Requests for Proposal[]
In general terms, a Request for Proposal (RFP) is a document soliciting bids from suppliers to provide goods or services. In naval architecture, Requests for Proposal are the way a government sends out requirements to shipbuilding and marine engineering firms; they are expected to reply with an estimate of the cost and a draft design for a ship that can meet the given requirements. This wiki is a catalog of ship designs submitted as a response to various alternate-history RFPs.
Past RFP requirement sheets, designs submitted in response, and judging results can be viewed here.
Joining In[]
Requests for Proposal are a semi-historical ship design contest run on a semi-regular weekly basis through the r/worldofwarships Discord server #history channel. Ship designs are created using Springsharp, a free text program that simulates ship characteristics using period engineering thumbrules. RFPs are created and judged by channel members.
If you'd like to join in, you'll need to do the following:
- Get the Discord app and register an account.
- Join the r/worldofwarships Discord server by clicking here.
- Get Springsharp 3b3 (it's a standalone executable with no installation necessary, but you may need to get or update your copy of Microsoft .NET to run it).
- That's it - drop into the #history channel to say hi, and start designing!
- A comprehensive guide for new Springsharp users is being assembled and you can check it out here.
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Resources[]
- The NavWeaps "Naval Weapons of the World" index is our primary resource for gun and shell characteristics.
- Navypedia's "Naval Aviation and Armaments" listing only covers weapons that entered service, but includes some more obscure types that aren't present on NavWeaps.
- Nathan Okun's FACEHD and OBLICALC are text input programs that can simulate shell performance against armor, although they're somewhat challenging to navigate.
- Navypedia's "Fighting Ships of the World" index has entries for most ships that were built or laid down, including detailed descriptions of armor layouts.
Latest activity[]
