Computer Subs or Human Subs?

[Pascal_slith]

OK, I'm sure this has been asked before.

Is it worth letting the computer control some of your subs? Or most or all? Or have you found human control to be the best solution?

[pasternakski]

I always micromanage submarines. The AI just does too many stupid things with them. For one thing, it doesn't seem to recognize the need to patrol vital points. You see your submarines wandering around all over the place or sitting in port for no apparent reason. The wandering thing seems to me to date back to the old WitSP game, where your submarines on computer control had GPS data on enemy TFs and would chase them from all the way across the map. I used to use this as a naval search tool, but that was cheating, of course, something the AI would never do.

The large numbers of mining missions as opposed to sub patrols are irritating, too. When you see a minefield symbol pop up in a place where surface ships never go or where you might be wanting to go yourself sometime soon, you tend to head for the "preferences" screen.

[Rendova]

I too never let the computer control subs.... its just not very smart at it. For one thing it likes to send a lot of subs up all the way to Truk, which racks up systems points and why miss a shot on a tanker in Truk when you can miss the shot on the same tanker at Shortlands?[:D]

[Shadow of the Condor]

Definitely.... Human control

The manual advises "one good tactic" is to sail a sub to a particular area and switch to computer control to "track" the convoy

Um..... okay.

Why track what has to come to you?

Once I can establish a track of IJN supply routes, lanes, through monitoring search reports and sightings I plant my subs and leave them. Chokepoints are great, of course, but "casting a net" works as well. Each sub gets a 30 mile hunting preserve. Anything sailing through a hex with a sub must check for attack. Line up three of four consecutive hexes in a convoy route. Chances are at least one of the subs will launch an attack. Leaving the subs on computer control would toss away the Allies best (only because I screw up carrier ops so much [:(] ) weapon early on in the war.

Don't chase after contacts, they'll come to you. Also, no need to chase down the wounded, it probably won't survive the trip back to port, and if it does it's going to be out of action for some time. With very limited ammunition, I'd rather cripple two ships than chase down one and use the precious second shot to finish it off.

[pasternakski]

ORIGINAL: Shadow of the Condor
The manual advises "one good tactic" is to sail a sub to a particular area and switch to computer control to "track" the convoy

Um..... okay.

Why track what has to come to you?

The Shadow knows...

And the manual is giving some real sh1t advice, too. As soon as you turn control of the patrolling sub over to the computer, it starts running off to someplace 40 or 50 hexes away in pursuit of some unknown target that will be so far gone by the time the sub gets there that the sub's crew might as well be on the "Lost Dutchman."

[Rendova]

ORIGINAL: pasternakski

ORIGINAL: Shadow of the Condor
The manual advises "one good tactic" is to sail a sub to a particular area and switch to computer control to "track" the convoy

Um..... okay.

Why track what has to come to you?

The Shadow knows...

And the manual is giving some real sh1t advice, too. As soon as you turn control of the patrolling sub over to the computer, it starts running off to someplace 40 or 50 hexes away in pursuit of some unknown target that will be so far gone by the time the sub gets there that the sub's crew might as well be on the "Lost Dutchman."

Thats the wrose part about computer controlling subs, they chase everything at extreme range like an S boat at Gili Gili moving towards tankers at Lunga

[crsutton]

Human control.

[AmiralLaurent]

Definetly human control. Submarines are far more useful supporting main operations than chasing convoys far from base.

Except that I have always 2-3 submarines chasing convoys on the enemy rear, just to be sure my oppenents needs a convoy system and some DD stay there. But I chosse where to send my submarines: choke points or known convoy paths (usually after a patrol plane saw something).

But the other submarines are operating with my main operation. Or waiting for the enemy invasion.