Question about using the tactic of slowing down.

[_Doc_Holliday]

Alright so I've seen quite a number of players in battleships and also cruisers using the tactic of going 3/4 or even 1/2 to throw off enemy ship's aim when they FIRST start firing at it or even during an engagement.  Now I have tried to use this tactic and most of the time IT NEVER works.  People still get a first round hit on me no matter what speed I'm going.  While I'm trying to get a first round hit and most of the time I'm missing them.  How are they pulling this off?  I've tried going 3/4, but usually get hit and even tried going 1/2 and I still take a huge hit.  I know about the smoke stack trick of looking at the smoke to judge how fast a ship is going, but a lot of times these ships are angled and it's hard for me to get a good look at them.  Any tips about this?

[1nc0mp3t3nt_1]

It's not just sailing slower than full, you need to make use of your rudder and accelerate out of your turn.

 

For me, the goal is she'll avoidance, or if that fails, be angled so the shells that do hit bounce

[Lert]

What works for me is not the act of going a certain speed, but the act of speeding up or slowing down. Once the enemy gets a hit on me I know they have me ranged, so adjusting course and speed will go a long way to throw off their next shot. However, it never takes long to get the range again, so keep adjusting.

[gurudennis]

It's a matter of experience, guesswork and mind games. But no amount of experience will help you avoid or land every salvo. Keep practicing though (as we all do).

 

As far as avoidance goes, you want to be unpredictable, you want to not make any sense. For instance, people expect you to slow down when turning, so slow down while going in a straight line for a little while. Keep in mind that they can't see your smokestack if you are extremely angled.

 

To aim your shots better, observe the target for a couple seconds before firing. There are telling signs of speed changes beyond the smokestack such as movement relative to other ships, islands and even water texture. If you have torps, select them and watch the prediction indicator to understand what speed the target is moving at.

[UltimateNewbie]

Alright so I've seen quite a number of players in battleships and also cruisers using the tactic of going 3/4 or even 1/2 to throw off enemy ship's aim when they FIRST start firing at it or even during an engagement.  Now I have tried to use this tactic and most of the time IT NEVER works.  People still get a first round hit on me no matter what speed I'm going.  While I'm trying to get a first round hit and most of the time I'm missing them.  How are they pulling this off?  I've tried going 3/4, but usually get hit and even tried going 1/2 and I still take a huge hit.  I know about the smoke stack trick of looking at the smoke to judge how fast a ship is going, but a lot of times these ships are angled and it's hard for me to get a good look at them.  Any tips about this?

I have found that, as a cruiser or battleship, going at 3/4 speed is beneficial less because of dodging shells and more because it stops me from rushing in like a total moron and getting deleted by the whole enemy team. But it still gives you more options such as accelerating out of a turn and making it easier to do super super late braking to dodge (particularly air launched) Torps. 

 

[Submarine_Wahoo]

Lert has the right idea: it's not hard to aim at ships at different speeds if you are familiar enough with aiming. It's the progression of going fast to slow or vice-versa that is tricky. Combine that with the occasional rudder shift and it can complicate a shot within that moment. But keeping up a pattern can destroy the illusion you created.

[12thDoctor]

When I am in a BB, and am targeting a red...  I will fire one turret at where he should be at Full Speed, and Half Speed, These first two shots tell you a lot of the enemy course.  Then I can adjust accordingly.   

 

If you are IN a bb, and trying to confuse the person shooting at you,  One smart thing to do is make it look like you are turning one way, then turn the other.. if timed correctly you will avoid the salvo (rng applies of course). Once people see a BB turning they start drooling because the are sure they are gonna hit... but nope.. you went the other way..  (this only works if the shells have 10s + travel.. good for opening snipe avoidance)  And BBs like the New York, well your gonna get hit.. its a sloth..  

 

 

[Cobraclutch]

This works especially well in RN CL's. Due to their insane acceleration speed. 

[Sir_Godz]

most players under lead ships, even really good players. going 3/4 speed is likely the best way to help the reds hit you.

 

Also consider the angle the reds see. if you are at an angle that shows less of the smoke plum then speed change is more effective. The other tactic is too judge when the red will shoot and change speed about that time.

[_Doc_Holliday]

Thanks for the replies everyone.  I'll give them a try.

[centarina]

speed change can work the best if you are facing them or in a fast ship  in steep angle  because they can't see the stack well.  but it is really temporary thing.  you need to gauge the enemy's position and don't get focused. 

[Soshi_Sone]

One thing I use when my lateral velocity relative to target is nil (my velocity vector is perpendicular to the target velocity vector or I'm slow in general) is to unlock the target and watch the progression of the target across the target reticle.  Mentally count the tics traversed over the shell time of flight (which is provided when the target is locked).  Re-lock the target.  Lead by by the number to tics counted...and viola...a perfect lead.  Well...perfect if the ship continues on the same vector as it did when you counted the tics.  Dynamic reticle helps with this approach if you need to change zoom (between the count and the shot), since dynamic is designed to maintain the distance/tic ratio over zooms.  It works fine with any reticle as long as you don't change zooms.

 

Another technique is to fire one turret and watch where that first salvo goes...then adjust for the rest.  Adjust also means to account for any maneuvering the target does if they realize you just fired a "spot" round.  This is more useful at mid to short range since it gives the target less opportunity to maneuver.  At spotter plane distances the time of flight is often too long to spend the time watching.  Spotter ranges involve a lot of dispersion, so it's a ball park RNG throw anyway. In that case, I just throw the turrets all around a "mean" value...and move on to look for the next target.  Plunging fire is very effective against many ships (especially cruisers), so playing the odds with dispersion to get a better chance at one hit (and possible cit) is better than a much lower chance of getting several hits.

 

Smoke stack reading also helps.

[Squeesher]

One thing to remember when playing nearly any ship (save RN CLs), you are generally able to lose speed faster than gain it. You have one source of acceleration: your engine. But you have 2 sources of deceleration: your engine and your rudder. If you are trying to throw off fire at mid-long ranges (think 15km or so) and you're in a relatively fast ship going full speed parallel to your attacker, drop your speed and turn towards the direction of fire. Similar to avoidance of torpedoes, this allows you to get past the rounds faster, and if shots are still on target they may become either overpens through the superstructure, or bounce entirely. Turning away is pretty dangerous in this situation (again similar to torps) as you put yourself in the path of shells you would have avoided otherwise, and also may cause below the waterline pens, and citadels, for those shots that were fired at the waterline or above in the first place by your enemy.

 

The best "general" advice I can give for speed avoidance is to avoid patterns of evasion when fighting the same enemy. Eventually they will catch on. Vary your path and speed as much as you possibly can. Stay on top of the changing battle situation. And BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS!!

 

Happy Hunting

[scruffycavetroll]

WSAD hacks engage. 

[SideByEach]

Varying speed and direction is a core tactic. The kind of damage is the damage you avoid taking. Coming to a complete stop, in open ocean without a smoke screen IS NOT a good tactic. You cannot dodge much damage sitting still. This goes double for those lighthouse keepers posing as carrier captains. Far too often I've taken advantage of other players who decide to stop, or what I call "Bad & shoot", because they are not being shot at. Well if the wrong player notices you, you will be regretting your tactical decision making back in port.