GrogHeads Forum

After Action Reports => Digital Gaming AARs => Topic started by: -budd- on December 02, 2019, 09:53:46 PM

Title: WolfPack AAR: Newb survival
Post by: -budd- on December 02, 2019, 09:53:46 PM
 Well no surprise here, i bought the damn game. Bad combination, me at home with a sick child and a visa card 8)

Lets get this thing started. I played the tutorial twice,died once and won once and learned i can't plot/aim torpedoes for shit.

One nice thing is the scenario starts are randomized, not the same setup every time.

I'm playing with the new alternate UI


Scenario start:
9/16/1939, 08:05, scenario runs for 90 minutes.
I'm captain of the U-31 type VIIA U-Boat, 4 fish loaded in the front tubes and only one in the rear tube, 6 reloads for the front tubes. Boat is equipped with passive sonar. 626 ton boat with 52 souls on board.Not sure what the 1X88mm-GE-FPS is and couldn't find it in the manual, so if someone could enlighten me.

opening situation, convoy sighted, 6 cargo ships, 1 escort which appears to be an old destroyer......no problem...new U-Boat vs old destroyer...easy peasy
I'm running at 8kts, at periscope depth with the periscope currently extended.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160921871_f21eff1a6e_h.jpg)

08:10- destroyer drops out of sight. i'm feeling pretty good about my position, i reduce speed to 2kts i want to watch and work out the convoy's course and see if there are more escorts around. I turn on the range grid, 1000 yards between dots. I get actively pinged [bright green line], no worries the old destroyer is a ways out. The black ring is the range of the deck gun, yellow is max visibility, blue triangles are front and rear torpedo ranges, targets have to be in those triangle to be able to shoot them.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160439828_8f2a51d6df_h.jpg)

08:15- everything drops out of sight, 81% on the battery
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160921721_4f15809de8_h.jpg)

08:15- no targets, passive sonar[dark green] locks onto what i guess is the cargo convoy.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160439673_5a9479ea6b_h.jpg)

08:19 -Destroyer reaquired just over 2000 yards out. Moving NNW with periscope out at 4kts, hoping to slip by the escort and get into the convoy lane. From what i read the destroyer will have a hard time spotting my periscope until about 1000 yards, so it stays up for now.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49161158992_74be698ebf_h.jpg)


08:24-I think we've slipped by the escort, told you, old destroyer vs new Uboat...no chance...muhahaha-Battery 78.6 %
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49161158917_8368312793_h.jpg)

08:28- AAAA.. the prizes reappear about 3000 yards out, time to get into postion. I want to shoot as close as possible, how close can we get, we'll see.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160921421_37b44fe9be_h.jpg)


08:35- This confuses me, i actually wrote that down...WTH...2 cargoships going one way, one going completely opposite....2 convoys crossing???
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160439378_9179bcf455_h.jpg)


08:36- i don't look a gift horse in the mouth, torpedoes away, spread of 3 at about 900 yards...they look pretty good. The destroyer hasn't noticed me yet and continues on course. You hold the CTRL key and hover over the target and the TDC gives you plot line and you manual fire using that line. You can see my crew is reloading the torpedoes, 284 seconds until one is reloaded.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160921281_e94e84ffab_h.jpg)

08:37:13- Looks like one might score a hit.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160921211_fb461147fb_h.jpg)

08:37:40- 2 miss, one seemed to hit but it must of been a dud. Looking at the mini map i seem to be in a target rich environment......reload...reload...faster.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160439243_f393e8e0b7_h.jpg)

08:37:53-Got no time, no time, lower periscope, dive, dive, destroyer 1000 yards out and closing.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49161158572_56defe836f_h.jpg)


08:39:43- Depth charges Captain, minor flooding, Boat 91%, battery 74.2% ...put the boat on the floor...now.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160439143_ea59020fb7_h.jpg)

08:40- Crew bottoms the boat below the thermal layer, flooding contained, boat 85%, battery 73.4% course due west.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49161158432_ca0c8808d9_h.jpg)


08:49- All quiet, seemed to have got out of the depth charge ring, boat was shaking and quaking. Two contacts, active sonar, probably the destroyer and passive sonar probably the Cargo ships. Might be time to go to periscope depth to take a peek.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160920896_49e7a1265d_h.jpg)

08:54- after a few more minutes of quiet we go to periscope depth to take a peek...................Shit...lower the scope...dive, dive, destroyer 200 yards out, evasive maneuvers. You can see all my front tubes are reloaded now, will i live to use them :hide:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160438998_2da8e5bc74_h.jpg)

9:06- After some evasive maneuvers i escape the depth charge attacks and out fox the old destroyer. i pop up and take a look...well look at that, can I get it done before the destroyer circles back...hmmmm. Battery 46.2%, 28 minutes left in scenario and nothing to show for my labors.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49161158187_30d8175b2c_h.jpg)


09:18- I drop the periscope and chnage course to due west, trying to put some distance between me and the destroyer. Battery 33%, 16 minutes left.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160438828_0126c30ef9_h.jpg)


9:22- i raise scope to take a look. Not exactly a optimal angle of fire, i fire one and then shoot the other three fish quickly as i realize i won't get another chance, the destroyer is heading back my way.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160920626_a7872ae665_h.jpg)

09:24- One hit,medium damage, two fish still alive. This is going to attract the attention of that destroyer.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160438683_4fad853d44_h.jpg)

09:25- i score another hit, light damage
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49160438623_52c914db81_h.jpg)

I flip around and fire my rear torpedo tube but miss, time runs out with me evading the old destroyer.

One sunk, one damaged, Allies suffer a major defeat.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49161157752_caeee16504_h.jpg)

I like the game, for a game with some basic graphics there was some tense moments. i'd like to see the torpedoes use a different icon and color,  better ship icons in general. wish there was a periscope view you could toggle for more immersion, probably not going to happen but there is something immersive about looking through a periscope, a compass somewhere, a navel game without a compass...come on  ;D, target course/heading by letters and numbers, maybe have the water change somehow when it stormy. What i'd really like is the operational part fleshed out some more, haven't tried the campaign yet but reads like a bunch of scenarios loosely tied to together. i think its a winner, but you know us gamers......always wanting more...two thumbs up from me :bd:
Title: Re: WolfPack AAR: Newb survival
Post by: Jarhead0331 on December 02, 2019, 10:28:43 PM
I'm assuming that 88mm-GE-FPS is your deck gun.
Title: Re: WolfPack AAR: Newb survival
Post by: GaryMc on December 02, 2019, 10:31:01 PM
Nicely done :)

The 88mm FPS is your deck gun.  The Germans do love their 88mm, and the FPS is "forward, port, starboard. It can fire in any direction except aft.

Title: Re: WolfPack AAR: Newb survival
Post by: -budd- on December 02, 2019, 10:38:52 PM
Jesus 88mm deck gun, i thought about that and said no way, thanks guys.