I like big boats and I cannot lie. This is a game about the biggest of those big boats, and the 50 years that upended naval warfare forever. It's a big subject, and a big topic, so I'll try to keep things at least somewhat brief here in this first post. There's a lot of stuff here, so I'll go over it quickly.
Firstly, there's actually a demo for this game you can download here, if you're curious to try this game out and don't want to drop any money on it. Secondly, the graphics aren't the best, but everything from weather to night day cycles and the curvature of the earth is simulated, and there's some in depth and rather impressive armor penetration simulation and calculations going on. The real fun in this game is designing little pixel boats and watching them slug it out with other pixel boats - and then almost pulling your hair out in frustration when ten minutes of real life time, three years of in game time and millions of simulated currency spent building your newest best ship with the best armor and guns possible goes down the drain when in its first engagement, it takes two torpedoes, flounders about impotently, then has a flash fire blow it to bits three minutes later. Ship design is detailed, and just like real history your newest designs are likely going to be obsolete half way through building them.
Anyway, let's look at your options for the particular hell you'll be putting me through. I'll be running with the historical budgets too, as that's more entertaining to me. Click the spoilers for more info.
AMERICA, FUCK YEAH:
In the 1900's, the American navy was starting a build up that would eventually make it the largest and most powerful in the world by the mid 1950's. Historically, Theodore Roosevelt would kick start this development in 1901. The territory taken from Spain in 1898 was spread out across the Pacific and the Caribbean. To defend this, project power, and enforce the Monroe doctrine, Teddy took the US Navy and turned it from the sixth largest (with a good amount of outdated ships and no real battle line) to a modern force only smaller than the British. America starts with oil (that tool tip is wrong), has a bonus to researching the superimposed turrets the US went with rather than adopting the wing style that the brits and almost everyone else did for their early dreds, starts with a respectable 14k tonnage limit, and will develop a budget that can rival or exceed GB's within a decade or two. they also start with standard, but not terrible guns. All in all they're likely the easiest nation to play.
The Bongs:
This is the era where Britain ruled the waves. Great Britain has a very large budget, researches very fast, starts with the largest docks in the game at 16,000 tons, and can build ships very very fast. They start with access to the biggest and best quality naval cannons you can get, and innovate heavily on ship designs. There are catches though. They share their home area with three other naval powers, two of which can grow to rival them quickly. Great Britain also has colonies all over the planet, and has to station more ships per area to satisfy foreign tonnage requirements for their colonies. Then there's the hidden flaws. See, part of the issue with rapidly innovating and being first adopters of technologies means you have to work out the kinks. Your ships have a higher chance to not meet their design specs, either being overweight, slower, or suffering engine and reliability issues. In the worst case, they tend to be prone to blowing up if someone smacks a turret with a big enough gun.
Cheese Eating Surrender Monkeys:
The designs that France came up with in this time period were some of the most interesting and pants on head retarded you can think of. The Charles Martel predred had 12 inch guns, two of them in single gun turrets, and in a sponson on each side of the ship had an 11 inch gun. Why? Fuck if I know, but the french built five of the class, and they're ugly as sin. Then there's the Surcouf, a submarine they plopped a fucking heavy cruiser turret on, partly because the naval treaties of the time didn't say they couldn't do that... until after they made the thing. France has a nice little empire, with holdings across the world only exceeded by the British. They start with the same sized docks as the british, and only slightly worse guns. However, they've got to deal with being France. French naval theory and funding swung wildly in different directions in this era, and that's reflected in both your starting budget and the random swings of funding you'll experience in the game. But hey, at least you've got quad turret bonuses (which won't apply until around 1915 at least) and good AP shells!
Sour Krauts:
Poor Wilhelm II. All he wanted was a big navy and for people to be in awe of him. Being a cripple and the head of one of the biggest nations in Europe would put a chip on anyone's shoulder. The Anglo-German naval arms race would result in some interesting designs, the introduction of submarines into modern warfare, and the largest battleship on battleship engagement in history with the Battle of Jutland. Germany starts with a budget around that of France's, but with far less territory to manage and a research boost in a variety of things. Cross deck fire allows you to put 4 turret broadsides out without needing extra centerline turrets. AP projectiles is a good thing to have bonuses in, and you'll have tough ships. Krupp steel was the standard for warship construction for decades. The main issue is that while your overseas empire is small, it's spread out and not well developed. Japan will eventually want your Chinese ports and Pacific Islands, and your African holdings will bring conflict with Italy, France, and Great Britain. Germany also shares a home region with three other naval powers, just like France and Britain. And with the Kaiser running his mouth, tensions rise quickly if you're not capable. Germany also has a rather weak selection of guns at the start, lacking 12 inchers or 10 inchers for their starting battleships, and instead having to make do with 11 or 9 inchers.
