Forthcoming patch information: Elite NPC, Economy update, Building prices

[admin]

Captains.

Patch will be deployed next week with 

• Elite NPCs fleets that players will be able to find and hunt in the open world that will not only give interesting challenges in combat but also will give options for active PVE players to get (not often) ships with bonuses similar to clan based RVR bonuses
• XP calculations update
• Income rebalance (where combat will return to be main money making activity)
• Port points updates - top ports will have to specialize - the maximum number of maxed bonuses (lvl4 bonuses) will be reduced
  • already made investments will remain until the next map wipe.

Important: We are aware that buildings prices are high, but high level manufacturing should be expensive to set up - We will improve sources to make money for those who are not interested in trading and long distance trading only and want to make money by fighting (players or NPCs). We could not deploy it this week unfortunately

[AeRoTR]

Building prices are insanely high, it should be lower, but there should be constant maintenance costs and also very rare disasters like fires/hurricane which destroys some part of buildings.

 

*** I see the server war or peace, close eco-system. So developer team should be moderating all wealth and income plus expenses, so to keep inflation under control, plus zerg under control.

Thank God, our Kings and Queens are in Europe and they can decide on war and peace and coalitions. God of the server can decide draught for farms and forests, hurricanes, fires etc.

Edited May 3, 2019 by AeRoTR

[Vibrio Cholerae]

7 minutes ago, admin said:

•  Port points updates - top ports will have to specialize - the maximum number of maxed bonuses (lvl4 bonuses) will be reduced

 

Want about the investment already done?

[Isaac J Smith]

Quote

Port points updates - top ports will have to specialize - the maximum number of maxed bonuses (lvl4 bonuses) will be reduced

Assuming this means that bonuses will become more expensive, what will happen to ports which have already acquired bonuses?

 

EDIT: Damn, Canor ninja'd me

Edited May 3, 2019 by isaac_j_smith

[Hennessy]

Elite NPCs fleets that players will be able to find and hunt in the open world that will not only give interesting challenges in combat but also will give options for active PVE players to get (not often) ships with bonuses similar to clan based RVR bonuses.

Will this elite NPC's have a tag over them in OW that indicate that they are elite or do we actually have to find out while fighting em?

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, admin said:

Captains.

Patch will be deployed next week with 

• Elite NPCs fleets that players will be able to find and hunt in the open world that will not only give interesting challenges in combat but also will give options for active PVE players to get (not often) ships with bonuses similar to clan based RVR bonuses
• XP calculations update
• Income rebalance (where combat will return to be main money making activity)
• Port points updates - top ports will have to specialize - the maximum number of maxed bonuses (lvl4 bonuses) will be reduced

Important: We are aware that buildings prices are high, but high level manufacturing should be expensive to set up - We will improve sources to make money for those who are not interested in trading and long distance trading only (mainly combat). We could not deploy it this week unfortunately, but as buildings were already updated

Will we get our combat marks, doubloons and our victor marks back?

[Galt]

7 minutes ago, admin said:

• Income rebalance (where combat will return to be main money making activity)

We will improve sources to make money for those who are not interested in trading and long distance trading only and want to make money by fighting (players or NPCs).

While I support the patch, I am curious why we should cater to people that willingly handicap themselves (people that refuse to do trade runs.) I get that they are boring but refusing to do them sounds more like a personal problem then a game issue. Do I wish they were more fun? yes. Do I think you can make going from A to B to A/C fun? Not really. You don't do it for fun, you do it for money. I believe that trading should be the most lucrative/reliable way to earn an income. Combat should be for fun, not money. 

[_Masterviolin]

9 minutes ago, admin said:

 

• Port points updates - top ports will have to specialize - the maximum number of maxed bonuses (lvl4 bonuses) will be reduced

Important: We are aware that buildings prices are high, but high level manufacturing should be expensive to set up - We will improve sources to make money for those who are not interested in trading and long distance trading only and want to make money by fighting (players or NPCs). We could not deploy it this week unfortunately

Might I propose we simply give each port a # of slots they can devote to improvements? A small number, like six to encourage specialization with each improvement requiring one point. You could choose to max out one area and have two points left over to improve another area, or alternatively spread the points out more evenly to cover more bases.

