Where To Aim/ Hit Boxs?

[Stix]

So it seems there are certain hit boxs on ships, certain sails seem to take 3-5% damage on first hit then 1% each hit after that. Masts obviously have hit boxs as do rudders. What about pumps? Crew? I have shot grape all over someone's bow with no crew nearby and wiped out half the crew. Where is the magazine and pumps? Other targets worth aiming for?

[Elouda]

General breakdown is as follows - bear in mind that all of this is ship specific, so it is not a complete answer by any means.

 

Hull - this one is easiest, split into 4 sections, Sides, Bow and Stern, just aim for the large wooden bit, preferably close to the waterline.

 

Sails - each sail has their own health, so if you cannot lower the total sails below a certain amount by own shooting one sail. Likewise, generally the first hit will do most damage with subsequents doing less. The best way to go after these is to target each one manually with single shot chain. Bear in mind that some of the sails higher up can be hard to hit due to the angle required, though these are also often smaller. A smart opponent will depower and/or lower sails to minimize sail damage if he can. Ideal shots are generally from either directly ahead or behind, where you can get several sails with one chain.

 

Masts - these are also valid targets, though they can be hard to hit. Demasting will remove all of the sails attached to that mast, which can often be 20-40% (or 100% in the case of single masted ships). These will require several hits with ball to break. Larger ships have multiple 'sections' on the mast, with the lower ones being harder to break (in return, when they do break, they bring down all sections above them also).

 

Crew - this varies a lot by ships. On open-topped ships like the cutter, lynx, and the brigs, you can simply shoot just over the sides and get lucky (this is made much easier if the target is leaning towards you due to damage or wind/waves). On open ships shots with a slight angle from the front or back are most effective. Shots straight into the stern also work, straight into the bow is generally ineffective. On enclosed ships (the snow being the first), the top deck is still a decent target, but will results in less deaths. The sides of the ship next to the guns are a good target area, but may require damaging the hull first to increase penetration. Stern shots are increasingly effective on the larger enclosed ships due to how hard it is to get through the sides.

 

Rudder - you can hit this by either shooting the rudder directly, or into the stern slightly above/ahead of the rudder. The first is more reliable if you do hit, but obviously a much smaller target.

 

Pump - this one varies by ship, but is generally low in the hull and either amidships or slightly back from there.

 

Magazine - again, varies a lot by ship, to be frank I'm not even sure if the smaller (sub-frigate) ships truly have a magazine hitbox. On the larger ships its generally under the mainmast or foremast.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Elouda

[mouse of war]

If there's no separate hit box for the lower hull - does it actually make any difference if you aim low? 

[Elouda]

If there's no separate hit box for the lower hull - does it actually make any difference if you aim low? 

 

It means that any leaks that you cause are more likely to spend more time in the water than out, meaning the target will have to consider switching to survival mode to plug them sooner.

 

Apart from that, I don't think theres a difference. Of course, the downside to aiming low is that you wont hit crew as often (ball through the gundeck will often kill a few crew) and you are more likely to hit the water.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Elouda

[Stix]

Great answer, thanks for that

[Elouda]

Great answer, thanks for that

 

Thanks, sorry if some of them are a little generic. Hope its enough to point you in the right direction. Experience will be the best teacher.

Edited January 24, 2016 by Elouda

[Fluffy Fishy]

There are posts from the devs somewhere showing how the damage works, its quite impressive. I can't find it on these forums but there is a post by one of the devs here to show you roughly how it works

 

 

http://forum.sealordsvf.org/index.php?/topic/6382-damage-40-model-coming-soon/

Edited January 24, 2016 by Fluffy Fishy

[GrapeShot]

If you press 'Control L' you bring up the damage log. You can figure out pump hit boxes, etc., by checking it to see where the hit boxes are. Aim at a spot on the ship, fire at it and check the damage log to see if you hit something besides the hull.