A thought from the Medicine Cabinet: Izumo

[DokturProfesur]

For those battleship players out there, when you first saw the Izumo, what did you think? Were you excited at how massive she was? Were you confused about her abstract and none too wise gun layout? Or were you like me, and thought "damn that's one ugly ship".

 

Izumo's got three problems. The first is that her secondary layout is just as atrocious as her main batteries. If she had a staggered layout like Yamato's and other battleships, more would be able to get into the fight. The second is her main batteries themselves. I think we're all aware of how trolly her dispersion is, it reminds me of the derpgun in the ISU back in WoT, and her asinine battery layout means that she needs to expose that delicious rump to enemy battleships. Finally my biggest problem is the way she looks. Izumo's problem is the same problem I had with the Fuso. She looks lazy, incomplete, I feel like I'm still on the stock hull when I look at her, like there's something big missing.

 

Iowa has incredible speed, better battery layout, better secondary layout, and vastly superior AA. Old Fritz has a gun layout that, while different, is complimented by her armor scheme. Couple that with better AA and the best secondaries of her peers, and between these two gorgeous ladies Izumo starts feeling like Kaiser Wilhelm, that is to say, inadequate.

 

The ultimate kicker is that Izumo's battery layout works against her armor scheme. Everyone's aware of the different A-140 designs that WG pulled from to create Izumo, and there's one in particular I wish they would have chosen. Specifically, design A-140 "A". 

 

I believe that Izumo needs something to put her back in the spotlight, and one of the best things to do would be to give us a tier 9 Nelson crewed my moonspeakers. Let's be honest, is Nelson gonna be tier 9? No way. probably 7 or 8 if we really stretch it. I just remember a certain ship in the game, I think it was called... Murmansk, that's the one. If we can have a Russian *Omaha that's living proof of Russian Bias, why can't we have a Japanese Nelson?

[Cruiser_Senjo]

why no one get it ... ?  izumu is the punishment for using ijn imperial blessing by the heavens and emperor (the heavens bless the emperor path) lol pen 460mm yammi guns .-. imrite ?

[DokturProfesur]

I honestly dislike the Yamato, but that's a discussion for another day. My point is that Izumo is the USN of tier 9. It's just there. Woefully unspectacular and outperformed by her peers.

[Aloeus]

Murmansk is an Omaha though...

And yea it was better than Omaha, but not by a whole tier. 

 

Izumo has the best pen in the game as well, because magical japanese shells. 

 

Not that I like the ship at all. She's...good enough not to warrant a buff, and that's about it.

[DokturProfesur]

Murmansk is an Omaha though...

And yea it was better than Omaha, but not by a whole tier. 

 

Izumo has the best pen in the game as well, because magical japanese shells. 

 

My bad, I got them mixed up. I'll be sure to edit that.

[Herr_Reitz]

Well you have to wonder if they didn't put her there as she is to discourage those grinding their way to the Yamato, you know... Those who did the grind can then feel so much better about the grind and the Yamato they finally achieved. Mebbe? 

[ckupf]

My Izumo highest damage is still better than my Yamato highest damage 213 to 204 iirc

[DokturProfesur]

Well you have to wonder if they didn't put her there as she is to discourage those grinding their way to the Yamato, you know... Those who did the grind can then feel so much better about the grind and the Yamato they finally achieved. Mebbe? 

 

You shouldn't be punished for playing the game and getting ships, that's what the game's core is built around. It's the same reason I hate Yamato. I feel punished playing any high tier ship, even my beloved Moskva, but that's a different discussion.

 

I think all ships should primarily be fun and interesting, and Izumo is very mundane. WG has proven with Dunkerque that they are not afraid of bow in ship designs, I feel like Izumo deserves a re-evaluation to give her something unique, and make her just as worth getting as Iowa, Fritz, or even Yamato.

[Captain_Dorja]

I honestly dislike the Yamato, but that's a discussion for another day. My point is that Izumo is the USN of tier 9. It's just there. Woefully unspectacular and outperformed by her peers.

 

At least the Izumo is just one ship, not 2 of 4 entire lines, or arguably (not not in my opinion) 3 of 4 lines.

 

What would this specific Izumo model bring that would make it better than the current one, other than the 3rd turret being able to traverse quickly from port to starboard and back?

[1nv4d3rZ1m]

The biggest issue with it is that it's a fat BB with deck armor issues and a long rudder shift after coming straight out of the queen of tier 8.

