Hethwill, the Red Duke

Yes, I agree perception is not the same for all players. Still not a valid reason, in my singular opinion, to not improve the AI and make them more challenging, at least that little bit. AI is to be admired - they are brave and never back down from a good fight. Opposite to your average player. Hope you understand this.

Your answer may be found in some of the entries of namely the delivery of essential goods to ports to sustain production infrastructure, or at least that's how i read it.

No harm in trying. At least so that they don-t sail put along and eating broadsides and don't stop shooting. That would be a start and fairly similar to what many players do.

Someone unlucky that crossed my path that day. What are the chances ?...

Last Basic Cutter I attacked was a Commodore taxiing 3000 dubloons to somwhere. Sorry brother, I don't buy free lunches.

All ships i've captured and eventually put up in auction sold in the first day with a profit. No idea what the other eco lovers doing. Anyway, looking forward to all the changes. Want to see the entire puzzle laid out before me.

Yeah it is bloody rare but may happen. Thing is a good salesman, that offers a good quality for a competitive price will sell his crations like hot cakes. Majority of salesmen tries to sell ships like they are made of el dorado gold... ridiculous.

There's always a chance the Admiralty will buy your ship from the auctions. Been around for a long time. It is rare but happens.

All that matters is removal, finally, of F11 debug coordinates. That is worth gold.

Dead reckoning is extensively used but charts have their grids for time/distance calculation. For example, ww2 pilots would plot courses and course changes prior to "setting sail" but could effectively plot course changes. In NA map there would harm no one to be able to add course change points with added protractors, not only 1, but 3 should be enough. In addition, Map should have some almanac notes. For example, by putting mouse over a port other than the one I am at, it should stat how many "days at sea" it will take to sail there, at a average OW speed. So, 3 plotters, rough estimate of time, geographic horizon. And that's for the complicated fellows. Without a doubt, i can put my hands on a brazier that most captains in NA sail by beeline from one port to the other more often than not. Even when they sail to a conflict zone they know their rough estimated position and which bearing to take to return to friendly port in the area.

Basic Cutters are not a problem but a necessity. Pretty much like "scavs" in other game. They may be used as taxi and they may well be the only way out of a "stuck in a far away port". Regarding their PvP capabilities... well... something we need to live and die with. They can't engage anyone and they need to be really close to the battle to be able to enter in time - you may be able to see them. This being said it does not diminish that there's a flaw. Basic cutters shouldn't be able to enter any battle involving other players, other than entering the battle at start by standing in the attack circle.

I don't know the answer to that. I just know that we do have DLC ships that many players like to use. They don't care about eco. You can use them too.

Nah not really. Instead of having "whatever I want" in a week i know it might take two, without any more time invested per session.

Fair points. But AI will not shoot and will go in a straight line presenting always the same broadside. That you cannot deny and I got it, it is easy. My opinion is that it shouldn't be as easy as it is. They should be more aggressive, always shooting always moving. They would give players a good practice. That practice would then turn into confidence going into pvp - how to evade shot, how to capitalize shot, why to wait for a good angle and not waste a broadside ( AI does this btw, pros as well, average players don't ), etc.

Last visited info - similar to what we had ages ago when we hovered mouse in the port - could be a good compromise to have information and quite agreeable for a age of sail setting.

... i loved my campaign as Yankee Privateer in the past... but true... other times, there were no clan wars but national effort. And some combative clans were still USA back then. Anyway, 11 nations, a million clans and very little interest in fighting each other for ports. Maybe Zones give too much and Conquest too little.

Of course ! In the end the "sense of accomplishment" is different for every player. Regarding Conquest i'd say, and returning to the past, some fellows felt accomplished when they killed the flag carrier while others got dismayed because the flag was never planted and the PB never happened.

I may be wrong here but the common sense is that the big ships were very expensive in the age of sail. Even after the stream lining of the designs ( for better performance but also better and faster construction ) they remained expensive. What I would do is to make trade of luxury items to use Dubloons, so that trade fuels navy and navy protects trade so that combat is not the only way. At the same time - and i'm being serious - open ports should not be allowed a timer, only closed ones. Last and not least - no enemy captains could ever be able to place contracts in a enemy port, no matter if open or closed. Want the resources ? Buy them if you can or conquer it if you want. For me it can't. There's no "logistics" involved. Even in IL2 scenarios we fly missions to mess up logistics ( see tactical air war ); hit trains, railroad stations, truck convoys, airfields and air transports. The supplies are what allows the spawning of models else everyone would be flying the best performing and lethal bird. Same in NA. Logistics allow ( or should ) allow its captains to assemble fleets but not entirely based on "I WANT" but rather on "WE CAN" due to their own actions regarding the supporting logistics - be it hitting the enemy, be it constructing and defending your own. That's why I said I'm biased, and it is only a individual opinion. Entering game and pressing a button that gives me a 74 gun ship of the line, or a 120 gun one, without trying to mimic the age of sail economy is Legends, not Naval Action.

Funny you ask so much about AI sailing the OW through land but very little asking for: - AI to shoot at whatever distance ( you can hug a AI and it won't shoot back ) - AI to also perform defensive sailing ( angling ) instead of sailing alongside you and just eating broadsides without answering back You know, stuff that really matter a lot. Anyway I suggest all AI to have 1 repair cycle to make them a tad more challenging ( war and peace servers ). I suggest they also vary their broadside target, from hull to mast, depending on angles. Put some pressure on the player. In the end all the PvE will be more of a practice rather than a mindless grind.

US has a springboard in Guatemala last time i've seen it. ( salute to the fellows that took it ) Use it.

Is it the ability to build a Line Fleet or the mechanics leading to PB ? Looking to wargame mechanics it surely can't be both ( biased opinion, i struggle a lot trying to comprehend the "want an arena" mindset outside of Legends )

Sacking the port at the expense of the enemies would be worth it ? ( no occupation of port, just plunder )

Thanks. What's the issue then ? having to have 21 docks full of PB ships ? Pretty sure plenty of us players have way more than that.

Of course. No sane player of a wargame goes to war without a reserve ( especially when dealing with logistics ). I like your proposal, The only think i don't like is VM being given everyday for doing nothing but 1 PB months ago

hmmm interesting and fair - and changes Conquest into a driving force. ( i still smell the smoke of a zerg fire though ) So, allow me the idea of no continuous award of daily victory bound but in a per captain per battle. Meaning you win Vics only if you consistently participate in RvR ( not sitting in old glories because they are awarded all the time ) Say we could exchange Vics for Dubs, at a rate. A Lordship rate. Vics would cease to be awarded daily BUT awarded in a per captain per PB basis - 1 for winning ( if there was at least a 1:2 ratio of enemies to fight), 1 for each 50% dmg done in battle ( so everyone can win them ) - so any captain in the PB would at least get 1, and possible even more. Would this work or is it better to have them freely given away ? aka. doing a few fast grabs and then just sit and cash in without even playing more.