Seeking to improve in Random with Spanish line

[Pan_De_Muerte]

I've been playing World of Warships for a bit now (month or so?) and worked through the Spanish line. I also whaled the Almirante Oquendo since it seemed interesting, and the Canarias for completion OCD. In general I like the speed, the fast and flat shells, and the accuracy. I'm trying to learn how to kite and be an open water fighter. I don't like how I blow up so often.

Am I being too aggressive? My normal instinct was to charge full speed ahead and go in guns blazing, but after reading the WoWs blog on the Spanish line I started to hold back. I think even now I'm either being too aggressive or getting in too deep too quickly, because I'll see myself doing well and then suddenly I'm in a crossfire or I just get obliterated by a battleship at range.

I've also tried some other lines but nothing's clicking with me right away. I'd say for a cruiser I'd like a heal, quick firing guns so I can dial my aim in, enough armor to make a mistake and live to make a second one, and enough speed to not be committed to one flank for the duration of the battle.

[Admiral_Karasu]

@Pan_De_Muerte You might be a little too aggressive. You need to be careful of crossfire, especially if you come out from the cover of an island, or if you get spotted by any ship or by the CV. I myself find cruisers often very tricky to play with.

If you need specific advice, upload a replay file. For a new player, I'd also like to say that beware of WG's monetizing tactics, and don't rush up the tiers. Take your time to learn how to play, especially if you plan to try out the competitive modes later on. I'm a very casual player myself, so others will be able to tell you about that side of the game better.

Welcome aboard!

[torino2dc]

The Spanish tech tree cruisers excel at taking up positions on flanks due to their high base speed. It is also where they are likely to meet other cruisers, against which they generally have good matchups. Burst fire is an effective tool against DDs if your aim and anticipation is good. Picking extended fights with BBs is tricky as the armor is not thick enough to bounce repeated AP salvos; engage them with burst fire unless they are distracted. 

[Wolfswetpaws]

4 hours ago, Pan_De_Muerte said:

I've been playing World of Warships for a bit now (month or so?) and worked through the Spanish line. I also whaled the Almirante Oquendo since it seemed interesting, and the Canarias for completion OCD. In general I like the speed, the fast and flat shells, and the accuracy. I'm trying to learn how to kite and be an open water fighter. I don't like how I blow up so often.

Am I being too aggressive? My normal instinct was to charge full speed ahead and go in guns blazing, but after reading the WoWs blog on the Spanish line I started to hold back. I think even now I'm either being too aggressive or getting in too deep too quickly, because I'll see myself doing well and then suddenly I'm in a crossfire or I just get obliterated by a battleship at range.

I've also tried some other lines but nothing's clicking with me right away. I'd say for a cruiser I'd like a heal, quick firing guns so I can dial my aim in, enough armor to make a mistake and live to make a second one, and enough speed to not be committed to one flank for the duration of the battle.

Personally, I'm a fan of the Spanish Cruisers.
As @Admiral_Karasu and @torino2dc have pointed-out, one's survival may depend upon good positioning and wisely choosing how many (and which) ships to engage simultaneously.

That said, I am fond of playing the Spanish Cruisers aggressively, as I also often play my Italian Cruisers.
Pushing these ships to their limits in a wild and crazy manner is wonderfully fun in Co-op battles.
So, I have some empathy with your (random battles) predicament.  🙂 

Which is why I agree with the notion of using terrain and concealment management to minimize being in a cross-fire, if possible.
The early stages of a random battle have often seemed like "things are going well", for me.
That is, until a red-team ship or two appears unexpectedly in a position to cause harm to my hull.
"Rut-roh", as Scooby-Doo might say.  🙂 

So, if I'm a couple of kilometers behind my team's DD's, as they scout ahead, I feel able to support them in a random battle.
But, if I'm sailing next to green-team DD's or ahead of them, that might be a clue that I am playing too aggressively.  🙂 

There are probably some good "How to Cruiser" articles or videos available, somewhere, which can teach the fundamentals in more detail.
Possibly some people have analyzed each map and made suggestions of where to sail and what to do when you arrive at a position.
Variations in ship capabilties may further refine a player's decision-making processes.
Player preferences for "what is fun to do" may also affect the situation.

