Sir Texas Sir

Isn't there going to be a new flag like systems for port battles any way? Remember the content we have on testbed is only small part of the patch, we still haven't seen every thing. Though I would like the PvP be the main theme for conquest, but I hate to say it if you make it PvP only than all folks will have to to prevent a port being flipped is not show up to stop them, cause if there is no PvP than there will be no points gained to flip the port. That is why you need PvE too.

Testbed hasn't even gotten the full patch yet. So I'm going to say they are not makign the 19/20th date. It's going to be more like the end of the month or first of next month. Pretty much my whole clan stopped playing on PvP2. Those that are still playing until patch drop are all over on Testbed learning the new mechanics. Live servers are pretty much dead so I would say testbed would be good so you can learn the new stuff and give feed back on it.

I remember making a level and half off my first PvP fight with my second char back when he was Spanish. He tagged a brit Bucc while in a Rattlesnake and some Pirates jumped in. All I did during that fight was keep the Bucc tagged in by hitting sails until the Pirates caught up. They let me keep the ship as a prize (they didn't know it was my alt, as I play pirate) as a main. So it's not all about the PVP grind. That same char I shortly rerolled pirate cause Spain was dead and almost all his level up to RA was done almost strictly through PvP. I did have to grind out my last two levels as those are the hardest, but folks don't need to be rushing up to the SOl's. They should take there time and learn the game and ships. It's not hard to game your first few levels even PvE grinding. I remember in one Shallow water Port Battle even though I was the first to sink I made over 6K xp and 1.5 million credits. Than again my complaint tally of killes was 4 sunk and 6 assist. I had spread so much damage out my 1/4 when I was sunk turned into the 4/6 by the end of the battle. So you can make a big chunk of xp faster by doing PvP over PvE. Since I have leveled three chars, Two or CURSE (RA) and one is Flag Captain I really don't see the leveling that hard, to many games make you max out in no time. Some of the more recent games that have came out I have maxed out my chars in less than a week. That is way to short for a semi casual player. It should take time to advance through the ranks. The awesome things about this game is ships aren't locked to your level and only restricted by crew and even than you can undercrew most of them very easily. Wouldn't suggest doing that, but you still can do it. Ya'll are forgeting the shallows. H Rattler is king there, but just PvP Rattler, Niagara, Mercury are good start level for PvP. Though one of the biggest issues right now in shallow water is the crew kill with grape. It's just way to easy to kill crews first and than fight some one in the shallows. They really need to look at the crew damage on these smaller ships. I can easy take some one down to 30-40 crew at the start of the fight and make them, almost combat ineffective from the start just by graping them with no armor damage.

Pretty much other than a few rare ones that where built when the BP was in that patch for a few hours, PvP2 has very few of these ships. Even fewer these days. Never understood why they weren't given out more queally among the servers, but hay we done player content events and such, just not tournaments is all. Would be nice if they gave one out to every one until the wipe.

The other moring and about 3 hours work I made runs with three LVG between La Tort and Mort running trade goods back and forth. I made about 5 millon doing this with what was left in the stores. Most the good stuff was all ready bought and traded. So it's not hard, but this also helped me as seems producing products can get costly too. I it might of been more that I made, cause I did econ too and ended around 3-4 million by time I logged off for family stuff easter day. If some one has the time they can make a good amount of money. Though I think with more populated server they will run out of goods faster so they wouldn't make as much as some might be making. With the fact you get no xp, credit or marks. the low cargo makes it not even worth capturing ships. You can't sink them after a battle is over to get the cradits/xp. I think you should still be getting xp for a caputred kill. Why should i be able to capture 10 ships and not get any xp when some one that only kills one or two is gaining ship xp over me. We are both doing the same hard work. I'm fine with not getting any credits or marks for a captured ship, but we should still be getting xp for the kill. Breaking down ships gives you little to no mats to, so your not getting anything off them. You say sale them to other plaeyrs? Well they are grey ships, not blue so they are lower quality ships. I have not found a single captured ships that is worth anything that I can craft or buy in the shop all ready so why would any one want to buy them off me? I really think contracts should fill the Delivery Quest missions for the most part. That way we have a way to see them and know when folks have contracts out. I still like the misisons as they are, but there should be another tab that list any close contracts in the area. It seems there are a lot less fleets out in the OW now. I get folks want less ships for the AI, and I like the current balance, but I have't been seeing any big ones that say a good group of 12 players could take on. We might need some more fleets. I get a feeling folks will turn to war bombing the first half of the hostility and than finish the grind. I know player kills will help get your hostility up/down, but in those regions that are out in the middle of no where it seems it's going to be a very slow grind to get a sport flipped.

it's a testbed, why don't you wait for the full patch to hit testbed and bet you more will show up. Even more wait for it to hit live. Many folks won't come to testbed since it gets wiped and they don't gain anything. To be honest only a small percentage of the game actually test the game, the rest just play it. Majority of my clan has taken the month off until the patch drops. And when the patch drops and folks actually have to leave there ports and take risk us PvPers are going to be out there getting our fill of battles. And no one said you can't get those items, just you have to actually work a bit harder to get the things we get though PvP or RvR. So your not being left out.

