Patrol Zone Changes

[Christendom]

If some of you did't notice yet, I made a tribunal post against a player that was intentionally joining patrol missions in a trash upwind ship and sailing immediately to the edge of the zone in an attempt to waste peoples time inside the battle.  He doesn't join to farm damage, he does virtually none.  He doesn't have repairs.  His own teammates said he think's he can sail around for 50mins and avoid us.  The thread is here.
 

 

In my opinion the point of the patrol zones is to brawl it out and sink/damage as many players as possible.  Rinse repeat until you've had enough or you max out on the damage you needed.  I acknowledge that kiting is a valid tactic in most of the battles in NA, but immediately joining a battle that was more or less over and sailing away instantly seems to go against the spirit of what the patrol zones aim to accomplish.  Quick, fast paced and guaranteed battles.  So with that in mind, I would like to propose to following changes to the patrol zones as whole.

Minimum BR (80) of ships that can join a battle in progress. 
This should limit any sort of griefing in basic cutters or small ships.  I know every one has been in a battle where a dude in a basic cutter just kites outside the circle.  Players should not be able to join in free ships with free repairs anyway.  Pay to play.

Once the battle zone shrinks and no further players can enter the battle,  Introduce a damage dealt timer to players.  If they have not shot a sail or done hull crew damage in 5/7/10 minutes, they instantly die as if they were outside the circle.
This will ensure that players don't go overboard on kiting and other players time is not wasted.  Since no more players can join, the tactic of kiting and waiting for backup is no longer necessary.  Lets get both sides of the battle out of the fight and back on the OW as quick as possible and maximize the fun.  As the battle zone shrinks it'll be even easier to hit sails with shot and assuming your opponent didn't just outright join and sail to the edge.  If the player goes beyond the circle to avoid getting hit, he dies anyway.

 

Thoughts?

Edited May 1, 2018 by Christendom

[Angus MacDuff]

Good suggestions.  I mentioned in another thread that ganking is a major issue in the Patrols.  This would be easily fixed if you could only join individually (no groups0 and you can only join on the side of the lowest BR. 

[Angus MacDuff]

I would also close the battle much faster...3 or 5 Minutes

[Elric]

I would like to see a smaller circle size to start with, and the circle shrinking sooner.  This should make it more difficult to escape combat in the circle, and force players into the same patch of water.

 

[Wind]

I would divide ships into classes. 

1. Starting

2. Battle 

3. Trade

Starting - all small ships restricted from joining battles vs higher class ships or numbers, can be attacked by the same rating ships in 1 vs 1 only. 

Battle - Heavy Frigates and up are open for all actions

Trade - restricted from entering battles , but can be attacked

Edited May 1, 2018 by Montauban

[RaimundoJoe]

3 minutes ago, Montauban said:

 

I am sorry to disapoint you, but this is NOT a fair game, never been fair and it will never be fair. Your suggestion is a nice one, sadly it will never happen here.

[Wind]

3 minutes ago, RaimundoJoe said:

I am sorry to disapoint you, but this is NOT a fair game, never been fair and it will never be fair. Your suggestion is a nice one, sadly it will never happen here.

I understand that.

Edited May 1, 2018 by Montauban

[admin]

I think we need to add a proximity exit option that allow exit if you are too far away from the enemy. 
Something like this

First 30-40 mins - patrol rule: no-one can exit
Thereafter - proximity exit (like with control perk), if enemy is far away (for example kiting you) you can disengage and exit. 

[z4ys]

1 minute ago, admin said:

I think we need to add a proximity exit option that allow exit if you are too far away from the enemy. 

Wouldn't lead that to even more frustration due to the fact that now people have the chance to safe their pixels?

[Wind]

39 minutes ago, rediii said:

this guy is a troll.

 

put down that mirror and don't make jokes please, I made a suggestion. 

Edited May 2, 2018 by Montauban

[Christendom]

3 minutes ago, admin said:

I think we need to add a proximity exit option that allow exit if you are too far away from the enemy. 
Something like this

First 30-40 mins - patrol rule: no-one can exit
Thereafter - proximity exit (like with control perk), if enemy is far away (for example kiting you) you can disengage and exit. 

I like it.  

Theme of the patrol zones is to get in, sink or be sunk and then rinse repeat.  This excessive kiting just serves no one.  

[Wind]

7 minutes ago, admin said:

I think we need to add a proximity exit option that allow exit if you are too far away from the enemy. 
Something like this

First 30-40 mins - patrol rule: no-one can exit
Thereafter - proximity exit (like with control perk), if enemy is far away (for example kiting you) you can disengage and exit. 

It will definitely help. 

[z4ys]

Changes I would like see:

1. Patrol battles close immediately when br is even

2. Close after 3mins when br is within 1.5 ratio

Close after 30 when 1. And 2. Are not true and no 1.5 ratio gets achieved in this time

- screen message that battle is closed

- circle shrinking speed depending on players alive. The less people are alive the higher shrinking speed.

