Ship of the Line · published
This update further improves sail behavior, fleet command, onboard sound, and the signal system.
Improved sail cloth movement
Sails no longer move like a single solid surface. The cloth now ripples naturally with the wind, with stronger winds producing more visible movement.
Improved yard rotation
When the wind changes, yards no longer snap instantly into a new angle. They now rotate gradually, as if the crew were actually hauling the lines.
Improved furling behavior
When sails are taken in, the canvas gathers toward the yard instead of simply flattening. Fully furled sails are also visibly secured at several points.
Sheets added
Sheets are now visible and move together with the sails and yards as they are adjusted.
The amount of sail currently set now has a direct effect on actual ship speed.
Battle sail, full sail, and other sail states now produce natural differences in speed.
Different ship types and rigging layouts behave differently even under the same sail setting.
Vessels with a higher proportion of fore-and-aft sails can retain more speed while carrying reduced sail.
Favorable wind can no longer push a ship beyond its own maximum speed.
The sail state you see on screen is now directly connected to the ship's actual movement.
The fleet no longer knows instantly when something happens to the flagship.There is now a difference between what has actually happened and what the rest of the fleet knows has happened.
Admiral Transfer
If the flagship is still afloat but can no longer send signals, the admiral may transfer to another ship by boat.
During the transfer, the fleet temporarily has no effective flagship.
In strong winds or storms, boats cannot be launched, which may leave the admiral trapped aboard the damaged ship.
A New Flagship
Once the admiral reaches another ship, that vessel becomes the new flagship.
Command Succession
Losing the flagship no longer causes an immediate and automatic transfer of command.
If the next senior commander directly witnesses the loss of the flagship, command can be assumed relatively quickly. If not, they may wait for some time before deciding that the flagship is no longer able to command.
During that period, the fleet must fight without centralized command.
Succession Follows Command Seniority
The largest or nearest ship no longer becomes the new flagship automatically.
Command passes according to the fleet's established chain of command.
Withdrawal and Death Are No Longer Treated the Same
An admiral leaving the battlefield alive is now treated differently from an admiral being killed, including its effect on fleet morale.
Russia: 4 ships
Ottoman Empire: 6 shipsThis scenario focuses on Ushakov's aggressive action against the Ottoman van without waiting for further orders.The key theme is independent initiative in battle.
France: 24 ships
Britain: 19 shipsIn this scenario, the initial deployment itself is part of the story.The British van begins much closer to the French line, while the rear is positioned considerably farther away.This reflects the historical conflict between Graves' orders to maintain the line and to engage closely, which contributed to the British rear failing to close effectively.
Ottoman ships in the Fidonisi scenario now use historical Ottoman ship names from the same general period.However, there is no confirmed evidence that these exact vessels took part in the Battle of Fidonisi, and this is clearly noted in the scenario data.
Peacetime crew ambience
Quiet background chatter can now be heard from sailors during normal operations.
Combat crew reactions
During battle, the crew becomes more tense, with more urgent voices and responses to commands.
Improved sense of distance
Human voices are only clearly heard at relatively close range compared with hull creaks and sail sounds.
They are most noticeable from the crew-level camera view.
Enemy crews can now be heard
When ships close to boarding distance, you can hear shouting and activity from the enemy deck as well.
Multiple nearby ships can produce crew sounds at the same time
Close ships now generate their own independent crew ambience instead of sharing a single battlefield-wide sound source.
Hull creaks and sail sounds added
Wooden hull creaks and canvas sounds have been added.
Sail noise is only produced when the sail is actually fluttering. A properly filled and tensioned sail will not flap unnecessarily.
Signal officers now react more quickly when spotting signals from the flagship.
Signal detection is faster.
Confirmation of reply signals is also faster.
Distance-related communication delay still comes mainly from the process of reading and interpreting the signal.
This reduces cases where a nearby signal was noticed unrealistically late, while preserving the uncertainty and delay of Age of Sail communication.