I sometimes start a game and type out (I should really just make it a macro) something to the effect of:

"Don't abandon flanks, support your DD's, try not to overextend..."

Sometimes people take it to heart, but most times, we all encounter people who sit broadside inside smoke on a cap, commit into the middle or cap area in a CL/CA, or battleships that completely abandon a flank and sit in a little wagon circle on the opposite edge of the map.

When a flank is compromised so, what is the best manner to alert people to catastrophe or buy time for the team?

I suppose with the exceptions of pinging and CAPS LOCK in chat, it's all class dependent, right?

• DD is counterspotting, torpedoes, and harassing fire.
• Cruisers should probably kite (turn & burn).
• BB's?
• CV's?

I played my IJN Kaga this morning and had three back to back matches where my team neglected or abandoned a flank, and I tried A). Supporting the strong side to push them through (didn't work - they hid behind an island or didn't shoot the broadsiding ships that were dodging my torpedos) -AND- B). helping the lone ship or two hold the flank that was collapsing (also didn't work because strong side didn't have enough momentum to break through and the small amount of friendlies on the weak side allowed enemy ships to focus on dodging/countering my drops).

I finished out the matches with 110,000 to 150,000 damage and 2-4 kills, but we still lost hard. It's heartbreaking to try that hard and have it feel like people are doing naval banzai charges -OR- accuse the CV (who finishing the match with 2300 base exp) of not doing enough.

What are your strategies to carry or at least, give your team a fighting chance?