Salvo
Tutorial 4
Campaign Procedure & Special Ship Types
Introduction: This tutorial primarily covers information about and control of special ship types and tactics in Salvo. New elements, like Fire Ships, Shore Batteries or special tactics like 'cutting out' are introduced with each battle in the campaign. As usual, some strategic considerations for complex battles are covered along the way, specifically those pertinent to the new units.
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In this Tutorial you will:
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Key:
= Action Sections
= Information Sections 
= Important Information
A Orientation 
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Click on the Salvo Icon, or start Salvo from the start menu:START/Programs/SprueGames/Salvo
Click on the Rolled up maps on the table to open the Help screen.
The Salvo Help Screen provides links to the QuickStart, User Guide, SprueGames Webpage, and the four tutorials.
Click on the 'Start Tutorial 4' button to start both the Tutorial 4 Battle and the HTML Tutorial 4 Document. If you already have the HTML Document open, you can just start the battle by clicking on the 'Battle' button. Likewise, if you only want to view the documentation, you can click on the 'Documentation' button.
Each Battle in Salvo has a "mission text. The mission text for the built in campaigns is visible as you page through the missions. After a battle is started, you can read the mission text, and check your score by clicking on the mission button.
Click on the Mission Button and you should see:
Salvo Tutorial IV Part 1:
Pirate Vs England
Caribbean
Cutting out the Bombay
The English ship Bombay, 74, is anchored at a river mouth close buy, and planning on spending the next day on minor repairs. Your three small Pirate ships catch the Bombay unaware early the next morning, but the alarm is sounded before your Buccaneers are on board.Grapple and Board the Bombay before she can clear for action, or her broadsides will ruin your chances for fame and glory.
Also note the 'score' section on the right.
B First Battle
This first battle in the Fourth Tutorial starts not with a ship type,
but with a new tactic, Cutting Out. The Bombay is in a vulnerable position,
and unaware of her peril. In this battle, you will attempt to capture
the Bombay by boarding her. Cutting out is the only way that your three
small ships can hope to face the Bombay, who's 74 guns would quickly reduce
your ships to kindling in a direct encounter.
The Bombay starts the battle totally unprepared. The Guns are not loaded, and the ship is stopped and anchored. Additionally, the Bombay's Disruption level is set to 300 to simulate the confusion and work required for her to prepare sail, as well as clearing the decks for action. It should take the Bombay several turns before she can fully maneuver or bring a fully loaded broadside to bear.
Your three vessels will need to cross the shoals at the mouth of the river in order to reach the Bombay. The shallow water can cause ships to run aground, but your vessels are small enough that it is unlikely they will have any trouble. The Bombay, on the other hand, would be much more likely to run aground if she ventured into shallow water.
The key to cutting out the Bombay will be to attack with large boarding parties from each of your ships before the Bombay can reduce your taskforce with broadsides. Prepare for boarding by allocating a large boarding party, and loading Grape/Canister shot.
Be sure that you allocate your boarding party at least a turn before you are actually boarding, or the sailors will not be available for your attack. Follow these steps to make the most of your vessel's hand to hand ability:1 Select each of your three ships with the Right Mouse Button and follow steps 2 - through 6
2 Click 'crew' button to open the Crew Allocation Panel
3 Set the Allocation Mode to User. The Allocation Mode should start out as 'Auto' but you can click on the word 'Auto' to change it to User. Likewise - if you want to switch it back, click on 'User' to toggle the mode back to Auto.
4 Reduce the number of men allocated to sailing and to each battery by clicking on the 'Down' button beside each category. You will still want some crew for each task, so do not empty them completely.
5 Add the Remaining Crew, in the 'idle' category to the Boarding Party.
6 Suggested values for each ship:
- Vever 40 Sailing 30 Port Battery 30 Starboard Battery 110 Boarding Party
- Ogoun 40 Sailing 20 Port Battery 20 Starboard Battery 120 Boarding Party
- Samedi 40 Sailing 10 Port Battery 10 Starboard Battery 140 Boarding Party
You can only expect to get in one good broadside before boarding, so the relatively low crew allocation to the gun decks should not be much of a problem. Each ship should have sufficient time to fully load before closing.
