Sim:WTF/Player Client
The playtesters will likely only run the Player Client.
Logging In
Important note: the Player Client will only really do much if Tony is running the World Server, which he only does for an organized play test.
When you launch the player client, you are asked to log in. The default server address provided should work if Tony is indeed running the server. Type whatever short user handle you'd like to use, say 4-6 characters. There is no security or password – don't be clever.
As you log in, you may be asked to permit the player client to record audio from your microphone. Please grant it permission.
Once you are logged into the World Server, choose which ships you'd like to board, and you should presently find yourself spawned. Pressing Escape will bring up a menu allowing you to choose another ship.
While on a ship or a port facility, game play is similar to many FPS games.
HUD
The top of the screen has a simple scoreboard to make playtests more fun. Each shell hit is 1 point. This would not be present in a released game.
The bottom of the screen shows:
- your player name (and your present duty assignment, if any)
- the time in GMT
- your ship's name
- some other data I'll probably remove later
- If the text is in yellow, this means your ship is at Action Stations (as opposed to Cruising Stations)
Other sailors you see will be labelled with their Duty (if they are AI), or their player name.
When a ship is at action stations, AI sailors appear to take up any unfilled positions at guns and equipment. When at cruising stations, the only stations that must be manned are Helmsman and Wireless.
Movement
- W,A,S,D and Mouse
- Shift to run
- Spacebar to jump
- Right Mouse to squint (a mild zoom)
- don't try to fall overboard... you might succeed
Talking
With the Fleet uses speech pervasively. Pressing and holding the Z key allows you to speak into the microphone and to chat with nearby player-sailors. If you press and hold Shift+Z and speak a valid command, a speech recognizer will tell nearby AI sailors will understand and react accordingly. The speech recognizer is not all that amazing, and I will probably have to replace it and/or use a more assertive press-to-talk key when a command is intended to better avoid false positives.
The valid commands are interspersed below near the sort of sailor who will recognize them. As a quick example, should you wish to test the recognizer, try getting near the AI Helmsman and press Shift+Z and say "Steer Northeast", "Half ahead both" or "Turn two points to port".
Assuming/Relinquishing Shipboard Duties
You can walk the decks all you want, but controlling the ship and its equipment requires you to use the equipment, thereby assuming a distinct shipboard "duty", which will be indicated in the lower left corner of the screen after your handle.
Most of the duty-related equipment on board is usable by a single sailor (AI or player) at a time. Some examples of usable equipment (and their related shipboard duties):
- Ship's wheel (Helmsman - an essential duty)
- Telegraph key (Wireless - an essential duty)
- Searchlight (Searchlight - manned when ship is at action stations)
- Gunsight (Sightsetter - manned when ship is at action stations)
- Gun layer's wheel on left side (Layer - manned when ship is at action stations)
- Gun trainer's wheel on right side (Trainer - manned when ship is at action stations)
- Torpedo director (Torpedoman - manned when ship is at action stations)
You must be fairly close to a usable item to start using it. You take control of it by clicking on it with the cursor, which is hidden by default.
- Reveal cursor via Left Control (Windows) or Left Command (Mac)
- Click on the item in question. If it was not being used by a player-controlled sailor, you will become the user and will automatically move to an appropriate place for use.
You relinquish a duty by hitting Shift+Escape. If it is an essential duty (or your ship is at Action Stations), an AI sailor will immediately appear to carry on.
Some equipment you just click on after revealing the cursor (Left Control (Windows) or Left Command (Mac)) to manipulate:
- Doors (such as those at the Wireless station)
- Running lights (a rotary switch on the bridge)
- Enemy ships (clicking them designates them as the target)
Duties
The simulated destroyers have the following duties at the moment:
- one Helmsman
- one Wireless
- two Searchlights
- two torpedo tubes, each with:
- one Torpedoman
- one Torpedo Loader (AI only, IIRC)
- two 4-inch guns, each with:
- one Sightsetter
- one Layer
- one Trainer
- one Loader (AI only, IIRC)
Helmsman
The Helmsman is responsible for controlling the Ship's Wheel and setting the two Engine Telegraphs to make the ship move about. He must honor commands he receives regarding engine orders, rudder settings and maintain requested headings.
You become the Helmsman by revealing the cursor and clicking on the wheel when an AI sailor is acting as Helmsman. If a player is acting as Helmsman, use your microphone and some tact to ask him to relinquish his duty.
