Scuttle, abandon or surrender options

[broadsides]

I feel that too often the game has ships pounding a sinking ship for too long after the ship would have scuttled or 'struck colors' to allow the crew to tend wounded or fight fires.  Perhaps for AI ships as damage increases and speed/working guns with ammo drops a percentage chance would have result in such an event.  Scuttled and abandoned ships would still count as sunk for -10% VP, while a surrendered (a rare percentage) would give +10% VP.  All the while saving ammo for the other side in unneeded bombardment.  Ship survivor amounts could increase with VP effects.  Human players could be given the options and cost the AI VP in scuttling over being sunk by action with an increase in surviving crews and VP for humane considerations.  Battles off the coast of neutral countries could give a player or AI the option to enter a port and be 'Interned' for the length of the war.

[thorthemighty]

I actually like this option, it does make sense since a lot of times ships were scuttled due to damage.

[rimbecano]

I think part of the issue is that it's more common than it was historically for one side to remain in the area that a ship on the other side is sinking in. The only similar case I can think of is the last action of the Bismarck, in which case she did take quite a pounding before going down.

I'm not sure about having surrender as an option. The last time it ever happened was Tsushima, which is in the period of the game, but fairly early on. I suppose Tsushima does also give an example of a ship (a whole fleet, really) being pounded into scrap by an enemy that remained on scene.

[wlbjork]

Bismarck should have struck the flag after 23 mins of fire - by this time she had been silenced (i.e. incapable of further resistance). However, she most likely didn't due to the loss of the bridge crew - as it was, it took another 50 minutes for the "abandon ship" order to be given.

[potrero]

Jul 26, 2020 19:02:34 GMT -6 wlbjork said:

Bismarck should have struck the flag after 23 mins of fire - by this time she had been silenced (i.e. incapable of further resistance). However, she most likely didn't due to the loss of the bridge crew - as it was, it took another 50 minutes for the "abandon ship" order to be given.

Pretty hard to strike colors when nobody could possible reach the mast alive and/or the mast has been shot away.

[thorthemighty]

Well, in a Night Battle. For surrendering, you could turn on your searchlight then point it straight up.