Ship Slot Exp waaay too high

[Licinio Chiavari]

I rarely changed ships. I have full slotted a 1st a 3rd all 4th (aside classic connie) and a bunch lower.

I briefly tested Constitution Classic... and decided now to slot her up.

Short version: are you kidding???

4800+ exp for the SECOND book. With 5th rate giving 300ish exp and Bellona 600ish exp each.

So I have to kill like 8 Bellonas for the SECOND BOOK. So I think 15+ for the third, 30+ for the forth and far more than 50 for 5th???

Being pretty fast means 20 mins combat... aside FINDING THE TARGET.

Let's say luck: 20 minutes total sailing time = 40min/each => 2000 mins for 5th slot... 30-40 ingame time ONLY FARMING to unlock 5 book on a Connie. And probably real time required is way higher.
And on bigger ships is far worst.

I leave to comments evaluating how many hours should I devote only to mindlessly kill AIs ONLY TO UNLOCK SHIP KNOWLEDGES on (let's say) only A THIRD of available ships.

 

[Corona Lisa]

It feels like a f2p game in that regard except that you cant buy an xp boost

[TheHaney]

Exactly how easy would you like it to be to unlock ship slots?

[Draymoor]

It's supposed to be hard to master a ship, is it not? Or would you like it to be such as you can be a master in sailing all ships? 

[Licinio Chiavari]

39 minutes ago, Draymoor said:

It's supposed to be hard to master a ship, is it not? Or would you like it to be such as you can be a master in sailing all ships? 

That's fine. If I have not clue (almost) of the game.

After 2k+ (and often more) ingame hours can be almost "griefing" to have to mindlessly (again) kill AIs for weeks to be able to test a couple of different ships.

Or am I (and moreover a new player) espected to spend my (his) first 1000+ ingame hours only grinding?

And again devoting 20/30/50+ hrs to grind a new ship and finally properly test per??

47 minutes ago, TheHaney said:

Exactly how easy would you like it to be to unlock ship slots?

IMO granted being already top rank (or top 3), first 3 books on any ship should be matter of a couple hours. Slowing a bit for the forth. And a bit more for the fifth.

So I would say within 10 hrs fastidio grinding for ANY ship.

Or do you enjoy your bulkload of hours to unlock Christian VII to then properly test her fully fitted??

[Angus MacDuff]

Concur.  I don't grind slots.  I just play the game and the slots grind themselves.  Sometimes I notice that a slot is opened and wonder how long it's been like that.

[Licinio Chiavari]

2 minutes ago, Banished Privateer said:

I don't know, I don't feel the need to sail ships with 5 slots. Right now I'm coming with 1 slot Aggy back to port from 4th rate Epic Event. The ship can shoot, board, loot. Works as intended.

Board... Without books... At least "daring".

That "we can", obvious. Also a green shabby 1/5 shoot board and loot.

Why giving away 2/4/6 mod/book edge to eventual enemies?

[Draymoor]

You don't need books to test a ship, much less 5 of them. No reason why you always have to have 5 books on every ship you sail. 

[Licinio Chiavari]

5 minutes ago, Draymoor said:

You don't need books to test a ship, much less 5 of them. No reason why you always have to have 5 books on every ship you sail. 

a) you said too "much less 5 of them". Not 1/2.

b) same reasoning: why fitting mods? Or repairs?

c) you should know there's plenty "naked" ships sub par that properly fit (especially with 4/5 mods) shine.

d) going pvp without mod/book... do you know how many stat you're giving away?

Note: I do not like mod overstaking. Still this is the game at the moment.

As we (rightfully) use every advatage in combat, so we do fitting a ship.

 

[Draymoor]

Well if you want full exp with a ship? quit switching ships lol 

[Angus MacDuff]

Just now, Draymoor said:

Well if you want full exp with a ship? quit switching ships lol 

It shows a lack of commitment.

[Christendom]

75% of the time these days I forgot to set my book slots because of this damn UI.... I’m not sure how much they matter.

[Licinio Chiavari]

32 minutes ago, Christendom said:

75% of the time these days I forgot to set my book slots because of this damn UI.... I’m not sure how much they matter.

With big experience gap, more or lesa nothing.

As the fight get too close to call, due to ships involved or similar skill levels, they do matter.

[sounthernrebel78]

Since the ship knowledge slots came out you are just now complaining about it? What logic is that with you having been around long before that update. 

[admin]

5 hours ago, Licinio Chiavari said:

 

So I have to kill like 8 Bellonas for the SECOND BOOK. So I think 15+ for the third, 30+ for the forth and far more than 50 for 5th???

s.

 

Thanks for reminding me to make a post about wipes (as ship mastery will remain)

 

Current numbers are for testing and are lower so players can move through them faster. Numbers will be higher on on release. This is ship mastery! And an opportunity to have a  bonus to a ship that cant be lost (in form of a book). It should take time to gain full mastery of the vessel
 

[Teutonic]

3 minutes ago, admin said:

Thanks for reminding me to make a post about wipes (as ship mastery will remain)
Current numbers are for testing (and are lower than they will be on release)

Ship mastery should take time and 8 bellonas is just one evening. Too low.

yikes. ship mastery is too low? riiiiiiiiiight....

[Licinio Chiavari]

4 minutes ago, admin said:

Thanks for reminding me to make a post about wipes (as ship mastery will remain)

 

Current numbers are for testing and are lower so players can move through them faster. Numbers will be higher on on release. This is ship mastery! And an opportunity to have a  bonus to a ship that cant be lost (in form of a book). It should take time to gain full mastery of the vessel
 

Thank you for reply. Good to know.

