Next patch suggestions!

[DrZoidberg]

Dear Developers!

U started to do ur job, as it intended. Congratulation for that.

i want to ask u to check steam rewievs about ur game.

In 80% of them players are upset about that ur game is life stealer.

Some day before i was in British New Orleans PB team. On TS we mostly spoke about that the 4 hour we spend to sail the rates to there is just anoying.

U made the low level play easier because of the new NPC capping system.

Now u have to decide, if u want old player to stay in ur beatifull game. If u change the OS sailing system, it will revive ur game completly, and u can start thinking about next step.

Till u force people to sail over and over the same way without any action, the game is life stealer. I think if u want succes, u must let automatic rearrangement between outposts.

There are a lot of boring sailing time implemented, 99% no action in it. This sailing are mostly ship rearrangement between outpost and for hauling. This OS sailing get players from real action, what is bad for them and for the rest.  Let all type of ships move automatically between outposts without cargo with 1 day penalty. In outposts should be an option to send ships to other outpost. The ships should get "on the way mark", and should arrive in targeted outpost at server reset or after 24 h (to avoid get advantage by fast rearrangement). This can give more active players on sea (PVE, PVP, smuggling, cargo hauling, exploring for outpost and for trading missons) against non active players. Btw automatic movement should help players struggled with ships in contested port aswell (struggling with ur best ship in a contested port can make player leak again, and can weaken low populated nations). Top of that i think ships from contested ports should move to the closest outpost automatically without any player action/intervention, so players after holyday or long work or just  a short break shouldnt get themselfes without thier best ships. I think till u not make OS sail easier, ur player base will always go below critical mass, and ur map wont work again and again appart from that what else u patch. I have that opinion appart form that there are lots of whining against making OS sailing easier. Those whiners are without real life, and im sure they wont leave the game, but normal players will sooner or later if they have to sail hours for some or none action. If u implement teleport system again, that is not good. Then the rearrangement (with no action) still stay in game with boring no action sailing, while u make cargo hauling easier, what is bad for trader hunting gametype.

How this can solve the example above about 4 hour sailing. Most of the british still had outpost at Conttoy. If they want to be in the PB next day, they can move thier ships in home water automatically, while to New Olreans they have to move on sea on the next day in enemy water as it intended. What we lose in that way? About 2 hours meaningless sailing in home waters in a big group of rate ships. If somebody dont have outpost at Conttoy, just can make things much easier, if with a basic cutter he makes one from Belize, and then automatic rearrange the rate ship.

If u do this, appart from any others issues, the steam rewievs will be much better!  I promise u, i will send good rewievs as many as i can with my whole guild. Btw i will send u my other suggestions to u in a next post, i think u should make attention about them. Thank u.

Best regards ..

Edited July 31, 2017 by DrZoidberg

[DrZoidberg]

Dear Developers!

Sorry if u read most of my post before, but i reworked some suggestions in it.

About ur new conquest system:

Ur new conqest system doesnt solve the supressed nation issue, as it has no really balance in it, just try to solve the problem with the reset (if it happens). If a nation too strong, it can be stronger after every map round, and can supress still some low populated nations. Another problem, that nations will always hit same nations. French will always against swedish and dutch, british always against spanish and pirates. That means aswell that french and spanish always be a supressed nation, what will make player base leak in thiese nations, and nations arond spanish can easily win the map round with no action flips and PB-s.

I suggest a new conquest (ruler) system. The war/play on the map should go for the Ruler of the Caribean title. In my system between two nation there will be 3 type of reletaionship. One can rule the other, and they can be equals. For example British can rule spanish, spanish can rule british and they can be equals. If british wants to rule spanish, they have to attack one of thier ports and win the port battle. If they rule the spanish, they shouldnt be able to attack any more port, but OS battles will be still enabled. The British should be able to use the spanish resources (with smuggler flag they should be able to bid on thier resources). If the spanish attack back to a british port, and they win, they became equal (they both can attack again, and British smugglers can not bid  in spanish ports again), and if they win another PB (area) against british, they will rule  british (cannot attack them anymore, but can bid on resources). If a nation rule  all others (get one area form all others or lets say win 1 PB against all others, and not lose any), they become the ruler of the caribean, and they win the map. Then should be map and nation status reset (all equals), but every outposts, xp, ships and so one shouldnt be reseted in the starting areas. With this system there is one problem. There can be a situation, when nation(s) with small starting area (especially swedish, US) will have only the capitals at endgame. Solution is easy, when a nation rule  all others but one, the last attack should be on 1st rate port or on the last remaining (not ruled) nation capital. If the main ruler win, the map reset come! There should be some tricky situation, but its not that chaotic, as it seems. For example if swedish, british and spain equals, British attack Cartagena (spanish port) and win, they will rule  spanish. If swedish attack cartagena after that, and take it, they will rule  british, while british still rule  spanish. Another tricky situaton if only US not ruled by British and British  attack thier capital but before attack time they lose one port against another nation. In that case the capital attack should be canceled.  Its simple, isnt it?

If u do this system, u have to make new port battle timer system aswell. I think there should be only 1 PB in every 2 (3) hours. The first nation who reach 100% tension at any port should get the first PB (after 22 h, 24 h or after 26 h, as u wish), next 100% tension port should get after 2 hour from the first PB start ( or more, like max PB time+5 min between  two PBs). If all PB time slot occupied on next day, rising tensions should be stay at 100% (no PB at 100%, and slow tension drop or deny  tension drop at all if they reach 100%) and the nation can grind the tension easily up to PB on the next day, and get the first PB time after that day.

