Atlanta question

[MexicanPanda]

So I was watching atsf's video, "How to Atlanta" and it got me thinking, if I like cruisers and want to get better at playing destroyers, would the Atlanta be a nice "missing link" between the two? Or should I just try clubbing seals with my Clemson and keep derping around with my Blyskawica until I do good?

 

And here is his video for reference:

 

 

Gonna add another question, is there anything in the tech tree that comes even close to being like an Atlanta? So I can see if I can make the playstyle work before I drop $40?

[Canadatron]

I really like my Atlanta. Liked it before it had Radar but now that is a standard item, the ship is a blast.

 

If you follow the play style outlined in that video you should have some fun times. Nothing quite like getting all those guns on the Atlanta going on some poor bugger.

[SergeantHop]

Atlanta can be a beast if you get her into the right situations. Those situations often involve hiding and springing traps at point blank range.

 

I like the Atlanta.

[atPrick__]

It will teach you to become a better player if you can figure her out. She is not cheap though, even at a discount.

[HazeGrayUnderway]

Atlanta is one of the best knife fighters in this game.  She is also good in trolling by making use of islands to fire over.  She is also one of the best AA platforms and a "No Fly Zone" for aircraft.

 

Outside these success parameters, she struggles.  Her guns become shi%%y at the same ranges USN DD guns get unreliable.  The rainbow arcs and the huge shell flight times are a detriment.  It can take 10 seconds for shells to land 10km away which is unacceptable.  That makes her, IMO, quite horrible in hunting DDs as her stubby arms are not assets against DDs that will detect her first.  Russian DDs will absolutely face raep Atlanta as even Tier V Gnevny will pick her apart at range with ease like pulling wings off of a fly.  It's funny watching an Atlanta try to fend off a RU DD at range.  It's like watching fireworks fall out of the evening sky, but the RU DD is quickly, reliably picking Atlanta apart, and there's nothing ATL can do about it.  It's like watching catapults fire small stones, arcing into the air... But the RU DD is firing LASERS right into Atlanta.  The RU DD is faster, has better concealment, has superior guns.  It's not even a contest.

 

The last matter of concern with Atlanta is her awful protection.  Her protection has just as bad a reputation as Pensacola.  Like Pensacola, people will stop and go out of their way to shoot a salvo or two at Atlanta and Pensacola because with a hit, there's a very real chance of landing devastating shots to rack up a lot of damage, a lot of points from one salvo.

 

Basically, Atlanta wants to be a DD but she's a gigantic Citadel waiting to get dinged.  If that's what you want, then by all means, go for it.  She can succeed but she is a ship that you will have to work hard for even decent success.

[Umikami]

If you like beating down destroyers, Atlanta is a good ship to own. Be aware, it has severe limitations and requires a unique playstyle, and is unforgiving to those who don't know or use it, but it can also be a very rewarding ship, in many different ways.

[inktomi19d]

So I was watching atsf's video, "How to Atlanta" and it got me thinking, if I like cruisers and want to get better at playing destroyers, would the Atlanta be a nice "missing link" between the two? Or should I just try clubbing seals with my Clemson and keep derping around with my Blyskawica until I do good?

 

And here is his video for reference:

 

 

 

It dramatically improved my play for USN DDs. Your mileage may vary.

 

It's not exactly like a USN DD, because it has much, much more emphasis on guns. When other cruisers pop around an island and show you a broadside while they try to launch torpedoes, the Atlanta can often hit them with 6 or 8 citadels in a single volley, which is something DDs just can't do because they don't have the number of guns. The Atlanta can sometimes kill a DD in a single volley, or eat 75% of it's HP, which is something else DDs typically lack the guns for. The gun emphasis is such that even when things are in range of your torpedoes, in the Atlanta it's almost always best to fire guns first and then launch torpedoes during the reload.

 

The Atlanta also can't effectively run (it's just not fast for it's tier, and loses a lot of speed manuevering), and has a longer detection range than DDs. Where a DD could pop smoke, speed boost, or just wiggle away, the Atlanta lacks both agility and speed, and instead needs to rely on shooting a stream of fire as she runs which discourages enemies from following.

 

That said, it uses a lot of the same ambush tactics, and if you can work with an Atlanta's detection range then any DD you play will feel very stealthy. If you can work your wiggle and get the Atlanta far enough away that you can stop firing and vanish, the same technique works with DDs.

