Guns for hire.

[Harry White]

Hi guys,

 

Just want to say I love the look of this game and cannot wait for the beta or early access part.

 

Anyways I haven't seen much chat about mercanaries or guns for hire. I would personally love to see this implemented in the game as I would like to run trade routes and have little to no protection on board for full cargo capacity. So do you think it would be possible to hire NPC's or other players. It would add the side of things were you need to trust the people around you. For instant much like a mutiny the person you hired to protect you can turn, if they think you aren't paying enough or your cargo is worth more than their time and your life.

 

This could add personal reputation to people saying their previous security jobs are good and others have flopped. I also think this could form groups and reputable companies/guilds.

 

However I am no naval expert, in fact I know little to nothing, and therefore have no idea if this is realistic or even a valid idea for this game. So please get in touch and call me an idiot if it applies

 

Thanks for reading.

[Destraex]

I have never understood people idolising the lone wolves, pirates, privateers and mercenaries. But yes they existed and should be in game.

I however do not really want a game that focusses on that as a primary element. 

I would rather this game focussed on the major powers and their rather major fleet POWER however. 

[Harry White]

I wouldn't say I was idolising the lone wolves, its just if you want to make a profit in trading, at least from my experience in games with dynamic markets, you need to go where everyone else is not, because if everyone is trading in that one category, from buying the product to selling it the market price could change and put you out of profit. And where people don't go the most to trade is dangerous areas such as pirate rich environments or as you said by an enemy factions base or secured port, which then involves smuggling and being able to out run and out smart an enemy rather than out gunning them.

 

But for instance if I was going through a pirate rich enviroment I wouldn't want a major fleet as I couldn't see more than 2-3 pirate ships attacking at once so paying for all that protection would kill you profits, so maybe 3-4 frigates, which then wouldn't kill your profits but be enough to scare off the pirates.

 

This has also added another question as to can you swap cargo at sea? as an example, I hire two frigates as I don't see the risk to high, they are faster and smaller than me and can be trusted with my cargo, as I have dealt with them previously, I see a enemy faction fleet say the french and they have multiple ships of the line and could quite easily attack, or demand my cargo and have no choice to give it to them. Could I give the most valuable cargo to the frigates and tell them to turn tail and run as they can out run the fleet, where as I cannot or would I have to tell them to go and take all the cargo to the depths with me? 

[maturin]

 

I would rather this game focussed on the major powers and their rather major fleet POWER however.

Historically speaking, mercenaries were more often used by major powers with fleet. There were plenty of Western European captains in the service of the Russian navy, for instance.

 

Mercenary work could be another clever way for the game to offer specific PvE options. The game could decide that two minor powers are at war with each other, but neutral overall. A PvE-inclined captain could enter the service of one or the other, and essentially have a POTBS PvE-flag on him.