I recently read Max Hastings' Operation Pedestal, which is an account of the British convoy that ultimately saved Malta from starvation and consequent capitulation in the summer of '42 and I have some thoughts on the rather lackluster state of naval combat in HOI4:
1) the role of air power: playing as a major naval power in HOI4, one thing is abundantly clear. The game simply does not make naval aviation important enough in single player. The AI does not prioritize land-based naval bombers, and those aircraft are not dangerous enough. Operating in range of land-based naval bombers without modern fighter aircraft cover was basically suicide. While naval AA was helpful in dissuading torpedo bombers from making the most daring attacks, it was much less effective at dealing with dive bombers. Regardless of the aircraft type, all it takes is a single bomber getting a single good hit to lose a ship.
2) Torpedo damage. Torpedoes don't feel very powerful in HOI4. A single hit from a torpedo, whether delivered by air, destroyer or submarine, could sink or incapacitate even the largest of warship in WW2.
3) Screening is handled strangely. Screening destroyers existed to protect larger, slower ships (carriers, battleships, heavy cruiser, light cruisers) from torpedo attack. In order to fulfil this role adequately, they needed to be able to detect submarines. Screens without sonar should be basically useless against submarines.
4)Heavy cruisers and "light cruisers". It is well known that the distinction between these two classes is handled clumsily in-game. Even "light cruisers" were more often than not ships that needed to be protected by destroyers against other destroyers, torpedo boats and submarines. Light cruisers could potentially assist in screening carriers or battleships, but they themselves needed protection against faster, smaller vessels and submarines. I suggest getting rid of the capital/screen distinction altogether and replacing it with a more coherent target priority system. Subs would always go for the most valuable target. Smaller ships on defense would try to position themselves to defend the most valuable targets. Different ships would provide different stats to protect the fleet. So a destroyer could protect a light cruiser from submarine attack, for example. A light cruiser could provide additional AA cover for a carrier. A carrier would provide air cover for the entire fleet, etc.
5) AI submarines only ever attack convoys in HOI4. This is related to the above points. Basically, screening destroyers without sonar should have a very low chance of detecting submarines. Those submarines should prioritize the most valuable targets, have a high chance of passing through the screening line, and sinking large capital ships in a single shot. HOI4 players can safely ignore submarines in single player HOI4, while in real life they were mortally dangerous for even the largest ships.
6) Fleet size and positioning. The reason large fleets required large flagships was because of communications facilities onboard them ("heavy attack" was arguably far less important). Destroyers lacked the command and control facilities of cruisers, battleships and carriers. Without rooms full of telegraph operators, fleets could not coordinate ships positions. They would move much slower, not maintain effective formations (screening and positioning) and be unable to be in the right place at the right time. This is represented by fire control to some degree, but without at least a light cruiser present, fleets larger than 10-15 ships should be completely ineffective in-game.
Side note: I highly recommend Operation Pedestal by Max Hastings. It's a thrilling read and gives a detailed sense of the realities of early-mid war naval combat in the HOI4 period. This time period is very relevant for gameplay, as the balance of naval power is largely determined by late 1942.
1) the role of air power: playing as a major naval power in HOI4, one thing is abundantly clear. The game simply does not make naval aviation important enough in single player. The AI does not prioritize land-based naval bombers, and those aircraft are not dangerous enough. Operating in range of land-based naval bombers without modern fighter aircraft cover was basically suicide. While naval AA was helpful in dissuading torpedo bombers from making the most daring attacks, it was much less effective at dealing with dive bombers. Regardless of the aircraft type, all it takes is a single bomber getting a single good hit to lose a ship.
2) Torpedo damage. Torpedoes don't feel very powerful in HOI4. A single hit from a torpedo, whether delivered by air, destroyer or submarine, could sink or incapacitate even the largest of warship in WW2.
3) Screening is handled strangely. Screening destroyers existed to protect larger, slower ships (carriers, battleships, heavy cruiser, light cruisers) from torpedo attack. In order to fulfil this role adequately, they needed to be able to detect submarines. Screens without sonar should be basically useless against submarines.
4)Heavy cruisers and "light cruisers". It is well known that the distinction between these two classes is handled clumsily in-game. Even "light cruisers" were more often than not ships that needed to be protected by destroyers against other destroyers, torpedo boats and submarines. Light cruisers could potentially assist in screening carriers or battleships, but they themselves needed protection against faster, smaller vessels and submarines. I suggest getting rid of the capital/screen distinction altogether and replacing it with a more coherent target priority system. Subs would always go for the most valuable target. Smaller ships on defense would try to position themselves to defend the most valuable targets. Different ships would provide different stats to protect the fleet. So a destroyer could protect a light cruiser from submarine attack, for example. A light cruiser could provide additional AA cover for a carrier. A carrier would provide air cover for the entire fleet, etc.
5) AI submarines only ever attack convoys in HOI4. This is related to the above points. Basically, screening destroyers without sonar should have a very low chance of detecting submarines. Those submarines should prioritize the most valuable targets, have a high chance of passing through the screening line, and sinking large capital ships in a single shot. HOI4 players can safely ignore submarines in single player HOI4, while in real life they were mortally dangerous for even the largest ships.
6) Fleet size and positioning. The reason large fleets required large flagships was because of communications facilities onboard them ("heavy attack" was arguably far less important). Destroyers lacked the command and control facilities of cruisers, battleships and carriers. Without rooms full of telegraph operators, fleets could not coordinate ships positions. They would move much slower, not maintain effective formations (screening and positioning) and be unable to be in the right place at the right time. This is represented by fire control to some degree, but without at least a light cruiser present, fleets larger than 10-15 ships should be completely ineffective in-game.
Side note: I highly recommend Operation Pedestal by Max Hastings. It's a thrilling read and gives a detailed sense of the realities of early-mid war naval combat in the HOI4 period. This time period is very relevant for gameplay, as the balance of naval power is largely determined by late 1942.
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