Naval Warfare
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RandomAttack
- Sergeant - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:19 pm
Naval Warfare
I'm slogging my way through Boot Camp, and while most of it is making sense to me I'm having a real tough time with the naval warfare mechanics. In particular, the whole concept of having range greatly exceeding LOS. So I have a BB that apparently can see 6 hexes, but can shoot 9? It seems to make the BB the ultimate indirect fire weapon. I can have a BB waaaay to the rear, sneak a destroyer in close enough to spot an enemy ship, then shoot it with my BB (which can't even see the target). I could buy it to some degree with a BB shooting at a land target, with a arty spotter calling in indirect fire using map coordinates-- but not at sea. It's not like they had GPS to go by... Bottom line is it seems to me the firer should have to be able to see it (either the Mark 1 eyeball or radar) to shoot at it at sea. Given that naval warfare is a huge part of the game, it's really bugging me. Thoughts?
Re: Naval Warfare
As far i know, tho by all means i am not an expert on this topic, the warships always could fire way behind it's viewing range. So this is actually depicting reality quite good.
In the game the ships tend to deal a lot less damage at long range. This simulates the difficulty of aiming at such long ranges. If you close in with your battleship you can deal a lot more damage. So it's your choice: either keep your BB's save at distance and keep your destroyers exposed for a longer time as the damage the BB's deals is lower or close in and deal more damage per turn but put your BB's at risk of taking fire.
In the game the ships tend to deal a lot less damage at long range. This simulates the difficulty of aiming at such long ranges. If you close in with your battleship you can deal a lot more damage. So it's your choice: either keep your BB's save at distance and keep your destroyers exposed for a longer time as the damage the BB's deals is lower or close in and deal more damage per turn but put your BB's at risk of taking fire.
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RandomAttack
- Sergeant - 7.5 cm FK 16 nA
- Posts: 221
- Joined: Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:19 pm
Re: Naval Warfare
I believe that is true only when guiding it's own gunfire by it's own radar. I'm not aware that, say, a DD could direct a BB to fire on an enemy ship it could not itself "see". At least according to Wiki: "Only the RN and USN achieved 'blindfire' radar fire-control, with no need to visually acquire the opposing vessel." [in WWII]. So the Japanese essentially couldn't do it. But this was also in the context of *individual* ships.
I mostly agree with the degradation of damage as range increases. But I also don't think that this model works for naval combat as well as it does for ground. These units are individual ships, not abstract "groups of ships" like in other games, right? In a perfect world, range & target size would affect a "to hit" chance (and they missed a LOT)-- BUT if a BB actually "hits" a DD it should be mostly dead... I mean, the shell has the same lethality regardless of the range. I understand that's probably too hard to have different combat "engines" for air/sea/ground. I'm just not feelin' the love for the naval piece at the moment.
I mostly agree with the degradation of damage as range increases. But I also don't think that this model works for naval combat as well as it does for ground. These units are individual ships, not abstract "groups of ships" like in other games, right? In a perfect world, range & target size would affect a "to hit" chance (and they missed a LOT)-- BUT if a BB actually "hits" a DD it should be mostly dead... I mean, the shell has the same lethality regardless of the range. I understand that's probably too hard to have different combat "engines" for air/sea/ground. I'm just not feelin' the love for the naval piece at the moment.