There is a good chance that you will only get one or two shots in before the Bombay is ready for action. Make these shots support your boarding operation by setting your Ammunition Type to Grape/Canister. For each ship:1 Right Select the ship
2 Click on the crossed guns button to open the armament Panel
3 Set the ammunition selection mode to User (opposed to Auto) so your selection will not be changed by the ship.
4 Select the Grape Shot (Canister) ammunition type for both the starboard and Port guns
Time is a serious factor, so close with the Bombay as fast as you can. It would also be a good idea to keep to the enemy's stern and out of the way of the broadsides.
Before your boarding parties can attack the Bombay, your ships will need to either fouled with the Bombay as the result of a collision, or grappled from an adjacent space. The easiest way to foul the Bombay is to crash your ship into her. If your ship does not move quite close enough for physical contact, you can still grapple by clicking on the Grappling Action Marker.
Each of your vessels grappled to the Bombay will be able to board, and each boarding combat is resolved separately. Click the Boarding Action Marker to open the Boarding Control Panel.
Setup your assault group from the available Marines, Armed Sailors and Unarmed Sailors. The Armed Sailors are the sailors you allocated to the Boarding Party in a previous round, and should already be in the assault group. Not all the marines or sailors available will be allocated, and you can choose to increase or decrease the allocations. Change the numbers in the assault group by clicking on the assault group, and the available numbers. Clicking on the assault group will increase the men allocated if any are available, and clicking on the available section will decrease the number of men in the assault group.
Boarding takes place in sequential stages and each stage requires a turn to complete, unless there are more than one attacking ships. The stages are:
- Boarded
- Deck Cleared
- Below Decks
- Ship Captured
If more than one ship is attacking a single enemy ship, then each boarding action is resolved separately, but the progression through the boarding stages are accumulative, as is damage to the defending ship's crew and Marines. (If one ship successfully boards, then the next ship will automatically move on to the 'Clear the Deck' stage of boarding) The casualties inflicted on the defender by the first attack will reduce the number of defenders faced by the second attack.)
Boarding can be instantaneously successful, or it can drag out for many rounds as the attackers are repulsed again and again. If the attackers capture the captain and he surrenders the ship then even a feeble attack will have instant success. More often, the number and quality of the opposing forces determines the outcome.
You may get lucky and capture the Bombay in the first few rounds, or you may need to keep trying as you bring all three of your ships into the engagement. A rapid capture simulates what would happen if your boarding party quickly secured the hatches and cleared the deck, or the boarding party was able to capture the other vessel's captain. If an immediate victory is not forthcoming, then the boarding action is still in dispute. When you have successfully carried the Bombay, she will strike her colors and be captured by your ships.
C Battle Conclusion
Capturing the Bombay is the sole requirement for victory in this battle,
so after that is done, you can start to move on to the next campaign.
If you do not capture the Bombay, then start over. If you saved the battle
during play, you may need to click on the 'Revert Tutorials' button on
the settings menu to return all 4 tutorials to their original (unplayed)
state.
Click on the Mission Button to open the mission book and score. After you capture the Bombay, you will have won the battle, and the End button will be displayed to the right of the score.Click on this button to close the current battle, and move on to the Combat Results Screen.
Victory conditions are different for each Salvo Battle but there are several common guidelines as well as catchalls for both victory and defeat. If you capture any available Victory Markers and incapacitate a significant portion of the enemy fleet (while not sustaining too much damage on your own side) then you will achieve a victory. Even if you do not control any of the markers, if you have captured or sunk every enemy ship, or the enemy is in flight, you will have won. The reverse is true as well, if you loose all of your ships it will be a defeat.
