Closed the Deal on Wisconsin… “Napkin Analysis”

[Utt_Bugglier]

Threw down the doubloons to buy the final two stages of Wisconsin. (Two because of small starter pack and also owning WV44)

I want to like every ship I get, but I’m not sure That will happen with Wisconsin; it’s funny button requires you to jettison your stealth/concealment with regularity, which seems like a lot to give up in order use this feature. Further , the secondaries combined with the FB, invite brawling for a ship whose armor configuration  isn’t made for brawling. In short, the Wisconsin has to be played against sound battleship practice in order to activate the main attribute that brings it up to T10 standards.

That, the above one paragraph in bold, is a “napkin analysis” - for anyone interested. 

In more detail:

I took it out in three co-op shakedowns, and I have yet to be impressed, but I think co-op inherently is a poor match for this ship. (Sorry @Ensign Cthulhu and @AdmiralThunder and all Co-op mains out there) (Admiral, I know you got your Wisconsin earlier; I would be glad to hear your, and others’, opinion(s), be they similar or to the contrary.)

It’s a gimmick (Funny Button) ship, but its gimmick is gimmicked: you have to rack up main battery hits to “pump up” the Funny Button, and, you have to keep pumping it up, or it deflates on you. Most modern battleship in history, but you have to go around like an 1820s blacksmith periodically pumping the bellows to keep the fire hot.

The Wiki sez you can get six percent of a charge per main battery shell hit. That’s 17 shells landed. That’s a 94.4% hit rate over two full salvos to achieve a full charge, 63% over three, 47% over four. And that’s full 9-shell salvos, leaving your fantail exposed risking you get penetrated against your will.  If you practice “safe naval artillery” and use the fronts only, your salvo count to reach 17 hits will go up correspondingly.

In three co-ops, I got the Funny Button activated precisely once before battle end. And I didn’t get to enjoy it as such, because the battle was over before it could load the second “F(unny)-ing” round. Even the post-battle cooldown window closed before it could do its f(unny)-ing thing. So, in terms of how fast it does its thing, it behaves much more like an MBRB than the funny buttons we’ve come to know and “love.” Obviously, from my limited actual use of the thing, I couldn’t tell two important things:

1. Whether or not FB use on Wisconsin incurs a reload time penalty after the second round is fired

2. Whether or not, upon getting the FB fully activated it stays at 100%, or if it starts going flaccid again to require constant pumping up.

Aside from co-op game being so short that one may or may not get even one full charge for the button, I foresee lots of times in randoms, ranked, etc, where battle circumstances will result in the button losing charge, and for some users needless death because they’re forcing fire to activate the button when battle circumstances dictate going dark would be wiser.

And then the other benefits of the button: 80% reduction in cooldown consumable time while the action time of the button (20sec) is in effect?I like it in theory, but if you have a couple of fires, and maybe even a flooding going on, going dark if possible might be the better tactic than lighting yourself up to get an 80% cooldown time reduction to kick in.

After that, what else does it bring to the table? It has:

1. A standalone Defensive AA Fire consumable. Nice, but 

2. 81,000 and change in health point. A welcome addition, but unless the Wisconsin’s armor has meaningful improvements over that of its Missouri and Iowa sisters, it’s not enough to be T10-worthy.

3. Improved secondaries over Iowa/Missouri, but I did find myself repeatedly checking them to see if they were really on. I used the stock 10-point captain it came with, and committed no upgrade slots, so more testing is needed  with using my Georgia//Mass & WV44 captains to see what Wisconsin’s secondaries can do.

The FB affects the decision-making calculus that goes in to deciding what to do with the last upgrade slot: The module that increases reload speed by 12% should give you 12% more hits over time, but the 11% dispersion reduction given by Artillery Plotting Room 2 may not give you that same gain.

Further, the reload upgrade gives a 13% turret traverse rate penalty, further impairing brawling effectiveness. So essentially between the way the F(unn)-ing Button works and the secondaries, the design of the Wisconsin is an invitation to blow concealment and to get into brawling range with a ship not otherwise designed for brawling.

I like thinking up nicknames for things. In this case, not so much the ship as a whole, but for its Funny Button. And there are choices available. It seems the Wisconsin needs foreplay to get its button ready for action. It starts out as a

1) Flaccid Bon -errrr, Button, yeah, button - that needs to be exercised before it becomes a 

2) raging Firm Bon -errrr, Button, yeah, button - ready to achieve extra penetration and explosion inside enemy citadels and provide the satisfaction WG is leading people to expect. If actual gameplay necessities result in too much buttonus interruptus, it will end up being regarded as

3) just another F(unn)-ing Button.

And if you don’t know it yet, secondary hits aren’t going to help your Flaccid Button achive any progress toward going booii-ooii-ooii-oing.

