I seem to be "stuck"

[AMajor]

I've attached my graphs from Warships.today.  It appears as if I'm "stuck".  A bit of background might help.  I'm currently playing dds (USN and IJN) at Tier 3-5, Cruisers (USN and Russian) at Tier 3-5, and the rare USN Tier 3-4 BB (not real fond of BB play).  I don't play a lot of battles per week (maybe 10-20 depending on what else needs doing).

 

Do I just need to play more or should I be doing something different?

[Dictonary]

I wouldn't so much worry about stats but if you insist, try to get in a clan that can teach you stuff or/and watch videos about advanced tactics and game mechanics and learn them. How to exploit detection range, sigma, etc. That was how unicums became unicums.

[FayFay731]

You can stat pad with me if you want to improve your stats.

[AMajor]

It's not that I worry about stats.  I'm an educator so I know that as you gain experience with a particular task, you should get better at it.  The graphs are just a measure of a series of metrics.  I have watched more than a few videos so I'm pretty knowledgeable about the capabilities of the ships that I'm captaining.  Like any good student, I want to identify where my knowledge gaps are and fix them.

 

BTW - I have no idea what stat pad is.

[Ensign_Pulver_2016]

17 hours ago, AMajor said:

It's not that I worry about stats.  I'm an educator so I know that as you gain experience with a particular task, you should get better at it.  The graphs are just a measure of a series of metrics.  I have watched more than a few videos so I'm pretty knowledgeable about the capabilities of the ships that I'm captaining.  Like any good student, I want to identify where my knowledge gaps are and fix them.

 

BTW - I have no idea what stat pad is.

I played the devil out of my Phoenix to improve my CL skills and have since moved on to the Cleveland and Pensacola. I am terrible in DDs and bad in A BBs. Average now in Cleveland and Pensacola. 

 

You can choose the type you wish to advance first and focus on that type. I find that, for me, moving between two or three classes within the CA/CL type is as much learning as I can handle.

 

I've read opinions here that BBs are more forgiving, but I prefer looking for an island to spam over than waiting forever and a day for reloads and to get into position. 

 

[IcyThor]

19 hours ago, AMajor said:

I've attached my graphs from Warships.today.  It appears as if I'm "stuck".  A bit of background might help.  I'm currently playing dds (USN and IJN) at Tier 3-5, Cruisers (USN and Russian) at Tier 3-5, and the rare USN Tier 3-4 BB (not real fond of BB play).  I don't play a lot of battles per week (maybe 10-20 depending on what else needs doing).

 

Do I just need to play more or should I be doing something different?

I think you are spreading yourself too thin.  Focus on the type of ship you enjoy the most.  Then play that type at the lowest tier until you are consistently in the top half.  By consistent I mean you should score in the top half of your team 80-85% of the time.  You may have to build your own spreadsheet to monitor that metric.  Use coop first and then random.  When you are skilled move up a tier.  If you have the time play more.  10-20 battles per week does not allow you to build repetitive skills until they become automatic for your brain.  When you are sunk watch closely how surviving players drive your type of ship.  Its a great teaching tool to watch those who make it to the end.  They are doing things right.  If you are not having FUN, then look for another game.  Good luck. 

[IcyThor]

31 minutes ago, Ensign_Pulver_2016 said:

I played the devil out of my Phoenix to improve my CL skills and have since moved on to the Cleveland and Pensacola. I am terrible in DDs and bad in A BBs. Average now in Cleveland and Pensacola. 

 

You can choose the type you wish to advance first and focus on that type. I find that, for me, moving between two or three classes within the CA/CL type is as much learning as I can handle.

 

I've read opinions here that BBs are more forgiving, but I prefer looking for an island to spam over than waiting forever and a day for reloads and to get into position. 

 

I love the Phoenix.  She is my FUN ship.  I played hundreds of battles in the Cleveland and never got comfortable.  I watched others have great success in her but I never got the feel for her.  I am playing the Pensacola now.  I like the bigger guns but she still feels slow, sluggish and long wait time for reloads and turret traverse.  I learned that BB is not for me.  I spend too much time just waiting.  I am playing the Langley and like her.  I started with DD and like them but they are intense.  On days when my mind is not sharp I get put down fast and hard in DD.  

I want WoW to create a Phoenix with 203mm guns, more torps with longer range.  That would be awesome.  lol

 

[Ensign_Pulver_2016]

41 minutes ago, IcyThor said:

I love the Phoenix.  She is my FUN ship.  I played hundreds of battles in the Cleveland and never got comfortable.  I watched others have great success in her but I never got the feel for her.  I am playing the Pensacola now.  I like the bigger guns but she still feels slow, sluggish and long wait time for reloads and turret traverse.  I learned that BB is not for me.  I spend too much time just waiting.  I am playing the Langley and like her.  I started with DD and like them but they are intense.  On days when my mind is not sharp I get put down fast and hard in DD.  

I want WoW to create a Phoenix with 203mm guns, more torps with longer range.  That would be awesome.  lol

 

I had to unlearn a lot of stuff from Phoenix in the Cleveland. Speed rules in the Phoenix. Position rules in the Cleveland. 

Especially now that my Cleveland commander has the MFCAA skill. In a carrier match, I want to be in a position to capitalize on CV errors, or in late match, necessity.

Pensacola, I don't feel confident commanding. My win rate and xp  in my recent games are good. I just don't do enough consistent damage to be satisfied. 

