Breakdown of my 560 hours playing the game on the PvE server.

[AngryPanCake]

I started playing NA on Feb 26th, by May 24th (The Wipe) I had played about 60 hours. Today I am at 560 hours! My pre-wipe period was 88 days, my post wipe 78 days. I am a solo PvE server player, who also enjoys interacting with other players of the PvE community.

So, from the day I started until the wipe, I was averaging 60h/88days=0.68 h/d. I was actually putting 1-2 hours per session here and there. Started in the rookie zone, doing several short island hopping trips, made some money, had a trader or two, someone practically gave me a snow for combat and accumulated 1-2 million or so. I thought that was pretty good...to me.

Since the wipe, I've been averaging: 500h/78d=6.41h/d. It took me that much time to own 5 buildings, expand my docks, buy 3 Indiamen, own several T Brigs and LVG's, started crafting low level ship and leveling up my craft skills and accumulate about 6M in the bank. I have not been doing enough combat yet (I suck at it, lost my redeemed Surprise to an AI LGV!!!), but I'm hoping to start doing more combat soon. I am making plans to  start building my own warships to my own specifications and start battling/capping AI ships, acquiring mods, BP's and keep crafting, trading and expanding my empire.

I've been spending nearly 7 hours playing NA everyday! wow, impressive isn't it. Impressive in that one might say I have no life! In fact, I have been playing everyday, unlike the pre-wipe period. But, I haven't been spending 7 hours in front of my monitor. There is no way I could do that everyday. If I stuck to my 1-2 hours a session like pre-wipe, to reach this stage would have taken 500/2=250 play days! that is 3.2 times the number of days I've already put it and this is on the PvE server, where one can plot a straight course and then go tend to real life things.

This how a typical play day is for me:

Get up in the morning, fire up the game, set up sound to max so I can hear the disconnect warning bells, continue sailing from the night before. Prepare breakfast/shower (etc), come to PC, move the mouse, have breakfast, brush teeth, move the mouse, get dressed, move the mouse and leave for work. Ship will continue sailing till I'm disconnected for inactivity. Come back from work, restart game, check progression, continue sailing, do things around the house, move mouse, still no land, sit at computer, check trade goods availability on 3rd party websites, update my excel files/balance sheet, still no land, move mouse, go do something else. Come back, finally land. Then sit at my PC, reach destination, chat online with other players, conduct trade. Make plans for next leg, calculate profits with my excel tool and figure out which goods are worth buying/selling, look for delivery missions, check for possible available goods nearby, modify initial trade route because something worth it might be available a short sail away. Sail there, sold out, no big deal I had a back up plan. Wife comes home, set new straight line. Watch TV with wife, hear bells, ask wife to pause DVR, go and move mouse, go back to watch TV and so on.

My wife is now used to the bells ringing "honey your ship is beeping" instead of "what the hell was that?" or "was that thunder? is it gonna storm?", remember my sound is all the way up so I can hear the warning bell.

To many players this sounds tedious and grindy, especially to non traders or hardcore combat only players. But to me, this game offers just the right balance of trade and combat, even though it could use more content. Researching the market, buying the profitable goods, finding out what other players are looking for and placing contracts along with reaching destination with my holds full of goods is very satisfying. Collecting the necessary resources, especially the "rare" ones at the lowest prices to build my "perfect" trader/warship is equally satisfying. Telling someone in Global "hey how many Logs do you need? I got plenty at Cton and I'll give you a good price". Just the interaction and helping the other player craft his/her ship he/she has been planning for a while, even if I don't make any significant profit is rewarding to me. After the wipe, another player invited me to join him in a fleet battle in my privateer I think, it was such a fun experience (even against bots).

The only issue is time. Isn't that the main issue with everything? Even in real life...so little time to do so many things!

If a solution can be found to reduce idle time, this game would be the most amazing game I've played in a very long time.

[Jack Spencer]

Your play style is very close to what I do in PvE. I have tried the missions with my crafted 5th rates using various wood frame/planking and cannon combinations. But I have lost several and never seem to be able to get to sinking ships fast enough to get cargo. The only consistant success I have had in missions is with the redeemed Indefatigable - such a tank and so slow to turn. I just pound the bots with carronades but seldom reach them before they sink.

I have tried to get faster ships with fir/fir but on missions just get sunk faster. Tried tanking Surprises and Renomees, but just can't seem to outlast the mission ships, especially 2 to 1. I figure if I can't consistently beat the AI, I have no business in PvP.

