No consequences of leaving one's empty ship unattended

  • Rare, the new fun thing to do is to start a new vanilla ship and scout the servers for emissaries. Then, sail the vanilla ship behind a nearby rock and swim over to the emissary ship and tuck/sink/steal. It gets worse when these pirates also destroy their mainsail so it becomes basically invisible to everyone.

    There needs to be a higher consequence to attack another ship while your ship is a couple squares away and empty. You have nothing to lose, they have everything to lose.

    Thoughts on ways to resolve this are as follows:

    • Players must be within a certain distance of their ship or a decent amount of sharks spawn to stop this. This won't affect people filling their pockets with supplies or working quests on islands far from their ships.

    • Swimming fatigue sets in after swimming for a long journey and the player starts gulping water.

    • Penalty for losing an empty ship. Kind of like we have the penalty in Arena of 1,000 silver, but it's got to hurt in Adventure mode. Taking 10,000 gold from us is not enough. We have millions of gold. Maybe you get server migrated, too crazy a thought?

    I'm sure the community has far better ideas.

    May your plants have water, your cloth be dry and your bottles be perfect,
    gleam

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  • @gleaminx No. The consequences are enough. You get respawned farther and farther away the more you get sunk. The shark spawns should stay the way they are. Maybe increase the spawn rate a little bit the longer you swim? No swimming fatigue. I like how mystical it is of how I can run forever(or until I hit a rock) and swim forever. Some of us don't have millions of gold, and getting server migrated would add insult to injury. If I take your Athena haul, and then sink you, you would get server merged, with no hope of finding me again.

  • If your ship sinks, you don't respawn until you die, assuming you die. There are plenty of exceptional players out there that do not die. Their amazing ability at playing the game is fine as long as the game is balanced.

    So, it comes down to: how does the SoT population get away from them? A warning system. Rare made ships tall enough to be seen from afar. But, if they hide behind large spires and swim marathons to get to you, that's an issue isn't it? At least if they had to take a rowboat, there is something to be seen, granted not a lot. If you can't see them coming, how can you defend against them? Allowing players the ability to sneak up on someone without any sign of them coming is unbalanced. Just because both players can do it doesn't mean it's balanced.

    I'm a pretty successful pirate MA 75, GH 75, OoS 75, RB 68/HC 50/Ath 20 and my paranoia runs very deep in this game.

  • Can't say that I see this as a problem, coming from someone who hasn't ever used said tactic. I just can't fault those who do take this approach. I don't find it an exciting way to play, but more power to them if they do.

    You aren't defenseless against these tactics either. I've encountered tuckers before, though admittedly rarely, but I've yet to be taken off guard by them. I expect them, just like I expect every other potential threat at all times. So, that means when questing I make pitstops back to the ship to check the horizon (also do this from the islands as well, preferably from a high vantage point) and for people stowed away (or take an opportunity to do so when I pop back from the Ferry during my excursions if I find myself there). Sweep the ship, make some swats in key places with the Cutlass or a toss of a Blunderbomb (make sure to check your loot, and if you insist on carrying kegs you'll need to move them and be prescient - I just don't carry them cause I can find them if I need them). There are a few exploity places one can hide as well right now, that let a pirate sink into the model of the ship and become effectively invisible, so keep a careful eye on these spots until such time as they patch these things (or not, they may decide they are fine with it or that they are issues beyond resolution at this time).

    Anyways, be mindful and you should be fine most of the time. Some pirates will no doubt get the drop on you, but that is the nature of the game. In the end, you just lost some loot - it really doesn't mean much of anything. Always good to remember that and just have a good time, it is all about the adventure - win or lose.

  • I'm a pretty successful pirate MA 75, GH 75, OoS 75, RB 68/HC 50/Ath 20 and my paranoia runs very deep in this game.

    Good. A high Lvl pirate like yourself should be paranoid. It's part of the experiance it not broken.

    And as for it being unfair as there no defense is simply wrong. There are ways to detect and protect your self.

    Frist off you have the mermaid that pop up and make a very distinic nose you can here from quite a distance is their swiming and the benift of a rowboat is no mermaid so its a trade off being more visual or opting for a warning signal.

    Also tucker are defensless while emoting giving the optunity of a frist strike.
    The skill and time takes to pull these things are quite high. So yes it is completly fair it far easier to def then it is to sneak espicially agianst a vetern paranoid player.

    Additonally why do you assume a hunter has to risk something to get his prey. The best hunters and preditors do everything they can to minimize risk and maximize reward thats just skill not a balance issue.

    Lastly why do you want to punish player for sneaking and stealing by adding consequences when one of the main goals of the game is to steal. They're playing the game correctly if anything they should be rewarded more.

  • This is a pirate game, and piracy involves lots of tactics. Half the stuff people do in this game wouldn't be possible if these consequences happened. Also, this would seriously affect pirate legends and veteran players, as they have completed all of the preset content and all that is left is the variety of pvp and tactical advantage.

