The art of playing this game alone.

[Elric]

I do intend to move to PvP once I can be effective in combat.  My win/loss ratio is appalling at the moment.  Most opponents I can beat just elude me...

[angriff]

The spyglass in the open waters is a favorite lone wolf tactic.  Watching the horizon for enemy ships that could pose a danger to your trade route.   Using the mouse in the spyglass takes some skill of movement of the mouse then the spyglass to click to target and insure that it is AI only.  Movement of the mouse off the pad will be helpful hint in this regards.

[Jean LaPointe]

I do intend to move to PvP once I can be effective in combat. My win/loss ratio is appalling at the moment. Most opponents I can beat just elude me...

Learn what you can in PvE and then try it again in the PvP locations. I primarily play in the PvE server but do have a decent foothold on a PvP server.

When working either server to start, use a cutter (its free), and chase down some AI traders. Sink the ship, try boarding the ships, try to capture a ship. At this level you will not gain a lot of "gold", but it all adds up in time. What you do get is experience and the XP's gained go across the board to all servers. What experiences you accomplish in the PvE server will be available for you in the PvP servers and visa-versa(only the experiences are common among the servers. Gold and resources and ships are server resident only).

Once comfortable with this process, go for AI warships and then to live people in their ships.

Small steps to start, you will get there soon enough!

Sail on

Edited July 8, 2016 by Jean LaPointe

[angriff]

Once you are established open up as many outposts that you can.   This provides you bases to set up trading and patrolling.  Ships can be moved from place to place by capture or simply sailing.   Makes for a huge difference in you playability if you can get away from the Front Lines to earn some quick cash the back when your country needs you. 

[Raymond Woolstone]

play solo too but on the pve server. i dont want the stress of having to look behind me every 15 sec for a pirate.

plus i want to go where i want, when i want whitout interuptions.

Edited July 9, 2016 by Raymond Woolstone

[angriff]

play solo too but on the pve server. i dont want the stress of having to look behind me every 15 sec for a pirate.

plus i want to go where i want, when i want whitout interuptions.

It is totally possible to do that in PVP.   The map is so big even if there were 4k players in it there would not be any towns you could not smuggle in and out of given the right approach.

[Baptiste Gallouédec]

 I play as a lone wolf too (pvp1), since the smuggler patch and now the fishing and bottles, this game is very much more enjoyable for me as in my nation territory it's nearly impossible to find stock in the ports.

 

 It's not easy as a freelancer to join good PB as usually i was ending in screening fleets or in suicidal / lame PB freeforall-style, so this does not encourage me to pay for a golden consti / inger or 3rd rate.   

Edited July 11, 2016 by Baptiste Gallouédec

[Mrdoomed]

There should be a population display when you choose your nation on creation. This will help new players decide if they want to help the underdog or go with the zerg.

With the attitudes of most modern day gamers this would probably backfire and result in most new players (who just have to win win win) picking the biggest faction until there is only one faction left.

This sorta already happens by people just leaving a losing side just to join the side with the most colored dots on the map.

[Jean Ribault]

...

This sorta already happens by people just leaving a losing side just to join the side with the most colored dots on the map.

 

 

This happens ? 

 

"Oh the horror......the horror...."  

[angriff]

The ability to raise your rant in crafting is needed so that you can contribute financially to the nation as well as provide for your own ships.   Not being in a crowded Clan you might find that you need your own ships to build so get yourself a shipyard.

[VonVolks]

Due to work commitments I have always played this game knowing I would have to play mainly solo or in small groups. Its still great fun, and only once has my AFK sailing while working resulted in me being killed by pirates so far (although I have been engaged while AFK a couple of times).

 

Still love the game, and I hunt, trade and craft and smuggle when I can. 

[Jean Pual Vilvenue]

Im the only Spaniard in Spain. Been PvE'ing almost my entire time. Did 1 port battle. Forever alone...

[Jean Ribault]

I believe there are more of you, probably all alts, and rarely on though.

[VonVolks]

I am a lvl 50 crafter now, and I do solo PVP when the opportunities popup.... all in all a great game. Certainly more fun with friends, but you should be able to create ad-hoc groups fairly easily with PMs and national chat...

[angriff]

Stretching the envelope for fish and trade while you build your crafting skills to provide you with the proper weapons and upgrades for your vessels.  Amazing how there can be 200 or so people on line but in this game you might not see one real person for days.  Yet, you can get your 8 outposts (1million for the last one) and then push them around dropping and putting a new one.  

 

Fleets provide some comfort when you see the lone Pirate at long range who is rushing at you.  Be sure you have your fleets. 

[angriff]

So one of the challenges of playing alone is the wait game for building your own ships.   Leveling up in crafting makes it so you can be self sustainable in ships of a character good enough to fight in battles.   The NPC basic ships are just not able to carry enough upgrades to compete in the game.  

There are many comments to come on the rights and wrong of playing a single character in game instead of using several alts or joining some team that disappears from game play. (two clans have done this since I began).  So as part of the play the game alone part I decided to rank up my crafting to become self sustaining in ships.   Trading is my most liked aspect but in will not retain my account.   

 

So waiting for a single accounts crafting hours to build a ship is probably higher on the list of issues than the port timers.