Question about use of torpedoes?

[jorgencab]

I have an issue of destroyers not actually using their torpedoes very often even if they have very good opportunity to use them. I do see the occasional torpedo fired... either from my or the opponents side.

In this one particular engagement I had a destroyer squadron coming in at an angle head on to a light cruiser (five DD) they crossed its path at a range less than 100 yards. If they shot their torpedoes they would almost have been guaranteed to hit it, they had many opportunities to do it... but not one of them did. They were not set to withhold torpedo fire either... I made sure of that.

So.. is there a particular trick to make sure they fire their torpedoes when they have  good opportunity to do so?

This was an early engagement at about 1904 if that makes any difference?

[aeson]

Early torpedoes are kind of garbage - they're slow, short range (especially on the "high speed" setting), and not very powerful. Additionally, the destroyer AI is fairly conservative with its use of torpedoes when it doesn't have that many (less than six, at least in RTW) so, especially with early AI-designed DDs carrying two to four torpedoes each, it often waits for very high probability shots rather than risking a launch against a target that it wasn't that likely to hit. If you want to get use out of destroyer-launched torpedoes early on, I'd suggest manually designing a destroyer with at least six tubes. Doesn't need to be very fast early on - 25 or 26 knots is good enough for a torpedo boat in the early stages of the game - and you might have to sacrifice the gun armament, but at least in RTW an early-game six-tube destroyer usually made for an adequate torpedo boat in the early game.

Also, the best launching position is ahead of the target about 45 degrees off the bow running roughly parallel to the target so that your torpedoes can run perpendicular to your course into the target's broadside. Cutting across the target's bow isn't as good because it means your target profile is much finer and is therefore much harder to hit, and the target can avoid your torpedoes with a less drastic maneuver.

[orkel]

Also, the AI tends to change its course the very moment you change yours, so keeping your DDs moving in a straight line after they launch their torps is a good idea. If you launch the torps and then immediately turn your DDs away, the AI reacts instantly and all your torps miss.

[jorgencab]

Ah... Ok... these Destroyers were pretty small ones about 300t and carried only two torpedoes each. Since it was only a CL they probably did not want to waste them. Problem was it was pretty much the only target in the scenario, so no need to wait. And it was as perfect an opportunity to fire them. I have seen them fire against CL before through, even small corvettes at times.