This guide provides an in depth look at the mechanics of naval forces in the context of the campaign, assesses the best use of ship types and highlights the benefits of technology that can be unlocked. Introduction The aim of this guide is to explain the role of different types of ships in battle and how to get the best out of them. Where possible it will avoid restating information that is readily available in other places, and instead focus on data that is somewhat hidden from view, but has a meaningful impact on the units. The strategic context has more impact on naval battles than it does on land battles and this will be explored briefly in the guide. The Role of the Navy In the game, armies exist to capture and defend provinces which are the core to a faction's existence. Fleets cannot gain territory, so their role is more strategic in terms of supporting the overall position of a faction. With only a European theatre and many trade nodes on the same map, Great Britain, France and Spain start off as major naval powers. Over the course of the campaign Russia, Prussia and Austria may make use of fleets more but have roster deficiencies. Broadly speaking, there are five roles that fleets need to fill in the game. Commerce Raiding Trade routes provide opportunities to inflict financial loss on enemies and gain for yourself. As the trade routes exist within the one theatre, raiders are more easily caught so forces may need to be larger than individual ships. Frigates provide more return from raiding than ships of the line, and groups of ships add more than individual units so two frigates in one group will bring in more than two operating separately. As a result, frigates are a far better investment for raiding than larger ships, and this gives a reason for the recruitment of smaller frigates like the 24-Gun/Corvettes. Destroying Trade Fleets If an enemy faction is earning strongly from trade, then it will be due to their trade ships on trading posts. These fleets are juicy targets in wartime, and their defeat not only sets your opponent back in earnings but will net decent prize money. Small fleets of fast, powerful vessels are good for this role as most merchant vessels are poorly armed. Spain, Portugal and Great Britain are very close to many trading posts and therefore can exert control over these. Some nations can build well-armed Indiamen which will stand up to frigates. Blockading and Raiding Ports Blockading a trade port prevent all trade through the port so it is very effective, and if the port is unoccupied it is raided and damaged; unlike commerce raiding, no income is earned by the blockading. Blockading a port does prevent naval recruitment, but if the port is unoccupied your forces can enter and raid which damages the facility and prevents recruitment. If the nation only has one trade port, this can be crippling to their economy. The impact of blockading is often significant enough to justify sizeable home fleets for defence. Home port blockading is therefore high risk and either performed by solo fast ships which are expendable or large enough enough force to make the blockade permanent. Transporting Troops The only way for armies to cross water is via ship. This can present a high risk as the loss of the fleet results in the total loss of the army. As such, it is either best kept to a minimum, or performed with significant protection. Any vessel can transport any number of troops. Destroying Battle Fleets The most basic role for fleets is the destruction of other fleets, generally in response to one of the roles above. Fleets can travel large distances, so a strong fleet in port can project its influence across a wide area, intercepting enemy forces as they appear. The type of vessels needed for this role will depend on what they are countering. To hunt light fast commerce raiders, you will want good fast frigates, not slow ships of the line. Light Ships There are three Light Ship types: Brig, Sloop and Galley. The Galley is only used by the Ottomans. These ships can serve various purposes but are not key role players. SailingBrigs and Sloops are fast. Galleys one of the slowest ships. The Sloop responds better to the wind due to ketch rigging. Brigs can obtain Top Gallants. HardinessLight Ships are some of the weakest ships in the game. They have vulnerable magazines and are prone to explosion in battle. Gunnery Brigs and Sloops have weak but long range (500) broadsides; Uniform Armament more than doubles the damage bringing them much closer to small Frigate power. The Brig has stern chasers. Galleys only have forward firing guns of medium range (450) which are more powerful than any frigate's broadside. Light Ship Roles Commerce raiding: fast enough to escape, cheap enough to be cost effective and expendable (Brigs return more than Sloops) Blockading unprotected ports: fast enough to escape, cheap enough to be cost effective and expendable Transporting armies: can be produced in any port and are fast How to UseFor Brigs and Sloops, the strength of these ships is their speed and manoeuvrability. As such, unless they greatly outnumber the enemy, they need to try to stay at long range, and chain shot the enemy sails. Their speed allows them to dictate when and where combat will happen and the stern chasers on the Brig come in handy. Galleys should sail straight at the enemy vessels, they're too slow to attempt to outmanoeuvre anything. Their powerful guns can cause flooding in