Fleet: The reward, The punishment

[LeopoldRNN]

The Benefits:
1) AI cargo holds
2) AI can be ordered to 'demast' (which is only way to get them to focus entirely on rigging /sail damage instead of other behavior) 

The Punishment:
1)  4 Perk points for 'Fleet control 1'  (2 get a 2nd fleet -currently 1st is free) are consumed  that could have been spent on 'Battle' perks such as Prepared (1) Double shot (1 pt) Double charge (1 pt)  and Emergency Master (or many other choices).
2) The Fleet AI that I may have adds BR to any given OW swords I may be in that now opens the gap much further then the 13% -meaning it's now much more likely a enemy player will jump into my battles up to 20 mins later in the fight, taking advantage of possibly my damaged /disorganized situation.
3) Fleet 'kills' do not count towards the accomplishment of 'Weekly' 'events', or 'Search and Destroy', or 'Hunt' , etc.  If I do not get kill credit to my ship (myself)  directly in battle instance, and prevent my own AI from  'kill stealing' , using the crude command system in game, then my whole effort to is wasted. It  is very awkward to command your fleet precisely enough that it is contributing to the battle (thus justifying the 4 points spent) , but yet avoid it from kill stealing. The AI (AI Fleet) seems especially inclined to do a boarding action (why?) , yet there's no way to say 'Destroy' (but do not board or capture). So I get punished in so many ways for bringing fleet into these kinds of battles (not to forget the work of just managing them in battle) with very little or no benefit. 

 So in summary even though I have forgone the option within the limited 'Captains Perk' budget to have more direct battle perks, and instead have spent 4 of those precious points on "fleet', I still do not deserve (according to current game design kill system) any kill credit towards missions that may have been accomplished by my fleet.    

 

So yep, 200  dubs spent on perk reset. I'm tired of being punished. 
 

[Angus MacDuff]

In addition, it's hardly worth your while fleeting up a bunch of ships for trading.  You can make plenty of money doing cargo and passenger missions.  Who needs a fleet?

[Liq]

imho only traders should be allowed to take fleet ships anyway - on pvp server at least

[Meraun]

35 minutes ago, Angus MacDuff said:

In addition, it's hardly worth your while fleeting up a bunch of ships for trading.  You can make plenty of money doing cargo and passenger missions.  Who needs a fleet?

Well i still fleet up to ship rare woods and ohter stuff wich i need for ship production

[Vernon Merrill]

Fleet perk should only be used to bring prizes back to port.  

Otherwise it should be called “unlimited chain spam” perk. 

You getting CM’s for your AI doing your leg work is ok if I get CM’s for sinking people’s fleet ships.  

It would be great for all those who bring sacrificial fir/fir T-brigs along to help them escape all the time. 

[LeopoldRNN]

So you want the benefits of 4  perk points spent some other way (like Double Shot 1 pt., Prepared 1 pt, and Emergency Master 2 points), 

and while also get CM's from killing some other player's fleet who is not getting any CM from anything they do, but has spent 4 points on them?

yeah, that's fair 😒

Edit: The point is you're already getting steady benefit from (and a easier path to CM's) with some other perk arrangement, in any battle your in , PvP or PvE.

Edited April 9, 2019 by LeopoldRNN

[Teutonic]

1 hour ago, LeopoldRNN said:

So you want the benefits of 4  perk points spent some other way (like Double Shot 1 pt., Prepared 1 pt, and Emergency Master 2 points), 

 

Currently.

You don't have to get the fleet perk (4pt) in order to have a fleet ship.

Every player currently has a "free fleet slot" and you can sail a main ship and 1 fleet ship. The 4point fleet perk os there for a second fleet ship.

So you can have all the perks you want and still have 1 fleet ship :).

[LeopoldRNN]

I know that of course (see my OP which I guess you didn't read,  which clearly says I referring to the 2nd ship feature for 4 points).  My entire post is about the second fleet ship offered for 4 points, and the general imbalance that says (implies) a 2nd fleet ship for 4 points, which is hard to manage, opens the door for being ganked, will not help very much in getting CM's and in fact sometimes kill steals them from you, somehow equates  = 4 points of anything else that will always help you win CM.  

 

Edited April 9, 2019 by LeopoldRNN

[LeopoldRNN]

The whole fleet thing kinda feels like they're (Game Labs) barely tolerating it -like a legacy feature they'd rather get rid of, but too many players are hooked on or still favor.  It's clear to me there are essentially (deliberately designed ?) disincentives to bring fleet to battle intentionally (offensively) , and that only as traders/haulers will the player gain much relative benefit (relative to other perk choices cost/reward that could have been done). If the dev's are really that hostile to Fleet, then just remove it already. I for one have already been convinced it's a losing deal to spend 4 points on. 

[Barbancourt]

It's optional.  You get to choose your options.  Why complain about it?

[LeopoldRNN]

It's not about me -It's about the experience the average new player to NA might have, who doesn't know that 4 points of Fleet perk may be a very bad trade off compared to other choices. The dev's have essentially equated 4 points Fleet = 4 points of other choices. It's counter intuitive to a new player that he cannot expect Fleet to help much, and in fact due to BR issues (as previously stated) fleet will actually open the door to more of a losing negative experience, then a positive one.

[Barbancourt]

New players have plenty of time to learn what does or doesn't work for them.  In combat fleet ships are simply distractions and damage sponges.  You deploy them to expand the kinds of OW AI ships you can engage, and reduce the number of broadsides you have to eat in the battle.  For trading they are extra cargo capacity and extra deterrent cannons.  (though 3-4 ship bulk trading has not been necessary in the game for a long time)  Fleeting multiple trader lynx has a particularly good payoff since you can carry more while still going as fast as possible.