Guide to CA/BB1 Combat (Englisch)

[thetrash]

Temstar's guide to CA/BB1 combat
04 4 2006 7:54PM     ( Number of recommendations : 2 )
I've been fighting in my revenge and furious for a while now and I notice the lack of
low level BB/high level CA rooms. Instead i see area 7 getting populated by BB1-2
and CA/CL rooms. Hopefully this guide will teach new BB drivers and high level CA
drivers the art of BB/CA combat so that we can see more of those games in area 7
and less gold bar CAs farming CA/CL.

Okey first things first, I realize that many people choose to stay in their CA and not
use their BB1 due to the perceived suckiness of BB1s. And I think alot of this has to
do with the big change in playing style going from CA to BB. CA combat is alot like CL
combat, except over a longer distance and with more scouting involved. When 2 CAs
of generally similar level duke it put, it usually involve a fairly long exchange of fire
before one of them get sunk (well, not blockshooters but then they are BB level
after all). Where as BB combat is usually resolved in 2-3 salvos (assuming your aim
is true). The massive increase in firepower means BBs should fight differently to CAs.

some general tips for BB1 drivers:
there are basically 3 styles of fighting in a BB/CA room for BBs, the Battle Line, the
meele and the Cat & Mouse (aka ninja-ing)

Battle Line is the most obverious one and is the fighting style that comes naturally
to people. Basically the majority of the 2 team will sail towards each other, form 2
parallel lines and exchange boardsides. The two battlelines will generally resolve in
the following manner:
1. One of the battleline gets pounded, many ships in the line gets sunk and the line
collapses. The ships in the collapsing line will turn and run while the winning line will
break formation and chase. This generally results in a meele.
2. One of the battleline gets pounded, the line collapses but before many ships are
sunk. The collapsing line runs while the winning line chases. This results in either
another battle line vs battle line fight elsewhere or a meele.
3. One of the battleline gets pounded, but instead of running away they break
formation and rush the other line hoping to force the enemy into close combat. This
generally results in a meele.

Battle Line IMHO is quite a fun playing style, after all Battleships are short for line of
battle ships and we are built to fight this kind of combat. But not all ships are suited
for this style of fighting. The quality you would want if you are going to fight as part
of the battleline are: range, firepower, armour+SD and small target profile. Speed is
not of great importance in a battleline but range is very important. A battleline with
short ranged ships will be forced to run through a hail of enemy shells before they
can form their own line so that the enemy is with in range of their guns.

Ships suited for this kind of fighting style: Revenge with rp12, Scarn, Ppro2, NM30
with 16", Moltke, Furious with rp12L, Asama with 16", Ppro, Repulse with rp12L,
basically if you ship have above average range, then you are a able to stand in a
battline.
Notice: short ranged BCs are at a serious disadvantage in a battleline just like in
real life because they are out gunned by BBs and their speed give them minimal
advantage.

When the battle line is resolved, the fight evolves into what i call a meele. This
doesn't necessarily mean that ships are fighting at mid or close range, but rather,
instead of 2 organized fleets, individual ships generally pick out a target and slug it
out with them with minimal care given to other ships. This style of fighting will be
decided by range + speed (if one ship has the range advantage and decides to keep
the advantage for as long as possible) or by armour/SD and firepower (if both ships
have similar range and decided to slug it out). Battleships may or may not be well
suited for this task because some battlecruisers have more range and speed that
battleships, allowing them to sink the BBs with impunity. This style of fighting is
suitable for ships with medium range and above average speed.
Ships suited this this style of fighting: Ppro, Ppro2, Renown with rp12N, Repulse with
rp12L, kongo, Scarn, all PCA, Guam, NM30 with 16"

The Cat & Mouse is a very unique style of fighting. Basically one aims to seperate
from the main battleline and sneak up to the enemy team from an angle of approach
where there is no scout coverage. When done properly this style of fighting gives
the ninja BB or BC the element of surprise - often in the form of 1 or 2 unanswered
salvos (because the enemy have to sent scout out to your direction, which may take
some time). With the kind of firepower a BB or BC have, 2 unanswered salvos will
often mean a crippled enemy ship as long as you don't miss. Once your've crippled
or sunk your target, the enemy fleet will generally have found you and you have
either the option of fighting them in a meele (hopefully the rest of your fleet is smart
and rushes in for meele too while u kept them busy), or else if you enjoy a high
speed you can overheat and escape for another run at them in similar fashion later
in the game.
Ships suited for this style of fighting: Scarn, Ppro, Ppro 2, Alaska, Guam (for hit and
run), every other BB and BC are suitable for hit and meele.