Victory or defeat is determined by a points system, with each Victory Marker and captured, struck or destroyed ship adding to the total of one side or the other. Each scenario has a threshold for 'Assured' and 'Total' victories. When the player's points reach the threshold, then the exit corresponding exit option will be available from the Mission Screen. If the Computer is winning, the loosing exit options will be displayed. The threshold level of each scenario is different, and is not known by the player.
After you have captured the Victory Markers and at least one enemy ship - check the Mission Screen to see if you have achieved a Assured Victory. After capturing several merchants - you should also reach the Total victory level, which will display the "Your Fleet Has Achieved All Goals!" message. Click on either the Assured or Total Victory exit button to stop playing the second battle and to move on to the Combats Results Screen for the second battle.You can exit the battle as soon as you reach the Assured Victory level, even while you are still in the harbor.
D Combat Results Screen 
The Combat Results screen is an after action report that also provides
the means for dealing with the consequences of the battle. Damaged ships
can be repaired, captured ships sold, new crew allocated, and so on.
Your goal on the Combat Results screen is to incorporate the Bombay into
your fleet. The specific steps to achieve this goal are outlined in the
' The Bombay' section below, but first the various features of
the Combat Results screen are covered in detail.
The ships that participated in the last battle will all be displayed in the two ship lists, friendly ships on the left and hostiles on the right.
More information is provided for friendly ships, because they are more important in the campaign. Each ship's data is presented if the ship survived the battle. Ship data includes:Ship Name
Rate = Ship Rate
Guns = Original of Guns
Damaged =Number of Damaged Guns
Crew = Current Crew On Board
Ideal = Original or Full Crew Complement, Including Marines
Damage = Structural Ship Damage
Q = Ship Quality
M = Current Crew Moral
The Damage that a Vessel received in the previous battle is represented in three main ways, for Crew, Guns Damaged, and General structural damage.
The crew lost on or deficient for that ship is represented by the discrepancy between the ship's 'Ideal' crew and current 'Crew'. If current crew on board is not equal or close to 'Ideal' crew then the ship's performance will suffer.
The number of damaged guns indicates how many of the original complement of guns cannot be used without some level of repair. Most often it is the wooden carriages that are damaged, and high priority is placed on bringing a vessel's fire power back up to strength.
The damage sustained by the Hull and Rigging of a ship in the last conflict (or carried over from previous battles) is represented by the second 'Damage' column. This number directly corresponds to the Repair Points: a damage of 5 requires 5 Repair Points to fully fix.
If a ship from your fleet was sunk, or captured by the enemy, then you will not be able to see the ship's full information, or alter it in any way, the ship is out of action.
Some types of ships are excluded from the refit functions of the Combat Results screen because they are not mobile, or they have specialized roles. Friendly Shoer Batteries, Floating Batteries, Hulks, Bombards, Fire Ships and Merchants cannot be altered in the Refit screen, and do not progress to the next campaign battle.
To the right of the Friendly Ships list is the Enemy Ship list. This list provides less data per ship, mainly Name, Rate and Status.
The status of the enemy ships is the most important factor, governing whether or not the ship can be recommissioned for your fleet or sold. Additionally, you will receive some crew and promotion points based on wheather enemy ships are sunk
Sunken ships cannot be sold or incorporated into your fleet, but you will receive one Promotion Point for each Sunken Enemy ship.
You receive no credit for any enemy ship that Escapes.
Captured ships are at your mercy for Selling or incorporation into your fleet.
In order to change any of the ships in either list, select the ship first, and then click on the appropriate button below the ship list. The options that are available for the selected vessel will be highlighted when that ship is selected from the list.
The resources that you have for repairing damage to your ships, replacing lost crewmen and upgrading vessel quality and moral are represented by the Repair Points, New Crew, and Promotion Points values listed below the Friendly Ships list.
Each Promotion Point will increase the quality of one of your ships by 1, with a maximum quality of 10. When a ship is promoted, the vessel's moral also adjusts to the new quality level.
Likewise, each Repair Point can be used to counteract one Damage point for your ships.
New Crew actually represents the number of men that are available for distribution to your ships.