smaller vessels and their low profile makes them hard to hit. Very cheap so can be deployed in large numbers. AvoidGetting into range of pretty much any vessel. Light ships can be knocked out in a single volley from a decent ship, and they have poor morale. Cannon Frigates A frigate is a warship that prioritises speed over combat ability. They can be defined by the saying "they outgun what they can't outrun, and can outrun what they can't outgun". They are truly multirole and will find a lot of service in the game, especially as they can mostly be built from the first level of dock. The 38-Gun Steam Frigate is a late game advanced technology unit which has constant propulsion, however its role is not altered by this. Recruiting a Steam Frigate earns prestige. Vessels in this category 24-Gun Frigate/6th Rate/Corvette 32-Gun Frigate/5th Rate 38-Gun Frigate/5th Rate 38-Gun Steam Frigate Razee SailingFrigates are handy sailers, some of the best ships to handle. They are comfortably faster than ships of the line and trade ships. All sailing frigates are able to obtain Top Gallants. Steam Frigates do not have to rely on wind power and can sail independently as well as being faster than other frigates. HardinessThese ships have decent hull strength, but still noticeably less than ships of the line. It is enough to let them shrug off light ships and trade ships though. Magazines are decently protected so there should be fewer explosions in combat. Hull strength of most of them is relatively similar, except the Razee which is as tough as a 64-Gun ship of the line. GunneryCannon Frigates are accurate shooters with fast reloading, and all bar the Razee have broadside with range 500. Generally they are much less powerful than ships of the line. The Razee has comparable power to a 50-Gun SOL. Uniform Armament technology more than doubles the power of most ships except the the Razee and the Steam Frigate. Cannon Frigate Roles Commerce raiding: on lucrative routes, strong enough to defend themselves Blockading ports: generally a poor use given their cost compared to Light Ships Transporting armies: good escort where men of war are not a threat Destroying fleets: excellent hunting commerce raiders, tradeships and auxiliary fleets; in large battle fleets they play several roles; good protection for tradeships in trade regions. How to UseThe context of the battle determines how Cannon Frigates should be employed. They can be used relatively aggressively against lesser ships, especially the Razee: pummel the enemy ships with roundshot until they rout or are sunk. Their speed, extra gun range and high rate of fire can be very effective. They also have decent crews to board and capture trade ships for prize money. In larger fleet battles, Cannon Frigates play a supporting role to the ships of the line. They can use their speed advantage to slow the enemy ships by taking out sails and masts. If the enemy has artillery ships, frigates are there to get past the line and take them out. Finally, they are there to prevent the enemies frigates from doing either of those things. Razees exist to counter other Frigates thanks to their speed. While they can stand up to small SOLs this is not the best use of them as they will take heavy damage. AvoidShips of the line are much hardier and more powerful than Frigates so will hurt them badly. Indiamen are also more than a match for a Frigate (except the Razee) so be wary of engaging them. Carronade Frigates Two fast frigate like vessels are armed with Carronades, very powerful but short ranged weapons. The strength and weakness of this armament shapes their role differently to other Frigates. Recruiting Steam Paddle Frigate earns prestige. Vessels in this category Carronade Frigate Steam Paddle Frigate SailingBoth ships are quite fast, the Carronade Frigate being similar to a 6th Rate while the Steam Paddle Frigate has propulsion independent of the wind. Carronade Frigates are able to obtain Top Gallants. HardinessCarronade Frigates are about as hardy as a 5th Rate, and have moderately tough magazines. Steam Paddle Frigates are as tough as a 64-Gun SOL. The Steam Ship does have an elevated likelihood of catching fire. GunneryAccurate shooters with fast reloading, Carronade Frigates have range 250. Very powerful gunnery, almost to the level of ships of the line. Steam Ships have cannon bow and stern chasers with range 450. Neither ship is affected by Uniform Armament. Carronade Frigates Roles Destroying fleets: hunting other frigates, finishing off wounded ships of the line. How to UseCarronade Frigates seem to be the naval equivalent of shotguns. The vessels are fast and manoeuvrable enough to get into advantageous positions to unleash their powerful broadsides. Ideally they obtain a position ahead or astern of the enemy and give a broadside up the line. Against other frigates, they may struggle to get into range, but if they do they will devastate the enemy. AvoidCarronade Frigates will struggle against Cannon Frigates without support. These ships should be used sparingly as complementary ships not as the core of a fleets. The cost and short range weaponry make these ships poor choices for traditional Frigate roles like commerce raiding and blockades - as solo operators they're out-ranged by everything, so a sizeable fleet of trading ships can inflict a lot of damage. Ships of the Line Ships of the line are vessels optimised for slugging matches with enemy fleets. They exist to exert dominance in regions, and to protect important home ports. Designed for fleet battles these are precious vessels where number count. The Indiaman exhibits characteristics of this category despite being a trade ship. These vessels are slow, expensive and time consuming to replace so should not be risked in solo missions or far from friendly ports. 