The water – which is a key ingredient to any naval simulation – also has some realism to it, and although there weren't even serious white caps on the waves I was able to experience much more than just a flat blue field to represent the ocean. Weather is supposed to be much more impressive in the final game but that has yet to be seen. It would be quite stirring to see full-blown storms and rough seas, especially as they could help to influence the outcome of close or not so close battles. Currently the different times of day are handled adequately and the skies are also different shades depending on the scenario; this helps evoke a feeling that you're not always sailing in the same warm tropical waters but could also be in the vast openness of the North Atlantic with the gray colored skies and low clouds.
But the real detail is with the ships, and the damage model in the early build that I had a chance to play was impressive. Sails will start to look tattered during long exchanges of cannon fire, the smoke following a broadside masked the location of ships and then slowly dissipated, and vessels that come under fire actually appear to take damage and can even catch fire. Most poignant of all is how you can actually see the men move about on the ships when zoomed in – although the effect is sort of like early versions of SimCity where you saw colored dots representing people. The detail is about the same here, with sailors appearing as small dots, but you do get the sense of movement rather than seeing just an empty model.
The title's time compression system, which allows players to increase the flow of time by various degrees, works well and speeds along the process to get to good points. After laboring through simulations like Man of War and Wooden Ships and Iron Men, this alone makes Age of Sail II a whole lot more fun to play. Part of the game's strategy certainly involves setting the right traps, but it is still enjoyable to fast forward but still be able to watch events unfold.
Controlling the individual craft is as easy as any real-time strategy or real-time tactical simulation, with players clicking on the appropriate vessel and issuing orders via the game's rather unobtrusive interface. Individual ships can be highlighted, allowing players to set directional headings and how sails are to be used. Watching the direction of the winds and choosing how much sail to use also play an important role and unlike many real-time strategy titles, the wind is not consistent in all directions and players will have to adjust their tactics accordingly. Yet the game isn't so complicated or realistic that it is unplayable, so a course in beginning sailing isn't necessary.
From the interface, players can select what type of load to use for the cannons, whether it be solid, chain or even the deadly shotgun-like grape shot; and also determine if the cannons should be targeted at the sails, the deck or the hull of enemy vessels. Hitting the sails will reduce the target vessel's speed and maneuverability while firing a broadside of grape shot could massacre the enemy crew and thus reduce their overall effectiveness. Of course the enemy can do the same to you, so you need to make sure that you don't set yourself up for utter disaster!