FIRST DOUBTS - U-55 GOES TO WAR - Episode 69 - Full Realism SILENT HUNTER 3 GWX OneAlex Edition

Welcome to a fresh Silent Hunter Campaign with the GWX OneAlex Edition Mod compilation, based on SIlent Hunter III.
Link to a synopsis of "Sharks and Little Fish"
en.wikipedia.o...
You can find the GWX OneAlex Edition Mod compilation here:
/ discord
The Rules for this Campaign are:
- Dead is dead. When I die, the campaign ends.
- Full realism settings. Only the external camera is allowed for filming purposes
- Manual Targeting
- No recognition manual for random merchant ships
- Attempt to abide by the historical orders in regards to the London Naval Treaty, Operating Procedures and Restrictions

[@altair_204]

Bombers are A-29 Hudson, light or medium twin engine bombers carrying potentially 4 250lb bombs with a range of 1700nm

[@theroyalaustralian]

Nope. Thats not quite right. The Hudsons maximum range at service altitude on calm days meansured 2,800nm.

[@thisherehandleIdospout]

​@@theroyalaustralian Nope. That's not quite right, either. The Hudsons could also carry multiple 100lb bombs in addition to the four 250lb ones.

[@theroyalaustralian]

@@thisherehandleIdospout I didn't say I was right, and yeah, I also already knew Hudsons could also carry smaller bomb loads, but were capable of carrying said larger bomb loads, but only for small distances according to publically available info.

[@Camcolito]

You were attacked by the famous Guinea nighttime GPS guided defence force of 1941. Extremely heavily guarded area.

[@vipertwenty249]

I agree with you about the aircraft - not only the way they spawn but also the performance of their radar at this stage in the war. Centimetric radar was being developed at this same time but was not yet in service. How do I know that? 30 years ago I knew one of the team that succeeded in minituarising the cavity magnetron thus making centimetric radar possible. He was over 80 at that time (30 years ago) - long passed now. We are talking about old valve radio technology remember. They got the magnetron down from a thing the size of a tennis racquet down to a thing you could fit in a large matchbox. It started entering service in 1942 experimentally and was the main cause of massively increased uboat detections at night by aircraft, but its range was short - about 8km, and the waves would significantly reduce that in a steep sea.

[@RM97800]

Airplanes are weird in SH3, sometimes they behave correctly, and sometimes you get 1:00 AM visits from Hurricanes off the coast of Ireland in 1939 (happens to me often, but at least Hurricanes can't knock out a sub in one go).

[@patkins8319]

Those Tommy flyers must be eating alot of carrots to see you in that darkness

[@grnmjolnir]

Radar? What is this magic thing you call radar?

[@Skinny_El.Funky6.9]

Doesn't look like a PV-2 that has the search radar. Looks like a Hudson

[@Vennwanderer]

​@@grnmjolnirRadar is a weird wording the tommies have for "Funkmeßgerät". 😂 The existence of this technology wasn't a "surprise" for German U-Boot skippers as Germany was developing it since the mid 1930s and using this technology since 1939 as well. Actually it was a the german scientist Heinrich Hertz (yes, that's why it is called Megahertz and Gigahertz) who discovered the reflection of radiowaves on metal. Experimenting was going on already before WW1, so I assume it is not offending roleplay to speak about it. Maybe it can be doubted that the English wording was widely known, but at least the tech and the german name for it.

[@phillipbriere740]

-Check your JSGME for higher airstrike probability (when you get back to port); -On a tactical level, only come up to surface in storms to recharge for 2 hrs max) after listening for contacts around while submerged (A destroyer going 15kn will take approximately 2 hrs to cover 30km which is approximately max sound contact distance. You will be checking you battery gauge more and more 😂😅; -128time compression max on surface and 540 submerged (aircraft and destroyers at higher speeds seem to bug in at higher TC); -Gameplay will be slower, longer times in game before spotting contacts but with higher TC underwater its more or less the same in RL gameplay. To increase your life span, you really have to think less offensive and more defensive.. Especially against aircraft; -Check the SH3 map on google with aircraft range for 1939-41-43 and before leaving port, mark it on the map (it really helps to remind you till when you have to be extra careful).*Stay outside of air cover as much as possible; -Last but not least, 1941-43 are the most times ive died at sea, radar detectors are your best friend so prioritize that upgrade when available.