IMO it's a suicide asking such (and higher, worst) level of mindless grinding OR going PvPing giving up potentially big edge (getting 3+% speed = having a t/wo ship with the speed of a bermuda/teak AND/OR getting +25% HP = having more HP than wo/wo ship with a t/t AND/OR having 10-20% faster reload AND/OR repairing +7% so approx a quarter more... not to speak of boarding fits).

A special super grind-centered "ship mastery" could be fine... BUT asking (being lost as per your words) with the ship IF requiring farming back it... IMO it's another plain suicide.
Aside having OP-vets around disengaging even sooner than usual if seeing any risk but being even more OP over randoms.

[Sir Texas Sir]

24 minutes ago, admin said:

Thanks for reminding me to make a post about wipes (as ship mastery will remain)

 

Current numbers are for testing and are lower so players can move through them faster. Numbers will be higher on on release. This is ship mastery! And an opportunity to have a  bonus to a ship that cant be lost (in form of a book). It should take time to gain full mastery of the vessel
 

I actually had something thought up about this when ship knowledge first came out.  Three slots you earn through any type of play.  One slot can only be earned through PvP .  The 5th and mastery slot can only be earned once you unlocked the three slots and the PvP slot.  Once you got this slot open you get Ship Mastery for that type of ship that gives a slight bonus of a special paint job that can only be for ships with all the slots open.  Thought this would of only work if we had more paints for all ships, but it was just something that came to mind.  Other wise the mastery slot can open up a slight bonus to your ships stats as your captain and crew have come to mast that ship.  Maybe the bonus can be based on what type of ship it is.  SOL"s get a buff to HP's.   Frigates get a buff to turn rate.  Light frigates get a slight speed buff.  NOthing big so maybe something like 1% and that is it.

Just thought of something instead of the paint it could get a flag that marks it as a mastered ship.

[SnovaZdorowa]

Solution: test/learn/laboratory room

Ships: any possible for you crew
Slots: all are open
Skillbooks: any you can obtain ingame now
Modules: any from your upgrades chest (any you can obtain ingame now)
Repairs: any quant.

Plyers slots: 2*2 or 3*3 max

Place where you can teach you mates and look how things whorking.

[William Death]

I agree, slots are too much XP and too much of a time sink. I was a fan of all ships auto-unlocked because I feel that as you rank your character up, he becomes more capable in ships (seriously, you made it to Rear Admiral rank but you don't know how to give commands to marines or carpenters on a frigate?? hmmm....).

But it seems like devs want the grind, so I came up with this system I proposed ages ago when it was on testbed (but I'm not sure if devs ever saw it): Here's the topic but the relevant part is below: https://forum.game-labs.net/topic/19868-a-different-take-on-leveling-up-ships/

/quote

Lets use the 4-5th rate category for demonstration:

Trincomalee is my desired ship, slots cost as follows: (arbitrary values)

1: 1,000 xp

2: 2,000 xp

3: 6,000 xp

4: 10,000 xp

5: 25,000 xp

So I grind her up to 25000 xp and I have a perfect 3/5 Trinc . But wait! I want to sail a Constitution into a port battle now. Do I have to grind up a bunch of xp on it to get some slots open? I mean, I know so much about the Trinc, I can't image a Connie is too terribly different? No! You don't have to re-learn the Connie, some of your experience on the Trinc will transfer nicely, but you'll still have to sail the Connie a while to get used to her particular points . Here is how it works:

Frigates (4-5th) rate ships have an xp pool of 30,000 xp and any time you earn xp sailing ANY frigate, the pool fills some. So I gained 25k xp sailing my Trinc, that xp has gone into the pool. Here is how the pool works, each time a certain amount of xp is reached, a slot unlocks on all the frigates, whether you have sailed that particular ship or not. The pool will only unlock the first three slots:

1: 10,000 xp unlocks 1 slot on all frigates

2: 20,000 xp unlocks 2 slots on all frigates

3: 30,000 xp unlocks 3 slots on all frigates

So for this example, I have earned 25k xp sailing the Trinc; which means 25k xp has gone into the pool, and I have unlocked 2 slots on every frigate by specializing in the Trinc. I'm also only 5k xp away from unlocking 3 slots on every frigate. After I earn that xp and reach 30k in the pool, 3 slots become open on all frigates, but I have to sail the particular frigate I am interested in to unlock the last two slots on it.

This means that you can sail ANY frigate to gain ship xp that will transfer to other frigates. If you are just leveling up, you will have time to try out different frigates, till you find one you like, and you have not "wasted" any xp unlocking slots on a ship you don't plan on using.

\quote

 

In addition to that, implement diminishing returns to mod stacking, others have made similar suggestions, here's mine: (doubloons replacing PvP marks remains to be seen if its going to make mods more available or not...so far...doesn't seem to, given the abysmal rewards for PvP damage)

 

 

Lastly, for Constitution Classic and Diana, I ground both ships to 3 slots via AI battles (couple missions a day for a few days), then got most of the rest of the XP from PvP. Currently Diana is sitting at 5 slots for me, and Connie Classic at ~4.75 slots.

Its not ideal, but it works and is a little more enjoyable than the mind-numbing AI grind to 5 slots (been there, done that for all 3 first rates).

[Farrago]

On 11/7/2018 at 10:41 AM, Licinio Chiavari said:

I rarely changed ships. I have full slotted a 1st a 3rd all 4th (aside classic connie) and a bunch lower.

I briefly tested Constitution Classic... and decided now to slot her up.

Short version: are you kidding???

4800+ exp for the SECOND book. With 5th rate giving 300ish exp and Bellona 600ish exp each.

If it’s any consolation, EVERYONE else needs the grind the same to unlock those slots. We’re not getting them for free either.