AI Navies WTF

[Hootieleece]

In my game as US. I was fighting the Ottomans.(I owned the Suez Canal and had sphered Egypt) I have 15/30 Naval Techs and Ottomans have 7/30 Naval techs. I'm using Ironclads and Monitors. They have Monitors! yet don't have requisite tech.

Also is national stockpile like the military maitenance in EU3. The reason I ask is Otto's had better Org than me and I had better tech. I loaded as them just to see their budget. I noticed theirs was always to right. Their Military spending wasn't as high as mine.

[moldeh]

Also is national stockpile like the military maitenance in EU3?

Yeah, but it's also used to buy materials for factories and other stuff like that. During wartime, you need to max it out or your units will be getting slaughtered (lower org).

[ChozoFury]

Iron steamers is only three techs down. So technically they could get them with only 3/30 naval techs. Number of techs doesn't mean how advanced their ships are. So AI just probably put all point into getting iron steamers and such.

[Hootieleece]

I fought another battle with Ottomans about 10 years later.Granted I was outnumbered.25 ships to 40 ships. I had 4 Dreadnoughts,11 Cruisers,and 10 transports. The Otto's Had 20 Cruisers and 20 Transports. My org was full and about 30 points above theirs.I have researched 21/30 techs.They have 8/30 techs. Yet I lose the battle losing all my Transports and their fleet doesn't lose a ship not even one transport.Admirals were about even.

How do you explain it just lucky die rolls.

[ilikepie]

You get a penalty for attacking and maybe your general sucked and theirs was awesome. Did you have steam or clipper transports?

[ywhtptgtfo]

You get a penalty for attacking and maybe your general sucked and theirs was awesome. Did you have steam or clipper transports?

Doesn't matter. Don't ever put transport in a fight against capital ships late game, as high-level techs gradually erode away their combat power. If you must, put a few dreadnoughts to guard your transports and distribute the rest to dreadnought-only battle groups.

The same philosophy applies to EU3's navies.

[Hootieleece]

Yeah in same game I fought the Austrians.They just killed me with numbers eventually.I had A Fleet of 12 Dreadnoughts and 24 cruisers. They Attacked me with over 200 ships.
All types.(Man o War,Ironclads,Cruisers,Frigates, monitors,steam transports,clippers) I won 3 battles in a row against them.Neither of us lost a ship. Then fourth battle I lost all my cruisers and they didn't lose a ship.

Naval combat is just a numbers game.Be like AI and never disband any ships. All that matters is bigger Doomstack. Tech and better units are for wimps.

Which is Bull****.

[Robotkiller]

Yeah in same game I fought the Austrians.They just killed me with numbers eventually.I had A Fleet of 12 Dreadnoughts and 24 cruisers. They Attacked me with over 200 ships.
All types.(Man o War,Ironclads,Cruisers,Frigates, monitors,steam transports,clippers) I won 3 battles in a row against them.Neither of us lost a ship. Then fourth battle I lost all my cruisers and they didn't lose a ship.

Naval combat is just a numbers game.Be like AI and never disband any ships. All that matters is bigger Doomstack. Tech and better units are for wimps.

Which is Bull****.

I feel your pain, but it is unlikely that Paradox will bother to fix naval combat and AI.

[ywhtptgtfo]

Yeah in same game I fought the Austrians.They just killed me with numbers eventually.I had A Fleet of 12 Dreadnoughts and 24 cruisers. They Attacked me with over 200 ships.
All types.(Man o War,Ironclads,Cruisers,Frigates, monitors,steam transports,clippers) I won 3 battles in a row against them.Neither of us lost a ship. Then fourth battle I lost all my cruisers and they didn't lose a ship.

Naval combat is just a numbers game.Be like AI and never disband any ships. All that matters is bigger Doomstack. Tech and better units are for wimps.

Which is Bull****.

12 dreadnoughts and 24 cruisers is a small fleet... I mean, if you look at the total hp and fire power, these 200 ships should have a huge advantage over you. Try something like 50 deadnoughts instead... and you'd see those Man O Wars dying like flies.

[Hootieleece]

I reinforced that fleet to 24 DN and 36 CA/CL's and still kept losing. I don't know how to afford a Massive Fleet.I still trying to figure this game out. I played Vicky1 and had same sorta problems......

[ywhtptgtfo]

I reinforced that fleet to 24 DN and 36 CA/CL's and still kept losing. I don't know how to afford a Massive Fleet.I still trying to figure this game out. I played Vicky1 and had same sorta problems......

You should look at the hull and attack stats. Ironclads are a bit stronger than cruisers and if the A.I. has lots of them, then you will lose even with 24 DN.

[Hootieleece]

I never lost a DN only Cruisers.Yet AI never lost a ship........

[Selzro]

Yeah in same game I fought the Austrians.They just killed me with numbers eventually.I had A Fleet of 12 Dreadnoughts and 24 cruisers. They Attacked me with over 200 ships.
All types.(Man o War,Ironclads,Cruisers,Frigates, monitors,steam transports,clippers) I won 3 battles in a row against them.Neither of us lost a ship. Then fourth battle I lost all my cruisers and they didn't lose a ship.

Naval combat is just a numbers game.Be like AI and never disband any ships. All that matters is bigger Doomstack. Tech and better units are for wimps.

Which is Bull****.

Which version of the game are you playing? In recent versions (AHD and I think 1.4 for vanilla) the AI disbands ships if they get too old (so they never have man-o-wars together with cruisers, for instance).

[Hootieleece]

AHD version 2.31.

I saw UK finally Disband its "old ships" about 1915. In current game.

[Foxbyte]

I reinforced that fleet to 24 DN and 36 CA/CL's and still kept losing. I don't know how to afford a Massive Fleet.I still trying to figure this game out. I played Vicky1 and had same sorta problems......

Commerce techs are your friends for affording massive navies.

[jafloresl]

Do you keep your fleet in Docks for repairs?, remember that keeping a fleet in high sees makes damage and sooner or later will sink. Probably you start your fights with damage in your ships, not at 100%, and your enemies always attack with ships at 100%.

[Thracian]

do you have a naval base in suez or somewhere nearby?

[Hootieleece]

Yes I have a level 3 Naval base at Suez Canal. This was my first game with AHD and after only 3-4 Vic2's. I played alot of the original Vicky but should definitely be considered a Newb.

My navy hadn't taken that much Damage.....(like maybe 10% per ship total)and then after the 3rd or 4rth Battle all my cruisers were all sunk. The AI hodgepodge didn't lose any ships at all.

Will play the campaign again with more success since I've learned a few things.