After a long wait, a new version of battleship is out to the testers. The new version includes a lot of new stuff, so I'll get right down to it:

We've included tweaked versions of extended-viewdistance all-water maps, that allow the players to jump right into naval deathmatch action without bothering with silly things like capping flags! Right now its just conquest without CP's, but we are brainstorming new and exciting gamemodes that will be implemented in the future.

With this release we also get to show off the talents of our newest developer, Tech, who is now doing all the skins for the Battleship mod. Look for his work in all the screens that follow!

Our mapper Zuqian has added two new battlegrounds, Battle for Supremacy and Brigg's Bank. Battle for Supremacy is an atmospheric island capture map complete with rolling thunder and erupting volcanoes:

Brigg's Bank is a scenic map set under a bright sun with treacherous channels and multiple islands separating two main fortresses:

Another addition, one which has been much requested, is aircraft. Not content with simply rehashing the aircraft carrier, we've implemented something a bit different: Seaplanes. Carried into battle on converted liners, they are dropped into the sea for takeoff. The seaplane carriers repair and rearm aircraft, in addition to re-arming warships which pull up alongside them:

As for the aircraft themselves, there is a nimble single-seat fighter, the Typhoon. Also we show a lumbering, two-seat bomber, the Thunder:

The thunder's bombs are a powerful force against even the most well armored ships, but is slow and vulnerable to small arms fire. The Typhoon is maneuverable, but its limited armament of two .303 caliber machine guns mean its use against anything but other aircraft is limited.

The new version also adds launchable boats to the ships. A captain can drop these boats into the water for use in attacking shorelines or escaping a sinking ship. There is a 32 foot motor boat, perfect for mounting fast raids:

as well as a smaller 20 foot rowboat, perhaps best used when your only other transport happens to be at the bottom of the sea.

Other new features include selectable munitions (FLAK, HE, and AP depending on the gun), a totally revamped damage system that attempts to replicate armor belts and shell ballistics, and views from the fire directors made available to the captains. All in all, things are moving ahead nicely, and we look forward to seeing you all on the high seas when we make our first full release!