Pasta La Vista:
Italy is the newest european kid on the block, having not formed until 1871, and out of a secondary power backed by the French. Sure, Germany is a young nation too, but even finally united, Italy is still divided. Most of the population is poor, rural, uneducated, and unhappy. Plenty of people wanted a full on republic, not a constitutional monarchy. The entire country is poor, outside of a few northern cities, and the budget reflects that. Italy has also been humiliated when it comes to the colonial game. They only got Libya because nobody wanted it, and their only holding outside of the Mediterranean, Eritrea, is on the other side of the british controlled Suez. Oh, they also lost a war against Ethiopia only a few decades ago. The only person in the Mediterranean they can really hope to fight fairly in this game is the Austro-Hungarians. Corruption steals a bunch of the budget too, slows down ship construction, and makes life difficult. The poor education makes training and research slower. Really, the only good thing they've got going for them is the Mediterranean - you can skimp on a lot of aspects of ship design in the calmer waters there. 15k tons of dock to work with at the start is also very nice, as is access to 12 inch guns.
Cyka Blyat:
Here's the thing about the Russians: at least they have a budget. Outside of that, they've got some oil, 12 inch guns, and an average tonnage in terms of docks. That's where the good news ends and the bad news starts. You're uneducated, which sucks. The real giant problem is the underdeveloped shipbuilding industry. For a nation that needs sizable fleets in two separate sections of the world that take months to travel between, Russia has problems building that fleet. As much as the Italians suck, Russia has bigger and worse issues. They're easier to blockade, for one thing. They share Northern Europe with the three real big boys of that region, and none of them particularly like you. You can't skimp on ship design for your capital ships as your navy needs to be able to travel halfway across the globe as needed to beat the crap out of the japanese. Then there's the stability issues. Historically the Imperial Russian navy of this era was an absolute shitshow. The Russo-Japanese war pretty much wiped out their naval power for generations, as the subsequent world war and revolution absolutely shit on the Navy, and resources couldn't be spared to large warship construction.
The Von Trapp Family Battleships:
You forgot they had A navy didn't you?
Austria-Hungary was one of the real small time participants in the dreadnought races. Sure, they built them and had a navy, the main problem was they really didn't have much room to use it. The Adriatic Sea is where most of the fighting is going to be, and they have absolutely zero holdings outside of the mediterranean region. Still, the k.u.k. (yes really that's what they called it) Kriegsmarine was able to do some real damage to the Italians during the first World War while working on a shoestring budget and perpetually bottled up inside of the Adriatic Sea. In game you've got a limited selection of guns, but still better than the Germans at the start, the smallest dock size in Europe, and a tiny budget. Unlike the Russians though, you can exploit the shit out of the fact almost all your fighting is going to be close to home in calm waters. Unlike the Italians, you don't have a bunch of negatives holding you back until later in the game. Really, Austria-Hungary is all about the challenge of doing the best you can with very little - any loss is going to be hard to replace or come back from.
Austria-Hungary was one of the real small time participants in the dreadnought races. Sure, they built them and had a navy, the main problem was they really didn't have much room to use it. The Adriatic Sea is where most of the fighting is going to be, and they have absolutely zero holdings outside of the mediterranean region. Still, the k.u.k. (yes really that's what they called it) Kriegsmarine was able to do some real damage to the Italians during the first World War while working on a shoestring budget and perpetually bottled up inside of the Adriatic Sea. In game you've got a limited selection of guns, but still better than the Germans at the start, the smallest dock size in Europe, and a tiny budget. Unlike the Russians though, you can exploit the shit out of the fact almost all your fighting is going to be close to home in calm waters. Unlike the Italians, you don't have a bunch of negatives holding you back until later in the game. Really, Austria-Hungary is all about the challenge of doing the best you can with very little - any loss is going to be hard to replace or come back from.
Glorious Nippon:
Japan is the most unlikely nation in this era to become a great naval power. Everyone underestimated them until 1905 when they absolutely kicked the Russian's teeth in and proved that despite not being European, they could stand toe to toe with the colonial powers. Japan in game reflects this: your starting designs are going to be highly dependent on foreign dockyards. You don't have the industry to build big ships right away. Your budget isn't the biggest either, and resources can be an issue. The largest guns you can build to start with are lower quality 10 inchers. But you've got a few nasty tricks to level the playing field. The Japanese invested heavily in the aircraft carrier, seeing them as the ideal support for an elite battle line, and to wear down opponents who need to come to them to defend their colonial holdings. You get better torpedoes faster, better bombers, better torpedo bombers, and best of all the surprise attack. You get to pull a harbor raid on anyone fighting you before things really kick off, which is really deadly with their focus on torpedo warfare and striking from the sky. A good surprise attack can wipe out most of the enemy's forces in a region, at minimal cost, and let you stroll on in.
There's also the option to play as the CSA if you want an alt history scenario but I don't like their start and there's really nothing special about them. It's just a slightly different 'murrica with less flavor.
WHY YOU FUCKING HUNGARIAN CUNTS. I BET THE AUSTRIANS WOULD HAVE APPROVED MY FUNDING!
