Sun Tzu said: If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

 I can study an opponent all day, watching for common patterns yet never really know if I myself am generating patterns for mine opponent. Captain Sparchy led me to the replays being a pattern generator. Admiral ClearRide showed me how to break the barriers I've setup in my own mind.  Lieutenant Spectre taught me that anyone can be taken on, if you hold the confidence and tactical control of the battlefield. I'm not trying to blow smoke up anyone's posterior, rather relay it as it comes from my mind. But I guess the best place to start is the beginning.

Why do I play Dangerous Waters?
As a kid I remember a discovery channel segment about the navy's ability to hunt submarines from subs, planes, destroyers, and even helicopters. This has always been a fascination of mine; finding an enemy you cannot see and prosecute with extreme prejudice.

What drew me to the SeaWolves?
I was looking for a group of men and women who wanted to play this often, not just at spurious times. I wanted constant opponents to learn from. As well I sought out the training I never had Playing Sub Command when it first came out. I also liked to see achievable ranks not based on buddy-buddy merits but on an individuals own achievements.

But I have to stop here and admit, I was scared. The first time I logged on and talked with Commander Pit-Bull, Lieutenant Spectre, Captain Sparchy, and Ensign Venom; I was truly scared, I didn't know how they'd take me. What happens if I can't fit in? What if I don't know enough and I'm like the idiot of the bunch that can't drive a boat. Then it happened! I was invited to take part in a practice run for the Betasom Match of backing out the boats and getting underway. After waiting a few minutes I was instructed to start backing out; unknowingly I lost track of Lieutenant Spectre who had recent submerged and I backed over him with my propeller. Little did I know that later Lieutenant Spectre was to be my Training Officer.

Even after that mishap, Lieutenant Spectre took me for my first sub school dive. I didn't want to sound like a know it all from playing Sub Command, but I didn't want to waste his time, and I wanted to show I can be taught anything with the proper approach. I learned about Sonar, the Weapons room, the Nav-Map and found misconceptions I had learned and corrected them. First of all was don't watch broadband to find contacts! Second, situational awareness cannot be stressed enough, and Last don't close the muzzle door on a live torpedo unless you're absolutely certain because if it turns around you cant shut it down! After a few more sub school dives, my graduation dive was coming up; boy was I nervous! I was scared to ask for help because I didn't feel familiar with all the stations and I was told I have to prosecute a target that would fire back at me.

So now I'm dreading my graduation dive in the essence that if I can't hit my target means I didn't learn the weapons well enough. If I get killed I show I've learned nothing about sonar and using trackers. I was also worried this would reflect on my Training Officer negatively because he said he'd never lost a cadet and I didn't want to be the first.

Admiral ClearRide took me for a dive and showed me tricks I had only dreamed of in my zombie like lack of sleep; firing 2 UUV's to pinpoint an inbound torpedo, as well as pinpoint a possible opponent that I don't have a master track setup on yet. Then he showed me how to launch a UUV from flank speed (See Tips & Tricks on the 2010 FEB Anchor). On the second dive we discussed egress, and he wanted to know what I was going to do. Well, I don't know! I'm the cadet trying to learn from a guy who's played this more than I've played all my games combined. I fired on him 1 passive 5 degrees off his bearing, an active down his bearing, and a UUV for inbound hostiles. I then moved rapidly away setting up for my next 1,2 combo. He seemed to be dodging everything I fired at him, until after the fourth set. One torpedo was lazy and turned around while the two I sent in were chasing him and he used up his countermeasures. BOOM! A torpedo hit home sinking him. This changed my spirit, this truly made me re-evaluate my situation. I had just taken on an Admiral and sunk him, now this isn't to say he didn't evade. Maybe it was blind luck, maybe it was brute force; but it gave me hope!

I was still dreading the graduation dive, but armed with new information, and the will to win I was determined to succeed. I was talking with Captain Sparchy while he was reviewing the dive with the Admiral from the previous night, and with Lieutenant Spectre's recommendation, and approval from superiors which I may or may not have met promoted me to the rank of Ensign. This isn't to say my learning was over, or that I had mastered my craft; rather I survived sub school, and was now ready to learn more.

Thank you Sparchy, Spectre, ClearRide and others who've helped me on numerous dives.

To see my self inflicted interview Cyphrex Interview