Alpha build 48 is live, and battles can be watched. This is a client and server update and the two must match: the server restarted at 00:38 UTC, nothing was wiped, and an older copy of the game is told it is out of date. Exit Steam completely and start it again to get the new build.
Watch a battle
Until now a battle was a row that read IN BATTLE and a result at the end. Now you can go and see it.
- Select a fleet that is fighting and press WATCH on the command bar. Your view goes to the battle and shows it as it happens: every ship flying and firing, with its shots, hits and explosions.
- Anyone can watch any battle. WATCH is there for your own fleet and for anyone else's, so you can watch another commander take on the Tide.
- LEAVE takes you back to where you were. The battle goes on without you, and WATCH brings you back.
The battle screen
- Both fleets by name at the top, with the health each has left and the time left on the clock.
- Every ship of both sides in a list. Click one to go to it.
- A radar at the bottom left shows the whole fight from above. A ship that flies off your screen is pointed to by an arrow on its rim, and a click on the radar takes you there.
- The camera follows the fight for you and lets go the moment you move or zoom it yourself. FREE CAMERA switches between the two.
Ships fly their fights
Ships on autopilot used to fly to their range and stop there. Now:
- A ship in range circles its target and keeps turning.
- A ship with longer guns stays outside its target's reach.
- A ship whose shield is gone takes cover behind a healthy ship of its fleet, keeps firing from there, and comes out when its shield is back.
- No two ships ever overlap, and weapon range is measured from hull to hull.
Also in this build
- Tide fleet names are shorter: Chitin Pack T6, where it was Chitin Patrol (Tier 6).
- Fleet names are limited to 25 characters, and a long name no longer runs over the heading beside it on the battle result screen.
Good to know
- You still cannot steer. Watching is the first step; giving orders inside a battle comes next.
- You cannot give fleet orders while you are watching a battle. Press LEAVE first.
- Battles take longer now that ships move and take cover, and more of them can run out the five-minute clock, which is a draw.
- The Tide's tiers have not been re-tuned for the new rules. A tier may feel easier or harder than it did. Tell us which.
- Battles still pay no XP and no loot, and WATCH REPLAY is still switched off.
Alpha Round 11 on the playtest page walks through all of it, and we most want to hear whether a watched battle looks right and runs smoothly on your machine. The Player's Guide has a new section, Watching a battle, and the full list of changes is in the changelog.