Cargo loads on traders (AI) - PvE1 server

[Baron Von WeisenCracker]

Is there any way (or intention) to increase the actual cargo being held by the traders?

 

Current capacities:

Trader Lynx: 800 lbs

Trader Cutter: 1600 Ibs

Trader Brig: 2400 lbs

Trader Snow: 3200 lbs

Le Gros Ventre: 4800 lbs

 

Each of these ships has a MINIMUM of 12 slots to place items in the hold. Yet it is all too common to find that the big FAT trader you spend an hour or so, taking down and capturing, is only carrying something like 56 HEMP! What freaking captain would set sail in a LGV with ONLY 56 Hemp???? Unless he got in trouble with the local brothel and had to make a quick exit!!!

 

I actually find more cargo in the Lynx's and Cutters than either of the other 3 bigger ships! What gives?

 

Can y'all up the cargo to at LEAST >15% of capacity, on ALL the traders? I don't care what it is (commodity) wise ... just make it more conducive to the traders business.

 

I have come across some Lynx's who are pretty ladened weight wise:

(Example)  54 Live oak (216 lbs) + 45 pine log (112.5 lbs) + 63 Copper ore .. that's: 391.5 lbs of cargo ... almost 50% of its capacity.

   * Then I get a LGV last night with ONLY 56 hemp (56 lbs), in its big ol' 4800 lb cargo bay!!!!!

 

I am NOT asking for full traders .... but why would you have 12 or more boxes on the "Battle Results" screen, for allotting "items" after the battle, if only 3-4 of them are filled at any given time?

     Now, maybe this is different when you are dealing with the PvP server, and a players Trader might have more cargo in it than that, but on the PvE server, the absolute most I have seen is 4 items (the 4th being a repair kit or upgrade - non weight bearing).

 

Just saying it would be nice to get more for the effort in taking down a larger more deadly foe (LGV) than the UNARMED smaller variety.

 

Cheers,

-Yank

[Hethwill, the Red Duke]

Attack the Traders with a strong escort ( ex. 2 mercuries, 1 niagara, and privateer ) for more cargo, usually 4 slots with good numbers and precious items.

[Konali89]

It requires some effort to get cargo of the traders, increasing it would be just more free stuff basically.

Not that i  play on PVE1 but i always understood that resources are not that big of a problem compared to pvp1.

Anyway, maybe we could test a small increase, but not sure as it would lead to more free recources and less player driven markets.

[Baron Von WeisenCracker]

Attack the Traders with a strong escort ( ex. 2 mercuries, 1 niagara, and privateer ) for more cargo, usually 4 slots with good numbers and precious items.

Actually did that .. and the difference was really negligible. I mean like very very little! 2 of us hit a trader+escort: 2 snow, a privateer, lynx with a Trader Snow .. and we were in 2 surprises -- That T snow was only carrying 4 items! 4 ships protecting it .. and it would have been more conducive to go after 2-3 lesser armed/escorted ones, and in a shorter time frame. the XP was grater, but that was about the ONLY positive we got out of it.

[Hethwill, the Red Duke]

Interesting enough I always get 3 to 4 spaces with gold, live oak, french wine, silver, etc in good quantities, from 30+ to 60+ from traders with a strong escort.

[Baron Von WeisenCracker]

It requires some effort to get cargo of the traders, increasing it would be just more free stuff basically.

Not that i  play on PVE1 but i always understood that resources are not that big of a problem compared to pvp1.

Anyway, maybe we could test a small increase, but not sure as it would lead to more free recources and less player driven markets.

I can understand this... completely.

 

But having so little cargo in the BIGGER traders is basically a waste! Maybe have fewer of the bigger cargo ships in the game at one time. Making them more of a rarity/uncommon. At present I cant cross any bay without running through a dozen or so traders of varying size. Was out at Aves last night and 3 LGV's were Converging on it -simultaneously! .. went in, came out and on my way back to Plymouth ran past 2 more LGV's! Got to Plymouth and 3 T lynx's are coming into there, while 2 others were leaving it, as well as a T brig and a T snow. And off in the distance were 2-3 other Traders (Brigs, cutters) -- I did not realize there were so many boats during the colonial period! lol.