[@Planefan1000]

I have very much appreciated your characterisation of your Kapitänleutnant* in this series. When he starts out as a budding commander, he's a respectable fellow who loves the sea and serves his country dutifully. Even if he has some doubts about Germany's actions in 1940, he does his job simply because he believes that cutting off British supply lines will bring a quick end to the war and avoid the great slaughter of the 1910s. That makes his character development all the more potent by 1941, when his doubts about the German leadership are starting to creep in. You can sense just how much he holds the BdU staff in great contempt, and he actually uses a swear-word (horse shit-spewing idiots**)! I cannot wait to see what happens to him in 1943-44 -- well, if he manages to survive that long anyway! *Who doesn't really seem to have his own name -- "Theodor Raupach" perhaps? *Although in the original German, I believe he would've said something like "Blödsinn"? I'm pretty sure that Germans don't have an equivalent for "animal poop = nonsense".

[@Tonci87]

They have a saying that says he has poop for brains :)

[@chessell256]

Lol like every command team!!🤣🤦‍♀️🦧

[@MetalKraut93]

Episode 69 ... nice!

[@Tron-1138]

I prefer Graviteam, but yeah...had to watch this one. I'm such a child 😁

[@thisherehandleIdospout]

Damn, shoulda known someone would've already 'claimed' this one ^.^ TBF, I get to point out the confluence of episode 69, Tonc's 13th war patrol and him starting the actual gameplay on April Fools - Don't even know what to read into all that 👀🙃

[@austinmatney4707]

Something you can potentially do is surface during the dawn and dusk hours. It will be low level lighting conditions, and there will be greater potential to spot the incoming aircraft. Nighttime is just too risky now. The daytime even more so. Dawn and dusk hours will also give you a better chance of catching aircraft out during rotation periods. Which gives you the potential to exploit a slim window of time in which no aircraft could be operating in your vicinity or on station. I don't know if the game is that "meta", for lack of a better word, but we are all human and majority of the time we think a like. I for one, if operating a squadron 24/7, would have my staff rotate at dusk and dawn. Just my two cents though. Enjoying the campaign! Have no fear! Keep at it!

[@grnmjolnir]

Interesting idea, either that or surface during the day to see aircraft coming the best as radar will catch uboats regardless of weather.

[@austinmatney4707]

@@grnmjolnir Very true. I suppose that if you are going to get spotted, no matter what you do, might as well make it to where you have a better chance of spotting them in return.

[@isaacwest]

those planes were lockheed hudsons.

[@MJMJ27]

I’m glad to see people still keeping this great game alive! Thank you for this immersive and enjoyable series! I’m looking forward to more great content to come!

[@eddiestaud1843]

10:41 How the hell is that man wearing a wool sweater in that kind of climate? Bro must be cooking.

[@BretHiggins]

And I'm all caught up over about ten days! Cracking series, looking forward building the anticipation for the next episode!

[@southplaq2887]

I feel like the aircraft attacking you at night this early in the war is a really bad bug. I've encountered it in the vanilla game as well, so it is not caused by any mods you have installed, although it is certainly amplified by them. It seems to be random though, since it only happened to me in a minority of my old campaigns. It doesn't last forever and if you can survive this patrol the airplane AI should correct itself on the next patrol. You could also restart this patrol to fix it, but that will likely make this episode redundant.

[@thisherehandleIdospout]

Wish there was a way to boost the visibility of this comment - I feel like this is something Tonci really needs to know...

[@Atesz222]

Here in the first minute, Herr Kaleun! Those planes in both instances appear to be Lockheed Venturas

[@antgiat]

Hudsons for the Limeys

[@whyme943]

To clarify the above, Hudson and Ventura are (mostly) the same aircraft

[@DaystromDataConcepts]

Thank you for another great video. Your opening commentary was excellent. I also thought your explanation of the deployment of various forces was educational, too. May I take this opportunity to say how superb both your mastery and execution of English is. I'd' love to know where you learned to speak it so well.

[@Tonci87]

Books, movies and video games. Also English being one of my main subjects in school :)

[@DaystromDataConcepts]

@@Tonci87 Ironically, the little German I learned was mostly from watching Das Boot! :)

[@dimostychalas9716]

Imagine if you could sail up to Tobruk and hear the siege going on. And on the day of it's fall all the gunfire would go silent

[@christopherderasmo5041]

2:53 I would hope the tanks are not in the sky's above us

[@filip7696]

Recently watched TIK History? I just watched the entire Afrika Battlestorm series. Funny you mention the events!

