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PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:41 am
by moose1999
I've had 7 major PT boat attacks since the patch and in all of them the PT boat TFs evaded combat.
The TFs were all set on direct route, absolute threat tolerance level, 1 reaction and with very good, very aggressive commanders.
All attacks were against warships, all in ocean hexes (adjacent to coast hexes) and all in reasonable weather (no storms).
Only 2 of them were daytime attacks.

So I guess the PT boats don't rule the waves post-patch...

I don't mind the changes, the PTs were overpowered pre-patch, but one time I caught two CVs and 3 destroyers near Darwin with a force of 13 PT boats in the middle of a calm night.
I sure would have liked to see them at least take a swing at the underescorted carriers...!
But they instantly evaded combat and a golden opportunity was missed.
Another time I caught two BBs, 1 CA and 2 destroyers off Pearl (what on earth were they doing there...! Well, for one thing, sinking an Air-transport TF of mine with 4 Catalina squadrons [:@] !). Night-time, 80% moonlight. Again not as much as a token effort from the PTs - they ran away immediately.

Anybody else seen similar drastic changes with PT boats?
Or am I just on a bad roll...

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:51 am
by Kull
ORIGINAL: briny_norman

All attacks were against warships, all in ocean hexes (adjacent to coast hexes) and all in reasonable weather (no storms).

See if you get similar results taking on Transport TFs in shallow/coastal hexes.

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:58 am
by moose1999
Yeah, I would expect to have better results against soft targets.
But I haven't had one of these yet, unfortunately.
But it seems like attacks on warship-heavy TFs are pretty much gone post-patch.

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:23 am
by John Lansford
Against fast warships PT boats will  have trouble getting into position to attack.  Vs transports, though, they are still very effective.  I've had similar results as you have when encountering combat TF's, but if you send them after unloading transports or those in a harbor you'll get better results.

BTW, why were you shipping PBY's anywhere?  They can fly to just about any base on the map by themselves!

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:30 am
by tigercub
Good so its fixed!

Tiger!

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:33 am
by medicff
PT boats are less of impact now. Still can use them but usually wont encounter warships or transports with heavy escort now even at night. I have had some success in encounters vs light warships/escorts of DD or smaller with some sinkings, not near as many though.

I also lose more PT's than before to combat during the encounter.

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:36 am
by moose1999
ORIGINAL: John Lansford

BTW, why were you shipping PBY's anywhere?  They can fly to just about any base on the map by themselves!
They were from Kodiak.
I couldn't see any other way to get them to the South Pacific where they were sorely needed.
Just wanted to get them to Pearl and then let them island-jump from there.
But then these two idiot BBs show up and ruin everything.

This is the last time I put all my eggs in one TF, though. [:)]

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 11:35 am
by Q-Ball
Excellent! I consider this fixed then. PT boats IRL didn't do much against IJN warships.

Against transports, barges, etc, though they were effective, and if that's the same in AE, kudos

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 11:46 am
by John Lansford
ORIGINAL: briny_norman

ORIGINAL: John Lansford

BTW, why were you shipping PBY's anywhere?  They can fly to just about any base on the map by themselves!
They were from Kodiak.
I couldn't see any other way to get them to the South Pacific where they were sorely needed.
Just wanted to get them to Pearl and then let them island-jump from there.
But then these two idiot BBs show up and ruin everything.

This is the last time I put all my eggs in one TF, though. [:)]

Hmmm, Kodiak to Anchorage to Seattle to SF to Pearl is still faster than loading them in a ship and sending it to Pearl. I rarely, if ever, put my PBY's on a ship; their range is just too great to need that.

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 11:54 am
by crsutton
Seems fine to me...

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 12:38 pm
by SuluSea
PTs seem just about right right now. Good to see this was patched up.

I can't remember the book because I sold it but I read in the Solomons some skippers would use ash cans and roll them off the back just incase a DD got on their heels. I know it doesn't pertain to this game but just thought I'd share a note on just how resourceful these guys were.

