Dino.707

I am interested in knowing if this is considered to be the full release, even though it is in Alpha? Having put only a little over 100 hours into the Beta game play knowing full well all game progression would be lost on the Alpha release. Will the same happen if NA moves from Alpha to full release? Am I okay in progressing without any loss?

.... unless the issue is me, and I'm getting significant lag, which isn't letting me remove the auto skipper, and I'm just being impatient. What are others finding with the Auto Skipper after battle? This is with just one enemy however... and he is captured.

okay, just tried it. Although I could move around after the battle was over, I could not go into manual skipper. It stayed in Auto skipper. So it would be nice to use remaining time in manual skipper for the practice.

really? I can't seem to do anything after battle... just look at my ship. interesting. will try again, ty

How about after a battle (if a victory), allowing the ship to still be active in the arena. As it is, I don't have any control of the ship and it just sits there until I hit the "leave battle" button. What if, we could wind down any remaining time on the battle clock by just practice sailing our vessels, maneuvering with friends, etc. A lot of my battles are finished with something like 20-30 mins left on the clock. I would love to practice manual sails with it. Just a suggestion

I really wasn't considering the surrender aspect of gameplay, just increasing cannon reload times, increased response to increasing/decreasing sails, increased enthusiasm for boarding... that sort of thing, as morale increases or decreases. It is always more difficult as a new player when first starting out, I guess thats why there is the AI to test your sea legs on and improve your "morale", and combat experiences, especially on the smaller ships. It is after all just a thought, I will always support what the devs feel is best for the game.

I am all for morale in the game. I think it plays a tremendous role in the tiny closed communities of a ship at sea. However, I don't think it should start at 100%. Guns should not be loaded at their fastest rates, ships should not respond their quickest, boarding parties should take a little longer to prepare with a lesser morale, etc. (and I'm not talking about the training aspect, but just how morale affects even the most highest trained crews). What I think (this is just me throwing a number out there) is a morale starting at around 75% (or so) for a new, starter ship, would be better. The thinking is... A new Captain, Crew, and Ship are always a little hesitant of one another, and "understandings" need to be worked out, so there is always room for morale growth as everyone acclimates with each other. I also think that each time a module is added to the ship, there should be a morale boost with it, no matter how small (I know there is already morale modifiers in place on some mods), due to the crew showing their appreciation of the new improved version of the ship over the old one. Each time the Captain earns a promotion, there should be a morale modifier involved as the Admiralty has approved the Captains behavior and granted him (her) a promotion, and also a result of the crews performance. Some modifiers can be temporary, (as in the case of a Captains promotion) as the crew gets used to the idea of the Captains new rank. As far as how much to start with, how long temporary modifiers last, how much adjustments need to be made, I think is for a different discussion and to be worked out later. All I am saying, is that morale should not start at its peak, but needs to be earned and worked for especially with the starter Captains.

I would like to see the ability to load my guns with a specific load out before even engaging the "enemy" and entering the arena. I could select a different load based on the ship I'm attacking and decide the type of attack I wish. As it is now, the first load is ball, which is fine for a sniping style attack, but if I want to be point blank before attacking, I want my first load to be double, or if a ship is faster than me, then I would load chain to be my first load. All of this, of course, would be done while still in open world before clicking the "Attack" button.

Very nice!!

Well, your comments were appreciated , I was just trying to open up more ports for trade, instead of the few that are open to me now. I didn't realize (silly me) that all nations are at war with each other. Being (in game) from Denmark, really hinders one to the number of ports that are availible to you. I guess as more maps are released, there will be a bit more of a balance, and perhaps a better working market. Anyway, thank you again for your input.

I'm in the same boat as the lot of you. I hav'nt even been in combat since the OW started as I can't even enter the "aim" mode, or load my guns

As far as running contraband into a port that one has a liscence for, I would assume cargo is inspected by the port authority before leaving the ship, thereby dealing with the consequences then.

I was a little rushed when I was typing my initial query and may not have been very clear, What I meant was, Do legitimate trade with nations that you are currently red with. As a Dane, I can only trade with other Dane's or neutrals, I can't enter the ports of any other nation, such as, Americans. I get the message, "You can't enter port". So I was just thinking to just purchase a liscence from the Nation (in my example it would be the Americans), then I can enter port to buy and sell rescources, or goods in any American port world wide. This would be opening up a larger trade network to me, but of course, it would have consequences (as it does anytime one chooses a side over another). Let contraband remain contraband and subject to all ill effects of transporting it, but I'm refering to resources produced in national ports.

After I had gotten tired of crossing the open ocean multiple time to do trade with one faction or another, only to find I can't enter the port Xb, I thought, What if one could purchase a Trade Lisence with a particular "faction" which allows one to enter any of that particular factions ports, even though they are red to you? You could display this purchased liscence by flying a certain penant from the mast indicating to the port you are doing trade with them and allowed to enter. This penant would fly as long as the liscense is good for. There could be limitations placed on what you buy and sell of course, but it would open up more ports to do trade with (such as, the Dutch trading with Americans for example). But, if I flew a French Trade penant and tried to enter a British port for example, it would be seen as me doing business with the enemy, and the British would fire upon me, or attack me while in open waters. Just thoughts.

As far as gameplay and how to incorporate religion into a game like this, would be difficult anyway. I suggest, while in port, just click on the church structure, on the town map, as a place to go to get local news, or get in touch to find out what the community needs are, and this can be used to increase local standings/reputation. I have a feeling, some people will need to raise their standings/reputation in some manner and this could help. The tavern is another place to get news and trade info, but the church would be more community oriented. This is not a RPG and people will do whatever they want anyway, regardless of religious influences. The church could also be a place to purchase religious icons from to decorate the ship with if offered within the game mechanics (examples could be decorative paintings on the sides and stern, religious symbols on the sails, statuary on the bow or placed on the decking, etc).