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Dev diary 3 - The Scenario Editor
RTW3: Expanded Battles includes a powerful scenario editor that will let users create scenarios depicting any naval battle in the world between 1890 and 1970. You can specify the forces and ships taking part, their missions, formations, and their objectives. It can also handle virtually any size of battle, from a two ship duel up to Jutland-sized great battles.
The starting positions of the respective fleets can be specified, but also parameters for randomization of starting positions so that there will be a level of uncertainty. It is also possible to set the probability of some ships and forces, so that it is uncertain if they will appear in the battle or not.
In the editor you can also specify up to 6 different courses of action for the AI to follow. The AI will follow these until it makes contact with the enemy, after which it will use its own judgement. This enables the scenario designer to make the AI enact different approaches or courses of action to enhance replayability and keep the human player guessing.
For example, in the Rheinübung scenario that comes with the DLC, this capability has been used to define courses of action for the Bismarck force that will make her go either West or East of Iceland, and at different times, to make things interesting and unpredictable for the British player.
The editor also has the tools for the scenario designer to define minefields, friendly or enemy, known or unknown. There is even a possibility to mark areas as no go areas so that you can make sure the AI will not go too near enemy airbases or drive carriers into constricted waters or other similar situations.
In the scenario editor you can specify the year the scenario takes place, as well as the exact technologies in the tech tree that the opposing navies will have at the time of the battle.
Of course, you also have access to the doctrine screen used in the main campaign mode, so that you can set the doctrinal choices for the opposing navies. This includes ammo loadouts and choice of ammunition for specific targets and ranges, and even what type of armor-piercing shells they will use (priority of oblique penetration, burster charge or underwater performance). And you can set the type of training prioritized by that navy, which will have a direct influence on their behaviour and capabilities in battle. A Japanese force for example, can be expected to have torpedo and night fighting training, while the US Navy prioritized daytime gunnery and damage control.
Air forces are included too of course. Land airbases can be included in scenarios just like ships. And the numbers of aircraft and roles of aircraft squadrons can be specified, both as to type and model of aircraft, as well as the proficiency of the pilots.
All in all, there is probably no other naval wargame with a scenario editor that lets you design any battle you might want, a fleet battle like Jutland or a single ship duel, anywhere on the globe, anytime between 1890 and 1970.
The full power of the scenario editor of course depends on having the ships available, and that is where the ship designer comes in. More on that in the next instalment of the dev diary.
By Fredrik Wallin
Lead Designer
Naval Warfare Simulations
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