The_Kamchatka

Original Post Date: Posted May 13, 2018 This a dead post, please refrain from further additions.

Due to hardware faliure, I will not be able to continue testing submarines. I will be cancelling my planned series, which is unfortunate. I will leave one more post summarizing my thoughts on submarines and what I think should be done to help improve the experience for all parties. Otherwise, do not expect anymore sub posts, from me. Here are my posts for those who are intereseted

My day two post is up and can be found here:

I had short games today so I don't have a lot to say. Ships used/Games played: DD: Farragut/2 CV: Ryujo/1, Ranger/1 I am posting here my thoughts on submarines: Interactions with Subs: -DD: Designated Counter DD's are meant to hunt subs, and thus are equipped with depth charges. The damage and AOE of the depth charges are modest, and will be reduced if the sub goes to max depth. I have observed that even if the sub enters max depth, expending all three charges will still kill the sub. Depth charges are also have a very high flooding and fire chance. The hydrophone mechanic seems rather pointless as the sub is generally too far away or already hard spotted. Depth charging subs is very satisfying. As such most of the important interactions with subs are relegated to this one class the loss of all destroyers in a match will drag out the match far beyond its usual conclusion. Active sub hunting early in the match is futile as the risk is far too high for the rather unremarkable reward of sinking a sub. Generally I tried completing my usual destroyer duties first and then hunted submarines if the opportunity arose. (Spot enemy destroyers, contest caps, shadow larger vessels) - CV: Minimal CV's can't equip/launch depth charge planes, so the class is unable to directly damaged submarines below periscope depth. I have yet to be attacked by a submarine, and I do not expect to be attacked by one due to the sub's overall slow speed. Due to the nature of carrier play, avoiding sub launched torpedoes will likely prove extremely difficult. Of course the player could opt to take manual control of the carrier, but the slow turn speed and inability to retaliate against subs leave the carrier vulnerable to a sub if it gets within torpedo range. This ,however, will likely only occur long after the match has been decided. The remainder of my usual carrier gameplay is largely unchanged. (Picking on targets of opportunity, attempting to suppress players that are doing well, supporting friendly dd's making cap attempts or under enemy CV attack). Submarines notes: - It appears that subs are can be killed even at max depth if all depth charges are used. - Hydrophone for destroyers seems useless as it is generally activated after the last ship on the opposite flank is wiped out or the sub is already spotted by yourself or another vessel within range. -Depth charging subs is very satisfying. Closing thoughts: CV's have no way of interacting with subs, at the moment. Since much of the CV's maneuvering is usually given to the autopilot, I don't expect survival is likely when targeted by a sub. In my first match I only mopped up left overs at one of the points, and in my second I died early because of my own mistakes so I don't have much to say on dd sub interactions yet, other than it is very satisfying launching depth charges at subs. Other observations: - Nothing yet. Addition Information: This is the first in a planned series of posts that will run the entire length of the submarine event. My hope is that these posts will be an important resource for the community to use when deciding how the feel about they new ship class. Since I had uneventful games and also got coal in my latest draw, my next post will be my thoughts on games played in carriers and destroyers. Please excuse any errors and notify me of anything that I could do to improve the quality of the post. In addition, I am a relatively new player (with about 1000 total games played) and I have not yet learned how to play each ship class optimally. As such I am ignorant of a lot of ship specific information which might have an important impact on the developing role of submarines in game. So understand that my view of this new ship class might be skewed or completely ignorant of a larger issue. I only saw fishing boats today, but thanks for the read! Edited 22 hours ago by The_Kamchatka

Are you a torpedo boat?

Dallas is equipped with depth charges. I selected these ships because I wanted to get a feel for how submarines effect the game play of surface vessels. They were also the only ships I have currently available at tier 6. Please note that, I accidentally submitted my post early. I'm am currently reediting it.

