and fuel lines would have to be lined with rubber (this was scarce material at that time; I believe butyl rubber, developed by German engineers in fourties because of lack of rubber, didn't work) and even then it was more than risky way to power a submarine.

They did make torpedos fueled with Hydrogen Peroxide. They were getting rubber from Japan via some specially modified cargo submarines. I believe they were type XB.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on March 30, 2005, 05:39:05 PM: Thanks.
Ill have enough coin for a Type VIIB tonight.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: takeda on March 30, 2005, 05:45:35 PM: As I have read in some other board, this sim has an extremely realistic and wife-annoying feature:

I've been playing so much that I now sport an unshaven, sweaty face and stink to high heavens, just like a true u-bootmensch! :lol
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: SFRT - Frenchy on April 01, 2005, 04:50:32 AM: Is there a way to know if the ship is neutral, or if you are at war with the country?

First mission, I sank a Brit coastal marchant ... and it counted as neutral. I guess Churchild was still in his sleepers.

This one saw me a tat too late.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/82_1112352868_spoted.jpg)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 01, 2005, 05:58:18 AM: Quote
Originally posted by SFRT - Frenchy
Is there a way to know if the ship is neutral, or if you are at war with the country?

Check the flag.

However I do still wonder how to check what countries are enemies or neutral.
So far I've been just using the WWII knowledge to avoid sinking neutral ships.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on April 01, 2005, 10:33:05 AM: Neutrals show up as green on the map
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 01, 2005, 11:55:45 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Pongo
Neutrals show up as green on the map

...in the easy mode only.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Furious on April 01, 2005, 12:16:18 PM: the colors of the cities on the map show whether allied, neutral or at war.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: BlueJ1 on April 01, 2005, 12:29:16 PM: IS there anything bigger then DDs ? (might have been asked before, got headache looking through 4 pages worth of posts.)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 01, 2005, 12:39:10 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Furious
the colors of the cities on the map show whether allied, neutral or at war.

except there isn't ports in all the countries.
Like Greece, Portugal, Spain....
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on April 01, 2005, 12:51:30 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Fishu
...in the easy mode only.

I dont have map update on but when a contact shows up its indicated whether its neutral or not. Im talking about the ones that hq puts on your map
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 01, 2005, 12:59:14 PM: Quote
Originally posted by BlueJ1
IS there anything bigger then DDs ? (might have been asked before, got headache looking through 4 pages worth of posts.)

As in like Battleships and Aircraft Carriers? Yes.

I can vouch for that.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: SFRT - Frenchy on April 01, 2005, 01:01:50 PM: I looked at the Flag, it was British ... I sank it ... counted as Neutral. It was the first patrol.

Red ports are enemy, green ports Axis friendly, blue ports Nazi?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 01, 2005, 01:08:41 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Pongo
I dont have map update on but when a contact shows up its indicated whether its neutral or not. Im talking about the ones that hq puts on your map

Yeah.. when and if it does, often I just sink ones which weren't known by the HQ.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: BlueJ1 on April 01, 2005, 01:46:27 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Nefarious
As in like Battleships and Aircraft Carriers? Yes.

I can vouch for that.

Any good stories ?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on April 01, 2005, 02:08:50 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Fishu
Yeah.. when and if it does, often I just sink ones which weren't known by the HQ.

Which is another way of saying that your arrogance was misplaced. Big supprise.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 01, 2005, 02:47:03 PM: Quote
Originally posted by BlueJ1
Any good stories ?

Quote
Originally posted by Nefarious
Finally got my adventure in Scapa Flow.

After drowning near the main Southerly Entrance, I figured I'd take the long way into Scapa Flow. I restarted my saved game, and Headed Around the Islands.

I timed it right so it would be dusk when I approaced the Small Inlet on the WNW side of the Island Port.

Unfortunatley I was spotted by Aircraft, and Had to dive outside of my objective. 2100 I surfaced again, I just entered the Inlet and proceeded East, Within minutes I was attacked by Swordfish.

I dove again, and surfaced almost an hour later. It was finally dark enough to continue on the Surface. Wrong! Here come the Swordfish again and to top it off an Elco Torpedo Boat is circling my last known posistion. Dive again and navigated between the First Small Island. Around 1130 I surfaced again and put her on All ahead Full.

I spot some Coastal Bunkers and Guns, But no ships yet. I finally make it into the Large body of Water of Scapa Flow. All of a sudden a shell rings down in the water ahead of me. ALARM! I pick up a few Sound Contacts, but there outside of the harbor down by the Main Entrance. I raise my Periscope and scan around, all sorts of contacts appear. Two Aux Cruisers and the Illustrious. I posistion myself 6oo yards off the CV, She goes down with Four Torpedos, Then everything comes to life, But the Destroyers are searching the wrong spot. Then as quickly the came to life, they stop, I guess the search is over.

Then I put two into the Aux Cruiser, She starts to list and limp away, Out of Bow Torps, I turn around and give her an ugly Aft Shot, Almost 45 degrees, but it hits and the Cruisers Magazine Explodes and the rounds inside Cook off shooting into the Night.

By 630, I cleared the Inlet Entrance and headed back out to sea, Time to go home :D

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/145_1112388378_1.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20105)

Will finish that up tonight.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on April 01, 2005, 02:52:39 PM: Quote
Originally posted by BlueJ1
Any good stories ?

May 1942 and I came across the usual "Warship Spotted" and went to Periscope depth pretty soon my Sonar guy reported a few more Warships. I had a look through the scope saw two more DD's and then a Revenge and Nelson Class Battleship came out of the fog.

Unfortunetly to fast to get anywhere close for a position and shortly after when I surfaced a Sunderland dropped two depth charges right on the stern of my Sub, I was already in a crash dive,the depth charges killed eveyone aft of the control room, damage control team couldn't control the flooding and the whole hull crushed before I could surface. :(

So that commander and crew were dead on the return of their first patrol.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: BlueJ1 on April 01, 2005, 04:08:53 PM: Wow...

Thats amazing, thankyou.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 01, 2005, 04:22:56 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Pongo
Which is another way of saying that your arrogance was misplaced. Big supprise.

excuse me?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on April 01, 2005, 07:14:17 PM: WHICH IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING THAT YOUR ARROGANCE WAS MISSPLACED, BIG SUPPRISE!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 01, 2005, 07:23:26 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Pongo
WHICH IS ANOTHER WAY OF SAYING THAT YOUR ARROGANCE WAS MISSPLACED, BIG SUPPRISE!

Now now.. would you just explain why are you like that and what do you mean?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Staga on April 01, 2005, 07:37:44 PM: Anyone seen Pongo's ball?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on April 01, 2005, 07:43:58 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Staga
Anyone seen Pongo's ball?

No but his dummy is somewhere across the room.

(http://www.inmagine.com/thumbnails/ingram/inglibrary/ingl1028.jpg)

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: SFRT - Frenchy on April 01, 2005, 10:06:57 PM: When you two are done being submerged for more than a week breathing CO2, maybe we can build a timeline of "war declarations" so we stop torpedoing neutral shipd.

here here (http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/ww2time.htm)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on April 01, 2005, 11:01:03 PM: Guys being an arrogant salamander like he allways is. read his friggen posts.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Vulcan on April 01, 2005, 11:58:25 PM: How the heck do you get external torpedoes loaded into the tubes?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on April 02, 2005, 12:05:26 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Vulcan
How the heck do you get external torpedoes loaded into the tubes?

surface in calm waters and put the guys in the torp rooms I think.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on April 02, 2005, 12:05:40 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Vulcan
How the heck do you get external torpedoes loaded into the tubes?

You have to be surfaced in calm weather and have atleast one torpedo specialist in the stern/bow torpedo room along with as many crew as possible, officer helps. Then drag the torp from the external to the internal bays. Should then start seeing the timer count down takes atleast 1 hour fully crewed.

Opportunities to load external torps are few and far between especially in the North Atlantic so load from external asap.

Oh also make sure your not within range of enemy aircraft and trying the external load during daylight hours. Save it for night if possible.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on April 02, 2005, 12:17:14 AM: All this chat about neutral shipping and renown here's the effects.

You get 500 for reaching your patrol ocation.
You get 200 for hanging out there 24 hours.
You get 100 for making it back to base alive.
You get -1 (Per ton) for Neutrals.
You get 1 (Per ton) for Allied (enemy)
You get -10 (Per ton) for Axis (friendly)

Personally I always try and ID the flag first but if at night and it dosn't have running lights on or is travelling in a convoy I sink it.

I don't think the Dev's included running lights at night for neutrals but I let BDU worry about the effects. :D

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: -tronski- on April 02, 2005, 01:31:42 AM: Unfortunately neutrals travel in convoys, and I usually go for the bigger buggers (c3, T3's etc) and one convoy ALL the c3s I attacked were American!
I reckon any neutral in a convoy should be fair game...

Tronsky
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on April 02, 2005, 03:28:46 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Gixer
No but his dummy is somewhere across the room.

(http://www.inmagine.com/thumbnails/ingram/inglibrary/ingl1028.jpg)

~~...-Gixer~~
~~You know in America, they call that a "pacifier". LOL :lol~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 02, 2005, 06:08:07 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Pongo
Guys being an arrogant salamander like he allways is. read his friggen posts.

Huh? I surely haven't been.
Look at your own posts then.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on April 02, 2005, 04:19:38 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Fishu
Huh? I surely haven't been.
Look at your own posts then.

I dont know what they call coments like this
" quote:Originally posted by Pongo
Neutrals show up as green on the map

...in the easy mode only.

"
in Finland but its an arrogant shot in most of the world. And of course its not even true, which when corrected you didnt even acknowlege. I dont even have to ask how you would respond if someone implied you were playing a game in easy mode.

Like I said. You were an arrogant salamander when you could afford to play the game 5 years ago when it was free and your an arrogant salamander now.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: takeda on April 02, 2005, 05:01:39 PM: It could pass for a friendly poke... unless there's some previous heartbreaking drama going, which seems to be the case. All in all, not pertaining to our pleasant on & under the waves seafaring conversation. :P

So, to get back to the matter at hand, I keep getting better at commanding my beardy crewmen using my beautiful, manly and well modulated voice. :D

I have even come up with a program, still rough in the edges, enabling me to fine tune depth, rudder and heading, totally hands off from the mouse.

http://www.subsim.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=31950

Might be interesting to other voice users.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 02, 2005, 08:37:01 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Pongo
Like I said. You were an arrogant salamander when you could afford to play the game 5 years ago when it was free and your an arrogant salamander now.

I don't find it arrogant, it's simply a short reply, nothing more.
Instead of starting to act arrogantly, you could've told me straight and clearly you dont like my replies.

If you don't like me, fine, theres an ignore button for it.
But do not come to tell me I'm arrogant, when you're the one acting like it for real.

I did say it is in the easy mode only because it doesn't show nationality of all the ships on the map, only the HQ contacts.
Therefore it leaves alot of ships for you to identify through the periscope and there is no idea whether some of those are friend or foe.
Alot of the countries do not have a port, which would indicate the side on the map.
Excuse me if I didn't write an article covering all of the issue.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on April 03, 2005, 01:25:57 AM: See there you go again. Big supprise.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Dinger on April 03, 2005, 05:23:17 AM: Back to yoiur corners you two. While I'm always happy to see people attack each other in public, there's still stuff to discuss, namely:
(I'm still in a IIA -- early on)
A) Is there any way to get the sonar guy to ping/estimate range to a sound contact? Those guys only seem to give me those options if I've got a target in my periscope/UZO, and I can't find the sonar button on the hydrophone screen.
And what about contacts you can hear but can't register?

B) The game would be so much cooler if they had the whole sub modelled, and had crew rushing back and forth for things like crash dives. So there is room for improvement ther.e

C) What? No fish? give me a break. And I want dolphins too!

D) It would be nice for some audio or comamnd feedback when you put it on the ocean floor. It's rather unsettling to only find out about that by hitting the screws.

E) do they ever lower boats in this game?

F) "Kicking down" from 1024 to 1x for stuff like attacks should be a tthe moment of the contact, not the moment the slice decides to stop (usually about three minutes in).

G) My laptop's audio card (a soundmax) gives "Stuttering" on playback. It kind of ruins the effect.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 03, 2005, 06:46:22 AM: Dinger,

The sonar button is in the lower left corner of the hydrophone screen.
Move the hydrophone view just a little bit downwards and you should see a button in the left and right.
You do know how to look around at the hydrophone view right?

The knob on the right side is for ambient volume. I suggest you always tune it up after starting or loading the game.
To increase the volume, press the upper side of the knob and vice-versa to decrease it. With the engines on you should be able to hear how the engine noise gets louder as you increase the volume.

You can hear contacts from pretty far away yourself.
An untrained crew is rather poor with the hydrophone, so it is better to do the listening yourself.
When your crew becomes really good, then you can rely more on the AI, but it still isn't perfect.

e) no

F) mine goes from 1024x to 8x each time someone sees something and it happens instantly.
Makes it annoying when the sonar guy keeps repeating some distant contacts I don't care about, especially while submerged.

Quote
Originally posted by Pongo
See there you go again. Big supprise.

Why can't you just get along with me?
I have not tried to insult anyone on purpose.
You've attacked me for being arrogant and now you can't even back off of me. What does that tell about the situation?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Siaf__csf on April 03, 2005, 05:11:31 PM: The biggest disappointment was no damage graphics in ships. You blast one with a torpedo and it won't even leave a black mark to the side, let alone a hole.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on April 03, 2005, 05:23:28 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Siaf__csf
The biggest disappointment was no damage graphics in ships. You blast one with a torpedo and it won't even leave a black mark to the side, let alone a hole.

??

They do break up in two if hit right. And tankers make great fireballs at night. You can leave plenty of black marks across the hull when using the deck gun. I counted 15 last time I plastered a C3 after a torp hit just forward of the bridge.

I'd rather have realisitc (for a game anyway) damage effects and sinkings rather then graphics showing holes in hulls etc.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on April 03, 2005, 05:25:15 PM: Crush Depth Tool

http://www.subsim.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=32056

Make sure you download this, excellent tool for changing sub crush depth to a more realisitc and variable depth. Works very well.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Siaf__csf on April 03, 2005, 05:29:35 PM: Yes they do break in half but if you just cause a leak they sink totally intact and hit the bottom like a stick. Even the hull doesn't get deformed on impact.

It's quite boring to learn the ships are modelled with a few standard hit boxes which blow up, rest of the vessel is made of acme titanium.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on April 03, 2005, 05:57:16 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Siaf__csf
Yes they do break in half but if you just cause a leak they sink totally intact and hit the bottom like a stick. Even the hull doesn't get deformed on impact.

It's quite boring to learn the ships are modelled with a few standard hit boxes which blow up, rest of the vessel is made of acme titanium.

Oh well, each to their own. I'm too busy setting up the TDC or maping contacts on the map and avoiding Escorts in 1943 to spend time looking through the external camera (even if it was on) complaining about not seeing hulls deform at 500 meters. If I'm lucky I have the time and close enough to hear it crushing.

I know your looking for graphics but there's far more to the sim then that , no holes or hulls visibly crushing isn't something that detracts from the enjoyment and realism of the sim.

As for the ACME titanium hull and hit boxes I'm not sure what your expecting. All hits effect the ship with flooding,list,damage etc in some varied way. Obviously if you miss a vital area it's going to have varied levels of effect. Or whether you've used contact or magnetic. Filling cargo areas with water on a merchant isn't going to have the same effect as engine or fuel tanks etc. Which is modeled.