The various functions of the Combat Results screen are accessible by clicking on the Buttons at the bottom of the screen. 'Done' is always available, but the other buttons only become fully highlighted and available when the appropriate ship is selected in one of the two ship lists. 'Sell' and 'Commission' are only available when captured enemy vessels are selected, and the other buttons are only available if one of your main fleet vessels is selected from the friendly list.
This button cashes in the selected captured enemy ship. In exchange for the ship, you will receive Repair Points & Crew.
Clicking on this button transfers the selected enemy ship to the Friendly Ships list. The newly commissioned ship will retain the damage you inflicted on it, will have hardly any crew, and will have poor quality and moral.
This button 'spends' Repair Points to repair the structural damage done to a friendly ship, focusing on guns and rigging first.
The Add Crew button moves crew from the New Crew allotment to the selected ship in increments.
Clicking on the Fire Ship button transforms the selected friendly ship to a fire ship, adding the majority of the vessel's crew to the New Crew allotment, and also recouping some repair points as valuable timber and hardware are scavenged from the ship. The ship will be a Fire Ship in the next battle.
Unlike selling an Enemy ship, the Retire button does not provide any considerable gain in repair points. However, retiring a ship will removing it from your fleet and let you assign the crew to your other vessels.
The purpose of the first battle is to capture the Bombay and use her as a pirate ship. You have completed the first part by capturing the Bombay. Now you need to convert her to a pirate ship, round up the best crew you can, repair damage, and move on. Follow the steps below.
1 Select the Vever, Ogoun and Samedi in turn.
2 After each ship is selected, click on the FireShip button.
3 The crew from each ship will be added to the 'New Crew' allotment.
1 Select the Bombay in the Enemy Ships list.
2 Click on the Commission button.
3 The Bombay will be transferred over to the Friendly Ships list.
1 Select the Bombay in the Friendly Ships list.
2 Click on the Add Crew button until all the available men are added to the Bombay.
1 Select the Bombay in the Friendly Ships list.
2 If there are any Repair Points, click on the Repair button to fix any structural damage the Bombay may have.
3 If there are any Promotion Points, click on the Promote button to improve the Bombay's Quality and Moral.
When you have fully refitted your fleet, click on the Done button to progress to the Campaign Map Screen so you can choose the location for your next engagement.
In step B above you convert all your original ships to Fire ships so you can use them in the upcoming raid, as well as transfer their crew to the Bombay, but there is always room for variation. You can hold on to one of your smaller ships, or you can retire a ship in order to make even more crew available. Additionally, if the Bombay got in a few good broadsides, you may not have all 3 of your original ships to work with. The text for battle number two assumes that you have followed the steps outlined above and have 3 fire ships, but if not - you should be able to adapt your force to the situation presented by the battle.
E Campaign Map 
After clicking on the Done button in the Combat Results screen you
will see the Campaign Map screen. There will be a text message at the
top of the screen and a map of the campaign's theater of action below.
The text on the Campaign Map screen is specific to the mission that you just completed, and how you fared in the battle. The text will outline your options and should give you the important information needed for progressing in the Campaign.
The map shows all of the possible locations in the campaign's theater of action.
The ship on the map indicates the current location of your vessels or fleet.
Options for your next destination are marked with a flag. Select the flag that marks the destination that you want your fleet to sail toward, based on the campaign text.
In this tutorial, you only have the one option for the next battle, so click on the pirate flag to close the Campaign Map and continue on to the next engagement.
F Second Battle 
The Second Battle is a raid on the vessels in a harbor. The vessels
are protected by Shore Batteries, but you should be able to force them
out with fire ships. The fire ships will suffer some damage on the way
in from the Shore Batteries, but probably not enough to sink them. Then
as the merchants seek to avoid the flaming ships, you will have easy pickings.
The Fire Ships are the key.
