DeRuyter

The trader tool is a valuable resource for trading and crafting. I have not had any problems using it. The tool is good if you are looking for a specific resource, as long as you realize the available amounts are as of maintenance. It is harder to see what a port consumes or produces, maybe adding back hovering the mouse over port on map to show what a port consumes/produces would help.

Would it have been a waste if you had not lost your ship? It is unfortunate that you lost your ship, but a trade ship being attacked at sea is part of the game if you choose trading to make money. Just think the player or players that took your ship were likely mad that it was empty, also complaining that it was a waste of time.

Looking at the patch notes - as I understand it, all regions give 1 conquest mark daily and those 11 special ports give more.

I think the increased sinking timer helps other than that it is positioning and practice in particular with the Indy - what will decrease your speed significantly in that ship is heading into the wind. I got loot after overshooting the sinking ship and turning into the wind - it took awhile but I was still able to get loot. I also think it is easier in this combat model to anticipate when a ship is going down than before the structure bar.

+1 The very top section - t'gallant mast (or royals) should be easier to take down. Should also be balanced by being harder to hit.

As @RedArgo said you can create a character and check your xp first. You can delete no problem as long as you havn't redeemed xp it will be there. This past weekend Global had about 300 online that I saw. I saw about 1200 on EU prime time.

It should be if you went to all servers and sync'd your xp before the wipe.

@Christendom I was surprised to log on this morning and find the PVP2 character I created just for the xp sync on the Global server. I also thought that a wipe meant characters too like the EA wipe. Maybe this was not done to get the patch out? I would hope at full release the server locations will be assessed as well.

Thanks to @Liquicity for posting video.

Knocking down a mast on an Ingermanland with my Mortar Brig! Escaping a Surprise with my Trader Brig! The visuals are great of course but the best part is sailing around with friends looking for fights whether just cruising or going to PB. We had fun in the "yacht club" after the last wipe!

Towing was also used on the Great Lakes in the War of 1812 to tow slower sailing converted merchant schooners into battle.

Well not really, the mast "sniping" we have in game is a bit too accurate to compare it to the French tactic of firing on the uproll to disable rigging. They are not aiming individual shots at masts, rather they are firing a broadside high and at close range they used dismantling shot (chain and bar shot) to take out standing rigging and sail control lines (running rigging). As noted above by @victor and @VictusB rigging was also damaged as a byproduct of broadsides generally targeted at the hull as well. You could say there were aimed shots during a chase but the goal was to disable smaller spars to slow the target. IMO it should be the top masts and other smaller spars that are shot down more often than the entire mast at the deck. Of course in game we have repairs that can counter mast sniping, repairs of damage that IRL they could only do in a shipyard.

I like @admin list, smaller ships of different types, except I am not sure the Indy fits that list as a starter redeemable, but the cost of the cannons will force a delay in her use anyway! Personally I would prefer the TBrig over the Snow. An LGV is a bit much for a starter redeemable and is almost 2 ships a trader and warship! I know everyone wants a Rattlesnake but that's like getting the top of the line for shallow ships free!

@Mathajas Number 6 is a great suggestion and something that many players have advocated for in the past. The devs at one point did say they would look at introducing variable wind force and weather. I think some of the others are effected by hardware and software limitations. I would like to see ships coming gradually over the horizon but this is limited by the way the program "draws" the ships on screen, etc.

Nice hotfix - I like the reduction in minimum crew for traders. 14 minimum crew for a Trader Lynx was too high, frankly IRL 5 experienced crew could sail that ship.

In the Royal Navy the Admiralty set the number of marines at 1/6 of the complement for larger ships and 1/7 for smaller ships. So for example a 36 gun frigate would have 50 marines. Certainly not anywhere near 50% of the ship;s complement.

Hmm wood hulled ship in need of restoration. You'd really need a large clan to get and keep her seaworthy!

Patch looks good except the part about non-capturable NPC ships. I don't think it is a good idea to have no capture at all, and I am a crafter. As a trader the first thing to do is capture an NPC trade ship and start hauling goods for crafting. In real life: A Navy captain gives captured ship to Admiralty for share of prize money. Privateer captures ship and sells it and goods for share proceeds with investors and crew. A Pirate captain sells ship and loot and splits money with crew. You said before that the ship is the reward for a capture, that shouldn't be limited to player ships at this point at least. If there were 10,000 players online then yeah eliminate NPC capture but that is not the situation. @The Red DukePirates often did have more than one ship - and they didn't craft ships they captured them. Blackbeard's QAR was a converted merchantman. Another point is that you won't be taking much cargo from the trade ship using a basic cutter. I get the point about the clan - yes a large clan will be organized and crafting ships, but this change hurts the solo player. Anyway just my 2c and will continue testing.

Sorry I was not clear on Histwar - I meant I moved on to play SoW Waterloo. I did like NTW3 as well.

No it is a later Wasa.

@jodgi The smuggler flag is needed for valuable but scarce shipbuilding resources like redwood or live oak, so it is not just profiting with worthless national goods. Don't forget that the rookie region is gone along with the quick profitable runs in the Bahamas with national goods.

Rookie area has already been removed in the test bed server.

Wait is Histwar still being developed? I thought the project was dead and moved on to SoW Waterloo. I am more of a Napoleonic wars devotee than ACW anyway. I did find Napoleon TW playable with Darthmod of course. That could be said of the whole TW series, much better with realism mods.

Testbed server is updating now.

You can participate in the tall ship races on one of several virtual sailing sites like: Liveskipper