Help, I'm (really) bad

[GeneralSeay]

My average win rate is 43%, average experience is 638 and average damage is 21568. I'm trying to well but I just really bad at this game. It's not one or two specific things either, I'm bad at leading my shots, I'm bad at aiming torpedoes, I never seem to be firing the right ammunition, I'm horrible at reading the mini map, I can't dodge torpedoes, etc... I've tried watching YouTube video tutorials/guides and reading the forums but it's not helping. I'm then told to just practice but my average is somehow managing to get worse. I honestly want to be good at this game but my lack of progress is frustrating.

[Sir_Godz]

Just play BBs then. You will have tons of company.

[Aivris]

Hi GeneralSeay, welcome to the World of Warships forums.

 

There is a lot of helpful community-made content on these forums so the fact that you've come here for help is already a good start!

 

To be honest, practicing is the best way to improve. The more you play, the more you'll understand the many features and mechanics that your ship or ship-class has to offer. Do you have a class or a specific ship that you've enjoyed playing with so far? It doesn't hurt to go back to a lower tier and play a few more matches either in Random or Co-op against bots.

[Pirate_Badcat]

 All I can say is watch captains academy by iChase over and over again and practice, practice, practice. You will get better in time. I am like you but I keep trying.  

[Fetchez_la_Vache]

Hi General,

 

You're still early days, mate.  It will take time but don't worry.  

 

- Walk, don't run for the next ship and next Tier up.  

- Crawl if you have to, meaning, Co-Op, while not as glamorous as Random, is the best (only) "training" area within the game (you can get Aslains? mod and/or code in an actual training room though)

- Find a ship that you enjoy playing, and play the hell out of it!  

 

[GeneralSeay]

I've been enjoying the ijn cruisers and the higher tier ijn destroyers really intrigue me. I've also been playing the konigsberg some. I tried coop but it's no fun and battles are over way too quickly not to mention I get almost no experience and credits. I've played both american and ijn battleships but neither are really my cup of tea as I get ridiculously bad rng when it comes to shell spread (my shells land all around the target but never land in the center) on top of everything else. Admittedly my favorite ship at the moment is my atago, I know, I know, I'm a wallet warrior (it could've been a tirpitz, the boat version of the lowe). While I'm really bad at high tiers for obvious reasons, I think the playstyle is amazing and wish the lower tier ijn cruisers played more like it.

[Teske]

Greetings GeneralSeay, I'll make no false claims that I am an expert, however I am fairly competent. I am always looking to help those that struggle as it makes the game a better place, as I have already help a number of my peers. I find the best way to improve is to division with someone of a bit more experience and pick up on their technique, then find what works for you. I suggest you find a friend to div with and if they are few I am will to help, just PM me in game, I have ships at all tiers, so no matter what you sail I can sail with you.

[Fetchez_la_Vache]

Yeah, Co-Op doesn't float my boat either but there are some Captains who absolutely love that mode.  Just saying, weigh improving vs xp and coin.  Maybe Co-Op is viable, maybe not.  

 

Your Furutaka numbers are alright and so too are your Isokaze numbers.  If you enjoy those two ships, I'd say keep taking them out.  I did that with my Phoenix then Omaha (probably racked up 60-70 games in her before going to the Cleveland).

 

Oh, and the jump to Tier 5 is/can be a big one as the Match Making will put you in more T6 and 7 games, leaving a new fish feeling very frustrated.  However, as I mentioned earlier, you're hanging in your FurryTaco.  Just keep up the good fight!

 

[GeneralSeay]

I used to use aslain's mod but with ribbons and the damage counter added into the game, I think the only mod that I would use from it now would be the colored torpedo splash. I don't division with anybody anymore because my friend that got me into the game didn't bring his computer with him back to college (we started playing this past summer). I sold my furutaka a while back have been playing the aoba, a fairly disappointing ship.

[GeneralSeay]

As far as the isokaze vs minekaze, I loved the isokaze because it had better concealment and the same torps at a lower tier, the only reason I went on to the minekaze was to push up to the mutsuki and the others that had a sizeable window in which to launch their torps without being spotted (0.8km isn't enough for me).

[Fetchez_la_Vache]

Welp, I'd say, re-load Aslain and Training Room the hell out these ships.  I'd also suggest re-buying the Taco, that's if you enjoyed playing her.  Each line have their stinkers (although the old trash v treasure certainly applies) but play them none the less as they can help teach and train you for higher tiers.

 

Just remember, we all, well most of us at least, blew goats when we started.  Just enjoy the game and a few ships before focusing too much on the numbers and sense.  They will improve but only if you're enjoying yourself along the way.  

