Crossing Straits is bugged

[ForzaA]

I mean, controlling both sides wouldn't make it any easier to bypass a hundred warships...

While there is no actual "ships shoot at land units" or "land units shoot at ships", blocking straits is an abstraction of the former, not being able to block a strait when the other side controls both shores is an abstraction of the latter.

 

[ForzaA]

Calling this change an abstraction seems wrong. The AI is just not very good with using its navy and this change has "improved" the performance of the AI as it no longer has to build a navy to protect its straits for as long as it holds both sides.

That is the main gameplay reason for implementing, yes. Does not change the fact that it is an abstraction of what (to a degree) could/would happen IRL. Granted, not as accurate for the Irish strait as it is for some others.

I would rather introduce some kinda mechanic where forts cause heavy damage to nearby ships (and stops them from blockading straits properly). Land units are generally not built for shooting at ships, whereas coastal forts normally get equipped with properly placed and designed cannons. This would also add a use for placing forts on islands (i.e Bornholm and Crete), and give them an actual gameplay value.

And perhaps that will happen at some point; it's a fair bit more work than a quick check in "allowed movement" on whether "I" control both sides of a strait.