Quote:
Originally Posted by stanger
The default TMO crew management eliminates that little RPG element the game had. That is how I look at it, cause I don't know much about real life US Navy ranks - how it worked during ww2. So, I changed the same settings as you - max officers and petty officers for each sub (did that before starting new campaign), and its more interesting now - I have some say when it comes to qualifications. A sailor reloading (and maintaining) torpedoes for 4 years, in war conditions, surely can be named a specialist in that task.
We only need to look at the speed the game is giving promotions - it shouldn't be too fast (or too slow).
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Crew Management, in the plain vanilla or TMO game, can only 'simulate' proper advancement in ratings. Such as: You recruit a SR into your crew while in port. Your only choice of where this guy will go on the 'Watch, Station and Quarters Bill' is to rely on his 'Qualifications'. If I want a guy for the deck gun, I'll take a close look at who has the best 'Guns' qualifications, then pick the best qualified candidate for that position. The 'Leadership' qualification is a secondary, but important, consideration since all Petty Officers are considered a 'Leader'.
Once crewed, advancement seems fairly automatic, also fairly true in the real world. An SR will advance to SA after the first patrol, then to SN after the next. The same seems fairly true for the Petty Officers, but just a little slower. A PO3 will advance to PO2, then to PO1 fairly steadily with no interaction from the 'Captain'. SN to PO3, or PO1 to Chief, Chief to Officer, or Officer advancement, is about the only time the 'Captain' is asked to pass out the Promotions. There are usually too few 'Promotions' available for the number of qualified candidates.
The real bug-a-boo comes when you have a whole boatload of First Class Petty Officers with a Chief or Officer as the head of every section. My 'best' solution is to promote, then send this highly qualified individual on to another boat, then recruit a new SR for the last man's position, moving everyone up in the 'food chain' for that section. Have you ever noticed that when you move a man, even in the same section, he takes a 'hit' on Effectiveness?
In the Real World, it was common to transfer 1/4 to 1/3rd of the crew to another boat upon return from patrol. After all, Electric Boat was cranking out 5 subs per month, and qualified crews were much in need for them. It would be real nice in this game if it would 'randomly transfer' a similar number of crew to simulate this situation. Many times, your Executive Officer would be transferred to 'New Construction' or another command (with your recommendation). But since the XO isn't designated in this game (or the Chief of the Boat for that matter), how do you know WHO your XO is?
Just a few 'philosophical' thoughts on my part.
Good Hunting!