WOWS-Paper ships - War Game

http://blog.worldofwarships.eu/paper-ships/


Paper ships, aka "how stronk WG design bureau is".




As we have previously mentioned, World of Warships features many so-called “
paper ships” — ships that were never built, existing only as plans and
sketches. A lot of these exotic projects lend variety to the game’s design
processes, and also help sustain balance in the nations’ tech trees. Among
them is the USS Montana — the only American battleship capable of offering a
challenge to the well-known Yamato. Though in reality this steel giant was
never constructed, in World of Warships these two rivals will be able to meet
and fight for the first time!
之前有提過，WOWS會有很多圖紙船──也就是只存在於設計案和草圖上，沒有實際建造
的艦艇。這些特別的計畫讓遊戲開發進度增添許多變化，也對各國科技樹間的平衡助益
良多。譬如唯一足以挑戰大和的美軍戰艦──蒙大拿，即使在現實中她從未開工建造*，
但是WOWS讓這兩艘艦艇有了第一次對戰的機會。

*目前一般是認為Iowa已經可以和大和打平手了。另外用Montana命名的戰艦有兩艘，分別
是South Dakota級的三號艦(BB-51)和Montana級一號艦(BB-67)，第一艘才蓋了四分之一
就因為華盛頓條約解體，第二艘則完全沒動工。




First Steps

Today we’re going to talk about the difficulties of bringing paper ships to
life. In order to create a model that looks authentic, the artists and game
designers need more than just one sketch — theoretical drawings, plans of
the decks and platforms, armament schemes, the general arrangement of
machines, cellars, ship mechanisms, devices and equipment — are all
necessary. In fact, poring over all the available material is the first and
most labour-intensive part of designing a paper ship. We put ourselves in the
shoes of the original designers and consider the characteristics that were
introduced in the construction of these ships: how did engineering develop
during that time? What vessels came before the paper ship? What kinds of
materials were used and what technologies were applied? Using all available
information, we design the layouts of the modules, including the power plant,
armament, armor, artillery cellar, hangars with aircraft catapults, boats and
much more.
我們今天會談把圖紙船做起來的難處。為了創造擬真模型，設計師和美術師需要的不僅
止於一張草圖──理論性圖示、艙間甲板配置圖、武備配置、主機配置、船艙圖、
艦艇工作圖解、儀器設備都需要派上用場。事實上，挖出所有可用的資訊是設計圖紙船的
第一步，也是最費人力的工作階段。
我們會以原始設計者的角度思考，並且考慮這些船建造時的特性──當時的工程技術發展
到哪裡？之前設計了哪些艦艇？運用的材料與科技為何？透過所有的資訊，我們設計
出各部位的配置，包含動力、武備、裝甲、砲座、水上機庫、彈射器、救生艇和更多東
西。


Along with this, the mass load is determined. Mass load is the combined
weight of all the parts that comprise the vessel. A ship structure consists
of a fixed and variable weight: fixed weight is the weight of the hull,
weapons, armor, machinery, electrical equipment, and other necessary devices
— the variable weight includes fuel, ammunition, crew, and other freight.
基於上述的設定來推定負載量，也就是組成一艘船所有部位的重量總和。船體會有兩個
重量，固定重和可變重，固定重量*包含船體本身、武器、裝甲、輪機、電力和其他必需
零件的重量；可變重量包含燃料、彈藥、組員**和其他裝載物。

*大致等於空載排水量，後文的可變重量可以指公試、標準、滿載排水量，看帶了多少東西
**組員一般包含糧食、水和其他生活用品的重量。

At each stage of layout, the overall displacement of the ship is checked, as
well as its margin of stability. After all, if all the stuff on a ship weighs
too much, then you may have to sacrifice armor, or install a smaller power
plant. If most of the important modules simply cannot fit into the body — or
on the contrary, there’s lots of free space — you have to go back to
modifying the dimensions of the ship’s body, increasing or decreasing its
length, width, draft and height.
每個配置圖都會檢查總排水量以及穩定性。不論如何，只要船上的所有東西加起來超重，
那就要犧牲一些裝甲，或者是換一組出力比較弱的主機。如果重要部件塞不進船體，又
或者是反過來──船體內還有一堆多餘空間，那就要回頭調整船體尺寸，在全長、舷幅
、吃水深和高度上做增減。

