Brahan44
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NOTE: THIS IS **NOT** MY GUIDE...I COPY/PASTED IT FROM ANOTHER TOPIC. I can't find who wrote it..I copy'd it along time ago..its for IJN but I think that the basics for SS1 work will all subs.
"Now that the new SS rules have been in practice for a while (increasing shell damage for SS on the surface), I thought a comprehensive guide for SS would be nice to write. I currently have a level 89 SS BO.
It is my favorite ship to drive. It fits my personality. BBs are generally more challenging game play -- SS fighting is a lot of patience packed with moments of excitement. I like it, because played well you can impact most games and in a moment change a losing game to a winner for your team.
It is much more difficult to bring up a IJN SS crew in the current rules. The grind out of SS1 is unbearably bad. You are generally too slow to chase any ships down and you are too vulnerable on the surface. There are only two ways to gain good exp at this level. If you are on the weak side of your team, you wait for your line to collapse and then attack any rushing ships. If you are on the strong side of the line, you wait for attacking SS's. Try to take them out while they are trying to attack the BBs. If you do damage on the enemy before dying, your team will appreciate your contribution. Many players will charge the middle. For a SS1 this is a suicide tactic. Otherwise, wait till your BO is at least high enough for SS2 and then do a ship tree reset.
Be aware of scouts. Often I will go under water when enemy pilots are above so the other team doesn't know I am in the area.
Early on, check where clouds are in the game. Clouds are nice for hiding while taking on air. Also, if you fire torps through clouds, the enemy will most likely not see them.
For crew, don't become a SS driver until you have two support which can convert to sonar and planesman. I started without a planesman and it takes forever for your O2 tanks to fill. I also play with a Seaman -- he is GREAT. He makes up for the lack of crew slots.
SS2, SS3, SS4 are fairly similar and the tactics used are similar. The SS2 (Junsen) is awesome -- I love all of the torpedo tubes. I stayed in it, even after my BO could command the SS3, until my crew sizes didn't fit in the ship. SS3 (Kadei) is the best ASW ship, though the 4 tubes up front are limiting. The SS4 (Hei) with 8 tubes up front is awesome, but don't get caught in close with an enemy sub -- it can be very difficult to win. It is also very hardy, even on the surface a BB5 can't sink you with one hit.
3 Keys to beating other subs. First, use the initial scouts to determine where the enemy subs are going and how fast they are going. You want to predict where they are before they reach your sonar, because your torpedos are the fartherest firing. Secondly, you know exactly where you torpedos explode. You are trying to replicate the proximity explosions of the KM and UK torpedos. Even if you don't hit the enemy sub, you can still kill him with 2 or 3 torpedos exploding at max range in his vicinity. Thirdly, don't get in a close range battle with enemy subs. They will have proximity charges, more speed, and turning. Its what I call "Flying Tiger" fighting. Just as the Flying Tigers in WW2 never got into dogfights with the Japanese Zero's, I never get into a dogfight with an enemy sub. As such I have a very high kill ratio, something like 10:1.
With SS2 and 3, fire an early salvo to explode where you think the enemy sub will appear. Then turn around and be ready to run. If you don't hit him with the first salvo, he will probably turn to attack you. At that time you run away from his torpedos while launching your aft ones. His will explode before they reach you and he should die from your shots.
In SS4, I only fire 4-6 of my tubes with the first salvo and then I stop moving. At this point, I wait to see the enemy. As he charges, I shoot my remaining torpedos AFTER he has fired his. I then crit dive if needed. Usually, I will kill him with my shots or force a crit dive. Because I shot my torpedos after his, I can come out of crit dive first and pepper his position with torpedos. Almost guaranteed to win, even against KM SS4.
But your real role is as a BB killer. I have killed more BBs than any other ship type. To be most effective, you need to get to the enemy line as soon as possible. Decide which direction you want to attack and move as quickly as possible to that point without using OH. (Save OH for when you are in the BB line or closing on a high value target) Hide in any clouds that are along the way. You can either dive before scouts appear, thereby hiding your presence from the enemy, but reducing your time underwater in the enemy line or you stay on the surface until you think the enemy can hit you. I don't like taking damage from shells early on. I find having full DP when infighting gives you significant staying power.
When attacking BBs I like to work with a BB5/6 on the enemy BB line. I can scout enemy BBs for them with my sonar and having them lob shells in on enemy prevents them from just focusing on me. A good teammate will take out any CLs or DDs making you invisible to the enemy. (TY to all of those good teammates!) Multiple times, with a good teamate or two, we have been able to wipe out one side of the enemy.
When attacking a BB I almost always use maximum velocity mode. You don't have many opportunities to hit BBs. You want to kill them if you do have an opportunity. Against any other ship I use Gradual Firing and use a spread of torpedos. IF the ships are running away from you, take advantage of the torpedos exploding at max range to cause them damage. Rarely does it pay to run after ships unless you have a support BB behind you. Usually you will run out of air before killing them.
If there is a particularly sweet target (BB/CV 5 or 6, or FLAG) in the area, I often hold my fire hoping to get a full salvo off before anyone knows I am in the area. Otherwise, they will run away. Of course, if there is a DD or CL, you have to get rid of them or their sonar will pick you up.
If on the surface, always turn you sub toward or away from any attacking ships. Its a lot harder for them to hit the sub's narrow profile. If you have a DD with DC's attacking you, sometimes it is best to surface. DC's have less damage on surfaced ships. I like surfacing when on top of CVs with the HEI. It gives my AA a chance to shoot down their planes. Once, I had severely damaged the CV and was out of torps. I surfaced "inside of the CV" He decided to shoot me while there and sunk himself! Every time he hit me, he also took damage. It can be a lot of fun.
You either need to go banzai at the beginning of the game to kill as many BBs early or you should be ready to retreat into the protection of your lines to get additional air. It is more difficult to be effective using strategy #2, but if the battle is even handed, you can kill the enemy subs, retreat, get a full tank of air and then go out and get that high level BB who is pounding your team. Once you get him, your team will probably win. I actually enjoy playing this way as it takes more skill, but when you are the only sub remaining, you can drive the other team nuts.
Finally, remember, this is a game! Have Fun!!!"
NOTE: THIS IS **NOT** MY GUIDE...I COPY/PASTED IT FROM ANOTHER TOPIC. I can't find who wrote it..I copy'd it along time ago..its for IJN but I think that the basics for SS1 work will all subs.
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