Hello, Captains,
A new scenario, Portsmouth Raid (Hypothetical), is now available.
This scenario is based on one of the major combat systems being developed for the upcoming Campaign Mode: port raids and amphibious assaults.
The biggest difference from previous scenarios is the addition of land warfare.
In this hypothetical battle, a French fleet has broken into Portsmouth and will attempt to land troops and seize the most important facilities of the British naval base. The British must defend the port, stop the French landing forces, and prevent them from capturing their objectives.
New Land Units
Three new types of land units are introduced:
Infantry
Cavalry
Artillery
These units can either be delegated to AI control or given movement orders directly by the player.
For now, land-unit command has intentionally been kept relatively simple. Ship of the Line is still primarily a naval warfare game, and during an amphibious operation I want the player to be able to concentrate on the fleet — maneuvering ships into position and using naval gunfire to support the troops ashore — rather than spending the entire battle micromanaging individual land formations.
More complete land-unit controls may be added through future updates for players who want to take full command of the ground battle.
The Final Combat Step Before Campaign Mode
This scenario is also something of a final combat proving ground before Campaign Mode.
The systems used here — landing troops, defending ports, capturing important facilities, ground combat, and naval fire support — are all parts of the larger campaign structure.
I wanted to release them first as a standalone scenario so that players can become familiar with these mechanics before encountering them during the campaign itself.
Consider Portsmouth Raid a training ground for the battles that will soon take place across the campaign map.
It is still a hypothetical scenario, so don't worry too much about the history this time.
Just command your fleet, land your troops, defend the harbour, fire a few broadsides into the enemy positions — and have some fun with it.
The campaign is getting very close.
Fair winds, Captains.
From the developer of Ship of the Line