Best way to defeat a Battleship group that doesn't involve make a similar Navy in response.

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    • Best way to defeat a Battleship group that doesn't involve make a similar Navy in response.

      What are the best ways to take out a decent Battleship group ie 5 destroyers, 2 cruisers, 1 BB and a few subs? I just don't want them cruising the coast. I'd rather not build a big navy in response right now. Looking for options.

      Thanks
    • First, that is a well diversified stack. the crusiers counter air attack. The destroyers counter subs. The battleship and crusiers can attack units near the coast.
      Option 1: If they don't have air cover, which is often the case, whittle it down with patrol of 5 int/ 5 tac / 5 naval bombers. The naval bombers will to do the most damage. Kill a ship with patrol. Then heal your surviving units at day change. Repeat. Either he will move his fleet away from your coast where they can't do much damage or he will slowly lose his fleet over time. If he doesn't add more ships to the fleet, on each additional day, your planes are likely to take less damage before a ship is sunk.
      Option 1A: A variation of this is to have some extra units that have 100% condition which you can swap out a damaged plane (hopefully before it dies) with another unit to keep your losses lower. For this strategy, it is best to record the remaining hit points of your planes before the battle and after each round. Often, you will get a good idea of when you should pull a plane to avoid it getting killed. The int and tacs are mainly to take damage. This can take a little longer since you have to return to base and peal off a damaged unit(s).
      Option 2: Hit with a stack of 8 or so subs. Since he has destroyers this isn't really a good option. Once the destroyers are destroyed this can be a decent option.
      Option 3: If you are interested in keep away from your coast, you can build rail guns. As long as you keep them out of the battlehsip's range this can be an effective counter.If he ventures too close to your coast, he takes damage from your rail guns. I have used this quite effectively as part of defending Spain's coast against naval units and attempted landings. If the enemy can reach you with planes, you may need AA with the rail guns. I also used rail guns successfully as part of my defense against naval and landings as Columbia in one of the event maps that had like a 40-day game time limit.
      Option 4: If you can reach with art L4, range 70 km, you can try hitting the group with art. This can be tricky because if you get too close to the coast, he can move close to the coastline and may be able to fire back at the art stack.
    • Allow me to continue on what Lawrence Czl was saying, but I think there are some more options left:

      Option 5: If you are not already at war with this person, diplomacy.

      Option 6: You can add this to pretty much any solution Lawrence Czl mentioned, lock them into place with a few subs and then shoot rockets at them (possible when rockets are level 3). You will need quite a few rockets for this though, but this solution can be upkeep free once you shot the rockets. It is likely some of his fleet will still remain, deal with remainders of his fleet the way Lawrence Czl suggested. I would go with what you already have upgraded or equipment you already have around anyway. You do not even need the subs if you manage to shoot at them standing still, but since you will be shooting a lot of rockets I would not take the chance. If you won't defeat them this way I am pretty sure it will make them go away.

      There is also a likely chance that more ships will return, be prepared for this.
    • All good suggestions. This is the kind of gamer you want to consider allying with.
      Best way would be to bite the bullet and build a navy because by the time you reduce that stack you can bet he will have another stack coming. Build 8 subs and 3 BB's (I know it takes a long time to build this as well but he is dictating as to what you need to do to beat him). Let his stack run into your subs and don't attack. My guess is you will have 4-5 hours (or 5 shots) before your subs are toast for your BB's. With your BB's right behind your subs have them get 5 free shots at that stack. Hopefully you are building another 8 subs and can do it again.
      Also, an important key is to make sure your subs and BB's are at the same lvl as he is.
      If I were to write an ending of the story from the other guy, he will be making a 2nd stack of about the same.
      Then he will follow that up with the invasion and use the Cruisers for air cover as he lands.
      He will use spies or gold to reveal your armies and navies before he gets close to your shores so you probably won't have the opportunity to sink his transports. But if you beat the first and 2nd wave of ships he may choose to look for greener pastures to attack.
      "Until there are clearly defined and enforceable rules for hand-to-hand combat, there can't be rules in global war. Kill em all!"
    • Good ideas above.


      One other not mentioned:


      Just go around it. Battleships are slow, so they can't react very well. Just avoid them and they can't hurt you.


      If you tease the other player with some destroyers or subs on their convoys they might split up the battleship stack to deal with you, and then hit the naked battleships with subs.
      War is a game that is played with a smile. If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin keep out of the way til you can. - Winston Churchill



      VorlonFCW
      Retired from Bytro staff as of November 30, 2020.

      >>> Click Here to submit a bug report or support ticket <<<
    • ike53 wrote:

      Vorlon for some reason I don't think you'd go around that stack! LOL.
      I do it all the time.

      The key to winning the game is to control land.

      My goal is to get my forces to dry land somewhere on the continent. The enemy can spend a lot of oil and steel controlling the ocean, while I roll up the land to win.

      Like I said. Battleships are slow. Get past them and they can't catch you again.
      War is a game that is played with a smile. If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin keep out of the way til you can. - Winston Churchill



      VorlonFCW
      Retired from Bytro staff as of November 30, 2020.

