SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - Some questions about TWOS campaign/missions + ships journal

Hello all,

I just got back into SHV after a long time and have just started a new campaign with the WOS mod. After playing through the first segment in the Baltic again and reading a few of the threads here I'm still a bit confused about how some parts of the game are supposed to work/how I'm supposed to be playing so I thought I'd ask here. I hope its not too many questions all at once :doh:

Campaign progression:

From reading thee threads below & the TWOS release thread/FAQ I have a few questions:

1. I understand I must be at sea during certain dates in order for the campaign to transfer correctly. This means the end dates for Coastal waters/Happy times etc, and not the end dates for the individual missions/objectives etc correct? i.e. Must be at sea for the 1. June 1940 but for 5. Sep 39 it doesnt matter.

2. If I understand correctly the missions/objectives in each campaign in TWOS are only date controlled? What do I gain by "requesting" missions in the bunker then? Can I only request missions in the bunker or can I for example request BTF after finishing coastal waters while I am at sea? If I go back into the bunker for 28 days the end date will have passed by the time I get out again.

If I want to do BTF does it make sense to wait somehow and request it instead? Or does requesting it make no difference? If I request the coastal waters mission instead and go to sea until BTF appears on the map, then go and attack scapa flow will the game recognise me as having completed BTF?

3. The 2nd link below mentions harbor photo missions etc but I read elsewhere that enemy ports/harbors should be avoided as they can break something? The same goes for the scapa flow attack. Will doing this permanently screw something up in my campaign or is it just considered unrealistic because of AI limitations?

4. Some of the campaign chapters are simultaneous (e.g. Mare Nostrum & Western Approaches, Drumbeat & Arctic convoys). Does which option I pick affect more than just which objectives are activated? If I select drumbeat for example can I still go hunting in the arctic if I want to? If I select Western approaches can I still go and find carriers/BBs in the mediterannean (I understand many ships show up where they were historically, could I for example go hunt HMS eagle or will it only spawn if I choose Mare Nostrum?).

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/sho...postcount=3816

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/sho...3&postcount=64

https://www.subsim.com/radioroom/sho...d.php?t=243389

Ships Journal:

1. I found out how to change the hull number/captains name with the OptionsFileEditorViewer.exe but when I did this it reset my boat to standard, i.e. no camouflage/emblem etc. Did I do something wrong? If I am assigned a new U-Boat later in the campaign and need to change this again will I need to rebuy all the upgrades?

2. What does selecting an sje file in the main menu do? As far as I can tell I still have to manually load the old journal file each time I load a save anyway.

3. I assume this might be a subjective question but what is the best practice/purpose of saving/using this ships journal file anyway. As a journal it seems to get quickly overfilled with clutter from the message box... Is it just for saving supermarks/nav fixes?

4. Is the captains log permanent or does it get cleared/wiped at some point like the ships journal? Why do some radio messages show up here and others only in the radio message log.

5. Is there a way to save the messages in the Radio message log or should I type important ones into the ships journal If I want to see them again next time?

Thanks to anyone who read this far, I appreciate any insight you may have to offer.