AFT or manual Captain skills on Minotaur and Wooster?

[Oldschool_Gaming_YT]

So im thinking about what I should run on my Mino and Woostercaptain. I was looking at old Flamu videos since he usually talks a bit about the pro´s and con´s of different builds. 

Im trying to choose between the Manual fire controll for AA or the AFT skill for my captains, and the thing is in one Minotaur video he recommends Manual fire control and in a more recent Wooster one he recommends AFT!? Wouldnt it be the other way around since Wooster has on more double AA turret with 152´s and should therefore benefit more from Manual?

 

The thing is I know there i a great advantage to take manual since it boost you long range aura, but when I tried to run that on my Minotaur I thought it was annoying to always have to stop shooting at enemy ships (since CV drops always come right in mid-knifefight) to suddenly start looking up at the sky and click on squadrons to then try and re-engage the ship you are fighting. just to a couple of seconds later when your plane-shot-down counter reach 6-7, stop and look up again to manual click next squadron and so on and so on and so on. With AFT I just need to hit the consumable key and then it on (sure, if I want more effectiveness I still need to click on them) but its not mandatory?

 

What are your take on this and what do you run?

[DFens_666]

I dunno about Worc AA, but on Mino definetely NOT Manual AA!

Mino has 118 DPS on the big guns, which gets boosted by MAA. So compare lets say MAA + BFT vs AFT + BFT.

 

With AFT + BFT + AA module i have 8,6 km range on the large caliber guns and 7,2km on the others. So my AA exceeds my Plane spotting range. If the CV is smart enough to retreat when he spots me at 7,2km, my other AA can still fire upon him.

With Manual AA it cant. You will get spotted the same time you can use your AA, so CV can retreat.

If the CV is not retreating, i got 378+142 DPS on 7,2km range, while the other build has 284 on 7,2km. And at 6km you would get an additional 378 DPS.

 

[Seiranko]

AFT, imo. AA range is usually more important, unless you have most of your AA dps on large caliber guns. But for both ships, the vast majority of dps is on the 76 mm guns and those don't get boosted, so AFT at least increases the range of those 76 mm guns to 7.2 km, which is cancerous. Worchester especially, the range is vastly more important, given it already has defAA that will just triple the long range AA and frankly, ~400 or more long range AA is sufficient to make CVs hate you, just as over 1,000 dps on the 7.2 km aura.

 

Minotaur meanwhile could get both, if it was so inclined, due to not needing IFHE, but with basic AA range mod, Minotaur already has AA that goes beyond its aerial detection range, so AFT is just to boost the range to a more comfortable window, while Manual AA makes sure you basically have a neutered defAA at all times. Would still AFT though for 76 mm.

[aboomination]

I picked AA range mod + man AA on Mino and am not too impressed. Will have to choose between additional AFT or AR (and maybe vigilance or BFT).

[LeSnoet]

For the Mino and Wooster I have both BFT/AFT. Why? Because I am too lazy to ctrl+click on every squadron and because the dps from both vessels is imo good enough.

[Gnirf]

45 minutes ago, Oldschool_Gaming_YT said:

So im thinking about what I should run on my Mino and Woostercaptain. I was looking at old Flamu videos since he usually talks a bit about the pro´s and con´s of different builds. 

Im trying to choose between the Manual fire controll for AA or the AFT skill for my captains, and the thing is in one Minotaur video he recommends Manual fire control and in a more recent Wooster one he recommends AFT!? Wouldnt it be the other way around since Wooster has on more double AA turret with 152´s and should therefore benefit more from Manual?

 

The thing is I know there i a great advantage to take manual since it boost you long range aura, but when I tried to run that on my Minotaur I thought it was annoying to always have to stop shooting at enemy ships (since CV drops always come right in mid-knifefight) to suddenly start looking up at the sky and click on squadrons to then try and re-engage the ship you are fighting. just to a couple of seconds later when your plane-shot-down counter reach 6-7, stop and look up again to manual click next squadron and so on and so on and so on. With AFT I just need to hit the consumable key and then it on (sure, if I want more effectiveness I still need to click on them) but its not mandatory?

 

What are your take on this and what do you run?

Your post make me really think about future skills, I have so far taken AFT on both as I am also kind of afraid that the fast clicking in hectic situations can be to much. I have yet to reach 18 pts so I am not there yet but I am reasoning a little like you , I left click on the torp squadrons usually anyway but let us say that you have to switch to other side of ship to attack a squadron from that direction, I think that is maybe too much for me in some situations. I have always liked range on my ships , the CV does not know if you have Man AA anyway but will probably avoid you unless the alt targets are even less attractive. I am undecided yet.

