Alpha-9 in Progress

[Nick Thomadis]

Admirals,

We would like to inform you that we are currently working to improve critical aspects of gameplay that are going to be very important in the campaign. Our team is progressing on radical changes regarding formations, armor mechanics, AI and various others you requested many times. Here are some of the improvements which we plan to offer in our upcoming update.

Major rework of the formations
The formation system of Ultimate Admiral: Dreadnoughts will receive an overhaul of its mechanics, making the control of large fleets much easier and realistic. First of all, we will fix all bugs that were the cause of division lines to become mixed up and make ineffective evade maneuvers, especially when the fleet included many ships. Except of those bug fixes we will offer the following:

Formation spread really matters: Ships will keep their maximum speed according to their allowed formation spread. By default the following ship types will use the following spreads:
- BB: Tight
- BC, CA: Normal
- CL, DD, TB, Other: Loose

Tight spread will allow a lower top speed, but the ships will operate in closer, stricter formation and, thus, will be easier to keep an effective firing line and maintain a cruising speed. When ships become damaged, they will not break the formation (as before) but the formation will slow down accordingly unless those ships become extremely slow, so they will gradually follow the formation at the back. Normal spread makes this system less strict, while the Loose spread makes the ships move at the highest speed possible, with no attention to formation cohesion, which can be useful if your ships need the maximum speed in order to withdraw or just survive a battle.

Note: Previous artificial bonuses/penalties in accuracy of division spread modes will be removed, because they are no longer needed. Ships already can receive collateral damage due to their concentration in an area. So by using tight formations you receive firing bonuses naturally, due to keeping a steady cruising speed, but you might become hit with more probability from indirect fire.

Make battle lines with ease: You will be able to create a group of any ship type and merge into one single formation, which will be controllable as one unit (selectable from the unit cards). This formation group, ideally a number of large capital ships, can then be used as a main battle formation, which you can control with a single movement order, while your lighter ships follow it in screen or scout formation.

Improved Line Ahead/Line Abreast: The bug fixes on the formations will make Line Ahead and Line Abreast to work seamlessly not only in divisions but also in group formations. When you select a large number of ships you can make them create either a large Line Ahead formation or a wider Line Abreast formation.

The “Line Ahead” command can be expanded to a large group formation of multiple ship types.

The “Line Abreast” command will become improved and expanded to a large group formation of multiple ship types.

Revamped “Screen” command: The functionality of the screen command will receive major changes. Previously, each division was placed in compact formation at a distance around the lead ship of the screened division. In the new screen mode, the ships become distributed and operate independently around the center of a single division or a larger grouped formation, creating a much more realistic and versatile formation, covering all flanks with less amount of ships.

Four divisions of 12 ships screening a battleship division, with the previous system.

In the new system, the ships become distributed around the battleship division and operate independently.

New “Scout” command: The previous functionality of the screen command will resemble the new “Scout” order that you can give to ships classes CL, DD, TB. With this command, the divisions will move around a very large distance around the scouted division or grouped formation, so they will be able to trace enemies sooner.

Two divisions of 5 ships move in scout formation around a battleship division, in larger distance compared to the ships at screen formation.

Ships in Screen or Scout mode will interact with enemy threats more effectively.

Various other improvements 
The improvements on formations will consist the biggest part of our next update, but there are more to be included. Here is the planned list:

• Quad guns: Quadruple turrets of large caliber become available and are separated into two main visual types. Type-1 has its four guns distributed evenly on the turret, while Type-2 has two dual guns (Similar to the French Battleship “Richelieu”).
• Damage Saturation fix: Previously there was no damage to ships if we hit destroyed sections, making ships indestructible when hit at red areas. With the improved damage system, a small amount of damage will spread out to nearby sections. A damage rebalance will be needed to fine tune the result.
• Hull fixes: Some remaining issues that were many times reported were addressed, including secondary gun inconsistencies on Iowa hull, overlapping guns with Bismarck towers and some others.
• Mk5 8-inch guns available in the 1940s: It has been corrected so that the latest technology of 8-inch guns are available in the late tech era of custom battles.
• Fixed Naval Academy bug that did not allow the nation randomization of player ships hulls in missions that did not have any nation restriction. The result of this bug was that missions were played once with a random nation and in any future playout with new designs it was not possible to change the nation to your liking.