Get specialization on ports for certain builds, help avoid absurd franken-ships with wildly overpowered stats, encourage clans to invest in multiple locations.

[Njord]

12 minutes ago, admin said:

those who are not interested in trading and long distance trading only and want to make money by fighting (players or NPCs).

I think trading and raiding traders should be #1 money maker. It makes for much better content than players hitting bots in some corner of the map...

[Teutonic]

6 minutes ago, admin said:

Captains.

Patch will be deployed next week with 

• Elite NPCs fleets that players will be able to find and hunt in the open world that will not only give interesting challenges in combat but also will give options for active PVE players to get (not often) ships with bonuses similar to clan based RVR bonuses
• XP calculations update
• Income rebalance (where combat will return to be main money making activity)
• Port points updates - top ports will have to specialize - the maximum number of maxed bonuses (lvl4 bonuses) will be reduced

Important: We are aware that buildings prices are high, but high level manufacturing should be expensive to set up - We will improve sources to make money for those who are not interested in trading and long distance trading only and want to make money by fighting (players or NPCs). We could not deploy it this week unfortunately

Elite NPCs - Will we be able to tell the difference between Elite and normal?

XP calc - Interesting, seems vague

Income Rebalance - I am hesitant to see how this will play out. these are my issues

1. Rewards from ships suck = You are fixing this, nice

2. Trading goods in distances under 2 hour sailing times is practically useless and in some cases you lose money due to taxes.

3. Delivery missions need to change. I like you get Reals, but why couldn't they have kept to being doubloons only?

Port Points Updated - Yeah, that was sorely needed thank you. Max Points should be 30 points in my opinion. No one should be able to have all 5 level 4 bonuses on a ship. that's just nonsense.

 

Overall, I....eh, I know you want to improve on money making sources, and I think the biggest problem is combat rewards (which you are fixing). But you should seriously look are mid-range trading.

I could buy and sell goods from Gustavia to Pampatar (about 1-1.5 hour sailing both ways) and make an abyssmal 60-70k reals round trip. 1 cargo Delivery mission gives me 160k-170k for the same distance.

[Licinio Chiavari]

8 minutes ago, El Patron said:

Will we get our combat marks, doubloons and our victor marks back?

We are testing game features... as potential exploits and economical balance.

Sound fine. Isnt it?

[Sparkydog]

While I agree that combat should pay more than it does now- I disagree that it should be the main source of income.  There needs to be some trading or economic activity that supports your combat.  By making all aspects of the game interdependent provides balance, the need for teamwork, and different roles for different kinds of players.  In the past we seem to have made the patches/fixes/updates too much that swing the pendulum too far the other way. Please don’t turn the volume up to 11 maybe 7 is good enough.

Edited May 3, 2019 by Sparkydog
Spelling

[Salty Sails]

18 minutes ago, El Patron said:

Will we get our combat marks, doubloons and our victor marks back?

You are a Tester, so why not test without any compensations. LOL

 

[Guest]

I'm honored, I didn't think you'd make a DLC after me. 

[SantaRoja]

24 minutes ago, admin said:

port points updates - top ports will have to specialize - the maximum number of maxed bonuses (lvl4 bonuses) will be reduced

i like this, just one or two bonuses should be maxed so you have to chose the port where to build the best ship for your purpose.

18 minutes ago, El Patron said:

Will we get our combat marks, doubloons and our victor marks back?

this answer:

 

28 minutes ago, admin said:

already made investments will remain until the next map wipe.

 

28 minutes ago, admin said:

Elite NPCs fleets that players will be able to find and hunt in the open world that will not only give interesting challenges in combat but also will give options for active PVE players to get (not often) ships with bonuses similar to clan based RVR bonuses

the player will have the ship capping it or by the npc drop?

 

 

[Angus MacDuff]

10 minutes ago, Sparkydog said:

While I agree that combat should pay more than it does know- I disagree that it should be the main source of income.  There needs to be some trading or economic activity that supports your combat.  By making all aspects of the game interdependent provides balance, the need for teamwork, and different roles for different kinds of players.  In the past we seem to have made the patches/fixes/updates too much that swing the pendulum too far the other way. Please don’t turn the volume up to 11 maybe 7 is good enough.

