need help with naval battles

**Fisherking** · 07-11-2009, 11:50

Well, now all this information maybe obsolete with the new changes.

I must say I don’t quite get the game play over realism thing. Perhaps I am just missing something.

I just don’t see why sloops and brigs should try to take on a SOL or why they should for game play reasons.

**Didz** · 07-11-2009, 15:14

They shouldn't, once again 'Thank God for the modders, otherwise this game would already be down the toilet.'

**Hooahguy** · 07-12-2009, 18:48

ok i took Copenhagen (what a hard fight! i hate how all the enemy units kept garrisoning buildings to snipe at my guys!) and i discovered that i can now build all ships up to 3rd rates in the port that i just captured.
im thinking about 6-8 5th rates when i get the money for it.

**A Very Super Market** · 07-13-2009, 23:21

Are you playing on a high difficulty level?

Galleys are murderous little devils. The AI doesn't particularily know how to use them, I suppose. One galley versus anything will have a hard time, but in numbers, they can swarm ships far more valuable than they, and let your main fleet mop up. They are dirt cheap as well.

**Hooahguy** · 07-13-2009, 23:44

im at hard for campaign and hard for battles.

**A Very Super Market** · 07-13-2009, 23:49

Well, that's why the naval battles are harder, because the stats are skewed for the AI. I'm not sure how your indiaman managed to beat back those galleys, but I suspect they were damaged beforehand.

**Hooahguy** · 07-13-2009, 23:56

so any suggestions? Prussian Iron said that right before a battle you can edit the battle difficulty, but ill have to test that out.

**resonantblue** · 07-14-2009, 21:17

Originally Posted by A Very Super Market

Are you playing on a high difficulty level?

Galleys are murderous little devils. The AI doesn't particularily know how to use them, I suppose. One galley versus anything will have a hard time, but in numbers, they can swarm ships far more valuable than they, and let your main fleet mop up. They are dirt cheap as well.

This is actually a very good point. If you were a Soviet Red Army colonel (or above) in a past life or otherwise have wanton disregard for the life and well being of your virtual men, using cheap ships as cannon fodder to close while your main ships blast away a bit further away is a useful tactic. I recall one situation where I had 4 damaged 3rd rate SOLs vs an almost full stack enemy navy which included many smaller ships but had 7-8 2nd to 4th rates. The battle strength meter was heavily in the enemy's favour. Fortunately I did have about 5 galleons recently seized from a large pirate armada I just destroyed. I did not repair them so they had barebones crew and what not.. but I used them as broadside bait and after a tough battle, managed to eek out a victory... granted I was down to my last ship by the time it was all said and done. The difference was the galleons, which otherwise did not add much defensive power but did soak up plenty of the early enemy broadsides, which tend to be the strongest given no guns have been damaged yet.