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:51 pm
by FOW
ORIGINAL: briny_norman

They were from Kodiak.
I couldn't see any other way to get them to the South Pacific where they were sorely needed.
Just wanted to get them to Pearl and then let them island-jump from there.
But then these two idiot BBs show up and ruin everything.

This is the last time I put all my eggs in one TF, though. [:)]

There is away.
You can now 'disband' PT Boats back to the pool. Several days (more likely a week) later they appear in the pool so you can recreate them elsewhere.
Rather than sail my PH ones to SOPAC I returned them to the pool and then later recreated them at PagoPago (had to have shipped sufficient supplies there first of course).

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:57 pm
by medicff
ORIGINAL: FOW

ORIGINAL: briny_norman

They were from Kodiak.
I couldn't see any other way to get them to the South Pacific where they were sorely needed.
Just wanted to get them to Pearl and then let them island-jump from there.
But then these two idiot BBs show up and ruin everything.

This is the last time I put all my eggs in one TF, though. [:)]



There is away.
You can now 'disband' PT Boats back to the pool. Several days (more likely a week) later they appear in the pool so you can recreate them elsewhere.
Rather than sail my PH ones to SOPAC I returned them to the pool and then later recreated them at PagoPago (had to have shipped sufficient supplies there first of course).

Ok I have look at screen to check for disband but never can find it. What are the requirements to disband back into pool?

thanks


RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 5:03 pm
by Nikademus
ORIGINAL: SuluSea

PTs seem just about right right now. Good to see this was patched up.

I can't remember the book because I sold it but I read in the Solomons some skippers would use ash cans and roll them off the back just incase a DD got on their heels. I know it doesn't pertain to this game but just thought I'd share a note on just how resourceful these guys were.

[:)]

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 5:33 pm
by FOW
ORIGINAL: medicff

Ok I have look at screen to check for disband but never can find it. What are the requirements to disband back into pool?

thanks

With PT Boats disbanded in port, select a PT from the list of active ships. On right side of ship display 2/3rds way down, between victory value and upgrade option is button to 'Return to pool'


Image

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 5:39 pm
by Fallschirmjager
Probably the biggest nerf is the .50 cal M2
They are worthless now. They penetrate but do next to no damage and do not start fires at all.
Even if your PT force catches a thin skinned vessel they hardly damage it since their MGs do nothing.

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 5:42 pm
by FOW
ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager

Probably the biggest nerf is the .50 cal M2
They are worthless now. They penetrate but do next to no damage and do not start fires at all.
Even if your PT force catches a thin skinned vessel they hardly damage it since their MGs do nothing.

You need to wait until they upgrade to include 20mm and 40mm guns.

I have noticed that my PTs even flee from porrly escorted AKs in base hexes at night [:(]

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 5:47 pm
by Fallschirmjager
ORIGINAL: FOW

ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager

Probably the biggest nerf is the .50 cal M2
They are worthless now. They penetrate but do next to no damage and do not start fires at all.
Even if your PT force catches a thin skinned vessel they hardly damage it since their MGs do nothing.

You need to wait until they upgrade to include 20mm and 40mm guns.

I have noticed that my PTs even flee from porrly escorted AKs in base hexes at night [:(]

A twin .50 mount would tear up the superstucture of a DD or transport pretty good if the distance was close and it could hit with long sustained bursts. The .50 cal is an extremly powerful bullet and the tracer ammunition would also probably start some fires.
I fear that the gun was probably nerfed a little too much in the patch.

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 5:56 pm
by 88l71
Yeah, PLEASE don't make the B-25 gun-ship version useless now...

RE: PT Boats are... not that awesome.

Posted: Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:55 pm
by Q-Ball
ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager

A twin .50 mount would tear up the superstucture of a DD or transport pretty good if the distance was close and it could hit with long sustained bursts. The .50 cal is an extremly powerful bullet and the tracer ammunition would also probably start some fires.
I fear that the gun was probably nerfed a little too much in the patch.

Maybe, but that's pretty dangerous pulling into .50 cal range of a DD, isn't it? I don't recall PT's IRL wrecking havoc with .50cals.

PT's should be able to bust barges still though, since that's one thing they were very good at IRL.