I did a fight last night that was a 2 connies (me and my AI) vs 2 Trincs, Rattlesnake, Navy Brig and Merc. I got 9 PvE marks from it so you can get more for bigger fights. That is the biggest I done so far. I was getting around 4-6 when I was fighitng vs two connies too. So I think it's kinda number of ships, vs br diffrence and percentage damge you do (kill vs assist). Cause if you want PvP content than you should do PvP content. Other ways it should be harder for you to get what i get for taking bigger risk. I swear this new generation and every one gets a trophy or cause he has it I must have it to with no work attitude. You want the same thing as I have than come over and PvP other wise your going have to grind harder to get the same content as I get for my higher risk play. Hell some games won't even let you trade PvE for PvP content. If you don't take the risk you don't get the goods. Many others only way to get certain content is to do the raid missions yourself. If your not willing to do them than you don't deserve the content. The exchange for PvE to PvP marsk was 25 to 1, now it's 10 to 1 so tell me exactly how this is harder on ya'll? Hell in my book think it should be more like 50 to 1 exchange as PvP is much more risk than some AI fleet. Makes me wonder what the Conquest Marks exchange will be. I think Marks of Conquest (from port battles) should not be able to get with PvE or PvP marks. They should be for folks that do RvR only. If you want something they can get you need to RvR or trade/pay like hell for something or the marks. As for bending for PvP players that is a joke, almost every rules they done in the past was bending for the PvE players. Now it seems they are finally putting there foot down and returning to some of the old PvP content game this was meant to be. Though I do think there is way to much PvE grind for goods and such. 100 PvE Marks to change my skills perks? Really so I can't switch from combat to trader/crafter mode ever day when I need to craft ships and such? Basically your saying I have to have a dedicated crafting/trader alt for that while I have a dedicated PvP/Raider for OW combat.

I had never went to Kidds and was bottle hunting and that was how I found Kidds, in the middle of a storm.

Even if they don't bring back storms in battles, it would be nice to see them once in a while on OW like they use too. I had some pretty scary moments in a trader not seeing crap around me to run right across an enemy ship. We both freak out and turn and run even though he's a war ship and I'm a trader. That was funny as hell as he thought I was in a war ship to and we both laugh about it afterwards, but it was raining and storming so hard you couldn't see crap.

Hay now pirates don't discreminate against any one, we wil attak just about any one out there that has a fat loot for the taken. Ok found something out last night/this morning about captured traded ships. I traded my Surprise I been using to my other char. Well I had one slot ulocked with a perk set. Now the char has the ship with that ship knowledge slot filled with that skill even though the slot isn't unlocked. I think this is what the Devs mean you can find some good ships too from players. It will have the perks/skills of that player and you can use it until you unlock the slots with what even skill was locked in on that ship. I'm going to trade it back again to see if I can change it and give it back. On a side note had a capped LVG I traded first that went poof on me. I'm going have to trade another ship and see if this is a problem with the capped gray ships.

Stay pirate, we will need you. There will be plenty of hunting to do as every one tries to get new stuff and the ball rolling. I'm sure BLACK will have FRANCES back as well while they grow. We tend to watch out for the little guys. Though can't make any promises that a ship or two might not make it to port. Those pesky storms can be bad this time of year....lol

I could demast them pretty fast before patch so I don't really see much difference, but than I do it all the time in shallows so I'm use to it. I was thinking about doing that with one char when the patch drops. My third isn't maxed out level wise so was thinking of playing it from start for a while just to get that feel.

You don't have to leave my name out, I mean I suck but not that bad. Yah I got -6 xp too as I think one of my balls hit you or something. Prob when I was going for sails we hit each other as we where on each side of him. If I had known BOTH us got nothing I would of just said lets sink him. I'm still using that Bell though in my fleet for sinking ships. Need to get into a connie or something bigger. The problem is it's suppose to be our prize, but it's crap grey ship with 1/1 mod slots so it's not even worth what we can craft or buy in port. We really need clan control of regions to give folks reason to protect that area and they should be able to make a tax off any econ/trade that goes on and upkeep of the port/region. That way regions that clans don't claim and upkeep can be easily capture or go back to neutral status.