Quad turrets and others will arrive on next game update. Showing a work in progress.

As we continue to progress, we will update our changelog accordingly with more planned features, for example the finalization of Naval Academy difficulty mode, revamp of the accuracy system with detailed colliders or… the addition of 19-inch and 20-inch guns. We will also provide information about when to expect the next Alpha-9 Update.

Thank you for reading,

The Game-Labs Team
 

[Cptbarney]

Aww, this is bloody brilliant. I would type moar, but i have work in the morning. But loving those chamges however. Those turrets look like they are made in blender, not sure if those are british and french turrets but eh.

@HusariuS @Marshall99 @IronKaputt @Bluishdoor76 @BobRoss0902 @Koogus @Hangar18 @Aceituna @TotalRampage @1MajorKoenig @madham82 

But yeah wasnt expecting anything like that at all. Time for smeggy work! ‘W’

And thanks for the progress so far cant wait to have dem quads (hope we get secondary quads) and formations.

cheers bois.

’w’

[Cptbarney]

AAAWW I JUST SAW 20INCH GUNS YES PLS GIB \0W0/

Wow A-150 is only around da cornah.

[Skyguy1944]

20 Inch guns... with quad turrets...

I second the "PLS GIB \0w0/"

 

[roachbeef]

This update is huge. Hopefully my
 ships will stop crashing into each other at the first turn order. I think that in the future, allowing us to choose our nation in Naval Academy would be better, as some nations have objectively better hulls in terms of performance (i.e. barbettes on towers) or looks.

[Tycondero]

Excellent stuff devs! Hopefully all the fleet AI changes will make controlling a larger fleet much easier/less hands on. Also, would be great if the formation evasion issues are fixed now. 

Also great to read that we will get quad turrets. This will ensure that people will stop posting quad turrets threads on the forum on an almost daily base ;). 

Looking very much forward to more information on the new armor model you guys have planned. 

Keep going like this and the game will surely get to become the best naval building strategy game.

[Bluishdoor76]

I can see it, the light at the end of the time!

Finally quad turrets at last!!!!!

 

"My precioussssss"

Edited September 11, 2020 by Bluishdoor76

[Aceituna]

Well normally I would be dissapointed by any update that doesn't contain campaing but in this case I am quite pleasantly surprised. It's really nice to see that fighting in formations will be now easier which I think is very needed improvement.

I am also glad for those quad guns. Not because I would want them so much but because If you wouldn't add them some people here would probably get mental breakdown xd.

Edited September 11, 2020 by Aceituna

[Marshall99]

Oh yea, the 20 inch guns. Finaly I will design more THICC boi ships. Also I am happy to see the quad guns. This way I can design more compact ships.

[CapnAvont1015]

Alsace get ready to be built!

[SMSBaden]

Since quad guns are implemented, I guess Richelieu and dunkerque hull should be in order now.

[SonicB]

Yes! Thank you for the update; it's much appreciated, as always.

[Danvanthevacuumman]

Absolutley brilliant.

[Bry7x7x7]

7 hours ago, CapnAvont1015 said:

Alsace get ready to be built!

I'm looking forwards to the NC with 3 quad 14 inch turrets

[draconins]

This looks good! Thank you for the update, especially for the formation!