[Aivris]

I've been enjoying the ijn cruisers and the higher tier ijn destroyers really intrigue me. I've also been playing the konigsberg some. I tried coop but it's no fun and battles are over way too quickly not to mention I get almost no experience and credits. I've played both american and ijn battleships but neither are really my cup of tea as I get ridiculously bad rng when it comes to shell spread (my shells land all around the target but never land in the center) on top of everything else. Admittedly my favorite ship at the moment is my atago, I know, I know, I'm a wallet warrior (it could've been a tirpitz, the boat version of the lowe). While I'm really bad at high tiers for obvious reasons, I think the playstyle is amazing and wish the lower tier ijn cruisers played more like it.

I'd recommend sticking with the Japanese cruisers for now. They were one of my first lines to grind through and I really enjoyed playing with the Tenryu, Kuma, Furutaka, Myoko and the pre-AFT nerf Mogami. IJN cruisers have big citadels and the high tier cruisers have bad torpedo angles, so you have to be careful with how your position yourself. Keep a good distance between you and the enemy, and support your team-mates by harassing enemy battleships with HE. Only switch to AP when enemy cruisers get within about 10km and have their broadside exposed.

 

Although I don't have the Atago, I can totally understand how it's your favourite ship right now. It's a very beginner-friendly Japanese cruiser with good concealment, a repair party consumable and good torpedo angles. Playing with it should gave you an alright taste of what to expect from the Myoko and up in terms of ship and gun handling.

[GeneralSeay]

Which mods from aslain's modpack should I use?

[Teske]

I only use the training room enabler, no need for the rest for me.

[Teske]

As I said before I'm more than willing to help, even willing to division with others to help them learn and improve. Being honest the reasons for this is actually somewhat selfish: I like the challenging duel in this game, where you have 2 equally skilled capts. fighting each other for the win and nobody can tell who will win, and the more skilled players around the more likely that is to happen. The other reason is as the Roman philosopher Seneca said, "While we teach, we learn," helping you improve helps me improve.

[GeneralSeay]

Or playing in the same battles as me could cause permanent brain damage and psychosis, but hey, that could be considered an interesting way to live.

[Teske]

Already half-way there (A.D.D.), no risk for me.

[legoboy0401]

My average win rate is 43%, average experience is 638 and average damage is 21568. I'm trying to well but I just really bad at this game. It's not one or two specific things either, I'm bad at leading my shots, I'm bad at aiming torpedoes, I never seem to be firing the right ammunition, I'm horrible at reading the mini map, I can't dodge torpedoes, etc... I've tried watching YouTube video tutorials/guides and reading the forums but it's not helping. I'm then told to just practice but my average is somehow managing to get worse. I honestly want to be good at this game but my lack of progress is frustrating.

 

Finally, someone who's worse than me. I'm about 48-49% WR, and average XP is a little higher. I'm not by any means a Unicum, so I do sympathize with you, as I've been there before. If you want to get better,nothing beats practice. Training Battles can help you learn certain game mechanics when you have enabled it.

Also, try Ichase's Captain's Academy YouTube videos, they are very helpful to even Unicums.

[legoboy0401]

I've been enjoying the ijn cruisers and the higher tier ijn destroyers really intrigue me. I've also been playing the konigsberg some. I tried coop but it's no fun and battles are over way too quickly not to mention I get almost no experience and credits. I've played both american and ijn battleships but neither are really my cup of tea as I get ridiculously bad rng when it comes to shell spread (my shells land all around the target but never land in the center) on top of everything else. Admittedly my favorite ship at the moment is my atago, I know, I know, I'm a wallet warrior (it could've been a tirpitz, the boat version of the lowe). While I'm really bad at high tiers for obvious reasons, I think the playstyle is amazing and wish the lower tier ijn cruisers played more like it.

 

as far as BBs go, unfortunately, there is no other choice but to"get learned, noob"

You have to be a good aimer to get Battleships to work for you.

[51st_FC]

I think everyone wants to do good quickly, Like you I am not very good so most of the time I just do co ops and keep working on my gunnery skills. I have only been in the game about 6 weeks now and I wish my skills were better so I could do more random Battles but I don't want to hamper the rest of the players with my ineffectiveness.  For me I found one ship that I like and I play it every time to bad it's the Texas but one thing it has helped me with is learning gunnery how to lead those dam pesky Destroyers, & Cruisers.

  When I first started flying IL2 many moons ago, I picked the P-47 and I learned to fly it fast, slow, I learned how to fly it 50 feet off the ground or at 35,000 feet and I flew it everyday, and every single time I flew online. I flew it when I knew it would be a defeat. I learned from every single mistake and one day I found I was pretty dam good flying, and fighting with the P-47.  Don't rush look at every single mission as a way to learn something good or bad.  I enjoy this game and want to be as good as I can be at it, but for me it will just take a bit of time.  Good Luck & Good Shooting!!!

