Composite NavyFIELD Knowledge Base

[Lord Kelvin]

So, with the interest in NF increasing here ever since submarines were released, I was asked by Neal to post some information/guides to playing the game here, and I will now happily oblige that request.

First, a bit about myself. I'm a long-time NF player, and I've contributed my fair share to the game. In my time playing NF, I've learned a lot about how the game works, and I'm also part of the team that suggests and tests changes to the game. If you have a question, I will most likely be able to answer it.

Anyways, the first major warning that I will give you is, do not use the game manual for learning how to play this game. It sucks, horribly, and is very out of date. If you want to read it to get a general idea of how the game works, go ahead, but there are other resources out there that you can use, mainly the following site:

www.nf-guides.com

Not only is the information provided there better, but it's also very easy to understand. When I first started out, it was one of my major learning tools, so it should be yours as well.

The other major site that you should know is the following:

www.trainworld.us

That site is maintained by a NF moderator, and holds the best hard data on the game anywhere, even better than the main NF site.

Also, a note about the submarines: as they're a very new concept in NF (having only been implemented in the last six or so months out of NF's almost-5-year history), many players are still coming to terms with them, and they're still being balanced out. The majority of players believe that they're overpowered, so try to keep that in mind if you intend to get a sub (which I suspect most of you will, given the nature of this forum... ). There may be changes coming to their balance in the near future as well. Anyways, to get started, the manual for submarine use on the NF site is the only manual there that isn't outdated, so feel free to read that. The rest is makee-learn, unfortunately, since the submarines haven't been out long enough for players to actually write good information about them.


So, as you have probably also noticed, there are four different nations in NF: United States Navy, Royal Navy, Imperial Japanese Navy, and Kriegsmarine. I am largely a USN player, which accounts for the mass of guides written for USN ships by me. There are also several other very good guides by other players, but if you have a question about USN stuff, I'm the guy to go to. Though keep in mind, my documentation of USN is the exception rather than the norm, the only other nation that has guides that are this well-documented is Kriegsmarine, the rest are starting to get updates but no real in-depth information as of yet.

Anyways, let's get on with more specific information pertaining to each nation.


United States Navy

Now, if you're playing USN, the following guides by me should be your first stop:

Honor, Courage, and Commitment: Ships of the United States Navy
Now keep in mind, I haven't updated that guide in reference to submarines, so it only contains information on driving ships from DD to CA stage. If you want to go down those lines, then that guide will have a lot of information for you, but if you're grinding for a sub, its usefulness ends after the Atlanta.

Reapers of the Skies: USN AA Guide
As AA is a very important part of the game, this guide may help you as well. In fact, AA is one of my major hobbies in NF, I'm actually one of the most well-known USN AA-whores in the whole game. Again, if you're going for a sub, then AA isn't going to be wholly useful, since it requires 6 or more barrels in a broadside to actually be effective. But otherwise, learning how to AA will make you a very flexible player in the game.

Ching's Navy: USN Battleships Guide
My most recent guide, this will see a lot of use if you plan to go down the BB line. If not, then feel free to disregard it, but otherwise it still makes for a very good read.

Guide to the USN CVs
This guide isn't written by me, so I can't really speak for its quality, but if you want to go down the CV line, then it's a good read. But know this, CVs are among the hardest ship lines to raise, support, and use, plus it requires monetary support to play competitively, so it's not really for the faint of heart.

Brooklyn vs. Northampton, questions answered
I wrote this small guide as a fast reference for players who aren't going down the submarine line, since it used to be a very frequently asked question (and still is). If you're going down the submarine line, then you don't really need to read this, but if you want to someday contemplate getting a capital ship, then this guide can serve as a good beginner's reference.

Pool's Closed: USN ASW Guide
This guide I wrote mainly in response to the general lack of understanding in how to actually counter a submarine, and can easily be adapted for other nations by ignoring the specific tips regarding USN ships. While it may initially seem to do little for those of you wanting to drive a submarine, at the minimum it can serve to show you what kinds of tactics your enemies might try on you, and can prepare you to counter it.