 

Although it is an IJN ship which even thoug it's doing similar levels of damage is winning a little less than the Iowa so I suppose that is a problem that must be urgently fixed in the spirit of the furrytaco.

[MnemonScarlet]

Nelson was a contemporary of Nagato and Maryland, so she really should be T7 unless 9 16 inch is that OP at that tier.

 

Finally my biggest problem is the way she looks. Izumo's problem is the same problem I had with the Fuso. She looks lazy, incomplete, I feel like I'm still on the stock hull when I look at her, like there's something big missing.

 

She really does look bad. Her entire upper deck looks like a giant box slapped on top of the main deck hull. Yamato also has an upper deck but it's built better into the rest of the ship.

 

Izumo's range also does her no favors. She's only got 21.7km...which seems like enough at first, but that's max range BB accuracy. To get effective shooting done you have to push closer to enemies then any other T9 BB with the exception of FDG (who has better deck armor). And your deck is huge and people are gonna be focusing you the whole time. Your bad third turret is the icing on top of that, but really just. You've already committed suicide by being forced to push even closer than normal to be useful.

 

But wait Scarlet, you say, you like pushing up! Well, I do. But Izumo forces you to push up, unless you're going to admit defeat and shoot HE. Map/team comp doesn't always give you a good option for pushing. If you wait till that develops (which it may never), you're meanwhile a relatively useless T9 slot on the team. I'd rather be an Ibuki then an Izumo in those cases (after playing one on PT), which is one reason I'm gonna keep the Ibuki once I get Zao. To have an alternative to Izumo for when people wanna play T9.

[10T0nHammer]

I honestly dislike the Yamato, but that's a discussion for another day. My point is that Izumo is the USN of tier 9. It's just there. Woefully unspectacular and outperformed by her peers.

 

It is the only ship bad enough to match USN BBs

[DokturProfesur]

 

At least the Izumo is just one ship, not 2 of 4 entire lines, or arguably (not not in my opinion) 3 of 4 lines.

 

What would this specific Izumo model bring that would make it better than the current one, other than the 3rd turret being able to traverse quickly from port to starboard and back?

 

I imagine that, with the turret flipped around, better firing angles would be provided that would allow the player to compromise the armor less, and at long range all guns could fire regardless of angle.

 

The biggest issue with it is that it's a fat BB with deck armor issues and a long rudder shift after coming straight out of the queen of tier 8.

 

Although it is an IJN ship which even thoug it's doing similar levels of damage is winning a little less than the Iowa so I suppose that is a problem that must be urgently fixed in the spirit of the furrytaco.

 

I wouldn't say urgently fixed, but I think WG should consider giving Izumo something that makes her stand out more. All she's good for now is eating HE and having a main battery gun operated by very bored japanese crewmen.

[10T0nHammer]

I wouldn't say urgently fixed, but I think WG should consider giving Izumo something that makes her stand out more. All she's good for now is eating HE and having a main battery gun operated by very bored japanese crewmen.

But then that brings up the Iowa. Both perform on par. I would argue the Iowa has the same problem but doesn't get an awesome lol-penning ship afterwards. She just gets another Iowa with an extra turret and less armor

[1nv4d3rZ1m]

 

I imagine that, with the turret flipped around, better firing angles would be provided that would allow the player to compromise the armor less, and at long range all guns could fire regardless of angle.

 

 

I wouldn't say urgently fixed, but I think WG should consider giving Izumo something that makes her stand out more. All she's good for now is eating HE and having a main battery gun operated by very bored japanese crewmen.

 

As someone that shoots a lot of HE at tier 9 BBs I would say the Iowa is much more vulnerable to HE than the Izumo because it has all the superstructure. For whatever reason I get lots of 0 dmg hits on that thing while Iowas get ripped to shreds by 130mm HE. 

[DokturProfesur]

But then that brings up the Iowa. Both perform on par. I would argue the Iowa has the same problem but doesn't get an awesome lol-penning ship afterwards. She just gets another Iowa with an extra turret and less armor

 

Iowa benefits from superior AA power and being the fastest battleship in the game. Also her nigh cruiser level profile (in terms of width) make her a much harder target than the lumbering Izumo.

[DokturProfesur]

 

As someone that shoots a lot of HE at tier 9 BBs I would say the Iowa is much more vulnerable to HE than the Izumo because it has all the superstructure. For whatever reason I get lots of 0 dmg hits on that thing while Iowas get ripped to shreds by 130mm HE. 

