The evolution of Wolfpacks in Silent Hunter Online

[Astro-baarn]

most WP I am quite far outside visible range and shooting long distance. praticed it a lot.
sometimes I just wonder why other Captains are in the middle of a convoy shooting around. to my opinion you can't even get periscope up without getting detected. most of them are then complaining or saying in chat they have 3 hours repair, 7 hours or whatever

[HammerheadShark]

Hello Astro-baarn and See_Wolf.

I totally agree with both your statements. I also respect See_Wolfs point of view, and his playstyle. Like him, I command my own Wolfpack up to four subs simultaneously. I also (mostly) prefer mid-/long range attacks. It is just a matter of practice and experience. Even if I get spotted, there´s enough time to evade quickly or destroy an approaching escort easily. In the meantime you can start some ruses, if necessary.

In the middle of a convoy ? Foggy wheather, OK. Spy/Recon mission, OK.
But otherwise : Am I nuts ? Why not climbing up the escort and say "Hello" ?
Besides, Deckgun is not my favourite tactic. If i´m keen to do some "noise", I´ll hop onto a battleship and let them 406mm speak XD

Repairings ? Barely.. Why? I don´t fool around on the surface, or jump (skip) like a drugged rabbit from A to B only to get too close and ouchhh.

Yes, Astro-baarn . Rep-times of 10h are not seldom. I think there is too much reckless behaviour out there. Collecting PP and GRT, no matter the cost.

But everybody should decide by him/herself, what is right or wrong.


Greetings,
HammerheadShark

[B-Eazy]

But here comes the thing, us-the captains that like long range attacks (2500-6000m) are doomed in 95% of WP's because once convoy gets spooked it is hard to get hits, especially if its regular tankers and merchant ships. For big warships such as QE etc is not that bad, but still becomes harder. 2500-3500m for spooked convoy is is do-able, but for tankers/merchants its pretty hard, if not impossible to get consistent hits.

[Astro-baarn]

yes, that is true. big targets like Nelson or QE just keep in traject they follow, but freighters and tankers move from left to right after some U boat is sighted in middle of convoy.
it makes sometimes hooting at long distance a problem
still wondering why middle of convoy, no Captain in real U boat would do that I guess. to much danger in getting rammed, spotted and then divebombed
when in a WP is see many times the symbols of participating U boats change in red parts

[B-Eazy]

yeah exactly, that's what i'm talking about regarding spooked convoys and long distance shots.

for the middle part, i'm actually pretty successful at that, i do not spook convoy by overspeeding (getting into yellow shade), nor do i spook convoy by getting detected via dark shade (visibility detection). It's all about speed, being at 8-9m, periscope height as low as possible or not using it and of course distance. There is a good spot, right in the middle between two ships, usually even in sunny day there is undetectable spot. I really try to get out of both shades, and 99% i'm good at that. Once convoy spooked and i'm in the middle then i do not care and do get into dark shade.

[HammerheadShark]

captains that like long range attacks (2500-6000m) are doomed in 95% of WP's because once convoy gets spooked it is hard to get hits, especially if its regular tankers and merchant ships.

Hi..

Oh yes.. "Snipers" aren´t that famous and popular in WP, like me :-P

In WP there is too much noise, trouble and hectic. After impact, they zigzag....no chance to score long range hits. I hate that.
But there are possibilities. Keyword coordination. Firing long range torpedoes first, short ones at last.
Destroy several ships simultaneously.
First strike, four, five ships gone in the same moment.

But it is very hard to maneuver such tactics, especially alone. You need the right captains to succeed.
I wonder , if there are WP´s in background who do so.
Communication has to be perfect, every detail prepared over- particular.

I mostly experiment with these tactics. Sometimes successful....other times not. Much calculating and observing....

But it is a hell of a fun if it does the trick.



Happy huntings...

HammerheadShark