4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
If its the same as in the closed beta, you can run it out to 1990 or something
Rule the Waves
Against Russia, fleet base Korsakov is legitimately covering themselves in glory.
The second and third battles of the new war with Russia have been utterly brutal wins for a station that only had a handful of destroyers, 2-3 CLs, and a couple colonial gunboats.
First, two of the CLs got matched against one Russian CL with destroyer screen in a pretty one-sided but utterly drawn out beat down where both cruisers literally fired every single shell onboard. And the target was still moving. Over 40 6" shells hit that zombie boat - it eventually sank to flooding some time after my cruisers were down to harsh language and torpedoes they didn't want to launch. Glory might be a stretch, but a kill is a kill.
Second I had, in a terribly ill-considered juxtiposition, an 'ambush' of the Russian Far East battlefleet by...a merchant convoy escorted by two colonial gunboats and two destroyers. I only had control of the corvettes! The outcome was absurd. In a nightime clash, the corvettes survived a close pass with a Russian dreadnought that left one corvette dead in the water after taking 4 13" shells. The other (12 years old, never reconstructed, no fire control) got into a gun duel with a modern destroyer nearly its equal in tonnage, won, and then ran into and chased away two more. Both corvettes ultimately survived.
Meanwhile, the AI controlled convoy destroyers were making themselves legends off in the dark someplace. The lead boat ate two dreadnought broadsides and sank instantly. Its second dumped out its 5-torpedo spread and hit with all five, sinking over 30k tons of 5-year-old dreadnought and sending the older 19k ton ship limping to drydock.
Total damage to the convoy: 1 3" hit from a battleship tertiary.
The second and third battles of the new war with Russia have been utterly brutal wins for a station that only had a handful of destroyers, 2-3 CLs, and a couple colonial gunboats.
First, two of the CLs got matched against one Russian CL with destroyer screen in a pretty one-sided but utterly drawn out beat down where both cruisers literally fired every single shell onboard. And the target was still moving. Over 40 6" shells hit that zombie boat - it eventually sank to flooding some time after my cruisers were down to harsh language and torpedoes they didn't want to launch. Glory might be a stretch, but a kill is a kill.
Second I had, in a terribly ill-considered juxtiposition, an 'ambush' of the Russian Far East battlefleet by...a merchant convoy escorted by two colonial gunboats and two destroyers. I only had control of the corvettes! The outcome was absurd. In a nightime clash, the corvettes survived a close pass with a Russian dreadnought that left one corvette dead in the water after taking 4 13" shells. The other (12 years old, never reconstructed, no fire control) got into a gun duel with a modern destroyer nearly its equal in tonnage, won, and then ran into and chased away two more. Both corvettes ultimately survived.
Meanwhile, the AI controlled convoy destroyers were making themselves legends off in the dark someplace. The lead boat ate two dreadnought broadsides and sank instantly. Its second dumped out its 5-torpedo spread and hit with all five, sinking over 30k tons of 5-year-old dreadnought and sending the older 19k ton ship limping to drydock.
Total damage to the convoy: 1 3" hit from a battleship tertiary.
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I would like to add that setting your ships to Active Fleet before a war is absolutely crucial in the 1890s. Reserve Fleet now absolutely murders crew quality compared to 2, and crew quality in 3 is the difference between a ship being an effective combatant, or die by a single 3" caused fire. Don't need to have all your ships mobilized, just your more modern ones will do.
B's that I prepared as my vanguard have been landing accurate hits of over 8k to 6k yards. Getting closer makes them even more brutal and even -2 12" batteries have landed consistent hits.
The story is the same even mid to late game. Thanks to the AI Reserving and Mothballing as much as it can, this means that the player has a crew quality advantage over the AI of up to 6 months, and if you get Fleet battle before that then GG you got that in the bag no matter how many ships the AI has.
B's that I prepared as my vanguard have been landing accurate hits of over 8k to 6k yards. Getting closer makes them even more brutal and even -2 12" batteries have landed consistent hits.
The story is the same even mid to late game. Thanks to the AI Reserving and Mothballing as much as it can, this means that the player has a crew quality advantage over the AI of up to 6 months, and if you get Fleet battle before that then GG you got that in the bag no matter how many ships the AI has.
Oh nice will try that. Hope it makes torpedos launched more often.
There are a lot of soft factors in 3 that makes long range gunner more reliable than 2. You won't notice if you play as a close quarters brawler, but with the buffed RoF on all guns, officer traits, crew quality and enhanced damage models long to medium range gunnery is deadly than ever.
