Naval
Naval play in Dawn of Embers covers the two docks, the five ships they build, fishing and sea trade. This page describes what is in the game today; planned features are listed separately at the end.
Docks
There are two docks:
- the Fishing Docks (Economy): trains the Fishing Ship and the Trade Ship, and is where fish are delivered;
- the Military Docks (Military): trains the Transport Ship, the War Galley and the Cannon Ship.
Placing a dock
A dock must be built on a shore, facing open water:
- its back stands on dry ground and its front edge is in the water;
- there must be water deep enough for ships within about 6 m beyond its front edge;
- the dock lines itself up with the shoreline and stands mostly out over the water, like a pier on stilts, with only about 1.5 m on the bank;
- the mouse wheel can turn it up to 25° away from the shoreline angle;
- if no facing works, the site is refused (for example, "too shallow to launch a ship").
Computer opponents do not currently build docks.
Launching ships
- A new ship is launched onto the water in front of its dock, clear of the dock and of other ships, facing out.
- If the dock has no reachable water, training a ship is refused before any cost is paid: "This ship cannot launch: ...".
- A dock's rally point must be on water. A click on land near the water snaps to the water; a click that ships cannot reach is refused with a notice.
Ships
| Ship | Built at | Wood | Gold | Train time | Population | Hit points | Attack | Range | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fishing Ship | Fishing Docks | 75 | – | 30 s | 1 | 150 | – | – | Catches fish |
| Trade Ship | Fishing Docks | 100 | 50 | 35 s | 1 | 180 | – | – | Sea trade with allies |
| Transport Ship | Military Docks | 125 | – | 35 s | 1 | 220 | – | – | Movement only (see below) |
| War Galley | Military Docks | 175 | 75 | 50 s | 2 | 250 | 20 | 6 m | Ranged warship |
| Cannon Ship | Military Docks | 200 | 150 | 60 s | 3 | 200 | 30 | 9 m | Siege warship |
Sailing
- Ships move only on water deep enough for them. A ford or shallow rapids cut a river in two for ships.
- An order to a place ships cannot reach is refused with a notice, for example "The water is too shallow over the ford, your ship cannot pass." or "Your ship cannot get there: the water between is cut off."
- Ships turn toward their heading before they sail.
Warships
The War Galley and Cannon Ship fight like land units. They also attack enemy buildings that are already within their range.
- The War Galley is not a siege unit, so like other non-siege units it deals only a quarter of its damage to buildings.
- The Cannon Ship is a siege unit and deals full damage to buildings.
Transport Ship
In the current build the Transport Ship can only move. It cannot yet carry land units.
Fishing
Fish shoals
- Fish shoals appear on the water of maps that have rivers or seas: on Forest and Snowy Forest maps, and in larger numbers on Ocean maps. Desert and Snowy Mountain maps have none.
- Shoals are placed in water deep enough for ships, close to the shore. Each shoal is a cluster of several fishing spots, marked with a ring on the water. Larger maps have more shoals.
- Each fishing spot holds a fixed amount of fish. Fish do not regrow: an emptied spot disappears.
The Fishing Ship
- Select fishing ships and right-click a shoal. The click finds the shoal under the water surface.
- A fishing ship catches 2 Food every 2 seconds (1 Food per second) and carries 20 at a time.
- With a full hold it sails to your nearest Fishing Docks and unloads. Fish can be delivered only to a Fishing Docks, not to the Town Hall.
- It then returns to the same spot. When that spot is empty, your ship moves on to the nearest other fishing spot by itself.
- If the ship stops fishing part-way, it delivers its partial load rather than losing it. With no Fishing Docks to deliver to, it waits holding its catch.
- Gathering bonuses (upgrades and Callings) raise the amount, the hold size and the speed, as they do for villagers.
- Fish count as Food. They give no Fibre or Leather.
- Villagers cannot fish.
Sea trade
The Trade Ship earns Gold by sailing between your Fishing Docks and an ally's Fishing Docks, the sea version of the Trade Cart.
- Select trade ships and right-click a finished Fishing Docks belonging to an ally. Your own docks are refused, as are non-allies' docks.
- The water between the two docks must be connected; a ford between them blocks the route.
- Pay per round trip, credited when the ship returns home:
- Gold = 0.15 × (distance in metres − 60), rounded, with a maximum of 45 per trip (reached at 360 m).
- A move order ends the route.
- Because computer players do not build docks, sea trade needs a human ally.
Known limits
- A ship can stop against its own dock's pier or against an idle ship.
- Ships do not make way for each other.
Planned
- Carrying land units. The Ocean map's design calls for transports that load units at one shore and land them at another, so that villagers can reach and build on other islands. This is not in the game yet.