Adding the ability to spawn a DD to the game today would be relatively easy. Use the code for the PT boat, with changes to the parameters that control its behavior within the physics engine. Aiming the torps would be a little more challenging without the addition of some sort of torpedo aiming optics or TDC, but our player base seems to be very adept at adapting to such challenges. So, from a technical viewpoint, it's entirely do-able. Assertions have been made that it would be too vulnerable to air attack, and that it would take too long to get where it's needed, given the current game environment. Interestingly enough, I recall the biggest objections to this idea in the past was that player control-able DDs would be too powerful, rather than them being too vulnerable. Imagine the impact if a half-dozen players at a port upped DDs right at the doc. So, clearly availability would have to be limited, somehow. Taking each of these in turn...
Survivability – Three primary factors are at work here: Toughness, agility, and defensive firepower. While it’s true that one skilled player with a couple 1k lb bombs can easily sink the DDs escorting the fleet, it’s still way more durable than a PT. Strafing one to death would take a lot more ammo, and multiple runs, increasing the likelihood that defensive fire would take down the attacker. Now, a player controlled DD would not simply plod along in a straight line at constant speed. Level bombing would be much more unlikely to be affective against a maneuvering DD. Dive bombing would be your best bet, but not all players are that skilled at it, particularly when the target is zigging and zagging at high speed. Add to that the high volume of defensive fire, and I don’t believe it would be all that easy for your average player to get bomb hits. Even then, it would still take more than a single 1k lb bomb to sink one. Plus, with the 5-in guns firing in AA mode, an aircraft has to fight through proximity-fused AAA for several miles just to get close enough to make an attack. So, a single attacker is by no means guaranteed to succeed.
Transit Time – Even at a DDs max speed, which is not much higher than the CV fleets travel at, there are some maps where it would take considerable time to get from one place to another. The Obvious answer, without major code work required, are spawn points, same as we have for PTs. Another idea would be to create a new type of fleet we’ll call a Destroyer Squadron (DS). This is similar to idea HiTech has floated (pun intended) for submarine ops, i.e. a moving fleet type called the “Wolfpack”, which could be directed around the map just like a fleet, and would act as a spawn point for subs. In the case of a DS, it would be represented by 4 to six destroyers (so it can be targeted and destroyed, just like the CV fleets), which would be able to spawn only DDs, PTs and perhaps LVTs. It would have its own auto defensive fire capability (i.e. auto-ack).
Uber Boat – Let’s face it…a Fletcher class DD has a lot of fire power for a player controlled unit, and could unbalance the game in certain scenarios. Nerf it too much, and it becomes useless, on the other hand. One obvious way to restrict its use is by perking it (what else do you have to spend boat perks on). If you could also earn perks by manning ship guns, those could then be used to grab a DD. Another idea (requiring code changes) would be to limit the number available to each country; once one is sunk, a “cool-down” period of, say 10 minutes, would have to pass before it could re-spawn.
Just some thoughts on how this might fit into our game world…