[@YOUPIMatin123]

Come back to gestapo headquarters at your return for that intro

[@DerredmaxTRIAX]

Hudson Trade the u-55 in on a Type 7C with a snorkel.....Stop radio contact with the BDU they must be triangulating your location. They don't even have the Lee light yet

[@RM97800]

Radio triangulation wasn't accurate enough to strafe moving targets based on that intel in the pitch black night, neither was the pilots' navigation accurate enough to reach the exact indicated U-Boot position in the pitch black night.

[@DerredmaxTRIAX]

@@RM97800 Got to be a game glitch then. IDK.

[@t.r.4496]

I would move to different grids they have him pinned in one grid. Needs to expand the patrol area to 4 grid block instead of one. They are going to come back and look every time. Also take the flag down that also helps with aircraft identifying you.

[@peterjp4]

It will be amazing when you can integrate ChatGPT into these games to allow them to manage certain aspecs of the war, such as aircraft missions adhering to only current technology for that moment in time. Actually, it could probably run the entire war real-time. The possibilities.

[@fonesrphunny7242]

ChatGPT isn't going to magically replace AI in games. That's not what it's for. Falcon 4's campaign was entirely AI managed. Dozens of air and ground units (groups), war production, logistics.... much more complex than what SH3 does and this was 25 years ago! If a mid-range PC from 1999 could do this, why do we need some fancy AI today?

[@peterjp4]

@@fonesrphunny7242 ChatGPT isn't going to replace AI in games? You'll be eating those words, I'm sure. As for, do we need it? I think Falcon 4 would benefit considerably from varying AI pilot fatigue (everyone's fatigue actually). Imagine a maintenance crew member forgetting a tool in the cockpit and not reporting it, getting hit in the face with a screwdriver while pulling some negative G's? Seems far fetched? Have you interacted with ChatGPT? It will only get better.

[@OtherWorldExplorers]

Concerning does Darn airplanes You could always search and see if there's a mod that could level the playing field.

[@Tonci87]

It was a config value that caused the issues

[@memyshelfandeye318]

Planes: Lockhead Hudsons, operated by the RAF since 1939. 3000km range Freetown: The RAF had an airfield there - Lungi. If Hudsons where stationed there? No idea, but it is probable, considering that Coastal Command and Canadian subhunters got them, too. Game cheating: As I mentioned in a previous comment, the game is cheating with those sorties; What I observed: I was running a Type XXI and was spotted in the northern atlantic; I submerged and stayed submerged, doing about 9kn. Hours later (roughly the time a flight from the coast would have needed to reach me**), I heard bombers overhead. I zoomed out ... and found those bombers homing in on my position circle. I accelerated to 15kn, and they curved in after me, dove down - and did not drop their bombs, because they couldn't spot me. They turned away and supposedly flew back. (**maybe the game calculates the flight time, I'm pretty sure it does not move the planes all the way across the map; see "16km-bubble" below) So obviously some programmer took a BIG shortcut, and instead of make aircraft properly search for the sub, he just made the subs position known to them. Compensating tactic: Make sure you are submerged when the attack arrives, hours after you have been spotted last. When the AI cannot spot you during the attack run, it will then "give up", IIRC. Btw., those "proceedings" could be why the planes did not bomb you immediatly - they only spotted the sub during the attack run and didn't have a "firing solution" for the drop, so they pulled up, turned around and went in again. marvellous programming. A shame.

[@RM97800]

If this game was not handicapped by this terrible 4GB RAM limit (32-bit software era), then such programming shortcuts wouldn't be needed. Shame that Ubisoft (or "UBIkacja" [translates into "WC"], as the polish gaming scene is calling them) killed the franchise with SH5 and SH online and then ditched it. If a bunch of modders made this nearly 20-year-old game into a realistic simulator (as much as possible by engine & coding limitations), then imagine what AAA studio could've done (You know what, in a second though, after what AAA gaming industry pulls off lately, I don't want to imagine how badly they could've massacred game like this in 2024).

[@cocindaucocindau354]

Beautiful series!

[@GlennM53]

Just wait until 1943! I've never, in my many playthroughs, got to 1944.

[@nm7358]

Guess you will have to patrol submerged all the time and risk surface only to recharge the batteries and renew oxygen. Somebody at Ultra has been reading your Enigma messages... Perhaps you could also request a change of patrol grid to BdU?

