3x Rookie Snow - 2nd Lt Combat Missions are Too Hard

[Tenet]

One of the rookies in our nation reported that his missions spawned 3x Rookie Snows at 2nd Lieutenant (Tweede Luitenant) level, 3000 gold 125XP mission. I made a Caguarian / Sabicu NavyBrig, equipped with 6pd Meds and went with him to test it out. I'm fairly experienced at fighting these, and I barely survived (had to repair twice). A rookie will be guaranteed to lose their ship every time.

Sequence of events in mission fighting these 3x Rookie Snows:

- Aimed at the left-most to gain wind advantage, traded broadsides. The Snow did equal damage. Other Snows chipped half a bar more. 

- Tack successfully after broadside, switch to other side and give the first target another broadside. 

- Lose 3 bars of HP to the combined broadsides of the 3 snows as they reload. They may be shooting carronades (?) and the 60 crew does not seem to affect their reload significantly when working one side.

- Fast Tack 3 more times to build separation, stop taking damage at about 3 bars of HP left on either side. Proceed to kill closes Snow.

(the rate of damage I was taking before I obtained some separation seems to support the snows having carronades)

- Used Repair #1, then repeat and kill the second snow. One side of my ship gone, structure of hull at 60% (!)

- Used Repair #2 and go for Boarding action, ramming, slowing and boarding the 3rd Rookie Snow, 100 vs 60 relatively easy win.

Could only safely loot the last ship, which recovered some of  the repairs and dropped 6 meds.

Reward: 18000g + 304 xp. Risked: 160K  worth of ship + guns + repairs. Such rewards are really not worth the risk either, will have to survive 8-9 missions just to make enough money to buy a replacement.

Problems:

I needed to not only know how to tack, turn through the wind, efficiently, which is already difficult for most rookies to do once, and can be very unforgiving if they don't know how to maintain speed/energy. I needed to carry two sets of hull repairs, and know how to use them properly while running away. I needed to land 90% of my shots to be effective enough to sink the first 2 ships before I was sunk - and with tacking that required shooting at medium-long range at times. I also needed to know how  to win boarding actions aggressively - because the AI comes with marines and can overcome the numerical disadvantage. 

I was doing that while sailing a very tanky option for 6th rate, possibly the tankiest. A normal brig or snow would have sunk (or required even more consistency and skill). Softer woods would have probably made me sink as well, particularly if it was a store bought with crew space. Boarding all three ships was not an option either - they would sink your ship and you can't use a captured one to survive.

@admin - Please make the game easy for Rookies. Don't make them quit with such brutal tough battles.

1v1 against ANY Snow, rookie or otherwise, is challenging enough for someone learning to manual sail in his first Brig. 

1v2 should only appear at higher mission levels, as a choice for more challenge. 

Rookies need to feel welcome and have some easy fun time to fall in love with your great game.

The game becomes difficult later on, it should start out easy.

 

Edited July 8, 2017 by Tenet

[Barbancourt]

Noobs are going to hurt.  Last night I noticed that the lowest level combat mission with the new Rookie Brig opponent is pretty hard to do in a Basic Cutter, and I couldn't beat it in the Yacht using an amount of hull repairs I'm comfortable expending.  With the Basic Cutter the only way I could beat it was to grape its stern to get it below 10 crew and ram its side when it got in irons to allow boarding FTW. (also used some chain early on to make it slower)

 

I'm not getting Rookie Brig in these battles instead of the old cutter/privateer/lynx because of my current rank, am I?

 

Edited July 8, 2017 by Barbancourt (rownd)

[Sir Texas Sir]

Why was he doing a fleet missions?   Fleet missions are for groups not solo or small groups.  Yes three going to be to many for one guy. Now if this is the solo missions than F11 that.

[CaptVonGunn]

Long cannons are your friend.. When several ships chain down 2 fast then drag the 3rd off and beat it yo death loot repeat

[Tenet]

7 minutes ago, Sir Texas Sir said:

Why was he doing a fleet missions?   Fleet missions are for groups not solo or small groups.  Yes three going to be to many for one guy. Now if this is the solo missions than F11 that.

Solo Mission - regular Combat Mission spawned 3x Rookie Snows. TBH, even just two of these will be quite the challenge since 60 crew doesn't seem to reduce their reload enough. I prefer if rookies faced fatter ships with less powerful guns, not glass cannons that melt them if shots connect. 

Will test it once more and F11. 

Many people are tempted to offer Suggestions on how to beat those 3x Rookie Snows more effectively - that's not the problem. Try to perceive the game from the perspective of someone who just bought the game and knows nothing, and an average person that will get frustrated way earlier than ask for help. 

Edited July 8, 2017 by Tenet

[Sir Texas Sir]

Yah I done a bunch of those to run up my ship knowledge before it got removed and never got more than one ship.  Just make sure he didn't accidently do a fleet instead.  We get guys doing that or take solo when we all plan to fleet all the time.  When it's one though I found you tear of there sails and than stern them it slows them out.  Was messing with one of those rookie snows with a basic cutter, but than mine has all 5 slots open and I'm not a new player.

[Barbancourt]

In the old system (a week or two ago) I sometimes got put up against two privateers in the lowest level solo combat mission.

 

Edited July 8, 2017 by Barbancourt (rownd)

[Jack Spencer]

I recently did a 5th rate fleet mission to see if there was any change. I entered the mission with a Surprise and found myself facing 7 AI. Now at the most I have 1 fleet slot. How are you going to enter this fleet mission with 5-7 other fleet ships and risk loosing the majority of your fleet even if you had the slots for that many. I in PvE I have never understood how it is possible to sail around with fleets of 4+ ships. Where do all these slots come from. I used to really enjoy the fleet missions in PvE when you were joined by a good number of AI ships on your side. If they sank, no loss to you. Now with these ridiculous odds, I just turned around and leave the battle. 

[CaptVonGunn]

17 minutes ago, 38gbear61 said:

I recently did a 5th rate fleet mission to see if there was any change. I entered the mission with a Surprise and found myself facing 7 AI. Now at the most I have 1 fleet slot. How are you going to enter this fleet mission with 5-7 other fleet ships and risk loosing the majority of your fleet even if you had the slots for that many. I in PvE I have never understood how it is possible to sail around with fleets of 4+ ships. Where do all these slots come from. I used to really enjoy the fleet missions in PvE when you were joined by a good number of AI ships on your side. If they sank, no loss to you. Now with these ridiculous odds, I just turned around and leave the battle. 

Yeah you need an Indefatable to solo those