      >>> Click Here to submit a bug report or support ticket <<<
    • Good point...me, I'd be worried that if I let that stack sit off my coast next comes the invasion. So I either build invasion defenses or feed the fishes with his stack.
      "Until there are clearly defined and enforceable rules for hand-to-hand combat, there can't be rules in global war. Kill em all!"
    • I used to always take Vorlon's aproach, but to be honest. Sinking ships is a lot of fun.

      It is true that having a strong navy can be your own downfall if your enemy does not 'play along' with doing naval wars and manages to avoid your troops at sea.

      However the reverse is also true, if you are truly superior out at sea no enemy can sail around without having its units destroyed. But then you can not let them pass. A hard feat to pull of, but possibly very rewarding. And a lot of fun!

      In that way I'd say having a navy is a bit of an all or nothing game. Either have the biggest baddest navy, or don't bother with it at all and just use subs to find the gaps. Not building a big navy gives you a lot of resources to put into training units. Having these units destroyed out at sea once again tips the balance in the enemy's favor, especially if it keeps on happening. I think these little mind games are part of what make the game fun.
    • the COW calculator shows that 3 5 stacks of level 2 naval bombers will sink the flotilla taking 8 planes getting shot down. Is that accurate? Interceptors escorting them seem to have minimal support.

      I'm of the school of thought that a big navy is horrible on Land. I just defeated a large naval invasion by letting the them land, then advance before I smashed them with my superior air and ground troops . It was a turkey shoot and I didn't really lose any troops even.
    • Edepedable wrote:

      I used to always take Vorlon's aproach, but to be honest. Sinking ships is a lot of fun.
      Technically Vorlon is right when he says the game is about controlling the land (for the points). But against good players who use spies to reveal your armies I humbly submit you better have some sort of navy to escort troops over the ponds and be able to counter an invasion or two that will come at some point in the game. I probably am an 80% land unit 20% sea unit kind of guy. In my 40 games I don't think I've ever went hunting for a sea fight, rather I make ships to either defend (subs mostly) or transport my troops (cruisers, destroyers, BB's, subs). I would like to think that the gamer who tries to invade my core provinces from the sea will need to pack 2 lunches in order to succeed that way.
      "Until there are clearly defined and enforceable rules for hand-to-hand combat, there can't be rules in global war. Kill em all!"
    • Pavilx wrote:

      the COW calculator shows that 3 5 stacks of level 2 naval bombers will sink the flotilla taking 8 planes getting shot down. Is that accurate? Interceptors escorting them seem to have minimal support.

      A decent put together flotilla brings more cruisers along, great for anti air and great for going somewhere fast and sinking convoys at range to. Although not a lot of people use cruisers this way. Losing to many planes versing navy units can come to haunt you aswell.

      @ike53, thats very true. Its probably best to have at least a little bit of a navy to get things done. Using subs to evade someone's navy can work to, but if you fail, you fail hard. Hunting for seafights is what the pacific map is for! :thumbsup:
    • I'd gladly lose the 8 Naval Bombers to take out the stack I described.
      Also SP Artillery have a better range than BB and en masse, are a very mobile version of railroad guns.

      Would 3 5 stacks of Level 2 Naval bombers take out the stack I described as per the COW Calculator? I can sick about 8 subs on them too
    • If at all possible I would involve ranged units into it to prevent damage to units that fight in close quarters.

      The damage calculator is not exactly acurate, it gives more of an indication than a prediction.

      More is better, use more naval bomber squadrons combined with other planes and have them patrol simultaniously for better results. Not exceeding the SBDE total for any. So if you have 15 naval bombers, use them in wings with 5 naval bombers, 5 interceptors and if possible 5 tac bombers to soak damage (or at least 1). You will lose some, but if all your planes (especially naval bombers) are decent level you should get the edge this way.

      First use ranged units, then out of close quarter units send cheap units first (subs) followed by the airplanes.

      You can also send 1 destroyer in range and have his battleships fire at it and then sail battleships of your own in range, fire and sail out of range again and repeat every hour. You can do the same with subs, locking them in close quarter fighting while you can fire at range. If your enemy is not online this can be done with few battleships of your own to great effect.
    • Thanks, this is someone I can outproduce and and just want the units gone without investing in much of a navy. The game is NOT Control the seas, it's occupy the land. I have the Air and Subs to do the trick, I think, just wanted a few more sets of eyes on my idea

      Naval bombers seem to do better than I thought they would.
    • Edepedable wrote:

      Not exceeding the SBDE total for any. So if you have 15 naval bombers, use them in wings with 5 naval bombers, 5 interceptors and if possible 5 tac bombers to soak damage (or at least 1). You will lose some, but if all your planes (especially naval bombers) are decent level you should get the edge this way.
      This is one of the instances where I would slightly EXCEED SBDE when circling with planes. For the longest time I wouldn't even think about doing this but there is actually logical sense to this. I would put up 3 stacks of 6 naval bombers along with 6 bombers in each stack to help absorb the damage. Why? Because you are going to take hits and lose some naval bombers and by adding just one bomber of each kind you will actually increase/maintain your attack advantage for a longer period of time. I don't like losing pieces because of how long it takes to replace and I don't like attacking by overstacking and losing hit points, but this to me is one of those exceptions.
      "Until there are clearly defined and enforceable rules for hand-to-hand combat, there can't be rules in global war. Kill em all!"