80-Gun Steam Ships and Ironclads earn prestige. Vessels in this category Sail 2-deckers: 50-Gun, 64-Gun, 72-Gun, 80-Gun, Indiamen Sail 3-deckers: 86-Gun, 98-Gun, 106-Gun, 122-Gun Sail 4-decker: 140-Gun Santissima Trinidad Steam 2-deckers: 80-Gun, Ironclad SailingShips of the Line are all slow and cumbersome ships. All of these vessels can obtain Top Gallants. Steam vessels can travel independent of the wind and are the fastest in this category. HardinessAll Ships of the Line are very tough, the toughest in the game. There is a large range within this category, with the top end having hulls 4 times as strong as the bottom end. Their magazines are the most protected so explosions should be rare. GunneryAll Ships of the Line have range 450. Many have stern and bow chasers. Broadside damage output is very high. Uniform Armament has a bigger impact on the smaller vessels giving them more usefulness in the late game, however the Steam ships are not affected. Ship of the Line Roles Blockading ports: overpowering enemy home port defenders and blockading the main trade revenue Transporting armies: for high value armies Destroying fleets: the primary purpose of these ships is the destruction of enemy fleets How to UseThe only weakness of Ships of the Line is their speed, so keep them in formation and not isolated by faster, longer range vessels. Line astern is the only formation that should be used and generally keep to simple manoeuvres. Align with the enemy as much as possible and try to get double ups (2 vs 1) on their line. If the fleet is large consider splitting it into multiple groups of 3-4 in line astern for flexibility. AvoidPrimarily Ships of the Line need to be moving, so avoid complicated manoeuvres that tangle the line as they are very slow to reorient themselves if blocked, leaving them vulnerable to stern or bow shots. Also, their large size puts them at risk from artillery ship rockets or mortars so ensure there are some faster ships around to take out such threats. Specialist Ships There are two units which fulfil a niche role in fleets carrying long range artillery, the Bomb Ketch and the Rocket Ship. Prestige is earned by recruiting either ship. SailingBoth ships are quite slow and poor handlers, although they can outrun ships of the line. HardinessBoth Specialist Ships are weak with extremely vulnerable magazines. Keep them out of harms way or they will quite likely explode. GunneryGunnery skill is less important for these two ships as their primary, forward mounted weapons are explosive. They have range 750 and fire in an arc which means they can fire over friendly vessels. Specialist Ship Roles Destroying fleets: in large fleet battles these ships can do a lot of damage to grouped enemies How to UseSpecialist Ships play a role sitting behind your primary line of ships, and fire at large vessels or groups of ships. Don't expect them to take ships out in one volley, but they will often set vessels alight and weaken them progressively. AvoidAvoid them being shot by any vessel, they are very fragile. Protect them from opposing light ships, as a Frigate, Brig or Sloop can take out quite a few of these ships solo. Combat Performance One important statistic that is not readily available in the game is the total damage output of each ship's broadside. The unit cards show the total number of guns, it does not relate what size of gun nor which are fore, aft or broadside. Additionally, the impact of the Uniform Armament technology is not clearly explained in game despite having a large impact on broadside damage. It is also worth noting that typically the heavier guns are on the lowest deck, and as you go up the decks the guns get lighter. To get the real picture, the data files were processed and each ships roundshot damage was collated. The following charts show the main vessels plotted against the total broadside damage output (x-axis) and hull strength (y-axis). Broadside damage is calculated as the sum of roundshot damage for all guns on one side. Where a vessel's broadside is increased by Uniform Armament, a second plot is shown with "(U)" next to the name. As there was a clear distinction between the lower end and the top end, there are two overlapping charts to provide more detail. Key points: 3 deckers and larger are significantly tougher then 2-deckers but not always more powerful The Ironclad is a game changer for nations who can't build 3-deckers There's a clear performance gap between normal frigates and ships of the line Uniform Armament impacts some ships much more than others Razees and Carronade Frigates can tackle 50-Guns and Indiamen Upper End

低端

航行性能 游戏中的船只配备多种不同类型的帆，这些帆会影响船只利用风力的效率。下方图表展示了船只在不同迎风角度下的效率。总体而言，大多数船只（评级舰船和双桅横帆船）采用的方帆效率最低，而配备三角帆的船只在各个角度下的捕风效果更佳。图表还显示，桨帆船和蒸汽船在逆风行驶时会有一定程度的减速。值得注意的是，法国舰船的航行性能优于其他所有舰船。

技术进展 海军相关技术分散在军事和工业研究树中。游戏中部分技术未完全说明，以下是这些技术效果的总结。 维护费用降低 军事：改良铜皮技术 工业：瓶装与罐装技术、大规模生产、标准化零件 航速提升 “顶级英勇”仅适用于方帆船只（不包括蒸汽动力船只），因此单桅纵帆船和臼炮艇不适用。 火炮伤害 “统一军备”会重新配置大量船只的火炮，将小型火炮（6磅、9磅和12磅炮）替换为18磅炮，将较大火炮（18磅、24磅和32磅炮）替换为32磅炮。根据原始军备情况，这能显著提升侧舷火力，对小型船只尤为明显。高级舰船 要解锁先进的蒸汽动力舰船，需要工业科技树中的一系列技术。蒸汽船舶推进和螺旋桨技术可解锁第一批舰船，而添加铁甲技术则能解锁顶级战舰——铁甲舰。