I sugest you might like to try at 100% realism, you'll find it more rewarding then what any minor visual effects might be able to induce. As finding and sinking even the smallest merchant will give you more satisfaction.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 03, 2005, 07:40:51 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Siaf__csf
The biggest disappointment was no damage graphics in ships. You blast one with a torpedo and it won't even leave a black mark to the side, let alone a hole.

Actually it does leave a black mark to the side, it's just rather light coloured ;)

The hit boxes are actually fuel tanks and ammo.
With enough torps you can cut ship in half by hitting other areas, but like said... with "enough" torps.

As far as I know, they tried to go for engine, fuel and ammo in real life.
Hitting the cargo compartment didn't necessarily do that much damage, unless loaded up with ammo.
Cargo compartments are ultimately just large empty spaces filled up with stuff and the compartment blown open doesn't do much more than adds bit more to the displacement.
Only sinks if theres massive structucal failure or the ship must be abandoned due to excessive fires.

However if you hit the engine, the ship will likely loose electricity and becomes a sitting dunk.
Loosing electricity is bad, because it can affect the pumps, repair operations, etc.
Fuel tank/ammo bin hits are self obvious.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 05, 2005, 09:16:45 AM: errrrrrrr nevermind, 1.2 was out... but they removed it already...

:confused:
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 05, 2005, 11:06:44 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Saintaw
errrrrrrr nevermind, 1.2 was out... but they removed it already...

:confused:

It's out, I went to their homepage and there it shines.
Thanks for the heads up :D

For the lazy people: http://www.silent-hunteriii.com/uk/home.php

SHIPS & AIRPLANES DAMAGE SYSTEM
Improvements in collision and damage model have been made for several ships:
Liberty Cargo
C2 Cargo
T2 Tanker
T3 Tanker
Tug Boat
LST
CAMPAIGN DATA
Netherlands properly enters and exits the war now
Gdansk is now renamed Danzig when under German control
Added mine fields and anti sub nets
INTERFACE
Local time displayed (under the current date) when the mouse is over the current hour (bottom-right corner) in game; this local time will depend on the U-Boot position on Earth (which is divided in 24 slices having 15 longitudinal degrees each)
Game version displayed in the bottom-right corner of the main menu page
Data from notepad (top-right section in periscopes or UZO pages) will not be reset on expert mode when the target in view is changing
A new tool: Angle tool (protractor) on navigation map

No weapon officer assist option (a new option in difficulty settings); when this option is checked then the Identify target and Solution to target orders from Weapons officer will be disabled
Wound badge fixed (when drag & drop)
WEATHER SYSTEM
Solved issues related to rain on time compression (rain will not became invisible after long time compression sessions)
A more balanced weather system
GAME EDITOR
Solved Game Editor crashes related to terrain data, mission objectives and triggers
IN-GAME
Solved the black sun problem and environment texture errors
The escorts will now make evasive maneuvers while pursuing contact (depending on the crew skill)
MULTIPLAYER
Ready button issue was fixed
Message box issues
The interface to servers list has been slightly updated to reflect the version of the game server and also to show if the server is password protected
The crash that is happening when chatting in session menu has been fixed.
Other minor updates
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: NUTTZ on April 05, 2005, 11:27:06 AM: What he said, But also make sure your NOT in silent running, or they won't reload torps at all.

NUTTZ

Quote
Originally posted by Gixer
You have to be surfaced in calm weather and have atleast one torpedo specialist in the stern/bow torpedo room along with as many crew as possible, officer helps. Then drag the torp from the external to the internal bays. Should then start seeing the timer count down takes atleast 1 hour fully crewed.

Opportunities to load external torps are few and far between especially in the North Atlantic so load from external asap.

Oh also make sure your not within range of enemy aircraft and trying the external load during daylight hours. Save it for night if possible.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: NUTTZ on April 05, 2005, 11:29:16 AM: Are any of your petty officers watchmen? I believe if they are watchmen you'll get better responces.

NUTTZ

Quote
Originally posted by Saintaw
There IS something wrong with the spotting, while in storm, my bridge crew will not spot a ship I can clearly see myself. Sometimes the sonarman will report a contact I cannot hear for myself, and sometimes it will not detect it at all. And it often happens as well when waves of planes ar attacking, the crew will sometimes fire at them, sometimes not. My sonar & bridge crew "functionality" bar is full and they are not or resonably tired.

I'm in 41 and the best option already is to dive to PD when planes are spotted...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on April 05, 2005, 11:46:44 AM: "Why can't you just get along with me?
I have not tried to insult anyone on purpose.
You've attacked me for being arrogant and now you can't even back off of me. What does that tell about the situation?"

Well if you cant see that replying to my help of another poster with
"...easymode" isnt just an arrogant rude ******** thing to do especialy when it isnt even true then dont expect a hug from me.
I generaly dont get along with people that are needlessly and misguidedly arrogant and rude with me. I generally give them the same back. These guys that have never seen you on channel one or channel 2 can believe i am missunderstanding your post but I know different. So quite your whining and drop the issue and let these nice people return to talking about SHIII. Your protests mean nothing to me, I will judge you by your actions.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 05, 2005, 12:03:05 PM: I really really don't know whats so offensive about saying "easy mode" versus "full realism".
So can I be called arrogant for not knowing its offensive?
Should I perhaps have said "relaxed realism mode" or what do you expect?
How about helping me reduce unrealized arrogance, instead of behaving in such ignorant manner. Doesn't help much, does it?

People plays in the different realism modes as they prefer fit for them. It doesn't concern me what they prefer.
Besides, like I've said, but you've ignored me, only some of the contacts are visible on the (navigational) map in the high realism mode.

You're really showing off your own arrogance here too, so who are you to blame me? Excuse my arrogance in this one, but I refuse to listen to people accusing me of arrogance, when they're acting themselves arrogantly. People can't accuse others of things they do themself, it just doesn't work like that. :rolleyes:

I hope we could solve the problem between us, but you're so far the reluctant one, apparently only because you have bad memories supposedly of me from years ago.
It's been already 5 years, even more?

If you don't want to drop repeating the nonsense in the next reply, I will, for good.
In the case you don't, just remember this 5 years from now: I tried to, you didn't.
Title: MAPPING?
Post by: aSTAR on April 05, 2005, 02:28:23 PM: May I inject a question on SHlll:confused: I have CH stuff, USB, CHmgr 3.60, know how to key in button responces but SHlll has me stumpted:rolleyes:
Is it possible or andvantages to map this sim:confused:
What I would like is the ability to fire the deck & flak guns with the stick trigger, also by moving the stick around would move the gun sight to the target.
Any mapping suggestions is appreciated.
Thank you.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 05, 2005, 02:48:47 PM: If its a programmable model, you could try to program the stick after the mouse movement and whatever keys pitched the gun.
AA-guns would be easier though.

Although I'm not sure if even a programmable stick supports programming of XY axis to mouse movement. Let alone the keys..

But I don't have any idea on the keymapper file... just puzzled why it wasn't made easier.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 05, 2005, 05:10:07 PM: Yeah Fishu, it was up when I got home :)

Quite a few undocumented updates: Officer active options are now highlighted, sonar tracking vs normal sweep works... no more active sonar on the older Uboots. I like.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Octavius on April 06, 2005, 02:21:36 AM: Think I'll join the fun...

First patrol a large convoy was spotted... UNDEFENDED. Two C3 (American), a few T2s, and several C2s. I had a field day.

Raked in 45,000 tons! Then a freakin storm hit, so no more deck gun madness after 5-6 ships. No torpedos left either.

Awesome game. :cool:
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: hyena426 on April 06, 2005, 02:47:32 AM: i really need to check out this game:) i like a good sub game..even from the days of old silent service the original on my nintendo..lol is it better much than enigma rising tide?<~~i allmost got that one..but wasnt sure how good it was

wish they would make a good battle ship game..had fighting steel but that thing was so full of bugs..lol crashed all the time...but i enjoyed it when it worked.hehe
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 06, 2005, 06:26:09 AM: Enigma is to a subsim what "pong" is to an accountancy software.

Oct, you sank american boats in 1940? Those will count as negative in your rep points (Amherrka not at war with Herr Adolf yet at that time...)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Octavius on April 06, 2005, 10:27:28 AM: Yeah I know, but I enjoyed it. It was actually September 11th, 1939 :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 06, 2005, 11:36:33 AM: The only neutral ship I sunk in my 9 patrols so far was a 'passenger liner'. I figured it was an AMI ship but couldn't get a look (or find) a flag to identify it. At 26k tons it put a hurt on my 'renown' earnings for that patrol. I had also killed a British T3 tanker, T2 tanker and several C2 merchants that offset the loss some what.

I just wanted to see the big ship go down.

I fired a 4 spread, magnet set to fast at 550m. 3 hit, the forth missed long.

3 destroyers were all over me and I didn't have time to watch it go down. I sounded the 'alarm' call and I emergency dived to 90m, rigged for silent running and did a series of 'S' turns to the north west. Later I surfaced and reset and made another run at the convoy. I got a couple more ships but the destroyers showed back up. Once again I dove to 90m and did 'S' turns this time south west.

It took nearly 2 hours to shake the destroyers that time.

I am into early March 1940 with 8 days in between patrols. I started in the type IIa, then the IId now the VIIb.

I play on the 100% realism settings and use several mods (plotting tools etc...)

I just head to the patrol area and do my 24 hours then head to AM51 / 52 / 53.

There convoy after convoy rolls in. I usually set up and kill the T2 and T3 in the middle of the convoy then dive and either reset for the C2s or head north to reset for the next convoy.

I have 127k tons sunk so far doing that.

I haven't killed any with my deck gun as it is always high seas or bad weather.

3 patrols had weather so bad that visibility was reduced to 400m. As I set up to hit a T3 I was hit by a C2 and my conning tower damaged . Besides that I haven't received any other damage.

Things seem to be getting tougher though. The last convoy had more then one destroyer. Early on they had none, then just 1 VW. The one I am engaged with now has at least 3. I usually play around an hour or so a day, then save. A couple of patrols took me 3 or 4 days to finish.

I am thinking of heading South toward Gibraltar and let the Seas calm down in the north as it moves into summer. December and January '39 were very bad. As it moves into March and into summer hopefully things will calm a bit. Its incredibly challenging and at times frustrating to get a fire solution during bad weather, just being able to gage range alone is difficult. I felt like the Kaleun in Das Boot 'Damn this weather!!!'

On my last patrol my Kaleun made 'Oberleutnant zur See' (Lieutenant-Sr.) which was strange because my CE out ranked me for a while.

It's a fun game.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: NUTTZ on April 06, 2005, 11:54:08 AM: lost my first carreer to wife ack. I'm doing much better this tour, 151 tons sunks. My problem is my loyalty to my crew, I just can't seem to replace them. What is the plus and minus of trading up to better crew members? I don't see any crew members that are worth spending the points for, so my crew is getting up or over their original default points.

???

P.T. boats are little nasty gnats, armed trawlers are also little buggers, Will the deck gun out power their firepower? I haven't had the chance to find out, EVERYTIME I try to use the deck gun it is ALWAYS a storm. Used it once to finish off a cargo ship thats all.

NUTTZ
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 06, 2005, 12:01:50 PM: I couldn't tell you, I avoid the small fish. Mostly because it's normally high seas and I can't man the deck gun.

The core of my crew started with my on the IIa and have built up a ton of experience. So I haven't 'bought' any crew since early on.

When I switched to the VIIb I just filled my crew with nubs. I did buy 1 officer who was rated as a gunner and watchman.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Octavius on April 06, 2005, 12:04:21 PM: Are historical dates modelled? Eg, Dunkirk in 1940?

I want to wreck havoc on some rowboats.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 06, 2005, 12:07:31 PM: I believe so however the 'English Channel' in 1940 is very much 'English'.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 06, 2005, 02:58:13 PM: Not yet Oct, but there's a campaign/map that's apparently comming. All they put in now are some minefields and sub nets... haven't ran into any myself yet. I am now in August 41, have my 1st coating on my IXB (I have the option to take the IXC... but it's dive is even slower... if only my aiming would allow me to carry less torps and go back to a VII :o )

Wotan, the only thing I've seen in Gibraltar so far are destroyers and planes... lots of those.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 06, 2005, 03:07:23 PM: Quote
Originally posted by NUTTZ

P.T. boats are little nasty gnats, armed trawlers are also little buggers, Will the deck gun out power their firepower? I haven't had the chance to find out, EVERYTIME I try to use the deck gun it is ALWAYS a storm. Used it once to finish off a cargo ship thats all.

NUTTZ [/QUOTE

In my Current Patrol (10) (May 1940) Ive been slotted for a Grid NW of Scapa Flow, Its my first real Atlantic Patrol.

I decided I would take the long way there, through the English Channel and in between the Two Main British Islands. Ive sank Two Coastal Merchants with my Deck Gun. And Nabbed a C2, afterwords I compressede time, BAM!

Im being fired on by an Armed Trawler, So I man the Deck Gun and 20mm AAA, I took two hits to the Conning tower, and I was suprised to see visual effects along the lines of Call of Duty when a shell explodes near you. The Blurred Vision Effect so to say.

I ended up sinking him with my deck gun, And recieved light damage From shells and small arms.

So yes, there not invincible, but I wouldnt reccomend it everytime you see one. Because they call the cavalary on you!

I havnt played in more than a week, because Ive been really busy. But as soon as I get some free time, I'm getting back in.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: NUTTZ on April 06, 2005, 05:46:27 PM: thanx for the reply, anyone else get an order to stay 24 hours in a grid thats land?

I checked, double checked, and triple checked the coords were right, they were, so i got as close to the shore as possible but still couldn't recieve a completed mission.

NUTTZ
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 06, 2005, 06:08:20 PM: Quote
Wotan, the only thing I've seen in Gibraltar so far are destroyers and planes... lots of those.

AH thanks, I am not one to get confined into a narrow space. I went into Scapa Flow on my second patrol. I was able to slip in from the west at night in a IIa, I only saw destroyers and PT boats but nothing in the bay or moored at the docks. I hid out until the next night and ran back out the western passage.

I made 1 trip to the English Channel in my IIa but only saw small merchants and a few nuetrals.

Once I got the IId with and the greater range I went around the tip of Scotland and caught many C2s. Once I made a check of the convoy routes north of Ireland I ran into large convoy after large convoy. Since then it's been bread and butter.

But with only 5 torps in the II's (I never take the electric as they are too slow at just 30 knots) I made a habbit of hitting just the large 10k and 11k ton tankers.

With the VII I am able to attack multiple convoys targetting just those large tankers.

Chasing after a trawler or lone 'coastal merchant' seems like a waste of a torp. If I cound get calm seas I would jump in the deck gun but so far the winter of '39 has been nothing but high seas.

I will start my 10th patrol (207k tons so far) tonight or tomorrow. Its now March 29th '40. I may check the southern approaches into Britain maybe the sea will be flatter there.

I have that map mod that shows the convoy routes which makes finding a good place to lie in wait easy enough.

I am after tonnage not so much just the 'kill' so if all else fails I will fall back to AM 51 / 52 / 53.

Nuttz,

I never had an issue with bad co-ordinates yet but I haven't updated to patch 1.1 or 1.2 due to Starforce.

Well I went up to 1.1 then uninstalled the game, did a fresh install, grabbed the No-DVD fix and used the Starforce removal utility. I wont patch up until I find a No-DVD fix for 1.1 / 1.2.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Octavius on April 06, 2005, 07:13:07 PM: I started out with a VIIB. I can't remember not having the option. I know scoring Excellent in all categories in the Naval Academy gives a few more Renown points... not sure about a better sub. Am I spoiling myself by not grabbing a Type II?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 06, 2005, 08:13:35 PM: I personally liked the IIA, I had it then switched for IID, Then VIIB followed by VIIC.