Thus, by using a method of successive approximations, a balanced ship is
created. It’s no exaggeration to say that the techniques used to design
paper ships are exactly the same as the process for real ships.
The Design Process
準此，一艘平衡的船藉由一連串的連續估算誕生。我們用的方式和設計真實世界的船
是一樣的，這不是唬爛。

Though the techniques used to design a paper ship are well established, we
can encounter many pitfalls during the process. For example, someone may
bring up a lack of engine power. In order to ensure the ship in question can
raise enough speed for its class, we must choose a power plant capable of
supplying the necessary power. To do this, you need to explore all the
available information on propulsion systems that were installed similar
ships, taking into consideration all those that could have existed during the
selected period of history. As an example, let’s have a look at project
G-15, the Japanese Super Taiho, which was the successor to the Taiho, the
most advanced aircraft carrier of the Imperial Navy.
即使用於設計圖紙船的技術設計得很好，我們在過程中仍然會遇到許多困境。例如，
輪機出力可能不夠。為了讓圖紙船能達到艦種所需的速度，我們必須找到出力足夠的引擎
。為了達成這個目標，必須翻遍裝在類似艦艇上的每一種推進系統，同時考慮在指定年份
有哪幾種可以用。以下是舉例，來看一下G-15，也就是改大鳳案，日本帝國海軍最先進的
航艦設計。

http://blog.worldofwarships.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/1-3.jpg
(九八式高砲不意外，兩個高砲群之間是滿滿的九六式高射機槍嗎...)


According to all the sketches and drawings, the air group of project G-15
included more than a hundred aircraft. However, after we did our own
calculations, we concluded that the total number simply could not fit inside
the ship as we were planning it — we would have had to significantly
increase the size of the housing, which in turn would affect the speed and
seaworthiness of the ship. So, if we wanted the carrier to develop the
desired speed, we would have to increase the required number of propellers up
to six (which would “inflate” the size of the ship), or alternatively, look
for a new power plant with more power per shaft.
參考所有的草案和設計圖，改大鳳搭載的航空兵力會包含超過百架艦載機。但是我們計算
之後發現這麼多艦載機沒辦法塞進給定的機庫中，而必須大幅度增加機庫容量，但這麼做
會影響航速和適航性。準此，如果我們希望這艘航艦還能達到期望的航速，就必須
改為六軸推進(會讓船的體積膨脹)，或者是找出某種出力更高的主機讓每一根推進軸能分
配到更多的動力。

(靠，我還真的沒聽過有船是六軸的...)

We solved the problem with the help of historical consultants who found
material that Japanese engineers had tried to use to develop a new kind of
power plant. But, due to the lack of resources coupled with a difficult
economic situation during the war, the power plant never saw final
production. Fortunately, we don’t have that problem! The new power plant fit
the body like a glove, enlarged slightly to accommodate the hangars, and
could attain 240,000 horsepower, which radically changed the situation.
靠著歷史專家的幫助，我們找到了日本工程師原先打算開發的新推進系統，解決了這個
問題。這套推進系統因為戰爭期間缺乏資源而沒有進入最終生產階段，還好我們不必擔心
這個問題！新的主機剛好適合(為了增加機庫容量而略為放大的)艦體大小，可以輸出24萬
馬力，完全改變了整個狀況。

(這什麼火星輪機...)

Schematic of aircraft hangar layouts in Taiho

http://blog.worldofwarships.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/WoWs_picture
_1.jpg

原本的大鳳，24架烈風+25架流星。


Schematic of aircraft hangar layouts in Super Taiho

http://blog.worldofwarships.eu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2014/09/WoWs_picture
_2.jpg
改大鳳的機庫，by WG設計局，40架烈風+60架流星。

A7M=烈風，B7A=流星，B7A3是換裝新型發動機的改型。


The Three Lexingtons
三艘列星頓...

