Rule the Waves 3 News

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We are happy to announce the release of Rule the Waves 3, a naval grand strategy game that places you in command of the great fleets of the 19th and 20th century. Engage in national politics, set your research priorities, build your fleet, and fight massive fleet actions from the age of ironclads to missile destroyers. Rule the Waves 3 is available as a digital edition on Steam.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2008100/Rule_the_Waves_3/

After the mid-1940s, jet aircraft enter the scene. Existing aircraft carriers will have to be rebuilt to handle jet aircraft, adding blast barriers and angled flight decks. As carriers will need to be larger to handle heavier jet aircraft, carrier sizes will grow. Eventually, supercarriers of upwards of 60,000 tons will be the norm.

A carrier in the jet era.

The battleship will still have a role to play, but it will be eclipsed as the ultimate expression of naval might by the large aircraft carrier. Jet aircraft will eventually evolve to have allweather and day and night capabilities, but already in the final years of WW2, the missile makes its appearance. At first primitive, with limited range and easy to counter with jamming, guided missiles can still cause grievous harm to surface vessels. This leads to the development of anti-aircraft missiles to give ships longer range air defences against all these threats.

Existing ships can be rebuilt, or completely new missile cruisers constructed. Anti-ship missiles do not consume all that much space, and can be accommodated by most ships. On the other hand, anti-aircraft missile systems and their attendant radar arrays are huge and will take up most of the space on a ship. This will tend to lead to missile cruisers specializing into either anti-aircraft or anti-ship roles.

A fairly typical cruiser in the missile age.

Missiles are initially limited to line of sight, but with improved guidance systems will get longer ranges and even over the horizon capabilities. On the topic of missile combat and missile damage, real world historical experience is limited. A number of ships have been hit by missiles, with a wide variety of results, some being sunk by one missile hit, others taking multiple hits to sink. But there are no examples of large, armoured warships being hit by missiles, so the effectiveness of heavy anti-ship missiles on a dreadnought battleship is really unexplored. That means that the game relies more on informed speculation in the area of missile effectiveness than with, for example, torpedo or shell damage.

Missile damage in game is simulated with more variability than other types of hits. Generally, missile hits are treated as very large HE shells in game with additional incendiary effects (unspent fuel starting fires). They will do more limited damage if they hit the armoured belt, but can do substantial damage to superstructures, and often cause fires.

Incoming missiles

With additional technical development, you will be able to set up strikes from multiple platforms, including land missile batteries and missile submarines.

Setting up a missile strike on enemy ships.

This concludes the Dev Diaries for Rule the Waves 3. We hope these diaries have given you some insight into the breadth of the wargaming experience this game can offer. Over 80 years of naval warfare, starting with ironclads duking it out at 1000 yards and ending with missile shots from over the horizon. No other game covers such a long period of modern naval warfare, or gives such an insight into how technology, ship design and tactics interact and develop over time.

The dreadnought era in the game can be said to cover roughly the years between 1905 and 1945. The completion of the first all big gun battleship, the HMS Dreadnought, was a consequence of technical developments that made long range fire by heavy guns more accurate and effective. Fighting ranges for battleships will be from 10,000 to 20,000 yards in the mid-1910s. The lower bound for combat range will tend to be governed by torpedo ranges. By this time the range and reliability of torpedoes have increased considerably. The speed of battleships will be around 20 knots or slightly above, which is a couple of knots higher than normal pre-dreadnought speeds, and comparable with a cruiser from the 1890s.

German battlecruisers in combat against French battleships

Rule the Waves 3 will show you not only the mechanics of how ships fought, but also why Navies organized as they did and why fleets deployed as they did. In the early dreadnought period, scouting light cruisers advancing in front of the battle fleet are the chief means of situational awareness. Spotting the enemy fleet at an early stage to plan your deployment or decide on whether to engage or withdraw is vital.

The cruiser screen of the German High Seas Fleet

The pace of technical development is still high in the 1920s and 1930s, but not quite at the same breakneck pace as before 1915. Indeed, some battleships that fought in WW1 gave good service in WW2. Battleships will continue to evolve, but the changes are more gradual, like higher speeds and better fire control.

The main development seen in the 1920s and 1930s is the rise of naval aviation. Initially, the main contribution of naval aviation is better scouting. Early aircraft have low ranges, limited weapons loads and doubtful reliability, so their ability to hurt undamaged ships is limited. Soon however, aircraft develop until by the 1930s they can be a serious threat to battleships. This will lead to a flurry of reconstruction, as existing battleships need to be equipped with anti-aircraft guns to be able to protect themselves against air attack.

