v1.04 Update: Unit Experience
Originally intended for v1.05, we've been making some headway with what is shaping up to be a great new feature: Unit Experience. Player ships will earn experience based on the amount of enemy ships sunk, giving them a 1 to 5 star rating.

With each rating the vessel gains a series of additional bonuses as outlined in the diagram below to reflect the increased combat experience of the crew, and for carriers their air wings.

However if a ship is sunk, it loses 100% experience. If scuttled, it only loses 50%. Thus it may be better to abandon a ship rather than go down fighting in some situations.

An experienced vessel gains bonuses to speed and turning. In addition damage control is improved and the chances of losing the ship to a magazine/hanger explosion are reduced. Weapon accuracy is also increased, especially with improved RADAR accuracy and another new feature, the Wind Meter. Finally, experienced pilots of carrier air wings are more likely to come home and gain another new feature, bombsights, to get their bombs onto their target.

Screenshot below shows a 5 star carrier-launched bomber attacking a battleship. Note the Wind Meter (upper left) showing direction and strength (shade of blue) of wind as well as the green bombsight indicating bomb hit location.

We think it will be a great system to introduce many player suggestions such as the Wind Meter, Bombsights, better RADAR accuracy and increased anti-aircraft effectiveness.

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Hi, this might be a dumb question but when will the upgrades be available? I'm - currently on 1.03.
I've finished the game and could also do with some new levels :). I am addicted!!

Version 1.04 is still in development and we hope to have it released in the next 6-8 weeks.

New Ship Graphics - Agano Light Cruiser
Screenshots of the upcoming new ship graphics for the Agano Class Light Cruiser.

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...76755514_n.jpg

v1.04 Update: 45 New Combat Zones & Playable Japanese Navy
Here it is, the last of the big features that we're going to squeeze into the next update... and it is BIG!

45 additional combat zones for you to tackle as you take the ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy into combat.

Screenshot shows a preliminary view of a playable Takao Class Heavy Cruiser about to enter the South Pacific. Note that these combat zones are subject to changes as we balance out the campaign. Also the ship panel in the bottom left is currently a work in progress; it will look much nicer than that on release.

This will bring the total number of playable ships in the game up to 12.

FLAGS, FLAGS, FLAGS!!!
The addition playable Imperial Japan means that nation's flags are back at last. They will be back on the Pacific Map to mark combat zones, back on the ship information panels and action reports and even better, on the actual ships themselves. Sound too good to be true? Then take a close look at the new Agano Light Cruiser screenshots from earlier in the week, she's already flying her flag.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...21392065_n.jpg

Awesome! Will we be commanding the Kongo or Yamato as our battleship?

You'll likely have access to both.
Kongo will moderately priced but Yamato will be very expensive. Not as much as the A-bomb, but since IJN doesn't get atomic weapons, the Yamato Class Battleship will act as their "super-weapon" in the late game.

New Ship Graphics - Nippon Maru
Screenshots of the upcoming new ship graphics for the Nippon Maru auxiliary oiler.

Ferrying precious oil from the Dutch East Indies for Japan's war effort, auxiliary oilers make easy targets for allied submarines and aircraft.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...53453875_n.jpg

Looks great!

Bug Hunt:
We're wrapping up development for v1.04, but before we do, we'd like to hear from you about any bugs or issues you'd like to see addressed in the next release. In particular, bugs that break the game or current level will get our immediate attention, but we're also interested in hearing your comments on enhancements or existing functionality that just doesn't work as well as you'd want.

If posting a bug, please try to provide enough information so that we can reproduce the issue, namely what device you are using and what you did or were doing when the problem occurred.

Note that we do read ALL iTunes reviews (even the foreign ones) and take many bug reports and suggestions from those also.

Sweet :rock:

v1.04 Update: New Achievements
With the addition of playable Imperial Japan, we've added an additional ~14 achievements for you to earn, bringing the total up to 44 achievements.

These range from specific activities for Imperial Japan, such as winning the war using mostly carriers, to Japan's role in historical battles.

Achievements which can only be completed by a specific navy are marked with that nation's flag.

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v1.05 Update: New Environment Effects
In-game versions of latest water, smoke, fire (new), explosions, ship wakes and bow waves.

