Okay I think we'll be doing SHIII + GWX + lots of other mods (the ones with 70(!!!) more civilian ship types, further added .exe realism tweaks in physics, eather etc.).
Apparently one of the mods also generates AI submarines to create "Wolfpacks" to immerse the player, but I've heard that the subs in
stock SHIII cant dive and can only fire their AA guns. I cant seem to find any information on whether that still goes to those mods... Even GWX manual states "can only fire AA" for some of the AI subs, but not all. Having a chance of AI help within 24 hours of reporting a convoy to the BdU would be great, instead of always being alone, whenever outside Luftwaffe range and not near a port. Does anyone know more about this?
I'm currently playing a campaign with Type IXB from Lorient, December 1940. 2 patrols already with 41kt of shipping sunk. 100% difficulty, but the radio messages that sometimes reveal the positions of nearby convoys and ships every now and then(a couple of times a week it'd seem) make it kinda easy to intercept and sink shipping, if the weather allows... Out of the 8 ships I've sunk so far only 1 was found without that help. And I've managed to intercept every reported nearby contact that I've wanted to intercept, except for one, but that was in a very heavy near-zero-visibility storm that suddenly rose just as I was (probably) about to make visual contact.
No idea how realistic those radio position reports are and if they can be turned off - sure there should be some help from the BdU near Europe and in areas of Uboat operations as radio calls could be intercepted and triangulated, but that cant be tha case near Freetown, can it?
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Silent Hunter III AAR:I'm currently playing on my laptop. It can run the game Okay, pretty smooth actually, but the graphical quality is just.... way, way too low, for an AAR. And videos are definitely out of question! I moved to a new home last thursday but I still lack a proper desktop for my gaming PC. Now the question goes - should I start an AAR once I get the PC running or before, and what sub, flotilla or Theater of Operations are you guys interested in? What year should we start the war?
Options:
late 1939: war against Poland, France and UK(+ Commonwealth) begins. "Happy Times", available boats are coastal Type II and the workhorse VIIB
late 1940: first "Happy Times" about to end, bases in France are available, as is the new long range sub Type IXB with 24 torpedoes
1941: second "happy times" begin by the end of the year when USA joins the war and almost every ship met is a true target, finally. The legendary Type VIIC, and new, even longer range IXC available
Each man aboard the ship can be role played.
The crew will try to survive the war: that doesnt mean that we'll avoid every protected ship and convoy, but I will think twice for example when engaging a task force in daylight within patrol aircraft range, or engaging when already sighted etc. Its always best to survive to fight another day, with or without a kill.
The AAR format will be a diary with sub status: position, weather, torpedoes etc. for each day, with more detailed stories every time something actually happens... Which may not be that often at all. There will be screenshots.
The AAR will be played at 100% difficulty. No, I will not discuss that.
So screenshots will be shot mostly of the navigation map or from the bridge or through the periscopes!
The character claims... What do you think should every man aboard be claimable or only officers and petty officers(actually from sergeant equivalent and up)? The lowest ranks cant learn skills...
I'd probably lean towards a type VIIIB, but starting year can be either. 1940 start will get rougher earlier but the hunting grounds are closer.
I need to admit that I'm currently inspired by the movie U-96(or just Das Boot), saw it the other night (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMj0_wCn6jM ). I saw it last some 8 or 9 years ago and its STILL the very best war movie I've seen. And definitely in the top 5 on my personal list of all time best movies. Now, if you havent seen it and are interested to, dont watch the Theater version, which is pretty bad... Go for the 3+ hour Director's Cut with subtitles OR the full 6-hour one. Watchm preferably, in a single session. If you had any (negative)prejudice about the Germans or Kriegsmarine in WW2, they'll get fixed soon... Thats 6 hours of based-on-real-events war horror and one-shot camera chases through the sub without a underlined plot events, heroes or bad guys or even a love story that the Hollywood cant seem to be able to make a movie without.