[2022] 8/30/22 - New Player Captain’s Log: Successful Operations

Greetings Captains,

Welcome to this week’s edition of the New Player Captain's Log! For those of you who aren't sure what this is or what it might do, feel free to check out the introductory post here.

With each topic I discuss, I also added a question at the end to see how y’all feel about things in comparison to how I feel. I just thought it would be an interesting way to get some discussion going!

Without further ado, let’s proceed with this week’s Log!

Accomplishments
Here’s a list of personal milestones that I hit during the week:

1. Updated my PTS Client and spent a lot of time in the PTS server
Focus Points of the Week
Here’s a list of the focus points for this week:

1. Play/experiment with the new operations and changes in the 0.11.8 PTS

For me, this week was very PVE-centric. I wanted to get into the PTS Server and test out the recent changes made to Operations as well as the three returning Operations that I had not had the privilege of trying out yet. For those that aren’t aware, those three operations are Hermes, Cherry Blossom and The Ultimate Frontier. As opposed to breaking it down by ships this week, I am going to break it down by each of these three new Operations, making sure to discuss my perception of the changes within these sections as well.

Hermes
Hermes was the first of the new Operations I got to try out in the PTS. For those unaware, the Scenario involves escorting French ships to safety while opposing German forces attempt to stop you. The previous player ship restrictions for this Operation were Tier VII and VIII French battleships and Tier VII French, British, and American cruisers only. Obviously, this restriction is no longer relevant now with the recent operation changes that allow players to take any ship from Tier VI-VIII into an operation. This is a change that I quite enjoy, as it allows me to customize my experience a little more towards ships and play styles that I prefer. That being said, I got WRECKED in my first try of Hermes. I took the Atlantico out, and because this was my first time, I ventured a little too far away from the herd. Suddenly, a Max Immelmann spawned and I was promptly mowed down. The solution here is obviously simple. I need to stay grouped up to bolster my AA defense. But it was interesting to see that the difficulty was definitely ramped up in the Tier VIII version of an Operation. I think this makes this PVE mode infinitely more interesting.

Question: Hermes seems to be susceptible to weather effects (from my understanding). Would you like to see more weather effects in Randoms? Why or why not?

Cherry Blossom
The second of the returning Operations I was able to experience was Cherry Blossom. This Scenario involves defending a shore-based unit from attacking forces. Upon first glance, this is likely my favorite of the returning operations. It seems to always take place at night, with flares/illumination bombs. You have incoming forces, but the main goal seems to be to take out aerodromes to succeed in your mission. I took in an Amagi this time, and that seemed to be an “ok” decision. As I stayed at medium-long range most of the time, I didn’t get in the fray as often as I would have liked. AA for the Amagi seemed to work decently well for this operation, but I did tend to stay near at least one other ship. I would be curious as to how effective taking a CV into Cherry Blossom would be, as I could focus fire on the aerodromes while my allies take out incoming ships. I’m not positive that would be the best strategy, but it’s something I might explore in the future.

Question: Which class of ship do you find is most effective in Cherry Blossom, and why?

Ultimate Frontier
The final of the three returning Operations that I got to experience was The Ultimate Frontier. This Scenario has the playing team defending the evacuation of another bot controlled ship. From my understanding, this Scenario sort of functions as a “horde mode.” Survive until the end, and you will be successful. For this go around, I took the North Carolina and that seemed to be somewhat successful. She is somewhat speedy/maneuverable (for a BB anyways), has solid enough armor and great range on her guns. This allowed me to position myself a bit strategically while still making somewhat of an impact. I will say that I was eventually overwhelmed and died, but it was more due to me getting greedy for a kill and overextending myself. I do appreciate the simplicity of this Operation, and I could easily see myself jumping into this with a division whenever I am in a mood to just destroy some boats.

Question: Between Operations that are based on survival/destruction and those that are based on completing more specific objectives, which do you prefer?

I think that about covers it this week! I want to remind everyone that the New Player Captain’s Log is also designed to be a place for new players to reply with their experiences or seek advice as well, so feel free to join in on the conversation below!