*gag*….while I wish I didn't have to trade, I fear that you are right and I should (shudder) have to do some trading to support my habits.

[Hawkwood]

20 minutes ago, Galt said:

While I support the patch, I am curious why we should cater to people that willingly handicap themselves (people that refuse to do trade runs.) I get that they are boring but refusing to do them sounds more like a personal problem then a game issue. Do I wish they were more fun? yes. Do I think you can make going from A to B to A/C fun? Not really. You don't do it for fun, you do it for money. I believe that trading should be the most lucrative/reliable way to earn an income. Combat should be for fun, not money. 

Agree that trading should bring more money, BUT combat has to be lucrative too.

[Capitalism]

6 minutes ago, Hawkwood said:

Agree that trading should bring more money, BUT combat has to be lucrative too.

Agreed, there definitely needs to be balance there.. and both should encourage active participation.  I think combat should be the "gathering" activity equivalent of other MMOs, while trading should result from that combat.  I'd argue that captured ships should be broken down for legitimate amounts of crafting goods, making collection of rare and useful crafting resources and tools a byproduct of that activity and making trading/hauling these goods to satisfy contracts in the primary, buffed-up ship-building ports more lucrative that the largely passive, AFK sailing of delivery missions.

[Hawkwood]

32 minutes ago, admin said:

Captains.

Patch will be deployed next week with 

• Elite NPCs fleets that players will be able to find and hunt in the open world that will not only give interesting challenges in combat but also will give options for active PVE players to get (not often) ships with bonuses similar to clan based RVR bonuses
• XP calculations update
• Income rebalance (where combat will return to be main money making activity)
• Port points updates - top ports will have to specialize - the maximum number of maxed bonuses (lvl4 bonuses) will be reduced
  • already made investments will remain until the next map wipe.

Important: We are aware that buildings prices are high, but high level manufacturing should be expensive to set up - We will improve sources to make money for those who are not interested in trading and long distance trading only and want to make money by fighting (players or NPCs). We could not deploy it this week unfortunately

Nice, bonuses are too high. Reduction is necessary. It is matter of time, at some point, people would be able to sail T/WO 1st rate floating batteries with insane thickness and 13-14 kn speed in battle.

If the combat is going to become a main activity, we are in urgent need of better AI ships. Players are mostly afraid of losing ships, because everything is so hard to get. I would like to be able capturing random AI in open sea, those ships can have lower quality, but we should be able to capture ANY AI ship in OW.

[Audacious]

 

 

 

2

2 hours ago, admin said:

Captains.

Patch will be deployed next week with 

• Elite NPCs fleets that players will be able to find and hunt in the open world that will not only give interesting challenges in combat but also will give options for active PVE players to get (not often) ships with bonuses similar to clan based RVR bonuses

Good really good. Keep making content like this and you will be fine. 

Edited May 3, 2019 by Audacious

[Liq]

I'm guessing and hoping the idea of agressive NPCs targeting players has been cancelled?

[Eyesore]

2 hours ago, EliteDelta said:

I'm honored, I didn't think you'd make a DLC after me.

Rants will be written again because ai is too difficult t beat ... 😛

[p i t]

3 hours ago, admin said:

rebalance (where combat will return to be main money making activity)

Look at my name!!! Don’t spit in the face of traders. 

[o Barão]

4 hours ago, Teutonic said:

I could buy and sell goods from Gustavia to Pampatar (about 1-1.5 hour sailing both ways) and make an abyssmal 60-70k reals round trip. 1 cargo Delivery mission gives me 160k-170k for the same distance.

And you can do 2 or more delivery missions at the same time and also carry passengers.

[o Barão]

4 hours ago, admin said:

Elite NPCs fleets that players will be able to find and hunt in the open world that will not only give interesting challenges in combat but also will give options for active PVE players to get (not often) ships with bonuses similar to clan based RVR bonuses

Ok that sounds interesting . Can be a nice mechanic. I will need to test this. However i have some questions about this:

-Players will know who are the elite npc fleets in the OW?

-This NPCs fleets , what are the size? 10 ships ? Maybe 3? If they are too big that makes impossible for a solo player to have a chance.