Quote:
Originally Posted by alexsmith
But at this point one may realise that playing DG over and over again make almost no difference to gameplay! Russians can't fight with major IJN forces until second fleet arrives, Japanese can't catch Russian's until they lost PA - that's it! No chance Russian's can beat Togo, no chance Togo can beat united Russian fleet.
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This isn't true.
As the Russians, it's perfectly possible to destroy or at least maim Togo with 1PacRon. Double Whisky over at Gamesquad does this a lot. Once he thinks he's weakened the Port Arthur blockade sufficiently, he goes on a Togo hunt with 1PacRon and the Vlad cruisers, and usually not only ruins Togo but isn't hurt that badly himself. He explains how he does this in detail in several threads. Besides, if he loses the battle, he's got another chance with 2PacRon against a weakened Togo.
From his POV, this is an acceptable risk because he knows how to cause and fight the battle to his advantage. He isn't looking for mutual destruction but a decisive win while preserving the bulk of his force. He considers that removing Togo makes life easier for his cruisers.
I prefer not to do things this because I see it as riskier than he does. So I'm content to wait until 2PacRon shows up, just using 1PacRon to weaken the blockade and trying to keep the IJN from mining the Port Arthur area too much. I think I have better odds with 2 fleets than one, so why not wait? But I also consider my limited use of 1PacRon as making life easier for my cruisers.
It's quite possible to win the game either way, just as it is to win the game without using 1PacRon at all. However, both of the above strategies are less risky than keeping 1PacRon in port. You can't count on your cruisers always getting through the blockade either way, and they sometimes run into Togo at night and get blown to bits before they can escape. If those things happen early in the game, which is quite possible, you're not going to win without using 1PacRon. And 1PacRon can't do anything until Togo is dead.
So, you have several options. It all comes down to what you want to do. There's nothing stopping you from seeking battle with just 1PacRon, just like there's nothing forcing you to take them to sea. You don't have to do the same thing over and over.
Now, as the Japanese, it's also possible to lure 1PacRon out of Porth Arthur and kill them. You just have to be sneaky about it because they won't come out unless they think they have a chance to win. If you show up at their doorstep with the whole IJN, they'll stay in bed. Thus, you have to lure them into a trap with a weak, but still important force, dragging them too far from home to escape before the IJN BBs catch up with them. It's a good idea to do this as soon as possible, so you have the most time to repair before 2PacRon shows up.