[Prophetic]

Well, practice and keep watching videos is good advice.

 

But realistically I would suggest you stop rushing up the tech tree. You have to consider a few things when you change ships. One is the inevitable learning curve that you have to take on. If you are struggling with the basic mechanics of the game, then adding more to what you have to wrangle with is not ideal. Further, the higher you go in the tech tree the more experienced players you run into. Players that have a better handle on what they are doing. I know the Atago is fun and a good ship, but you are facing people who really know what they are doing and getting taken out in the first few minutes of the game does nothing to help you get better.

 

Cruisers, at least in my opinion, are not always friendly to newish, less skilled players. I get that battleships or destroyers might not be what you are interested in, but they are both somewhat more forgiving. It is certainly good that you are trying to learn and asking for help, but slow down on moving up the tech tree and learn the mechanics of the game and the differences in classes and ships before rushing on.

[Ronin_ICOP]

If you have the credits, allow me to suggest picking up a few Tier IV cruisers. None are particularly good, but that tier is, in my opinion, perhaps the best tier to learn the mechanics of the game, be challenged, and get a feel for some of the differences between the various national tech-trees, all without breaking the bank. This approach will allow you to decide whether you like rapid-firing cruisers (U.S. and German) that do a little less damage or slower-firing cruisers (Russian and Japanese) with a bit more punch. Most of us will spend a lot of time in mid-tier play, and having a clear idea of what you enjoy and what you do best in can make your time here a lot more fun and rewarding. Playing a little of each (assuming you opt to stay with cruisers) will also help you by making clear the strengths of your opponent's boats. When you know a boat well you will find it easier to counter that boat when you have to square off against it.

 

Then you can move into Tier V with a more clear idea of what you will most enjoy. As someone here already pointed out, moving through the tiers is not a race. Each tier represents another facet of challenge. Take your time at each tier and really get a handle on it and you will save yourself a lot of potential future frustration. And what works for you may be very different than what works for others, even those trying to help you.

 

When I arrived, friends suggested certain boats. I bought and played those boats. But I found that I liked (and did well with) things they didn't like at all. Different strokes, and all that. Give yourself permission to potato (see my profile image for reference) for a good long while. Maybe you would feel more comfortable playing any new boat in Coop for a while until you get a handle on it. Maybe not. I suppose I am saying it doesn't hurt to do all you can to remove the concept of "performance pressure" from the game while you are learning.

 

Enough from me. Thanks for sharing your frustration so politely. And I really admire your decision to come to the forums to ask for help. With luck, bits and pieces of what people share here will help you. I hope you stick around and continue to enjoy the game for a long time.

 

Respects,

 

Am

[centarina]

Tier 3/4 is the best tiers to learn on.   you get some decent competition, but still reasonable.    if you have trouble at 3-4,  go back to 2.       when you get do average stat at tier 3-4  you can consider moving up.T5 is toughest because of sandboxing of 3-4.        you will see lot of 7 and competition is much tougher.

 

it takes 500 matches before you can be ok at this game.for me, I am still improving at 5k matches.     so, keep at it.

[guinness77]

Going on to youtube and reviewing game play tutorials helps a lot.  Several youtubers have dedicated thousands of game hours to their videos.  You can learn a ton of stuff from that.  The captains academy videos are ok (IMHO).  But they don't give enough How-to info.

 

But the best way is to practice.  It took me around 1000 games before I began to really get it.  Now at 2000 I'm able to understand how the battle is likely to unfold just by looking over the map, game type, list of friends, and list of enemies.  But that doesn't mean I'm always right.  Not at all. 

 

Give it time.

[Noobitz]

 

 

 

I would not give up on You Tube or watching good streamers on Twitch.  That is to me, by far, the best way to learn how to play the game.  Especially if you're having trouble with shooting.  Just be sure the content is recent enough to see the ship you want to learn about play as it does in the present.   Watching Flamu, Notser, iChase, WastingSomeTime, Business6, DerekSlide, KamiSamurai, Mejash, Crysantos, Izolate, Fleischwolfx, tmGrunty, and quite a few others, has helped me a lot.  

 

In this game you can benefit by learning a great deal of numbers.  Detection range, torpedo range, gun range, detection range after firing, stealth firing range, number of torpedoes in a salvo, CV loadouts, and so on.  Not just the numbers of your ship, but all the ships.  That does not happen overnight.  Also, try to coordinate with your team and pay attention to the mini map to know when you should run or be aggressive.  As a consequence of merely playing more, you will finally begin to get better captain's skills.  You will improve as a result.      

 

The best players are not dodging all the torpedoes.  Instead they predict or observe when a ship with torpedoes is launching (goes broadside) and react early.  Some BB captains are amazingly adept at dodging torpedoes long before they actually see them in the water.