Wheel drifting???

  • Shadow20642
    Marauder
    Insider

    Say you are sailing north.
    You leave the wheel as it clicks.

    You go and cook a meal and come back. Now you are heading East.

    Now i get that its meant to do that. However sometimes its really severe and other times not even there at all hardly.

    Is there a “sweet spot” or a technique where you can find out just how much of the wheel to turn to keep the ship straight, freeing you up to do other things? Or is it intended to keep you at the wheel?

    I find it to be a little annoying. I get that its to get you all to “work as a team” but its not like you ever stop being a team. It just gives you a little bit less micro managing.

    Is there a way to circumvent this?
    If not, then my suggestion is to remove it for anything other than the biggest of waves. It is a heavy ship afterall.

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  • Gundy the Shark
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder

    I’ve found that wheel drifting is most severe when you sail against the tide.

  • TheUnionJames
    Marauder
    Founder

    It's not the wheel. The wind will push the ship off course. The severity changes depending on the direction of the wind and the position of the sails. You just gotta compensate for it if you want to sail alone.

  • LucianSanchez82
    Legend
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @theunionjames Actually I think you'll find it's the motion of the ocean rather than the wind that knocks you off course. Head south, with the waves and you should notice your ship will maintain a steady course regardless of wind direction.

  • TheUnionJames
    Marauder
    Founder

    @luciansanchez82 true forgot about that.

  • Schwammlgott
    Champion

    @theunionjames as @LucianSanchez82 said, it has nothing to do with the wind, it's the waves...
    The drift is strongest, when sailing into the west
    South to east there is almost no drift

  • Capt Soul Beard
    Commander
    Insider

    I think I once saw a video published by the Rare team showing that the waves actually push your ship ever so slightly, I think it depends on the region you're in. (The Wilds, Ancient Isles or Shores of Plenty)

  • NunoAzuldimeter
    Champion
    Insider
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @daringclarky that's a cool detail and mechanic of the game.

    The ship is affected by waves/tides/wind so it change course.
    You need to rectify it compensating with the wheel. Simply use the ship compass and turn the wheel until you notice the compass isn't rotating and you're heading straight forward.

    But don't forget to regular check it because waves/tides/wind changes and you might need to compensate the wheel again

  • Little Squash
    Commander
    Insider

    @schwammlgott said in Wheel drifting???:

    @theunionjames as @LucianSanchez82 said, it has nothing to do with the wind, it's the waves...
    The drift is strongest, when sailing into the west
    South to east there is almost no drift

    This is truth. It happens when sailing West. It will push you South. The drift is worse the faster you are going.

    Once you understand the predictability of it, you may find yourself getting annoyed any time you realize that you need to go West to get to your destination.

  • Galactic Geek
    Seafarer
    Founder

    Unlike the wind, which changes, the waves are constant - always flowing from northwest to southeast. Another unrealistic aspect of the game, since IRL waves are supposed to be affected by both the wind and the pull of the moon, but I'm sure it was done for balance reasons, as with most things. Don't want to drift? Head southeast. Want a lot of it? Head northwest. Everywhere else in between will give you moderate drift.

  • Shadow20642
    Marauder
    Insider

    Thanks for the advice guys.
    I guess in future i can cook my meals sailing to the south but i had better be on the wheel coming back up north! Haha

  • huck shmuck
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    If you spend more time at the wheel youll start to understand the patterns more. When youre sailing straight, the tide often pushes your ship one way or another. If you see yourself drifting to the right, offset the wheel to the left until you notice you are heading mostly straight. However, the tides change. I would come up and check to make sure youre going the right way every now and then, especially because cooking does not require you to watch it 24/7

  • Galactic Geek
    Seafarer
    Founder

    @huckfinx Yep, most food takes ~1 minute, while trophy fish, megalodon, and kraken take ~2 minutes.

    I use my phone to set a quick timer, go do other things, then rush back when it goes off. Easy!

  • Shadow20642
    Marauder
    Insider

    @huckfinx said in Wheel drifting???:

    If you spend more time at the wheel youll start to understand the patterns more. When youre sailing straight, the tide often pushes your ship one way or another. If you see yourself drifting to the right, offset the wheel to the left until you notice you are heading mostly straight. However, the tides change. I would come up and check to make sure youre going the right way every now and then, especially because cooking does not require you to watch it 24/7

    Im really bad. I sometimes emote sleep in the bed instead of watching where im going.

    It has made for some amusing moments i must admit 😂

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