- Introduction:
- Steam whistles and horns are ship sound signaling devices used on every ship.
- They could be used to communicate with nearby ships or simply add to the atmosphere of naval battles.
- Mechanic:
- It would have a bindable key that you need to hold down for the duration you want to use it.
- This could be used to warn allied players of an impending collision or simply communicate during gameplay.
- Audio References:
- Steam Whistle:
USS Texas
Unknown WWII Destroyer - Compressed Air-Horn (Large Vessel):
USS Iowa
Iowa-class - Compressed Air-Horn (Small Vessel):
Unknown Marine Air Horn
- Visual:
- When activated, ships equipped with steam whistles would vent white steam from the whistle outlet for the duration of the mechanic (USS Texas shown as an example).
USS Texas’ whistle venting steam
- Gameplay Implementation:
Players could use the signaling device as a rudimentary warning system, examples being:
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Practical Warnings:
Ramming course on another player who is unaware of your heading, Torpedo warning to nearby players, Coastal vessel warning to nearby players, Aircraft warning to nearby players. -
Team Coordination:
Getting the attention of ships near your location and hoping they understand what youre signaling, signalling in Morse to your allies or enemies. -
Atmosphere and Intimidation:
Ramming course on an enemy who is unaware of your existance, Morale boost upon first spawn, Cheering upon game end, Morale boost upon coordinated flank on enemy fleet, Psychological warfare on an enemy fleet being flanked. -
The mechanic has a maximum usage reserve of 20 seconds. Sounding the whistle or horn consumes this reserve in real time while the assigned key is held. Releasing the key stops the sound, and after a five-second delay, the reserve begins recharging. The reserve recharges over time until it reaches its 20-second maximum, and players can sound the whistle again before it is fully recharged, using whatever time remains in the reserve.
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For example, if a player sounds the whistle for 10 seconds, they will have 10 seconds of usage remaining. After releasing the key and waiting five seconds, the reserve begins to replenish. If they wait another five seconds, they will have approximately 15 seconds of usage available. The remaining usage time and recharge progress would be displayed on a small meter beneath the mechanic’s icon.
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These timings are proposed gameplay-balancing values rather than historically established limits. The purpose is to prevent continuous, unrestricted signalling while allowing players to produce short blasts, repeated warnings, and simple Morse-code-like signals.
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The distance the whistle can be heard for each ship class as follows:
Battleships and Battlecruisers of 200m and longer = 2 nautical miles or 3.7 kilometers
Heavy Cruisers, Light Cruisers Destroyers and Frigates of 75m to under 200m = 1.5 nautical miles or 2.8 kilometers
Subchasers and Torpedo Boats of 20m to under 75m = 1 nautical mile or 1.85 kilometers
Smaller Torpedo Boats and vessels of under 20m (Type T-14 on example) 0.5 nautical miles or 0.93 kilometers.
Statistics found from modern sea vessel documentation, mostly cargo ships but i believe these function as excellent reference points. [1]
- The vessel categorization above is for rough estimate as to which “lenght” class respective ship class might fall which would be a reference as to what sized ships can be heard at certain distances.
- Additional Notes:
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The recordings in Audio References demonstrate the general characteristics of steam whistles and compressed-air horns. Individual vessels would have differed in tone, pitch and volume depending on the equipment installed.
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Ships would receive a historically appropriate external sound signaling device based on their class and size.
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The “Unknown Marine Air Horn” recording is intended as a representative example for smaller vessels such as motor torpedo boats. No verified recordings of WWII PT boat horns could be found, so this recording is included to demonstrate the general sound of a similar trumpet-style marine horn.
Trumpet-style marine air horn on PT-131. -
I would also like to add to 5. Gameplay Implementation: “Submarine warning to nearby players” considering the Community Update No.13.
Sources:
1. Whistles [1]
- Yes
- No