I cant wait for the VII's with the wintergartens, Its just something about all those AAA Guns, Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nath_____ on April 06, 2005, 09:22:42 PM: 280,000 tons, January 1941, since 1939. 13 patrols. everything on max realism except for realistic torp reload...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 06, 2005, 11:31:38 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Octavius
I started out with a VIIB. I can't remember not having the option. I know scoring Excellent in all categories in the Naval Academy gives a few more Renown points... not sure about a better sub. Am I spoiling myself by not grabbing a Type II?

I liked the IIa but liked the IId even better because of the increased range. 27 crewman, 5 torps. Don't take the electric torps until mid '40 because you may end up with one breaching and detonating otw to target. The steam torps are faster (you can set their speed to S, M, F). If you are doing everything manually if you get inside 600m with a fast torp you calculations don't need to be spot on. Anything close will get you a hit.

I just finished patrol number 10 and have scored 230K. I just upgrade to the VIIc (dunno why, the VIIb was slightly faster on the water and submerged and had greater underwater range). I had 10,000 renown points. Patrol 11 will start in June (11th I think).

Number 10 was rough and I returned to base with 70% hull damage. I killed a T3, T2, C2 and something else in the AM 51 / 52 / 53 sector. Again we had bad weather and visibility was reduced to 400m. I was hit with depth charges several times. I decided to emergency blow and run on the surface using the ships in the convoy as cover. I needed to create some space / time to allow my crew to make repairs. I would have stayed under but the destroyer had me zeroed in. I then double backed and out of visual in the rain storm. I thought I was clear but took a hit on the bridge by the destroyer. My watch officer was wounded as well as one of the enlisted men.

Both survived and have the 'wound badge'. I crashed divided with full right rudder and descended fast to 70m then rigged silent and weaved north. I made it out and ran back to Wilhelmshaven.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Vulcan on April 06, 2005, 11:54:24 PM: I notice the AI is a bit wonky, I snuck into Scapa Flow and knocked off a few destroyers on my first patrol. I put into a small inlet just west to reload torpedoes and recharge.

In the morning a Destroyer spotted me from afar so I submerged to periscope depth, then two of his buddies joined. Wierd thing is they drove right up to the opposite side of the noodleula I was hiding behind, almost beaching. So I lef the inlet submerged, came around and nailed all 3 from behind as they were just sitting still, up against the shore, facing my old position.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Siaf__csf on April 07, 2005, 12:45:28 AM: I rode into a massive neutral fleet that had a greek C2 with a cannon which started shooting me. After I expended all my torpedoes, I couldn't use my cannon because of rough seas. So I drove in the middle of the fleet and snuck behind a tanker. As I guessed the C2 continued shooting me, scoring several hits on the tanker. :)

It didn't get too much damage though.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on April 07, 2005, 01:30:36 PM: FINALLY picked up my copy today.

Wife is having a night out with the girls tonight.

Sometimes things work out pretty darn well.

How long do the tutorials take to complete?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: SFRT - Frenchy on April 07, 2005, 02:01:04 PM: Any tips on how to assign promotions and war medals? Do various medals have an effect, I have a bunch of Uboat badges to give away, and 3 guys to promote... 1 iron cross to give.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: BlueJ1 on April 07, 2005, 02:07:53 PM: Are torp calculations hard to figure out if you have a small knowledge of subs ?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Octavius on April 07, 2005, 02:17:26 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Wotan
I just finished patrol number 10 and have scored 230K. I just upgrade to the VIIc (dunno why, the VIIb was slightly faster on the water and submerged and had greater underwater range). I had 10,000 renown points. Patrol 11 will start in June (11th I think).

WOW - 230k in patrol 10 or after 10 patrols?

I finished my 4th patrol in the VIIB and am at about 100k. My first patrol scored 46k-ish and have had moderate luck since then.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 07, 2005, 03:36:50 PM: Over 10 patrols...

Not in one patrol...

23k per patrol...

Do you use the manual TDC?

My realism settings are at 100%.

Sometimes I turn on externals but I have removed (renamed) the image that shows the orange marker on the surface of the water.

I also modified the markers (the markers that are placed on the map by bdu) to the same as my uboat marker. Instead of red, green or blue they are black / grey. This encourages me to get close to investigate whether they are friendly, nuetral or enemy boats / ships.

Quote
Are torp calculations hard to figure out if you have a small knowledge of subs ?

I picked this up from a thread over at subsim.com, it works for me...

Quote
Step #1

a = b sin A / sin B

a = the track of the target vessel toward the collision point in meters.

b = the distance to the target in meters.

A = Bearing to the target.

B = 180 - (A + AOB) ... since the angles of a triangle = 180, subtract the sum of the relative Bearing and the target's AOB.

Step #2

...after 5 minutes (300 seconds) or whatever time interval you need to use, then do the math (Step #1 again) for the second bearing and AOB.

Step #3

Subtract the results of Step #2 from Step #1...the difference is the distance the target ship has traveled in the time allotted.

Step #4

Divide results of Step #3 by 300 seconds (in my example) then multiply the answer by 1.9438 to get the target's speed in knots.

I then enter my results manually and fire. Usually a 2 spread at 2 degrees, magnet pistol set 2 meters below draft. I use the steam torps set to fast and close to 600m. If I don't have a shot I reset. I miss a lot as well. In bad weather its extremely frustrating but at the same time a challenge to get the info correct. In weather where visibility is low (400m) It takes many resets before I get a shot and even then I miss often.

The closer you are to the target the greater the tolerence there is in regrads to the margin of error. You can be off and still hit. Inside 300m though you run the risk of the torp not arming. The sweet spot is 400-600m.

You don't need to do all of it manual. You can go the easy route with the 'aim bot'. Or you can have your weapons officer come up with a solution for you.

There's severals and 'files' you can download that will help you (AOB calculator, etc...)

Basically you need range, speed and AOB of the target. On 100% realism you need to plot all of the is yourself. Its extremely time consuming (I use the pause key a a lot).

Quote
Any tips on how to assign promotions and war medals? Do various medals have an effect, I have a bunch of Uboat badges to give away, and 3 guys to promote... 1 iron cross to give.

Just drag um over the guy you want to give then to.

Yes the medals have an effect. The clasp increase resilience. Others have other effects...

I was rather chauvinistic in how I handed out awards, ratings etc...

Officers first, then warrants then enlisted.

I then went to number of patrols and overall experience.

For example when I switched from the type IIs to the VIIs I had a core of 27 guys. I had picked up nubs when I switched to the VII to fill out the crew.

I gave out the awards and promotions to those who had been on the longest and to those with the most experience.

In the VII I have a number of sailors who do nothing more the ride a long. They may help loads torps or be a damage control team but they do very little.

The folks I use a lot like sonar / radio, helm, topside watch. engine room folks and get first priority. These slots are filled with the most experienced and these are the ones that get 1st shot at any award and/or promotion.

Basically everything runs down hill.

FYI Tip on the medic 'badge'

If you get wounded sailors place them in the same compartment with who ever has the medic rating and gradually their injuries will be treated. Sometimes not, the sailor dies. If the medic fixes up the wounded before you get to port theses sailors wont get a 'wound badge'
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 07, 2005, 03:57:19 PM: with the protractor you can just as well calculate the angle from the map by tracking the contact.
Track the contact and draw it's course on the map.
Of course you have to know its bearing and distance from you.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: SFRT - Frenchy on April 07, 2005, 06:51:14 PM: Computing the firing solution I use the TDC, it's pretty easy. The only hard part is to compute the contact speed. I usually set the speed to 0, facing 90degs from the target heading.

At 60 deg bearing, I compute his speed based on a 45sec time. I set my torps a Draft -1. If the TDC comes up with xx degrees, I fire the torpedo straight ahead when the target reaches the xx degree bearing, to score a 90 AOB hit. I don't care much for the distance as it does not affects the "lead angle".

So far didn't do much ...

Patrol 1 = sank only 1 Merchant.
Patrol 2 = 2 or 3.
Patrol 3 = A lot of Merchants, thank to the VII allowing the gun. Something like 40K plus. I got messed up by a DD, calm water on the surface, he sheeled me in 1000 speed before I could spot him. He was abrely a smoke on the horizon, yet he hit me 3 times before I could dive.

I have yet to come accros a convoy. I am having fun with this game ... I like having all the arcade mod off except the external view (so pretty), it makes you "plan ahead" and garantees a fun hunt.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 07, 2005, 09:00:26 PM: Quote
I have yet to come accros a convoy.

As soon as you can start making trips out to AM 51 52 53 and you will find convoys.

You can clean up even if you just hit the British T2 (10k tons) and T3 (11k tons) tankers. They will be in the second row from the south T2 in lead then a US small tanker (don't hit it) then the T3.

The southern row will be a line of 3 C2 cargo ships. The north row will be a small merchant, coastal Merchant with a a C2 trailing.

On the arse end of every row will be US C3 cargo ships.

Early on there will be no escort, later just 1 V & W Destroyer. You can easily kill this destroyer then have free reign on the convoy. If the weather is good you can use your deck. Weather is rarely if ever good.

I never bothered with the Destroyer because at the time I was in a IId with only 5 torps. I good hit in the center of the tankers in enough to kill them with one torp. I can't aim that good so I fired 2 at the t2, reset as my TM reloaded then 2 at the T3. In the VIIC I just fire salvos of 2.

I just finished patrol 12 tonight and here's the score:

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/334_1112924686_pat12.jpg)

First I set up on the tankers, killed them both in 4 minutes, crashed dived went south the west to avoid the destroyer. Surfaced went north then east just beyond visual of the convoy.

Reset north to south and hit the small merchant then the C2 in 6 min.

I basically just get in a spot and wait engine at stop. I might make minor adjustment to keep a good line. I hit these ships all the time so I know pretty well the settings before hand (draft, good guess at range speed is always 5 - 7knots). So I just sit and wait.

I salvo tubes1 and IV; then reset on the next ship in the line and fire tubes II and III. I set the torps to fast, fire at close range (400-600m), with a torp depth 2m below the draft, magnet pistols. I fire and forget. I crash dive rig for silent and run out to reset.

I see 2 maybe 3 convoys a patrol in that area. I even ran into a 'task force'. It's tough getting a good line and sometimes I don't get a shot. Bad weather ruins it many times. On the task force it was cruising at 20 - 25 knots. I couldn't get out in front to set up.

I don't bother chasing single ships, I head to the Atlantic and the western approaches. It never fails...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 08, 2005, 01:04:14 AM: Frenchy,

the effect of promotions & medals are roughly:

Promotions: They will perform better (fills the green bar in the compartment a little further)

Medals: Have an effect on how fast the lad gets tired, when you put the medal above the KC#1 (forgot the name) they no longer get tired at all.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nath_____ on April 08, 2005, 01:46:46 AM: In the actual Battle for the Atlantic, didn't U-Boats intercept ships more towards the middle/west Atlantic, closer to the USA? In SH3 all my missions have been relatively close to Europe.

As an aside, I wish someone would make a patch that removes the time compression limiter thing. It takes me like 15 minutes to drive my Type IX out of the harbor because of all the inlets... bah! And when I go afk with 1024 mode on, I come back and its back on 8x speed for no reason.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 08, 2005, 01:54:35 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Nath_____
In the actual Battle for the Atlantic, didn't U-Boats intercept ships more towards the middle/west Atlantic, closer to the USA? In SH3 all my missions have been relatively close to Europe.

You are early in the war.
As the time goes on, there'll be longer assignments.

I've been at furthest to DT28.
Haven't had missions as far to the west tho.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 08, 2005, 02:13:36 AM: My 1st mission when I had my type IX was off the coast of New York city. If you want northwestern patrol quadrants, you should go to the 7th flotilla.

Nath, you can edit the time compression caps in your main.cfg file (In your save dir, not the game dir)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: SFRT - Frenchy on April 08, 2005, 02:15:10 AM: Thx for the tips. I'll be off this week end to shoot a commercial for a japaneese drink:cool:
See you on monday. BTW at Scapa I came accros the mines and the nets. Good call to navigate in shallow water with the scope.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 08, 2005, 04:12:18 AM: You mean like Bill Murray in "Lost in translation" ?

Please take pictures in the nudies bars :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on April 08, 2005, 06:54:33 AM: I started my training last night night....took me FOREVER to figure out how to get radio messages. I kept going to the radioman's station and he kept telling me there were No Reports Sir...when on the next line up in the buffer stated clearly that there was a new message for me.

When I figured it out I gave myself the obligatory head-slap and admonished myself for not RTFM!!!!

Anyway...no issues at all so far with the Starforce driver thing...this game is gonna be what I'm playing for a while now.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 08, 2005, 06:57:28 AM: (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/yurkb/sh3/SH3ImgW4.jpg)

Nice stuff:
http://subsim.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=32531
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Furious on April 08, 2005, 12:59:29 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Curval
I started my training last night night....took me FOREVER to figure out how to get radio messages. I kept going to the radioman's station and he kept telling me there were No Reports Sir...when on the next line up in the buffer stated clearly that there was a new message for me...

Sure the 'M' button works, but why the hell doesn't clicking on the damn message board sitting right next to the radioman?

They spent a lot of time on the 3d interface, but it feels to me like the didn't finish it. Like why do I have to press 'H' to get control the hydrophone? Why can't I click on it while at the sonar station like you can click on the nav map?

Another interface thing I dislike has to do with the hydrophone. We have to click on the dail face to tune it. Why? You don't click on the height meter for the periscope to raise it. You turn the knob. I wish the same was true of the hydrophone. Turn the wheel a little and it continually pans slowly in the direction you turned it. Turn the wheel a lot and it pans quickly.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on April 08, 2005, 01:03:27 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Furious
Sure the 'M' button works, but why the hell doesn't clicking on the damn message board sitting right next to the radioman?

FRIGGING A man...I agree 100%. I clicked on that clipboard like a million times, then even updated the version because I thought there might be a bug.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 08, 2005, 01:15:14 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Furious
Like why do I have to press 'H' to get control the hydrophone? Why can't I click on it while at the sonar station like you can click on the nav map?

Another interface thing I dislike has to do with the hydrophone. We have to click on the dail face to tune it. Turn the wheel a little and it continually pans slowly in the direction you turned it. Turn the wheel a lot and it pans quickly.

You should be able to get into the hydrophone location by clicking the station, although you should be in the different section than the main control room.
Whatever the section was called where the sonar and radioman are. You can also get into that section by clicking the hatch in the main control room.
I've been able to use all the stations, except guns, by clicking the objects.
I don't remember exactly where had to be clicked, but its doable, keep trying :)

You can move the hydrophone by clicking on the dial and from the wheel.
However when in the hydrophone station, you have to lower your view a little to get the wheel in the view.
When you press either side of the wheel, the hydrophone head rotates. It doesn't matter if you press on the top side of the wheel, as long as its either left or right side.

I also recommend using the ambient volume knob to top right of the wheel whenever you start the game or load it.
It increases the volume and there'll be a little less disturbance of the other noises outside of the hydrophone.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Furious on April 08, 2005, 02:12:35 PM: hmmm, Fishu ...I can do none of that here.

I can get to the sonar station fine, but cannot use the hydraphone without pressing 'H'. I cannot even control the ambient volume knob.

Maybe a reinstall is in order.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 08, 2005, 02:25:14 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Furious
hmmm, Fishu ...I can do none of that here.