Salvo Tutorial IV Part II:
Pirate Vs England
Caribbean
Fire Ship Attack
Rumors of your victory over the Bombay are only now reaching the Bahamas as you approach with your small flotilla to attack the English Convoy before it even leaves port. Your small fire ships should wreak havoc in the crowded port, causing any sane merchant to sail for open water where they can maneuver, and where the Bombay awaits.
Nab the merchants as they exit the harbor but beware of the shore batteries and the convoy's escorts.
Fire Ships are ordinary vessels that have been specially prepared for use in a special attack where they will be set on fire in hopes of spreading the fire to enemy ships. The ship will be filled with flammable material and all the valuable hardware will be stripped away except the most crucial pieces needed for sailing. The ship is then sailed by a small crew who will sail her to the designated location, light the fire, and escape in small boats. After the crew evacuates, the ship will maintain her course until the fire damages the rigging sufficiently that the vessel is at the mercy of the winds.
- Fire Ships are not armed and only have a small skeleton crew which evacuates when the fire is set.
- Fire Ships are aimed at the enemy and turned loose. They stay on course, but will also turn with the wind and slow down as the fire progresses.
- Fire Ships must make contract with another ship in order to cause any damage. This, combined with the fact that they cannot be controlled after they are lit, makes them unwieldy and hard to use. However, the main effect of a fire ship is often to cause panic and confusion rather than actual damage.
The Bombay's crew allocation will be crucial for her performance in this battle. With the severe limitations imposed, it will be important to make sure that the Bombay has enough crew dedicated to sailing that she can maneuver. The sacrifice is that the gun crews will be further reduced, but that is preferable to not being able to turn.
Shore Batteries are forts that have their guns pointed toward the sea. These earth and stone structures are hard to damage, and often pack a punch greater than some ships of the line. Shore Batteries do not move, but fire ships have no effect on them.
The merchants in the harbor will be forced to choose between facing the Fire Ship attack and leaving the protection of the Shore Batteries.
Forts on either side protect the mouth of the harbor cover the entire entrance, but in the very center the cannons in the forts are at long range, and will only be able to do a limited amount of damage. The fire ships, and even the Bombay should be able to enter the harbor without sustaining crippling damage: The fire ships don’t mind the damage, and the Bombay is large enough to absorb several rounds from the shore batteries. The plan is therefore to send the fire ships in first and to follow with the Bombay if the ships in the harbor do not panic and evacuate.
Under normal circumstances, the Bombay would be able to defeat the two warships in the harbor with no trouble. However, the Bombay is seriously shorthanded, making the fight even at best. Try to engage the Cambridge and Nottingham outside the range of the Harbor Forts, so the Bombay will neither be receiving damage from them nor firing back. That way all your available gun crews will be able to focus on loading the guns that will be bearing on the Cambridge and Nottingham. It would be ideal to Capture the Cambridge and/or Nottingham, but fighting to a draw will be sufficient, provided that you can also capture several of the merchant ships.
The Merchants are unarmed, and usually both slow and minimally crewed. This limits their ability to evade, but they will still try to escape from any threat. Flight is their goal, but a single shot from an enemy ship should be enough to make them strike, particularly if there are no friendly war ships around. Boarding will also cause a merchant to strike.
G Second Conclusion
Hopefully, you captured the Cambridge or Nottingham as well as several
merchants. Selling off the merchants will provide points for refitting
theCambridge, Nottingham and Bombay, but crew will still be problematic.
The Second Battle has two Victory Markers, as well as several merchants and the Cambridge or Nottingham. Capture at least one ship, and both of the Victory Markers to achieve a victory. For total victory, capture the Cambridge and Nottingham and as many merchants as you can.
- Capture as many Merchants as you can
- Capture the Victory Flags
- Capture the Cambridge and Nottingham
The Combats Results Screen will show the final results of the second battle, and allow you to prepare for the next encounter. Possible actions that you will need to undertake include:
If you captured the Cambridge and Nottingham then you can add this ship to your force in the same way that you added the Bombay.1 Select the Cambridge or Nottingham in the Enemy Ships list.