[@oldthrasbarg641]

Loving this series, your story telling is amazing and you have me really invested in the success of your boat and her crew. Is it possible to dial back the air patrol frequency in the game or mod settings?

[@Tonci87]

Done

[@oldthrasbarg641]

@Tonci87 good luck with the patrol.

[@paulreynolds8410]

The aircraft you showed was definitely a Hudson as mentioned below. The only Squadron that operated out of Freetown was 95 Squadron but they had Sunderland's so they're either from somewhere else or the game is wrong in depicting that type of aircraft flying from Freetown,

[@Coinkidoink]

I dont think a death to unrealistic aircraft attacks should count.

[@es7821]

A Lockheed A14 Electra airliner that becoming a sub-hunter… en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Hudson The funny thing is the failed Electra II from the late 50ies became a very very successful ASW aircraft as the Lockheed Orion.

[@coenvancamp1976]

I do hope these planes don’t ruin the campaign. This is my favourite series! If its possible to altar their behaviour with a mod, it might have to happen.

[@judykimnguyen8393]

Nice!

[@rufuszell]

The Planes look like Lockheed Hudson Bombers as seen here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5O3q5t5prxjY7s used extensively by the UK from 1939 in the maritime anti sub role until made obsolete in 1942 by Sunderlands etc

[@grnmjolnir]

Hmmm... I have seen aircraft fly parallel to my course a few times before they saw me, though I was near a convoy so they may have been portecting that.

[@vipertwenty249]

Lockheed Hudsons.

[@Vennwanderer]

While doubting the existence of hugh-value radar equipped planes in freetown and highly doubting the effectiveness of those radar in rough weather conditions and the capbilty of the pilots to land precise hits without any visibilty thus only guided by a new technology in their earliest days I have a even bigger questions: Operational range and speed maybe allow to fly two hours to reach your patril area, than maybe stay there in one hour, maybe two hours without bimb load, than RTB for maintenance, refuel and replenish. Who many sorties could one plane possibly make per day? How much radar equipped long range aircraft would have be located so long away from British mainland?

[@Tonci87]

Yeah, that is what really bothered me

[@antgiat]

Herr KaLeut , if I may ? you should be very careful about expressing such thoughts in the open! thx for for the vid.

[@cobrageneral556]

These attacks can result in critical damage, but I don't think it can result in destruction of the sub. At least that is the impression I got from my time in the game. But it is weird that they attack you like that in 1941 and not later.

[@phillipbriere740]

I have been destroyed by planes a few times, its always a major stress when a plane is spotted

[@Tonci87]

They can absolutely destroy the sub

[@DerKurfuerst]

The Hudsons 'jungle' camo is just the standard RAF camo Dark Green/Earth Brown. Same as on fighters like spitfires and hurricanes.

[@Tonci87]

It looks great

[@bengerman5329]

Hi Tonci, check your JSGME mod list, do you have higher airstrike probability enabled? Not sure what percentages etc this tweaks but this one seems (to me) to be better suited for later-war playthroughs (43-45) when U-boats were forced under multiple times daily due to radar/leigh lights etc. That said I wouldn't disable it until in port.

[@ssmith5048]

The plane activity seems to be an obvious bug. I think it unreasonable this early in the war for those aircraft to find you at night / let alone if they would be airborne in such stormy conditions. I wonder if you saved and reloaded midstream for this broadcast? Maybe reloading might clear up what I consider an obvious bug. My suggestion might be a bit controversial, but seeing as it is only 1941 in your campaign, might be worth considering: For any air attacks this early in the war that are just ridiculous (at night, heavy rains etc) to disregard any air attacks. In other words, if you get sunk by aircraft under such conditions -at least for the next year or so, to not count those as permadeath. To me the air attacks look really bugged, but curious to hear what others think.

[@whyme943]

Kind of strange. Even late war radar planes would use Leigh Lights to attack AFAIK.

[@markogronfors3204]

Lockheed Hudson

[@IDONTKNOW1072]

I don't play this game but I'd hate to see your campaign end because of unfair game mechanics, so I went looking on forums to see what other people had to say, and there should be a config file that lets you tweak airstrike settings (Data/Cfg/airstrike.cfg) including the probability of attacks during the night. Keep in mind these posts are all 10-15 years old at this point, plus I don't know if it will work for the mods you're using, but I hope you can keep this series going anyway!

