Steam and Iron almost out!

Warship NWS · February 06, 2012, 02:08:14 AM

We are looking at adding side views that were designed for our NW board wargame series of artwork.

SAI v1.0 is just the start.. we have big plans for this naval simulation engine. One of its greatest features is the global mapping system. RJW and 1920s are already at the top of the consideration list for expansions and anything from the age of sail to WW3 are on the potential hit list.

Thanks.

spelk · February 06, 2012, 03:11:46 AM

So in theory it could handle the likes of 1982 The Falklands War?

Warship NWS · February 06, 2012, 04:20:43 AM

Quote from: spelk on February 06, 2012, 03:11:46 AM
So in theory it could handle the likes of 1982 The Falklands War?

If, and when, (much depends on player support) we add a modern naval database to the engine.. sure. You can already fight WW1 battles in that region as it is now.

BTW, we have a board wargame expansion for our Modern Naval Conflicts due out shortly covering the Falklands and GIUK for the 1980s.

spelk · February 06, 2012, 04:48:02 AM

That's very encouraging Chris. I'd love to see the naval conflict around the Falklands during the 80's.

Another personal favourite of mine (because my Great Granda died on HMS Hogue in 1914), the Livebait Squadron has a scenario in SAI, with Cressy, Aboukir and Hogue going after a couple of DD's.

I've found SAI to be very easy to play through. I've not understood any of the nuances and subtleties of the game. And as far as I can tell, it's more a game of manoeuvre into firing position. Smooth map zoom and ship animation. Certainly quite mesmerising watching the AI ships zig zag and zip about. I love the fact that you can set the game to run until fire is given or taken, and then it pauses. You can then assess the firing locations and make adjustments if necessary. Need to delve deeper into the manual, but I like what I initially see. We need a smooth, easy to use naval simulator, one that has a more modern day UI than Harpoon can deliver.

Warship NWS · February 06, 2012, 04:52:54 AM

If you select the captain command level option you can also turn off the AI for gunnery targeting and do it yourself, among other tactical options. ;)

Slick Wilhelm · February 06, 2012, 09:33:01 AM

Has anyone found any keyboard shortcuts for zoom/unzoom?

Warship NWS · February 06, 2012, 09:36:08 AM

There are no hot keys for the zoom functions yet, but that is one of the top items on our list for the first update - which will be posted shortly.

Slick Wilhelm · February 06, 2012, 10:45:06 AM

Quote from: Warship NWS on February 06, 2012, 09:36:08 AM
There are no hot keys for the zoom functions yet, but that is one of the top items on our list for the first update - which will be posted shortly.

That's great news, Christopher! Thanks for having that as a priority. :)

Warship NWS · February 06, 2012, 10:50:05 AM

Thanks for the support friend. :)

Slick Wilhelm · February 06, 2012, 11:36:35 AM

After a little more thought, I remember now that the mouse scroll wheel controls game speed. Do you think you guys might change that to control zoom instead?

Warship NWS · February 06, 2012, 11:40:54 AM

That is not part of the game interface, it is part of the Windows mouse interface. It is not intentional - only happens if the "speed" tab is highlighted.

Slick Wilhelm · February 06, 2012, 12:15:52 PM

Quote from: Warship NWS on February 06, 2012, 11:40:54 AM
That is not part of the game interface, it is part of the Windows mouse interface. It is not intentional - only happens if the "speed" tab is highlighted.

Ok, understood.

You guys could always add that as part of the game interface, right? I think that would be ideal. From what little I've played, I get the feeling that zooming is going to be one of the most used functions.

Warship NWS · February 06, 2012, 04:47:52 PM

That is why we are prioritizing hot keys. The coding engine cannot place calls for the wheel on a mouse - at least not yet.

Slick Wilhelm · February 06, 2012, 10:56:48 PM

After some more play in the Goeben scenario, it's apparent that the game speed needs to have more variety. On my Core i7 3.0 ghz, the action is way too fast, even when "Slow" speed is selected. The action is incredibly too fast-paced. The ships seem to be traveling at warp speed at the lowest setting.

Is there a way to slow down the default speed? Perhaps via a .ini file somewhere?

Warship NWS · February 07, 2012, 12:18:39 AM

FW is already working on more game speed options for the first update. I recommend using the "step" phases for now if the game is moving too fast. Game speed also seems to vary widely per system as several of our test rigs run the "slow" speed at a reasonable pace.