Rule the Waves 3: Expanded Battles | Dev Diary 4

[h2]The Ship Designer[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p]Given that Matrix Games held several ship design competitions in the past, we can safely say that one of[/p][p]the many draws to RTW3 was the ability to create ships to your liking. RTW3 is intended to be a naval[/p][p]warfare sandbox, letting players live through their own history as the head of the admiralty or ministry of[/p][p]the navy for one of the many nations available. This is of course limited to the sole campaign mode in the[/p][p]base game. We thought it only fitting that we should extend the sandbox potential of RTW3 by adding a[/p][p]new ship designer that’s decoupled by the normal restrictions of the campaign mode.[/p][p][/p][p]The ship designer in RTW is in many ways the heart of the game. But in the campaign, the player is[/p][p]limited in the ships that can be built by technology, dock size etc. The standalone ship designer in[/p][p]Expanded Battles is basically the same ship designer as used in the RTW campaign, but free from the[/p][p]infrastructure and tech-based constraints on ship design applied in the RTW campaign. You can design a[/p][p]ship of any displacement, and you can freely add most types of equipment. This makes it possible for[/p][p]players to design any ship of any size from any time covered by the game. This tool is a companion for[/p][p]the scenario editor and will let the player populate scenarios with exactly the ships that are needed.[/p][p]When a ship is designed, the year of the ship design can be set, which means that the ship will have the[/p][p]technologies and attributes appropriate for that time and nation. For example, the armor quality and[/p][p]engine development level of the ship will be saved along with the design and used for various functions[/p][p]when the ship is in battle.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]There are extensive functions for fine tuning the appearance of the ships. Apart from the guns and[/p][p]torpedoes, you can spruce up your ships with various visual extras that make them look so much better.[/p][p]This is not necessary for them to function in battles, but it definitely increases their visual appeal.[/p][p]We found that this new ship designer is powerful enough to create ship designs that are both graphically[/p][p]impressive for the perspective we have taken and historical authentic. In fact, our very own content[/p][p]designer utilized this improved ship designer to create a range of ship designs that we used for the[/p][p]historical scenarios. We think that these authentic designs will only serve to help with player immersion[/p][p]when engaging with the historical content of Expanded Battles. Here are but a few examples of some of[/p][p]the historical World War II ship designs we have included with the game, including ships of the Kido Butai[/p][p]of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Kriegsmarine.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]These ships are not just for looks and can be used in scenarios and the quick battle generator (more on[/p][p]that in the next dev diary). Moreso, ship designs will be saved in a convenient location and can then be[/p][p]manually shared with the community.[/p][p][/p][p]By Fredrik Wallin[/p][p]Lead Designer[/p][p]Naval Warfare Simulations[/p][p][/p][p]WISHLIST THE NEW DLC NOW:[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]