Could someone point me to the update log where they detail what changed? Cannons have always been my problem weapon, just above getting ships that both float reasonably low and don't want to tip over.
all the new parts and formula:
http://fromthedepths.gamepedia.com/User:Evil4Zerggin/Advanced_cannonI planned on a video tutorial, but lost so much time just getting the game not to stutter it will need to come later
about floating things...
the game is close to realistic, but it has it's own quirks. first thing to consider us that 1 wood block can make float 1 block metal
put them in equal amount but on uneven distribution:
at top the most heavy part is 4 metal + 4 wood + 4 metal + 4 wood, but if you look at the flat bottom is 12 metal + 12 metal + 12 wood + 12 wood.
now compare with the top deck. this thing will never capsize, and will keep floating even if half sides are shot out
now for some quirks: air pump add buoyancy at the center of their volume. this means top deck and bottom deck will need to never be completely separated. you can create vertical section to the ship volumes, but creating horizontal sections is a recipe for a disaster. the bottom deck will push more (because more of it is underwater) and the ship will list until both section are submerged by an equal amount.
and that's it, there isn't much more to it. just add pumps and ship will float 4-6 meters on top of water with no issues. also don't overweight it down! look at real ww2 cruiser for inspiration. it's hard to find some that have more than half deck space covered in cannons, something people in FTD love to exaggerate.