A battlecruiser from the 1910s being rebuilt with more anti aircraft guns.

The rise of naval aviation will also cause the development of aircraft carriers. Initially, aircraft carriers will be conversions of existing ships, but with time you will be able to build purpose built aircraft carriers.
By the 1940s, airpower will start to play a more and more important role in naval warfare. Battleships will need their own air carrier based air support and think twice before they enter constricted waters in range of enemy airfields. The era of the dreadnought battleship will draw to a close. At the same time, developments in jet aircraft will make many carriers obsolete. But that is the subject of our next Dev Diary.

The Ironclad age (the 1890 start in RTW3) has some marked differences from the time of the First World War, and brings its own interesting tactical challenges.

Combat ranges tend to be short. Gun sights and fire control are relatively primitive. The heavy guns that are in existence might sem impressive, some of them at 13 inches of calibre. However, these guns have short barrels with low ranges and are very slow to reload. This is denoted in game by a gun quality -2 or -3. They fire at less than one round per minute, and have poor accuracy to boot. Armor penetration is low, so even if they do manage to hit something, it is uncertain if they will cause much damage. This means that medium guns are relatively more important. They have better rate of fire compared to the heavy guns of the era, and even if they do not penetrate armor, they can wreck superstructure and cause fires. This is the reason ships from this time only have a few heavy guns, but comparatively large secondary and tertiary batteries.

French and Italian Ironclads in combat

Poor accuracy and low armor penetration tend to make battles of this era somewat indecisive. There can be a lot of firing , but not very much serious damage. Torpedoes are in their infancy, and have short range and slow speed. It is hard to hit anything with them, but when they do hit, they can cause crippling damage. Damage control is primitive and torpedo defence systems are not developed, which means that a single torpedo hit can be fatal to an ironclad battleship.

An after battle look at the French Battleship Carnot. One torpedo is bad news for a predreadnought battleship, and two means a guranteed rapid sinking. As you can see from the ranges in the log, combat in this era tends to be at short ranges.

Poor damage control coupled with a weakness to fire of ships of this time means that fires often spread and get out of control. It can be a viable tactic to try to cause fires on enemy ships instead of penetrating their armour. Hits by high explosive shells (HE) are more likely to cause fires to break out than hits from armour piercing rounds (AP). In the doctrine screen, you can set the ammunition used by your ships against variuos targets. Try experimenting with using more HE, especially for medium guns and at longer ranges where AP shells will likely not penetrate anyway. If you do try that, remeber to adjust the ammunition loadout of your ships to carry a larger proportion of HE.

The doctrine screen with options for ammunition type used against different targets depending on range

The steam engines of the era are reciprocating engines that can only keep up high speed for limited time. This means that full speed is something to be saved for when it is really needed. If you zip around at full speed before closing with the enemy, you may find that your ships cannot reach their full speed when you need it most.

However, tecnical development is fast, and already in the first years of the 20th century, gun design, fire control and loading mechanization have progressed to the point where long range fire by heavy guns becomes more practical. Also, with better guns and evolutions in armor piercing shells, armour penetration will start to catch up with armour quality, and big guns can score penetrating hits at longer ranges. Explosives have advanced too, and shell hits will cause more damage. It is not a coincidence that the dreadnought battleship is developed around 1905, as technological developments have by that time made the all big gun battleship a logical next step. This leads us to the dreadnought era, which will be covered in the next Dev Diary.

We know there are a lot of fans of Rule the Waves out there; finally you can read all the new features and improvements that the developers have made for Rule the Waves 3.

There are a lot of changes compared to the previous game:

POLITICS AND STRATEGIC AFFAIRS
Rule the Waves 3 offers new nations, a new region and new political options, we made some changes to improve the strategic level of the game, such as:

• 8 AI nations will be in play
  
• AI nations can now go to war with each other and suffer consequential losses
  
• We added China and Spain as playable nations
  
• There is a new Baltic region
  
• Treaties get tonnage limits and you can affect treaty negotiations in more detail.
  
• Nations may now choose national training focused on Damage Control.
  
• Larger naval bases require more time and cost more to build.
  
• Before wireless telegraphy, strategic movements in remote areas may be delayed.
  
• Submarines can now be moved on the strategic map
  

SHIP DIVISIONS
Ship divisions give you unprecedented control over your own assets.