I don't think Spain really was ever meant to keep all there regions in the first place. It's kinda like the one token nation every one is going to attack straight off. The best bet for any small nation or clans is to keep it small. Find an area that has good resources and work out of that area and protect the hell out of it. I think this is what the devs are getting out. I'll use PvP1 as an example. US had over half of the map, but while they are the largest nation and have the largest population most of them aren't PvP/RvR players. So it was actually pretty easy to hit them and take several regions from them cause they where spread out so far over the East coast and Gulf of Mexico. While we couldn't keep them cause our numbers where so small, but it was an effective way to wage war against them. Now lets look at the new patch and think about how rare at first a lot of resources is going to be. It's going to be best for some nations and clans to stick around to one area. If that means they have to loose regions on the other side of the map than so be it. I think to many folks got use to there big stock pile of goods and just being to one click ships at any time. It's going to be hard at first, but I bet the econ will pick up and get going once folks start to get a bit of stock of goods and helping each other out. I might have a large stash of silver and you have a large stash of iron. I'll trade you my silver for you irons and stuff like that. A smart clan will have folks that specialize in certain goods only mass producing them.

I was actually loosing less crew by demasting and boarding ships than I am brawaling it out in a Surprise my only ship for now (do have a grey capped Bell Poule in fleet). I can't afford anything esle after getting my crew back to max and I did part of my econ from the buildings I put up so now I'm broke and the only way to make money is to sink ships or do trade runs.....sinking ships gives very low return after crew cost and repears. I guess I'm going have to turn into a carebear PvEr now and do trade runs.

WHile there is a perk to help with the crew cost, it cost way to much to reset your perks. 100 PvE Marks. I think this should get dropped.

Cause we should be able to turn the prize into Admiraltiy so they do get something. Ok tested something. I captured a Trader Brig and took the cargo off it. Casue the battle is over I can't do any more damage to the ship to scutttle it so you can't sink a ship if the battle is over. Maybe an optoin if there was still fighitn going on. So no I can't get the cargo and than sink the ship to get the reward. On the side I found an exploit for the rookie ROE area. You want to get safe cargo some where? Put your trader in your fleet, put your cargo on trader. Cause of rookie ROE trader is AI and won't be pulled into fight. You win or loose the fght your trader and goods are still safe. Than you go to friendly port or take control and go the marry way you wanted to. No reason to hunt players with traders in AI in the Rookie ROE area cause they have a free safe card to play.....just keep your cargo in your fleets.

I like this, but only problem is there is no press gang in game right right as the perk is gone. If they had added it to boarding I have not noticed it when I done some boarding. Though I'm about to go do some trader hunting to test out the sink after taking cargo thing. I agree we need a scuttle command after you finish a boarding. That way I can pick to put crew on the ship and take it as prize. Take the cargo and leave the ship for some one else on my team or hell even so they can recapture it back. Or last I can take what I want and scuttle the dang thing so no one gets it. Kinda be cool if this lit it on fire and it either burns it down/sinks or if the fire spreads to the mag before sinking BOOM....lol

I notice that too. One char i actually got all 10 points used, but he has 2 fleet ships to do it. The other char has like 3 points left (he has one fleet too). And now that it cost me 100 PvE marks to change it and I don't get any marks for captured ships I can't reset it to something more combat than something like my play style of a Pirate/Privateer that would solo hunt ships and bring them back for the prize/ransom.....which I don't get crap for cause I can't even sale them in port to the AI. (no player is going to buy a 1/1 gray ship). Now I have to grind a bunch of Ai ships and sink them to get the PvE marks to spend to reset my perks. I'm sorry I think these need to be free to reset to your play style and not cost anything. Seems every thing COST PvE marks and I think this is something a lot of folks aren't going to like as it's forceing us to pretty much do the PvE grind that every one hated with the hostility system just for something else now. Maybe make it once a day reset. That you can reset your perks once a day (it resets at maintance time) that will limit changing them all the time. I don't mind having the extra perks, but I won't be grinding PvE that I neeed for other things just to reset my perks to do diffrent combat builds. Yah I was guessing it's not finished, but hay we get the Pirate Frigate BP and they don't get any BP's...I just want to test the books thing if they are even finished and I can't cause I'm a pirate. Not that I'm earning any PvE marks cause you don't get them from being a Pirate/Privateer that captures ships/prize instead of sinking them.

I get your view on travel and lets worry about that when we get to that stage of removing or not from the game all telports, but one thing I noticed is seems a trend that you want every thing to cost PvE Marks. That means folks have to PvE to get anything. Can we maybe make a reverse exchange too. So i can turn in PvP Marks for PvE marks so that those of us that don't want to grind PvE content to get content we want to use in PvP can turn in our PvP content (1 PvP mark equals 10 PvE or what ever the exchange is). Cause while I don't mind doing some PvE AI grinding I know a lot of players aren't going to want to grind when they are here to PvP only.

