Markus Armbruster
352bc320d2
Trade ships are now enabled when a ship type with capability trade exists. No such type exists by default; to enable trade ships, deities have to customize table ship-chr. Before, trade ship types were ignored when option TRADESHIPS was disabled. Except for xdump ship-chr, which happily dumped unusable trade ship types.
310 lines
12 KiB
Perl
310 lines
12 KiB
Perl
.TH Concept "Ship Types"
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.NA Ship-types "Description of different types of ships."
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.LV Basic
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Some of the ships currently available in Empire are:
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.s1
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.nf
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torpedo-boat These ships have been misrepresented in Empire. They were
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designed to kill large ships by swarming them and launching
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torpedoes. In fact, they were projected to be so effective
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that the French 'Jeune Ecole' (Young School) of naval officers
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advocated abandoning battleships entirely, saying that they
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would be helpless in the face of the torpedo-boat. In reality,
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the torpedo boat was limited by it's short range, deficient
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sea-keeping ability, and the battleship's quick acquisition of
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numerous light quick-firing guns and machine guns. They were
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effective when used in large numbers, but tended to die a lot.
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destroyer These include three kinds of ships. First is the 1880-1910
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destroyers, originally 'torpedo-boat destroyers', and meant to
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be cheap ships to screen the battleships. Second is the
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1910-1950 version, meant to kill submarines with sonar and
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depth-charges. Lastly is the 1950-1965 destroyer, an all around
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ship, with ASW and ASuW (anti-surface armament). After that,
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they type mostly died out, as it had gotten too large.
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frigate Originally, these were ships of about 200-400t, with a crew
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of 200-500, armed with from 30-50 large cannon plus numerous
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small cannon. They were intended to scout for ships of the
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line, and protect/destroy commerce. After about 1860, the type
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died out entirely, and was replaced by light cruisers. In the
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1960's, the type was resurrected for a new class of ASW (anti
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submarine warfare) ships of small-medium size.
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light cruiser The class came into existence in the 1860-1905 period to provide
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fast ships suitable for extended deployment in far-away places.
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They were intended to out-class local defense boats, and not
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much else. Much was sacrificed to give them long-term speed
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end endurance. They were not intended to have a role in a major
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battle.
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heavy cruiser This class has a dual role. It was intended to reinforce the
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light cruisers in the colonies, providing a heavier punch and
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more armor, and also to be scouting elements in major fleet
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battles.
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ship-of-the-line
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pre-dreadnought
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dreadnought
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battleship While the names change, the purpose remained the same: a ship
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that brings heavy guns close to the enemy and destroys him. It
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also was much used for off-shore bombardment, and for ships
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of the line, minor invasions. (A complement of 300-400 marines
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and 600 sailors allowed a ship of the line to land up to 750
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fighting men at any desired point. Small squadrons of these
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ships could (and did) take over towns, attack fortresses by
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surprise, and generally make life miserable for the defense).
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The pre-dreadnought was a battleship with a limited number
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(usually 4) of heavy guns, numerous lighter guns ('secondary'
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and 'tertiary' armament), and heavy armor on vital portions
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of the ship. They were hard to kill, even for themselves, as
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they had only a few guns that could penetrate the armor of
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their peers.
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The dreadnought was introduced in an article in Jane's Fighting
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Ships by an Italian designer, who received permission to publish
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his design after the Italian government decided that it was
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too large and expensive for them. The design/concept was seized
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upon by First Sea Lord Jacky Fisher, who rushed completion of
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the first ship, the Dreadnought, through in only 1 year. (An
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amazing feat and a major record) The Dreadnought gave its
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name to the entire type of ship, having 8-12 large calibre
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guns, few secondary & tertiary weapons, and good armor. (As
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can be guessed, the threat posed by torpedo boats had diminished
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considerably, mostly with the quiet abandonment of the policy
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of close blockade, and the advent of the destroyer)
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The battleship of the 1918-1945 period was faster, and carried
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a new AA capacity, especially in the latter years of the period.
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After 1945, the class died out (except for 4 ships)
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For our purposes, a battleship 1 is a ship of the line, a
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battleship 2 is a pre-dreadnought, a battleship 3 is a
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dreadnought, and a battleship 4 is what was called a battleship
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or (sometimes) super-dreadnought.
