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[Dostoevsky]

Bringing this thread back from the grave to let people know that this game was formally released yesterday (August 16th), and is also 20% off through next Thursday.

I waited to pick it up until it left early access - to be frank, I had assumed it'd never get completed - so I can't compare 1.0 in 2018 to what it was back in 2016, but I do find it rather fun. The crew mechanics in particular do set it apart from other similar entrants in the field, as when designing a ship "how close is the nearest fire extinguisher" actually matters. Running skeleton crews is possible and viable in some situations, while running a crew surplus can be quite useful as well - someone needs to bring shells to the cannons, even if the engine needs repair and enemy boarders are tying people up on deck 5.

It also features workshop support, and alongside the usual 'more guns/stuff' mods there are also ones that tinker with campaign mechanics.

[Urist McScoopbeard]

Excellent game! Not only are the design and combat parts top-notch, but it is surprisingly atmospheric as well! (Pun not intended, but I'll take it anyways.)

[Shooer]

This game has definitely come a ways since it was first available and is good fun even now.

Design of ships is pretty easy and straight forward but you can get into the fiddly if you want. 

Like I designed a ship with the goal of being flown at max height and being able to drop bombs on everything else.  Worked great against my defense structure and land ship filled continent and I thought it would need to be retired against the rest of the world.  Nope, turns out they were running low flying ram ships or large airships with very vulnerable tops.

Or my spider tank that was the complete opposite.  Just a giant battery of upwards aimed guns backed by a similar one that was a wall of guns.  Gun wall spider charges and takes care of the ground while the AA gunner spider blows up anything in the sky.



Played a new game recently and seeing the new designs the AI is working with is giving me some great ideas (first game I lost against a neighbors fleet that consisted of a metal musket tower sitting on a blimp that my planes couldn't take down.)

[BluarianKnight]

I'm simply going to say, this is one of the funnest games I've played in a long time. If you find some issues with it being 'too easy' there are mods not only expanding, but also allowing the game to be far more difficult. It is a must-buy on my book, and very few games hit that mark for me.

[ChairmanPoo]

This game has definitely come a ways since it was first available and is good fun even now.

Design of ships is pretty easy and straight forward but you can get into the fiddly if you want. 

Like I designed a ship with the goal of being flown at max height and being able to drop bombs on everything else.  Worked great against my defense structure and land ship filled continent and I thought it would need to be retired against the rest of the world.  Nope, turns out they were running low flying ram ships or large airships with very vulnerable tops.

Or my spider tank that was the complete opposite.  Just a giant battery of upwards aimed guns backed by a similar one that was a wall of guns.  Gun wall spider charges and takes care of the ground while the AA gunner spider blows up anything in the sky.



Played a new game recently and seeing the new designs the AI is working with is giving me some great ideas (first game I lost against a neighbors fleet that consisted of a metal musket tower sitting on a blimp that my planes couldn't take down.)

In general, but specially in the early game, build bombers, park them on top of people you don't like. If possible very buoyant and very cheap (buoyancy means you can fly over and bomb more things. Cheap  because from time to time you get blown off the sky; the idea is to have spares and if possible to have downed blimps fall on top of your enemies. I've had situations where a downed blimp drove an enemy to the ground where the rest of my fleet could bombard hi, with abandon.

I have a fairly fast bomber design special for this purpose. Comes off at 350 each ship or so. I send them in teams of four to wreck enemy capitals, with a more valuable missile boat staying slightly behind to take pot shots

[Urist McScoopbeard]

What is considered high-altitude in this game? My fleet's haphazardly designed flagship is pretty big and reaches like 700m+

[LoSboccacc]

I think there's an hard coded ceiling around 300 and most spoilers can't attack above 250

[ChairmanPoo]

That's probably about right. Its good to know because you shouldnt really bother beyond the maximum. But its important to build budget bombers that reach it.

Consider, bomb bays are effective and bombers are cheap.  And ironclads tend to be fairly limited buoyancy wise.

Just include a grenade launcher or two to deal with close range lightweight foes.


Also strategically speaking, I'm having success with my current policy of more or less ignoring my hamlet defenses and focusing on the cities.  I do raid hamlets but its mostly for pillage, area denial, and poaching enemy airships if possible.  I have more money to play with this way

Btw, in case you are wondering there IS a counter for high flying - harpoons. I think extra buoyancy helps, thouh, and once again, even if they hook  you and destroy you, making sure your budget blimp falls on top of the ironclad can cause extra damage and possibly stop it from moving, giving the rest of the fleet a chance.  I think going for cheap throwaway shit is a good rule of thumb for most of the early game... and its still true late game, its just that you'll need something a bit more special to deal with tough enemies

[Majestic7]

Cheap throwaways are likely the cost-effective solution. But there is strange satisfaction in building a huge landship that fills like half the map, costs a ridicilous amount of money but is basically a moving city. With airports.

[Akura]

I'm a little disappointed how the AI will surrender even on its last territory. Just finished a Conquest game, the last few territories were carpeted in rocket towers, making them very tough to crack. A couple I broke using cheap throwaway bombers, followed up with a strike by more heavily-armed and armored ships. The last one I wanted to have fun with: a few large landships with dual heavy cannons, some very large battleships with six heavy cannons up front, and several... I'd say they're "teacup"-shaped ships with several torpedo launchers. Took out some of their defenses with spies for good measure. AI surrendered the second the battle started.

[umiman]

Oh my god this game is amazing. I'm having so damn much fun right now.

I had a master plan in the campaign. I was gonna make a prototype bomber with my frigging sails and tier 0 tech. Made a fatal miscalculation. It was so heavy it couldn't even fly higher than 28 meters. My bomber couldn't even bomb blades of grass.