Communications in battle

[Atreides]

The other day, I was sailing my Le Grosse (unarmed I might add) up near Sunbury.  I am a British Rear Admiral who was in friendly waters, although I heard there were frogs and rats slinking around.  I came upon a Beucantuere being driven by a US Ensign who was too ripe of a treat for a Ne'er do well.  I hailed him...nothing, I buzzed his ship and hailed again... he blithely turned a bit and trundled farther out to sea.  I tagged him to talk to him and warn him about sailing such a high level ship with 12% crew, then called on global chat for some Americans to escort him safely back to a port. 

 

He never responded, after a few minutes I figured he did not have settings turned to even see what I wrote.  We left the battle instance (I never took a shot, having no guns of course) and I was surrounded by 7 Americans who tagged me and the chase began.  I called in global chat and a few US players responded and coming out of that battle instance I found myself facing a large group, some out to get the "evil one" and some there to help the young Ensign back to port.  Some conversation happened between the various US players and I continued about my way.

 

I think this whole fiasco happened due to the social setting on chat.  They could not even see what I was typing to them and due to a quirk in the settings I was in danger of losing my trade ship and cargo in friendly waters to allies who percieved me as a threat, when I was engaging a new player to help protect his ship from frog and rat gankers trolling the area.

 

I propose that social settings be such that after tagging, and especially in battle, you can see what your enemy says.  Tagging should not be a silent terminator-like thing; it should be a challenge, a yelled threat, a battle cry that on the open water would have been heard by everyone, including the one your tagging.  This is especailly true for the fightened Ensign who didnt have the crew to even raise his sails in battle, that I was trying to protect.

 

 

 

tl,dr:  Disable social settings where you see what enemy types at tagging, and during battle.  What flags as enemy could be an ally, or gentlemen not looking to club a seal from another nation.