Procrastes

I've just read LittleWhiteMouse's review of De Grasse on the NA forum; excellent work as usual, Captain Mouse! Too bad I can't give any "outremer" likes. One thing that caught my eye in particular, was the recommendation to get 'Concealment Expert' as the first level 4 skill, instead of 'IFHE'. I interpret this to mean that Mouse considers it to be more effective to stay alive a little longer in order to set more fires, than to dish it out hard and die young. Interesting. I'll see what works out best, when I get there!

That would be fun! But it would be a bit of a slap in the face for those who earned it by getting to rank 1 in ranked battles, wouldn't you say?

For some reason, that is true - as is masterfully illustrated by Captain Hedgehog1963 in post 45 above. I wonder why the French has received this "surrender monkey" stamp? It certainly has no foundation in actual comparative history. I suppose that the ludicrously swift loss to Germany in the Blitz war in 1940 is part of the answer, but unlike some other nations I could mention, France did at least put up a fight. It makes no real sense.

You are correct, Captain - but only if we assume that the level of consciousness would, if at all present, have reached such a degree that it could formulate and act on the concept of "shame". In order to do this, the battleship in question would in many cases have to achieve a higher state of being than its captain; i.e., the player. Normally, established science would regard such a level of AI self-development to be virtually impossible. However, if considered in conjunction with the internet phenomenon most commonly known as "Weekend Syndrome", I suppose that it might be at least theoretically possible. Interesting...

Like the English commander did in Singapore? And then there's the "battle" of Mers-el-Kébir, which occurred expressly because the French fleet didn't surrender... there's just no single nation, ever, that has had only victories and never surrendered to anyone.

That means it's a psychic ability. Interesting. So we have now not only 'ESP/Extra Sensory Perception' (Situational Awareness), but also 'Telepathy/Empathic Projection' (Defensive AA Fire), in the game. The main difference being, of course, that while the former is a captain skill, the latter is a function of the ship. Which in turn means, that the ships in game are sentient beings, capable of at least rudimentary cognitive processes. The next logical step would be to determine if the ships have acheived self-awareness. I postulate that we begin by checking for variations in the CPU activity, and compare it with player performance over time. This would indicate whether intelligences above and beyond that of the human players, have affected in-game decisions and results. Hmmm...

That sounds somehow familiar. I once followed a Leningrad to C cap in my Belfast, to assist with clearing out enemy DDs and defending him from cruisers. Then he smoked up, and just sat still in the smoke until someone that none of us could see killed him. I would have asked him, what he thought was going to happen...? Edited: With no idea how close the nearest enemy was, I saw little point in using a radar charge. But maybe I should have.

I believe I read something a while ago, about how firing AA from inside smoke could once upon a time reveal your position and allow for plane attacks, but that this was later changed, and is no longer the case. I certainly don't hesitate to open up with my AA, if I'm in a smoke screen and some enemy planes fly overhead. It is still perfectly possible for torpedo bombers to strafe an AA-aggressive smoke screen with torpedoes, however. The bastards.

I don't doubt it - but aiming for weakspots is not really my forte. At least when I'm in a German panzerschiff, I can let people believe that it's due to the bad dispersion.

They write something about "heavy amour" in the ship description. Considering that I routinely citadel French cruisers in my destroyers - firing HE - I will believe that only when I see it. Not that workable armour wouldn't be a nice thing to have, since the De Grasse has a detection range that is even bigger than that of the Budyonny. I expect she'll attract fire from the next map, if she ever tries to push a cap. Talk about a tough choice between 'Concealment Expert' and 'IFHE', when one gets a 10-point captain on this tub!

Also, in this ship you can sink someone, and then say in chat that you claim it as a "Coup de Grasse"...! I'll get me coat.* *Copyright of Hedgehog1963. It's a great line, captain; I hope I can borrow it?

And the Budyonny is one of the nicest cruisers in the game... ...until you make a turn, and eat 3+ citadel hits, and die cursing the fickle gods of chance. But that's part of the whole cruiser experience. So I guess this is an interesting ship!

