GAME MANUAL - Steam

HEARTS OF IRON DARKEST HOURdo this is based on thepositioning of its own fleet andnot the enemy’s. For example,if your positioning is 20%, youwill have a 20% base chanceof successfully hitting anenemy vessel. If you miss by avery large margin, you mighteven accidentally hit one ofyour own fleet’s flotillas, so thehigher your positioning, thebetter. The number of attackseach flotilla may make eachhour is determined by its navalattack value.If a flotilla succeeds in scoringa hit, its target will be determined.The likelihood that itwill target a screeningclass of ship is based on theenemy’s positioning; forexample, if your opponent’spositioning is 30%, there’s a30% chance that you willtarget a screening vessel anda 70% chance that you willtarget a core vessel. Thereare a couple exceptions to thisrule, though. Carriers aremuch more likely to target acore vessel; submarines arealso very likely to target a corevessel and may decide towithhold fire if they aren’t ableto do so; in fact, a submarineremains hidden until fires,making it very hard to spot.Also, screening vessels willalways target an enemysubmarine if they are aware ofits existence. Screens that arepart of a very well-positionedfleet also have an hourlychance to detect a hiddensubmarine. Even if a hit isscored, it will still benecessary to determine howmuch damage is done to theenemy vessel, if any; this isdetermined by using the samemethods used in land combat.Once a ship has targeted avessel, it is very likely tocontinue firing at it until ithas been destroyed, althoughthere is a possibility that is willswitch targets, particularly if a“preferred” target presentsitself.As the battle progresses, theflotillas will gradually sufferloss of organization or besunk. When the organisationof a flotilla drops low enough,the flotilla will break andattempt to withdraw. Just as inland combat, a fleet that hasall of its flotillas in retreat willautomatically break off combatand attempt to sail out ofrange. Enemy ships willcontinue to fire on them untilthe maximum range of allenemy ships has beenexceeded, at which point thecombat will reach its conclusion.If you wish, you maymanually order your fleetto break away at any time byselecting it and ordering it outof the sea zone.Time of Day and WeatherEffects on Naval CombatJust as with land combat,night time hours and poorweather conditions aregenerally very bad for navalcombat. Positioning will begreatly affected and there is asignificant reduction in thechance ofinflictingdamage.Unlike landcombat,however, thedefender andattackersuffer equalpenaltiesunless onehas atechnologicaladvantageover theother in thisarea.Carriers willbe highly ineffective in poorweather, since their CAGs areseverely penalised in theseconditions. In very adverseweather such as storms andblizzards, CAGs cannot fly atall.Out-Of-Supply Effects onNaval CombatIf a fleet is operating withoutsupplies or fuel, it would bewell advised to turn tail andrun as soon as it becomesaware of an enemy presencein a sea zone. If it stays andfights, it is probable that it willsuffer a particularly humblingdefeat and will be very lucky ifit manages to escape inanything larger than a lifeboat.Force Composition EffectsI have previously stressed theimportance of having a goodbalance of screening vesselsto support your capital ships,but I will do so again. Toreiterate: You will receive apositioning penalty unless youhave at least one screen foreach capital ship. Your capitalships will also be unable tomaintain a safe engagementdistance from the enemy, andare thus far more likely to besunk.End of Naval CombatOnce the fleets have disengagedfrom combat, thevanquished fleet must retreatfrom the sea zone. Thiswill be to a randomly selectedadjacent zone that is usually(but not always) in the generaldirection of its base. If there isa friendly port or naval baseadjacent to the sea zone, it willretreat there instead. Thevictor of the combat may electto stay in the sea zone orcontinue whatever mission itwas undertaking before being“interrupted” by the combat.Unlike land combat, sea zonesare not assigned control, sono territory changes hands.136