Kancolle Arcade
Kancolle Arcade is an upcoming arcade game currently in production by SEGA in cooperation with Kadokawa Games. It is similar to the Kancolle browser game, but progress is tracked using Aime Admiral Cards and collectible cards for each kanmusu. The gameplay is much more interactive, with active input by the player during the map and battle phases.
Development History
KanColle arcade was announced in February 2015 during the Japanese Amusement Expo. Animated displays were placed near the Kadokawa booth showcasing 3-D models of various kanmusu. The beta testing segment lasted for about 30 minutes, with only select photographers allowed to take pictures.
In summer 2015, they had a public demonstration with a small group of beta testers. It was announced announced it would be released in Fall 2015. However, plans to add additional content pushed the release date to Spring 2016.
The Akibahara Club Sega Beta Testing
On December 2015, Sega AM2's R&D team had a public beta. The event was restricted access; only those who were able to get a bracelet were able to enter. The event lasted from December 18th-20th.
Gameplay and Mechanics
Starting up the Game
Playing requires an Aime Admiral Card. The Aime cards are currently only distributed to players who participated in the beta. Future players should look out for a card dispenser next to the arcade cabinet.
Players will have to register before obtaining a card. The registration process is identical to that of the browser game: choosing an admiral name and picking a starter destroyer (Fubuki, Sazanami, Samidare, Inazuma, or Murakumo). Once this is done, an Aime Admiral Card and the starter kanmusu card will be dispensed and you'll be sent to the naval base.
Tutorial
Upon starting off, players will go through a tutorial similar to the one in game to learn the basic controls and options like constructing a kanmusu, fleet organization, engaging in a sorties and so forth.
Resources for playing
The Aime Admiral Card will be used to track progress in the game. The Kanmusu cards are collectible trading cards obtainable through playing the game. Scanning them in will bring the Kanmusu into the fleet.
Also the game will be using a GP system, which will be used as in-game currency. This is required or useful for many aspects of the game, such as paying to sortie, purchasing resources or instant repairs, and so forth. Players at the play tests were told to "bring lots of 100 yen coins"[Citation Needed].
Upon entering the naval base, players will be at their office room with access to the home screen options. The home screen options are exactly the same as they are in the browser game: Composition, Construction, Equipment Fitting, Docking, and Resupplying. Most of the game functions are similar to the browser game, but use a touch screen. Poking the on-screen kanmusu will get them to react.
Most of the game menu options remain the same, with the exception of repairs and construction, which are only done instantaneously upon consumption of in-game items (buckets and flamethrower, respectively). If not in a player's inventory, these can be bought with GP points.
One further noted difference with ship construction is that after constructing a kanmusu, the Admiral will walk out of the office and go down the hallway. During this segment, other kanmusus will roam the hall, including those not yet owned. They will greet or salute the player upon being poked. Upon entering a door at the end of the hallway, the player will see the silhouette of the constructed kanmusu, she will then reveal herself and give her in-game greeting.
Combat
The only option in the combat menu is for sorties. Expeditions and Practice (PVP battles) do not exist in the current version of the Arcade game. The player has to only pick a map for the currently selected fleet to enter into battle.
Sortie Maps
The combat in Kancolle Arcade is vastly different from the browser game. Upon entering a sortie map, the fleet will sail into the sea zone and begin to move forward. On the right side of the screen, a minimap shows the fleet's position on in the sea zone along with a field of view; it will display what has been discovered in the current map. Most of the map is covered in a fog and must be explored via steering (using the physical steering wheel attached to the cabinet) the fleet around the map.
The mission of the each sortie map is to locate and fight the Abyssal fleets that are present in the area. In order to do so, the player's fleet will need to explore the map until it finds a red tinge on the screen which will mark the location of the Abyssal fleet. There is also a time limit on each map; players must make efficient use of their time to locate and destroy the fleet to maximize their chances of getting the best possible drops.
As there are no expeditions, instant repair buckets, development materials and other items have to be collected from sortie maps. These can be found and collected by navigating your fleet onto green areas of the map.
Ship girls equipped with scout planes can launch them multiple times. You can control the scout plane and have them help survey the area to locate Abyssal fleets or other items. They return automatically after reaching their maximum range or locating something.
Engaging the Enemy Fleet
When the player's fleet manages to meet the abyssal fleet, they will immediately begin to exchange fire. There are no phases to the battles; opening fire happens automatically, as soon as the enemy comes into range. The form of engagement will be displayed; as of the public beta test, the following engagements are know:
- Crossing the T (Advantage),T字戦有利 (T Ji-sen Yuuri?)): Supposedly gives an attack boost to your Kanmusus fleet. Abyssals will be in a disadvantage.
- Parallel Engagement, 同航戦 (Doukousen?): Supposedly identical to the orginal game.
- Head-on Engagement, 反航戦 (Hankousen?): Supposedly identical to the orginal game.
- Crossing the T (Disadvantage), T字戦不利 (T Ji-sen Furi?): Supposedly Abyssal Fleet gets an attack boost. Your fleet will be in a disadvantage.
It is possible to steer the kanmusus while they are in combat which can result in the confrontation changing depending on the fleet's relative positions. This can also be used to avoid incoming fire, as the likely locations where enemy shells will land is displayed on the game screen. They also can be sped up (and thus have higher evasion) with a throttle, but this will result in additional fatigue after the battle.
Carrier combat is currently not well-understood from the public beta tests; however, it is likely to add an extra layer of complexity to the game over a simple surface fleet.
Upon beating the abyssal or running out of time, the player may be rewarded with a drop, which will appear on-screen. This can be accepted, and the new kanmusu's card collected.