Ships used/Games played: CA: Pensacola/2 BB: Fuso/5, New Mexico (Stock Configuration)/5 CL: Dallas/2 I am posting here my thoughts on submarines: Interactions with Subs: -CA: Minimal Since heavy cruisers lack way to directly damage submarines below periscope depth, direct interaction was limited to dodging torpedoes when directly interacting with submarines. The presence of a submarine did not otherwise alter my usual heavy cruiser play (Defend friendly destroyers from cruisers and enemy destroyers) - BB: Minimal Battleships lack any way to directly damage submarines below periscope depth and are thus limited to dodging torpedoes when directly interacting with submarines. Otherwise my usual battleship play was not altered. (Backing up cruisers and destroyers at important points or flanks, observing enemy position especially torpedo sources, aggressive use of WASD hacks). - CL: Minimal Access to Depth Charges did not directly impact my usual light cruiser play, as the risk of death chasing a sub is too great until the game has been decided. Of course being one of the few non-destroyer classes that can damage subs and being equipped with hydroacoustic search, makes survival extremely important. (Island camping/open water action, destroyer hunting, burning down battleships) Submarines (damage, threat, issues): - Dumb fire and standard homing torpedoes seem to be equivalent in damage to air dropped torpedoes. - To my knowledge, I have not yet suffered a citadel hit, so I have no remarks as of yet. - Subs are another torpedo source, going bow in appears to work. - Subs are very slow when submerged, and it is unlikely that they will move far from their last sighted position. - If a sub rises into the bottom of an enemy vessel, it is considered a ram. The sub typically loses. - Cruisers and destroyers have an easier time dodging homing torpedoes as their speed an maneuverability can mess with the torpedoes' tracking. - Battleships seem to be able to dodge torpedoes that are launched from 4 km with little difficulty, provided the battleship is bow in. - At 2 km, at least one torpedo is practically guaranteed if the sub surfaces and fires into a bow in battleship. - It seems possible to bait homing torpedoes fired at a broadside to overshoot when in a battleship (more testing required). - There does not appear to be an indicator to notify the player that they have been pinged. - Most submarine captains only contribution to a match was destroyer spotting. Closing thoughts: I observed most sub victims were generally in open water and already vulnerable, although this is likely a consequence of the fresh release and questionable decisions by ship captains. Submarines did not seem to have a major influence on the match EXCEPT when they are interacting with destroyers. The spotting mechanics between destroyers and subs appear quite troublesome and can put destroyers in horribly vulnerable positions (provided the destroyer didn't yolo to begin with.). Destroyer can be spotted in smoke by submarines due to the nature of if their expected interaction, and I expect that I will find more issues when I test destroyers later.The remaining surface ship play did not seem notably different from normal until the match had reached endgame. The inability for battleships and heavy cruisers to damage submarines is concerning as it leaves them with no options to eliminate submarines if all depth charge equipped ships have been sunk (which is fairly common even in random battles). While actually adapting to the presence of a submarine does not appear to be difficult, the fact that dedicated ASW weapons are only available to fragile and high-priority-target vessels is an issue that must be addressed if submarines are ever expected to be released as a permanent addition to live servers. Other observations: - Entire teams will lemming in the direction of a sighted submarines. (Likely due to "first day on release" hype. Hopefully this will stop.) - Complacent CV's can be killed, but the sub has to run a gauntlet of ships to do so. By the time the sub is in torpedo range, the match is usually decided. - There is an unusually high number of carrier players in submarine battle. - If entering submarine battle, expect to see lots of torpedoes. - Most people are having trouble using the sub to its full potential. - Some people don't read the news :P. - Subs have not improved minimap awareness. Addition Information: This is the first in a planned series of posts that will run the entire length of the submarine event. My hope is that these posts will be an important resource for the community to use when deciding how the feel about they new ship class.The next post will be my thoughts on games played in carriers and destroyers. This is also my first post on a forum ever, so please excuse any errors and notify me of anything that I could do to improve the quality of the post. In addition, I am a relatively new player (with about 1000 total games played) and I have not yet learned how to play each ship class optimally. As such I am ignorant of a lot of ship specific information which might have an important impact on the developing role of submarines in game. So understand that my view of this new ship class might be skewed or completely ignorant of a larger issue. Thanks for the read and mind the torpedoes!