Campaign general issues / feedback

[Lucas_Slavik]

Hey guys and hey Devs

Just some thoughts at the campaign. I know its highly WIP, but it could be so much better with only a little bit of work

The AI is just defeated to fast; after like 5 or max 10 years, the enemy nations are all out of ships or out of sailors and can't fight back what ever they try.

This is imho caused by a) too many naval battles on one side, but more and most important by too aggressive AI on the other side.

e.g. I started with Austira-Hungary and tried to be peacful as much as possible. But since I got extremly relationship hits if germany goes to war (why? We where not even allied!), I ended up in a war very fast. I don't even provoke it, but after like 10 years of the campaign, every nation was literally at war with everyone. This led to the situation which all the AI fleets melted down to non-existance in no-time.   

So, imho, the main problem of the campaign - before the AI and balancing etc -  is that war is just too common and too total.

Simple solution imho: Make peace more lasting so that there is at least one AI nation which survives more then 10 years. Make less "world wars" and more "local wars" (just 2 nations fighting at one time; mostly any nation declared war to another while still (losing) in war with another). Maybe add some "naval incidents"; fighting missions in peace time with an very limited scale (1-3 ships or so) to keep the peacetime a little bit more interested. Only let the game start big world war style conflicts with triggered events (or like random every 15 years), so that all time some nations have time to recover.

With limiting total war and world war conflict, the campaign can stay fun fore years after campaign start. Currently its fun to play, even in its bare bones, but the AI nations are just annihilated to fast... even if the player want/try to play more passive.

 

Let me know what you think!

[Tycondero]

Like you said, the major problem for the AI is that it is also forced to fight too frequently. Peace often lasts no more than a year or so before a new war breaks out. This prevents the AI from developing a decent fleet. Relations between countries deteriorate way too fast.

[RegamusMaximis]

Agreed, people may moan battles aren't common enough if war n peace were done better, but to those folks I say, use the custom battles.

Other issue is even in war, the AI isn't too bright, BB's are always left unprotected unless it's a doom stack with ships everywhere because TB's, DD's & CL's charge headlong at a fully functional undamaged player fleet, and given most of us by now know how to build ships that devastate the AI's designs. They get themselves destroyed for what 1 or 2 torpedo launches at best normally. 

Maybe keep them as Screen ships somehow, and only try capitalise on damaged n slow player ships. Especially as I play BB only, there's no way little ships like that would charge 6 undamaged and heavily armed battleships

[StrikerDanger]

On 7/13/2022 at 4:41 AM, RegamusMaximis said:

Other issue is even in war, the AI isn't too bright, BB's are always left unprotected unless it's a doom stack with ships everywhere because TB's, DD's & CL's charge headlong at a fully functional undamaged player fleet, and given most of us by now know how to build ships that devastate the AI's designs. They get themselves destroyed for what 1 or 2 torpedo launches at best normally.

I still have massive issues with this, personally. My biggest gripe is the absolutely ridiciously torpedo spam by the AI that still exists, not to mention (especially if one starts a later campaign with, for example, Germany), you generally cant field enough ships to come anywhere close to even a 1:1.5(Player:AI) ship count, in my experience.

[MDS]

What am I supposed to do in peacetime?

Obviously manage my budget, invest in shipyards and research, and prepare a fleet that will be ready if war comes.

But am I supposed to do anything specific on the map other than put my ships into dock and save money?

[Wowzery]

I'm just getting back into the game.  But task forces confuse me.  I don't get them at all.  Even less sense during peacetime.  Does someone have a good video or something explaining them?

[Admiral Donuts]

11 hours ago, Wowzery said:

I'm just getting back into the game.  But task forces confuse me.  I don't get them at all.  Even less sense during peacetime.  Does someone have a good video or something explaining them?

I have typically gone with 4BBs 2BCs 4CAs 8CLs and 16DDs as a general task force makeup. I am currently playing do6 version in an old campaign, so it's not up to date. But right now war broke out between my Germans and the 556 ship British navy. They have brought 2/3 of that navy to a fight with one of my task forces, so I'm about to reduce their numbers if I don't crash...

Task forces may also sit in port, which is what I did when I won the last war with Britain. Ships will sortie from port in groups to deal with individual missions, such as convoy protection or raiding, or ambushes. This will allow a much smaller navy with effective ships to deal with a large enemy in smaller chunks if you like. It will also relieve the pressure on your economy IF you take too many losses at a time in fights, and need a break for replenishing those forces.

[Admiral Donuts]

11 hours ago, Wowzery said:

I'm just getting back into the game.  But task forces confuse me.  I don't get them at all.  Even less sense during peacetime.  Does someone have a good video or something explaining them?

This is the task force they jumped already damaged from a previous fight. This is what I'm up against. Their top battleship is nearly 32,000 tons displacement, but with only 12 inch guns. My 13s are long range, fast firing and super accurate. Normally. So I intended to smash them. However, it's 'torpedo weather'. I don't have radar yet, so I won't spot them until there are way too many torpedoes in the water. I've chosen to retreat, if I can get away in the slideshow. If I don't it is no big deal, what they have will be stretched out over a lot of ocean and 214 ton torpedo boats will be the only thing I ever see.

Because for some reason the game AI thinks a screening force is a force guarding you way in the rear, during retreats the best thing to do is put the destroyers on screen and let them do the spotting because now they are out front. Does that make any sense?

No, but that's the game AI. *shrug*