Battle Stations/Moves

Battle Stations has each player select one of eight ships, each with its own special abilities.

Every ship has main battery guns, which cause decent damage. Depending on the ship's facing, it may fire multiple volleys.

Depth charges are fired at submerged submarines and can annihilate them in just a few shots.

The rescue helicopter may pick up overboard crewmen (created when your ship is hit) to replenish a small amount of health.

Aircraft Carrier (AC)
About equal to the battleship in terms of durability and power, the Nimitz class aircraft carrier's effectiveness against a human player dwindles unless the aircraft carrier is able to make use of the manually controlled F-14. The manually controlled F-14 may attack from well outside auto-aim range, requiring the other player to use manual control - which is trickier to use.

The automatic F-14 attack (psx: T or SS Y) acts similarly to a guided missile and will almost always hit its target, but the F-14s must return to the carrier before another attack can be launched - resulting in a lower damage per second of the main guns.

The F-14 air patrol is used to interdict enemy missiles before they hit you and consists of two aircraft.

Official Description: Though slow and tough to control, the AC delivers payoffs for the more advanced player.

Battleship (BB)
The Iowa class battleship is an extremely powerful ship with health to match.

The firing arcs of its main guns are best to the front (two guns) and to the sides (all three). Auto-aim range also increases with broadsides.

Manual aim may be necessary to hit more distant and mobile targets, but at close range, the main battery guns of the battleship can shred through anything - provided they hit.

For more mobile targets, cruise missiles will track and hit them. The cruise missile is individually weaker than the triple-launched missiles of the cruiser.

The battleship does not carry any depth charges, but instead operates an anti-submarine helicopter. After scanning the area with its sonar (and possibly illuminating the sub in the process), the ASW helicopter will launch a guided torpedo that is all but guaranteed to land a hit on a submarine - regardless of whether it is submerged or not.

Battleships may attempt to counter an aircraft carrier's F-14s by using its CIWS to shoot them down. This can be particularly devastating against manually controlled F-14s, as they are generally launched singly.

Official Description: Size makes the BB an easy target, but this is a minor handicap for the toughest ship in your fleet.

Cruiser (CR)
A highly flexible ship, the Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser's most notable attack is its triple-launched VLS missiles. While still lacking the damage per second capacity of the main guns, missiles lock onto all but the most nimble of targets.

The radar jamming of the cruiser breaks an opponent's lock on and can cause guided missiles, F-14s, and other attacks that lock onto your ship to miss their target. Against a cruiser that is employing radar jamming, simply use guns.

It is otherwise very similar to the battleship, though smaller and with less health.

Official Description: A good match against any ship, the CR has	everything a Commander could ask for in terms of speed and arms.

Destroyer (DD)
The Spruance class destroyer, despite being the same size as the cruiser above, causes notably less damage with its weapons, which do not lock onto targets. Despite its dedicated sonar ping, which illuminates submarines, it is overshadowed in the anti-submarine department by the battleship.

Official Description: Tough and fairly quick, the DD works well as an escort.

Patrol Boat (PT)
The Pegasus class hydrofoil lacks in durability, but makes up for it in speed. One of the most powerful vessels in the game, no other ship matches it for sheer speed. This speed can let it kite much stronger ships, including battleships.

Its biggest weakness are lock-on attacks such as the cruiser and battleship's missiles, and the carrier's F-14s. These can be defeated through effective timing on the use of the hydrofoil, which has the ship execute a sudden speed boost. Timed well, this can throw off the automatic aim attacks, and let you come around for another pass.

Official Description: ''Utilize speed and control to steer clear of incoming fire. The PT was not designed to take hits.''

Minelayer (ML)
This Kilauea class ammunition ship has been repurposed as a minelayer, and has the ability to lay mines both in combat and on the strategic map screen. Pressing psx: R1 or SS A has the minelayer lay a minefield that damages ships that pass through it.

In tactical combat, the minelayer must be moving away from its opponent at all times, and lay as many mines as possible while fleeing the battle. The mines are magnetic and will automatically home in on targets. Its biggest weakness will be against ships that manage to get out of its rear arc, and attack it from either the side or the front.

Official Description: ''The ML is slow and difficult to control. Your best bet is to build a wall of mines and take cover behind it.''

Submarine (SN)
Despite its fearsome reputation in real life and the official description, the 688 class - or the Los Angeles class - is an extremely weak ship armed only with a single deck gun that can be used while surfaced, and torpedoes that do not lock onto targets.

While the game suggests submerging, the overabundance of ships with depth charges (and, in the battleship's case, the ASW helicopter) prevent the submarine from being useful in the slightest. Depth charges do a lot of damage, and a direct hit isn't necessary to deal damage.

Official Description: The SN performs well against any ship - stealth mode (submerged) is key.

Troop Transport (TT)
Easily the weakest ship in the game, the Raleigh class amphibious transport dock has extremely low health, low speed, and extremely weak armament. Against another ship, its only defence are its guns, which are thankfully 360 degrees.

Its only use is in campaign mode, where it is tasked with destroying land-based installations by deploying marines. Targeting a land installation and deploying the marines will be the only way to destroy the land base - naval gunfire will be completely ineffective.

Official Description: Protect the vulnerable TT by aligning it with powerful Cruisers and Battleships on the Strategic Map.