I got a feeling we are going to see clan based zones. Folks that only fight and stay in one area and that is it cause it takes to long to get to the other side of the map. This isn't going to be any better than doing the big alliances of two big nation and no one fighting. Cause if they are on the other side of the map than why would I sail all the way over there to fight them only to get sunk and have no other ships. Since it cost me to change my perks I can't just bring a fleet and than change the perks. Cause well I'm not getting any marks cause I capture ships instead of sinking them. See where I'm going with this? We should get marks for captured ships just as much as any one that sinks a ship. I don't mind the less dock spaces but I'm seeing it as a means that will hurt the causal players as they won't do anything but stick around the capital. It's hard to tell what is goign to be in there and not as this isn't the full patch yet, a lot of old stuff has been left in and I can tell a lot of stuff hasn't been worked on or finished. I have concerns about this and the casual players too. For the tow make it only your nations ports. No tows in free towns even if you have an out post there and like you said make it only one ship in 24 hours that you can tow at a time.

going to test this right now....hell if that is the case than that makes it much better. Though a bit boring but hay if I get my marks/xp from sinking him than I'll stick around in the battle to do so.

So if I sink a ship after I capture it and take the cargo I get rewards for the sink? Though you don't get any awards after the battle is over and if I captured by boarding and it's the only ship than the battle is over. Other wise you will have folks caping ships and than farming the damage off them as they sink them.

Well if it's a SOL and player ship it might be worth something cause no AI makes the l'Ocean, but right now no one can really craft stuff so all ships are store bought or captured. We aren't at that level, but right now for you causal hunters the rewards for a capture ship is crap compared if you just sank the ship. If you sank it than you don't get the cargo, which has been crap (maybe RNG just hates me right now lol). The problem is the ships are crap compared to what we can buy/craft. You said all ships are suppose to be the same, they aren't they are grey lesser 1/1 slot ships. SO they aren't a reward they are crap. Historically you got more from a prized ship you returned than just sinking a ship. We get nothing other than a crap ship that isn't worth it. Yah it's a good fleet ship, but that is about it when you capture a ship. Since we don't get marks we aren't getting the same prestige/rewards as some one that sinks a ship. A privateer made his money of his prize and returning the merchant ships back and ransome it back to the owner or what the Admiralty pays them for the prize. We get NOTHING NOTHING NOTHING. SO with that I'm just going to sink every thing. Cause that is the only way to make a profit and get marks. I don't mind the 20 dock space, but the cost at 250K for 3 slots so that means 1,250K for those 15 slots so you don't give us those slots. With the progresive growth of out post cost, your going to make this game very costly for a the causal player to even have ports. Every one going to stay around a couple of ports and that is it cause it will cost to much to spread out and well move with the war front.

It should replace the gold though, but the ships are crap, the cargo is crap, it's not worth capturing ships cause they are all sup par from what you can craft or buy in shop and you don't get crap for saleing them in port or breaking them down. No one is going to want to buy the crap 1/1 grey AI/OW ships from anyone and use them. The risk for reward is not equal as some one that just sinks a ship. Now if we get a slight chance to get a better ship than a shop bought or player built ship there would be better risk for reward. Than if we scuttle the ship after getting cargo off it we still get nothing. If you choose to not take the ship than we should still get the kill reward cause WE KILLED THAT SHIP. Current is 5 x 8 for 40 dock space with another 5 as you can use fleet slots for like temp dry docks in ports. I don't see how this is going to work when we are going from 5-1 dura ships to every ship is 1 dura. So in the past we get sunk, we have 4 more ships (basically) in place of that one. Now we get sunk we are limited to half the ships we had in dock space and we can't just teleport ships. If your going to cut dock space down in half when we only have 1 dura ships than you need to add something like dry docks are make ships crafted be turned into notes we can keep on hand until we want to redeem them and use them. That and the cost for those dock space and the means to make money. I only earn money for sunk ships cause the cargo's I gotten so far has not been much of a mark up from captured traders compared to just sinking ships. So for a none trader player (not myself as I do both PvE and PvP play in game cause I like tradeing) they will be limted to even less ships cause they can't afford the dock space upgrades, out post upgrades, warehouse upgrades. I like the concept, but man there is way more gold sink in the game right now and pretty much little ways to earn it. Since capture ships give me crap (even less if it's a none trader). We don't have high level missions to grind, so I have to hunt ships, but I haven't found any solo ships that is 4th rates. Anything 5th rate unless a rare one ship is fleeted up in a big group. So a solo player that hunts traders isn't going to make crap. I'm loosing money right now when I buy back crew and repair ships cause of this. If I go full combat I'm paying for crew and repiars, If I boared i get nothing in return and still paying for crew replacement. I have to go into dock every other combat cause you can't repair you ships up fully with the repairs (they are only in blocks of 5 so you can't just use 1 for a small repair). Don't get me wrong I like the basic concepts, but they need to be tweeked or your going to kill a casual player (not some one like me) from the game and they will just give up and stop playing. Things like this is why you have such a low turn over rate of new players that never get out of the first couple of ranks.