  • All I hear is you being upset about getting tucked on or something. Look, the greatness of this game comes from the lack of a penalty in most of your actions. You can Role Play or just sail around and enjoy the beauty of the game all you want. Some people like myself enjoy the pvp and sneaky pirate style which does affect the people we steal from but this is a PIRATE game so this shouldn’t be a problem. And a major flaw with your idea on a “fix” for this would be if you were to sink and you have all your loot on your rowboat while your boat Respawn somewhere else, you by your reasoning would be a few squares from your boat and would either server merged or be charged gold for this which would be frustrating for those who don’t have “millions of gold” as you said we all do.

  • It's called strategy. If a player can leave their ship and still manage to sink you then they deserve it. They are leaving their ship unattended for someone else to potentially do the same thing to them. Players just need to be on the lookout more and not spend so much time on a single island. Every island is pretty far apart so if someone has time to swim to you then your there too long probably. I've swam to people plenty of times and there should have been no reason for them to not be done by the time I get there. If someone manages to sneak onto my ship AND sink it after swimming or towboating to me then they deserve it

  • @gleaminx maybe you should pay attention to your surroundings more.

  • @captain-coel Surroundings, vicinity, nearby environment. I totally agree. A ship parked multiple squares away behind rocks removes that ability.

    That's like saying the satellite that fell out of orbit onto your head was your fault because you weren't paying attention to your surroundings. How are you supposed to look for something invisible to the naked eye?

  • @gleaminx said in No consequences of leaving one's empty ship unattended:

    @captain-coel Surroundings, vicinity, nearby environment. I totally agree. A ship parked multiple squares away behind rocks removes that ability.

    That's like saying the satellite that fell out of orbit onto your head was your fault because you weren't paying attention to your surroundings. How are you supposed to look for something invisible to the naked eye?

    Numerous examples in my post above. Including some key places to be looking. This is not something you are defenseless against, learn how to combat and counter it rather than seek to eliminate a viable strategy that some enjoy trying to pull off that does require skill and effort on their part to do.

    Like I said, I don't do the method cause it is boring by my own opinion, but I don't fault those who can and want to do it. I just work to resist their efforts. Has worked a treat for me so far.

  • @gleaminx said in No consequences of leaving one's empty ship unattended:

    @captain-coel Surroundings, vicinity, nearby environment. I totally agree. A ship parked multiple squares away behind rocks removes that ability.

    That's like saying the satellite that fell out of orbit onto your head was your fault because you weren't paying attention to your surroundings. How are you supposed to look for something invisible to the naked eye?

    umm look for their mermaid.

  • @captain-coel these people still have nothing to lose using this strategy while the victim/prey has everything to lose.

    A mermaid is a great indicator of telling you someone is on your boat or on an island near an area of the shoreline. This gives you no ability to run. They are already there. This brings me back to my point.

    There's an empty vanilla ship parked behind rocks and no consequences to the thief except for the highly unlikely chance of another player finding it and sinking it. The skeleton ships won't even spawn and destroy it. A kraken won't spawn near rocks and rain won't sink an anchored boat either. So, what do they lose? Nothing.

    They get to log in and look for a FOTD in the sky and look on the Emissary tables at the outpost they just spawned in at. What kind of nonsense is that? Remove the wooden ships at the tables showing the Emissaries. Remove the Reapers on the map. Remove the rank markings on the Emissary flags and make it harder for these players praying on the hard work of others.

    Right now it's a smorgasbord for the hunters.

  • @gleaminx said in No consequences of leaving one's empty ship unattended:

    @captain-coel these people still have nothing to lose using this strategy while the victim/prey has everything to lose.

    A mermaid is a great indicator of telling you someone is on your boat or on an island near an area of the shoreline. This gives you no ability to run. They are already there. This brings me back to my point.

    There's an empty vanilla ship parked behind rocks and no consequences to the thief except for the highly unlikely chance of another player finding it and sinking it. The skeleton ships won't even spawn and destroy it. A kraken won't spawn near rocks and rain won't sink an anchored boat either. So, what do they lose? Nothing.

    They get to log in and look for a FOTD in the sky and look on the Emissary tables at the outpost they just spawned in at. What kind of nonsense is that? Remove the wooden ships at the tables showing the Emissaries. Remove the Reapers on the map. Remove the rank markings on the Emissary flags and make it harder for these players praying on the hard work of others.

    Right now it's a smorgasbord for the hunters.

    you can see a mermaid a long way off, about the same distance as a rowboat.

  • @screenamesuck Their ship is empty and costs them nothing to lose. They get to server hop indefinitely until they find a wooden ship on the Emissary board indicating there's a worthwhile ship on the server to reap from or look in the sky for an active FOTD.

  • @gleaminx said in No consequences of leaving one's empty ship unattended:

    @screenamesuck Their ship is empty and costs them nothing to lose. They get to server hop indefinitely until they find a wooden ship on the Emissary board indicating there's a worthwhile ship on the server to reap from or look in the sky for an active FOTD.

