My review - State of the game - Far too long :)

[Drenzul]

Ok, just run through the majority of a full campaign from earliest to latest.
Lots of good but quite a lot of bad as well.
I'll take it section of the game by section.

tl;dr; - Some major issues to address particularly with the campaign. Game breaking bugs showing why
this isn't ready for release yet (whoops!). However get those major issues solved and I'd be happy to fork over
cash for an expansion, let's say including port/island battles.

------ Ship Designer -------    Current grade 4/5 but could easily be 5/5 with relatively little effort.

One of the best bits of the game but has some big annoyances that should be quite easy to address.

1> More sliders/fine tuning for analog settings, not for digital ones.
Take ammo amount, torp amount, could really do with sliders you so you can up the final few tons with a bit more ammo.
On the flip-side, number of bulkheads only has 5 options, doesn't need a slider at all. 

2> The speed bump.
Why oh why does (for example) going from 24 knots to 25 use up 20 tons more weight, but going from 25 to 26, use 500+?
The way it is now, you may as well just put a maximum speed limit per hull cos its pointless ever going over that. 
It should scale up much more gradually so there is a point not having every ship using that hull going the exact same speed.

3> Balancing - You should be able to shift the engine machinery to better improve the ship balance. Really annoying having to
spend 5 mins shifting little bits about trying to get the positive/negative front/rear balance to 0. It shouldn't be entirely dependent
on funnel position.

4> Actual values stat values and how they add up needs looking at again from scratch. This should be pretty easy to do, but some big
examples:
1> Oxygen torps increase hull weight. Should be based on number of torps. A DD with 4 oxy torps needs the same size generator as a 
BB with 4 oxy torps.
2> Turret mechanisms - Increase engine weight... so basically saying heavier ships need more HP to turn the same turrets at the same speed...
makes zero sense Should just increase the engine HP required to turn the turrets by a multiplier of the weight of the turret.
Needs someone to go through them logically and sort the bonuses/penalties out. I think most of them are off in fairly big ways TBH.

Also not every upgrade needs to be heavier than its predecessor. The shaft options immediately spring to mind, half of those upgrades
were more about making the engine lighter and more efficient. For some reason in this game they instead just reduce the effect of engine
damage.

5> Aux engines - These make zero sense? They make turrets spin faster? Why can't I do that by just taking more power from the main engine?
They need to focus on engine damage + fire/flood imho. Maybe instead make it so turret turn rate + rudder speeds are heavily reduced
with engine damage and they compensate for that as well would make a lot more sense.

6> Gun sizing needs some work. Pretty much no reason to say go for 18" guns over 17.9" instead.

------ Battles ---------------  Current grade 3/5

Ok, so lots of good and bad here.

Love the looks, control mechanisms have improved a lot for dealing with groups of ships. Love watching enemy ships turrets blow off
(particularly the one I hit which caused all 5 turrets to pop off in a row as the fire spread) 

So onto the issues!

So #1, what the hell is this 'fog filter' that randomly and instantly gets overlaid.....
Not only is it really jarring the way it goes from 0 to full instantly with zero transition, it's not like it even seems to affect gameplay...
Just randomly, mid battle, oh right instant fog bank on a clear day.

2> Lack of "advance evasively" option. 
Basically I want to set my smaller ships to NOT move in a straight line and snake towards the target, trading speed for evasiveness.
This was really common tactic so we shouldn't have to try and do this manually while controlling a full fleet.

3> Torp avoidance is a bit too paranoid and a bit too stupid. They run from torps that could never get near them but I've also seen
it turn straight into the path of torps they have basically already avoided and just need to go straight for a few seconds.

4> Gun targeting needs some work. Too often I see secondaries targeting the enemy BB while main guns are going after DDs. 

5> Please please give me an option to give torps a big orange aura   The warning flag is great, but doesn't tell me if its 1 torp
or a flock of 10 without having to zoom in on it. 

6> Would love to pre-set squadrons and positions somehow. Always a destruction derby at the start getting organised.

--------- Campaign Map ------------    2/5

Ok, it's much improved but honestly the main reason why this game isn't ready for release (beside polishing bits)
Honestly the improvements are the only reason it's not on 1/5

1> Often have to click several times or zoom right in on a port to send a fleet to it. Really annoying.

2> Can't stop fleets in port sallying out and attacking convoys etc. I just want them to wait while the rest of the fleet refuels.
I don't want parts of my fleet splitting off, just cos they needed repairs/fuel/ammo.

3> Fuel is horrible. Takes month to refuel if your fleet can't fit in port. Should be at least some way of setting up bases
with fuel to quick refuel at.

