A look at the new features of Order of Battle: Kriegsmarine

[AlbertoC]

Kriegsmarine is the upcoming DLC for the Order of Battle series and it covers the German Navy’s efforts to challenge Allied superiority at sea. From the shores of the Baltic to the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean, you will lead a smaller varied fleet of destroyers, cruisers and battleships, submarines, seaplanes tenders and carriers, as well as Marines units specialized in amphibious assaults.

This DLC marks, of course, a return to naval mechanics. The team has put a lot of focus in expanding the naval aspects of the series with Kriegsmarine, and to best represent naval warfare they implemented several new features. Let’s look at them, shall we?



Firing efficiency & Hit avoidance


This new mechanic will completely alter how naval combat is played out in the Order of Battle series. Now both movement and range will play a role in damage calculation.

The mechanics already existing in the game dictate that, in order to maximize your damage output, a ship that moves before firing must keep the same distance between itself and its target at the start of the turn and after the move. Basically, if the range stays the same before and after you move your ship, you will have maximized your firing efficiency as you won’t need to calibrate your guns and present the full broadside to the enemy at all times.

This is now combined with new mechanic: By keeping your ship on the run, you make it harder to hit. The more movement points you spend in a turn, the more hit avoidance you will have, and the enemy will deal less damage to you.

The trick is to try to keep the same range between you and your target when firing, but move as much as you can so that you won’t be a sitting duck! In a larger scale naval battle, the trick is to move as much as possible and outside of the effective range of most enemy warships, while still maintaining the same distance to specific targets for maximum firing efficiency.



New Submarines Mechanics


First off, surfaced submarines are now much harder to spot. Previously, they could be spotted by any surface ship or aircraft as long as they were in visible range. Now, they will only be spotted by adjacent ships: this allows brave submarine captains to take risks and gamble. Surfaced submarines can move at a higher speed to close in on merchant convoys or stalk enemy fleets. On the other hand, while a submerged submarine is slower, it can only be detected by sonar.

We also introduced a limited submersion time: now submarines have a battery which they use when they are submerged. For most submarines, it’ll last 3 turns, although for some later models (like the German XXI) it will last 4. Then, the submarine will have to resurface and recharge the battery for a number of turns.

These new mechanics make submarines way more interactive and interesting to play.



The number to the right indicates the battery duration – how long your submarine is allowed to stay submerged!



Primary & Secondary guns split


We decided to split the primary and secondary armaments for battleships and battlecruisers to more accurately portray these vital ships of the era.

Primary guns can only be fired once every 2 turns. Their range and firepower is far greater, meaning that you want to save that when it’ll truly have a significant impact or when a good target is available. That offers an interesting choice to players and adds depth to naval combat. In addition, the secondary guns armament is often equally effective at close range against smaller enemy ships.

Each ship now feels more unique and specialized as well as historically accurate, and there are big differences between various BB types. For example most BB/BC have destroyer calibre guns (100-128mm) but some like the Yamato are armed with (light) cruiser calibre guns (150mm).



Seaplane tenders



In Kriegsmarine we have an entire new class of units, seaplane tenders.

These allow the German Navy to carry and resupply seaplanes (in fact giving it some sort of “prototype-carrier” capability). While floatplanes and flying boats used to be limited to the reconnaissance role, Kriegsmarine adds new types in the offensive role, including floatplane fighters and (torpedo) bombers.



The ship to the left is the AV Greif: it can carry armed floatplanes (like the Arado AR 196 A-3) and resupply floatplanes and seaplane torpedo bombers (like the Heinkel He 59) alike.
The one to the right is the AV Bussard. It can carry and resupply floatplanes and torpedo bombers!



And more!


Kriegsmarine has a lot more to offer, but we don’t want to give away too much info at once. We’re looking forward to you trying the game and finding all the nice little touches that the Artistocrats left there for you to find. But let’s say bye, for today, with one of my favorite new ships.



Everyone who guesses the name of that ship wins a cookie!

[bru888]

Thanks for the update. All sounds reasonable. Will it affect previous DLC? We should have a discussion here on how this will play out, retroactively. Guys, what are your thoughts?