 

The "perfect" skills for an Atlanta captain are a little different from DDs, but you can use it to train DD captains and they will work well. It's not great for training BB captains, but basically any USN DD or CA build will work with it.

 

Lastly, the 5"/38 guns are great, but they take practice. They fire orbital shells at long range, which takes getting used to, and they can be very effective with AP at close range, but you need to learn which targets and angles it works for. The Atlanta is a good platform for learning that gun, and it's the same gun that USN DDs use from tier 6 up.

[Brohk]

As others have stated already, the Atlanta is a difficult ship to figure out. It plays more like a USN DD but has none of the benefits or tools of a destroyer and all of the weaknesses of a cruiser. It has incredible potential but takes nearly perfect play/planning to achieve. I don't know that I would credit my Atlanta play with my decent success with USN destroyers however, because with USN DD's you actually get torpedoes you can use while the Atlanta's torpedoes have a pathetic range (4.5km) and have a freaking awful arc that requires you to expose your broadside to AP that can and will find your citadel with ease.

[atPrick__]

As others have stated already, the Atlanta is a difficult ship to figure out. It plays more like a USN DD but has none of the benefits or tools of a destroyer and all of the weaknesses of a cruiser. It has incredible potential but takes nearly perfect play/planning to achieve. I don't know that I would credit my Atlanta play with my decent success with USN destroyers however, because with USN DD's you actually get torpedoes you can use while the Atlanta's torpedoes have a pathetic range (4.5km) and have a freaking awful arc that requires you to expose your broadside to AP that can and will find your citadel with ease.

Well said.

[inktomi19d]

As others have stated already, the Atlanta is a difficult ship to figure out. It plays more like a USN DD but has none of the benefits or tools of a destroyer and all of the weaknesses of a cruiser. It has incredible potential but takes nearly perfect play/planning to achieve. I don't know that I would credit my Atlanta play with my decent success with USN destroyers however, because with USN DD's you actually get torpedoes you can use while the Atlanta's torpedoes have a pathetic range (4.5km) and have a freaking awful arc that requires you to expose your broadside to AP that can and will find your citadel with ease.

 

It does have the unique benefit of having a stupid number of fast-firing guns. It's not without it's charms -- its a really good ship -- just expect to do horribly to start. 

[Brohk]

 

It does have the unique benefit of having a stupid number of fast-firing guns. It's not without it's charms -- its a really good ship -- just expect to do horribly to start. 

 

Oh don't get me wrong, I love mine and have 300+ games in it. However, you have to be careful giving advice to players looking to purchase it and not everyone can figure out the Atlanta (look at it's dismal average stats across the board).

[SpeedingBus]

 

It does have the unique benefit of having a stupid number of fast-firing guns. It's not without it's charms -- its a really good ship -- just expect to do horribly to start. 

The Atlanta is definition of a bad ship it merely does well at a niche of a niche. If you were confronted in any kind of situation that requires you to leave that island you've been hugging leaves you at a hilarious disadvantage. 

[inktomi19d]

The Atlanta is definition of a bad ship it merely does well at a niche of a niche. If you were confronted in any kind of situation that requires you to leave that island you've been hugging leaves you at a hilarious disadvantage. 

 

Kinda. I generally do okay on Ocean with that ship, but the alternative to putting an island between you and everything which is not a DD or a broadside cruiser at close range is to put the entire freaking map between you and everything which is not a DD or a broadside cruiser at close range.

 

Fortunately most maps have islands.

 

 

Oh don't get me wrong, I love mine and have 300+ games in it. However, you have to be careful giving advice to players looking to purchase it and not everyone can figure out the Atlanta (look at it's dismal average stats across the board).

 

It's definitely an acquired taste. Eurobeat's videos are actually pretty good about showing off how to play it though. He doesn't show what happens to it in open water, or when confronted by a BB with a clear shot, but his videos are an example of "the right way".

[atPrick__]

The Atlanta is definition of a bad ship it merely does well at a niche of a niche. If you were confronted in any kind of situation that requires you to leave that island you've been hugging leaves you at a hilarious disadvantage. 

 

Wait... have you ever played Atlanta?

Love when people that havent call Atlanta a bad ship...

