Zeke, As a Beginner, Go with a cruiser, I bit off more then i can chew with Doria, and she's got to a friend, to get her started!!! Nikki
If anyone wants to see the video, not sure if I shared it before on the forums... It's in a post here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/108645695761238277443 The audio is mostly Mike Mangus and I talking. Mike Butts was kindly taking video of the battle.
I would only build one cruiser. FS Suffren. Single drive prop, Dual Rudder, Drag props, 23 seconds, Dual aft, roomy interior. Hands down the best cruiser available. Can go either Axis or Allied. Keith
LOL Yes, but Hands down the best cruiser available I too am guilty of not always building the best. I like to build Allied. There is not a "best of class" boat out there that is allied.
Personally I think some people get too wrapped up in worrying about what is the "best ship" to build. The WWI armoured cruiser Scharnhorst is the best cruiser IMHO. So much hard area you can use it as a meatshield at nats (ie Tugboat@mwci nats 2012) and still live because most shots will just bounce off. Bow and stern guns that can and do hit below the water line. Better turning than Suffern also. Sure its slower, but its not French. But, back to the topic. Des Moines has triples, but is really long and won't turn all that great. Maybe decent for taking shots from the periphery of the battle on people who aren't paying attention or are too busy. Won't know for sure until I finish mine and bring it out. Andrea doria, I think is kind of meh. Not a fast battleship, inline rudders, but it is small enough to fit easily in most cars.
I would have to disagree. These toy boats are expensive for most of us. Why would you spend that much on a boat and not want to build the "best ship" you can afford? Keith
Because there is a lot more to this hobby than dual rudder, single prop and speed. Sure, they are desirable qualities in theory, but they are not the be all and end all of selecting a ship. If they were than nobody would build anything else. Things like history, tactics, or looks and even the abilities of the builder are important factors to be considered.
because the concept of best ship varies by Captain and attempting to discount personal preferences in order to quantify that concept is an error (in the vaulted halls wherein lives my opinion). A ship must suit the captain.
I would never discourage a captain from joining this great hobby, because they were determined to build a certain ship. If I were asked, I would steer them to one of the better platforms, as I am sure that you would too. Dual rudder, single prop, “Casementy” , turret location, are all things that should be considered when picking a toy boat for this hobby. My first ship was the Lutzow. I couldn't move on fast enough. Suffren is a MUCH better platform. I would have been better served to start with at least a 4 unit boat. Just getting out on the water and shooting BB's is great for the first couple of battles, but then most actually want to be effective out there. Keith
Deutschland class heavy cruiser (Deutschland renamed Lutzow), or the Admiral Hipper class heavy cruiser that was to be named Lutzow but was sold to the Soviet Union?
IDK , I was told each ship has a weakness and strength pick the style that best suits your abilities and fighting capabilities. if you like the idea of hit and run then a cruiser , if your want to move slow but hit hard pick the Yomato. Just think of it this way, if you build one you will always wounder if you should have built the other. That's why some of the folks here have so many ships , you get bored and want to play with something else. Best thing you can do is pick which ship your going to build first. That is the main question; which one do i build first. lol I am also new to this hobby and I like all the ships basically , I will never say that i would never own a french ship. Do to the fact they swing both ways, axis and allies. I wanted Russian ship just so I could throw a curve ball into the group but, the Russians at the time frame didn't have any heavy ships built suitable to my top choice of what to build or own first. So basically see what cash you have , see what you like then compare to what your skill settings are and go with a build suited to your liking. Then when you get more cash flow and you verify the hunger for the game " hunger game". lol , then build your next ship based off of what you want. I was very lucky to find my group they have helped me in so many ways. just my pockets are shallow so I have a loaner while I do a build. but now I don't want to give up my loaner do to the fun I have with it. lol . hope this helps anyone out there who is just coming in the door to the hobby just like me. I also, was lost on what ship to own, do to wanting the best ship there was, and really to me personally its what you can do counts more than what you have. you learn according to what you can do with what you have, and find out what ship is best for for you according to what your able to do.
I don't generally steer rookie builders towards casemates. They're a pain and not really worth the trouble. If you're not counting points, they're just psychological warfare and a few less patches. If you are counting points, they're handy, but still an annoyance to build and sheet.
Some have more weaknesses than others, some have more strengths. Hard to sink anyone with a cruiser though, thats one of the reasons why @Maxspin is saying he wished he had started with a class 4. Side mounts are, for most ships where the lethal damage comes from. Yam doesn't move slow, just a big pig of a boat. Not a ship I would ever bother building, but some folk rate it a lot higher than I do. For me its not even close to the best ship, for others, its way up the list. There's that real pesky problem of the ship must suit the captain again. Most of us seem to suffer from a 'like all/most of the ships'. I don't think it gets 'better' Will you be playing with Treaty? They allow hypotheticals and that opens things up a bit. Which era of ship are you looking for and style of play? Might be something for you. I wouldn't limit your ship choice by cash. Once you're arming a ship, costs per unit are only minor increments of the overall cost. If you can't afford all the guns right away, just wait another few months to buy and install the rest. Better to have the ship you want than the ship you didn't want but picked because you were 100$ short 8 months ago. I was in a similar spot, I couldn't afford to build a ship outright when I started, but @phill came through and loaned me a Suffren for a year or two while I got my own boat built. I'm still not wealthy and my hobby budget is limited, but I buy parts and work on ships as I can. My wish-list is bigger than my wallet and my garage.
Its not the size of the ship that matters , its how you learn to use it , that matters... from a small ship owner lol , how do i add that to my posts every time i post something lol
thanks Nick, for helping me sum it up. i hope that what i have said actually helps get the thought process moving and help someone , just get out in the water and have fun.
Upper right side of your page, hover your user name, a box of links should appear, pick the one that says 'Signature' Just remember, fast battleships and heavy cruisers are no match for a good dreadnought.