I can get to the sonar station fine, but cannot use the hydraphone without pressing 'H'. I cannot even control the ambient volume knob.

Maybe a reinstall is in order.

I'll check it again. I'm sure I got into the station without pressing H.

Ah.. you get to the position by clicking the crew member there.
Apparently thats the key, but not the equiptment itself.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Siaf__csf on April 08, 2005, 03:13:29 PM: Easyest way to get to the hydrophone is to right click the sonar man icon at the bottom of the screen. Jumps directly to the hydrophone.
Title: Better'n SubSim.com
Post by: aSTAR on April 08, 2005, 04:18:00 PM: SHlll have it for 2wks. been reading this forum and learning from other people's problem (isn't that how life works) Mucho info here,
I failed Algebra/Trig/Geometry/ now I'm getting closer to you fellows, with the knowlge being passed on by you. This forum is replacing SubSim, we may have to start another Topic before we run out of space.
Maybe I am not looking in the right web site to get info on this sim,(SHlll), but here I am:aok
Keep those answers coming Submariner's:)
I've passed with hi marks on the Naval Academy with the exception of Torpedoes/Convoy's, they are puzzelling and will keep trying before I venture out to those ruff seas.
Am updated with 1.2 and all is working fine, Max on all.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 08, 2005, 04:20:04 PM: Quote
Easyest way to get to the hydrophone is to right click the sonar man icon at the bottom of the screen. Jumps directly to the hydrophone.

Just hit the 'H' key...

It doesn't any quicker then that...

I don't see any issue with that.. I guess if the other hand is busy it may cause a problem...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Siaf__csf on April 08, 2005, 04:41:06 PM: That would be easyest if I wouldn't play on my laptop using the touchpad. Once you start rubbing it you don't want to move the hand unnecessarily. :p
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 09, 2005, 11:59:47 AM: Hmm all this talk about "rubbing" and "other hands busy" ... please gentlemen, stop.

Met my 1st warship patrol this morning, I was lucky enough to be in a good position for an attack run, and launched a salvo of four TIIs at a Nelson.

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1113065512_sh3img@9-4-2005_14.50.7_890.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20339)

After that? Well, I probably lost a pound and another centimeter of hair on my hairline... no less than six Hunt destroyers were trying to avenge those 36K Tons I just sank (yay!)

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1113065575_sh3img@9-4-2005_15.25.33_390.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20341)

I started using the crush depth mod, and as it's randomised (5%) ... I needed to know how deep I could go with my type IXb. I had a friend over, and I was showing him SHIII, I think he'll run to get a copy on monday. The deeper I got, the cracking sounds became louder ... listening to those while in the command room and looking at the needle going deep into the red was quite an experience. At 218 meters, I chickened out and came back on top... I now know how deep she can go.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Siaf__csf on April 09, 2005, 12:08:46 PM: I ran into a fleet of 2 cruisers yesterday. I intercepted thier course at flank speed but then chickened to periscope depth too early. All my torps missed for having to lauch too far away.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 09, 2005, 04:18:29 PM: On patrol 13 I killed my first warships, 2 of them.

A 'C' class destroyer - I had just sunk a C3 south of Ireland. I hit hit the C3 with 1 torp and noticed he was dead in the water. I surface and from 700m I fired several AP rounds from the deck gun into his water line.

I then saw a destroyer out on bearing 240 rushing at me. He was pretty for out so I pulled around right lining my nose right at him. At 1200m I fired a spread of 2 torps set a 2 degrees. He saw them coming but turn hard left and 1 torp hit him splitting him in two.

The other was a V & W destroyer. He was leading a convoy as an escort. As I was getting into position to hit the convoy the destroyer looked as if he would pass right in front of me at close range. I set up on him and sure enough at around 12 knots and 800m he crossed my nose. I fired 1 torp and scored a hit on his aft end. I was then tempted to dive but I just watched as the destroyer kept its heading and gradually sunk into the sea arse first.

I then had the whole convoy to myself but unfortunately the seas were rough so no deck gun. I cleaned up anyway and headed back to Brest.

I ran into a 2 cruiser 'task force' in an earlier patrol but I wasn't able to get into position to attempt a shot.

I tried sneaking into Scapa flow at one point but found nothing.

I haven't had any other opportunities to get a shot at any warships. I am hoping to transfer to the Med. when I can. It should be pretty fun looking for warships escorting merchants into Malta.

I transferred from 1st Flottilla at Brest (after transferring from Wilhelmshaven) to 7th Flotilla (who transferred from Kiel) in St. Nazaire. I was looking for a Type IX. When and where can I get one of those?

Its early September 1940. I have been sinking many British (fuel or oil?) tankers. I hope those Tommy bastards are flying on fumes during BoB.

Even at Sea I think about 'hurting' Scheißefeuer...

FYI my Kaleun is still just a Lieutenant-Senior (Oberleutnant zur See) when does he get promoted to Kapitänleutnant...? I assume this is adjustable. Does anyone know the entries to change?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 09, 2005, 04:54:42 PM: Wotan, I can't remember the flotilla, but I got my Type IXb out of Lorient in the mid 40.

The ranking/medals are screwed up right now, I got the knight cross before the U-boot badge... and I was promoted to Snr Leutenant early 41.

The patrol I started with my new flotilla (10Th) is pretty much...empty so far except for the walls of water that reach the top of my periscope mast even when I'm on the surface.

I'm mid 42 and have my 1st radar! It's only effective in a 30 degree angle forward.... and I have no clue what range it has (anyone?).

I just headed back to ressuply in Brest, and am now headed to AM52/53 quadrant...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on April 09, 2005, 05:03:07 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Wotan
I transferred from 1st Flottilla at Brest (after transferring from Wilhelmshaven) to 7th Flotilla (who transferred from Kiel) in St. Nazaire. I was looking for a Type IX. When and where can I get one of those?

The 10th operate IX's soley when that Flotilla becomes available somewhere around mid 42 I think. But I prefer the smaller IIV's at the moment. Though hunting off eastern US in the big subs is fun, unfortunetly I lost my IXC to a Sunderland near San Fernando while engaging tankers with the deck gun. :(

I'm hoping to transfer to the 11th if I survive till 43 but up till now I've only ever lasted a maximum of 3 patrols operating from that base with previous comanders.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on April 09, 2005, 05:14:21 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Saintaw
I'm mid 42 and have my 1st radar! It's only effective in a 30 degree angle forward.... and I have no clue what range it has (anyone?).

Range, about 7km. I found it very effective when I had my IXC.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 09, 2005, 08:02:38 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Saintaw
Wotan, I can't remember the flotilla, but I got my Type IXb out of Lorient in the mid 40.

The ranking/medals are screwed up right now, I got the knight cross before the U-boot badge... and I was promoted to Snr Leutenant early 41.

The patrol I started with my new flotilla (10Th) is pretty much...empty so far except for the walls of water that reach the top of my periscope mast even when I'm on the surface.

I'm mid 42 and have my 1st radar! It's only effective in a 30 degree angle forward.... and I have no clue what range it has (anyone?).

I just headed back to ressuply in Brest, and am now headed to AM52/53 quadrant...

Lorient..? you must be in the 2nd Flotilla. It just became available. I put a request into Bdu for a transfer but they refused it.

I must need a few sorties in the seventh first.

At any time can we transfer to Bergen or a Norge base?

I just finished a patrol and am now a true 'Kaleun' (Kapitänleutnant; Lieutenant-Commander). It seems you need 10k renown to make Oberleutnant zur See (Lieutenant-Senior) and 25k to make Kapitänleutnant (Lieutenant-Commander). Those numbers are editable as well.

I got every medal there was by my 5th patrol. I even surpassed Rudel... I am sure those numbers are editable but I haven't looked.

I am into Oct '40 now but I do a patrol with just 8 days in port rather then 30 (default). That's editable as well.

How's that crush depth mod working for you? I haven't been deeper then 160m (crew starts yelling about approaching critical depth...).

I ran into another large convoy that had a Passenger Liner. I didn't sink it this time. At 26k tons its tempting target.

Once the Amis join the war I will be sure to hit them. I ran into it at AM29 (just north of AM 51 52 53. Those 3 sectors represent the 'Happy Times' for real. I had another 40K ton run killing tankers.

I have like 370k tons total already. At this rate I will be well over 1 million tons at the end '42 unless the British wake up and do a better job. I have yet to see an aircraft but I only made one close run to shore and that was at night when I went into Scapa Flow. It was deserted.

Do have the modded nav map that shows the convoy routes?

There's also a large map in your ...\Ubisoft\SilentHunterIII\documentation
folder. It's large and gives lotsa details on the good hunting areas.

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/334_1113094669_happytimes.jpg)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Russian on April 09, 2005, 08:18:34 PM: Aug 13, 40. U-51 All hands lost.

On 10th mission my U51(VIIB) encountered a large convoy before reaching her patrol area of grid AM68. Captain SimWolf decided to attack convoy as it seemed an easy target. After firing all forward tubes, The U51 turned around and fired her last torpedo of this misfortunate career. Torpedoes struck and sunk: T3, Troop Transport and a small merchant that got in the way. Few minutes after U51 was sunk by destroyer with all hands lost.

On my final patrol I sunk 23,436t (career total ~70-80,000t)

1 X Class C destroyer
1 X T3
1 X Troop Transport
1 X Small Merchant.

My boat, compared to real U51 completed more missions, but she was sunk on same month! as her real life counterpart.
http://www.uboat.net/boats/u51.htm

Since I play DiD (dead is dead) I stated my second career. I upped realism to 100% and on first mission I did outstandingly well.
This time I selected 7th Flotillia, base Kiel, and on first patrol I was send to grid AM18 in brand new U-48 VIIB/1. On first patrol, a day after Briton declared war, I faced first ship: a nice and juicy C-2. It took three fishes to sink her: first fish missed completely, second struck rear section damaging rudder and propeller, and third fish struck side which caused massive, unrecoverable flooding. After arriving at my grid, my watchmen spotted what it seemed Coastal Merchant. Due to heavy seas and my poor firing solution I missed 3 times. Few hours after encounter, I received radio message saying that a large convoy is heading to my grid 140km away. After waiting for 23 hours for convoy to arrive to my position, I spotted first ship. Luckily, convoy did not have any protection. I got plenty of time to get firing solution and fired all of my fish. All torpedoes struck their assigned targets. Yet some ships managed to limp all the way home. After expending all of my fish, I radioed in my results and received order to return back to base.

After 15 days at sea my total is:

1 X C-2 (British) (Sunk on 7 Sep 1939)
1 X C-3 (American, it was carrying some type of bomber aircraft) (8 Sep 1939)
1 X T-2 (British) (8 Sep 1939)
1 X T-3 (British) (8 Sep 1939)

Sunk 4 ships for 36,781 tons.
Damaged 2 X C-2 or C-3 (stuck with 2 torpedoes each but did not sink)

:aok
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on April 09, 2005, 08:43:43 PM: Good to see so many enjoying this great sim. But remember to also try a few campaigns after 43 as it's a totally different experience, more rewarding & challanging imho. Especially the convoy attacks, I've yet to survive more then 6 patrols at 100% realism. I'm now in Feb 44 operating out of Bergen and you certinly get the feeling of being the hunted rather then the hunter.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Octavius on April 09, 2005, 09:24:44 PM: For the hell of it, I fired on civilians at Kiel with the 8.8cm deck gun, ignored my patrol area, and RTB'd within 5 minutes of ramming the dock. I got a Knight's Cross with oak leaves... go figure :)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Suave on April 09, 2005, 09:34:43 PM: If I didn't like SHII would I like SHIII?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 09, 2005, 11:02:32 PM: I hated SH2 out the box, complete garbage. I wasn't going to get SH3 but some friends talked me into it.

It depends on what you didn't like about SH2.

If you didn't like the gameplay then you wont like SH3. Its a very time consuming game.

If you didn't like SH2 because it was crap then you will like SH3.

Patched and repaired, fixed and replaced SH2 turned out ok. SH3 has it beat.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Siaf__csf on April 10, 2005, 12:45:25 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Octavius
For the hell of it, I fired on civilians at Kiel with the 8.8cm deck gun, ignored my patrol area, and RTB'd within 5 minutes of ramming the dock. I got a Knight's Cross with oak leaves... go figure :)

It's because it takes bravery to face and combat the enemy. But it takes REAL bravery to ignore your orders, damage your boat and return to nazi Germany.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 10, 2005, 01:12:40 AM: I reinstalled the modified map after patching to 1.2, and it doesn't seem to work anymore... so I'm relying to my paper map.

I'm on the 20th patrol, my tonnage is a bit high, since the 5/6 1st partols I did, I didn't use manual firing (:o ) and met 3 convoys before I had finished those... I now switched to 76% realism (Both views are on).

I have so what what I think as only one "death" (What was I thinking sneaking into portsmouth???).

Other deaths include: Discover that the nav map doesn't show the port outlines, and I crashed on the lighthouse.

And I now died 3 times to something that annoys me: Destroyers comming out of nowhere when the weather is "REALY" bad... I'm at 2048 TC... when I hear "Ship engaging us sir!" By the time I get on the bridge, the destroyer is ramming me. :mad: . I makes me mad, because there is no f***ing way I'm going to return from a patrol 5000 Km away with a 1/1 TC...

I shot my 1st Amerikaner cargo ships yesterday... I am finaly able to shoot on those 'stars & stripes' booten as well :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 10, 2005, 09:42:26 AM: Well I transferred to 2nd Flotilla out of Lorient, bought a IXb and sank the sob trying find my ****ing way out of the damned harbor at night.

WTF kinda maze is that...

Oh well time to start over. I have some other mods to try out we will see what happens...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 10, 2005, 01:57:59 PM: Happened to me too the 1st time :)

Go straight, then turn right after you reach the Uboot pens. Pass the lighthouse (stay close to it). Then set your waipoints on the map when you pass that one.

You'll need to edit your main.cfg (See the TC section for land proximity, I set mine to 64x).

I just transfered to the 12th in "La Spezza" and am headed out to Malta... I stuck with my IXb because I now have a sh*tload of enhancements on it... but looking at the average depth, I am craving a VIIC. I'm keeping my renown for a XXI though... it's aproximately 30K renown, or so I heard...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on April 10, 2005, 02:43:37 PM: Why is it that I can see a green contact on my map, but no radar reports or sonar reports?

I have set intercept course only to appear to be right on top of the contact, but can't see anything on top or hear anything below?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Russian on April 10, 2005, 03:27:00 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Curval
Why is it that I can see a green contact on my map, but no radar reports or sonar reports?

I have set intercept course only to appear to be right on top of the contact, but can't see anything on top or hear anything below?

Good question. I was wondering same thing. :confused: "Must be majic" - Mr Bean
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 10, 2005, 03:55:02 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Curval
Why is it that I can see a green contact on my map, but no radar reports or sonar reports?

I have set intercept course only to appear to be right on top of the contact, but can't see anything on top or hear anything below?

On the navigation map?
Move the mouse pointer over the contact and click to see the time of contact.
It doesn't follow the contact, just reports its position at time X.

If thats whats the problem.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 10, 2005, 04:24:56 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Curval
Why is it that I can see a green contact on my map, but no radar reports or sonar reports?

I have set intercept course only to appear to be right on top of the contact, but can't see anything on top or hear anything below?

Those are single ship contacts. Sent via radio by bdu and auto plotted on your map. Imagine they are relayed reports from other boats. The position information isnt 100% precise and changes over time. You basically get an idea of the sector and general heading and its up to you to set an intercept course and search.