[@vaggelissmyrniotis2194]

In this game you can sink way more tonnage than in real life but on the other hand the AI asw units are way too perfect to survive long.With so many aircrafts suddenly spawning and with their perfect abilities to find and bomb you even in bad weather conditions with no radar yet its a matter of time to get you and its only 1941.Unless of course you change some values in the game files and things get more bearable.

[@FelixstoweFoamForge]

April, April!

[@Bizob2010]

Heya Tonic, your series is giving me the subsim itch xD. Is it extremely important to disable any AVs while installing & using GMX Alex?

[@Tonci87]

That depends on the AV. Some are more aggressive and will cause issues. It is recommended to disable it during the installation

[@Bizob2010]

Tommy must be hacking; call GabeN and get them VAC banned 😜

[@SangsungMeansToCome]

EINFACH DURCHSACKEN LASSEN

[@jamesclark4809]

Question, could they not create mods to improve air patrols and attacks. I know in SH4 Planes fly by at times without seeing your boat. Great video and I share your frustrations. Thanks for posting.

[@Tonci87]

I guess not

[@czujnywilczek6832]

Damn this game is still amaizing despite nearly having 20 years It's so sad that SH3 would not simply remaster this game (of course taking all goodies from mods + giving credit to it's authors)

[@KaitlynnUK]

Probably a suggestion that you've already looked into, but is there a mod to fix or alter airplane ai?

[@Tonci87]

Unfortunately not

[@thisherehandleIdospout]

4:59 Sir, I can't subscribe or like this video more than I already have, I'm too broke to give you any money, and I already comment too much on your videos as it is - What else do you want me to do?!

[@Tonci87]

It‘s ok, I don‘t need anyone’s money. I‘m glad you enjoy the series :)

[@thisherehandleIdospout]

@@Tonci87That bit in particular - Thanks for doing what you do, sir 😉And for dealing with me! 😅 Seriously, I very much appreciate how responsive you are to your 'adoring public's comments - I definitely don't take it for granted, hehe 😉

[@thisherehandleIdospout]

@@Tonci87 Okay, while I have a 'direct line' to you, as it were, I hope you don't mind if I ask you a rather specific, if decidedly unrelated, question: If you decide to transfer to a newer Type VII boat (and a different flotilla too, apparently - Not sure how that might affect things 😕)... Would you be able to participate in Operation Drumbeat? As I understand it, only Type IXs were able to take part in the opening phases of it (and even then, not many of them, actually) but eventually 'milk cows' were stationed on the way, so even a Type VII could participate, correct?

[@Tonci87]

@@thisherehandleIdospout I would still participate in OP drumbeat, although only in the second wave

[@tarnlicht3657]

This game is still the best u boot sim, better than uboat final release

[@peterdavies6660]

Hudsons, right?

[@WTCHANNEL109-kj1ik]

Spawn one direction or it's bugs? a.k.a ( ANIGAMH)

[@thatguy990]

Algorithm 👍👍

[@vipertwenty249]

So what to do about it? If there's a way to turn down the aircraft performance in the game's setting then you definitely should do that. If not, if there's a way to turn OFF the aircraft in the settings you'll have to do that. Failing those 2 options then change out of hard mode and continue in normal mode, reloading from saves when necessary to get around the game itself cheating.

[@emperorSbraz]

69 Nice.

[@pyry1948]

13th Patrol and still a crappy VII A boat?

[@RM97800]

Instead of going for Type VII B upgrade, he's planning to save up for a bigger upgrade (possibly late variant type IX). Also, don't forget, he started with a Type II.

[@Tonci87]

It was actually a Type VIIB

[@roberterdei8627]

Don't play against AI if you don't want to get AI'ed... Autoaim, hitscan, no fog of war, these things have existed since games have existed. You can't program a computer to be intelligent, no more than you can program a computer to roll a random number. The game could just run all sorts of simulated missions around the world, but I feel like that would negatively affect the performance in this two decade old CD rom game.

[@Pyxis10]

Is the onealex mod responsible for the aircrafts behavior? It's strange that they always seem to come straight at you. 34:45. I think the captains an enemy spy, he's talking about record keys whatever those are, and how it's to early in the war for aircraft to have radar sets. He knows to much about the enemies capatbilities and may be recording all of us, but to what end and for who? This must be reported to high command as soon as possible.