 

On Wooster I have only 15 p so IFHE/CE at the moment, Mino CE/AFT. 

[Oldschool_Gaming_YT]

2 hours ago, Gnirf said:

Your post make me really think about future skills, I have so far taken AFT on both as I am also kind of afraid that the fast clicking in hectic situations can be to much. I have yet to reach 18 pts so I am not there yet but I am reasoning a little like you , I left click on the torp squadrons usually anyway but let us say that you have to switch to other side of ship to attack a squadron from that direction, I think that is maybe too much for me in some situations. I have always liked range on my ships , the CV does not know if you have Man AA anyway but will probably avoid you unless the alt targets are even less attractive. I am undecided yet.

 

On Wooster I have only 15 p so IFHE/CE at the moment, Mino CE/AFT. 

I went for AFT, I think that one is more viable. Will try and dinengare my AA in cv matches until he flies his squadron right over me and the second he detects me i will pop my AA. 

 

Thanks for all advice guys! I think that manual will be to much to try and handle mid firefight. Better to just pop one button and be able to focus on shooting the ships.

[El2aZeR]

AFT definitely. It provides more cover for your teammates and a CV is unlikely to go for you anyway, so self protection isn't as important.

[Tyrendian89]

one small thing that makes Manual AA relatively convenient on both is that with full concealment spec and just the AA range module but no AFT, their max AA range equals their air spotting range of 7.2km - which eliminates the need to remember to toggle your AA off and on when you dont want it to get you detected at 8.6km...

[xenopathia]

2 hours ago, Tyrendian89 said:

one small thing that makes Manual AA relatively convenient on both is that with full concealment spec and just the AA range module but no AFT, their max AA range equals their air spotting range of 7.2km - which eliminates the need to remember to toggle your AA off and on when you dont want it to get you detected at 8.6km...

This.

Plus you don't lose 152mms but you do the 76mms. ManAA is much better for endgames.

[nambr9]

Is there any ship that benefits greatly from MAA (and thats actually worth 4pts)?

[DFens_666]

17 minutes ago, nambr9 said:

Is there any ship that benefits greatly from MAA (and thats actually worth 4pts)?

 

On Neptune i probably would take MAA instead of AFT.

Neptune atleast has 152mm 86 DPS and 114mm 106 DPS guns which profits from MAA.

Also RN CLs dont really have any other options skillwise.. well SE actually did get viable since they changed it to synergize with the heal.

[nambr9]

1 minute ago, DFens_666 said:

 

On Neptune i probably would take MAA instead of AFT.

Neptune atleast has 152mm 86 DPS and 114mm 106 DPS guns which profits from MAA.

Also RN CLs dont really have any other options skillwise.. well SE actually did get viable since they changed it to synergize with the heal.

I meant in general (any ship).

I am not using it anywhere (did used to on Gnaisenau). 

 

MAA would suggest that should be used on BBs to maximize AA when CV is dropping you. But I see it as not worth 4 pts (specially with lack of CVs in the game).

[Tyrendian89]

1 hour ago, nambr9 said:

I meant in general (any ship).

I am not using it anywhere (did used to on Gnaisenau). 

 

MAA would suggest that should be used on BBs to maximize AA when CV is dropping you. But I see it as not worth 4 pts (specially with lack of CVs in the game).

Neptune, Gneisenau/Tirpitz and Zao (well, and DDs with DefAA/Akizuki line, if you want to spec into it...) are probably the ships that get the most out of MAA, at least the ones I can think of off the top of my head

[lycea]

On ships with defensive fire consumable always go for AFT to create a larger 'panic' bubble. 

For ships that do not have that consumable it's all down to some simple maths to figure out which captain perk is more beneficial 

[creamgravy]

Choose a sensible skill, like SE or RL, and wait for the aircraft rework.

[Armorin]

It is still worth manually selecting a target, even without MAA skill, as you get a 30% damage boost.

 

http://wiki.wargaming.net/en/Ship:Aerial_Combat#Anti-Air_.28AA.29_Defense

 

The MAA skill only applies to guns of a calibre above 85mm. Most of Mino's AA firepower comes from the 76.2mm guns, so its best to expand the radius of that

[jss78]

4 hours ago, nambr9 said:

Is there any ship that benefits greatly from MAA (and thats actually worth 4pts)?

 

I believe it's the meta choice for IJN CV's, since they have AA focused in large calibers and for CV's, there's actually nothing THAT important to take after 11 points.

I'd always go for AFT before ManAA, unless it's some weird ship you always play away from your team mates. Otherwise big bubble = good.