This system has loads of advantages. Strong nations capable to win has to attack all other nations, and they wont be able to anihilate or supress others (they can get only one area from one nation). The wars between nations will go for 1-2 important area or lets say for winning PB-s, and not for getting huge play areas. It should work like a climbing ladder, win against (rule) 1 nation after 1.  In this system there are big chance that strong nations will deplete thier ship pool for the win, as they need to attack all others and defend against all others. Till the map reset (win) the national areas doesnt change much, so easy nation stay easy, hard nation stay hard even if they are ruler or underdog.  The system has the national balance in itselfs, as the strongest nation always against all others. This system doesnt bother the cross play, what i think u support nowdays, as smuggler on ruler side still can be attacked, so own a second character on the underdog side still has advantage.

If u do the conqest/ruler system, u have to let nations attack others far from home water, and help to defend or take back thier isolated ports. That wont work, if u dont let players to make outpost at least 1 freetown, with the capability to move there ships automatically (after sailing there for the outpost for sure) and switch to ship there. This can boost OS PVP very much, and if u let only 1 freetown outpost, main force of the nation will have the same freeport, while minor part can do solo trader hunting, smuggling with it.

I think u must let players lower thier gametime, and let them succes. The easiest way is to let the rearrangment movements automatically.

There are a lot of boring sailing time implemented, 99% no action in it. This sailing are mostly ship rearrangement between outpost and for hauling. This OS sailing get players from real action, what is bad for them and for the rest.  Let all type of ships move automatically between outposts without cargo with 1 day penalty. In outposts should be an option to send ships to other outpost. The ships should get "on the way mark", and should arrive in targeted outpost at server reset or after 24 h (to avoid get advantage by fast rearrangement). This can give more active players on sea (PVE, PVP, smuggling, cargo hauling, exploring for outpost and for trading missons) against non active players. Btw automatic movement should help players struggled with ships in contested port aswell (struggling with ur best ship in a contested port can make player leak again, and can weaken low populated nations). Top of that i think ships from contested ports should move to the closest outpost automatically without any player action/intervention, so players after holyday or long work or just  a short break shouldnt get themselfes without thier best ships. I think till u not make OS sail easier, ur player base will always go below critical mass, and ur map wont work again and again appart from that what else u patch. I have that opinion appart form that there are lots of whining against making OS sailing easier. Those whiners are without real life, and im sure they wont leave the game, but normal players will sooner or later if they have to sail hours for some or none action.

Btw u should boost OS PVP activity without raise ganking. Just make PVP zones at ports with 50% tension, where PVP rewards are 2-10X. Tension drop should be lower over 50%, and after 100% if there is no PB slot on next day it shouldnt be dropped at all. That should pull all PVP focused players there and withdraw them from ganking.

Appart from that system:

(U must defend new players appart from that which nation they choose. They do mainly PVE, so PVP and especially ganking is bad for them. Give an opportunity to players below "post captain" to flag themselfs with "Naval Student flag". If they sail under this flag with a warship, they and thier missions shouldnt be attacked in home waters (!), and they shouldnt attack enemy or join PVP battles either. After that rank i dont think anybody leave because of some ganks, and they should be able to defend themselfes.)  <------ this is not so important after ur patch with capturable NPC-s. The "lowbie" play became much affordable and playable.

I think nowdays u want solve the "suppressed nation", lowby player gank and another problems with the long OS sailing distances, but it seems to me doesnt work. U get player leak again and again, because OS PVP is supressed while HC players going for ganks instead of real fights.

I have other ideas, but they are not so important. In my system tow to port is useless, and i think it bad for trader hunting/trader running/trader fleet game.

Low populated nations should get some advantage, like lower conquest mark and combat mark prices of ships (Agamemnon 3-4 Conquest mark, Consti 50-60 Combat mark and so one...), and advertise it at player creation (low populated nation, advantage of endgame ship building prices by 10-20%). Top of that the 1 or 2 nation with lowest population should be able to change combat marks to conquest mark 20-50-100 to 1, as u wish). If the population growth, they shouldnt be able to do this anymore.

i think if there are more than 50 (30-100?) outpost at a Freeport, that should be PVP zone aswell till outpost number wont go down. That should help defensive moves aswell, as can activate PVP focused players of the defensive nation to attack ships around the attackers freeport.

After this i would be really appriciated if  sell players some ship paintings maybe specified ship XP books, or anything else what player can use and wants after or before release.  I would be happy if i can support ur game more. Btw sooner or later u must decide whats ur bussinnes model, u want to make this game life stealer and make a faster player base change, or make this game enjoyable and make a real best seller. if u want second sooner or later u have to think about what u can sell for money, If u make things well, u still can make a profitable game, i think. With fast player base recycle soon u wont get player base critical mass.

With the changes i supposed i think u can avoid all type of player pool leak, no supressed nations, no lowbie gank, much more OS PVP, new endgame content, real national balance, less boring OS sailing without action. when u see player base grothw, start find out a new bussiness model (let players support ur game via selling paintings or what u want - i want personally specific ship XP books to lower my PVE activity)

 

Best regards: ..

Edited July 31, 2017 by DrZoidberg

[DrZoidberg]

 

Edited July 31, 2017 by DrZoidberg

[Nelsons Barrel]

tl:dr