FYI for those interested:

To remove those contacts markers:

Go into

C:\Program Files\Ubisoft\SilentHunterIII\data\Cfg

and look for the Contacts.cfg (test file)

You will have the below as default

[ContactSettings]
; Contact settings

Display Range To Opportunity Radio Contacts=300 ;[>0] kilometers
Display Range To Important Radio Contacts=1500 ;[>0] kilometers
Decay Time For Important Radio Contacts=172800 ;[>0] seconds
Decay Time For Opportunity Radio Contacts=32400 ;[>0] seconds
Decay Time For Imprecise Sensor Contacts=600 ;[>0] seconds
Decay Time For Precise Sensor Contacts=60 ;[>0] seconds
Single Contact Min Size=1 ;[>0] minimum numbers of units in this type of group
Small Contact Min Size=3 ;[>0] minimum numbers of units in this type of group
Medium Contact Min Size=7 ;[>0] minimum numbers of units in this type of group
Large Contact Min Size=13 ;[>0] minimum numbers of units in this type of group

you basically have 2 types of contact reports -

Opportunity - mostly single contacts

Important - mostly convoys.

In real life your radio man would have gotten many contact reports. Your Kaleun would plot them on the map and make a descision on whether to investigate them. I doubt a Kaleun would chase a single contact report unless it was a real good target.

However, convoy reports would have peaked his interest.

The quick and easy way to eliminate the single ship contacts is just to set

Decay Time For Opportunity Radio Contacts=0 ;[>0] seconds

And you won't get any markers on the map for single ship contacts but you will still get convoy updates.

I choose not to have either and set both decay time for important and opportunity to 0..

I also to increased range of convoy (important) contacts to 6000km.

You can also adjust the range (from your boat) at which you get contact reports from Bdu by modifying the following:

Display Range To Opportunity Radio Contacts=300 ;[>0] kilometers

Display Range To Important Radio Contacts=1500 ;[>0] kilometers

Your RA will still recieve contact reports but they will not be plotted on the map.

What this means is when an 'important' contact message is sent (convoy) you will get a text / audio mesage that reports the sector heading and speed of the convoy. I then plot this on the map manually with the nav tools and decide whether I can get their in time.

I don't get any single ship contacts and have to spend time actually hunting rather then just responding to position / contact reports from bdu.

I just started a new career with the above settings.

In my last career I just used the a mod that changed the color of the contacts on the map to black-grey (just like your own uboat marker on the map). This way I still got all the updates but the contacts were plotted on the map in one color. This way I didn't know if they were nuetral or enemy etc...

It got realitivley easy and I ran up huge tonnage score so I am trying something different. I play with 100% realism (actually I sometimes kept external view on) I just renamed the umark.tga (Program Files\Ubisoft\SilentHunterIII\data\Misc\UMark.tga) to no.umark.tga. Now when I am submerged and want to get a screen shot the orange marker that shows up on the water above your boat (reprents your position under the water) isn't there.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 10, 2005, 04:27:55 PM: Quote
You'll need to edit your main.cfg (See the TC section for land proximity, I set mine to 64x).

Yeah I have done that. It just helped me die faster :p
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 10, 2005, 05:36:35 PM: Still on Patrol 10, As mentioned above I'm heading North through the Two Main British Islands.

I just encountered my first Convoy, 12 Ships, Mostly Coastals, but One T2, A couple C2's.

Got the Tanker, One Cargo, and One Coastal on a missed Shot.

Got chased off by an Armed Trawler, And Harrassed by a few Fighters, (In a ThunderStorm:rolleyes: ), But now I'm back on Course and Nearly half way to my objective. I'm out of Bow Torps, except my External Reserve, which I forgot to load, when I had the chance.

I'm still at least a 1000KM to my objective :D, I guess I'll just cruise through it and head home :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Staga on April 10, 2005, 06:07:06 PM: Just "bought" me a IXD-2; damn big sub that one is. Couldn't afford to buy schnorkel yet but 2x FlaK38 + FlakVierling 38 helps to stay afloat :)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Russian on April 10, 2005, 06:32:51 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Wotan
Those are single ship contacts. Sent via radio by bdu and auto plotted on your map. Imagine they are relayed reports from other boats.

I had no idea that my radio worked 50 meters under water.....:lol
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on April 10, 2005, 06:56:04 PM: Whoa...thanks Wotan. You are like a living breathing SHIII manual. :)

Not gonna change the settings yet, but at least I know why I'm getting those contacts now.

Thanks.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: ASTAC on April 10, 2005, 06:56:43 PM: Is there a way to play an ASW force against subs? Since ASW is my THANG!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 10, 2005, 09:56:22 PM: No ASTAC.

Unless they release a Destroyer Command Version, But I havnt heard anything...yet.

Also, I have yet to see an enemy submarine.

I saw them in SHII, but not yet in SHIII.

Just got finished Patrol 9. I kept saying Patrol 10, but it was Patrol 9 the whole time :o

I now have Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Diamonds, and all my officers have IC in some version.

PS.

Dont go between British Isles unless you have signed a Living Will. I didnt get killed, but I narrowly avoided death countless times.

But it paid off, 46000+ Tons of Merchants, plus one Armed Trawler. :cool:

PSS...

General Poll, whats your Uboat Number? Post Up, then compare the real boat with yours at http://www.uboat.net

U-55

My U-55=9 Patrols for 177000+ Tons.

Real U-55=1 Patrol+1 Training patrol for 15.583 (Thousand?) GRT

Six Ships Sunk.

Sunk 30 Jan, 1940 south-west of the Isles of Scilly (English Channel), in position 48.37N, 07.48W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Whitshed, the British sloop HMS Fowey the French destroyers Valmy and Guépard, and by depth charges from a British Sunderland aircraft (228 Sqdn.). 1 dead and 41 survivors.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 10, 2005, 10:44:07 PM: U-2
Laid down 11 Feb, 1935
Commissioned 25 Jul, 1935

No ships sunk or damaged

Sank 8 April, 1944 west of Pillau, in position 54.48N, 19.55E, after a collision with the German steam trawler Helmi Söhle.
Raised on 9 April, 1944 and stricken. 17 dead and 18 survivors

U-46
Laid down 24 Feb, 1937
Commissioned 2 Nov, 1938

21 ships sunk for a total of 90.408 GRT
2 auxiliary warships sunk for a total of 35.284 GRT
4 ships damaged for a total of 25.491 GRT
1 ship a total loss for a total of 2.080 GRT

Stricken at Neustadt in October 1943. Scuttled on 4 May 1945 in Kupfermühlen Bay, in position 54.50N, 09.29E.

U-123:
Laid down 15 Apr, 1939
Commissioned 30 May, 1940

42 ships sunk for a total of 219.924 GRT
1 auxiliary warship sunk for a total of 3.209 GRT
1 warship sunk for a total of 683 tons
5 ships damaged for a total of 39.584 GRT
1 auxiliary warship damaged for a total of 13.984 GRT

Taken out of service at Lorient, France 17 Jun 1944. Scuttled there 19 Aug 1944. Surrendered to France in 1945 and became the French submarine Blaison. Stricken 18 Aug 1959 as Q165
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 11, 2005, 12:34:01 AM: U-53

Laid down 13 Mar, 1937 Germaniawerft, Kiel

Commissioned 24 Jun, 1939 Oblt. Dietrich Knorr

Career: 3 patrols

Successes:
7 ships sunk for a total of 27.316 GRT
1 ship damaged for a total of 8.022 GRT

Fate:
Sunk 23 Feb, 1940 in the North Sea in the mid Orkneys, in position 60.32N, 06.14W, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Gurkha. 42 dead (all hands lost).
Title: KARMA!
Post by: Saintaw on April 11, 2005, 12:53:51 AM: U-123
Type

IXB

Laid down    15 Apr, 1939    AG Weser, Bremen
Commissioned    30 May, 1940    Kptlt. Karl-Heinz Moehle
Commanders
30 May, 1940 - 19 May, 1941     Kptlt. Karl-Heinz Moehle (Knights Cross)
19 May, 1941 - 31 Jul, 1942     Kptlt. Reinhard Hardegen (Knights Cross)
1 Aug, 1942 - 17 Jun, 1944     Oblt. Horst von Schroeter (Knights Cross)
Career    12 patrols    30 May, 1940 - 30 Sep, 1940 2. Flottille (training)
1 Oct, 1940 - 17 Jun, 1944 2. Flottille (front boat)
18 Jun, 1944 - 1 Aug, 1944 2. Flottille (Frontschulboot)
Successes    42 ships sunk for a total of 219.924 GRT
1 auxiliary warship sunk for a total of 3.209 GRT
1 warship sunk for a total of 683 tons
5 ships damaged for a total of 39.584 GRT
1 auxiliary warship damaged for a total of 13.984 GRT
Fate    Taken out of service at Lorient, France 17 Jun 1944. Scuttled there 19 Aug 1944. Surrendered to France in 1945 and became the French submarine Blaison. Stricken 18 Aug 1959 as Q165.

U-123 was one of the most famous U-boats in the war. U-123 took part in the opening of the Paukenschlag (Drumbeat) operations in January 1942 and completed two very successful patrols on the US east coast.

AHA!! This is a good omen, U-123 did survive ze var!

I'll have to start a new career once I finish this one, as I was dweebing during the 10 1st patrols... I have 750 000 Tons ;)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 11, 2005, 01:22:59 AM: Patrol 19 was interesting, I was sent to GR91 :mad: (That's Cape Town!)

While leaving the port, rain was already there to welcome us.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1113199633_rain1.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20400)

While on a speed run to pursue a sound contact at night, in heavy rain... we almost collided with a merchant.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1113199727_close_call1.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20401) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1113199753_closecall2.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20402)

Fortunately for us, he hadn't seen us... took the liberty to send him a german "Sardine"
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1113199832_storm_ship_sunk1.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20404)

48 hours without a single contact... the weather is still crazy, Hans has been so sick the ship doctor mentioned we should head back to the closest port to replace him... we gave Hans a bottle of Becks (found in the captain's cabin)... on the way we met a tanker, it was apparently full of fuel.

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1113199854_secondaries1.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20405)(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1113199874_secondaries2.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20406)(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1113199898_secondaries3.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20407)
Title: Continued
Post by: Saintaw on April 11, 2005, 01:23:34 AM: Having met very little contacts while in the south african sea... we decided to sneak in around Gibraltar on the way home... not such a good idea, this fellow left us with a lot of damage to the ship. U-123 is a trusty boat, she will get us back to base...
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1113199924_destroyer_u1.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20408)
As we come near Lorient, the sun finaly shows its face!
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1113200030_rising_sun1.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20410)

I was affraid Wilma would not be at the pier this time... but she was there, throwing flowers in the water upon our arrival.
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/19_1113199947_back_to_port.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20409)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 11, 2005, 02:58:06 AM: Quote
I was affraid Wilma would not be at the pier this time... but she was there, throwing flowers in the water upon our arrival.

Back it in next time see what she throws...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Dinger on April 11, 2005, 04:30:59 AM: ah well, cool enough game. Problem for me is the SF-free version has any number of career savegame bugs:

1) Savegames causing CTDs
2) Saves in base appearing in the boat
3) In base saves keeping the current date (so if I revert, I lose several months)
4) other stability problems

Since I can only play a little at a time, I often have to have it paused and minimized. Or I save and exit. Once the save file corrupts, I can't revert to the base, or any other saved file. If the game resets on me, which happens from time to time, I lose a patrol; if I try to go back and not lose that patrol, I lose the time of the patrol.

After trying two careers and losing them to this, I'm shelving for now.

I'm also having an annoying sound bug where all ships but my own (and my own in certain circumstances) don't make normal engine noises, but an annoying "stutter". I haven't seen any info on this in the patches; so even if I wanted to put up with SF, I wouldn't get a working game.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 11, 2005, 04:58:52 AM: Dinger, it must be dependant of th system (I have yet to have a CTD or a corrupt save... and as you can see... i've been playing extensively since the day it came out).

How much memory have you got?What soundcard? latest drivers? (Sorry, have to ask that one ;))
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Dinger on April 11, 2005, 07:07:39 AM: 1 gig of memory. Soundcard has latest drivers (last July), but is a "Soundmax" Ac97 or whatever for laptops.
found this on the subsim forums:
Quote

Patch 1.2 did not resolve sound crackling problems, I can tell you that. Turning of DX acceleration makes the sound response time sensibly slower and you loose some effects if there are many at the same time.
By the way, when I did convoy training, one of the DDs attacked and sank the other. Major bug, that definitely should be solved ASAP. (With the other problems of course.)

sounds like mine, if "sound crackling" is indeed this stutter.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on April 11, 2005, 07:09:20 AM: Seems there is an unfortunate bug effecting convoys prior to 43 in that only 1 or no escorts might spawn with the convoy. Now it seems there is a bug to explain why there are so many convoys with only one or no escorts.

Always thought playing earlier then 43 was easy mode multiplied.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Staga on April 11, 2005, 10:10:20 AM: I'm cruising at the Caribbean; nice change after northern Atlantic :)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on April 11, 2005, 10:23:15 AM: Saw...do you navigate the boat all the way back to the base?

I just hit esc and then Return to Base...is that wrong?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 11, 2005, 12:42:18 PM: Dinger, I have a bad hissing sound when comming back from the Hidrophone... annoying, but I can live with it. (Switch back to external view for a second, then back... and the sound is gone)

Curval, nothing wrong with that, but you will get a 100 more renown points if you get back home. (You don't need to be in the pier per-se, but when you're in the pier area... exit mission, and it will show "Dock at ***" instead of "Go back to port"). I dock manualy myself... but SOB would tell you I'm kind of anal about things like that ;)
Title: Hazardous Patrols
Post by: beet1e on April 11, 2005, 02:00:58 PM: I asked on the SH3 board, but didn't get a good answer.

If using time comp, how do you avoid getting jumped by destroyers? What I have found on single mission patrols like Scapa Flow and Gibraltar is that if you plot a course, then go to 1024 time comp, suddenly you get a message saying "enemy is engaging us, sir". Sure enough, a destroyer is blasting away. At least when there are merchant ships, the watch officer gives a verbal warning - at long range - and the game switches to 8x normal speed.

The only way I can see to avoid getting zapped by destroyers is not to use time comp. But I don't want to sit in front of my screen for 12 hours as my boat slips through the strait of Gibraltar at 3 knots.

...and the furballers thought they had it bad with the pizza map - LOL
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on April 11, 2005, 02:51:58 PM: Have you tried sticking to a lower time compression? I normailly use 512/256 or 128 when within range of aircraft. Doing so I've never been "jumped" so to speak by DD's etc and less "boom" as a bomb hit's followed by "were under attack" . Also stopping every hour dive to 20 meters,all stop and have your sonar operator do a check can help reduce the chance of suprises and of course increase contacts.

I remember reading something in the forums that 1024 isn't reccomended other then for making quick trans atlantic crossings etc.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 11, 2005, 03:01:57 PM: Quote
...and the furballers thought they had it bad with the pizza map - LOL

^^ :rofl

Gixer has it right, 1024 is feasible in the early patrols... but once those damn destroyers get a proper radar... traveling on the surface gets dicey(sp?)

When close to dangerous waters (pun intended) use TC 128 max and dive & listen (Best is to listen yourself... you can hear much MUCH better than the AI).
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on April 11, 2005, 03:19:08 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Saintaw
Best is to listen yourself... you can hear much MUCH better than the AI).