4> Fleets blocked by ???? Neither of my two fleets can move out the channel. Its silly. No reason those ships should stop me
bullying past, they can engage if they want to stop me!. No reason the dover minefield should stop me either but my ships
are literally trapped there. They won't engage the enemy or move through their zone of control. (I'm US, at war with UK)

 

5> No direct way to just tell your fleets to chase/engage an enemy fleet.
Had an enemy fleet running round my ports trying to engage them. Despite my fleet been faster and right next to them, they could just move to another
port and attack that. No way to chase/engage directly. Telling a fleet to move towards a enemy fleet just moves it to the edge of the control zone and
doesn't seem to generate any combat. Literally spent months trying to drag the enemy fleet into combat following it around the Caribbean.

6> Diplomacy needs to work wars etc seems rather random at the moment.

7> Need a way to build military bases at specific ports, related to fuel issues above. If I'm operating a long way from home and capture a few small
ports, I want to be able to spend some money to boost that port to point it can actually at least fuel my fleet and have a ammo dump.

8> Would love a decent rework of the shipyard system. Wouldn't be hard to actually have individual shipyards you can build so you can build a few large
ones, multiple smaller ones for your smaller ships etc. Shouldn't take anywhere near as long as it does to build a single dock of a much larger size without
effectively needing to upgrade the whole world

Would also love to the the shipyards in specific locations, would make those areas in specific much more valuable targets rather than been able to have
your ships materialise at a shipyard with a 3 ton capacity

Seems like this game is missing a major 'port' system to flesh out the ports as well as the port's coastal defences. As well as maybe even coast-line assault
maps where you actually have terrain!

9> Lack of option to withdraw in non-ambush scenarios with the faster fleet. 
Seems kinda pointless loading the battle-map, hitting retreat and going to make a cup of tea till I can hit end battle if I don't want to fight it

10> PLEASE PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, do not base task force size on crew size.....
So just had to go refit all my new fleet from 'spacious' to 'normal' crew quarters and suddenly, I can control the exact same ships fine. Makes zero sense.
The concept is fine but please please either base it off tonnage or put limit by ship class on a points system (aka TB =1, DD =2, CL =4, CA = 8, BC = 16, BB = 32)
or something like that.

11> AND FOR THE LOVE OF LITTLE BABY CHICKENS!
Either stop modifying old designs with new improvements that increase weight, so we can't build that design anymore....or at least let us directly build the ship to it's refit standards. ady makes no sense that I have to first build the ship with 16" guns to then immediately replace
them with 18" guns etc.

[flaviohc16]

As a player with 500+ hours on the clock and that has some expertise with ships ( I'm a professional sailor) I want to say: good review.

I would like to respond point-to-point 

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

1> More sliders/fine tuning for analog settings, not for digital ones.

Take ammo amount, torp amount, could really do with sliders you so you can up the final few tons with a bit more ammo.
On the flip-side, number of bulkheads only has 5 options, doesn't need a slider at all. 

Completely agree on both points

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

2> The speed bump.
Why oh why does (for example) going from 24 knots to 25 use up 20 tons more weight, but going from 25 to 26, use 500+?
The way it is now, you may as well just put a maximum speed limit per hull cos its pointless ever going over that. 
It should scale up much more gradually so there is a point not having every ship using that hull going the exact same speed.

This is actually good and realistic, it's called critical speed, and on boats/ships, when you reach this wall, you need a stupid amount of power to go just a little faster: in case of the Yamato for example, going from 27.5 to 30 knots would have needed double the machinery horspower

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

3> Balancing - You should be able to shift the engine machinery to better improve the ship balance. Really annoying having to
spend 5 mins shifting little bits about trying to get the positive/negative front/rear balance to 0. It shouldn't be entirely dependent
on funnel position.

Completely agree, especially because in a lot of ships the engine started at the funnel and then went backwards, in the game the funnel is the middle of the engine, and this makes a lot of ships front heavy.

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

4> Actual values stat values and how they add up needs looking at again from scratch. This should be pretty easy to do, but some big
examples:
1> Oxygen torps increase hull weight. Should be based on number of torps. A DD with 4 oxy torps needs the same size generator as a 
BB with 4 oxy torps.

 

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

2> Turret mechanisms - Increase engine weight... so basically saying heavier ships need more HP to turn the same turrets at the same speed...
makes zero sense Should just increase the engine HP required to turn the turrets by a multiplier of the weight of the turret.
Needs someone to go through them logically and sort the bonuses/penalties out. I think most of them are off in fairly big ways TBH.

