Baggywrinkle

Vessels lying ahull will not sit head to wind, they will not "present their narrowest aspect". Quite the reverse - they lie beam-on, or even slightly deeper. Hence the rolling. This is true of fin-keeled bermudan sloops, 19th Century long keeled gaffers, 18th Century ships etc. Vessels 'wearthcock' only when there is something aft to blow the stern away from the wind (like the mizzen on a 'modern' ketch or yawl), and so keep the bow up into it. If anyone has sources on whether a spanker was enough for that it'd be interesting to hear. I don't recall, off the top of my head, seeing ships lying to their anchors with the spanker set in period paintings/sketches. In game - let vessels with no canvas lie beam on to the breeze and roll their guts out, should make sniping more difficult However, as warships were used as temporary floating forts it would be nice to have them lie to the wind when anchored, and have the ability to rig an anchor spring to alter how she lies by up to c.180degrees. Time penalties for both processes, of course. Baggy

Mostly, because it's fun Dialect, interestingly, is one of the things that usually get spared. Pronunciation gets a kicking because it makes Yanks sound thick, and Brits smart, so that makes us feel good about ourselves. Spelling gets a kicking because it's 'easier', so same reason as pronunciation, but also because it abandons one of the most important and interesting aspects of English - the root languages from which it stems and continually borrows from. Those words are from other cultures, other pysches, and can be used to pass on very subtly coloured information. There is never any excuse for an Englishman to say anything other than exactly what he means, or wishes to communicate, and all without leaving his native tongue (if his vocabulary is broad, and he can be bothered). We're very lucky for that, and it's irritating for MS Word to tell you that it's wrong. That said, it's been such a fluid thing up until so recently - Shakespeare, bless, couldn't get his own name 'right' two times out of three and he seemed to do okay... Also, because 'herb' has an 'h' in it.

Was really replying to "fastest emergency stop procedure" That said, there isn't any such thing as 'stopping' at sea . Indeed, the beauty of heaving to is that you are not stopped, that you make a steady, slow, and predictable speed through the water and to leeward. The rudder answers, trim answers, it is no great feat of seamanship to make way again. It's really a very cool practice Sure, a knot or two may as well be staying in place for an hour. what's a mile between friends, but it's crucial to the process (as I'm sure you're aware, but no harm in empahsising it ) that the vessel keeps moving through the water. As for usual practices - I'd happily defer: it's been over five years since I was on a square rigger, longer since a decent sailing passage, and heaving to wasn't a usual practice for us then. I don't remember any particular preparation though. Totally with you on the risks of backing, the frequent desire in battle to maintain a heading and control speed, and that sheet and halyard playtime is how you achieve that control. For me the interesting thing is the apparent value in dumping power (easing halyards) over maintaining control (clewing up). It suggests a pretty permanent deceleration - much harder to re-hoist a yard than to let off bunts and clews and sheet home - but the gents knew what they were about. It also goes to show just how important tops'ls were. which it seems can never be stressed enough. That an easy task for a few men is a solid effort for a group to undo sums sailing up a treat! Won't have a chance to ask anyone for a month or so (due in San Diego, hoping for a chat with the guys on Rose), and it's great to hear some informed options. Baggy ps. It is a pet peeve of mine, this desire for boats to stop. The first day after she launches that a vessel stops moving is the day her keel lies fast aground. Not an avenue to be explored too hurriedly. Dowse all canvas, scandalise, let fly, whatever you want to slow down...but don't ask them to sit like a van in a NO PARKING ACCESS 24HRS spot. It is to miss not just the essence of sailing, but the reason and spirit behind all the other bollocks The day a sailing game can get gamers to acknowledge and support that will be a happy one for me...not least cos I can retire and get my fix without getting cold and wet

Ah, of course, thank you! In my head it's down as 'method to spill wind' but of course that's exactly what scandalising is! Memory blank (though maybe that appeal for correction was old knowledge trying to break through) and failed to put two and two together, ejit. In paintings, I'd assumed a balance of artistic license (looks plenty dramatic, and would have been a common enough sight to those watching harbours) and 'spilling wind option'. Interesting that the consensus seems to have lain in clewed tops'ls but scandalised t'gallants...hmmm... Heave to. Letting fly would be a quick way to loose drive but you've still got all that windage pushing you merrily along. As Matuin says - yes, in short Standing gaffs (as any gaff may as well be with brailing lines rigged) have this massively in their favour, easy to set, easy to furl. Dropping the peak (note by easing out the halyard rather than "just casting off" unless you want the thing crashing on to deck!) is a quick job for one bloke, making it 'easier' than brailing. The pull of the re-hoist however tips the balance well towards brailing. Thank you for the informative, as ever, post Maturin; good to see you around Brigand. Baggy