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New Ship Graphics
Here's the first of the new US ship models being worked on:
Iowa Class Battleship

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...43160059_n.png

^^^

Good job! :rock:

Hi, I have not seen any updates on the app store, can you please give us an update on the 1.04 release date as were nearly at the 8 week mark?
Cheers
Jeff

v1.04 Testing Complete (YAY!)
It has been a Herculean task, but we're finally there. Overall the game is in great shape and plays fantastically. We have worked to preserve the original game play while adding a much fuller feature set to the game.

Full navigation mode can be incredibly challenging, not in a puzzle way, but in a naval simulation way, as you try to land shots on a maneuvering enemy, while they do the same to you. There will be lots of misses! The game finally feels like the naval simulation we always wanted it to be.

Imperial Japan plays significantly different (and harder) to the US Pacific Fleet, especially since it lacks the submarine and the atomic bomb. You'll be forced to play surface engagements and there are no soft juicy merchants to build up renown with. It is hard going, but unlocking the Yamato eventually evens up the battlefield.

However we have been unable to incorporate most of the new graphics (ships, latest ocean, effects etc), as the old US ships with the new IJN ships just didn't look right. Therefore we have decided to roll out all the new graphics in the next release. It is undecided whether to release v1.04 in its current state, or put it all together with the new graphics in a massive 2.0 release. We'll discuss this more in a bit and maybe put up a poll to solicit your thoughts.

As to v1.04, take a peek at the great wall of text below to see the current state of the game. Almost all of the major issues raised by players have been addressed, especially carrier operations and aircraft balance issues, and we're grateful for your continual feedback and support for the project.

Please note that many bugs were harmed in the making of this update.

What's New:
- Playable Imperial Japan
- 7 new playable ship classes (Akizuki, Agano, Taiyo, Takao, Kongo, Shokaku, Yamato)
- 45 new combat zones against US ships
- Camera pan and zoom now available at all times
- Ship roster for easy selection of all ships in zone
- 14 new achievements (44 in total now)
- Achievements completed by a single navy marked with that nation's flag
- WIND METER
- Improved sliders for better fine tuning
- Ships now sink from continuous hits away from the waterline due to fires/structural failure
- Improved ocean graphics
- Bow waves added to all ships
- Ships fly animated nation flags
- Nation flags added to ship info and Action Reports
- AI Japanese carriers no longer launch Ohka aircraft
- Ohka and Kamikaze upgrades now available when playing Imperial Japan
- Burning or heavily damaged (>50%) carriers no longer launch aircraft
- Burning airfields no longer launch aircraft
- Player and AI Aircraft may now attack from any direction
- Enemy aircraft bomb accuracy reduced
- Camera sensitivity slider to adjust camera pan rate
- Graphic detail option for improved performance
- US Heavy bomber now 3D model
- New action, "None", allows skipping of a turn
- Manual corrections and updated for new features

Ship Experience
- Player ships now gain experience and combat bonuses which are lost if sunk
- Rank 1 to 5 stars available
- Bonuses to: turn radius, speed, damage control, RADAR accuracy, torpedo accuracy, anti-aircraft, aircraft durability, aircraft BOMBSIGHTS

Full Navigation Mode (optional)
- Allows 1 movement action followed by 1 combat action per turn
- Variable ships speed (Back, Stop, Ahead 1/3, Ahead 2/3, Ahead Standard, Ahead Full, Flank)
- Variable rudder setting to adjust ship direction
- Ship turn radius based on rudder angle, speed and vessel size
- Full 360 degree aiming of ship weapons
- Guns now have firing arcs that must bear onto target to fire
- Damage done by guns based on number of guns firing at target
- Torpedoes now have firing arcs that must bear onto target (forward for sub, sides for ships)
- Imperial Navy AI escorts now equipped with depth charges (side/rear facing firing arc)
- Aiming line turns white when no weapons on target

Major Bug Fixes:
- Further improved memory management
- Fixed jitter in camera that sometimes occurred when following objects
- AI Ships no longer sail off infinitely
- Getting info on a moving ship no longer breaks game
- Fixed various bugs where player ship could not disengage when all enemy ships sunk

v2.0 Update
v1.04 has been rolled into the full v2.0 release, bringing the new game play features together with the complete graphics overhaul.
Screenshot of in-game footage from v2.0 showing Fletcher Class Destroyer with final ocean, ship wake and bow wave graphics.

v2.0 is expected to be released around early May.

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphoto...28128171_n.jpg

Wow, v2 looks fantastic, hope you release a PC version at somepoint, I'd happily buy that as well. Thanks for all your continued hard work and dedication.