I've been thinking about the type of game-play I'd like this strategy naval-combat game to be. This is perhaps a small point but I think it will be a tactical game (not strategic). I say 'tactical' because it will be combat at a ship level - not a large ocean. A little more micro level but not too micro. In fact, I'm thinking a mix between formations and ships. Let me elaborate.
Reading history books about glorious naval battles in the past (which were tragic in terms of human life) naval battles were largely about clashes between FORMATIONS. Squadrons of ships would be in formation and battleships would all maneuver in unison according to that formation. For command and control reasons (and survival), battleships did not maneuver independently. They followed the flagship and stayed in formation. I'd like to try to emulate that. I'd like to see if large formations of 10 - 20 ships can be navigated around a screen following different rules and logic. The player maneuver's the squadron/formation, and the ships within do their best to keep a coherent formation. And, just like in battle, a formation that breaks down causes chaos and mayhem. :) You might have seen old black and white photos of flotilla's four or five 'columns' wide with dozens of ships in formation. Capital ships are in the centre and smaller screening ships are in the outer columns. I think it would be historically accurate plus good game design to maneuver at this formation level.
Image source: dailymail.co.uk
Combat will be at a ship level. Two opposing formations will engage in combat by targeting individual ships. This lets you target flagships, battleships, cruisers, destroyers etc. You will be able to concentrate fire on a single vessel or spread the damage out across the squadron. Disabling a ship in the middle of a formation will trigger that formation to reform. There combat effectiveness might be impacted until the cohesion is returned. Line-of-sight will also be a thing so formation positioning and configuration will be important. Screening vessels on the fringes will block LoS to the capital ships. 'Crossing the T' is a naval strategy used to get the most number of broadside shots on an enemy formation. I absolutely want to replicate that so gun-turrets will have facings or fire-arcs. For example, a cruiser might have two guns facing forwards but 6 guns facing sideways. Obviously, you'll want to try to get a broadside shot but that means maneuvering the formation/squadron and that will be a challenge in itself.
Damage will be simple - vessels have hit-points and 1 hit means 1 damage. Damage will impact the ability to return fire and speed. Actually sinking a large battleship will take concentrated fire. Historically, these large ships were disabled and then scuttled.
I thought about making this hex based but I've decided to go 'free form' meaning full 360 degree maneuver and fire will be possible. So - a top-down 2D tactical war-game where the player maneuvers formations (squadrons) so that individual ships can out-range and out-combat other ships.
Sounds like a coding challenge!! :)