I can’t help but disagree with lots of what you’ve said here. The tutorial missions are very helpful. Things like torpedoes, where you want to buy the most expensive ones with the best pistols to have the best chance of a torp hitting your target. Or the travel where you want to assign two crew to the engine officer and the navigator for combined +50% fuel efficiency and then run on the surface to stop you having to keep diving and resurfacing and stopping to have to recharge. Crew management is properly useful to automate this stuff so that you always have a navigator with two crew and the same for the engineer on the engines. You have two radiomen working together when they should be on opposite shifts (there’s no point having the hydro guy on when surfaced). Dive schedule allows you to find targets on your way to the hunting ground (less useful for the smaller Uboats admittedly). Food gives your crew a buff to morale. The game is far more rewarding if you look beyond just wanting to fast travel to your patrol area, blow something up and then clicking back to port. For those only interested in shooting torps this probably isn’t the game you’re looking for.
This is largely for beginners who are feeling overwhelmed. Micromanaging food and crew schedules aren't necessary for someone who just started the game for the first time and went "holy crap." Later on, if they want to up the difficulty, they can. Except for the magnetic ones, I still only use free torpedoes and have never had a problem with duds. I think you're forgetting how frustrating the starter U-4 sub is. You only get like 2 crew to assign and you run out of fuel before you've even reached your patrol area. I don't think I ever had enough fuel left to click the Return to Base button. Now, fuel isn't an issue. I can full speed wherever I want.
I can’t help but disagree with lots of what you’ve said here. The tutorial missions are very helpful. Things like torpedoes, where you want to buy the most expensive ones with the best pistols to have the best chance of a torp hitting your target. Or the travel where you want to assign two crew to the engine officer and the navigator for combined +50% fuel efficiency and then run on the surface to stop you having to keep diving and resurfacing and stopping to have to recharge. Crew management is properly useful to automate this stuff so that you always have a navigator with two crew and the same for the engineer on the engines. You have two radiomen working together when they should be on opposite shifts (there’s no point having the hydro guy on when surfaced). Dive schedule allows you to find targets on your way to the hunting ground (less useful for the smaller Uboats admittedly). Food gives your crew a buff to morale. The game is far more rewarding if you look beyond just wanting to fast travel to your patrol area, blow something up and then clicking back to port. For those only interested in shooting torps this probably isn’t the game you’re looking for.
This is largely for beginners who are feeling overwhelmed. Micromanaging food and crew schedules aren't necessary for someone who just started the game for the first time and went "holy crap." Later on, if they want to up the difficulty, they can.
Except for the magnetic ones, I still only use free torpedoes and have never had a problem with duds.
I think you're forgetting how frustrating the starter U-4 sub is. You only get like 2 crew to assign and you run out of fuel before you've even reached your patrol area. I don't think I ever had enough fuel left to click the Return to Base button. Now, fuel isn't an issue. I can full speed wherever I want.