How to Torpedo?

[bertibott]

So how do I get my ships to use torpedos?
Whatever I do my ships don't seem to want to use their torpedos in any useful sort of way. Destroyers tend to hold on to their trops until there is a stationary and already sinking enemy that they can dump them into. Cruisers and Battleships simply don't use them at all.

The most recent example that made me bite my desk was this:
It is the year 1896, I am in battle. An enemy ship has just rammed one of my ships and is therefore stationary. One of my cruisers (with two broadside torpedo tubes each side) pulls alongside it aaaand nothing... The stationary enemy however fires her torpedos aaaaan... blows up my ship.

[FourGreenFields]

Originally posted by bertibott:

So how do I get my ships to use torpedos?

Give them a hundred times more opportunities than you think you need (they will launch it during the worst possible moment).

Though there are some things. Like submerged tubes can't fire above a certain speed (though that speed ought to not come up until later on, iIrc). And it helps to be ahead of the target, for a better firing-solution.

Also, having loads of torpedoes makes the AI use torpeodes much more often. There'll be a lot of torpedo-spam once you get triple launchers and long-range torpedoes.

[bertibott]

Sooo... before 1920 I'll just save the weight...
Thanks for the reply!

[bgp_spook]

In general, it seems that the ship being targeted AND the point of interception with a torpedo must BOTH be in range and angle of the launcher AND stay in that range for a turn or two. Otherwise, the AI tends to not launch.

This is actually overly restrictive as it forces the firing platform to get closer the faster the target is moving to have a valid firing solution, if one even exists because of the avaliable launch angles.
Historically, using torpedoes as an area denial or saturation weapon was a practiced tactic that does not seem to be repeatable in-game.

You could try captain's mode which will let you manually fire them, but you do have to judge what solution is best.

[Andrew Cree]

It depends on the circumstances.

DDs will perform snapshots at short range and in poor visibility - and these can be devastating.

For the early game especially though, torpedoes are more decorative than functional. I wouldn't build a strategy around them, but consider torpedo shots a bonus.

You can improve the chance of getting a shot off, however, by aiming to be on a parallel course in the arc 30 to 60 degrees of the AIs bows and well within torpedo range - well, you would if the AI co-operated with that (they tend to 'nope' out of such a situation at the first opportunity)

[bertibott]

Thanks for the replies... I did some testing. Turns out when it comes to submerged torpedotubes reducing speed actually increases the likelyhood of the AI deciding to fire.
I reduced my ship's speed to about 10 kts and got myself parallel to the target and yes my ship seemed a lot more willing to use them.. unfortunately this is playing with fire... because the target has torpedos too.