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battlecruiser These special ships existed in the 1905-1920 period, prior to
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the widespread introduction of oil fuel. They had full battle-
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ship guns, and a large speed advantage over the battleships,
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but very little armor. They were initially the pet project of
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First Sea Lord Jacky Fisher, who intended them to both kill
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the heavy/armored cruisers of the time, and to scout for the
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battleships. With their heavy armament (and name), their
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function inevitably blurred, and they were used in combat
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against full-fledged battleships, where they died like flies.
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With this (and with the introduction of oil fuel, which made
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battleships their equal in speed), they were phased out.
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ASW cruiser These ships came into being in the 1965-present period in
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response to a need for a large ASW ship to carry ASW helicopters
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and command equipment. It typically carries full ASW armament,
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as well as a minor ASuW capability.
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missile boat
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missile frigate
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missile cruiser These ships range in size from 100t missile boats (the modern
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replacement for the torpedo-boat) to the 6000-8000t missile
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cruiser. They all are designed to bring missiles to bear on
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the enemy. (The first successful missile boats were Egyptian,
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and used against the Israelis in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war)
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The missile frigate and cruiser also serve as SAM ships.
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landing craft These ships are relatively unique, being used mainly in the
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1942-1950 period. Before that, landings were carried out by
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frigates, ships-of-the-line, light & heavy cruisers, &
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pre-dreadnoughts, all of which could land a large number of
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men. With the introduction of the concept of beach-defense by
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the Germans, these ships were invented to get large numbers of
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men on the beaches quickly. After 1950, their functions were
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largely assumed by the helicopter.
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aircraft carrier
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light carrier
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escort carrier These ships are designed for various purposes. At first,
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carriers concentrated on scouting for the battleships. Later,
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it was proved that airplanes could sink battleships (Thanks to
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Billy Mitchell here), and the emphasis moved to all-around sea
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control. Still later, with the disappearance of the battleship,
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a large power-projection capacity was added.
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Light carriers were simply smaller versions of the large or
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'fleet' carriers, and were used for the same duties.
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Escort carriers were usually hastily converted merchantmen,
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and carried small numbers of fighters and ASW planes. (Some
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merchantment, in fact, were equipped with 1 fighter and a
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temporary catapult. When threatened by enemy planes, the
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fighter took off. When it was done, it ditched, and the pilot
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was (theoretically) picked up by the merchant ship's convoy.
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This was used several times, and worked!)
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submarine The submarine was originally intended, in the 1900-1910 period,
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to fill the same role as the torpedo boat, using stealth to
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get to the battleships instead of speed. It was a strictly
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defensive weapon, without much speed or endurance.
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In the 1910-1925 period, the sub was much enlarged, and use in
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a combination anti-battleship (sank at least 20)/anti-commerce
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role. Endurance was much improved, and the sub could now
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operate a long distance from its home port.
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In the 1925-1945 period, the sub steadily grew large and more
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capable, gaining mostly in speed, sonar ability, and endurance.
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After 1945, nuclear power vastly increased the subs endurance,
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making it effectively infinite. Sonar was also vastly improved,
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and removed the reliance upon the periscope. The subs armament
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was also vastly improved with the addition of the SLM & SLBM.
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minesweeper Usually converted fishing vessels, small, and expendable. They
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found and destroyed mines with a variety of tricks, including
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cables & magnetism.
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.fi
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.s1
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These units types differ in their fundamental
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capabilities; some can fire guns, some cannot;
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each has it's own specific abilities & roles.
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The capabilities of each ship are given by the show command.
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The headings are as follows. For the building data:
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.s1
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.EX show ship build
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.s1
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.in \w'avail\0\0'u
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.L lcm
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The lcm required to build the ship.
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.L hcm
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The hcm required to build the ship.
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.L avail
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The avail (work) required to build the ship.
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.L tech
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The minimum technology required to build the ship.
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.L $
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The cost of the ship.