Also not every upgrade needs to be heavier than its predecessor. The shaft options immediately spring to mind, half of those upgrades
were more about making the engine lighter and more efficient. For some reason in this game they instead just reduce the effect of engine
damage.

Agree, this get especially annoying with late game towers and turrets getting stupidly heavy because the technology get heavier in % base.

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

Just5> Aux engines - These make zero sense? They make turrets spin faster? Why can't I do that by just taking more power from the main engine?
They need to focus on engine damage + fire/flood imho. Maybe instead make it so turret turn rate + rudder speeds are heavily reduced
with engine damage and they compensate for that as well would make a lot more sense.

6> Gun sizing needs some work. Pretty much no reason to say go for 18" guns over 17.9" instead.

Agree on both points 

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

------ Battles ---------------  Current grade 3/5

Ok, so lots of good and bad here.

Love the looks, control mechanisms have improved a lot for dealing with groups of ships. Love watching enemy ships turrets blow off
(particularly the one I hit which caused all 5 turrets to pop off in a row as the fire spread) 

So onto the issues!

So #1, what the hell is this 'fog filter' that randomly and instantly gets overlaid.....
Not only is it really jarring the way it goes from 0 to full instantly with zero transition, it's not like it even seems to affect gameplay...
Just randomly, mid battle, oh right instant fog bank on a clear day.

You have never been at sea, don't you? You can have banks of for/rain making you go from good visibility to not seeing your nose in less than a minute, the effect is a good rappresentation.

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

2> Lack of "advance evasively" option. 
Basically I want to set my smaller ships to NOT move in a straight line and snake towards the target, trading speed for evasiveness.
This was really common tactic so we shouldn't have to try and do this manually while controlling a full fleet.

3> Torp avoidance is a bit too paranoid and a bit too stupid. They run from torps that could never get near them but I've also seen
it turn straight into the path of torps they have basically already avoided and just need to go straight for a few seconds.

Agree, especially on the torps manouvering, the ship only open up the range, when usually is better to run into the incoming torps, it should be a somewhat easy thing to programm: if angle with torps is <90° turn into the torps, if it is over 90°, open up the range as they do now.

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

4> Gun targeting needs some work. Too often I see secondaries targeting the enemy BB while main guns are going after DDs. 

And the targeting switching so fast that the guns don't have time to gat a good firing solution 

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

5> Please please give me an option to give torps a big orange aura   The warning flag is great, but doesn't tell me if its 1 torp

or a flock of 10 without having to zoom in on it. 

6> Would love to pre-set squadrons and positions somehow. Always a destruction derby at the start getting organised.

Both would be godsends

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

-------- Campaign Map ------------    2/5

Ok, it's much improved but honestly the main reason why this game isn't ready for release (beside polishing bits)
Honestly the improvements are the only reason it's not on 1/5

1> Often have to click several times or zoom right in on a port to send a fleet to it. Really annoying.

Agree, just give us the option to send them into port or give us a little anchor icon so we know when the ships are effectively moving to port and not near it.

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

2> Can't stop fleets in port sallying out and attacking convoys etc. I just want them to wait while the rest of the fleet refuels.

I don't want parts of my fleet splitting off, just cos they needed repairs/fuel/ammo.

You can set them into "defend" to solve this issue, if they are already in battle, select from the fleet screen the ships that you need plus one ship that is in port and select them all ( with CTRL OR SHIFT) to go into defend. But I agree that it's annoying.

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

3> Fuel is horrible. Takes month to refuel if your fleet can't fit in port. Should be at least some way of setting up bases

with fuel to quick refuel at.

Yeap, refuelling takes 4-5 months for a bb, that is stupid.

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

4> Fleets blocked by ???? Neither of my two fleets can move out the channel. Its silly. No reason those ships should stop me
bullying past, they can engage if they want to stop me!. No reason the dover minefield should stop me either but my ships
are literally trapped there. They won't engage the enemy or move through their zone of control. (I'm US, at war with UK)

 

5> No direct way to just tell your fleets to chase/engage an enemy fleet.
Had an enemy fleet running round my ports trying to engage them. Despite my fleet been faster and right next to them, they could just move to another
port and attack that. No way to chase/engage directly. Telling a fleet to move towards a enemy fleet just moves it to the edge of the control zone and
doesn't seem to generate any combat. Literally spent months trying to drag the enemy fleet into combat following it around the Caribbean.

Agree, it get frustrating 

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

6> Diplomacy needs to work wars etc seems rather random at the moment.

It works well for me, when you reach -80 relation you have a chance to go to war, when it reaches -99 you are assured to go to war ( or at least have the panel), 1/5 times when you reach -99 war just happen.

