AA builds

[Panocek]

5 minutes ago, Nibenay78 said:

I was harrassed by a Malta while fighting in a cap in Dalarna, As I was running he came at me again from behind. Running full AA build + sector + DefAA, I suddenly saw several red numbers appear on top of eachother and the entire full squad incinerate itself on flak. It really should go in the "best achievement thread" but its not like I really did anything...

 

I had to go change pants afterwards.

You mean thats how DFAA and potato CV player usually combine.

[Nibenay78]

2 minutes ago, Panocek said:

You mean thats how DFAA and potato CV player usually combine.

 

Pretty much. If only it happened to good players too occationally...

[Redcap375]

A good CV player will avoid any flank from a single ship all day long (it's a pre-programmed flack burst).

 

So no, no point at all, spend the points elsewhere. 

 

 

[MixuS]

Currently I pretty much only have a full AA build for Yubari, because why not. And even that is such a pale shadow of it's former self that it's really sad. You do occasionally blab full tier4 CV squadrons on one flak hit, IF CV is potato enough to fly in straight line.

[Figment]

Shot down 53 aircraft with Gouden Leeuw without AA build yesterday. I don't know why I would put more points into it. It'd be much better if AA was a separate tree from the rest, where you could put points into flak OR dps OR ASW / Air strikes OR Spotting planes / Fighters, so without sacrificing regular combat expenditure.

[159Hunter]

@El2aZeR I summon thee

[Viridem]

I run AA build on all of my tier 7, 9 and 10 Japanese cruisers (except Tokachi).

 

It's of varying efficacy depending on the ship, but the most recent addition, Omono, completely destroys tier 6 planes, and puts a good fight against tier 8.

 

A good CV player should be able to play around your AA, sure. Russian CVs will still be a pain, as well as plane spotting. You won't be able to shoot down every plane before they attack every single time. And depending on the cruiser, you might have better skills to pick.

 

Counterpoints:

-"the average CV player is a potato" seems to be the global sentiment.

-a good player will always manage to counter your ship (wether it's good angling, radar etc).

-a good CV player will quickly realise that he'd better land 3 strikes with a squad against a cruiser with no AA, rather than 1 against one AA-built.

-you can't complain AA builds can't make you immune to planes, and at the same time that planes are immune to AA. Sounds a lot like hypocrisy. No surface ship is immune to anything to begin with.

-many cruiser work well with a dozen skill points. Past that, you can do as you please. This is randoms, not competitive. No need to be a slave to meta. Have some fun.

-AA skills boost your ASW too.

 

For plane spotting and russian CVs, I have nothing. These are total BS.

 

Bottom line is that yes, AA builds should be better, yes it's not worth on many ships, and yes it's a pain to make all these sacrifices to counter ONE ship you're not even guaranteed to meet even if he's in the match.

 

But let me ask you this: are you going to stay entirely defeated by CV players, on which I won't comment because I'd get banned from the forum, or are you gonna join me in my AA crusade and rise against one of the worst aspect of the game: CV players ?

 

My AA builds give the middle finger to all planes in the sky. Sometimes they're too far, sometimes they laugh at it, sometimes they screech and melt and land in the sea.

Every single time I still feel good. Even when it's a lost cause, I still fight for it.

Eff them. Eff submarines too.

 

I only regret picking defAA when there's a submarine nearby, because then I really could use hydro...

[El2aZeR]

AA builds are largely worthless because they offer little returns on both sides of the spectrum. A potato CV who eats flak like breakfast is going to get defeated by your regular AA anyway, a skilled CV is not going to be particularly bothered by your AA build either unless you happen to play very specific ships such as Edgar.

 

If you want to do something for your AA, pick DFAA and leave it at that. It is the single biggest boost to AA you can get and thus the most valuable one.

[NewHorizons_1]

3 hours ago, Viridem said:

I only regret picking defAA when there's a submarine nearby, because then I really could use hydro... 

I would like DefAA incorporated into Priority Sector.