2 Click on the Commission button.
3 The selected ship will be transferred over to the Friendly Ships list.
Sell off the merchants that you captured by selecting them from the Enemy Ships list and then clicking on the 'Sell' button. Each of the merchants sold will add to your Refit and Crew points. (Unsold merchants will be left behind as you progress to the next battle, so there is no use in hoarding them.)
There is a good chance that both the Bombay and the Cambridge and Nottingham sustained damage in the second battle. This damage can be repaired using the Repair points accrued in the campaign, or acquired by selling off Merchants. Select the ship you want to repair, and then click on the 'Repair' button.
Victory and your growing reputation as a successful pirate will make more buccaneers available for your ships, but probably not enough to bring them up to their full complement. Add all the available crew to the Bombay and the Cambridge or Nottingham by selecting your ship and then clicking on the 'Add Crew' button.
Promotion points are awarded to your fleet based on how many enemy vessels were captured or destroyed, and you can distribute the points in any way you wish. The Bombay has not been in your service very long, and a recommissioned Cambridge or Nottingham will be totally new. Consequently - they will still have relatively low quality ratings, and may also have poor moral. You can upgrade the ships by selecting the one you want to improve and then clicking on the 'Promote' button. You can repeat this operation until the promotion points run out.
Click the Done button when you are finished with the Combats Results Screen and you will return to the Campaign Map. Read the scenario text and 'choose' your next battle. The only choice in this tutorial is the third and last battle, so click on the flag positioned by Cuba to sail for home.
H Third Battle 
This is the big showdown between you and the English forces in the
West Indies. The English have a sizable attacking force, but you have
several Floating Batteries to augment your forces, as well as a dismasted
and unseaworthy xx gunner towed out with the Floating Batteries.
Salvo Tutorial IV Part III:
Pirate Vs England
Caribbean
Floating Gun Platforms
The new squadron has arrived from England and is closing in on your stronghold and it is an impressive sight. However, you have not been idle, and you have your built up fleet, as well as several floating gun platforms and hulks. The immobile platforms and dismasted hulks of ships are positioned well to give the English a beating before they can get to your main line.
Support the platforms, and you may be able to fight the English to a draw. Your contacts and friends are seeking clemency for you and your operation. Hold off the English for now, and your bribes and promises take root.
As the name suggests, floating batteries are floating platforms with a battery of guns and crew sufficient to man those guns. Floating batteries cannot move, and cannot rotate, but their broadsides are comparable to the same number of guns on a regular vessel. A variation on the Floating Battery is the use of a older - un seaworthy ship as a stationary harbor defense.
The defense is already setup, and the English are too close for there to be any alterations, you will need to work with the tools that you have. The Floating batteries are inflexible, but they represent a significant portion of your firepower. Therefore, you will need to use your mobile vessels to prevent the English from outflanking them or ganging up on only one or two. The key to victory will be to present a strong line and to inflict significant damage on the English vessels as they approach.Support your Defensive Line
Inflict Damage On English
I Third Conclusion
It is not necessary to win this last battle in Tutorial IV, provided
that you learned the key concepts, but winning is probably better than
loosing. When your force has achieved its goals, or when you are defeated,
you can end the battle by opening the Mission screen, and clicking on
the exit options that are available there, either winning or loosing
Victory can only be achieved by capturing or sinking several of the English ships and also controlling the Victory Markers. That is a fairly hard task, particularly so with so much of your firepower in immobile defensive units.
This is the end of the campaign, so there is no Battle Report screen and no refit options as after the previous two battles. Instead, the mission conclusion screen will come up with the Campaign Report, detailing each step of your campaign, recording each battle and arriving at a final score.
Note: Bombards
Bomb ships, or Bombards are small vessels equipped with indirect fire
mortars. Because they do not fire in straight lines, Bombards can fire
in any direction, but must be stopped before they can shoot.(Or else they
would destroy their own rigging.) Bombard hits do the same damage regardless
of range, but they cannot shoot at targets that are too close.