Right now, submarines are rarely purchased (compared to previous games.) Destroyers have twice the defense ability of any submarine and can hit air units. Unlike submarines, destroyers can block enemy movement. Really, the only utility for submarines are convoy raids.
There are 3 false statements here.
Gamerman pointed out the 3rd, but i’l elaborate. Submarines are the most unique unit in the game right now. They are, in effect, the (only) stealth unit in A&A. Destroyers are the detector unit. Without destroyers submarines can literally run rampant, sinking ships without return fire! They also are 2X better per unit than any other unit at convoy raiding. And the fact that they are the cheapest only further compounds this.
Submarines are 267% better than destroyers at convoy raiding! 400% better than cruisers!!!
Submarines are purchased very often (much more than CA or BB) in all A&A versions going back to 50th. I follow many games on this site and this has always stayed true.
It is because they are by far the best offensive unit, the cheapest and because of the low price are many times the best on defense aswell (depending on enemy air)
Submarines are actually better on defense (sightly) than destroyers! Though this is a very common misconception.
Here is MrRoboto ealier in this thread…
Submarine = By far the best in offense. Best in Defense due to being so cheap cannon fodder. Strong convoy. Bypass blockades without dd. Requires DD to negate first strike.
Also, keep in mind, surface ships did no convoy raids for most of the Alpha projects so we’re not really taking anything away, we’re just not adding the extra stuff Larry tossed on at the end. Also, I don’t think giving cruisers convoy damage of 1 or 1d6 really adds anything to the game.
I feel this is very poor reasoning to make a change.
The alpha projects were a community wide beta program, with the purpose of improving the balance aswell as the game as a whole. The fact that ultimately convoy raiding is where it is, is because of community feedback and playtesting.
The cruiser is the weakest unit in the game per IPC, and you want to take something away from it?
Were not cruisers essentially smaller/faster/cheaper battleships? Would not this make them better at convoy raiding?
(defense 0
This would be a detriment to the game, transports are one of 2 units in the game (AAA-which G40e fixes) that has no defense and auto dies. You want to make more units defenseless and create more auto death scenarios?
It also makes zero, and i repeat zero, sense for a war machine such as a submarine to have zero response to an attack.
The idea, also, is to make the fleet costs more expensive over all.
I know your reasoning is Japan and USA make so much more than previous versions, but what about ANZAC, Italy, UKpacific and Russia?
Nearly half of the playable nations in G40 (excluding France and China) start the game with 17 IPCs or less.
This is more a matter of opinion, but fleets already cost 2X-3X as much as ground forces.
Right now a 6VC pacific is required to force the USA into pacific action.
This is mainly because fleets are so expensive OOB.
Carriers went down in price, as I listed them, but I also made them weaker (1 hit to sink, defend at 1 instead of 2) since their main goal is to bring planes into combat.
Carriers are the one unit that is nearly perfect in the game.
They are not OP nor are they nearly ignored altogether.
Most current purchases involve subs, destroyers and carriers.
I do not see any reason to change a unit that works/fits so well into the game as is.
The idea here is to get more cruisers on the board
Atleast we are in agreement here ;)
The question is how. Obviously.
I’m not saying surface warships, aircraft and troops did not conduct economic warfare against the enemy. But in terms of game play, I don’t think it is effective to park 5 loaded aircraft carriers off the coast of Italy to convoy raid. If they are there, odds are good, they are there to protect the transports from the Luftwaffe and are probably not out and about looking for private yachts that have been pressed into service to smuggle in oil from Jordan.
This is a contradictory statement, which carries a entirely irrelevant assumption (“odds are good, they are there to protect transports from…”)
The fact is surface warships and planes did conduct convoy raids in WWII, submarines may have been more efficient at it. I pointed out above that the game shows this very well. Extremely well actually.
I don’t really have a problem with interceptors and escorts, I just think it really slows down the game because now you have to wait for interceptor orders on every SBR run (virtually…)
So you want to do away with intercepting and escorting SBR because you often have to wait on an email from your opponent while playing via email/forum?
A bit irrational don’t you think?
Regardless, intercepting is a mitigating factor. Even so SBR is almost too powerful. 1 bomber essentially auto disables minor IC and naval/air bases. 3 bombers will average 15 damage, that’s 5 infantry!
If AA is all the stands in the way of SBR, it will become even more powerful.
In fact, I think it would be better to declare what units are flying Cover Air Patrol and do away with waiting for scramble orders altogether - planes are on CAP or not on CAP and the attacker knows for sure what is there.
Again, this is based purely on you being annoyed having to wait for your opponent in pbe games on tripleA.
Again it is irrational.
Regardless your solution is both complicated and tedious.
You seem to view the game solely as a pc video game yes?
If so do realize that A&A is, and always will be at its core, a table top board game. Meant for face to face matches.
TripleA and GTO are merely a means. (A means i use quite often i might add, though i still prefer live game with timed turns)
As for strategic bombers with no defense ability: when was the last time you heard General Smith scream at his lieutenant for failing to scramble the bombers to defend the airbase against attack? If anything, they try and get the bombers in hangers or at least spread out so they are not juicy targets, but B-17s were not really known for their dogfighting abilities, right? So give the fighter ATT 2, DEF 4 and the tactical bomber ATT 4, DEF 2 and have them both be 10 IPC units. For example.
Again you contradict yourself by stating earlier in your post that the game is ahistorical and gameplay is most important, then say this…
Regardless, bombers do not scramble during airbase raids. Or scramble at all for that matter.
If you want a realism argument, you forget that turns span much time yes?
If so bombers would have plenty of time to get into the air at some percentage of efficiently to drop bombs on attacking land divisions, just not as productively as if it were a planned offensive.
Ultimately i feel as if we are just not on the same page.
What do you feel about some the other G40e points so far?
The AAA change and “scorched earth” seem to get purely positive feedback, aswell as cheaper cruisers and battleships.