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.in
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.s1
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The headings for the stats listing are
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.s1
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.EX show ship stats
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.s1
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.in \w'spy\0\0'u
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.L def
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defensive armament of the ship
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.L spd
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the distance/mu for moving (in relative units)
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.L vis
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how visible the ship is, (relative units)
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.L spy
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how far the ship can see, (i.e. how good the
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communication equipment is), again in relative units
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.L rng
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twice the distance the guns can fire,
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The range formula is (rng/2) * ((tech + 50) / (tech + 200))
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.L fir
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the number of guns the ship can fire at once
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.L lnd
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The number of land units the ship can carry. No ship can carry 'heavy'
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units. Only surface supply ships can carry units that are not 'light'.
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If option LANDSPIES is enabled, submarines that can't normally carry
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land units can carry up to two spies.
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.L pln
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The number of 'light' planes the ship can carry.
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.L hel
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The number of helicopters the ship can carry. (If the SHIPCHOPPER option is
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enabled)
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.L xpl
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The number of extra-light planes the ship can carry. (If the XLIGHT option is
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enabled)
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.in
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.s1
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Each ship can carry a certain amount of products and has certain
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capabilities. These are listed under the cargoes & abilities section.
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The cargoes give the number of each product that can be carried.
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The abilities are as follows.
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.s1
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.EX show ship capabilities
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.in \w'anti-missile\0\0'u
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.L fish
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The vessel will accumulate food by fishing
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.L torp
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The vessel can fire torpedoes.
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.L dchrg
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The vessel can drop depth charges
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.L plane
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The vessel can carry planes with the light attribute set.
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.L miss
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The vessel can carry missiles.
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.L oil
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The vessel can drill for oil
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.L sonar
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The vessel has sonar capabilities to detect submarines
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.L mine
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The vessel can lay mines
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.L sweep
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The vessel can sweep the sector for mines and recover them
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.L sub
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The vessel is a submarine
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.L spy
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The vessel can engage in spying activities
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.L land
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The vessel can be used as a landing craft. (see info assault)
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.L semi-land
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The vessel can be used as a semi-landing craft. (see info assault)
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.L sub-torp
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The vessel can torpedo submarines
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.L trade
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The vessel is a trade ship.
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.L supply
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The vessel can supply other units.
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Unless the vessel is a submarine, it can load non-light land units.
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.L canal
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The vessel can navigate canals (see info \*QSector-types\*U).
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.L anti-missile
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The vessel will intercept enemy marine missiles (see \*Qinfo Hitchance\*U).
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.in
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.s1
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Some examples of the output:
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.s1
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.EX show ship build
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.NF
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lcm hcm avail tech $
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fishing boat 1 25 15 12 0 $300
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cargo ship 1 60 40 29 0 $500
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ore ship 1 60 40 29 0 $500
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slave ship 1 60 40 29 0 $500
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passenger ship 1 60 40 29 0 $500
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trade ship 1 200 100 81 0 $2500
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frigate 30 30 19 0 $600
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battleship 1 50 50 31 0 $800
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.FI
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.s1
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.EX show ship stats
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.NF
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s v s r f h x p l
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p i p n i e p l n
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def d s y g r l l n d
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fishing boat 1 10 10 15 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
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cargo ship 1 20 10 35 3 0 0 0 1 0 0
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ore ship 1 20 10 35 3 0 0 0 1 0 0
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slave ship 20 10 35 3 0 0 0 1 0 0
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trade ship 1 20 10 35 3 0 0 0 1 0 0
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frigate 50 25 25 3 1 1 0 1 0 2
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.FI
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.s1
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.EX show ship cap
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.NF
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cargos & capabilities
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fishing boat 1 300c 10m 900f 15u fish
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cargo ship 1 600c 50m 300s 50g 900f 1400l 900h 250u supply
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ore ship 1 30c 5m 990i 990d 200f 45u 990r
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slave ship 20c 80m 200f 1200u
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trade ship 1 50c 50m 100f trade
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frigate 60m 10s 2g 60f semi-land
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battleship 1 120m 20s 4g 120f semi-land
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fishing boat 2 300c 10m 900f 15u fish
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.FI
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.s1
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.SA "coastwatch, fire, load, lookout, mine, navigate, tend, torpedo, fly, show, Trade-ships, Ships, Sector-types"
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