    But they still have to pull it off. It is not a guarantee for them. Many times the strategy also fails. It is a gamble. First they have to find you, just knowing you're on the server doesn't mean they know where you are. If it is a Fort or Fort of the Damned, these are meant to be contested, you should expect pirates to be showing up. You are aware it is possible to try and hide (something the devs want, they made the Hide emote more than a year after the game was out to help promote this). The game is PvEvP, expect for other players to try and rob you. If their ship is a few squares away and you kill them, they have to get back to you again. This nets you your escape time. Meanwhile, they kill you and you spawn right back.

    Find them and kill them. Don't just wait for them to spring the trap. In many cases these people are in nearly plain sight (save for a couple exploits that if you simply check for don't make any difference) with pirates walking right past them oblivious. Just watch the streams of people who do this tactic.

    The more this thread goes on the more it seems clear that you got hit by the tactic, and it worked, and you're mad that it happened. But it is a part of the game, and one you're well aware of by your own admission.

    Once again, it is not impossible to counter this tactic. In fact, it is very easy. If you can't counter it they would have taken you out regardless because they've outplayed you. Ship or not you would have lost your loot. They just enjoy pulling a fast one over on unsuspecting pirates, and that is just smart playing and effort paying off.

    I'm sorry you got hit by this tactic and it worked, but it is just a tactic like any other.

  • I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

    Stealth play is a very fun and complex thing to proprly pull off in SoT. There musn't be any changes to it!

    If stealthers are messing with you, learn to regurarly check and find them.
    And regarding their ships, it totally doesn't matter where they strand it, or if it has sails or not. When I'm tucking I even scuttle my ship.

  • I mean one cannon ball shot will sink it as there is nobody to bail or repair the ship.

    Isnt that enough?

  • The consequences of leaving your ship is it gets sunk by another player when they roll up on it and your not there.

    That’s why you use the row boat for the win.

  • If you didn't notice a ship parking behind a rock, you weren't paying attention to your surroundings. If you did and did nothing about it, you're being reckless. Any ship in visual range is a potential threat.

  • @gleaminx

    That's like saying the satellite that fell out of orbit onto your head was your fault because you weren't paying attention to your surroundings. How are you supposed to look for something invisible to the naked eye?

    The example, to put it bluntly, is dumb. The scenario you are trying so hard to argue doesn't happen in an instant. Mermaids pop periodically during their marathon swim. You will honestly see their mermaid long before they even get close even long before they even get on the boat. Mermaids and rowboats stick out like sore thumbs, you just lack awareness. Time to stop developing horse blinders to pay attention to your surroundings.

    Its also highly predictive behavior, if I see a boat go behind a rock and not show up on the other side, I know shenanigans are afoot. I will extend it further, if a boat parks even an island away, I expect a swim play. There is this notion that boats come out of nowhere that needs to be squashed. Player boats have to travel, and you failing to notice that boat traveling to that behind the rock position is a failure on your part. Face the reality, you failed on your part.

    I'm sick in tired of this notion of players refusing to adapt. A new (this one has existed since day 1) strategy arises, and instead of learning how to play against it, they beg of onto the forums and start demanding the game fixes their non-existent problem.

    @captain-coel these people still have nothing to lose using this strategy while the victim/prey has everything to lose.

    Except they don't, its a completely unprotected ship that can be attacked by players, and skeleton ships. Are you incapable of sailing over and sinking the empty vessel? Hell, their mast is down according to you. The ship is an easy target, nothing stops you from sailing over and sinking them, but that would require you to actually do something about it rather then make Rare fix your shortcomings.

    The swim play in of itself isn't that great, you only have the one life and can only bring what you can carry. Killing swimmers from the deck of your ship is brain-dead easy you have the benefit of an ammo resupply, fruit, and higher mobility when compared to that swimmer. You already have all the advantage, they move slowly in water and only have the food they can carry. If they are bringing a keg, that is instant death for them if you hit it. Even if they drop it, shooting a non-moving target is easy and they will get caught in the radius. Even if they do get close, they need to climb the ladder, and there should be no excuse on this. Killing a person on a ladder is easy, especially when they can't fight back and funnel themselves in a straight line. Fish in a barrel.

    Key words in your response is Victim and Prey, you have already lost when you call yourself that.

    No consequences of leaving one's empty ship unattended

    There isn't, because you refuse to dish out those consequences. Stop being lazy.

  • @gleaminx I have never seen this once and I have played since beta. I think those consequences you are asking for are pretty over bearing in my opinion.

  • @gleaminx just kill them, if there ship is far away it will take a while for them to return.

    Traveling without your ship, means that when you die you are not near the location where it happened. If they are near just head towards their ship and sink it?

    #BeMorePirate, if you don't like how they play; act, kill and sink them instead of asking the game to take away their choices or punishing their choices...

  • Not once in two years has anyone ever snuck up to our ship. You make it sound like it happens to you all the time. You want them to take everything away so the game is so boring and simple for the pve players. Without the pvp the game is so dull and boring. Don't sail alone if your still worried about it. If someone stays on your ship then there is absolutely no way something can sneak up on you. There are so many visual and sound clues to let you know someone is there

  • As a pirate that does this literally all the time. the only thing I can say to you is, keep your guard up and lookout for swimmers and rowboats.

    I shall continue to do this forever and ever. lol
    cheers! to the pirate's life!
    Reject the code and good luck!

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