In my experience, scandalising as a practical technique is a gaff thing. To drop the peak and trice up the tack (either or both) depowers the sail very effectively, very easily (requiring few hands), and very quickly (the sail loses drive quickly, not necessarily the boat stops quickly). It is used to lose speed to make a safe approach to a 'permanent' stop (coming alongside, anchoring), or proceeding at a slow speed (tricing tack only, also has the benefit of drastically improving visibility from the helm - both very useful traits when in confined waters of a dock or river). Having dropped the peak, it requires an awful lot of effort to hoist it again, hence was not to my knowledge or experience done in passing; tricing the tack has a lower average workload, but would still not be done lightly. Scandalising is not used to pause somewhere. For that one would heave to. pi Here you can see lots of cool things, including a scandalised main and mizzen. From back to front: the mizzen has been oversheeted, to bring the head of the vessel up round the end of the pontoon, then well scandalised to depower it; the main has been trimmed, to provide decent power, and is then being scandalised to reduce that power on the final approach; the staysail has been backed to lay her parallel to the pontoon; the jib is still set fair (to keep power on), but is probably about to be let fly. This is a typical use of scandalising - seeing a similar sail set at sea would not be typical at all. On square rig it is also not used at sea (again in my experience, would be happy to stand corrected). To scandalise yards is to hoist one end/lower the other so they do not hang horizontal. Also known as hanging a-cockbill (which itself also has a similar meaning referring to anchors, but that is not helpful here). Used as a sign of mourning, not used to control sail trim. Unless the focus on fore-and-aft rigged craft is increased, sailing physics sharpened further and some sort of mooring/anchoring mini-game type thing created, I cannot see it being worth anyone's time to code or use scandalising in NA...sorry! I would love to see all three of the above, but now might not be the time... Baggy

Confused seas: Before and after a change in wind direction - the waves generated by a storm travel far and wide, and arrive before the wind itself does. Once it has gone those waves will continue in addition to those kicked up by the current breeze. Off the land - up to a few miles offshore it is sometimes possible to detect the presence of a coastline (particularly if rocky and steep) by the waves ricocheting off it. The disturbance of a vessel's regular motion is noticeable. Prevailing wind against tide/current: Not 'confused' per se, but noticeable in the shorter steeper waves created, sometimes at odds with the underlying swell. Both are trademark features of the English Channel, which was talked about a year ago as being the first map. Whilst this seems to have been changed for the Caribbean (pity), hopefully we'll see it one day... Baggy

Wow, bold to throw the community such a can of worms - good and interesting move devs Battle module: No place for religion. Not for any 'anti' reason, I just don't see how to get it to fit. Stats boosts/nerfs turn it into a numbers thing, and stop it meaning anything whilst remaining divisive. Morale impact is dubious either way, the modern idea is nice that it would make sailors feel better...but damned if I've ever got a morale boost when sailing with folk of the cloth, or if I've read of it. The poor buggers were superstitious for a reason... Open World: Maybe a place here: a transported missionary may start a successful mission that, if well supported with supplies and protection, may start to convert the local population. This would be bad news for the existing rulers - risk of religious insurrection - but good for your merchants who might get favourable rates... I'd also absolutely love to see it have a 'realistic' impact on the world - not seeing fishing fleets out in the English Channel on Sat/Sun ("It's a sin to be at sea on a Sunday, but sacrilege to shoot a trawl").

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chant_de_marins Haven't got the internet for checking videos to see if they're good versions, but... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkRzCC1Mgso https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1flTOm_57k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXn3ec97yIU Brittany provides some beauties, will try to get hold of some better options in the future. Baggy

Yes please Gusts (c. 25% average wind strength, 20-30 seconds sounds perfect) would be lovely to have, giving a momentary advantage to lighter (smaller) vessels particularly. As the increased wind speed will move the apparent wind angle aft, and the increase in boat speed will forgive pinching, it can be a saving grace when hard on the wind - the speed boost is nice, but it's the ability to point higher for those few seconds that make them magical to play. Wind shadows and lulls would be their natural counter-part. Nail biting stuff when being chased, trying to claw round a headland, or make a mark whilst racing or entering harbour. Squalls, those rig-breaking ship-sinking gusts on steriods, and their tell tale clouds would also liven things up. Particularly in the Open World, but also in battles. Slightly negated by the speed with which we can take in sail in NA, but maybe worth thinking about. It's very realistic to have higher wind speeds higher from the sea. No friction from the waves, and less rig to spoil the air higher up. I tend to reckon on c.30% increase in wind speed 100ft off the deck, though it's been a while since I played with anemometers and I'd be happy to be corrected. This is what makes tops'ls so important in general, and so exciting - on a gaffer it's like pushing a turbo button, on a square rigger it's like...well...turning the engine on Fingers x'd for a positive official response... Baggy ps. I'm also with Maturin on increasing the audio-visual cues. If I don't see a gust coming, I feel and see it in increased heel and the vessel#s head seeking the wind, I hear it in the rig and the bow wave and wake. When it passes the vessel seems to slump, I'll have to bear away quickly to stop the sails flogging as I'll now be pointing to high to the apparent wind etc etc etc Pretty sure those things can be modeled in game I'd also advocate stronger punishments for being taken aback or crash gybing during a gust or squall...not events to be shrugged off lightly...

Credit where it's due

A lot this. Though NA has never claimed, nor achieved, anything like hyper realism. However, it tries a lot harder to get some things right and is the best age of sail game I've seen Incentivising surrender has been suggested and explored on several occasions, but have yet to hear official word... Baggy

" Rig and crew"

Essential, if you ask me. The weak points of a fighting vessel were her rig and her crew, and loss of either means the vessel can no longer fight, and 'must' surrender. Failing to reflect this is where so so many naval combat games have got it wrong.

If morale has a meaningful role in and of itself (surrender becoming more frequent than sinking) then boosts to it will matter... Baggy

Cutting out NPCs sounds good to me - could cause problems with player ships! The 'capture fort' mechanic could also be used for raiding warehouses, destroying port infrastructure and industry, which could be player owned as per previous discussions...? Night flips a-go-go Baggy