It always seemed daft to have two consumables (on different cooldowns) to buff AA which counter one thing only - planes.

Yes it would be an AA buff, as DefAA would be on a shorter cooldown with unlimited charges.

But it would probably just level the playing field rather than making AA overpowered.

That would then free up cruisers to equip hydro - which is always useful, not just when there are subs lurking around.

[LukkaiCH]

Vor 14 Stunden, Panocek sagte:

You mean thats how DFAA and potato CV player usually combine.

I'll admit, it's easy to get overconfident in a Malta. Those planes can sure take a beating.

[BLUB__BLUB]

On 12/16/2022 at 2:05 PM, Nibenay78 said:

I was harrassed by a Malta while fighting in a cap in Dalarna,

Man he must have been dumb. 

Drop some torpies to make trouble, spot him, leave the rest to the team... 

[Nibenay78]

1 hour ago, BLUB__BLUB said:

Man he must have been dumb. 

Drop some torpies to make trouble, spot him, leave the rest to the team... 

I kept a huge arse mountain between me and everything else red.

[BLUB__BLUB]

2 hours ago, Nibenay78 said:

I kept a huge arse mountain between me and everything else red.

Well then you'd not be too harmful anyway eh. 

[Nibenay78]

7 minutes ago, BLUB__BLUB said:

Well then you'd not be too harmful anyway eh. 

just when I peek out and torp stuff (and get the cap and shoot the other dd)

[BLUB__BLUB]

2 minutes ago, Nibenay78 said:

just when I peek out and torp stuff (and get the cap and shoot the other dd)

Well yeah but I'd leave them to that, just drop a fighter spotter and that would be it.

Not like the rest of the team doesn't know what is going on. Meanwhile I'd kill your cruisers.

 

[Nibenay78]

1 hour ago, BLUB__BLUB said:

Well yeah but I'd leave them to that, just drop a fighter spotter and that would be it.

Not like the rest of the team doesn't know what is going on. Meanwhile I'd kill your cruisers.

 

Go ahead and grief someone else than me... not much point to be "AA" cruiser anymore!

[159Hunter]

Hello @Beastofwar, I see you still downvote realistic views on CV gameplay AND you are still banned? 

What a shame, you were such a kwaliti poster on these forums.

[Karkong_the_Impaler]

I found the appropriate .gif for the topic:

 

[BLUB__BLUB]

15 hours ago, Nibenay78 said:

Go ahead and grief someone else than me... not much point to be "AA" cruiser anymore!

Yes that would be the better way to do it, leave the nasty little snack and just kill all his friends.
You really met a tater CV player there.  However that was not much fun for you. 

[Nibenay78]

1 hour ago, BLUB__BLUB said:

Yes that would be the better way to do it, leave the nasty little snack and just kill all his friends.
You really met a tater CV player there.  However that was not much fun for you. 

It was enjoyable to see them die in scores repeatedly... but not like it was from my skill.

[BLUB__BLUB]

3 hours ago, Nibenay78 said:

It was enjoyable to see them die in scores repeatedly... but not like it was from my skill.

Well, there is SOME skill, in actually setting the O-sector at the right time and keeping it aimed on him. 

When you play CV you can see that, and then move around to the other side - which has less AA.

Nevertheless, it is more about how derp the CV-player is than about your skill.

Which is also quite similar to BBs sailing in a straight line, lots of those around too.  

[Nibenay78]

2 hours ago, BLUB__BLUB said:

Well, there is SOME skill, in actually setting the O-sector at the right time and keeping it aimed on him. 

True, although a rather marginal skill, often overruled by details such as staying alive in the rain of incoming shells.

[BLUB__BLUB]

22 hours ago, Nibenay78 said:

True, although a rather marginal skill, often overruled by details such as staying alive in the rain of incoming shells.

Mwah, you can ask Yoshanai how he survives 1 vs 1 with  Halland vs Kaga. 
To my surprise he managed. Though most DD players will not, I think.