See you next week for some more New Player musings. Fair winds and following seas!

Greetings Captains,

Welcome to this week’s edition of the New Player Captain's Log! For those of you who aren't sure what this is or what it might do, feel free to check out the introductory post here.

With each topic I discuss, I also added a question at the end to see how y’all feel about things in comparison to how I feel. I just thought it would be an interesting way to get some discussion going!

Without further ado, let’s proceed with this week’s Log!

Accomplishments
Here’s a list of personal milestones that I hit during the week:

1. Updated my PTS Client and spent a lot of time in the PTS server
Focus Points of the Week
Here’s a list of the focus points for this week:

1. Play/experiment with the new operations and changes in the 0.11.8 PTS

For me, this week was very PVE-centric. I wanted to get into the PTS Server and test out the recent changes made to Operations as well as the three returning Operations that I had not had the privilege of trying out yet. For those that aren’t aware, those three operations are Hermes, Cherry Blossom and The Ultimate Frontier. As opposed to breaking it down by ships this week, I am going to break it down by each of these three new Operations, making sure to discuss my perception of the changes within these sections as well.

Hermes
Hermes was the first of the new Operations I got to try out in the PTS. For those unaware, the Scenario involves escorting French ships to safety while opposing German forces attempt to stop you. The previous player ship restrictions for this Operation were Tier VII and VIII French battleships and Tier VII French, British, and American cruisers only. Obviously, this restriction is no longer relevant now with the recent operation changes that allow players to take any ship from Tier VI-VIII into an operation. This is a change that I quite enjoy, as it allows me to customize my experience a little more towards ships and play styles that I prefer. That being said, I got WRECKED in my first try of Hermes. I took the Atlantico out, and because this was my first time, I ventured a little too far away from the herd. Suddenly, a Max Immelmann spawned and I was promptly mowed down. The solution here is obviously simple. I need to stay grouped up to bolster my AA defense. But it was interesting to see that the difficulty was definitely ramped up in the Tier VIII version of an Operation. I think this makes this PVE mode infinitely more interesting.

Question: Hermes seems to be susceptible to weather effects (from my understanding). Would you like to see more weather effects in Randoms? Why or why not?

Cherry Blossom
The second of the returning Operations I was able to experience was Cherry Blossom. This Scenario involves defending a shore-based unit from attacking forces. Upon first glance, this is likely my favorite of the returning operations. It seems to always take place at night, with flares/illumination bombs. You have incoming forces, but the main goal seems to be to take out aerodromes to succeed in your mission. I took in an Amagi this time, and that seemed to be an “ok” decision. As I stayed at medium-long range most of the time, I didn’t get in the fray as often as I would have liked. AA for the Amagi seemed to work decently well for this operation, but I did tend to stay near at least one other ship. I would be curious as to how effective taking a CV into Cherry Blossom would be, as I could focus fire on the aerodromes while my allies take out incoming ships. I’m not positive that would be the best strategy, but it’s something I might explore in the future.

Question: Which class of ship do you find is most effective in Cherry Blossom, and why?

Ultimate Frontier
The final of the three returning Operations that I got to experience was The Ultimate Frontier. This Scenario has the playing team defending the evacuation of another bot controlled ship. From my understanding, this Scenario sort of functions as a “horde mode.” Survive until the end, and you will be successful. For this go around, I took the North Carolina and that seemed to be somewhat successful. She is somewhat speedy/maneuverable (for a BB anyways), has solid enough armor and great range on her guns. This allowed me to position myself a bit strategically while still making somewhat of an impact. I will say that I was eventually overwhelmed and died, but it was more due to me getting greedy for a kill and overextending myself. I do appreciate the simplicity of this Operation, and I could easily see myself jumping into this with a division whenever I am in a mood to just destroy some boats.

Question: Between Operations that are based on survival/destruction and those that are based on completing more specific objectives, which do you prefer?

I think that about covers it this week! I want to remind everyone that the New Player Captain’s Log is also designed to be a place for new players to reply with their experiences or seek advice as well, so feel free to join in on the conversation below!

See you next week for some more New Player musings. Fair winds and following seas!