Hello again!
Well, this update will be a bit different than the norm - there won't be a vehicle highlight in the usual format but two new vehicles will get some spotlight, though both still have WIP elements that make them not quite ready for the full highlight.
First, I want to reply to "agathosdaimon"'s comment on the water - it is indeed very possible to ignore ship reflections but not sky reflections, and I see what you're talking about, comparing to real photos of ships on the ocean.
There's some give and take, though, given that ships do have a visible reflection effect when closer, and especially on smoother seas, but here's two pictures to show with and without:
...and yes, that is a Spruance. One of the two platforms I mentioned that are going to show up today but aren't quite ready for a highlight.
Anyways, the lack of reflection makes the ship seem a bit more detached from the water, but it does avoid the unrealistically clear reflections in the distance.
I think I know why this is happening, but it probably won't be very simple to solve. Other things are more pressing, but I'm glad you pointed this out - this is the exact sort of thing I like to get feedback on.
If this isn't solved by early access it might be a good option to leave, nevermind for graphical/performance reasons as well.
Anyways, one of the big things done this last week is ship waypoint navigation. Perhaps some of you noticed the two new buttons on the helm UI.
(this won't be the final icon for waypoints, but the triangles work well as a placeholder)
The two buttons do two unique functions: on the left with the steering wheel is the "auto-steer". With that on, the ship will turn the rudder to change course to the ordered course. If you take manual control of the rudder, it turns off to allow you to take control. You click the button to turn it back on.
The other button is the "auto-navigate". With that turned on, "ordered course" will automatically change to whatever the current bearing to the next waypoint is. You can also click the numbers in the "ordered course" box to change the ordered course directly - a mechanic that will be familiar to a lot of simmers out there - and that will turn off the auto-navigate. Again you can resume following waypoints just by clicking the button.
The end result is, with both on, the ship moves along its waypoints. With both off, you take manual control, without effecting the waypoints.
You can even leave the auto-navigate off to order a new heading without effecting your waypoints. Just turn it back on to return to following them. There's some other quality of life features to those buttons I hope to implement soon with regards to formations, but that's my solution to a robust and intuitive navigation system.
I hope I haven't made it sound too complicated... But it's my solution to the frustration often encountered in naval sims when you set up some waypoints, then need to break from them only temporarily, and have to set them all up again after.
Anyways, onto our new NATO helicopter!
Fresh out of the hanger, this is the SH-2F Seasprite. It plays the same role as the KA-25 "Hormone", with the exact same types of sensors on-board; a surface search radar, sonobouys, dipping sonar, and Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD). The MAD is the yellow-and-red striped object hanging from a pylon on the right side of the fuselage in the picture above.
Its armaments were also similar to the KA-25 Hormone, being able to carry two ASW torpedoes (in this case the Mk. 46 or Mk. 50) or two small air-to-surface missiles (AGM-65 Mavericks).
With a maximum and cruise speed of 143/130 knots to the Hormone's 113/104, it was fairly faster. Sources also cite 367 nmi compared to the Hormone's 216 nmi - but that's with two external tanks, which seem to occupy the same pylons that weapons would occupy. So it's hard to ascertain its actual combat range and endurance carrying two weapons, but it's probably very similar, if not a bit less.
Thanks for joining us, see you next week - or maybe sooner: As always, feel free to leave comments and feedback below.