Battle UI improvements for RtW 3
Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2023 8:15 pm
UI improvements in RtW 3
All criticism below comes from the POV of wanting something I enjoy greatly to be even better. RtW is a great concept of a game. The only part often leading to frustration is commanding battles due to the GUI and the micromanagement induced by the absence of useful tools. In this thread, I will explain why and what could be done to make this part of the game smoother and more enjoyable.
Part 1: Controlling ship behaviour.
RtW comes with a chain of command and role settings for AI controlled divisions, and manual course and speed settings in captain’s mode. Overall, this is a good system. But the role settings often don’t lead to functional behaviour.
1. Core: What I seek from this functionality is to
i) Merge two units of the same or similar ship classes to act as one for manoeuvre purposes, prioritizing line abreast or ahead whenever possible.
ii) Attract lighter forces to their lead division so they operate in close proximity.
While the core function in the game promises to do this, the AI often struggles to create and maintain formations in the core setting, even with good weather and little enemy interference. It is also generally unwilling to create lines ahead for multiple DDdivs or for combinations of close but unequal shiptypes, that is, BB(C)s and CAs or CAs and CLs or CLs and DDs.
Sometimes, divisions automatically change their core setting to independent. I have had this happening both immediately after setting them to core and after following a behaviour resembling core setting for a short while before switching to independent again.
Core should also have a strong, overriding attracting function if used on light forces so it can be used to call your forces together after they have been scattered. Re-grouping light force scattered over the map currently is a lot of work.
2. Screen: DD divisions on screen often allow themselves to be distracted and leave their superior divisions unguarded. I have repeatedly seen DDdivs use their entire storage of torpedoes on crippled TRs/CLs while their lead BBs move through bad weather in areas with known enemy concentrations.
During reduced visibility, divs on screen should have proximity to and to screen formation around their superiors as their all overriding priority.
When their screened formation is surprised by enemy forces, they should attack them with guns&torps until their superior divs have turned/moved away, then resume their screen formation in front of them.
3. Support: Again, DD/CL divs often leave their superiors to do their own thing on this setting. I often see BBs fighting Jutland 2.0 and being charged by enemy DDs, all while their own destroyers have completely abandoned them to harass some doomed wrecks. What I would like to obtain with this setting is 1) Focus on acting together with superior forces, maintain proximity 2) Light forces on support tactfully counterattack enemy light forces attempting torpedo runs while staying on the far side of the battle line otherwise and 3) For light forces, engage targets targeted by or targeting the superiors with torpedo runs if distance is low enough. For heavy forces, try to act in concert with the lead formation in firing.
4. Independent: This is fine imho. Except that units on “support” or “screen” should be more disciplined and leave the autonomous operations away from their superior to the independent setting.
In addition to this, the game needs a new tickbox:
5. Focus on Damage Control: AI controlled ships often commit suicide by flooding by maintaining high speeds. Therefore, you have to control dozens of ships manually during fleet battles. A ship with the tickbox “Focus on damage control” should in this order order of priority 1) Limit speed to maximum level that doesn’t cause flooding damage 2) Keep distance to the enemy 3) Otherwise follow its general orders (e.g. core) unless they conflict with 1) and 2)
…and a new division order
5. Return to port: Ship or division moves to closest friendly port, avoiding the enemy as much as possible. While the detach to port feature already exists, the player has limited control over it and it is unclear if a ship is under this order.
Note that I am aware of the chaos of naval battles. We all know the videos of Drachinifel narrating the exploits of the Kamchatka. I like that divisions occasionally misunderstand orders or the surprises coming up in heavy weather, and the admiral modes are fine too. What I don’t like is dealing with even well trained squadrons not following the most obvious and simple doctrine, like light forces simply abandon the heavy ships, something you could forbid them explicitly in a pre-battle briefing. The manual could also do a bit more explaining on the different role settings and how their effect may differ for different ship classes.
All criticism below comes from the POV of wanting something I enjoy greatly to be even better. RtW is a great concept of a game. The only part often leading to frustration is commanding battles due to the GUI and the micromanagement induced by the absence of useful tools. In this thread, I will explain why and what could be done to make this part of the game smoother and more enjoyable.
Part 1: Controlling ship behaviour.
RtW comes with a chain of command and role settings for AI controlled divisions, and manual course and speed settings in captain’s mode. Overall, this is a good system. But the role settings often don’t lead to functional behaviour.
1. Core: What I seek from this functionality is to
i) Merge two units of the same or similar ship classes to act as one for manoeuvre purposes, prioritizing line abreast or ahead whenever possible.
ii) Attract lighter forces to their lead division so they operate in close proximity.
While the core function in the game promises to do this, the AI often struggles to create and maintain formations in the core setting, even with good weather and little enemy interference. It is also generally unwilling to create lines ahead for multiple DDdivs or for combinations of close but unequal shiptypes, that is, BB(C)s and CAs or CAs and CLs or CLs and DDs.
Sometimes, divisions automatically change their core setting to independent. I have had this happening both immediately after setting them to core and after following a behaviour resembling core setting for a short while before switching to independent again.
Core should also have a strong, overriding attracting function if used on light forces so it can be used to call your forces together after they have been scattered. Re-grouping light force scattered over the map currently is a lot of work.
2. Screen: DD divisions on screen often allow themselves to be distracted and leave their superior divisions unguarded. I have repeatedly seen DDdivs use their entire storage of torpedoes on crippled TRs/CLs while their lead BBs move through bad weather in areas with known enemy concentrations.
During reduced visibility, divs on screen should have proximity to and to screen formation around their superiors as their all overriding priority.
When their screened formation is surprised by enemy forces, they should attack them with guns&torps until their superior divs have turned/moved away, then resume their screen formation in front of them.
3. Support: Again, DD/CL divs often leave their superiors to do their own thing on this setting. I often see BBs fighting Jutland 2.0 and being charged by enemy DDs, all while their own destroyers have completely abandoned them to harass some doomed wrecks. What I would like to obtain with this setting is 1) Focus on acting together with superior forces, maintain proximity 2) Light forces on support tactfully counterattack enemy light forces attempting torpedo runs while staying on the far side of the battle line otherwise and 3) For light forces, engage targets targeted by or targeting the superiors with torpedo runs if distance is low enough. For heavy forces, try to act in concert with the lead formation in firing.
4. Independent: This is fine imho. Except that units on “support” or “screen” should be more disciplined and leave the autonomous operations away from their superior to the independent setting.
In addition to this, the game needs a new tickbox:
5. Focus on Damage Control: AI controlled ships often commit suicide by flooding by maintaining high speeds. Therefore, you have to control dozens of ships manually during fleet battles. A ship with the tickbox “Focus on damage control” should in this order order of priority 1) Limit speed to maximum level that doesn’t cause flooding damage 2) Keep distance to the enemy 3) Otherwise follow its general orders (e.g. core) unless they conflict with 1) and 2)
…and a new division order
5. Return to port: Ship or division moves to closest friendly port, avoiding the enemy as much as possible. While the detach to port feature already exists, the player has limited control over it and it is unclear if a ship is under this order.
Note that I am aware of the chaos of naval battles. We all know the videos of Drachinifel narrating the exploits of the Kamchatka. I like that divisions occasionally misunderstand orders or the surprises coming up in heavy weather, and the admiral modes are fine too. What I don’t like is dealing with even well trained squadrons not following the most obvious and simple doctrine, like light forces simply abandon the heavy ships, something you could forbid them explicitly in a pre-battle briefing. The manual could also do a bit more explaining on the different role settings and how their effect may differ for different ship classes.