Another difficulty in designing paper ships is incorporating external
limitations that must also be taken into account. For example, when you are
expanding the ship’s body, you cannot ignore the size of the docks; indeed,
all American ships were built with the Panama Canal in mind.
設計圖紙船的另一個難題是把外在限制加入計算中。舉例來說，放大船體時必須考量
船塢的大小；而事實上所有美國艦艇都有考慮到巴拿馬運河限制*。

*還是有例外，蒙大拿設計時就決定無視巴拿馬運河限制，因此舷幅達到121呎，超過
運河的110呎限制。


One of the most interesting representatives of aircraft carriers was the
Lexington class; a series of heavy aircraft carriers from the United States
Navy during the 1920s. According to the results of the Washington Treaty in
1922, leading countries such as Japan, USA, Britain, France and Italy imposed
restrictions on the construction of new linear and capital ships, the
displacement of which exceeds 35,000 tons.
航艦中最有趣的代表之一是美國海軍在1920年代建造的重型航艦──列星頓級。依照華
盛頓條約，締約國(英美日法義)限制了對主力艦(35000噸以上)的建造與更新。

As a result, unfinished ships had to be disassembled, including six battle
cruisers of the Lexington class. As it was provided in the contract,
displacement of carriers was limited by 27,000 tons, “except for two
aircraft carriers, which can have a displacement up to 33,000 tons, and for
the construction body of battleships and battle cruisers can be used, which
upon contract were to be disassembled.” As a result, two unfinished cruisers
of the same type were completed in five years.
締約帶來的結果是航艦的排水量不得超過27000噸，未完成的戰艦則必須解體，包含六艘
列星頓級戰鬥巡洋艦在內。但於基於條約的特殊條款，美日兩國「可運用原定要解體的戰
艦或戰鬥巡洋艦艦體改造為航空母艦，排水量不得超過33000噸，並以兩艘為限。」，
兩艘未完成的同級戰巡在五年後完成了改裝。

Eventually, the project turned out pretty ambiguous. On one hand, new ships
had good anti-torpedo protection, large cellars for air-bombs, and powerful
lifts for aircraft. On the other hand, the aircraft carrier was a half-knot
slower than if it was built from scratch. Its hangars and fuel tanks were
significantly smaller and the runway lacked width due to the shape of the
body. In addition, the transformation from cruisers didn’t cost any less
than building a completely new aircraft.
這個改裝計畫有點毀譽參半。新的航艦有良好的防魚雷能力、寬敞的航空炸彈彈藥艙
以及強大的升空能力*。但另一方面，新航艦的速度比原定少了半節、機庫和油艙的容量
不夠大，航空甲板受到艦型的限制而不夠寬。另外改造成航艦的成本和蓋新的也相差無
幾。


*不確定原文的意思，指夠長的飛行甲板讓艦載機有足夠的起飛跑道？

另外這些「問題」根本是雞蛋裡挑骨頭，少半節還是有他媽的33節，以那個年代來講
Lexington基本就是完美的大型航艦。此外機庫容量對航艦作戰性能的影響沒那麼絕對，
升降機數量和飛行甲板面積更重要。

Our task was to design a third, unproduced aircraft carrier of the Lexington
class. According to the plan, it had to be based on an unfit-to-launch
cruiser of the same class. That was the CL-4 Ranger, the sixth in a series of
unfinished cruisers, which in our game will bear the flag of the United
States.
我們的任務就是設(ㄐㄧㄚˋ)計(ㄎㄨㄥ)一艘未建造的列星頓級三號艦，基於原本的方案
是要以沒下水的同級艦為藍本改裝，也就是CC-4遊騎兵*。


