Fleet Size increase + effectiveness of early Sam and ssm

[serenity]

How do I make the fleet size larger, like 12 or 14?

Also, how effective are the early missile types? Are they worthwhile?

[flamedraken]

I can't really say much on larger fleet sizes, haven't really messed with that area of the game. Missiles, I can give some commentary on.

Only the Medium SAM is available for ships in an unmodded game. There is a way to get the other missile systems unlocked and is in the forum somewhere.

SAMs are essentially a longer ranged HAA, engaging enemy air before anything else. They are also fired on a per ship basis, not combined like HAA. A single ship with a SAM system will take down aircraft, however she will still be able to be sunk. One final note, SAMs appear to have unlimited ammo.

Having said that, SAMs are a game changer when mass deployed and make any fleet a hard nut to crack without sacrificing a large number of aircraft for a few bomb or torpedo hits. I've had near total wipes of incoming squadrons by the combined SAM coverage of a fleet. Destroyers can generally carry one launcher without sacrificing too much in other equipment. Cruisers can carry a single twin launcher by sacrificing a main gun turret in most cases, sometimes two launchers can be shoe-horned in with enough tinkering on larger Heavy Cruisers. Battleships can carry two twin launchers with relative ease. SAMs also are essential on any carriers I build at this point.

Modding to add light and heavy SAMs does increase the number of effective SAMs you can have on any cruiser or larger ship. The limit of two controlled launchers is for each type and the light SAMs can be mounted off the centerline, unlike the Medium and heavy versions. On a tonnage basis, one heavy SAM launcher can be replaced with a twin medium launcher or two light twin launchers. Design wise, I tend to mount light SAMs on destroyers, leaving medium SAMs to the cruisers and capital ships. Heavy SAM are reserved almost exclusively for super battleships/cruisers and supercarriers. They are too heavy to be practical on anything else.

On SSMs, they are not in the default game. They were still in testing as of the last patch and the code for them is in the game for anyone to mod in. They are similar to above-water torpedo tubes in that they carry a limited number of missiles (I'm not sure if it is just the number in the launcher itself or if there is one reload available).

Modded in, SSM missiles are also a major game changer (also they are a broken mechanic in that SSM are not balanced at all by being 10-20 tons each for the heaviest SSM launchers). SSMs can be fired at radar contacts beyond the range of capital ship guns, giving all ship classes a chance to deal damage before the main battle. These are not one-hit kill weapons though, you will need to have guns on your ships, even destroyers can take 2-3 hits from the heavy SSMs before sinking. Battleships and battlecruisers can soak 5-10 missiles hits before going down, taking fewer missiles to burn a capital ship to the waterline than high caliber shells to sink the same ships. Cruisers may take just as many missile strikes and keep going or they may sink as well. Get a fleet in range of a carrier force even briefly and one or two missiles may start a chain reaction of fires on the carrier deck that is hard to recover from.

I tend to mount as many SSM launchers as possible on all my ships once they are available. In fleet battles I try to keep the enemy on one side of the formation till all missiles on that side are exhausted and then close range. I use the other broadside's missiles to engage any separate formations that the enemy may bring. The initial strikes tend to disrupt the enemy fleet and, depending on the size of my fleet, leave one or two capital ships crippled or sinking.

Overall, treat SAMs as a must have for any engagements near enemy land bases or carrier forces and use SSMs as something to soften the enemy before and during battle.



One final note, this all applies to RTW2 and not RTW 3. Light and Medium SAMs appear to only be used for self-protection and the heavy SSMs are said to be one-shots in battle. The other SSMs are implied to be able to be magazine fed and I'm not sure if SAMs will have a limited magazine as well.