wowcoop

First things first, look at the roster.

Look at the types of ships you'll be going up against, destroyers, cruisers, battleships, and carriers if any.

Look at the number of types.  1 destoyer or 4?  1 cruiser or 4? 1 battlehship or 4?  (4 destroyers, gunna be a gun battle. 4 cruisers, better use smoke. 4 battleships, I see targets!!)

Look at the exact type of ship.  Atlanta, oh crap.  Roon, hmm it's got 6km torpedoes.  Azuma, heavy guns, slow reload, no torpedoes.  (Know your ships, Know your ships, Know your ships)

What type of ships do you have vs what the bots have.  It's not always the same ship. (You might have an Ibuki on your team but they have a Seattle)

Second look at the map.

Are there places to hide and/or ambush?  Is there open water?  Do I have to capture a zone?  Am I near places with a lot of Islands.  Where do the bots tend to go in this map?  Where am I on the map and where is everyone else?  Are their friendly cruisers nearby to cover me?

Before you even start your engines these are the details you should be looking for and the questions you should be asking yourself.