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Turning This Game Into A Playable Encyclopedia

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Turning This Game Into A Playable Encyclopedia

#1
just wandering if there was any chance of it.. i do alot of skin and map making for il-2fb and pacific fighters... and ive devoted alot of time to it.. i was wandering if there was any chance of doing the same for this sime and turning it into a playable encyclopedia of ships like il-2 is the same for planes.....

just a thought anyways cause il-2 is always gettin free updates with more maps skins planes etc.. just like this is (er with ships though)

tell me what YOU think

Turning This Game Into A Playable Encyclopedia

#4
Tarpoon, you are mistaken. All of the ships except for 1 are historical ships (US Fury Class Patrol Boat). Some of the names have been altered, but:

the Flower Class (HMS Anemone), Fletcher, Asashio, Arete, Elco, Schnelleboot, Vosper, Type VII, Type IX, Salmon, I-19, Emden, Wickes, Freyr (German Flower), Buckley, Mosquito, Sunderland, Demon, Swordfish, Dornier Do24, Catalina, Kinnewaha - ALL are REAL LIFE SHIPS. Because the HISTORY is different doesn't necessarily mean the actual technology (Ships, subs, aircraft, etc.) are different.

Even the Fury Class is 90% accurate to a US Patrol Craft.

Turning This Game Into A Playable Encyclopedia

#5
Good post East.. but raises another question - what is different on the fury class to make that 10% worthwhile to put it into the game? (or leave out)

If it was done for game balance, wouldnt it have been better to keep it historical, but create additional historically accurate weapons platforms elsewhere to fill out the overall scenario in regards to balancing the game?

If it was done for reasons such as being difficult to model either physically or logistically for technical reasons, wouldnt it be better to leave it out entirely so you could afford the system resources to something else?

Either way you could have countered any question from any player with the answer that you are dedicated to staying away from fantasy in the technical areas of the weapon models.

Im sure it depends on "the TAG company's" goals for the game, but it got me thinking once you go down the path that something is created out of the need to fill a gap with non-historical equipment, then more people will want to try other "what-if-we-had-this-fantasy-design" type questions.

Turning This Game Into A Playable Encyclopedia

#6
To answer your question: We were looking for a Corvette sized US escort ship from our era. There wasn't one. Using the approximate historical ship would have made the US escorts much stronger than the others. The US did have a ship close to the specifications and, following a history of adaptation shown by the US Navy, we took this Patrol class ship, lengthened her, configured her armament for escort and anti-submarine instead of shore patrol and so created a purpose built light escort.

It's in keeping with our storyline, it keeps the game from becoming grossly overbalanced and it follows a historical development scenario. It could easily have been a real-life ship. As could the Bismark battlecarrier, the true carrier Graf Zeppelin and a few others. I'd hate to miss out on these...

Turning This Game Into A Playable Encyclopedia

#7
Even if you tried to do this im affraid the same thing would happen that goes on with Il-2 (people complaining that certain planes don't act how they should.)

The idea about the skins is pretty good though. Depending on file size of the skins and limits on how much of the skin can be changed as well as colour. I would find it a slap back to reality if I came accross a bright pink Destroyer Image

Maybe (way into the future) seperate colour schemes may be chosen like either blue or green cammo patterns with a red or black hull. This would allow people to customise their ship/sub without compromising the realism.

Turning This Game Into A Playable Encyclopedia

#8
People who fancy realistic games tend to be disturbed by the smallest inexactnesses.

Even if you use only some fantasy designs (like the Babaross Class, which I like a lot personally as they give German fleets a rustic look) they might scare off potential customers and if you turn historical important/famous ships (like the Bismark) into bogus designs you can't claim any "encyclopedia character" for your game no matter how accurate the other ships may be.

People will mostly see the unrealistic examples and ignore the accurate models.

Turning This Game Into A Playable Encyclopedia

#10
thats one of the things id like... most ships would be historic... some wouldnt be.. the what if ships.. like i mentioned in another thread the g3 class (rodney /nelson) was to have another 3 turrets behind the structure and be a 48000 tone battlecruiser.. ships like repulse and renown would be historic though...

and as for ppl complaining about this isnt right etc... yes this happens in il-2.. oleg the producer turns round and says look i make the ruddy game be happy with it..there are ways around most problems with performancs.. get a few books out and usually take a average of what the ship performed like.. youd need to take a educated guess at the what if ships,.. but thats part of the fun. fighting steel did it

and with the skin idea... u could have 2 ship models.. bismark say.. the battle cruiser and the battle carrier with different skins so u could have tirpits bcruiser and tirpits b carrier...

that way u could plzz the historic ship fans and the what if fans or just mix..

look at il-2 that was supposed to have just 1 plane to start of with.. it now has over 200 flyable.

from all over the world

and some of them never flew.. they were only designs

u dont have to call it a playable encyclopedia.. but it could be a simulation..

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