Medkit rework and crew at sea

[Diodo]

Right now if you hire some extra crew you can magically access it in the post battle screen and have it appear on the ship.

Opposite to this medkits spawn fresh crew out of fish and rum.

It would be more realistic in my opinion if crew was only accessible in national ports and medkits could only be used to restore portions of the lost crew.

 

(I know that realistic is not always better for gameplay, but this would add a nice touch)

[Edward Canaday]

While I understand the distaste for the lack of realism, Crew loss is a significant issue for manning a ship in battle.  For my part, I hate going back to port after every battle (or two, depending) just to rehire crew.  The medkit (and unshipped crew) offers the chance for players to stay out and engage in more combat or exploration.  Removing this would make it even more difficult to find action.  Consider if you're trying to build hostility or (in my case) just cruising enemy waters in hopes of finding a fight.  You get one battle with a skilled opponent, and even if you win you have to sail twenty or thirty minutes (or more) to get back to a friendly or even neutral port in order to refit.  

 

So it does add realism, which I admire.  But it takes away from game play significantly.

[Martposs]

And there´s always the risk of being attacked on the way back, which is a certain loss even to an inferior opponent due to under crewing!

Realism is important, but in this case the game play would suffer too much.  

[Diodo]

I don't think it would kill pvp, it will just move it closer to the borders instead of having fleets right outside capitals (adding once again impprtance to territory).

You would still have medkits, that would work as they're intended to, healing casualities after each battle to minimize crew losses.

On top of that having to sail back with resuced crew, combined with the new comparative battle rating visualization, would be a great opportunity for players with smaller ships to try and take on a crippled, bigger enemy that happens to flee thought their hunting zone.

I don't mind risking a ship to a good fight.

This whole thing maybe just needs a bigger player base, as usual.

[Diodo]

15 hours ago, Hodo said:

The other problem with this idea is that people would just bring two fleet ships for extra crew. 

If I have 800 men nothing stops me from taking my Connie out and a pair of Niagaras and as soon as a fight starts sending them off so I have 310 back up crew just sitting in the battle screen.

 

Well that would be a legit strategy, i don't see the problem with it. And then you're left with 2 fleet ships that you'll potentially easily lose.

[Diodo]

1 hour ago, Hodo said:

if I send them away at the beginning of every fight they will be there in limbo till I get out.

If you manage to do so...