What school of thought will you subscribe to?

[BobRoss0902]

At least where I am things have been pretty gloomy lately and this forum has been quite divided as well, so why not a simple topic?

What school of thought will you follow in the campaign? Decisive battle? Trade indirection? Fleet in being (if AI allows Fleet In Being to be a viable tactic)

Torpedos? (Like what Japan did with the Long Lance) or guns?

Large long range ships where you can. Face the enemy ships on your terms, or shorter range smaller ships with less flexibility but you can build more?

Ships with many turrets so it's harder to knock out all of your guns, or ships with fewer turrets with more guns per turret for better weight dispersion?

Basically what types of ships will you design and what is the thought process behind your naval strategy?

[Cptbarney]

The biggest and fatest ships i can get my sweaty hands on. Also if the armour problems aren't solved, den ill go full on bow tanking, with lots of quad turret BB's.

And lots of supercruisers as well, and gunboat dd's with gud armour. And some light cruisers.

[HusariuS]

54 minutes ago, BobRoss0902 said:

At least where I am things have been pretty gloomy lately and this forum has been quite divided as well, so why not a simple topic?

What school of thought will you follow in the campaign? Decisive battle? Trade indirection? Fleet in being (if AI allows Fleet In Being to be a viable tactic)

Torpedos? (Like what Japan did with the Long Lance) or guns?

Large long range ships where you can. Face the enemy ships on your terms, or shorter range smaller ships with less flexibility but you can build more?

Ships with many turrets so it's harder to knock out all of your guns, or ships with fewer turrets with more guns per turret for better weight dispersion?

Basically what types of ships will you design and what is the thought process behind your naval strategy?

I just want to recreate historical ships, including those that never left dockyard and draft table, modify them a bit and have fun.

[slayer6]

Scharnhorst Class Light Battleships - Speed and Armor

Prinz Eugen (modified Hipper) Class Cruisers - Speed and Range, also as a separate entity on its own if needed, otherwise will support the Scharnhorsts

M-Project Class Cruisers - Speed and Range

Spaehkreuzer D-40 Recon Cruisers (Large Destroyer Leaders) - Speed and Range, also as a separate entity on its own if needed, otherwise will support the M-Projects

 

I don't think I will build a Bismarck or H-Class - I have never really subscribed to the whole concept of All-in.

 

[TAKTCOM]

Depends on the country. I doubt that China or Spain at the beginning of the company will be able to contain a lot of battleships. For first company I think to take something simple , like the United States and see how game works. 

Obviously, black powder, iron plates, standard shells and natural boilers must be left as quickly as possible. Obviously, without FCS you will have't hits.  Of course, turbines. Everything else ... Depends on too many factors. For example, does the game will display war Jeune École vs traditionalists? Yes, and probably the player will not have so much choice that he can build. No, fine, but what is the size of the naval budget? Again, too many factors.

However, I would like to try the cruisers war. This doctrine never worked in reality, I wonder how it will be in the game.

[ThatOneBounced]

I lean towards having excellent gunnery with high quality guns at ranges that exceed any other ship. I take the highest quality gun i can get a hold of even if it is not technically the biggest. once the other ships have been weakened the battleships close the distance and seal the fate of the enemy fleet. light cruisers and bellow will be equipped with lots torpedoes to disorganize formations while also countering smaller units. battlecruisers have been a tricky one as I try to make them a "sniper" of sorts and staying behind the battleship line to avoid concentrated fire while also out ranging and outgunning battleships while  in a fleet battle. 

So basically gunnery 

[Shiki]

Of course, decisive battle is the only way. It's much more cost-effective to be able to quickly end a conflict with the complete destruction of the enemy's fleet, and obtain peace before they can recover.

For ship design to support that doctrine, I prefer the Italian approach: my cruisers are my battleships, and the actual "battleships" are only there to support the cruisers. They need to be fast (35.5 kts minimum, 37.5 kts preferred) in order to force that decisive action and well-armed (eight, nine, or ten 203-mm) to cripple the enemy's own cruisers. Unlike the Italians, however, I arm my ships to the teeth ala Japan when it comes to torpedoes and cruisers carry two or more (four is optimal) quadruple launchers of 61-cm torpedoes for that maximal kick in the teeth. 

Of course, night attacks are paramount to whittle down the enemy's forces beforehand, but I can't have everything... cries in no ability to make high-velocity 410-mm artillery

[SiWi]

I will try different schools with different nations.

 

Strong naval powers, decisive battle with the biggest and meaniest ships.

Weaker powers? Opportunity attacks and trade war.

 

With Japan I would probably go "long lance" route, with the USA, faster torps with launchers of both sides.

My cruiser will probably always have a steady numbers of torps (maybe really heavy cruiser not, but all light will)

 

Germany will probably build about survival and strong Armour. 

USA fire power

UK balance

Edited June 29, 2020 by SiWi

[1MajorKoenig]

I would like to give the „Jeune Ecole“ a go. But instead of cruisers for the long range element I‘d use fast battleships or well rounded Battlecruiser task groups

[HMNZS Achilles]

Dependent on how the campaign mechanisms work.

Get a quick build fleet into the water quickly on the basis that a hull in the water trumps a super warship still with years to go in the builder’s yard every day.

Then depends on my country and what its objective is.

Of the list Austria looks the one with (potentially) the least complex naval task.

Control the Adriatic?

Primary enemy, Italy.

Torpedo dominant torpedo boats/destroyers, backed by cruisers, backed by battleships.

short range.

 

 

 

 

 

[Tlmitf]

I plan to take some inspiration from the British approach.

Home fleets, for territorial waters. Big guns and survivability. No retreat, no surrender.
High seas fleets. Long range, speed, firepower. Always with the speed advantage - If I cant kill it, I can run from it.

[Marshall99]

Personaly in the campaign I will design compact battleships. Good armor protection on the belt and deck, long range artillery, and some secondaries and some speed. 

If I can, I will design super battleship with high firepower and more then enough armor protection. Speed around 25 kn. I will max out the torp protection too.

Cruisers will be good against enemy cruisers

Destroyers will be stealthy, and they will be equipped with long range torps. 

[Wowzery]

I think it will depend on what I will be able to afford in the game.  I'd like to go high speed, larger guns.  Or I might go for quick build ships which don't take much time to build to build up my fleet fast.