Man, the naval aspect of the game is a bit of a mess. Probably due when it was made, coupled with the scarcity of images of medieval ships.
What I mean: a brief summary of medieval ships and naval combat, for anyone interested.
• The Dromon was a Roman bireme adapted to use Greek fire in addition to the battering ram/spur it used to pierce other ships. In other words, it’s a unique Byzantine variation.
• The galley/war galley was basically an evolved Roman trireme: a long, narrow boat, powered primarily by oars but with 2-3 auxiliary sails. The evolution occurs in the order of rowers, the slightly more robust hull, and the change from square to lateen sails.
The entire medieval Mediterranean used this ship until the 16th century, when it was replaced by the galleass (a larger, gunpowder-powered version) and later—through the adaptation of the carrack with the galleass—by the galleon.
• The carrack/nau/nao, unlike the galley, was a tall, sturdy boat powered by 3-4 sails and no oars, and had two castles at the bow and stern. It was designed for war and already used gunpowder, but only lasted a century (from the 15th to the 16th century) until being replaced by the galleon.
• The cog and the medieval hulk were very similar: tall, but not huge, boats with castles used in Northern Europe from the 10th century onwards, powered by one or two sails and no oars, and used primarily for trade. The cog replaced the hulk in the 14th century and lasted until the 15th century.
• The caravel is probably an adaptation of the galley and the cog and was a very fast ship built primarily for exploration and trade, not for war. It primarily used lateen sails and already had cannons.
• Finally, the galleon. It was essentially a sailing castle: huge, bristling with cannons, four or six large sails, fast and durable, larger than the carrack. However, it only emerged in the 16th century and lasted until steamships replaced it.
Before gunpowder in the 15th century, all European ships fought only by boarding others or transporting land troops. Because of this, even merchant ships could be used in war.
I can draw a picture later to illustrate the evolution of these ships, if anyone would like.
Edit: I forgot to add that (1) galleys and dromons stopped using rams/spurs during the Middle Ages, so they basically either boarded or used Greek fire, since arrows alone can’t sink a ship. And (2) only the Carrack, Caravel, and Galleon could sail the ocean.