Question in this formation control:

• would player be able to assign location for the subformation? For example assigning some group destroyer on say 45degree forward portside, or assigning it 30 degree portside? or it is more like automatic and fixed?
• whether player can still break ships into different formation in different direction? I mean splitting for example say some group of ships to east some group to west? as the formation changes sounds like you instead controlling big ship formation
• how you control "u-turn" for the formation and large group formation, can you do "one by one" and "simultaneous" turn?
• Will detaching ship from formation would also "unselect" other ship from formation? I mean currently after detaching you need to reselect the ship before assigning command otherwise you still includes original ships in the formation

[Tousansons]

A new formation system and some kind of improvement with the damage model, now i'm impatient to try it out.

[Cpt.Hissy]

huh, solution to the damage sponge problem exactly as it's done in WOWS. Well if it works, it works, i guess in RTW damage model is even simpler. Still, i'll hope for more improvements, as better is obviously better.
Formation improvement is a big thing, much appreciated!
As for the rest... i say, no point in more turrets ect until the building system itself is made... existent.
Honestly i don't even launch this any more, as it's of no interest with this poor mockup of editor and weird AI shipbuilder that there is now.
 

[Warbie]

Maybe you can alos implement quick-action buttons for formations, there is another naval simulator franchise, Ironclads. It has special order buttons for both single ships or the fleet formations, as well as formation manouvres such as line abreast turns, simultaneous turns, parallel turns etc...  Maybe a similar quick order interface for these formations would help to control them during formation changes or have more manual control over the fleet

[1MajorKoenig]

22 hours ago, Cptbarney said:

Aww, this is bloody brilliant. I would type moar, but i have work in the morning. But loving those chamges however. Those turrets look like they are made in blender, not sure if those are british and french turrets but eh.

@HusariuS @Marshall99 @IronKaputt @Bluishdoor76 @BobRoss0902 @Koogus @Hangar18 @Aceituna @TotalRampage @1MajorKoenig @madham82 

But yeah wasnt expecting anything like that at all. Time for smeggy work! ‘W’

And thanks for the progress so far cant wait to have dem quads (hope we get secondary quads) and formations.

cheers bois.

’w’

Thanks for pinging Vassili 🙂

That’s unexpected good news - looking forward to try that out!

 

Now if they also add Derfflinger‘s parts I won’t be playing anything else I guess 

[Cptbarney]

11 minutes ago, 1MajorKoenig said:

Thanks for pinging Vassili 🙂

That’s unexpected good news - looking forward to try that out!

 

Now if they also add Derfflinger‘s parts I won’t be playing anything else I guess 

Yeah, as they add KGV and moar hulls i probs won't even go back to world of dankships. Also blender has been a journey as well. Cant wait for this patch!

[Bluishdoor76]

20 minutes ago, Cptbarney said:

Yeah, as they add KGV and moar hulls i probs won't even go back to world of dankships. Also blender has been a journey as well. Cant wait for this patch!

 

I've been so desperate for a decent naval game that could replace WG's shit that I've started playing Azur Lane ._.

[Tousansons]

2 minutes ago, Bluishdoor76 said:

 

I've been so desperate for a decent naval game that could replace WG's shit that I've started playing Azur Lane ._.

Kancolle si soo much better than Azur Lane è_é

There is also Rule the Waves 2. Choose wisely.

[IronKaputt]

22 hours ago, Cptbarney said:

Wow A-150 is only around da cornah.

Forget A-150, we now can fulfill Fujimoto's dream. With french turrets no less (I was extremely worried if we'll have such design). Now I can finally exhale in relief. 

...when inhale and continue whining for 6-inch vertical quad secondaries, double superimposed central placing options for them, all-angle loading (you know, like on actual Richelieu) and fun bags.

No rest for the wicked!

 

Edited September 11, 2020 by IronKaputt

[Adm.Hawklyn]

Ah, excellent, I could possibly recreate the revised Kongo class I have in my rtw2 1920 game...  3 quad turrets and two superimposed triple barrel turrets... 20 guns... tho, UAD I could pack in the extra 2 for 22 guns...  Mmmm, firepower... I am glad for this.

[Fishyfish]

Functioning en echelon turrets?