WCNAW V1.0 Online Manual and Ship Data Chart Feedback/Discussion Thread

[Warship NWS]

This thread is to help proof read and improve the information offered in the WCNAW v1.0 Manual shown here;

http://navalwarfare.info/files/WC/WC-Manual.htm

This thread is also available to answer questions regarding the WCNAW Ship Data Charts,

http://www.navalwarfare.info/files/W..._Ship_Data.zip

Thanks.

[Akmatov]

Just started looking at the new manual, but want to commend the format change from including some data as a long sentence and breaking it out into tables. I recently spent a hour or so reformatting the WCDB rules into a more readable format and this was one of the major changes - far more understandable.

One suggestion I made a long time ago that would be a HUGE help for a new player would be a graphic of a typical ship with arrows pointing to the different bits of data telling you what they are. Some are easy to figure out from the rules, but others are definitely obscure. The meaning of the various boxes inside the ship outline are especially difficult to discover. It may seem clear to you, but realize; you invented all this. Although the information might be in the rules, the only way I was able to finally recently figure out for sure what was what was to compare damage reported in Battle Reports with changes in the ship graphic - which was a pita. Previously, I had gotten frustrated and just put the game away as inscrutable.

[Akmatov]

Some thoughts:

Auto-Deployment, Quick Battle Generator, and Ship Division Deployment Interface The auto-deployment option allows for divisions to be deployed automatically based on a loaded scenario pre-determined tactical map positions or semi-random placement for newly generated scenarios.


I think you mean:



Auto-Deployment, Quick Battle Generator, and Ship Division Deployment Interface
The auto-deployment option allows for divisions to be deployed automatically based on a loaded scenario's pre-determined tactical map positions or semi-random placement for newly generated scenarios.


===================

This section made it clear to me that I didn't understand the difference between a 'generated' and an "auto-deployed" battle, as neither seems to be a battle based on a previously written scenario.

Starting Range The range at which generated and, not auto-deployed, battles will begin will be based on



===============


Game and Battle Options


Some of the options are explained below.


One option not explained is " limited shell ammo", I'd bet this indicates you are limited to the amount of ammo historically available. But I don't know that, just assume it, why not tell us?



============================
Ship Class Reference Chart
Below is a description of the information shown on the ship class reference chart.
* Type: BB–Battleship, OB-Older Battleship, BC–Battlecruiser, AC-Armored Cruiser (WW1), CA-Heavy Cruiser (WW2), CL-Light Cruiser, DD-Destroyer, MN-Monitor
* Class: Ship class name.
* Year: Year that the class entry represents. (r) is for major refit dates.
* Navy: RN-Great Britain, KM-Germany, MN-France, RM-Italy, RU-Russia, AH-Austria-Hungary, USN-United States, RN-Great Britain, MN-France, IJN-Japan, KM-Germany, RM-Italy.
* HULL/SS/FLT: Hull, Superstructure, and Floatation points.
* Gunnery Accuracy: E-xcellent, G-ood, A-verage, F-air, P-oor {Gunnery accuracy is a rating of the fire control quality and gunnery capability of the ship class.}
* Fire Control Dates: DCT-Director Control Towers, AFC-Automated Fire Controls. (WW1) {DCT and AFC were only used mostly by the main batteries of the warships that had them.}
* Radar Fit/Year: F-Fire Control/Search Radar, S-Search Radar, 1-3 = Level of technology and quality. (WW2) {Maximum effective radar range: 1-24,000 yards, 2-32,000 yards, 3-40,000 yards}
* # Turrets: Number of Main/Secondary/Tertiary Turrets or Mounts
* Main/Sec/Ter Btty: [Cal: Caliber in inches, FP: Firepower, V/H Pen: Vertical/Horizontal AP rating, Rng: Effective range]
{Firepower is a calculated factor based on ballistics, shell quality, ROF, shell dispersal, and other factors that directly affected the number of shells that would land on target effectively.}
* Ammo Load: The number of turns the battery can fire using maximum sustained rate of fire. Slower rates of fire will result in a slower rate of ammo depletion.
* Ammo types: A = Armor Piercing, C = Common or Semi-Armor Piercing, and H = High Explosive or High Capacity shells.
* Armor/Protection Ratings: Belt/Deck Armor Ratings, Turret Front/Top Armor Ratings, Secondary/Tertiary Battery protection ratings. (Note: Superstructure armor is either a 1 or 0 depending on the ship size and belt armor rating)
* Torpedoes: [# Mnts: # of torpedo mounts, Trps/Mnt: # torpedoes per mount, Torp Dam: Base damage rating]
* Speed: Maximum sustainable ship speed in knots.
* PV: Base ship class point value. {Adjusted according to starting damage, crew ratings, and radar fit in the simulation.}


This is an example of the type of tightly packed, computer code-like, blocks of information that needs to be unpacked and listed as a table, it is not like you are saving printing costs. This is the kind of thing that motivated me to spend a hour or so re-formatting the WCDB rules so I could actually read it rather than decrypt it. You have done this for some information, but not for all of it. For example:



* Armor/Protection Ratings: Belt/Deck Armor Ratings, Turret Front/Top Armor Ratings, Secondary/Tertiary Battery protection ratings. (Note: Superstructure armor is either a 1 or 0 depending on the ship size and belt armor rating)


This is NOT visually friendly and would be much easier to deal with as:


* Armor/Protection Ratings:
- Belt/Deck Armor Ratings,
- Turret Front/Top Armor Ratings,
- Secondary/Tertiary Battery protection ratings.
Note: Superstructure armor is either a 1 or 0 depending on the ship size and belt armor rating


========================================


Something I just noticed is this:


: Not Illuminated


Is there a graphic to show that a ship is illuminated?