Royal Navy

RN is largely known as the "easy button" nation these days, because their ships are quite easy to use compared to other nations. Plus, they're the only nation that can effectively use armor, which gives them more tactical flexibility depending on how the ships are set up. If you ever browse the NF forums, prepare to see a lot of whining on the issue.

I am officially taking over - Q & A
While it lacks formatting, you can find answers to lots of frequently asked questions in this thread if you can spare the time to look through it. On top of that, you can also ask your own questions if you can't find an answer yourself.

Stiff Upper Lip: A UK Gunship Guide (DD to BB)
This guide is actually still incomplete, but if you're grinding for a sub, the information there for DD usage is quite good. CL and up though, and you're better off searching for info by other players.

Uk Ship and Guns Guide
This guide is actually very outdated, but in absence of better information, it's the best you have. I haven't read it myself, but if you do read it, be sure to take it with a few salt tablets, especially BB and higher.

Armor Ratios
This is the best data you have for armor usage. Unfortunately, it's only really useful on BB and up, except for armoring against 8" shells in Blitzkrieg rooms. Otherwise, it's still an interesting read.


Imperial Japanese Navy

IJN is a hard nation to play, but it really pays off at the highest levels. Also, if you're playing to get a sub, you have the bonus of potentially being able to drive the I-400 class, which, while not officially announced yet, will almost certainly be implemented in the game. Plus, they have the most powerful torpedoes in the game and the best ships to use them.

IJN FAQ
Contains quick answers to lots of newbie questions. If you're just starting out in IJN, this is the best place to look for information first, as it refers you to many other sources of good information.

Comprehensive IJN CV Guide
IJN has the largest variety in CVs, though their performance level isn't as high as that of other nations. It's one of the most updated guide for IJN though, and makes for a good read.

Updated IJN CV Guide (3-17-09)
A more updated guide for IJN CVs. I can't speak much about its quality since I haven't read it in-depth though.

IJN Early Ship Guide
Another very out-of-date guide, but again, in absence of newer information, pretty much the best you have.

TW Guide (Sima/Fubu) Blitzkrieg Tactics By Avacado!
As I said before, IJN has the best torpedoes and torpedo ships in the game, and as a result has the most well-documented tactics on their use. This guide is geared more towards Blitzkrieg (which I personally abhor), but it still contains some good general information on TW usage.


Kriegsmarine

Formerly tied with RN as the best nation in the game, KM ships have range and speed, but are tied down with low shell damage and bad accuracy. Their ships excel at hit-and-run, but can't stand up to slugging matches. They also have very good documentation, the only one other than USN (thanks to me ).

KM FAQ by flamingpanda
Written by possibly the best player in NF (and my fleet boss), this is probably the first place you should go to if you have any questions about playing the game.

Splid's KM DD to BB Guide
This guide contains pretty much completely updated information on all KM gunships, though it still doesn't take submarines into consideration. Probably the best source for general ship usage information.

KM CV guide
For unexplained reasons, KM has the best fighters in the game, as well as the best dive-bombers. If you decide to grind the CV route for KM, this is the place to do it.


Other information sources:

Basic Battleship Tactics

Adalbert's guides on ability (Support+Gunners)

Plane's manuevering - (Basic) CV playing Tips-Tactics-Techniques

Of the above, I would strongly recommend reading Adalbert's ability guide. It involves a lot of math, but it also explains all of the ability caps in the game. It also takes a long time to understand, so don't try reading it unless you have plenty of free time and a clear head. My BB tactics guide is only really useful for if you intend on getting a BB, but otherwise contains the most basic information on BB usage. And the CV plane maneuvering guide is also good for learning how to use a CV, if you intend to, but again, unless you're very serious about getting a CV, it's probably best to skip it.

So, that's pretty much it. If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask here. I don't come here nearly as frequently as I go to the NF forums, but it's probably better for you to ask here instead of there, since many players there take serious issue with spammers and people who ask questions without searching for the answer first, and it can get very very ugly over there.