Really? I've always had more luck with my Wickes. And I get the jitters out of not being able to shoot to my rear. What's the idea with a gun setup that doesn't allow for retreat... oh, wait.

If the Hood and the Scharnhorst were to fight one-on-one, victory would probably be determined by individual player skill more than anything else. Unless the Scharnhorst managed to get in close enough to use her torpedoes early on, that is - which kind of gives the answer to your question, I guess: The Scharnhorst is simply the more versatile ship. The Hood has the speed to keep the distance (she's not a close-range brawler), and guns that pack enough of a punch to reliably hurt other battleships. But the Scharnhorst is less dependent on keeping the fight running on her own terms. She can handle most situations, she can take a beating if things go wrong, and she has the speed and the gun handling to quickly adapt to changes on the battle map. She's probably the more rewarding ship to play in the long run.

Independence (1/1/1) : 14 New Mexico : 11 Cleveland : 30 Farragut : 28 + 1 = 29. A good and versatile destroyer. A real team player! Arizona : 18 Shinonome : 20 Mutsu : 21 Ryūjō (1/2/2) : 14 Fusō : 13 Aoba: 21 Fubuki : 18 Graf Spee : 25 Ernst Gaede : 15 Warspite : 15 Leander : 24 Molotov : 13 Budyonny : 7 Dunkerque : 18 Anshan : 8 - 3 = 5. A poor man's Gremyaschy. Duca d'Aosta : 23 Perth : 32

Is 'Scenarios' a time limited mode, or a permanent addition to the game?

Tier VIII Top Three: 1. The Mikhail Kutuzov - No Smoke Without Fire! 2. The Atago - Beauty and Majesty on the High Seas! 3. The Tirpitz - an Armoured Colossus!

Independence (1/1/1) : 14 New Mexico : 14 - 3 = 11. Too slow, and easy to set on fire. Devastating guns, though. Cleveland :29 Farragut : 28 Arizona : 17 Shinonome : 20 Mutsu : 21 Ryūjō (1/2/2) : 14 Fusō : 19 Aoba : 24 Fubuki : 18 Graf Spee : 25 Ernst Gaede : 15 Warspite : 15 Leander : 24 Molotov : 13 Budyonny : 10 Dunkerque : 17 Anshan : 8 Duca d'Aosta : 22 Perth : 31 + 1 = 32. Special smoke, magic spotter plane, and koalas. What's not to love?

Atago: 7 + 1 = 8. Beauty and majesty on the high seas.Kutuzov: 47 - 3 = 44. A great ship.

Judging from the pictures, the forward main turret won't be able to fire directly ahead without taking off the two bow AA gun placements. That would be awkward. On the other hand, the B turret on the Okhotnik is apparently able to fire unimpeded right through the A turret in front of it... so I guess the same magic fire arc properties might also apply here?

Independence (1/1/1) : 14 New Mexico : 14 Cleveland :28 Farragut : 28 Arizona : 17 Shinonome : 20 Mutsu : 21 Ryūjō (1/2/2) : 17 Fusō : 19 Aoba : 24 Fubuki : 18 Graf Spee : 25 Ernst Gaede : 15 Warspite : 15 Leander : 24 Molotov : 13 Budyonny : 10 Dunkerque : 17 Anshan : 11 - 3 = 8. See post 103 above. Duca d'Aosta : 22 Perth : 30 + 1 = 31. Get ready for ranked 2017, you cute little thing!

Atago: 22 + 1 = 23. Those punishing 203:s. Mikhail Kutuzov: 50 - 3 = 47. A great ship.

Destroyer: The Farragut, and possibly the Gallant (if she's launched by then). Cruiser: The Perth, the Graf Spee and the Budyonny. And maybe the Leander. Battleship: The Bayern and the Dunkerque.

There was a 'Battle of Jutland' commemorative flag added to some kind of Jutland Warspite bundle last year. It looks quite nice, and it does somewhat resemble the British battle ensign. Perhaps it's the same flag? Incidentally, this was also the flag that taught me I can't have more than one flag flying at the same time...

Atago: 35 + 1 = 36. Mikhail Kutuzov: 51 - 3 = 48.