[Erik2]

I've played the KM twice (second time after game and scenario updates).
I think all naval engagements will benefit from the naval changes.
Only thing I'm not too happy about is the 'fire.main-guns-only-every-other-turn'.
I'd rather have them less efficient targeting destroyers and smaller boats so players would only benefit using the main guns at cruisers or larger targets. In fact, you could make a case for being able to use main and secondary guns at different targets during the same turn.

[bru888]

I've played the KM twice (second time after game and scenario updates).
I think all naval engagements will benefit from the naval changes.
Only thing I'm not too happy about is the 'fire.main-guns-only-every-other-turn'.
I'd rather have them less efficient targeting destroyers and smaller boats so players would only benefit using the main guns at cruisers or larger targets. In fact, you could make a case for being able to use main and secondary guns at different targets during the same turn.

So, as it is, you don't think it will upset previous content too much?

[kverdon]

Not too sure about the new mechanics. The "Firing Efficiency" concept is a bit absurd. Please site one, just one, naval engagement where one side maneuvered to maintain a constant range to target. Also increasing your speed does make your ship a harder target but it also decreases YOUR fire accuracy as well.

The Main armament firing every other turn is also a stretch. I would rather see inclusion of the idea of making main armament less effective against DDs (maybe CL) and in turn make secondary armament less effective against BB/BC class ships. Incorporating main gun ROF in the Main gun firepower does make sense. Saying that Main Gun rate of fire for 8",12",14",16" and 18" guns all have the ROF of every other turn makes no sense.

[AlbertoC]

Thanks for the update. All sounds reasonable. Will it affect previous DLC?

Yes, all these new features affect previous DLCs as well. The only exception is that at the moment only Germany has seaplane tenders.

[Erik2]

I've played the KM twice (second time after game and scenario updates).
I think all naval engagements will benefit from the naval changes.
Only thing I'm not too happy about is the 'fire.main-guns-only-every-other-turn'.
I'd rather have them less efficient targeting destroyers and smaller boats so players would only benefit using the main guns at cruisers or larger targets. In fact, you could make a case for being able to use main and secondary guns at different targets during the same turn.

So, as it is, you don't think it will upset previous content too much?

I think the earlier stuff will be fine. Sub warfare is much improved. Players would of course have to get used to the slightly new mechanics, but for me the next update will be an improvement on naval handling.

[calmhatchery]

I like the improvement of naval battles. Im thinking what about the naval battles in previous DLC? in pacific theatre? Is new improvement will cover previous dlc like RISING SUN and MORNINg SUN and US PACIFIC?

[VPaulus]

I like the improvement of naval battles. Im thinking what about the naval battles in previous DLC? in pacific theatre? Is new improvement will cover previous dlc like RISING SUN and MORNINg SUN and US PACIFIC?

Thanks for the update. All sounds reasonable. Will it affect previous DLC?

Yes, all these new features affect previous DLCs as well. The only exception is that at the moment only Germany has seaplane tenders.

[calmhatchery]

cool!! thanks

[calmhatchery]

I have a little request, could the devs with the new kriegsmarine dlc patch can add correctly working skin camouflage for mechanized units?

[Telematic]

As improvement of naval warfare, I suggest torpedo warfare should be more randomized and revised.
A torpedo could hit or not the target and when hit the target could deliver a lot of damage. The probability that a torpedo launched from a destroyer could hit a cruiser or a battleship were very very low, instead torpedoes from submarine were far more effective. Destroyers had an impossible task to get close to a battleship to launch torpedoes, Japanese only had the chance nighttime (e. g. Tassafaronga or Savo).

[bru888]

I've played the KM twice (second time after game and scenario updates).
I think all naval engagements will benefit from the naval changes.
Only thing I'm not too happy about is the 'fire.main-guns-only-every-other-turn'.
I'd rather have them less efficient targeting destroyers and smaller boats so players would only benefit using the main guns at cruisers or larger targets. In fact, you could make a case for being able to use main and secondary guns at different targets during the same turn.

So, as it is, you don't think it will upset previous content too much?

