ection of enemy ships beyond visible range.
Each ship needs a number of main guns mounted in turrets to be functional, which can be placed either on the centerline, or in some cases, the side of a ship. Gun technology, super-firing barbette placements and hull types limit the maximum turret mounts. In any case, the position they are mounted at greatly affects the ship’s weight distribution and firing arc efficiency so this decision is crucial, especially when designing a battleship.
Secondary guns are of smaller caliber and are either turreted or placed in casemates. Casemate guns are mounted in protected positions along the sides of the ship's deck and require less tons of mounting equipment compared to turreted guns placed on top of decks. Their main advantage is that, in these positions, they do not obstruct larger main guns. Their disadvantage is that firing arcs are more limited compared to turreted guns and if placed in lower decks they may become wet and ineffective in rough seas.
Extra options allow the configuration of turret traverse speed and gun reload, depending on researched technologies.
Gun technology progress improves gun accuracy, reload, range and penetration, careful consideration must be given to, whether to use bigger larger caliber guns of older technology or smaller caliber guns of more advanced technology.
Guns of 9-inch caliber and higher belong to the “Big Gun” Category and are available in large capital ships (Heavy Cruisers, Battlecruisers and Battleships). Damage from guns increases exponentially with caliber, so it is usually best practice to maximize the caliber of the ship’s main guns if the technological development allows it.
However, mounting big guns on a ship that is not sufficiently protected with armor and damage control technologies is playing with fire. The size of guns and their respective ammunition magazines makes your ship prone to detonation if shells penetrate the hull near the magazines.
“Small Guns” (2 to 8-inch) are no match against big guns but should not be underestimated. Their high rate of fire can quickly disable a ship if it stays in their range for long and they are very effective against unarmored targets, like torpedo boats. Additionally, the detonation hazard of small guns is much less.
Research of advanced hull types will lead to a uniform main gun battery that aims faster, because salvoes create water splashes all of the same size that are more easily observed. Therefore, an “all big gun” ship with many guns of the same caliber can acquire a target faster than a ship of mixed gun caliber.
Torpedo Launchers may be either "underwater" or "above water". Submerged torpedo launchers placed underwater are typically found in earlier capital ships. Deck torpedo launchers are placed above water and can have multiple tubes and rotate, allowing for larger spreads and more flexible firing angles. Deck torpedo launchers are usually not placed in capital ships due both to the height of the hull that makes their launching hazardous and the danger of explosion if they are hit by an enemy shell.
The ship’s ammunition can be customized depending on the chosen armament with the following configuration:
Ammo Rounds: Ammunition carried can be set to “Decreased”, “Standard” or “Increased” for both guns and torpedoes. This setting is especially useful to fine tune weight distribution for your ship and also control the detonation hazards.
Shell Weight: Gun Shells can be “Light”, “Standard”, “Heavy” or "Super Heavy" This setting not only contributes to total weight, but also greatly affects the combat effectiveness of your ship. Lighter shells have higher muzzle velocity, slightly higher reload rate, much lower detonation risk and require significantly smaller storage space. However, their side-effects are lower penetration, lower range, less damage, and a steeper trajectory at long range.
Explosives/Propellant: Choosing the explosive material of your shells is of great importance as it not only affects the overall firepower but also the safety of your ship. For example, it is tempti