Master & Commander sea chase - Surprise vs Hermione

[Captain Silverdale]

Hi,

As your no doubt aware the French built a fine replica 32 gun frigate L'Hermione being the very ship the Marquis de Lafayette sailed on, to give his support to the Americans in the War of Independence. She underwent her maiden voyage to the USA in 2015 and this year she's sailing around the Spanish Peninsular in The Voyage Hermione 2018.

Now here's my suggestion lets spice up this years Voyage Hermione 2018 and turn it into a Master & Commander sea chase on Naval Action. It will no doubt be a departure from the Caribbean for the developers but if the land mass of the Spanish Peninsular can be done for NA - then for a one off game worthy of the sea chase from the film Master & Commander - it could be interesting.

The scenario being that Captain Jack Aubrey in HMS Surprise is on station blockading the French port of La Rochelle when a severe gale drives the Surprise off station. Following which the French frigate Hermione breaks out bound for the Mediterranean, just like today's Hermione will be departing La Rochelle in March bound for the first leg of her voyage to Tangier in March.

What follows will be the classic sea chase that inspired the film Master & Commander, with all manor of adverse weather like gales, fog, etc together with French ambushes along the way. Perhaps having other warships both French and British trying to frustrate the main protagonists along the way. HMS Surprise's orders being to seek out and destroy the enemy L'Hermione before she reaches the comparative safety of the French port of Toulon.

This could be interesting because whereas in the film HMS Surprise rounds Cape Horn in South America, this time the Surprise passes Gibraltar in pursuit of the Hermione.

Anyway at the end of the day it's just an idea and 'one off scenario's might not fit comfortably with the NA game engine but there again who knows.

[Slim McSauce]

This sounds really cool, but in this crucial time of development, as much as I think the devs would like to do special events, there's just too much to work on getting the base game where it needs to be.

Definitely a possibility for the future 

[Captain Silverdale]

Thanks for your support Slim - of course I assumed that the above would be a tall order but I'm sure what I'm suggesting below is perfectly feasible.

Special request from the crew of the Hermione to Naval Action players

The thing is we have some Naval Action fans joining the crew of the L'Hermione in La Rochelle and they would love the Naval Action team and players to recreate their voyage in the Virtual world of Naval Action. Obviously we have the ships Hermione, Jack Aubrey´'s HMS Surprise and even Capt Pellew's HMS Indefatigable which in the Hornblower books and the TV series, see's Hornblower serving alongside Captain Pellew.

Anyway their special request is can some players have the Hermione up and ready for action on NA. For when the real L'Hermione sails from La Rochelle on the 21st February, obviously we have no French coastline or the Spanish Peninsular on NA but suitable area's and ports in the Caribbean or America will do.

Obviously they would love to have the virtual French Hermione pursued by their favourite British adversaries; therefore whether it's just one pursuer like Capt Jack Aubrey in HMS Surprise or even better, two pursuers with Captain Pellew joining the chase in HMS Indefatigable would be even better.

Of course I leave it to the discretion of NA's many avid players and sea dogs of how many battles are fought along the way but whatever you do, please stick to the appropriate flags for the ships.

Naturally they would like the results of your gameplay posted on Youtube, in order for them to revel in it, on their Smartphones when they reach port or even better when they get home afterwards.

Of course it would be great if those players participating in the Special Request, can adhere to the dates that the real Hermione leaves and arrives at various points and ports of call on the Spanish Peninsular map shown above, with your Youtube Naval Action submissions marked accordingly.

[Jean Ribault]

DLC content of scenarios to play out in this game would be great ongoing content.  Were you thinking extra DLC $$ on Steam to do these kinds of things?

[Captain Silverdale]

Hi Jean Ribault,

First of all thanks for your interest in the project. Obviously I'd like to see any innovations ( inc DLC content ) the NA players can come up with, in making this a visually interesting and yet challenging game play, as well as a polished result on Youtube.

I reckon all the essential ingredients are there in Naval Action and ( as I said before ) we certainly have the 3 warships; all we really need to do is 'clear for action' when Hermione leaves La Rochelle later this month.

Obviously the filming of the game will be following the player controlling the French frigate Hermione with all his 360 degree views, and close up camara work, etc, With the pursuing frigate or frigates closing in upon their prey. Now we get to the interesting bit where close ups of the Hermione ( from the British side ) switch from the NA view to one of a number of video clips of the real Hermione at sea and why not, have the close up view through the NA telescope or Spyglass showing the real Hermione crew, at work on deck or in the rigging.

The real Hermione will be submitting video reports at various stages of the voyage and we could easily include appropriate clips from the video reports in the Naval Action YT video  ( no doubt the real Hermione crew will be thrilled to bits, to see some of their faces on deck and climbing the rigging in the Naval Action video )

It's certainly a challenge but on the other hand this could propel Naval Action into another dimension !!

Anyway check out this video which has many of the various elements, were looking for and of course inform others that might be interested in the project.