 

[IcyThor]

2 minutes ago, Ensign_Pulver_2016 said:

I had to unlearn a lot of stuff from Phoenix in the Cleveland. Speed rules in the Phoenix. Position rules in the Cleveland. 

Especially now that my Cleveland commander has the MFCAA skill. In a carrier match, I want to be in a position to capitalize on CV errors, or in late match, necessity.

Pensacola, I don't feel confident commanding. My win rate and xp  in my recent games are good. I just don't do enough consistent damage to be satisfied. 

 

Phoenix spoiled me to how much FUN the game can be.  I can play strategic, stealth or aggressive.  I am using Phoenix now to grind out the 500,000 HP for a mission. 

I got to play DD Fletcher in PT and that is another FUN ship.  It was my first time driving a DD and playing high tier but I held my own.  Team mates yelled me a lot because I set her up to maximize her stealth.  I drove her under the radar and few ships had any idea where she was until I chose to attack with guns or torps. 

Cleveland and Pensacola both seem more like a BB than the lower tier CL.  I don't like playing for 3 mins to set up an ambush.  Too boring for me. 

[dust340man]

It looks to me if you're playing random you're slowly learning like most of us and the more you play you'll find things start to click. Four very important things to me are don't be too aggressive at the beginning, watch the minimap alot, zoom out as needed and know when to retreat due to overwhelming odds. I still have to remind myself to do all three to have decent success in battles with any line of ships. I'm not a young guy at 61yrs old but I've had great games in all the lines I play but I just don't do it as often as the very skilled players.

 

Good luck and have patience!

[Ensign_Pulver_2016]

On 9/2/2017 at 5:48 PM, IcyThor said:

Phoenix spoiled me to how much FUN the game can be.  I can play strategic, stealth or aggressive.  I am using Phoenix now to grind out the 500,000 HP for a mission. 

I got to play DD Fletcher in PT and that is another FUN ship.  It was my first time driving a DD and playing high tier but I held my own.  Team mates yelled me a lot because I set her up to maximize her stealth.  I drove her under the radar and few ships had any idea where she was until I chose to attack with guns or torps. 

Cleveland and Pensacola both seem more like a BB than the lower tier CL.  I don't like playing for 3 mins to set up an ambush.  Too boring for me. 

It's only boring until you get in that "magic" spot where you put 3 shells on target every 2 seconds without being spotted. Then it's a drug that needs anothe fix.

What dust said is really important. I had to stop thinking, "I've got to mash the 'w' key out of the gate. It is the only way. Get in first." Now, I am constantly thinking, "Patience, Grasshopper, patience."

Cruisers excel only when they survive. Not every battle is Bull's Run.

[SurpriseMotherTrucker]

On 9/1/2017 at 8:35 PM, AMajor said:

I've attached my graphs from Warships.today.  It appears as if I'm "stuck".  A bit of background might help.  I'm currently playing dds (USN and IJN) at Tier 3-5, Cruisers (USN and Russian) at Tier 3-5, and the rare USN Tier 3-4 BB (not real fond of BB play).  I don't play a lot of battles per week (maybe 10-20 depending on what else needs doing).

 

One thing to remember is don't pay too much attention to that graph. That is a total of all battles played and will only show marginal improvements over time (You will never see big spikes). I usually look at the post game and compare to my average in that ship as well as how well I supported the team. WTR isn't a very good way to measure contribution to a battle but post game will tell you how you measured up to the rest of the team. Like this game, look at the New Orleans on the enemy team. If his team would have won then he would have had higher XP then I finished with. So even in a loss you can still measure your success. Basically you get a 50% buff when you win so he would have been a little over 1900 xp. The other thing I look at is average XP in a battle. In this battle my team had an average XP of about 1340 so, ironically, Bismark is the half way point which means our team did well as a team.  

 

 

This is where WTR is, for lack of better term, broken:

 

 

This is my Takao stats compared to the other T8 IJN's on the NA Server. So my WR, XP and TH% are above average but my DMG and Srv% suffer a little. So what does that tell me? Well the XP says I'm doing other stuff than damage and that if I change my tactics slightly I can live longer and improve those stats. Here is what the graph you are looking at doesn't reflect: 

 

This tells me that my change in play style improved my stats while the graph you are looking at only tells you the total of the games you have played not the changes you have made to your play style and not if you are improving. .  

 

[IcyThor]

On ‎9‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 1:11 AM, dust340man said:

It looks to me if you're playing random you're slowly learning like most of us and the more you play you'll find things start to click. Four very important things to me are don't be too aggressive at the beginning, watch the minimap alot, zoom out as needed and know when to retreat due to overwhelming odds. I still have to remind myself to do all three to have decent success in battles with any line of ships. I'm not a young guy at 61yrs old but I've had great games in all the lines I play but I just don't do it as often as the very skilled players.

 

Good luck and have patience!

I am 70.  This is my first multi player game other than Farmville.  Its been a huge learning curve but its FUN and that is what matters to me.  I am like you.  I have some great games but not as regular as I wish.  I took the T3 Wickes out for its 3rd battle in coop and got 89k in damage.  That will never happen again.  But the rush was great when I saw the final results. 

My only challenge is to compete against myself to get better.  But if it gets too serious and the FUN is gone, then I will be gone.  I don't see that happening.