- maybe add specific patrols (Nassau patrol is the best one regarding balance due to the fact that all shallow vessels are close together in their fighting capability, the deep water ones can create mismatch because 9pds will do nothing against a sol)

[Gregory Rainsborough]

Just increase shrinking speed so kiting can't happen = Problem solved

Edited May 2, 2018 by Gregory Rainsborough

[StaleMemes]

I think the way the circle works should change. It should look at where the greatest mass of ships is or average them out, and put the center of the circle there. Have the circle able to move as the battle progress so that players cant run in circles along the edge and the circle doesn't interrupt the flow of a big battle, only affecting runners

Edited May 2, 2018 by Capt Aerobane

[Sir Texas Sir]

On 5/1/2018 at 10:29 AM, Christendom said:

Minimum BR (80) of ships that can join a battle in progress. 
This should limit any sort of griefing in basic cutters or small ships.  I know every one has been in a battle where a dude in a basic cutter just kites outside the circle.  Players should not be able to join in free ships with free repairs anyway.  Pay to play.

Once the battle zone shrinks and no further players can enter the battle,  Introduce a damage dealt timer to players.  If they have not shot a sail or done hull crew damage in 5/7/10 minutes, they instantly die as if they were outside the circle.
This will ensure that players don't go overboard on kiting and other players time is not wasted.  Since no more players can join, the tactic of kiting and waiting for backup is no longer necessary.  Lets get both sides of the battle out of the fight and back on the OW as quick as possible and maximize the fun.  As the battle zone shrinks it'll be even easier to hit sails with shot and assuming your opponent didn't just outright join and sail to the edge.  If the player goes beyond the circle to avoid getting hit, he dies anyway.

 

Thoughts?

Basic cutters should not be able to join any missions other than ones they start any way.  They are for new players and guys that don't have ships not RA trolling folks.   That would stop the use of them trolling.  They can be in groups that do missions and get pulled in or start missions them self but they can't join late.  

I was actually going to suggest the decay effect in the other thread about how to deal with briefing players.  If they have done zero damage in the fight have it actually start early they begin to decay, forcing folks to actually fight and not kite in those battles.  As long as your doing damage every 5 mins of some type you won't take the damage hit.  I wouldn't make it drastic at first but the longer you go without doing damage the more damage it does to your ship.

On 5/1/2018 at 11:55 AM, Montauban said:

I would divide ships into classes. 

1. Starting

2. Battle 

3. Trade

Starting - all small ships restricted from joining battles vs higher class ships or numbers, can be attacked by the same rating ships in 1 vs 1 only. 

Battle - Heavy Frigates and up are open for all actions

Trade - restricted from entering battles , but can be attacked

While having ship classes is fine, but limiting them from fights other than the Basic cutters which should not be apart of any PvP and I feel should not be able to even join missions after they start is not fair. I done a good bit of killing folks in LGV's in the past before the wipe thinking they got an easy target until they find out I was gold modded board fit with Gold Marines or I wasn't AFK sailing and I was sitting there sails down with 100% board prep lol    Now we have the LGV Refit which is a combat trader.  So limiting them from not entering battles isn't fair, and what about the guy that brings repairs along in a trade ship that joins the battles and leaves the repairs on a captured ship that isn't claimed so folks can stock back up?  It's a legit tactic in battles if your staying out fro a long time.

7 hours ago, admin said:

I think we need to add a proximity exit option that allow exit if you are too far away from the enemy. 
Something like this

First 30-40 mins - patrol rule: no-one can exit
Thereafter - proximity exit (like with control perk), if enemy is far away (for example kiting you) you can disengage and exit. 

If the decay damage for not fighting isn't put into the patrol missions than this would prob be the second best option allowed to help fix issues with players doing these type of things.  Though I honestly like the decay damage thing better.  Punish folks that just come in to troll.  Hell put in both since the kitter is getting decay damage he can't leave and will be stuck in there until his ship is sunk or every one leaves

Edited May 2, 2018 by Sir Texas Sir

[Rebrall]

4 hours ago, Sir Texas Sir said:

I was actually going to suggest the decay effect in the other thread about how to deal with briefing players.  If they have done zero damage in the fight have it actually start early they begin to decay, forcing folks to actually fight and not kite in those battles.  As long as your doing damage every 5 mins of some type you won't take the damage hit.  I wouldn't make it drastic at first but the longer you go without doing damage the more damage it does to your ship.

I prefer this idea with addition of decay to speed and movement so they get forced to engage. Only real downside is that you could damage run away for 4:30mins then redamage so you would have to have strict on how much damage is acceptable  

[Hethwill, the Red Duke]

On 5/1/2018 at 4:29 PM, Christendom said:

Minimum BR (80) of ships that can join a battle in progress.

Sorry. No. I personally shalt not be swayed by your vessel preferences suggestion and I do hope the GL team as well.

It is a suggestion that delivers a axe blow into the naval community that enjoys the "unrated" for what they are, for what they represent in the age of sail, and it would be analog to stopping weatherly cruiser frigates to join ship of the line encounters...

I understand the frustration, and feel "ashamed" of having those vessels being used by 1 captain in such a less appropriate way but cannot cut an entire class of captains from participating in whatever events are occurring in the open world.

Cannot and will not accept anything that stops a valid vessel design from the age of sail to participate actively.

 

- Basic Cutters should be 100% isolated from any player to player interaction on their own volition.

 

[Angus MacDuff]

Then they should be worth a couple of PVP marks.

[jodgi]

3 hours ago, Borch said:

Ideally after release I would rather like to see more incentives to sail in OW than artificial PvP area. Hopefully everything will pan out great and we will be back with 1000 (or more) population so hot spots like that wont be needed.

That will make everyone happy, for sure. The patrols have that last secret weapon of granting PvP marks for damage and not only kills. Pretty neat especially for those who struggle to pull off wins