You are in control: You can determine for yourself the number of ships and their compatibility when you form your divisions. You can set your division's subordination and assign the role the division will play if it finds itself thrust into battle.

Each division is unique: You will find that each of your divisions will form its own personality, nurtured in training but forged in battle, and guided by the particular personality of its divisional commander. Whether it is in the chaos of battle or in the measured movement between regions, divisions will operate as a single entity.

Division nuts and bolts: Creating divisions is completely voluntary, you may use them or ignore them as you wish. Divisions may be altered slightly by the battle generator before entering battle depending on the number of ships assigned to the battle and the type of mission. There is no requirement that all ships in a division be operational or even be located in the same region.

NEW COMMANDERS, NEW BATTLES
Naval officers impact many different ship operations both in and out of battle.

Officer on deck: Every ship above the size of a destroyer will have a captain, while all divisions get a divisional commander.
Officers have ranks, and can be promoted; they have personal traits that can evolve as they age. Officers get a detailed personal history. They can be re-assigned, sacked, retire and expire from old age or die gloriously in battle (or be rescued from their sinking ship). They can be experts at maneuver, engineering, rate of fire, accuracy or diligently work to improve ship morale, but they can also be terrible administrators, lousy motivators, overly devoted to exercise or music, have a tendency to have ill-advised affairs or even fight duels.
Depending on your inclination you can exercise intimate control over promotions, assignments and sackings or you can ignore the entire system and let the AI handle it for you.

The AI fights better: AI nations will tend to avoid battles in constricted waters after aircraft become effective weapons. There are also changes to how forces act during battles. Fleets now have an overall morale that can affect how each ship in the fleet behaves in battle. Ships will be less likely to target already sinking ships, carriers are less likely to continue to operate aircraft when threatened by a downwind enemy, destroyers will take a more aggressive position when in a support role.

AIRCRAFT EVOLVE
Rule the Waves 3 offers a number of new aircraft types, weapons and airborne abilities.



More New Aircraft:

• Special squadrons with a mix of aircraft with specialized roles such as SAR, ASW & ECM.
  
• Helicopters offer better ASW performance and can be carried by most ships.
  

Fancy planes need fancy weapons:

• Medium bombers can deploy an experimental rocket-assisted torpedo
  
• Air-to-surface missiles can be carried by most prop and jet aircraft.
  
• Some aircraft are able to carry two torpedoes.
  
• Night aircraft require the proper technology and training.
  
• Light jets cost more than prop planes and heavier jets are even more expensive.
  
• Jets occupy more space on carriers than do prop planes, especially heavy jets.
  
• Carriers must undergo modifications to operate jets of any size.
  

SHIPS EVOLVE
Rule the Waves 3 provides new features for ships with new equipment and abilities.

Ships gain abilities new and old:

• You can install VTE, coal-fired turbines, oil-fired turbines and gas turbines.
  
• All ships age more appropriately, suffering a variety of ills as they age.
  
• Every move and battle is recorded in a ship history for all ships.
  
• Most larger ships will be capable of equipping a helipad to improve ASW.
  

Carriers launch into the jet age:

• Before they can operate jets, existing carriers must undergo an extensive refit.
  
• Carriers that are too small suffer capacity penalties when operating heavier jets.
  
• The conning tower may now be completely removed during carrier conversions.
  
• Carriers can operate helicopters to improve their ASW in a “special squadron.”
  

Ship construction and repair enhancements:

• Each nation has a maximum shipyard capacity.
  
• Helicopters can be deployed from any ship to enhance recon and ASW.
  
• If you build huge battleships, the AI nations may counter with its own behemoths.
  
• Damaged ships can be placed in mothball status to delay the cost of repairs.
  

SHIP WEAPONS SYSTEMS
New weapons, new systems

Pre–20th Century Systems:

• Short-ranged and inaccurate weapons but they were the best available in the 1890s.
  
• Early torpedoes have very short ranges but can easily sink an ironclad.
  
• Ships built in the 90s will have compound, nickel-steel or Harvey armor.
  

Post-WW2 Defensive Systems:

• Radar-directed AA guns gain greatly improved anti-jet and missile capability.
  
• Premium anti-aircraft protection in an efficient and compact package.
  
• Fast short-range cannons providing last ditch protection from missiles.
  
• SAM systems of increasing range and accuracy for all but the smallest ships.
  
• ECM systems and other countermeasures reduce the hit chance for missiles aimed at the ship.
  