*原文打錯了，CL-4是Omaha級，列星頓級的艦號是CC開頭。另外後面也有錯，依照我查
到的資訊六艘列星頓的艦號和艦名如下：
CC-1 列星頓 Lexington
CC-2 星座 Constellation
CC-3 薩拉托加 Saratoga
CC-4 遊騎兵 Ranger
CC-5 憲法 Constitution
CC-6 合眾國 United States


This decision allowed us to expand the body, keeping the same length as in
original Lexington. In this case, we took into account all the external
factors, such as limiting the width of the Panama Canal and a loss of speed
due to increased water resistance. We have managed to place an enlarged
hangar, expanded flight deck, and change the location of the guns.
這個決定讓我們得以拓寬艦體，保持原本的艦體長度。另外我們也計算了所有外在因素，
例如說巴拿馬運河限制艦體寬，以及更寬的艦體增加的阻力。我們放了更大的機庫、加大
飛行甲板，也更動了主砲的位置。

As on Lexington and Saratoga, cellars were placed far enough away from the
guns to make it quite difficult to supply ammunition and gunpowder to them.
In our design, the cellars are located directly under the guns. Another major
change was a new layout for engine and boiler rooms. We even managed to fix a
number of layout problems in the original Lexington by redistributing the
load mass.
在列星頓和薩拉托加上，彈藥庫和主砲離的很遠，讓運送砲彈和發射藥變的很困難。
在WG設計局的方案中，彈藥庫在主砲正下方而已。另外我們重新設計了鍋爐和主機的布局
還成功的藉由重新分配艦體配重解決了原本列星頓上存在的一些布局問題。

(啊不就好棒棒...)




The main difficulty in designing “paper ships” is that we need to re-create
the most authentic, viable ship based only on publicly available sketches and
on previously unexplored historical materials. Often on these projects, the
internal arrangement of major vehicle modules was not taken into account,
such as engine and boiler rooms, or the cellars. When we encounter that, we
have to carefully review and, in fact, re-design the interior layout of the
ship.
設計圖紙船的主要困難在於：我們必須基於公開資訊和挖到的歷史資料，重新創造最為擬
真的船艦。在這些圖紙船上，原本的內部配置（鍋爐、主機、彈藥庫等等）一般不納入考
慮，當我們拿到相關資料的時候，必須仔細的審視並且重新設計整艘船的內部配置。

（WG Design bureau is of very stronk.）

When working on the Japanese cruiser Tengu (1941), placing the power plant
was necessary to change the location of the gun turrets in the extremities of
the hull. In order to provide heavy extremities with buoyancy we gave it a
bit more of a complete form. In addition, the cruiser had to have triple-gun
turrets, which in reality weren’t built. Unfortunately, their drawings and
sketches were never found, and because of that, we had to design them based
on other Japanese turrets of the same period.
設計日本1941年的天狗級巡洋艦*時，安裝輪機必須更動主砲的配置方式，把砲改裝到
最靠近船艏/艉的位置。為了在這個配置下提供足夠浮力，我們又給了比較完整的配置*

此外這艘巡洋艦必須安裝實際上沒設計出來的三聯裝砲塔。很不幸的是真正的設計圖
找不到，因此我們必須參照其他同時期的日本砲塔重新設計。



*無責任推測這是丸五計畫的甲巡案。北海道是有座天狗山沒錯啦，但是IJN的艦艇很少
是以北海道的山川命名的。
確認了一下，只有一艘夕張是以北海道的夕張川命名，而且那個缺原本是要叫做綾瀨的。
*這段我有看沒有懂...

After receiving all the necessary calculations and layouts from the technical
department, the artists and game designers start putting together this
magnificent puzzle. Through a set of drawings, diagrams, plans, and possibly
photos, little by little they re-create the look of a steel giant which
otherwise never got a chance to see the water.
從技術部門接收到所有必需的計算和布局之後，美術部門和設計部門開始把這個壯大的
拼圖拼起來。經過一系列圖紙、圖示、計畫和照片，他們一步一步的建造起從未下水的
鋼鐵巨艦全貌。

--
- Q: "All tier 10 heavies lost their meaning!"
- A: "Checked your stats, shrugged, didn't read further"


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