I must have crap hearing then, as I can't hear a thing while my sonar guy is calling contacts all over the dial.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 11, 2005, 03:23:27 PM: It seems like I really havnt been hit by the Destroyer Spawn Bug. When I attacked my first convoy in the Western Approaches the other Night, I counted 3 V and W's, they never saw me, but they began evasives and a search pattern after I let my fish go.

I never cruise above 256.

Its just not worth it.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 11, 2005, 03:23:48 PM: Turn the volume up (bottom right knob of the hydrophone) and cut the engines. AI can pretty much hear on silent only what I hear at flank speed. (Both my radio room operators are experten with all medals... so they are less sucky than the regular ones... but still sucky;))

I also turn the volume on my speakers up when I do that... just remember to turn that one back down if you switch to external view, hehe...
Title: U-48
Post by: Octavius on April 11, 2005, 04:30:20 PM: Laid down    10 Mar, 1937    Germaniawerft, Kiel
Commissioned    22 Apr, 1939    Kptlt. Herbert Schultze
Commanders
22 Apr, 1939 - 20 May, 1940     Kptlt. Herbert Schultze (Knights Cross)
21 May, 1940 - 3 Sep, 1940     KrvKpt. Hans Rudolf Rösing (Knights Cross)
4 Sep, 1940 - 16 Dec, 1940     Kptlt. Heinrich Bleichrodt (Knights Cross)
26 Sep, 1940 - Oct, 1943     Oblt. Diether Todenhagen
17 Dec, 1940 - 27 Jul, 1941     Kptlt. Herbert Schultze (Knights Cross)
Aug, 1941 - Sep, 1942     Oblt. Siegfried Atzinger
Career    12 patrols    22 Apr, 1939 - 31 Aug, 1939 7. Flottille (front boat)
1 Sep, 1939 - 31 Dec, 1939 7. Flottille (front boat)
1 Jan, 1940 - 30 Jun, 1941 7. Flottille (front boat)
1 Jul, 1941 - 31 Mar, 1942 26. Flottille (training)
1 Apr, 1942 - 31 Oct, 1943 21. Flottille (school boat)
Successes    51 ships sunk for a total of 306.875 GRT
1 warship sunk for a total of 1.060 tons
3 ships damaged for a total of 20.480 GRT
Fate    She was scuttled on 3 May, 1945 off Neustadt, Germany.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Octavius on April 11, 2005, 04:42:32 PM: Anyone finding Taskforce contacts from BdU that give a speed of 30-40 knots? (in storms too!) Is that even possible in calm weather?

WWII hydrofoils?!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: beet1e on April 11, 2005, 04:45:39 PM: Gixer - yes, I think that 1024x is too high around the islands at Scapa Flow. I used lower time comp and avoided destroyers but oh! - I ran aground. The waters near SF are very shallow. My Cod, I couldn't believe the sound through my speakers as I ran aground. I thought my PC had been zapped by a supervirus.

Thinking about Scapa Flow, and given that the waters there are very shallow (not much chance to dive below periscope depth) I'm surprised the Germans would use submarines to attack shipping there. If a sub were to succeed in getting through the very narrow strait, it's unlikely it would ever get out again. I would have thought a better strategy for the Germans would have been aerial bombardment - preferably of shipping as it exited the harbour so that it blocked everything else inside. Using submarines was suicide - for the submariners at least.

Same thing goes for Gibraltar: According to the SH notes, Hitler sent 60 subs into the Med via the strait of Gibraltar. NONE of them ever got out of there, and all were either sunk or scuttled by their crews.
Quote
Laid down 10 Mar, 1937
sounds like an excellent wine! :lol :aok
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 11, 2005, 04:56:28 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Dinger
I'm also having an annoying sound bug where all ships but my own (and my own in certain circumstances) don't make normal engine noises, but an annoying "stutter".

I haven't had more than 2-3 CTD's and no corrupted save games.
However with SBLive I've got some little crackling with the sounds, but not as bad as yours sounds like, and switched to Fortissimo III, which gives out clear sound.

I guess the 'auto-crew' placement option does still create CTD's with v1.2.
So try to move the crew manually, if that helps at all.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 11, 2005, 07:58:50 PM: Quote
Originally posted by beet1e

Thinking about Scapa Flow, and given that the waters there are very shallow (not much chance to dive below periscope depth) I'm surprised the Germans would use submarines to attack shipping there. If a sub were to succeed in getting through the very narrow strait, it's unlikely it would ever get out again. I would have thought a better strategy for the Germans would have been aerial bombardment - preferably of shipping as it exited the harbour so that it blocked everything else inside. Using submarines was suicide - for the submariners at least.

It wasnt an everyday Mission, Personally I dont know of any other Missions into Scapa Flow other than Gunther Prein's U-47. There was probably missions to patrol the Surrounding Grids, but After Prein snuck in, Churchill installed walls. Which block the entrance that he took in Real Life, in the game.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on April 12, 2005, 01:00:20 AM: Campaign Convoy bug fixed!
http://www.subsim.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=32975

Bug that prevented certain escorts being spawned with convoys has been fixed. Now no more easy kills in convoys escorted by a single DD. Works very well on the two convoys I've encounted since the update. One had 5 escorts the other 7.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v449/davest/Escort.jpg)

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Dinger on April 12, 2005, 04:08:24 AM: Yeah, it's not a hissing or an intermittent problem; it is bad.

I figured out the answers to some of my previous problems:

Basically, the game is not designed to be played with manual map contacts, for then:

A) The hydrophone operator does not track contacts once he announces them, nor does he give useful range approximations.
B) The BDU radio reports of individual ships do not show up.
C) Convoy reports are uselessly vague (I got one "Large Convoy in AM 1 heading E)". Please remove me from your mailing list).
D) The 1024x768 resolution is insufficient to render detail at range such as flags; detail which would have been IRL fairly visible. Map updates on fixes this.

Other silly things:
If the map measures distances in kilometers, speeds should be in KPH not knots.
The height computer is cute, but why not have the periscope/UZO graded in Mils instead?

Anyway, after four or five patrols in a IIA with map updates off, I abandoned career, went to a VIIA, and after two missions (played straight through), I'm at just under 80k tons. The weather in AM51 sucks by the way.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 12, 2005, 08:02:54 AM: Quote
Basically, the game is not designed to be played with manual map contacts, for then:

A) The hydrophone operator does not track contacts once he announces them, nor does he give useful range approximations.

If you tell him to 'track the nearest contact' then when ever you go to the sonar station (H key) you can see him tracking that contact by the postion of the dial.

You can modify him to make a text statement like 'tracking Nearest contact' but he wont give continous contact updates. You just have to jump to H then slightly adjust the bearing to get good sound contact and then plot it.

I am not to sure how much 'range information' the sonar man could give out other then 'far', 'close', 'fading', 'closing' etc...

I live in the sonar station. I spend almost all of my time there. You will learn to judge better for yourself what the contact is doing.

Quote
B) The BDU radio reports of individual ships do not show up.

Single ship contacts most likely would not get relayed anyway. I have no issue with this. There's several mods you can do to adjust the visual contact markers if you want to play on them on.

I dont bother as I don't chase the single ships much.

Quote
C) Convoy reports are uselessly vague (I got one "Large Convoy in AM 1 heading E)". Please remove me from your mailing list).

I have no problem finding and tracking them.

In my last career I found them easy enough patrolling AM51, 52, 53.

I just re-started my career after I died trying to get out of Lorient at night. I had 13 patrols and 400k tons.

Currently I am 2 patrols in on a 'new' career (DiD) I have over 100k tons already. I just hunt down convoys. I did get a 28000 ton battleship in Scapa Flow that helped but I almost exclusively chase convoys.

I play will all the realism boxes checked except for external view so I can take screenshots. I renamed the image file that shows the orange boat marker as well.

My new boat is a type VIIB (U-47; Prien's boat). On 14 Oct, '39 Prien in U-47 snuck into Scapa Flow and sunk the HMS Royal Oak. It just happened I drew that same boat at the start of my new career. I snuck into Scapa Flow on my second patrol and sunk a battleship and when I reviewed the captian's log after the mission I realized I had snuck in on Oct 13th '39.

Anyway I found a convoy right after I snuck back out of Scapa Flow. I went to AM 52 and found me a convoy and had a field day:

Log page 1:

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113310274_clog1.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20451)

Log page 2:

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113310233_clog2.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20450)

Status Report:

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113310194_statusr.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20449)

Homeward bound:

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113310140_home.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20448)

I use the pause key a lot so even though the kills show up within minutes of each other it took a lot longer doing the calculations etc...

Quote
D) The 1024x768 resolution is insufficient to render detail at range such as flags; detail which would have been IRL fairly visible. Map updates on fixes this.

There's a fix for this as well. I haven't tried it but here's a link to the thread:

Perhaps a useful little utility... (http://www.simhq.com/simhq3/sims/boards/bbs/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=129;t=000799)

Quote
The weather in AM51 sucks by the way.

That's a fact. I never had a flat sea to use my deck gun until the patrol above (all the small ships were sunk with the deck gun)...

fyi

1 knot = 1.852 kmh :p
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 12, 2005, 10:43:32 AM: When does Lorient and St. Nazairre become available for Germans?

On my Current Patrol (BF21) I headed through the Straits of Dover, again, July 6th 1940. Those two locations dont even show up on my map! Bordeaux shows up friendly though. Maybe still being fought for?

I figured out my boat strategy, I will stick with VIIC until Dec 41-Jan 42. I still havnt been to the Mediterranean yet. But I will once Lorient becomes an available base.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Gixer on April 12, 2005, 12:56:21 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Wotan
I went to AM 52 and found me a convoy and had a field day:

Wotan,

Have you installed the Convoy mod yet? I attacked a convoy coming out of the Med last night that had 5 escorts. I was detected while trying to get inside the convoy and was forced to dive deep was pinged and depth charged for a few hours and lost contact with the convoy.

Think it''s far more realisitc playing with this mod that it was before as convoys have their historic levels of escorts compared to before. Just need the ability to also add the reducition in single shipping mod to work with it and the campaign wiill be at a far more realistic level.

~~...-Gixer~~
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Dinger on April 12, 2005, 02:51:07 PM: Yeah, I gotta say, the convoy mod makes a lot of difference. I did two patrols without it and was harassing convoys full of goodies with no escorts (uh... why have a convoy then?). Afterwards they had destroyers at the corners, which made it more interesting (ducking under the boats, and playing tag with destroyers, while popping up and putting fish into the troop transports).
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 12, 2005, 04:41:48 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Gixer
Wotan,

Have you installed the Convoy mod yet? I attacked a convoy coming out of the Med last night that had 5 escorts. I was detected while trying to get inside the convoy and was forced to dive deep was pinged and depth charged for a few hours and lost contact with the convoy.

Think it''s far more realisitc playing with this mod that it was before as convoys have their historic levels of escorts compared to before. Just need the ability to also add the reducition in single shipping mod to work with it and the campaign wiill be at a far more realistic level.

~~...-Gixer~~

I have.

I downloaded Jace's fix then went back and downloaded Pentallion version that merged Jace's with Pent's 'reduced' small traffic to 20% of default settings' fix.

That's what I am using now.
Once the "world' mod gets some more work I will install it.

My career started in Sept '39. I am 2 patrols in and the date is Dec '39.

Not much has changed for those early convoys with either of those fixes that I have noticed. This particular convoy was of a different composition and layout then the other I have encountered. It was mostly nuetral small tankers and merchants with a few Brit C2s. It still had the 2 large Brit tankers but they were positioned differently.

As I have said I have no issue at all finding them. Now whether they have an escort or 5 is irrelevant to that point. In Dec '39 the British ability to protect their shiping was limited. That's why its referred to as the "Happy Time'.

I am sure things will become more difficult later on but that hasn't got much to do with with the ability to locate them.

In that patrol I was forced to stay submerged for nearly 6 hours and returned to port with 55% hull damage and several wounded crew.

2 destroyers had rushed out to aid the convoy. I was hit while on the surface. I submerged and spent the rest of the time avoiding depth charges and making repairs.

I am into my 3rd patrol and my patrol area is BF59. I planned of making a run through the Channel but I currently caught near Dover by 2 destroyers, several armed trawlors and elcos.

I may try to reverse and turn back NE. But I don't know yet.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 12, 2005, 07:47:10 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Wotan

I am into my 3rd patrol and my patrol area is BF59. I planned of making a run through the Channel but I currently caught near Dover by 2 destroyers, several armed trawlors and elcos.

I

I killed an Elco last night, July 7th 1940.

I was running surfaced, and a Ship came into view at very short range. An Elco was cutting right at me, So I called crew to Deck Stations, But they couldnt hit the PT Boat with the 8.8, So I jumped on the Gun and showed them how it was done.

3 Direct Hits, and Down he went. I also put some 20 mike mike into another one, and he sped off, must have caused severe damage to him, but he called his friends and I spent the rest of the Night Under water.

It seems like none of the Destroyers have ASDIC, I can wreak havoc on a convoy, and all they do is circle above. The Only time Ive been pinged is when I went into Scapa, And I think those were Flower Corvettes.

My Current Patrol, Im 90 meters down, I was attacked by a Flower at night, but hes not pinging me either. It's just to easy when they dont have ASDIC.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 13, 2005, 12:54:35 AM: Wow that's a nice sky you had there Wotan, am jealous!
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 13, 2005, 04:12:03 AM: I was killed mid channel. I stayed submerged through out the night but had no choice but to surface due to O2 depletion.

I surfaced and ran ahead at flank to try and get into the wider section of the channel.

I was attacked by aircraft and severly damaged. My sonar room was flood and my sonar and radar men were killed.

I thought the area was clear and surfaced again only to be engaged by a destroyer.

I was able to dive but due to the flooding I couldn't rig for silent. I cut engine and flapped the rudder to stop and submerged to the bottom.

Soon depth charges exploded all around me and I was killed...

U-47 lost with all hands...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 13, 2005, 04:38:02 AM: I no longer am jealous ;)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 13, 2005, 10:57:11 AM: I too, am going to install the Convoy Mod. Although I never really noticed a big problem with them. I've came across two convoys in Ten Patrols so far, and both had plenty of Destroyers.

But I'm going to install it as soon as I finish Patrol 10 here. I've completed my goals, but Ive only used 5 Torps, 4 Bow and One Aft, Got plenty of fuel.

After I evaded the Flower, A V&W attacked me, And actually used ASDIC. Although he was bombing the wrong spot, I started to get worried, but he moved away and I surfaced again.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Dinger on April 13, 2005, 12:49:03 PM: Total Dweeb mission that shows the strengths and very real problems with SH3.

March 1940, my Type VIIB (From Kiel) is slated to patrol AN31 -- just off the coast of Norway. Strange BdU would send a long-range boat there, and I figured they wnated me to do something better. So after clocking in the 24 hours, I head on over to Scapa Flow. I'd paid S.F. a visit the previous patrol, sneaking in through the W, finding nothing, and slipping out the S undetected.