I think the earlier stuff will be fine. Sub warfare is much improved. Players would of course have to get used to the slightly new mechanics, but for me the next update will be an improvement on naval handling.

Thanks. I am happy to hear this.

[kverdon]

I am still having a hard time wrapping my head about this concept of "Fire Efficiency" because in the real world it just did not exist. Yes, Salvo Chasing was a valid means of hit evasion, but the counter to Salvo Chasing was continuous tracking of the target and changing the elevation of the Main Guns, not maneuvering the ship to maintain a constant range to target. You are acting like the main battery of capital ships has a fixed elevation. A WAY better way to handle this, and a way highlighted by almost every other naval simulation, being it board game, miniatures or computer, is to access a penalty on the first firing salvo to act as "spotting" and then give a bonus for continuous, registered, fire on a single target. What you are proposing with "Fire Efficiency" is ludicrous in the extreme. Please, try to base your naval combat mechanics on SOME form of reality instead of arbitrary fantasy.

[prattaa]

Can surfaced submarines be spotted by aircraft?

[mbpopolano24]

all aboard....

[plaudern]

Not too sure about the new mechanics. The "Firing Efficiency" concept is a bit absurd. Please site one, just one, naval engagement where one side maneuvered to maintain a constant range to target. Also increasing your speed does make your ship a harder target but it also decreases YOUR fire accuracy as well.

. . .

I think the basic concept of hits being more likely if the range stays the same is correct. Simply put, obtaining a correct firing solution is easier when the distance is maintained.

I’ve recently finished a wonderful book that delves into naval gunnery combat and various methods of obtaining firing solutions through both doctrine, computational, and dead reckoning methods. I found it to be very interesting (warning: it is rather technical dry reading). The book is “Naval Firepower: Battleship Guns and Gunnery in the Dreadnought Era” by Norman Friedman. I mention it, of course, as a reference supporting my statement.

A debatable point might be whether not the effects in the game are too large or not (IMO they are OK), but definitely its “a thing” in naval gunnery.

[kverdon]

I tend to agree with the idea of the concept of a stable firing solution. Where it falls apart is the concept that Closing the range does not greatly simplify the firing solution. Closing from 20,000 yards to 10000 yrs greatly simplifies things. It also totally ignores firing ships vrs target speed, which I thing would have been a better way to go. There is a reason most naval miniature rules place higher emphasis on firing /target ship speed than changing of range. also greatly disagree with the fire Primary vrs Secondary vrs AA mechanic. These guns all usually had their own FC directors and could simultaneously track the same or separate targets. The “I can fire at the Battleship OR the Torpedo bomber” thing is nuts And makes me cringe every time I have have to do Naval engagements. It is also stupidly easy to bait the AI with a recon place for them to shoot at instead of your capital ships.

I have the book your referenced in my library and on my short reading list.

[prestidigitation]

I tend to agree with the idea of the concept of a stable firing solution. Where it falls apart is the concept that Closing the range does not greatly simplify the firing solution. Closing from 20,000 yards to 10000 yrs greatly simplifies things. It also totally ignores firing ships vrs target speed, which I thing would have been a better way to go.

So, the rules we already have in the game about ships taking less damage for moving more?

The mechanics already existing in the game dictate that, in order to maximize your damage output, a ship that moves before firing must keep the same distance between itself and its target at the start of the turn and after the move. Basically, if the range stays the same before and after you move your ship, you will have maximized your firing efficiency as you won’t need to calibrate your guns and present the full broadside to the enemy at all times.

This is now combined with new mechanic: By keeping your ship on the run, you make it harder to hit. The more movement points you spend in a turn, the more hit avoidance you will have, and the enemy will deal less damage to you.

The trick is to try to keep the same range between you and your target when firing, but move as much as you can so that you won’t be a sitting duck! In a larger scale naval battle, the trick is to move as much as possible and outside of the effective range of most enemy warships, while still maintaining the same distance to specific targets for maximum firing efficiency.

As far as the stuff about individual gun targeting, not appropriate for a game at this scale.

[kverdon]

The rules we have now only appear to apply if you change range. You can move as many hexes as you want without penalty as long as the range remains constant.