Well, semi-official. How about we start posting tips on good crew management as we learn more about our luverly new sim? I think that the way crew management is modelled in this sim, it will end up being as important as any other single facet.

As for myself, I'm still getting accustomed to the idea that I can even manage the crew. I'm used to SH2 where I mostly just maneuvered and fired. In this sim, I'm cruising along and suddenly my engines stop because I forgot about my tired diesel guys.

I have to do some reading on this. I hope there is a way to set up for proper watches without having to manually do a click fest for an entire patrol.

It does add a lot of debth of the game. This is an amazing simulation. Truely one of the best, if not the best simulation I've ever had the pleasure of trying. The immersion factor is off the scale.

This might actually have a shot at game of the year. It is a hands down lock for simulation of the year.

Extrodanary piece of programing.

I believe that at high time compression crew fatigue simulation is suspended.

That doesn't entirely avoid having to go through a click-fest, but it at least helps.

From what I can tell there isn't a way to automatically rotate crew in and out.

I notice that it takes a fairly long time for them to regain endurance.... I've stuck them in crew quarters and done nothing (both submerged and surfaced, in case there's a difference) and it takes a couple days for them to be ready for duty again! That seems a titch exaggerated: you shouldn't need more than 6-8 hours of rest to be fully ready for duty again in a wartime scenario.

That said, I love that this aspect was introduced. This morning I took my Type II out toward Scapa Flow (why on earth they assigned my green crew to patrol there I'll never know!). We encountered a small cargo ship on the way and sank it. A day later we encountered another. After prosecuting one failed attack (dud, and a miss) I simply didn't have the crew resources to pursue and had to let him go. It was frustrating, in a good sort of way.

I haven't even hit my patrol station and I'm down to 2 fish. Sigh.

After that failed attack, I had to spend two days essentially idling to get my crew ready to continue. Would love to hear tips about keeping your crew on their toes!

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I guess we're in this together. Anything usefull I discover, I'll gladly share.

Okay, time to get out there again.

I'm on the final Exam mission and it's a long one. I'm finding the crew management to be a real pain. It's taking up a lot of my time.

There are several pre-sets you can click on depending on your situation, but if your mission is a long one (many can be in a dynamic campaign), everything gets messed up. You literally need to micromanage every crew member.

Plus, you're not notified that Karl Doe is sleepy and needs to go beddy-bye. You WILL get a message if you don't have enough bodies awake in the engine room, but you will know that anyway because the engines will stop...

I haven't even tried a campaign yet. I hope it doesn't ruin it. Right now, on a lengthy mission, it's more like the Sims than a WWII submarine.

There needs to be some kind of automated crew system. Karl should know when it's time for bed without the Captain having to tuck him in.

Aviar

It is not you have to check them every 24hour at least-

LOL...I wish it was every 24 hours. I'm still playing that mission I mentioned and it's more like every 10 minutes (real time), not game time.

Have you played a mission that has gone more than 12 hours (game time)? Come back when you have...LOL

Aviar

Ok I will cut out some of my crew observations in my other thread about my first campaign. These snipits are from three differnt postings. It worked for me and micromanage like heck. If your crusing around why do you need people in the torpedo rooms, the battery room? stand them down let them rest untill you do need them.

I ordered the navagator to plot a course back to base. I stood down 50% of the crew and gave them thier first eight hour sleep! After the eight hours was up most of their fatige was back upto full value. One has to really pay attention because I was only leting them rest long enough to get the red >>>! off of them.

Rotating crews on about 12 hour rotation seems to be paying off as I have almost elimenated the red >>>>! from most of them.

Crew fatituge is almost non existant now.

But, if you are in a long drawn-out engagement with a covoy, for instance, it can really get messy. You can't sit down 50% of your crew.

Another issue I just ran into. I just put my Weapons Officer to bed and now I don't have access to some areas of the sub
(Torpedo Attack, Weapons Mgmt., etc.) because his icon is blank. I can't check my torpedo screen, for instance.

Aviar

Um... yes, I have played a longer-than-12-hour mission. You can drop the attitude. Currently my T-II is cruising around Scapa Flow after having stopped in the middle of the ocean to rest up the crew. Believe me, it took much more than 12 hours to get from base to Scapa. :p

When I'm cruising on the open ocean at 1024x compression, my crew members do not seem to become increasingly fatigued. That's what led to my guess that fatigue simulation is suspended (shoot, it HAS to be -- no crew member could stay on the bridge for 24 hours in a row without fatiguing).

When I drop down to 'real time', so to speak, they fatigue quite quickly.