This time I came in through the S, and had made it past the straights (running silent, submerged, daytime, with high winds and medium fog), when one of the corvettes starts pinging. It's shallow water, and I don't have much room to maneuver. I dare not poke the scope up (and external view is disabled), but I can hear 5 ships around me. ASDIC is going nuts. After sneaking around a bit, I pop the periscope barely out of its case and notice that the seafloor is so disturbed I can't see the undersea environment about 100m around me. As the destroyers make thei rattack runs, some of them come so close I can make out their hulls as they go past, watching them roll depth charges off the back as they go, which hit the bottom, and detonate with a flash and a cloud of dirt. That's when I time the bursts of flank speed forward (or when the destroyer starts coming across the bow, emergency reverse).
A few times, the keel of a destroyer scraped the deck as it passed, making a horrifying screeching noise as the warship's 2-meter draft slid along, taking now the Flak cannon, now the deck gun along with it. One even took off the A couple depth charges got close enough to blow some pipes and shake us around.
Finally, a particularly close bow-to-stern run got me p*ssed off. I sent Hans down to the aft torpedo room, and had him flood the tube and give the eal a full head of steam. Rotated the scope to 180, and popped it up, right as he was approaching about 300m range. Calculated a bit of lead to starboard, and hit fire. Flank speed and hard port rudder, and another destroyer's coming on my six. Right then an explosion goes off in the distance. I break right and watch the cans fall off the back of the boat, just off to port, and explode on the floor. Meanwhile, I send Hans to the bow torps, and having him prep a surprise there. Pop the scope up and minimum range and send one that way.
Another explosion.
I cut to silent running and slink NE. After a while, the audio contacts are all distant.
I finally risk a putting the scope above the water for a peak. I get it above the storm-tossed waves and see
destruction.
Parts of V&W Destroyers and Flower Corvettes are scattered everywhere --something like 5 ships have sunk; smoke and debris hang over Scapa Flow (we'll say three of htem ran out of depth charges). Everything is eerily quiet.
I bring her to the surface long enough to grab some fresh air, then glide over to the port - nothing. I skirt the shore, wary of the new gun emplacements they seem to have installed -- I pull out so that my periscope is masked by the fog.
I head for the western exit, when I come across the Invincible, parked.
I pull up for a money shot, and set up a full spread of all four forward tubes.
The ruckus I had raised earlier must have warned them; their boilers were going and as soon as I choked off the spread, the flattop tried to get underway. The first torp hit amidships; one missed/was a dud and the other two hit the fantail. Still moving forward, she started to list towards me, then rolled over hard. The aircraft that weren't strapped to the deck slid into the water. Soon she was smoking in the Mud of Scapa Flow.

As I continued, there was an Auxiliary Cruiser desperately trying to get moving. Hans had two forward torpedos loaded; nothing else was left. This time, I stagger the shots, giving the second one some lead. Sure enough, I fire the first, she gets moving. Torp one hits the stern; Torp two amidships, and she starts taking on water in the bow, slowing to a stop.
I pull up to the burning wreck, waiting for her to sink. I get cocky and wait there for an hour.
Eventually someone who's not fighting hte fire ont he Aux cruiser spots me and starts firing.
So I drop the scope, and pull around side.
eventually, I figure it's time to leave, pull out to about 800 meters, and fire my last, aft, torpedo at the Aux cruiser.
I exit via the west, dodging a patrol craft, then head back to Kiel, with 4 kills and 39000 tons of british warships.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: takeda on April 14, 2005, 05:26:23 PM: I haven't played in a week, instead I've been peering through all the files looking for modable stuff...
Lately I've been trying to crack the 3D format for the game models (with moderate success: http://www.subsim.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=33178)

And I haven't even completed one proper campaign mission.

Heck... as I kid I never got to properly play with my toys, before 10 minutes they were already sitting in pieces, guts showing. Guess I didn't get any better.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 14, 2005, 11:27:55 PM: Installed the Convoy/Destroyer Mod and the 20% Single Shipping Mod. Am waiting for a complete World Mod or a bundled Mod with all mods combined, then I will start over :(

Patrol 11 (Started July 16th 1940)

Ordered AM68

Instead of braving the Channel a 3rd Time, I head NW around Scapa Flow, I take the small passage near Loch Ewe, and arrive at my objective after about 7 days at sea.

Dodged the Most Hurricanes Ive ever seen yet, (Only going to get worse) And battled another Armed Trawler, Sunk the Trawler then had to dive away from Flower Class.

Narrowly missed my chance at an Outbound Convoy from Liverpool, but I've completed my objective. Time to Sail South.

Recieved a Radio Message, that the 1st Flotilla has been moved to Brest.

So, Still on Patrol 11, but things are starting to look promising further South as Im still on the Hunt.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Russian on April 15, 2005, 01:53:28 AM: On 4th patrol I got killed by a stupid mistake. Note to others: when a convoy approaches, be on either side of convoy. Do not wait for them to pass over.

Now it’s time to start third career.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Swoop on April 15, 2005, 06:43:52 AM: This game is shrecking awesome! (Thanks Saw!)

Q's:

Any way to increase the brightness/gamma? Night-time engagements are impossible with my VDU. It's just black.

Is it possible to train crew up? Like......I'd like more POs qualified as watchmen.

How come after I've left port, set a course and left the thing on x1024 for a while......when I finally spot something and time auto slows back to x8 I find every crew member on the boat exhausted? Don't these numpties end shifts and swap over on their own?

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/209_1081438631_swoop.gif)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 15, 2005, 06:53:30 AM: Glad you got it Swoop, was beginning to wonder if Lulu post f*** ed up again.

Quick answer to your questions:

UZO: Are you on an Nvidia? I know there are issues with Nvidia.. did you try adjusting the gamma in your card settings (you can pretty much alt tab out of SHIII safely)

Crew: They get more xperience with time, you'll be able to promote them, ad give them medals... you will also be able to give one qualification between each patrol.

If you stay in TC (Time compression) above 32*, the crew won't tire... if you get below that, they will tire in aproximately 1h 20 min... not there is no "auto watch", it's the only part of the game i don't like... there are already mods out there that fix that.

Once you give your crew some big medals, they no longer get tired either.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on April 15, 2005, 07:42:22 AM: Swoop has been bitten by the bug. :)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Urchin on April 15, 2005, 07:56:41 AM: It is a real fun game... my first patrol I came up cherry... didn't even SEE any ships, and they send me up by Scapa flow. Got a couple of contacts on hydrophone, but they gave me the slip. It was actually thundering and lightning the whole 7 days I was out on patrol.

Second patrol went much better... got sent out in the Channel, farther south than I was before, just north of where England and France are really close. Off the coast of Belgium I got a sound contact on the hydrophone, headed towards it... and a C2 cargo ship was tooling towards me. Got set up for a perfect shot, set 2 torpedos to 9m depth, let em loose. Both hit and exploded, but the damn ship didn't go down. I had to finish it off with a 3rd torpedo set to hit at the waterline... the C2's bow was about 6 inches out of the water by that time. But, I figured if the bastard hadn't gone down after an hour, it wasn't going to. Got a small merchant and a coastal merchant in that patrol too.

Anyway, anyone know if the ships send out maydays or anything? Summon help and airplanes to their position? That would be rather cool, I think.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 15, 2005, 08:14:02 AM: Urchin, I *think* they don't when you manage to sinke them on your initial attack run. However, if you have the "We've been spotted sir" ... you can be almost certain to have planes in the air in the next 15 minutes... so I guess they do.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Staga on April 15, 2005, 08:36:25 AM: damn... when torpedoing enemy destroyers at daylight be sure you've selected electric torps and not those which run with steam...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 15, 2005, 10:47:34 AM: I ran into a Task force of 2 Revenge class battleships and 5 destroyers (3 C- Class and 2 Tribal).

I sunk 1 Battleship and damaged the other but was forced away by the Tribal destroyers.

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113578982_tf1.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20587)

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113579016_tf2.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20588)

The Next Patrol I went South almost to Gibraltar and caught a few C3's off the coast of Spain. I tracked back North while rtb'ing following the convoy route and ran head long into another task force. This one was made up of 2 cruisers, 1 Illustrious Class Carrier and many destroyers.

It took almost 2 days of saving to eventually get set up but I got off a spread of 4 torpedos and sunk the carrier. I then crash dived to 125m and got the hell out of there.

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113579414_tf3.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20590)

On the way back I caught another convoy in AM02. This one was full of troop transports and tankers with 2 V & W destroyers on the corners.

I slipped in the middle of the convoy and sunk a T2 and a Troop transport.

I made it back into Wilhelmshaven to a heros welcome.

Quote
Installed the Convoy/Destroyer Mod and the 20% Single Shipping Mod. Am waiting for a complete World Mod or a bundled Mod with all mods combined, then I will start over

The same thing I run. I am waiting on the world mod to mature but so far everything is a lot of fun...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 15, 2005, 01:24:32 PM: Swoop, the only real way to beat the Dark of Night is one, Play in low light conditions, make sure there is no glare on your monitor.

I play with usually one light in an adjacent room on. Some people go as far to put red bulbs in their lamps. But thats kind of wierd.

Secondly, get your watch officer and give him some medals, When you have a watch officer on deck, the chances of you spotting a ship or aircraft in the dark of night are greatly increased.

My Strategy for Awards and Promotion is pretty simple.

Officers First. All of my Officers have IC 1st or 2nd, My CE has the German Cross and guess what? He never tires.

When promoting Non Coms, and Sailors, I go for the ones with the most patrols, I think in about two more patrols, all my crew will have either clasp or War Badge.

Skills matter, but its your choice, just pick what you need most.

For Example Ive got 4 machinists, so I can have two on the engines at all times.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Octavius on April 15, 2005, 02:59:12 PM: Decisions, decisions... wait, I'm out of torpedos. ****!
(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/52_1113594480_decisions.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20599)

I don't know why, but I like hovering below these guys. You can tell the destroyers are pissed the way they disrupt the formation and drop random charges.

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/52_1113594772_heh.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20606)

Just launched a volley. Dove and ran. I usually run into the convoy and watch the destroyers get pissed...

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/52_1113594685_heh12.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20603)

What happened to the one I was hiding under...

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/52_1113594711_t3boom1.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20604)

son of a bitch! Still 1940! :D

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/52_1113594656_sob.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20601)

You are shrecked. (two images spliced, above/under)

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/52_1113594494_fcked1.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20600)

Testing out my new deck gun on the Type IXB :) Told the gunners to open fire long range and they were making hits at 4k!

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/52_1113594729_tribal.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20605)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on April 15, 2005, 03:33:06 PM: Nice screenies Oct.:aok

My deck gunner was awesome on my last mission...I think he sank 7 or 8 ships. It was a convoy whose contact was relayed to me...I ran into a single C2 on the way to the convoy which the deck gunner dispatched with ease, then when I got to the convoy I drove the boat straight at it, firing torps and allowing my gunner to clean house. Ended up with 11 ships and over 54,000 tonnes sunk.

I was damaged by a depth charge attack, but nothing serious. Made it home and was able to award my watch officer a Knights Cross...gave the other to the Nav officer.

PS....How do you take screenies?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: BlueJ1 on April 15, 2005, 03:38:17 PM: Do planes roll of deck of cvs when listing ?

And is there debris (cargo,sailors,oil slicks) floating after a ship has gone down ?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 15, 2005, 03:46:37 PM: Quote
Originally posted by BlueJ1
Do planes roll of deck of cvs when listing ?

And is there debris (cargo,sailors,oil slicks) floating after a ship has gone down ?

Yes, but not as Graphic as it sounds, all I usually see is Cargo Boxes. Ive seen screenies of sailors being blown off the Decks of Destroyers though.

Now when I hit the Illustrious, It was to dark to see. And although I took a picture of her before I put four in her, I wasnt going to stick around for a good picture after, because after the intial explosions it was like someone turned on the electricity at Scapa Flow.

Screenshots are F11 I beleive.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Staga on April 15, 2005, 04:23:43 PM: I sunk some light cruiser at Scapa Flow and watched it to fall in the bottom of the bay. It had a aircraft (looked like a Walrus) on the catapult and when the cruiser turned on to its side the aircraft fell down from the ship.

Edit:
About crews: I hit some DE with a torp and saw guys who were manning the AA-guns flying in the air...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 15, 2005, 05:57:18 PM: Finished Patrol 11.

Just had my first run in with a tribal, and I was complaining about No ASDIC Destroyers.

Got Crapped on for about 25 Minutes, but snuck away unscathed. Matter of fact it was the first time my boat rocked do to Depth Charges.

It was my worst Patrol to date. Less than 5000 Tons of Merchants, Two Armed Trawlers and my first Aircraft, A hurricane.

Next Patrol slated August 4th 1940 (AN26) Departing Brest.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Staga on April 15, 2005, 07:15:03 PM: Wait 'till you get a IXD-2 with 2x Twinbarrel 20mm FlaK38s and one twinbarrel 37mm FlaK43 Zwilling... Heh it was raining Sunderlands; I wonder what would happen if they would crash on my deck :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on April 15, 2005, 07:35:41 PM: I'm using VII's until 42. No Point of getting a IX until I feel the need to visit New York. Might as well save your renown until type 21 truthfully.

Its pretty safe to say that Type IX is to big for operations in certain areas. So I'm saving up for New Conning Towers for trusty ole U55.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 15, 2005, 07:48:20 PM: SS are CNTRL F11...

If you hit the DEL key on the Keypad it gets rid of the interface/console.

I am headed out for the night but tomorrow I will post some SS of me taking out an entire convoy including the 5 escorts.

1 Class Destroyer
1 Hunt 1
1 Tribal
1 Aux (14k tons)
1 trawler

I then surfaced and had another 'field day' with my deck gun. I use the Convoy/Destroyer Mod and the 20% less Single Shipping Mod. I play with on every thing real except external so I can take screens. To bad there's no 'film' although I do see a 'replay folder' . I wonder what's that for?

I have several print outs that help calculate speed, AOB etc.. I use these as a quick reference rather then doing the equations every time. I enter everything into the TDC manually but I am always inside 600m before I take a shot. You can hardly miss at that range.

Finding the convoys are simple.

Once the radio report comes I mark the eastern corners of the sector where the convoy was spotted with 2 marks. Then I draw 2 lines back toward the obvious approach.

For example if the convoy in in AM 02 then the eastern corners get marked. I draw the lines from north Ireland and the small island off of Scotland.

Most convoys get reported (FYI since I use started using the escort fix all my convoys get reported as 'task forces' but the 6 knot speed gives it away) at 6 knots (11km/h) I plot a line from my boat to the furthest point from AM 02 that the convoy can reach from the eastern edge of the sector. I mark that point. Next I look at the message if the convoy is headed E then most likely its in the southern part of the sector. If it's ESE then its in the northern half. I then draw another line splitting the first two and set up my search north or south of that center line.

For example if the Convoy is in AM 02 headed east I search the southern half of the approach. I go head at Flank to the furthest point the convoy could have traveled and search. I stop every so often and submerge. I listen for contact.

Once I pick up a contact I just sit for a bit until I get a good plot of it's direction.

I then adjust my position to keep the sound contacts at 270 or 090 (depending if I am facing north of south) and wait. I keep adjusting my position to keep them at 270/090 until a get a visual. I then pick out the choice targets and set up to sink them. I either move back or forward to keep them 270 and above (or 090 and below). You don't need a visual to get a plot. In fact when in heavy fog (visibility inside 400m) You can sit if the contact and plot the course on the map easy enough.

If visibility is decent I identify a ship, plot its course, then get in position and wait some more.

It never fails. I find every one I look for and sink the crap out of umm.

I keep the periscope down and only bring it up to check my plot. I sit there engines at stop and 90% of the time the escorts don't know what hit them.

I pick 2 targets and kill them both then dive and reset using my course plot and wait again.

If the whether is good then I will go after the escorts first. The Class C have no ASW capability neither do the trawlers and AUX. Submerged you can kill those without fear of being depth charged. The Tribal, Hunt and V & W however have depth charges and early on the Tribal's have ASDIC and will ping the crap out of you.

Once you get a good search area its just a matter of angles and math to in order to clean up.