If you feel that you are getting sunk too often and too early, then I think you are correct to contemplate your actions and make appropriate adjustments.  🙂 

  

If you have the time, consider watching @Lord_Zath's Twitch stream when he performs "Replay Analysis" on-stream.
And @BOBTHEBALL runs a help-desk which may be able to offer some constructive feedback.
Others on this forum may be able to offer suggestions and helpful tips if you can post a replay or turn your replay into a youtube video.

Hope that helps.  Feel free to communicate your concerns and desired goals for improvement, for further discussion.  🙂 
 

Edited 3 hours ago by Wolfswetpaws

[Wolfswetpaws]

Tagging another Spanish Cruiser afficionado, @ArIskandir.  🙂 

[Pan_De_Muerte]

Very helpful, and Wolfswetpaws you were the one I'd seen commenting on Reddit about Spanish cruisers, and when I encountered you in a random battle you mentioned this site. Thank you.

One thing that puzzles me is AP versus HE. When I use my AP on a broadside cruiser, I wind up with low damage overpens. My HE always explodes (no shatters) but it does small amounts of damage.

On a few of my cruisers I have enough skill points to get the fire skill, and that seems to help in setting fires more often.

My highest ranked captain has 19 skill points and is closing in on 20. My hope is to get him to 21 and then use the overflow to bring the rest of my captains up to snuff.

I had used the invite code Impactforce when starting my account so I got a number of premiums for free, and I did buy Warspite but it's so desperately slow. I prefer a faster moving experience.

[Wolfswetpaws]

8 minutes ago, Pan_De_Muerte said:

Very helpful, and Wolfswetpaws you were the one I'd seen commenting on Reddit about Spanish cruisers, and when I encountered you in a random battle you mentioned this site. Thank you.

One thing that puzzles me is AP versus HE. When I use my AP on a broadside cruiser, I wind up with low damage overpens. My HE always explodes (no shatters) but it does small amounts of damage.

On a few of my cruisers I have enough skill points to get the fire skill, and that seems to help in setting fires more often.

My highest ranked captain has 19 skill points and is closing in on 20. My hope is to get him to 21 and then use the overflow to bring the rest of my captains up to snuff.

I had used the invite code Impactforce when starting my account so I got a number of premiums for free, and I did buy Warspite but it's so desperately slow. I prefer a faster moving experience.

Glad you made it here, @Pan_De_Muerte.  🙂 
That's right.  We shared a game last night.  👍

[Wolfswetpaws]

11 minutes ago, Pan_De_Muerte said:

One thing that puzzles me is AP versus HE. When I use my AP on a broadside cruiser, I wind up with low damage overpens. My HE always explodes (no shatters) but it does small amounts of damage.

I hear you.

The armor-scheme of the target and whether or not they are broadside to you affects the choice of ammunition to use.

Thinly armored cruisers often use the over-pen mechanic to minimize damage to their hull, by presenting us with their broadside.

So, ....
~First = identify the cruiser in question and sort them by "light cruiser" and "heavy cruiser".
The  light cruisers tend to have thinner armor.  (Over-penetration of a heavy cruiser remains possible, if less likely.)

~Second = aim at the parts of the ship that have things likely to stop & arm your armor-piercing ammunition (if that is what you are shooting).
These tend to be areas under the turrets, where the gun traversing mechanisms and the ammunition magazines are located.
Alternatively, if they present you with their bow or stern (instead of their broadside), and you're close enough to make a well-aimed shot, hit their turrets and attempt to knock them out of action.

~Third, if the target is thinly armored and broadside to you, then switch to High Explosive ammunition when feasible.
There's less chance of over-penetration and you may start a fire or incapacitate modules and other stuff like secondary battery, AA guns and torpedoes.

~Fourth = if you know your main-guns can over-match the target's armor, and the target is not broadside, and instead presents you with their bow or stern, then consider using AP ammunition to hit their turrets, magazines, engine-room, citadel-area of the ship.
If you cannot over-match, then using H.E. ammunition may be preferable.  The superstructure is likely to be vulnerable.

~Fifth = If a well-armored target is presenting their broadside, and your AP ammunition is unable to penetrate their main-belt (just above the waterline), then consider trying to hit the upper-hull (just below the main-deck, where casemate-mounted secondary battery guns are often found on battleships).
The armor here may be vulnerable to A.P. ammunition.
If that isn't feasible, because the distance is too far for a precise shot, then consider using H.E. ammunition to set fires and incapactitate equipment & weapons.

The above is a rough decision-process. 
Refinement may be necessary with some experimentation and experience with the ships you sail and the opponents they encounter.  🙂