[ADM_Zakk_Zero]

I'm not good at DDs, so I've had limited success in trying to sail my Atlanta like one.  It seems like the most rewarding matches in the Atlanta are when you start off like a DD creeping around islands until you pick the best place to push and take on other ships at mid to close range. Especially with the recent patch and changes, Atlantas sitting too far from the action are not going to earn much no matter how well they do "at a distance". Sneak around at first and then pick your optimum area to push. What area is "optimum to push"? Only the skill level of the player can answer that question.

Oh don't get me wrong, I love mine and have 300+ games in it. However, you have to be careful giving advice to players looking to purchase it and not everyone can figure out the Atlanta (look at it's dismal average stats across the board).

Absolutely, I learned firsthand that it takes special skills and a certain play style that I am still trying to master months after I got it.  However, I would offer that every ship in the game has players bringing it's stats down, not just the Atlanta.  The bigger damper on it's stats are it's severe weaknesses.

[SpeedingBus]

 

Wait... have you ever played Atlanta?

Love when people that havent call Atlanta a bad ship...

Yeah your numbers hardly say anything good about the Atlanta but dealing 26k avg damge at T7 is hardly fantastic unlike your Molotov at 45k at T6 is pretty great.

[IronWolfV]

Atlanta is not my favorite ship in the game, but still my favorite cruiser.

[Brohk]

Yeah your numbers hardly say anything good about the Atlanta but dealing 26k avg damge at T7 is hardly fantastic unlike your Molotov at 45k at T6 is pretty great.

 

Attack the argument, not the player (or their stats). I agree with slak, you can't call it a bad ship definitively without having played it for enough games to form an opinion on it. I also disagree with your statement that it performs a "niche of a niche". The Atlanta excels at hunting destroyers, providing the best AA at tier VII and can burn battleships to the water line with the best of them (and it's AP up close is devastating to cruisers). The problem is, it's pretty situational and in order to maximize the potential of the ship you have to put it in the right position to do these things. 

[Compassghost]

Atlanta combines the worst of both worlds. A citadel, and puny guns.

[Show_Me_Your_Cits]

Atlanta is one of those odd premiums that needs its own dedicated captain to do well. Atlanta won't really help you learn DDs, but it will make you better at gunnery. And it will also help you increase your daily sodium intake, one way or another,

[atPrick__]

Yeah your numbers hardly say anything good about the Atlanta but dealing 26k avg damge at T7 is hardly fantastic unlike your Molotov at 45k at T6 is pretty great.

 

90 day.

Considering all I shoot at in Atlanta is DDs 35k aint bad, Moly pens everything so... you can shoot at everything. Both are different ships and do different things equally as well. Actually...

 

Atago, Molo and Atlanta are pretty similar in that they have to played a certain way to be effective. From the replays I have D/L on WoWsReplays for all three ships you could block out the name of the player in each respective ship and not know they are different players playing them. All three are quirky but excel at what they do with Atago being great on the run, Molo great at fighting from range or kiting and Atl wrecking caps....

 

[crzyhawk]

 

Wait... have you ever played Atlanta?

Love when people that havent call Atlanta a bad ship...

 

Atlanta is a bad ship.

[atPrick__]

 

Atlanta is a bad ship.

 

[Lightning_Lad64]

I really like my Atlanta. Liked it before it had Radar but now that is a standard item, the ship is a blast.

 

If you follow the play style outlined in that video you should have some fun times. Nothing quite like getting all those guns on the Atlanta going on some poor bugger.

 

HOLY MOLEY!!  I completely forgot about that!  

[SandraSmiles]

So I was watching atsf's video, "How to Atlanta" and it got me thinking, if I like cruisers and want to get better at playing destroyers, would the Atlanta be a nice "missing link" between the two? Or should I just try clubbing seals with my Clemson and keep derping around with my Blyskawica until I do good?

Gonna add another question, is there anything in the tech tree that comes even close to being like an Atlanta? So I can see if I can make the playstyle work before I drop $40?

 

Atlanta is the only pedigree in the game's inventory.   No other ship comes close.

If you're attracted to the Atlanta, you would do well to take her to the green room for a good period.  

You can buy the Atlanta while its on sale, but she needs a bare minimum of 10 point skill sets to gain any real gratitude.

 

She happens to be my favorite boat in my port.