The changes also makes AoN scheme much more stronger, you can now add BE and DE armor for a massively reduced weight. That's because the extended armor is only protecting the steering gear, propeller shaft and generators. 4" BE and 2" DE will make them immune to lucky 6" gunfire, and you absolutely can spend the effort to just make them immune to battleship caliber shells with stupid thick armor. Mind the weight though.
- Location
- Seattle, Washington
You can keep playing until 1990, but there aren't any new techs after 1970.
As for missiles, they are good at crippling ships. Has anyone tried the diving missile tech?
As for missiles, they are good at crippling ships. Has anyone tried the diving missile tech?
I think I'm regretting playing the US for my first run. Up side, I get all the shiny tech, which I want. Down side, nobody wants to fight me and when they can't avoid it they quickly fold. I might actually have the weakest carrier fleet of notable powers and the fewest carrier hulls in the world (at least until my upcoming class of purpose-built jet carriers comes out) but nobody will give me a carrier battle. (My large collection obsolete dreadnoughts, which I only recently started scrapping, seems intimidating.)
Noticed my hulls 3+ decades old are costing more upkeep than bigger newer ones, so I decided it's time to really cut back on dead wood.
Also started building destroyers that want to be light cruisers. The late-40s designer loves 3x2x6" DD, which actually may outgun some of the row-of-centerline-single-turret style CLs I haven't taken out of service yet. Maybe they'll be big enough to convert well to missile destroyers? That tech isn't in reach yet.
Noticed my hulls 3+ decades old are costing more upkeep than bigger newer ones, so I decided it's time to really cut back on dead wood.
Also started building destroyers that want to be light cruisers. The late-40s designer loves 3x2x6" DD, which actually may outgun some of the row-of-centerline-single-turret style CLs I haven't taken out of service yet. Maybe they'll be big enough to convert well to missile destroyers? That tech isn't in reach yet.
You should try germany then, the entire world is always trying to kill me. I've had allies join wars agaisnt me at this point
Just finished off my first world war as the US, got my first prize ship, and turned A-H communist. US/GER/ITA v UK/FRA/JAP/SPA/AH. The French battle line got its teeth kicked in (lost 11 predreads and a BC) in AI v AI fights and the Royal Navy sent half their ships on 16 transatlantic crossings in a 21 month period, allowing the battered Germans and Italians to blockade and drive France and UK to the brink of collapse. Little AMC with mines are very effective, invading everything on the east coast and in SEA because the RN is too busy circling between the Caribbean and Europe was extremely effective, and the arms treaty that followed soon after will give me breathing room to take a lot of budget - events now that it's 1912 and my budget occasionally eclipses the RN. I can skip all the awkward teens ships I hate building and restart capital production once carriers enter the scene.
The treaty event tree is a very nice change of pace.
I also had that first awkward moment where build plans and war plans did not coincide well, I'd held off on dreadnoughts until I could build ABXY - on the plus side, there's maybe 3 battleships that can compete with mine on even footing for the next decade, but it came at the cost of the first of the 8 I built commissioning the same month the war ended.
EDIT:
We're now 2 years into the 12k ton 10" gun treaty, and the British are now slowly scrapping their way through their pre-treaty battleline to make way for Courageous-clones with a 6 gun broadside. They're going to absolutely melt in a fight against... pretty much anything.
The treaty event tree is a very nice change of pace.
I also had that first awkward moment where build plans and war plans did not coincide well, I'd held off on dreadnoughts until I could build ABXY - on the plus side, there's maybe 3 battleships that can compete with mine on even footing for the next decade, but it came at the cost of the first of the 8 I built commissioning the same month the war ended.
EDIT:
We're now 2 years into the 12k ton 10" gun treaty, and the British are now slowly scrapping their way through their pre-treaty battleline to make way for Courageous-clones with a 6 gun broadside. They're going to absolutely melt in a fight against... pretty much anything.
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Lesson: 20-year-old dreadnoughts are not safe rides.
Britain lost their very last DN in 1947, largely to flooding from a single airborne torpedo hit early in the battle that just kept breaking open again no matter how much it was repaired...
Well, the friendly-fire torpedo late in the battle didn't help either. (Huh, same launcher also killed a British destroyer with reckless torpedo shots. Ouch.)
I lost almost my entire main force, for a decisive victory: two smallish dreadnoughts, a modern CL, and three middling DDs. Royal Sovereign going down would have paid for all, but my surviving destroyers and my carrier force managed to stumble across and destroy one of their aircraft carriers as well.