[Jean Ribault]

Taking down single traders of all sizes, I find it to be a hodgepodge of cargo with no sound reasoning.  From 1 worthless item to several valuable items at any point in time.  I would say the expected load changes with the wind, except that the wind in NA is remarkable consistent.

[Capitan Camuñas]

i dind't capture a LGV yet , but i captured a lot of traders and by far the only profitable are the smaller ones(cutter lynx) , you can capture it under 30 mins and usually they have the same amount of goods 

[KuroNyra]

I've attacked a LGV with Pickle and Surprise in escort.... I had for capturing it the majestic reward of 20 HEMP.

 

Yay.

[Jean Ribault]

I've attacked a LGV with Pickle and Surprise in escort.... I had for capturing it the majestic reward of 20 HEMP.

 

Yay.

 

LOL !

 

Hey hang on to that hemp, in about 4 or 5 patches it might be worth some good coin !

[Baron Von WeisenCracker]

i dind't capture a LGV yet , but i captured a lot of traders and by far the only profitable are the smaller ones(cutter lynx) , you can capture it under 30 mins and usually they have the same amount of goods 

hehe ,.....

 

I have gotten to the point where it takes this long to grab these:

Trader Lynx - 7 minutes --- minimal damage.. boarded -- fastest was 3 minutes and 32 seconds-ish (Cargo: 2-4 items)

Trader Cutter - 7 minutes -- same as above ... fastest, 3 min 40 sec (cargo: 2-4 items)

Trader Brig - 10 minutes or less, fastest - 4 minutes  (cargo:1-3 items, --????)

Trader Snow - 8-10 minutes, Fastest - 3 Minutes (Cargo: 1-4 items)

LGV - 25-45 minutes ... fastest - 25 minutes (not into taking alot of damage) ...........(Cargo: 1-3 items)

     * all the above were taken in either a SNOW or A Trader Snow (mostly), except the LGV, which I do with a Surprise

 

Not bragging -- just some insight, if you don't intend to farm the damage, and instead go to board as fast as possible. Mind you, I am not getting a lot of XP per occurance (10-35 on average..except for the LGV where I typically get 300-400 XP) . But I am conducting sometimes 30+ battles a day! --- What can I say -- I play Pirates!!!!

[Quineloe]

Attack the Traders with a strong escort ( ex. 2 mercuries, 1 niagara, and privateer ) for more cargo, usually 4 slots with good numbers and precious items.

 

I got 31 tea from an escorted LGV.

And I got 4 different types of cargo from a trader lynx before, exceeding their regular hold of 200t!

It's the same loot, it's very random how much you get, but it's always the same loot pool.

[Sir Robert Calder]

Hopefully in the future, loot from AI traders will be proportionate to the vessel's cargo hold and the amount of escort they have. Juicy targets should be sparse in number, have heavy escorts, and require well-armed fleets to get their cargo inside.

 

Spanish treasure fleets anyone?

[Baron Von WeisenCracker]

Hopefully in the future, loot from AI traders will be proportionate to the vessel's cargo hold and the amount of escort they have. Juicy targets should be sparse in number, have heavy escorts, and require well-armed fleets to get their cargo inside.

 

Spanish treasure fleets anyone?

yeah, I was wondering if the Dev's would consider a random percentage for each ship, in addition to random commodities.

 

ex's: for all traders ..

80% of the ships should carry: 10-15% of the hold capacity (Minimum)

15% of the ships should carry: 20-25% of the hold capacity

5% of the ships should carry 30-40% of the hold capacity 

 

Currently, some of the traders are carrying < 1.2% of their capacity, in the example of the LGV with ONLY 56 Hemp on it. In comparison, I captured a trader lynx, with NO escort, that was carrying (IIRC): 36 Live Oak, 53 Pine, and 46 Copper Ore .. weight wise that is 322.5 lbs of cargo for a 40.3% capacity load.

 

Not wanting to see every ship fully capacitated ... but it would be nice to see ships carrying a respectful load every now and then. Especially the more heavily escorted ones.

 

Just a suggestion.

 

Cheers,

-Yank