rambling post up ahead, and before you scream skill issue i’ve played coastal for 3 years now and there hasnt a boat that has gotten on my arse as much as this one
For those who have played midtier coastal for any length of time (2.3-3.7), this fuckass thing (the Marne) needs no introduction. For those unfamiliar with the gamemode however, the Marne is one of the most broken vehicles to be ever added in this game. It can tank even multiple shots from a destroyer and toptier boats, the profile of the guns are so thin when pointing at you they are borderline impossible to disable and any match they go to just becomes an instant win for them. Think of it as an Object 279 or Qing-6, but even more cancerous.
It performs similarly to when the Drache (a similar boat) was first added, it may have been big and fat but back then few people could actually kill it, but at least it was slow and lumbering so torpedoing it was actually an option.
As of now the only guaranteed way to deal with them is by making your team dogpile the Marne, but even with that it takes a while. “Oh, but just use torpedoes” I can assure you 95% of Marne players don’t have the survival instinct of a leaf and have the situational awareness of an falcon, so they will know you’ll sneak one at them before you even do so, and they more or less have already spotted you before you’ve even done so. It has good speed and okay maneuverability for a boat of its size, so evading torpedoes shouldn’t be too much of a problem for then given the space.
The solution? Move the Marne to 3.7, like they did with the Drache. There, it can still stand its ground with its excellent guns, only that it fights more competent enemies (i.e. the Saetta) and that it can actually be dealt with. Also move it to Rank 4 as it performs more like one than a Rank 3. If that one isn’t on the table, then make the sizes of the compartments bigger so that others at its own BR can actually deal with it.
rambling over
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Before we get br movements, I hope we get coastal decompression because it is insane trying to grind any 2.3/2.7 stuff knowing that it’s fully possible to encounter the dreaded French 3.3+3.0 lineup.
(Do we even have another nation with that many heavy boats in that small br gap?)
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Or perhaps not decompression but Coastal matchmaking only as option. Is terrible how Coastal vessels, at the current tech has to deal with Bluewater vessels at long distances in the start of the match, specially when it’s a heavy Coastal vessel that is required to use Bluewater spawn, without natural protection in most of the cases.
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Marne/Asine are fine at 3.3, what isn’t fine is the fact that they get to spawn amidst the speedboats
giving them a destroyer spawn would be a better solution
and on that topic, I would recommend the opposite for the Commandant Dominé, she really doesn’t deserve to spawn all the way back
realistically, what coastal needs is an intermediate spawn that doesn’t put the big bullies among the baby boats, but also doesn’t make them pointless barges by banishing them to the far corners of the map
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Agree completely. It, along with many other boats should be moved up. Ideally after a full naval BR decompression.
Instead of balancing any of the actually strong ships though, Gaijin has decided that ships like the USS Hoquiam need larger internal compartments that contain 1/3 of the crew each despite its anemic performance and zero armor belts.
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Wait the sloop Commandant Domiré doesn’t have a small craft spawn? Well that’s just daft (can’t make jokes, might cop a ban hah hah), what are the devs decisions to give a vessel with one aft mounted 10.5 cm cannon such a spawn when fore mounted ones (German M-Bootes) get a small craft spawn or in the case of other french sloops they get small craft & DD/FF spawns while having two-three cannon broadsides.
Still a Surprise the Marne class doesn’t already have a DD/FF spawn at BR 3.3, it’s equivalent in age, broadsides & size to the Wickes (Town class 1940) & Clemson classes at 3.3, they just don’t have any AA or MG’s compared to the four vessels.
I thought when the Marne was added & got a DD/FF spawn was a change but you can select either spawns after iirc update 2.45 for the Marne class & Arras class Avisos.
Hmm I wonder if the Bougainville class or Type A69 Avisos will have small craft or DD/FF spawns if added.
I’d just caution to move her up in rank. If that is done, she will grind way more RP in rank 4 and 5 and be used more.
not gonna say it’s the worst vessel I’ve ever played, but she’s definitely up there, mostly down to how slow it is combined with the DD spawn
you cant get to cover quick enough to escape the (significantly better armed) destroyers, but you’re too slow to get stuck into the brawl around the caps (which it should be very suited to with its oerlikons and bofors)
as for the 105, it isn’t just awkwardly positioned, it also has a bunch of blind spots caused by obstacles in your firing arcs (one of them invisible last time i checked)
I guess the bow rudder is kinda neat