4plainsq

Hello Developers This is my 2nd post after discussing the lightweight/standard/heavy/superheavy shell options in my 1st. In this post I want to talk about the various propellants that can be chosen in game and problems I've found: 1. Bonuses/penalties to gun range are effectively accuracy bonuses/penalties It took me some time to figure that one out. And it makes no sense. Gun accuracy is a combination of precision manufacturing and consistency. The closer to the average muzzle velocity each projectile is shot, the easier it is to aim it at a specific range. The less the spread of a shot the gun has, the less shells falls around the aim point. This has NOTHING to do with the actual gun range. Gun range is a function of the average muzzle velocity of the gun and the drag and weight of the shell. Heavier shells and higher muzzle velocities increase the gun range. They DO NOT increase the accuracy. In fact: heavier shells and higher muzzle velocities tend to make the gun less accurate unless the engineers take design measure to counteract. Those counter-acting design measure however make the entire gun mechanism (gun laying drives, recoil absorbtion, ...) bigger and heavier. NONE of that happens in game. 2. I have yet to use Lyddite or Lyddite II for anything. I cannot find a suitable application for either. -50% to the penetration for Lyddite 1 and -20% for Lyddite II simply isn't a sacrifice worthwhile. Purposely lowering the penetration capacity of the shells fired is really very counterproductive, if I want to design a ship that can actually do something. 3. The same goes for Cordite and Cordite II. But the main issue here is that the sacrifice for extra armor penetration is gun range. And as discussed above, penalties go gun range are effectively penatlies to accuracy here in the game. Example: Mark 3 18" Gun stats at 25km range with Ballistite (+5% gun range, +110% cost per shell) as propellant: 27.6" belt armor penetration; 28.8" deck armor penetration, 3.6% chance to hit Mark 3 18" gun stats at 25km range with Cordite II (-6% gun range, +550% cost per shell) as propellant: 26.6" belt armor penetration; 27.7" deck armor Penetration, 2.6% chance to hit' Ballistite also has a lower chance of ammunition detonation than Cordite. Ballistite is an alround BETTER propellant. And it is much cheaper. 4. Tube Powder isn't really worth it either. It suffers from having a range penalty. So as discussed in the 1st point any penalty to gun range makes the propellant choice not really worth it. Tube Powder would be a really good choice if range penalties weren't effectively accuracy penalties 5. Shell Type: Going for any less than the heaviest type shell out of Lightweight, Standard, Heavy or Superheavy is a bad choice. This is because going to a heavier shell type increases the gun range AND therefore the gun accuracy, as these are tied together at the moment. Additionally you also get more damage for a not that large penalty in ship weight or cost. Best regards 4plainsq

Hello Devs This is my 1st post. When designing my ships I noticed that some values just didn't make ANY sense. There is NO drawback to going with superheavy shells. NONE. That just doesn't compute. You get it all: More Penetration, better accuracy, bigger damage. And the weight penalty is very small I get +5% gun range, and +10% penetration, -10% muzzle velocity and +65% shell weight. But the guns or turret mechanisms are not heavier because of the bigger shells they have to shoot. Historically heavy shells posed a design challenge. Recoil needed to be absorbed, gun barrels and gun breaches needed to be much stronger to hold the enormous stress of shooting heavy shells. Right now in game there is NO penalty to the weight of "turret barrels" for going to heavier shells. I'd like to have to actually choose whether I want to mount heavy shells or a bigger gun calliber, with drawbacks and advantages of both. Therefore I'd suggest you change the stats on the shell type seletion to: Lightweight shells: Lighter weight shells allow for lighter weight constrution of turret mechanisms and gun barrels. They offer better penetration at short ranges due to the higher muzzle velocity. They suffer penetration capability at long range due to the lighter weight shell. They also suffer accuracy problems at longer range due to the high muzzle velocity and lightweight nature of the shell. Lighter shells are less prone to detonate when stored, making for a safer voyage across the high seas. -10% Shell Weight -10% Turret armor weight (smaller reload mechanisms, smaller shells...) -20% Turret barrels weight (less stress == lighter construction) -20% Long Range Accuracy +12% Muzzle Velocity +10% Penetration or belt armor at 1000m (higher muzzle velocity) -10% Penetration of belt armor at maximum range -20% Penetration of deck armor at maximum range -10% Damage (All Types) -25% Ammo detonation chance no changes to range (range bonus/penalty == accuracy bonus/penalty in the game at the moment) Standard Shells: Standard Shells offer no particular benefit in any area. But they also do not suffer drawbacks in any area. Heavy shells: Heavy Shells require a heavier construction of the turret and turret mechanism, so that the heavier shell and additional propellant can be handeled. Heavy Shells offer improved penetration of belt armor and deck armor at range. However the penetration at short range suffers somewhat due to reduced muzzle velocity. The accuracy at long range is improved due to the heavierweight nature of the shell. Heavy shells are more prone to detonate when the ammunition storage is hit. To offset this, it is recommended to use an improved protection scheme of your citadel and barbettes. +15% Shell Weight +10% Turret Armor weight +30% Turret Barrels Weight +5% Time to reload the Gun +20% Long Range Accuracy -5% Muzzle Velocity -5% penetration of belt armor at 1000m +10% penetration of belt armor at maximum range (Heavier shells retain velocity better) +20% penetration of deck armor at maximum range (Heavier shells have higher terminal velocity) +10% Damage (All Types) +25% Ammo detonation chance Again: No changes to range as range changes in game are effectively accuracy nerfs/buffs Superheavy Shells: Superheavy Shells take the concept of the heavy shell to the extreme. Much improved long range penetration due to the heavyweight nature of the shell. Reduced short range penetration due to the lowered muzzle velocity. Much heavier turret construction required to allow for handling of such heavy ammunition, gun barrels and recoil. It is highly recommended to invest into a proper protection scheme as the heavy shells and powerful propellant are quite prone to detonating when the ammunition storage is hit. +30% Shell Weight +15% Turret Armor Weight +60% Turret Barrels Weight +10% Time to reload the Gun +40% Long Range Accuracy -10% Muzzle Velocity -10% Penetation or belt armor at 1000m +20% to penetration of belt armor at maximum range(Retain velocity even better) +40% to penetration of deck armor at maximum range (even higher terminal velocity) +20% Damage (All Types) +50% Ammo Detonation chance Again: No changes to range as range changes in game are effectively accuracy nerfs/buffs Best Regards: 4plainsq