Escorts are dumb

Originally Posted by topper6

I'm wondering if there is an ammo limit on the destroyers or do they have an infinite amount of depth charges? Can you sit them out waiting for them to deplete their ammo and then engage them? Do they call for reinforcements if they run out of ammo (if they can run out of ammo)?

yes they do have ammo limits and when out of ammo they still make runs at you as normal but they dont drop anything. the ammo is restored to full capacity if you reload the game like from a save or if you get out of contact range then reconnect such as if you run ahead of convoy on the surface to re-engage them again.

i think they do get assistance sent to them if there is any around but i think thats done normally and has nothing to do with ammo but im not 100% sure on that.

often what is thought to be stupid actions by DD is them following the orders they were given which were designed to keep you "low and slow" giving the convoys time to escape. they are primary there to get the convoy out safely and not to sink you because you are discovered. search and destroy isnt the primary job of escorts, evasion and maximum survival of the convoy is.

[Zanarkin]

Thanks for explaining what I saw as dumb AI. It did cross my mind about depleted ammo or chasing me away as their primary goal and not sinking me but I figured that was 'too smart' of the AI lol.

Now, them crashing into each other and sometimes literally sinking each other trying to swarm up and depth charge me...that is dumb but even that has been known to happen based on some historic attack report military documents I've read (cross fire and such) but I don't think the AI was programmed to historically correct collide with each other because they all want to do a depth charge run at the same time lol.

I will say that they do chase me off but mostly because I got what I came for - not because they intimidated me.

I've had one of two things play out when I attack a merchant:

1. One escort is dispatched to handle me as the others remain with the convoy. I can take on one escort and torpedo it at point blank range as it proceeds a depth charge/ram my scope attack run. Once it's sunk, another escort is dispatched as the others remain with the convoy. Rinse repeat until every escort is sunk and the merchants are a shooting gallery for my deck gun unopposed.

2. Every single warship is dispatched and it's a cluster fudge of merchants swerving to avoid them as they flank to my position. I see up to a dozen warships bearing down on me and quickly dive deep and run silent and watch with the external cam as they hit each other, reverse the engines with collision alarms sounding, playing bumper cars with each other as I sing "Trollololllooollollolllollololol" as I pudder along to safety. Usually my map reflects at least one grey sunk icon indicating one of the warships was sunk by their own guys.

the game has issue coordinating ships and they have sort of a remote AI of each ship on their own to try and act and react as individuals so thats why they tend to run over each other, they have no concept of waiting their turn and such.

also on occassion when you attack a task force you may get a light cruiser join the DDs making passes at you like they are DD or something but they are the only warship i have seen with that glitch