A Handful Of Suggestions

[James Cornelius]

Dear developers,

 

First off, this is a fantastic game. The idea and execution are top notch. My suggestions are simply to aid in immersion and user friendliness.

 

First off, naming ships. I understand the difficulty in making this completely visible, but it would be a nice touch if the player could name their own ships, even if only visible to the player. It would be a nice touch of realism. It could be handled either where names are given as options in a list (with several hundred choices), or perhaps a system where you could create your own (of course this has the possibility to be abused, unless some sort of algorithm could ensure it complies to certain rules). This would be especially helpful in taking prizes. It would be interesting to see you have captured "ship name x" instead of "privateer" or what have you.

 

Second, a more intuitive way to purchase, sell, and trade goods. Obviously combat seems to be the focus here, but there was always a large amount of money to be made trafficking goods and it would be nice to have a better idea as to what ports demand what; even if, for example, you're in Charleston and there is information that says "Charleston is a producer of canvas, and has a high demand for sugar." (I did notice the consumption/produced column, and if that is what this is then my apologies, but perhaps it should be more obvious).

 

Third, some sort of virtual tavern (beyond the chat function) where specific game related news is posted. This could range from any messages from developers, to "in game" type things like "Local merchant promises great reward for import of molasses". It would incentivize trading. Along with #2, it might make cargo hauling and trading much more lucrative and worthwhile.

 

Fourth, the interface for purchasing and equipping upgrades for ships needs work. It would be nice to know before buying an expensive purchase that your ship cannot equip it. Perhaps a tool tip that says something like "Following ships can/cannot equip this".

 

Fifth, the leveling system. I don't know what the answer here is, but so far it really seems grinding. Perhaps it scales eventually (I've only gained the first promotion) but to go to the third rank will require the same amount of XP (1000) as it took to get to the second. It should be easier to level up, at least at the lower levels.

 

Sixth, the open world seems under utilized. At most basic, the use of the spyglass would be helpful in the open world. While the lack of a navigational system is more in keeping with the 17th Century, the fact is that celestial navigation did exist in primitive forms (the modern sextant was invented in 1757). Therefore it ought to be possible to get a "rough fix", perhaps within a margin of error to give you a general idea where your ship is (though not exact, to preserve the realism).

 

Thanks for reading.