Also the first missile victory of my game: the carrier was probably in trouble with my carrier group in hot pursuit within radar range and no defenders, but the hit that solidified that probability was my CVL's last air-launched missile, which blew out the electrical systems and set the ship on fire.
Britain lost their very last DN in 1947, largely to flooding from a single airborne torpedo hit early in the battle that just kept breaking open again no matter how much it was repaired...
Well, the friendly-fire torpedo late in the battle didn't help either. (Huh, same launcher also killed a British destroyer with reckless torpedo shots. Ouch.)
I lost almost my entire main force, for a decisive victory: two smallish dreadnoughts, a modern CL, and three middling DDs. Royal Sovereign going down would have paid for all, but my surviving destroyers and my carrier force managed to stumble across and destroy one of their aircraft carriers as well.
Also the first missile victory of my game: the carrier was probably in trouble with my carrier group in hot pursuit within radar range and no defenders, but the hit that solidified that probability was my CVL's last air-launched missile, which blew out the electrical systems and set the ship on fire.
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I got dogpilled by France, Russia and the US in early 1910 as Germany, i won every big engagement but only managed to sink a BB or two per battle while they vastlt outnumbered me in CLs and DDs. As a result i got blockaded into colapse and forced to accept a 12K ton tonnage limit. Fortunately I managed to get a disarmament conference that neutered everybody else ultil 1920, it was kind of gamey but the only way i could realistically get back up.
Now it's early 1920 and everybody is building huge superdreds with minimum 16inch guns. It's going to be a fun world war II.
Now it's early 1920 and everybody is building huge superdreds with minimum 16inch guns. It's going to be a fun world war II.
I have SSMs on at least a couple dozen destroyers and close to half my CLs, and fought a war with Russia without getting to launch even one.
Having real trouble getting decent battles as the US. Nobody wants to fight me where I live, and I don't have bases to go fight them in Northern Europe where they stack all their ships.
Having real trouble getting decent battles as the US. Nobody wants to fight me where I live, and I don't have bases to go fight them in Northern Europe where they stack all their ships.
- Location
- Seattle, Washington
Try getting someone like Spain to ally with you, that would give you the ability to put stuff in Northern Europe I think
I had Britain allied for a while, which let me fight in Northern Europe but teaming up the two biggest navies made the wars even more unfair.
Don't think I've had a shot with other Northern Europe powers.
Ivan the Not-so-Terrible
AH MEW CHEEKI BREEKI I V DAMKE
- Location
- Mikonyan’s USSR
Yeah. I got lucky last game, got Iceland pretty early - kept upgrading bases and just stuffed it full of battlecruisers.
The kaiser signed a disarmament treaty in early 1920s that completely destroyed my campaign. It's really frustating that he can just ignore your protests and basically end the game
tankdrop24
Tread First into Hell
- Location
- The Center of the Universe: Toronto, Canada
- Pronouns
- He/Him
So, is there anyway to make your torpedo bombers slightly less likely to miss?
You need to unlock the 'improved torpedo bombers' tech for TBs to be useful.
Early TBs aren't the instant I win button for early 1920 anymore. Use your carriers for scouting like how it was irl, until aircraft get more capable.
Also I think in the early game telling your fighters or torpedo bombers to carry bombs can get some glide bomb hits in more than torpedoes.
tankdrop24
Tread First into Hell
- Location
- The Center of the Universe: Toronto, Canada
- Pronouns
- He/Him
It's like 1950 and the damn things still are lucky to get one hit in a battle.
Check your tech. It sounds like you might've skipped it, which will basically force you to swear off TBs if that's the case.
Another thing it might be is crew quality, like my advice for ships, you need to get your aircraft into active service before a war to build up crew quality. Poor and fair quality airmen will always gives dismal performance, no matter how many coordinated TBs you throw at the problem.
I need to check but TBs do seem much more vulnerable whenever I set them out for strikes. Fighters consistently shoot down whole squadrons of TBs if i leave them unescorted, and ship AA has much more greater chances to hit TBs, where even if they don't the AA might be enough to disrupt them.
However, as long as I keep my TB pilots well trained I can always guarantee multiple torpedo hits.
Realistic, torpedo attack profile is horrifically vulnerable. Torpedo groups getting massacred during the attack run was a thing!
Indeed it was, and we can see that in RtW. A DB focused carrier, whose purpose is to cripple the enemy carriers, and followed by the TB strike to sink them might be the preferred tactic.
Fighter cover for your strikes are also much more important now if you want them to escape alive.