Hello Admirals, We are happy to release the largest update RTW3 has gotten since launch. The [b]Admiral Update[/b] includes a completely reworked battle generator, adding an entire new level of command to Rule the Waves 3. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44009852/4d865a6c034941e88998d64b1bd4921bf40d2419.jpg[/img] Admirals can now be promoted and assigned to command forces in a particular area. These admirals have command skills that can be used to re-arrange your divisions before contact with the enemy. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/44009852/536a9ba9f9cf9d3558cdb6ee8290f550affd112d.jpg[/img]Rearranging your forces can lead to misunderstood signals before battle however, so it is a risky option. With an intelligence coup you can even decline battle without the normal victory point penalty. There are also numerous other features included with this update. The tactical AI has been tweaked, a slew of bugs have been fixed, and improvements have been made to the UI to improve functionality (the N key will advance time on the strategic map, the ESC button now closes the division editor etc). The full changelog is posted below. [b]What’s New in Version 1.00.27 [/b] [b]Battle Generation [/b][list] [*] Fixed missing objective in a convoy attack battle Germany vs France. [*] Completely new pre battle procedure that lets the player edit the force before battle, depending on a command roll for the commanding admiral. [*] On an intelligence coup, you can decline the battle with no penalty. [*] Fixed a bug in battle generation that could lead to error messages, primarily in carrier battles. [/list] [b]Battle Resolution[/b] [list] [*] Some tweaks to the tactical AI. [*] Made the check for airstrikes in the air preventing scenario end more restrictive. An air formation must now have more than 3 aircraft and be within 100 nm of enemy ships to stop a scenario from ending. [*] Improved the notification when a friendly ship suffers a magazine explosion from a torpedo hit. [*] Limited flooding from collisions in some extreme cases. [/list] [b]Ship Design[/b] [list] [*] Fixed illegal AI build templates that combine protected cruiser and narrow belt. [*] Prevented replacement of -2 quality main guns if ship has more than 2 centerline turrets. [*] Stopped the auto-designer from using triple wing turrets. [*] Improved Japanese ship names list (thanks to @Burningapple3 and helpers!). [/list] [b]Officers[/b] [list] [*] Admirals can now command forces in areas. Their ability will be used in the pre-battle stage. [*] Admirals will not be eligible to send as Naval Attache. [/list] [b]Bug Fixes[/b] [list] [*] Fixed a bug with KE being allowed to have submerged torpedo tubes. [*] Fixed a bug with battlecruisers not being included in the losses history statistic. [*] Made sure the the lukewarm wartime support event does not fire if the player nation has been at war with the enemy of the ally. [*] Suppressed a debug message with "Too many rounds" that could appear very occasionally. [*] Fixed a bug that made detached damaged ships occasionally go towards their original division instead of to nearest friendly base. [*] Removed double message in turn reports about base expansion. [/list] [b]UI Improvements[/b] [list] [*] On events, pressing the 1,2,3 key will now select the respective answer and close the event dialog. [*] Escape button now closes the division editor. [*] Current submarine reliability is now visible when building a new submarine. [*] Added a button in the design screen for upgrading guns in a refit (instead of changing the caliber back and forth). [*] The N key will now advance the turn in strategic mode. [*] Added a help button on the main screen to show keyboard shortcuts. [/list] [b]Divisions[/b] [list] [*] Added warning when assigning more than one core division to follow the same lead division. [*] Fixed oversensitive core divisions check. [*] Fixed a bug that could cause an error message when the division screen was closed. [/list] [b]Balance Changes[/b] [list] [*] The Japanese surprise attack can no longer be declined by the defender. [/list] We hope you enjoy this new update, and hope to deliver more exciting news and updates next year.