Sternack

Looks like Atlantic Fleet uses point aiming with random dispersal. Only problem in Atlantic Fleet is that you have to more or less guess the point of aim, while historical real world fire control was 'computer aided' all the way back to 1902 with the invention of the Dumaresq. Dreadnought gunnery was not skeet shooting: it was an industrial process involving intricate time/decision loops, with many large sources of error. For example correcting off the wrong salvo in the time sequence generated a cascade of errors that took several minutes to recover from. Ultimate Admiral Dreadnoughts nicely models this common error by randomly losing target lock even when not maneuvering. Prior to 1912 guns were individually aimed at the turret or gun, fired on the salvo bell and many shots did go wild due to sights vibrating loose, operator error, etc. UAD models this beautifully! Director firing would be better modelled visually by keeping salvos falling in the same pattern but randomly vary the pattern width (dispersal) and point of aim, and only tie the fall of shot sprites to the salvo pattern during the last 1/2 second or so. I think Ultimate Admiral Dreadnoughts is trying to trace the entire path of the shell from gun muzzle to target. Not necessary to do this. Many observers on the receiving end of dreadnought salvoes reported that ever shell in the salvo appeared to be headed directly for them, personally - and it seemed a miraculous deliverance when the salvo missed. Programming this effect would be much easier than what UAD is trying to do and would look much more true to life (as it were).

I love that you folks modeled the Brandenburgs, but your Brandenburgs seem to start out at 25 1/2 knots while the originals could only manage 17 knots when brand new. No predreadnought battleship other than the Roma class did over 20 kts. Most did 18-19. Ships from the early 90s could often only manage 15-16. No armoured cruiser before Blucher (1907) did over 23 kts. Most did 20-21. The huge German four stacker liner Friedrich Der Grosse only did 22 1/2 kts. A few very fast 2nd class protected cruisers (Varyag) could do 23 kts but most did 19-20. 3rd class (light) cruisers were only running about 22kts just before turbines came in. The Russians did build two small cruisers with destroyer machinery that could do 24 kts. If I were going to model ships with 1890-1906 triple expansion machinery I would start with the Japanese six-six fleet battleships (18kt design speed) and armored cruisers (21kts). If you can get them to hit their numbers everything else should fall into place. Hate to start with a quibble. You did model fleet speed vs flank speed very nicely. And whoever designed those beautiful Brandenburgs deserves a statue at the entrance to your drydock.