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

7> Need a way to build military bases at specific ports, related to fuel issues above. If I'm operating a long way from home and capture a few small

ports, I want to be able to spend some money to boost that port to point it can actually at least fuel my fleet and have a ammo dump.

8> Would love a decent rework of the shipyard system. Wouldn't be hard to actually have individual shipyards you can build so you can build a few large
ones, multiple smaller ones for your smaller ships etc. Shouldn't take anywhere near as long as it does to build a single dock of a much larger size without
effectively needing to upgrade the whole world

Would also love to the the shipyards in specific locations, would make those areas in specific much more valuable targets rather than been able to have
your ships materialise at a shipyard with a 3 ton capacity

Seems like this game is missing a major 'port' system to flesh out the ports as well as the port's coastal defences. As well as maybe even coast-line assault
maps where you actually have terrain!

It would be an amazing system.

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

9> Lack of option to withdraw in non-ambush scenarios with the faster fleet. 
Seems kinda pointless loading the battle-map, hitting retreat and going to make a cup of tea till I can hit end battle if I don't want to fight it

Agree, at least they should put a 100x time warp, and be more aggressive with time warp in general ( timewarp slows down to 5x when enemy ships are inside 25km range...come on)

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

10> PLEASE PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, do not base task force size on crew size.....
So just had to go refit all my new fleet from 'spacious' to 'normal' crew quarters and suddenly, I can control the exact same ships fine. Makes zero sense.
The concept is fine but please please either base it off tonnage or put limit by ship class on a points system (aka TB =1, DD =2, CL =4, CA = 8, BC = 16, BB = 32)
or something like that.

Limiting by tonnage is even worse, you would get battles with 200-300tbs

On 9/30/2023 at 1:46 AM, Drenzul said:

11> AND FOR THE LOVE OF LITTLE BABY CHICKENS!
Either stop modifying old designs with new improvements that increase weight, so we can't build that design anymore....or at least let us directly build the ship to it's refit standards. ady makes no sense that I have to first build the ship with 16" guns to then immediately replace
them with 18" guns etc.

Super agree, and also allow us to not retrofit the guns, because gun mounts get bigger and bigger and don't fit anymore, they also have the idiotic thing that a single gun  of that caliber has the same turret size of a triple gun.

[Drenzul]

On 10/1/2023 at 3:01 PM, flaviohc16 said:

This is actually good and realistic, it's called critical speed, and on boats/ships, when you reach this wall, you need a stupid amount of power to go just a little faster: in case of the Yamato for example, going from 27.5 to 30 knots would have needed double the machinery horspower

Yes but I believe in real life the graph isn't quite the same. Yamato also needed double HP to go from around 20 - 27.5, whereas its even more gentle a slope in this game then dramatically hits the limit. Difference between 15 knots and 22 knots on one of my BBs was just over 100tons, to go to 23 was several thousand tons. 

Not saying there should be a critical speed, just that there should be a purpose in building ships slower than that speed as well as exactly at it.

On 10/1/2023 at 3:01 PM, flaviohc16 said:

You have never been at sea, don't you? You can have banks of for/rain making you go from good visibility to not seeing your nose in less than a minute, the effect is a good rappresentation.

Yes a few times and the effect isn't instant like that. If it built up over a few minutes I'd not mind so much.
Just seems like a very rushed implementation. 

 

On 10/1/2023 at 3:01 PM, flaviohc16 said:

Limiting by tonnage is even worse, you would get battles with 200-300tbs

And that would be different from now how?
But yeah I prefer the points system as well. 

[Wowzery]

Balancing needs to be completely reworked.  Three are many hulls which you cannot balance at all.

[Vholes]

Quote

Balancing needs to be completely reworked.  Three are many hulls which you cannot balance at all.

Hi, I have recently become much less obsessed with balancing hulls. Given the longitudinal malus is 1/3 and the pitch+roll malus is 1/4 I just get "close enough".

An example from my current 1.3.9.9Rx2 USA campaign (in 1895) - a base armored cruiser 1 hull has a combined pitch+roll of about 94% so a malus of 23.5%. I reckon as long as the longitudinal imbalance is less than 10% (giving another 3.3% malus) the design will be fine.

Note that I don't care about balancing TBs at all, I build very few. I am still biased against them from the bad old days when the VPs for sinking a TB were ridiculously high.

Obviously balancing is one of the last things to do when designing a ship. I work last on a combination of reducing the size of the citadel, making main turrets (A&B and independently X&Y) have similar angles of fire and balancing. And balancing is the least important of those.