Powerful new ASW Weapons:

• These weapons offer a longer-ranged ASW solution for small ships.
  
• Helicopters deployed on ships increase ASW capability..
  

The Ultimate Anti-ship weapons:

• By the 1960s missile weapons will begin to dominate surface combat.
  

SUBMARINES, DESTROYERS AND ASW
New abilities and new dangers.

Submarines rise: Submarines gain an operational mode in the Expansion as submarines can now move between regions. The total number of submarines on active patrol in a region will be reduced to account for boats in transit and undergoing refit, making long-ranged submarines quite valuable. Both submarines and ASW ships on trade patrol will do their work only in the region in which they are currently located. Missile submarines put in an appearance, but no nuclear power or weapons are included in the game.

Destroyers swell: Destroyers have been addressed as well, increasing their usability and use. AI nations now build substantially more destroyers. The AI uses destroyers more effectively by positioning them closer to the front of supported divisions. Destroyers get a new maximum size of 3,500 tons that allows them to effectively deploy guided missile systems.

ASW gets serious: Anti-submarine efforts have not been ignored. Surface ships gain improved ASW weapons with the introduction of rocket-assisted anti-submarine torpedoes. The introduction of helicopters allows most ships to improve their ASW capabilities by fitting a helipad. Even aircraft carriers can operate helicopters to improve their ASW efforts. You will be informed if you have too few destroyers to protect your fleet against enemy submarines.

For the casual player: Not interested in the additional work to manage submarines? No worries, the new functions of submarines can be automated. It's easy to turn over control of both the construction and deployment of submarines to the AI.

GUIDED MISSILES
A dangerous new world

ASMs - The earliest guided weapons:

• Air to Surface missiles - ASMs can be carried by most aircraft, including prop planes and eventually, helicopters. They come in several sizes and are equipped with warheads that are equivalent in destructive power to similarly sized SSMs. Guided bombs that can punch through most deck armor will be used by medium bombers as an early precursor to ASMs.
  

Surface to Air Missiles — Potent jet killers:

• Heavy SAMs - These weapons are very large and require a large ship for deployment. They have great range and can knock down aircraft even before they come close enough to fire their own weapons.
  
  
• Medium SAMS - The earliest guided missile weapons to be developed, medium SAMs offer very good anti-jet capabilities, but require considerable space, have some installation restrictions, and can only attack aircraft that are actively attacking their task force.
  
  
• Light SAMs - The main benefit of light SAMs are that they can be installed in most ships and in locations unavailable to heavier SAMs. These are close-in, last-ditch weapons without much more range, but with better accuracy than dual-purpose guns. They can also shoot down incoming missiles.
  

SSMs — Surface combat will never be the same:

By the early 1950s Surface to surface missiles will begin to transform surface warfare. While first generation SSMs are limited to targets within visual range, later generations have ranges that allow attacks even beyond surface radar range. Most SSMs lack great penetration power but cause substantial damage to upper works,

• Heavy SSMs - These weapons offer great range and power but take up substantial deck space. The penetration ability of early versions against heavily armored ships is fair but can be improved through technology advances. If they hit superstructure, they will cause massive damage fires.
  
  
• Medium SSMS - Medium SSMs provide good range and cause considerable damage. They can easily wreck superstructures and cause fires.
  
  
• Light SSMs - Light SSMs can be used effectively against lighter ships but can do little other than cause fires and knock down deck structures against moderately armored ships.
  
  

Air to Air Missiles — Deadly new weapons

• AAMs - Air to air missiles enhance the air attack ratings of aircraft that carry them.
  

A SUPERCHARGED SUPERSTRUCTURE EDITOR



New abilities for the Superstructure editor:

• Each superstructure layer may now have a different color assigned.
  
• The size of each layer may be individually scaled, expanding or contracting the layer to make the layer fit the image more accurately.
  
• Entire ship superstructures may be scaled, allowing a ship drawing to be used for different sized hulls.
  
• The position of individual layers, or the entire superstructure, may be adjusted vertically within the drawing, allowing precise positioning.
  
• A layer’s order may be changed (Change layer 3 to be layer 5.)
  
• Each layer and the entire ship superstructure drawing may be saved as separate files. This allows ship drawings and separate components, such as bridges and masts, to be reused between games or even shared.
  

We hope you liked what you read, Rule the Waves 3 is coming on May 18th, wishlist the game and prepare to command your ships.