As much as I want the WoWs Wisconsin to live up to the legacy of “Big Whiskey,” I have concerns it’s just going to be a big cheese instead.

Edited May 29 by Utt_Bugglier
Typos & proofreading - it’s always typos & proofreading.

[MidnightPhoenix07]

39 minutes ago, Utt_Bugglier said:

Obviously, from my limited actual use of the thing, I couldn’t tell two important things:

1. Whether or not FB use on Wisconsin incurs a reload time penalty after the second round is fired

It does not. That’s a burst fire specific thing. Wisconsin’s CI reload bonus functions more or less like the reload booster on Jean Bart and Bourgogne. Plus the consumable cooldown reduction, but it has to build up like other CIs instead of being a consumable.

43 minutes ago, Utt_Bugglier said:

2. Whether or not, upon getting the FB fully activated it stays at 100%, or if it starts going flaccid again to require constant pumping up.

Once you reach 100%, it stays full until you use it. Just like any other combat instruction (like some of the super ships, or the Pan American cruisers). 

53 minutes ago, Utt_Bugglier said:

3. Improved secondaries over Iowa/Missouri, but I did find myself repeatedly checking them to see if they were really on. I used the stock 10-point captain it came with, and committed no upgrade slots, so more testing is needed  with using my Georgia//Mass & WV44 captains to see what Wisconsin’s secondaries can do.

They’re “better” than Iowa/Missouri, because it’s a Tier X. Wisconsin has normal secondaries, the same as Montana but with worse reload (so lower potential DPM and much worse fire starting potential). They might be useful if you wanted to make a brawls/co-op build for the main battery reload reduction from TGG, but that’s about it. Wisconsin’s not a brawler. 

[majmac]

It seems like this ship is best suited to Randoms.

[Aethervox]

6 hours ago, Utt_Bugglier said:

it’s gimmick is gimmicked

Why do players still dump doubloons or swallow the continuing barf that issues from Wedgie? Haven't most learnt by now? Maybe not ... 😒.

[Rollingonit]

After a week, got a few more games under the belt.

My "napkin analysis". Gudbote. Not OP. Excellent gunnery. Bit squishy like all her Iowa class sisters.

Edit: Using my Main battery/survival capt I use on my mainline USN BBs. Have not tried secondary, I didnt think she was meant for that configuration. But I suppose COOP, anything bots, may as well.

Is she worth the grind + dubs. I think so. But then again I havent grinded for any event ship since like 2021, so Idk.

Edited May 29 by Rollingonit

[AdmiralThunder]

8 hours ago, Utt_Bugglier said:

I took it out in three co-op shakedowns, and I have yet to be impressed, but I think co-op inherently is a poor match for this ship. (Sorry @Ensign Cthulhu and @AdmiralThunder and all Co-op mains out there) (Admiral, I know you got your Wisconsin earlier; I would be glad to hear your, and others’, opinion(s), be they similar or to the contrary.)

It's ok. Pretty much what you would expect from an Iowa/Missouri. I only have a few games in it (all Co-op) but avg damage is right where Missouri is for me which I have a ton of games in. It's better than Iowa for me by a bit but that is mainly because I played 95%+ of my Iowa games a LONG time ago when I wasn't as good and the bots where a LOT better.

Pretty much it's a more accurate Iowa/Missouri at T10. Citadel is a bit better protected (but not invulnerable) so it is a little more survivable than Iowa/Missouri.

I like it and find it one of the better dockyard ships (upper group) but in no way is this ship OP or even upper echelon. But it is good and glad I got it.

[BOBTHEBALL]

6 hours ago, majmac said:

It seems like this ship is best suited to Randoms.

Yeah 100%

[Jakeshuffle]

7 hours ago, Aethervox said:

Why do players still dump doubloons or swallow the continuing barf that issues from Wedgie? Haven't most learnt by now? Maybe not ... 😒.

Why did I spend doubloons? Because I wanted to.

[Ensign Cthulhu]

14 hours ago, Utt_Bugglier said:

It seems the Wisconsin needs foreplay to get its button ready for action. It starts out as a

1) Flaccid Bon -errrr, Button, yeah, button - that needs to be exercised before it becomes a 

2) raging Firm Bon -errrr, Button, yeah, button - ready to achieve extra penetration and explosion inside enemy citadels and provide the satisfaction WG is leading people to expect. If actual gameplay necessities result in too much buttonus interruptus, it will end up being regarded as

3) just another F(unn)-ing Button.

"Grasshopper, your mind is clouded by too many earthly concerns."

The earthly concerns:

 

[Wolfswetpaws]

19 minutes ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

14 hours ago, Utt_Bugglier said:

It seems the Wisconsin needs foreplay to get its button ready for action. It starts out as a

1) Flaccid Bon -errrr, Button, yeah, button - that needs to be exercised before it becomes a 

2) raging Firm Bon -errrr, Button, yeah, button - ready to achieve extra penetration and explosion inside enemy citadels and provide the satisfaction WG is leading people to expect. If actual gameplay necessities result in too much buttonus interruptus, it will end up being regarded as

3) just another F(unn)-ing Button.