Good Hunting...
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Furious on April 15, 2005, 08:41:56 PM: Wotan, post a screeny of those lines would ya?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 16, 2005, 02:16:12 AM: Here's the captains log from the patrol I described above.

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113632418_deadconvoylog1.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20616)

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113632464_deadconvoylog2.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20617)

And the RM I sent out:

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113632518_deadconvoylrm.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20618)

I would post more screens of the actual attack but I ran out of room on my PH account.

Here's just one decent kill of a C Class:

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113632367_cclass.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20615)

I took a bunch of screens for Furious and here they are:

In image 1 I get the the RM that a convoy (task force) is headed east in grid AL 28.

I mark the eastern most corners of AL 28:

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113632581_help1.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20619)

Next I draw 2 lines back toward the obvious approaches to port:

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113632620_help2.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20620)

Next I split those 2 lines with a third as I described above. If the contact is headed east then I expect him in the lower half. If he is headed east-south-east then I expect him in the northern half. This doesn't always turn out to be true* but 90% of the time it does and it helps limit the search area.

*In this patrol it didn't turn out to be true. But I had another RM updating the postion of this convoy and was able to re-plot my search pattern.

My start point was correct I just needed to adjust the search north due to the new position update. The convoy was found in my original approach plot just north of the center line instead of south.

The new position was AL 38 headed east at 6 knots. In the screens you can see my search south of the line is just out side of grid of AL 38. I adjusted north and picked up the contacts in the southern part of AL 38.[/b]

I then calculated how far the convoy could travel at 6 knots from the eastern edge of the grid. This will give me the most eastern postion possible for the convoy to have traveled and will mark the starting point of my search.

Since I was pretty close to the original grid I calculated how far the convoy can travel in 250 kmh (6 knots = around 11 kmh). It will take the convoy 23 or so hours to reach this maximum point.

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113632672_help3.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20621)

I then figure out how far I am away from that mark and adjust my speed to arrive just before the convoy. In this case I cruised at 13 kmh and the distance was 235km. It puts me at the start of my search point in 18 hours.

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113632781_help4.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20622)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 16, 2005, 02:17:28 AM: Once I get 'on station' I reduce speed to slow and set a search pattern focusing on the southern half* of my plot.

*see above remarks[/b]

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113632902_help7.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20625)

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113632820_help5.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20623)

At different points I will submerge and wait and listen. In this instance I got lucky as soon as I submerged my sonar dude pick up a contact at 337. This followed several other 'stops' in which I picked up the contacts far out. I would surface run at flank then submerge and stop, listen repeat.

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113632937_help8.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20626)

*This after re-adjusting my search to the north. You can see I am now north of the center line in the southern part of AL 38.[/b]

After a bit of manuevering I establish visual contact. I had surfaced to close the gap some what and spotted the convoy at bearing 310 or so.

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113632977_help9.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20627)

I submerged again and tracked the convoy taking range and bearing at different points. This gave me a general direction and allowed me to set up a much better pre-attack position.

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113633014_help10.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20628)

Once I am in a good spot I pick out the choice target. In the case it's a 14k ton Aux Cruiser.

I manuever a bit get in close and fire a 4 spread. I fired 4 becasue of the weather and there was a tribal destroyer bearing 090. I wouldn't have had time for a second shot. I fired 4 from 600m and all hit:

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113633050_help11.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20629)

(http://www.onpoi.net/ah/pics/users/thumbs/334_1113633225_help12.jpg) (http://www.onpoi.net/ah/picpopup.php?ImgId=20630)

I then took time to reset / reposition and reload and took out a T2 and a T3 tanker before being driven off by the 3 other destroyers.

3 ship 14k 10k and 11k.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on April 16, 2005, 08:28:23 AM: Question:

Last night I had my second patrol out of Kiel.

I cut the corner at Scapa Flow and went through the north side of the passage.

I kept running into single contacts...some merchants, mostly C2s. Some of these contacts I ignored, but others were set up perfectly for attacking.

I ended up using up all my torpedos on these contacts prior to reaching my patrol area and prior to spotting a convoy probably bound for Liverpool.

My question is: Does it "matter" whether I take out 5 single ships not in a convoy scorewise? I had no torps left for the convoy, which was well protected by destroyers, and I did surface and send a report of the contact back to base. (I received a "Keep up the Good Work" message on the radio about an hour later.)

Does it matter that I sank individual ships rather than the convoy?

Does it matter that I was out of torps before reaching my patrol grid and simply sailed around it for 24 hours as ordered...do you get more renoun for sinking ships in the patrol areaa?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on April 16, 2005, 08:29:00 AM: PS...Wow Wotan. Awesome stuff again, thanks.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 16, 2005, 10:31:05 AM: Quote
Does it "matter" whether I take out 5 single ships not in a convoy scorewise? I had no torps left for the convoy, which was well protected by destroyers, and I did surface and send a report of the contact back to base. (I received a "Keep up the Good Work" message on the radio about an hour later.)

No it doesn't matter except that you get 'paid by the tonnage' (renown) not the the number of ships sunk.

Convoys contain a larger variety of ship types. You run across a 24k ton passenger line. That's 4 C2's. The Aux Cruiser is 14k, T3 12k, T2 11k C3 10k etc..

Of course the convoys are inherently more dangerous because they are escorted (I use the escort fix mod).

If you play with full difficulty then you don't get single ship updates marked on the map. To search out single ships with these settings is pointless. I use a mod that also reduces single ship contacts by 20%.

I only ever hit the single ships when they are C3s or if I can use my deck gun.

I just don't waste time chasing them. If I spot them and have and am in a good position I might go after them.

My patrols are typically -

Head to patrol point at 2048.

Stay on station for 24 hours then head to the western approaches and start looking for convoys.

Plot, track and intercept the convoy.

Sink the big boats

Stay with that convoy until I have killed everything I could and rtb.

What keeps it interesting is the hunt and the positioning. Other then that I would be bored to death with it.

I am on my 4th career. I play DiD (dead is dead). If I die that means starting over.

My 1st career I was killed in Type II near Scapa Flow.

My 2nd was the longest but I did died in My type IX trying to get of of Lorient at night. I ran a ground and my boat sank and the crew died.

On my third I tried to sneak past dover and was hit by aircraft then attacked by Hunt I destroyers.

I am on my 3rd patrol of my 4th career.

My goal is to survive the war.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on April 17, 2005, 10:30:04 PM: Anyone else had trouble with all Bioware D&D games having horrible black screen crashes only since installing SHIII?
3 different Bioware games are doing that on my PC since I installed. Are the copy protection schemes predatory?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Siaf__csf on April 18, 2005, 12:57:00 AM: Most probably just intrusive and buggy. I've noticed side-effects with other apps also.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Fishu on April 18, 2005, 06:20:13 AM: Quote
Originally posted by Pongo
Anyone else had trouble with all Bioware D&D games having horrible black screen crashes only since installing SHIII?
3 different Bioware games are doing that on my PC since I installed. Are the copy protection schemes predatory?

Use the starforce cleaner, which wipes out the drivers, then try the the bioware games to see whether it helped.
Remember to reboot computer just for in case before running the games.
If the problem still persists, the cause isn't in Starforce and if the problem dissapears, then theres a reason to get angry.

I would be interested to know the results.
From both, you and Siaf.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Pongo on April 18, 2005, 10:23:56 AM: Opened up the case and the top of my CPU heatsink was jamed full of dust. Only maybe 15-20 % of it would let in air. I cleaned that out but apperanlty broke it worse because she wont even boot now. I have another powersupply Ill try but I would bet the thing was dying from cpu overheat.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wanker on April 21, 2005, 09:32:43 AM: Hi guys, long time no see. :)

I've been playing SH3 since day one of it's release. Awesome game. I'm on my 6th patrol of my first and career, and I've been able to move from U-1, a type IIA boat, to my current ride of U-51, a type VIIB.

I have full realism on except for auto updates, which I have enabled.

I was sent to grid AM54 on my 6th patrol and ran into my first convoy, a large one. It had only one escort(W&V destroyer), which saw me shortly after I first made vis on the convoy. The escort charged me and forced me to crash dive. It made a depth charge run but missed. I could tell by the sound from the hydrophones that it lost me, so I came back up to periscope depth and chanced a quick look. 500M away off my stern, there was the destroyer, looking for me, but luckily for me, running perpendicular to my path. I quickly set up and launced a steel fish of love out my single stern tube. As soon as they saw the steam from the torp, they saw my pericscope and I saw small arms hitting the water around my scope. Down went my scope, and a few seconds later, the detonation of my torpedo sounded throughout the boat, greeted by loud cheers from the crew.

Since I have all external views and cameras disabled, I had no idea how much damage the escort took, but as I was diving down again, I was relieved to hear the groans and crashes as the destroyer's bulkheads imploded as it sank. My sonar man then confirmed that the enemy vessel was destroyed.

Coming back up to persicope depth, I scanned the convoy and saw no more escorts. What followed next was a slaughter, as I expended all my torps( except for the ones in surface storage) and 88mm deck gun ammo, sending ten ships to the bottom. I almost sent a fish into a huge American C3 transport, but at the last moment I noticed old glory flapping in the breeze and the Sherman tanks(in 1940?!) parked on deck. So, I had to be careful of the neutral American ships as I picked my way through the convoy.

It was totally dweeby, but since it was my first convoy, I allowed myself just this one indulgence. I'm going to install the escort spawn bug mod and 20% single ship mod this weekend when I have more time.

I wish I would've snapped some pics, because I came >< close to getting rammed by one of the American ships that I was ignoring as I was focusing on destroying the British ships. I looked up just in time to see an American C2 bearing down on me. Shouting for flank speed, I engaged full left rudder, and my erstwhile killer plowed on by within 10 meters of my stern!

Whew! What a fabulous game. :aok
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on April 21, 2005, 09:50:56 AM: Hey John!

I had a feeling you'd be playing this soon.

:)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Saintaw on April 21, 2005, 11:44:49 AM: Link with all the Flotillas ports (http://www.uboat.net/flotillas/listing.htm)
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 21, 2005, 01:36:19 PM: If you use Berry's flottilla fix you can join 2nd Flottilla in '39 out of Wilhelmshaven in the Type VII's and rapidly get a a Type IX.

The Type IX is unmanueverable as all hell but the torp load makes convoy busting in the Mid-Atlantic (HX convoys) and off Africa (OS convoy's) makes the Type IX a must.

If you plan on tooling around England the entire time then the VII's and perfect.

Catching outbound convoys's (AS convoy's) in BE 61 or so is a blast except for the Hunt Is and Tribals (if you use the escort spawn fix). Empty T2s and T3s don't go down as easily like they do when full....
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on April 21, 2005, 01:41:05 PM: Wotan, maybe you can answer a question I have:

The little triangle reticule in the UZO or periscope that changes colour can be set to point up or point down. Why is that? Is it to target magnetic torps better by having the triangle pointing up (ie pointing at the underside of the ship)?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wanker on April 21, 2005, 02:41:24 PM: Hey Curval, I believe the colored triangles indicate how likely you are to score a hit.

Red= no way, Jose

Yellow= decent chance

Green= She's dead, Jim :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Curval on April 21, 2005, 02:58:30 PM: I know THAT...but if you notice the triangle either points up or down when you are targetting.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wanker on April 21, 2005, 03:08:50 PM: Yeah, I noticed that, too. I just use the torpedo depth adjustment in the plotting screen to make sure the magnetic activators go BOOM. I usually set the depth to 1m additional to what is listed in the manual for that particular ship.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Wotan on April 21, 2005, 03:15:37 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Curval
Wotan, maybe you can answer a question I have:

The little triangle reticule in the UZO or periscope that changes colour can be set to point up or point down. Why is that? Is it to target magnetic torps better by having the triangle pointing up (ie pointing at the underside of the ship)?

It's basically an aim bot.

Why it flips up or down I think has to do with the angle of your scope and simply flips to allow you to know which way to adjust. I don't use it so I can say for sure.

I do everything manually. It doesn't take a whole heck of a lot to take over the weapons functions. You can practice making your plots while using the map markers and the aim bot and pretty soon you will pick it up.

You can even have your weapons officer do it all. Just order him to.

There's several keys you will want to remember when doing it manually.

q = open tube doors.

w - closes them but this seems to be an automatic function after the tops are fired. You don't need to worry about closing them after firing. If you don't fire close them before you head deep.

This will prevent any delay in torp launches if you open the tube doors before you wish to fire.

CTRL + Page UP / Page DOWN will fully extend your attack periscope (CTRL + INSERT / DELETE for the observation 'scope). You don't need to be in the periscope postion to use this function.

I typically stay in the sonar shack listening for contacts, getting bearing etc.. In rl I spent 6 years riding 688 class sub as a sonar technician. So the sonar shack is like home.

I never leave my 'scope up for more then the few seconds it takes to locate, id, range in and plot a target. I then lower jump to the map and make my plot then head back to the sonar shack.

Then repeat. While jumping around I can have the 'scope going up or down and ready when I jump back.

The hardest thing about no map markers is is creating a viable search zone based on BDU reports. As I described above you want to do everything you can to come up with the smallest search area. Once you get the hang of that killing them is easy.

Get in close, and then closer and you can't miss. Set magnetic with a depth +1 over draft and let umm go.

I am on my tenth patrol and have near 450k tons sunk. I stay with a convoy and try to kill the escorts. Its only August '40 in my current career. I was about killed by a flower corvett. I didn't realize they had asw capabilities. I just assumed it was an 'armored trawler'.

I spotted him covering then northern flank of an out bound convoy. It was heavy Seas so no deck gun. I went to flank on the surface to close then went to periscope depth.

He spotted me and came right at me as I submerged. He fired his guns but missed and I was going to hit him with an aft shot as he crossed behind me.

I suddenly heard pinging and thought a destroyer was near. I went hard right rudder and came around just as the corvett released its depth charges.

45% hull damage and a wounded radio men. I dove quickly to 60m and got the hell out of there.
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on May 24, 2005, 11:27:21 AM: October 1940, Western Approaches

Patrol 14

Making Tommy pay for the hardship endured on Patrol 13.

On Patrol 13 ran into a IB convoy, Tried on three different occasions to get in it and raise hell. But was killed everytime.

Finally I gave up and headed away from the convoy.

Patrol 14 is going a lot better, Snuck into to another IB convoy. Im out of torpedos, 60000+ Tons Sunk so far, but it looks like my mission objective AM32, will just be a recon patrol :D

I dont play very much, less than 4hrs a week, I would say. But it seems everytime it starts to storm outside, I get this urge to load up SHIII :D
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: DiabloTX on June 20, 2005, 09:49:28 AM: Quote
Originally posted by beet1e
Diablo, I installed it today and there is an automatic checker which tells you if your system is up to it, piece by piece.

Looking at the specs, your vidcard should be OK. However, your CPU is below spec. I have the AMD XP2600 which runs at 1.9GHz without being overclocked. The recommended CPU speed is 2.0GHz, so you're way under spec there. Also, 512MB RAM is the bare minimum. 1GB is recommended. I have 768MB (512+256) and I will get another 256 to add in my third RAM slot. You should get more RAM too.

Ok, I can't really do anything about the CPU right now but here's my new spec's:

AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2100+, MMX, 3DNow, ~1.7GHz
1024MB RAM
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700LE 128.0 MB
XP Pro W/SP2
Memorex DVD16+/-DL4RWnD2

How easy/hard would it be to overclock the CPU?
Title: Silent Hunter III Review
Post by: Nefarious on June 20, 2005, 09:53:56 AM: I have a P4 1.8, and it runs fine.