UI:
- Tab/Shift+Tab to cycle select between Port Engine Telegraph, Wheel, and Starboard Engine Telegraph
- Left/Right/Up/Down arrows to adjust selected control through its range; Shift increases the rate of change
Example Commands:
- Rudder amidships
- (Full/Half/Slow) (Ahead/Astern) (Port/Starboard/Both) eg.g., "Half ahead both"
- Stop (Port/Starboard/Both) e.g., "Stop both"
- Turn (#) Points to (Port/Starboard) e.g., "Turn 2 points to port"
- Steer (<Compass Rose Heading>) e.g., "Steer North by East"
- Steer (#) Degrees e.g., "Steer ninety degrees"
Gun Layer
The gun layer sets the gun's elevation and fires it soon after hearing the command to fire, or when otherwise appropriate when the crosshairs are "on".
You become the Layer by revealing the cursor and clicking on the wheel on the left side of the gun when no one (or an AI sailor) is acting as Layer. If a player is acting as Layer, use your microphone and some tact to ask him to relinquish his duty.
UI:
- Up/Down arrows to elevate weapon; Shift to increase rate of change
- B to toggle looking through the sighting telescope
- Mouse controls elevation when looking through telescope; Shift increases sensitivity
- Enter fires the weapon (when loaded)
Example Commands:
- Fire
- Rapid Independent
- Check Fire
Gun Trainer
The Gun Trainer rotates the gun to keep his crosshairs on the target.
You become the Trainer by revealing the cursor and clicking on the wheel on the right side of the gun when no one (or an AI sailor) is acting as Trainer. If a player is acting as Trainer, use your microphone and some tact to ask him to relinquish his duty.
UI:
- Left/Right arrows to traverse weapon; Shift to increase rate of change
- B to toggle looking through the sighting telescope
- Mouse controls training when looking through telescope; Shift increases sensitivity
Example Commands:
- Stop Tracking
- Train (Red/Green) (# degrees in 5s)
- Train Fore and Aft
Sightsetter
The Sightsetter adjusts the gunsight to the commanded Range and Deflection. These orders might be corrections to the sight's settings (to be applied as a delta to the present indicated range and deflection) or a literal range or deflection to be established regardless of the sight's present state.
You become the Sightsetter by revealing the cursor and clicking dials on the left side of the gun when no one (or an AI sailor) is acting as Sightsetter. If a player is acting as Sightsetter, use your microphone and some tact to ask him to relinquish his duty. Range is expressed in yards in 25 yard granularity, and deflection in whole "knots" left or right, essentially "pips".
UI:
- Tab/Shift+Tab to cycle select between Range, Deflection and Free Look mode
- Left/Right/Up/Down arrows to adjust selected control through its range; Shift increases the rate of change
Example Commands:
- (Up/Down) (number of yards in 100, 200, 400 or 800 yard quanta) e.g., "Up two hundred" -- this is a delta in range to apply
- (Left/Right) (number of knots) e.g., "Left five" -- this is a delta in deflection to apply
- Gun Range (this grammar is sort of wonky, but I'm confident you'll be able to understand it)
- Gun Deflection (this grammar is sort of wonky, but I'm confident you'll be able to understand it)
The Gun Range and Gun Deflection are weird, in that their phrasing is selected to avoid ambiguity with a report of what was on the sights.
Searchlight
The Searchlight man can point the Searchlight and switch it on and off. A telescope helps him align it with a desired object.
UI:
- Left/Right/Up/Down arrows to alter the light's elevation and training; Shift increases the rate of change
- B toggles whether you are looking through the telescope
- Mouse also directs the light when you are looking through the scope; Shift increases the rate of change
- Reveal your cursor to click the rotary switch on the back of the light to toggle it on and off.
Torpedoman
UI:
- Tab/Shift Tab cycles through the various controls: Torpedo Training Angle, Target Inclination, Target Speed, Torpedo Speed
- Left/Right/Up/Down arrows to alter the setting of the current control; Shift increases the rate of change
- B toggles whether you are looking through the sighting wires
- Enter fires the torpedo (if it is loaded)
Wireless
The Wireless man can send and receive wireless messages. It is not finished, and is recommended for people competent at Morse Code.
Messages prefaced by the two-letter callsign of a ship ("AC" for Acheron, "AT" for Attack) in the world are considered commands to that ship. For instance, "AC steer south". If you receive such a message directed to your ship, you should speak the command aloud to someone who can act on it. There is, as yet, no intra-ship message relay other that direct speech.
UI:
- Enter works the telegraph key.
- There is no facility, yet, to write down incoming traffic
Example Commands:
- you can use the typing chat to tell an AI sailor to send a given message, e.g., "send AC steer south"