But I do enjoy trading  and crafting and sealed bottles. On long trips I too watch TV, read books, and develop new characters and roleplaying for Skyrim. So I will continue sailing NA in hopes that PvE might become more interesting or I can improve my combat skill to the point of trying PvP.  If the servers are combined at some point, I will have to decide if I want to become food for others up the food chain.  

[MikeCK]

If your having trouble in combat, consider getting the "fleet" perk. Not only does it allow you to Cap ships but because you can have 3 ships in your fleet, it means you can bring 2 ships into combat and still cap.

i bought a live oak surprise and added it to my fleet with me sailing my Endymion. My AI controlled surprise takes a lot of the punishment my suped-up Endymion normally would. Once it looks like my surprise might sink, I order it to retreat.

having an AI buddy REALLY helps out in combat. I'm good enough that I don't need it for equal fights but nevertheless, it helps either way

[Jack Spencer]

1 hour ago, MikeCK said:

If your having trouble in combat, consider getting the "fleet" perk. Not only does it allow you to Cap ships but because you can have 3 ships in your fleet, it means you can bring 2 ships into combat and still cap.

Thanks, didn't realize the "fleet" perk allows you to not only have a ship in your fleet slot  but to Cap and add that ship to your fleet. Though with so many Cap ships flooding the sale market, taking the cargo and sinking may still be the best option in most cases - especially if you want the Marks. I will give the combat "fleet" perk a try.

[AngryPanCake]

On 8/13/2017 at 11:33 AM, MikeCK said:

If your having trouble in combat...it means you can bring 2 ships into combat and still cap.

having an AI buddy REALLY helps out in combat. I'm good enough that I don't need it for equal fights but nevertheless, it helps either way

Thank you so much for your suggestion, I have finally been fighting more since then. Getting used to directing the AI buddy and working together in defeating ships that whooped my stern repeatedly until now.

Again, this was one of the best suggestions I've got so far.

[Jean Ribault]

On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2017 at 0:33 PM, MikeCK said:

If your having trouble in combat, consider getting the "fleet" perk. Not only does it allow you to Cap ships but because you can have 3 ships in your fleet, it means you can bring 2 ships into combat and still cap.

...

Two days ago I did that by accident.  I usually just take my lone ship into battle, but this time accidentally had an LGV in fleet, and I have the 1-ship fleet perk.  As soon as I realized I had the extra ship I ordered him to retreat.  At the end of battle I had boarded and thought that I had captured the ship, but the game would not let me add it to my fleet because I already had one in it.  If you were able to actually do what you suggested, have you done that?  The game told me it was not possible.  In other words it seemed to me you needed an extra open fleet slot.  BTW I just sunk that ship instead.

[AngryPanCake]

If you want to take a "wingman" into battle then try to cap another ship, you have to have the 2 Fleet Perk for 2 extra ships.

[MikeCK]

Because my perk lets me have 2 ships in my fleet besides the one I'm sailing.

[Jean Ribault]

That's what I figured, I only have the one slot.  And I misread the numbers in MikeCK's post above, I thought maybe he had another way, but now I re-read it yeah it's pretty clear.

[Aeomar]

ANGRY, holler at me sometime.  I would be happy to team up with you running missions or hunting.  I started with a basic cutter and have capped bigger ships to use capturing even BIGGER ships.  

Thus far my progression has been: B cutter-tbrig-tsnow-navybrig-mercury-cerberus-frigate-essex-connie.  Currently taking hunting trips trying to find a lone Agememnon to cap.  It's fun and relaxing.  

Note: If you cap a ship and are NOT keeping it, sink it first then take the loot so you still get the CM and XP

Edited August 17, 2017 by Aeomar
speeling errors

[AngryPanCake]

8 hours ago, Aeomar said:

ANGRY, holler at me sometime.  I would be happy to team up with you running missions or hunting.  I started with a basic cutter and have capped bigger ships to use capturing even BIGGER ships.  

Thus far my progression has been: B cutter-tbrig-tsnow-navybrig-mercury-cerberus-frigate-essex-connie.  Currently taking hunting trips trying to find a lone Agememnon to cap.  It's fun and relaxing.  

Note: If you cap a ship and are NOT keeping it, sink it first then take the loot so you still get the CM and XP

Hey mate, thanks for the offer and thanks for the tip too.

[Vintorius]

Get rid of the wife. You can easily add 1-2 more hours of Naval Action each day...

[AngryPanCake]

5 hours ago, Vintorius said:

Get rid of the wife. You can easily add 1-2 more hours of Naval Action each day...

Yeah...but she is the one paying the internet bill!