=======================


Note: Top left = Superstructure damage, Top right = Hull damage, Bottom = Floatation damage.


First of all, is this correct? I thought the order for the top row was Hull/SS - ofc I could be completely wrong.


Second, this is an example of where you NEED an annotated ship graphic - it would be much, much more clear.

[Warship NWS]

The auto-deployment option allows for divisions to be deployed automatically based on a loaded scenario's pre-determined tactical map positions or semi-random placement for newly generated scenarios.

I changed it to this; "

The auto-deployment option allows for divisions to be deployed automatically based on the pre-determined tactical map positions of a loaded scenario or semi-random placement for a newly generated scenario. "

This section made it clear to me that I didn't understand the difference between a 'generated' and an "auto-deployed" battle, as neither seems to be a battle based on a previously written scenario.

Starting Range The range at which generated and, not auto-deployed, battles will begin will be based on

Actually, it can be both. The auto-deploy option will automaticaly deploy the divisions of a re-loaded custom scenario or a randomly generated scenario. If you turn the option off the divisions can be manually placed on the tactical map (randomly generated scenario) or re-positioned before the battle starts (if you re-load a custom designed scenario). The starting range is auto-determined IF you start a randomly generated scenario and use the auto-deploy option. Let me know if that makes more sense to you.

One option not explained is " limited shell ammo", I'd bet this indicates you are limited to the amount of ammo historically available. But I don't know that, just assume it, why not tell us?

I figured it was pretty self-explanatory.. but if you insist ;-).. I added this,

"Limited Shell Ammo: Toggles between unlimited and limited shell ammunition. "

I am not adding the word "historically" intentionally because at some point I will be adding the ability to edit ammo loads in the scenario TXT files.

Ship Class Reference Chart
This is an example of the type of tightly packed, computer code-like, blocks of information that needs to be unpacked and listed as a table, it is not like you are saving printing costs. This is the kind of thing that motivated me to spend a hour or so re-formatting the WCDB rules so I could actually read it rather than decrypt it. You have done this for some information, but not for all of it. For example:

Hmm.. I will look at this.. your the first to recommend breaking that part of the manual up.. anyone else think that would help? If so.. I will see what I can do with that.

Something I just noticed is this:

: Not Illuminated

Is there a graphic to show that a ship is illuminated?

Yep.. these ,

: Capital Ship : Cruiser : Destroyer

Note: Top left = Superstructure damage, Top right = Hull damage, Bottom = Floatation damage.


First of all, is this correct? I thought the order for the top row was Hull/SS - ofc I could be completely wrong.

Your not wrong.. my oops,, I just fixed it to this,

Note: Top right = Hull damage, Top left = Superstructure damage, Bottom = Floatation damage.

Second, this is an example of where you NEED an annotated ship graphic - it would be much, much more clear.

I will see what I can do with that idea.

[Warship NWS]

One suggestion I made a long time ago that would be a HUGE help for a new player would be a graphic of a typical ship with arrows pointing to the different bits of data telling you what they are.

As above, I will see what I can do with this idea.

[Warship NWS]

I just added a ship icon diagram to the online manual;

[Akmatov]

Great!

That will be really helpful for newbies.

[Warship NWS]

Added this info right below the ship icon diagram,

Gunnery Targeting Data Information
Firing ship
Target ship division and number - Rate of Fire - Ammunition Selected
Rate of Fire : R = Ranging, S = Spotted, F = Full
Ammunition Type : A = AP, C = COM, H = HE
Target ship
Large caliber batteries – Medium caliber batteries – Light caliber batteries

[Warship NWS]

Just added a full set of working table of contents to the online manual. Should save on a lot of scrolling.

http://navalwarfare.info/files/WC/WC-Manual.htm

[Akmatov]

Dean,

These additions might seem to have been a bit redundant, but honestly I spent a lot of time digging most of this out of the text and observing the game; and there were still a couple of things you have now added that I was unsure if my guesses were correct.

This will make WCNAW much more accessible to new players. In the past I have just removed the game from my HD because I was so frustrated trying to penetrate the way information was displayed. The need to provide the data in a highly condensed format is a total necessity, but previously the format was buried in the text, in several different places.

While looking at the new rules and looking more closely at the screen shot I just realized yesterday that range bands were gone! Very old new for all, but exciting for me. The tactical map has always seemed nice, but I had missed the point. This is going to be so nice!!!!!