Hey Amaris,
Finally snuck a little time to try this out... Really neat concept. Thanks for sharing this fabulous idea. Please keep working on it.
First thoughts:
1. Sounds
It's clever the way you've adapted BA's sound files of tanks, etc. Surprisingly, this works actually quite well...
However, if you'd like to experiment with extra naval sounds, take a look at some of these...
- Corvette/destroyer whoop whoop ->
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_al9owcieHQ
- Dive/alert alarm -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u95E__3TSN0
- A whole load of navy wav files
Youtubes would need somebody to convert them to wav/mp3 and edit the length down to exactly what you want
I haven't found a menacing low grumble of a battleship's engine, nor the whoosh of a destroyer charging a sub on the surface... yet... but I'm sure that they're out there
2. Line of sight
- Battleship should have longest LOS > Cruiser > Destroyer; In early WW2, it's because you can put a fella higher in a battleship's masts to see smoke over the horizon; In late war, the radar equipment can go higher
- However, destroyers/corvettes were better at anti-submarine warfare; more likely to be equipped with asdic/sonar than larger cruisers/battleships
3. Flags
- Did you lift the Japanese flags from J2D's fun Pacific campaign? Nice. Like your simple red logo for units too. Works well
- Wouldn't change logos, but if you'd like an IJN "Rising Sun" with the stripes, this one's not bad ->
http://amp.rokket.biz/flags_np.shtml (it does say, "Modellers welcome"!

)
- Will you put VP flags on the map, for strategic locations?
4. Unit graphics
- Gorgeous silhouette side-view graphics in the unit description bar; those must have taken a lot of work!
- It's nicely user intuitive, showing turrets in the description bar; one turret = one shot
- Love the way you trail smoke from your top down views when ships move
5. Firing ranges
- APrange is 8 for battleships and cruisers, 4 for destroyers (btw the APreactionRange is longer; was that deliberate?)
- Would you consider giving battleships MUCH longer range, maybe even >15, so that battleships could fire from far away. Cruisers/destroyers could forward spot, with destroyers then becoming occasionally detached as fast, lone patrol ships to seek out the enemy as well as cannon fodder within a fleet
6. Smoke
- Could you apply Merr's "smokey mortars" function, used extensively be Enric, to permit ships to selectively fire smoke screens to obscure themselves?
- In practice, destroyers would whiz around to lay down smoke to hide a fleet from precise targeting,
http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675 ... Craft-Tank
- Smoke would be really handy if you're thinking of adding landing craft for combined naval/marines operations
7. 2d is already way cool, but it would be totally awesome with 3d ships
- Richcat? Anyone?
8. Battle mechanics
- Arc of fire is neat: Firing from front on, you can't use rear turrets; but broadside you can use everything
- Does being broadside affect your chances of receiving a hit? A cruiser side would be is a much easier target than one head on
- Neat that you can knock out turrets as well as starting fires
- What does "waterway" mean? It flashed up that after one of my shots that gave a explosion sound
- I notice you haven't set minimum ranges (to prevent battleships from shooting ships right up next to them; for those really brave destroyers, that sneak up under the big guns)
- Sinking a ship is really hard work; Do you have the equivalent of a magazine strike, so the whole thing blows? Or a torpedo somewhere critical?
This is a fabulously clever concept, really well worked up. Really looking forward to seeing your next iteration...
When you've got aircraft carriers and landing craft, plus marine/army units to assault islands, this is going to be A+!
Please keep up this great work, Amaris!
PS. Would be happy to help to knock up some island chain maps, with fortifications for army/marines to invade, if that might be helpful?