"Grasshopper, your mind is clouded by too many earthly concerns."

The earthly concerns:

 

Everyone remembers that the Wisconsin is considered to be female and thus a "she", right @Utt_Bugglier ?

[Utt_Bugglier]

1 hour ago, Wolfswetpaws said:

Everyone remembers that the Wisconsin is considered to be female and thus a "she", right @Utt_Bugglier ?

Yyyyessss, but guns and shells have always been considered male because they are, to be delicate, and coin a term, uhhhh, “phallible.”

WG’s official stance, in the particular case of torpedoes, agrees, and was documented in a music video of a few years ago.

[Utt_Bugglier]

1 hour ago, Ensign Cthulhu said:

"Grasshopper, your mind is clouded by too many earthly concerns."

The earthly concerns:

To risk the pun and double entendrés: “Hardly.”

WG just tosses out too many softballs for a naturally comic mind to pass up.

 

[mashed68]

14 hours ago, Aethervox said:

Why do players still dump doubloons 

Because WG continues to give me free doubloons from ranked battles. to use. 

[palestreamer]

My first and only random game in it I got a dreadnought from using the "funny" button three times.

Note it can speed up several things at once: reload, stop a fire burning, heal. I believe it stays "erect" once you have it, and doesn't go "flaccid", and need to be restimulated by any earthly concerns.

Not a brawler, feels more like a long range gunner like Yamato, with the best dispersion I have seen in the game. Will be best to park beside an island so you can't be hit from that side, while you blast away to the other side. Or do a Des Moines-like lurk behind an island thing and blast forward.

I also like that it has a 50% credit premium bonus. Hard to make money at T10.

Did I mention the fantastic dispersion?

Edited May 29 by palestreamer
more info

[Colonel Potter]

Played 2 Random games in mine, both losses of course (lol), but did great damage. Like with any ship, it has limitations, but from my 2 games, I say it's a pretty darn good ship. I actually like the Wisconsin, which surprises me because I really don't like any of the Iowa class BBs. The guns are great, great dispersion, and almost seem like rail guns. Plus, it has a 27km firing range, so use it combined with the great dispersion and you will do well.

(I was using the red credit boosters in these screenshots to complete the credits dockyard mission.)

Game 1.

Game 2.

Edited May 29 by Colonel Potter

[Wrath_of_Deadguy]

I've only had mine out a few times, but here are a few half-baked musings from a Co-op main:

The utility of the Funny Button depends on how early you start landing hits, and how consistently you keep landing them afterwards. It will therefore either be better than a conventional MBRB consumable, or worse, depending on how hard RNG trolls you and on your own performance. In my first game with Wisconsin, I didn't get a chance to use it at all; I'd specced into reload, and RNG trolled me. The next time out, I re-specced for accuracy and I was able to use it twice. Subjective opinion? APR2 is the better option compared to MBM3. More salvos won't get your Funny Button charged faster if RNG is feeling uncharitable, so just take as much RNG out of the equation as possible. Since we're talking about Co-op, CQC and a partial secondary spec make a perfectly adequate substitute for MBM3 anyway.

The potential for gaming the Funny Button's mechanics by stacking reload and accuracy buffs in different combinations is very high, since it's tied to shell hits; the ship has extremely good accuracy, and the activation hit threshold is fairly low, so it's possible (even though not guaranteed) to generate a charge in as few as 2 salvos (especially at close range- which you will be, in Co-op)... for comparison, the fastest MBRB cooldown timer I'm aware of on a BB is Hyuga's, at 60s, and that's a limited-use consumable. Yes, there's always going to be a bit of randomness to how often you get to use the Funny Button vs. a conventional MBRB... but it is at least potentially much more powerful, and it only gets more powerful the better you're doing in the ship (or the crazier your commander build is- and, if built for use only in Co-op, you can get away with absolute howling madness if you're so inclined).

TL;DR- I suspect that Wisconsin will actually do just fine as a Co-op ship; she'll just need to be played very aggressively (and with an offense-focused build to match) to make the most of her gimmick in the feeding frenzy PvE meta.

[BOBTHEBALL]

Lets keep in mind, in co-op this ship would be ok, good even. However in random battles, this is no doubt a top tier ship.

[Utt_Bugglier]

First random battle in Wisconsin. Basic survivability build, went for range and dispersion:

Teammates gave a box of rocks a run for their money, but I did alright. Could have done great if team had done minor things like staying alive.

 

 

Edited May 30 by Utt_Bugglier
Frikking Imgur image link syntax