 

I suppose you do have a point, I just have more memories of three to four fires on my Izumo than my Iowa.

[Captain_Dorja]

 

I imagine that, with the turret flipped around, better firing angles would be provided that would allow the player to compromise the armor less, and at long range all guns could fire regardless of angle.

 

I don't think you'd get better firing angles. Her angles are restricted by the #2 turret more than by the reward orientation of the #3 turret. As an example of what I mean, does Mogami have sufficiently better angles on her #2 turret as compared to the #3 turret on the Atago? You have to unmask awful far in Mogami to bring all 10 guns to bear to the front. I think you'd still find Izumo in a similar situation as now, and I expect Nelson to play similar, but with stringer armor at her tier (Britain's post WWI BBs had some tough armor).

[DokturProfesur]

 

I don't think you'd get better firing angles. Her angles are restricted by the #2 turret more than by the reward orientation of the #3 turret. As an example of what I mean, does Mogami have sufficiently better angles on her #2 turret as compared to the #3 turret on the Atago? You have to unmask awful far in Mogami to bring all 10 guns to bear to the front. I think you'd still find Izumo in a similar situation as now, and I expect Nelson to play similar, but with stringer armor at her tier (Britain's post WWI BBs had some tough armor).

 

I could be wrong, but you have to admit the ship would look better.

[Captain_Dorja]

 

Iowa benefits from superior AA power and being the fastest battleship in the game. Also her nigh cruiser level profile (in terms of width) make her a much harder target than the lumbering Izumo.

 

The speed is the best thing you mention there. AA power is great, but there need to be CVs present to use it, and even Iowa's AA isn't enough to protect the ship from a CV if the Iowa driver isn't groupped up (unless it's a lower tier CV, but I hurt them plenty with my Ranger, and still can hurt them plenty with Lady Lex if I need to). As for the profile, I think it's hard to claim Iowa has a small profile. She's the longest BB ever built, and not that much narrower than Yamato. Only reason why Iowa isn't largest BB in game is because Montana, and the 2x Germans at t9 and t10 never got built, but are in game.

[Captain_Dorja]

Just for the record, I don't really disagree with you. I've also never played Izumo (slow progression man here), I just like to argue about B S online, so I'm being pedantic about stuff like Iowa's size.

[DokturProfesur]

 

The speed is the best thing you mention there. AA power is great, but there need to be CVs present to use it, and even Iowa's AA isn't enough to protect the ship from a CV if the Iowa driver isn't grouped up (unless it's a lower tier CV, but I hurt them plenty with my Ranger, and still can hurt them plenty with Lady Lex if I need to). As for the profile, I think it's hard to claim Iowa has a small profile. She's the longest BB ever built, and not that much narrower than Yamato. Only reason why Iowa isn't largest BB in game is because Montana, and the 2x Germans at t9 and t10 never got built, but are in game.

 

Iowa is also incredibly stealthy for a tier 9 battleship. I've done things in my Iowa I couldn't hope to achieve in an Izumo or Fritz.

 

And whether or not you disagree, I don't necessarily mind. Your points breed good discussion.

[KTcraft]

Well Iowa has one of the most vulnerable citadels of any battleship in the game.  While izumo might be fatter, Iowa is longer and when it comes to hiding your citadel and avoiding torps, length is the issue.  

 

I like the izumo, but it isn't a great ship.  That said, the Iowa isn't performing statistically much better.

[Royeaux]

For the record, I HATE her size.  I really wish I'd sail a Tosa Class instead of her, since at least a Tosa would be skinny enough to dodge some shells and have an extra 16" gun. The problem with tier 10 cruisers is that the moment those HE shells make impact, your in a raging inferno, and Izumo can't dodge if her life depended on it.  She can't even hid behind islands effectively either.

I mean, what's even the point of all that size?  At least Yamato could fit 4 Mogami turrets on her, and Izumo can't even manage that despite being the same size!  Nor is she covered in secondary guns or AA guns either.

[DokturProfesur]

Well Iowa has one of the most vulnerable citadels of any battleship in the game.  While izumo might be fatter, Iowa is longer and when it comes to hiding your citadel and avoiding torps, length is the issue.  

 

I like the izumo, but it isn't a great ship.  That said, the Iowa isn't performing statistically much better.

 

I still feel that, regardless of her performance, Iowa has more going for her in terms of perks than Izumo does. IIRC Izumo's only got 410 mm guns versus Iowa's 409's, that's not much difference.