Ships for the trading companies

For me this would be a pass for a few reasons:

1. Unreliable. If these are spawning at random places or running patrol routes then they are unreliable for turning in loot (chance that they are not where you need them to be). The Outposts serve as a consistent and reliable place to turn in loot, and there are more Outposts than Ships on a server so there is bound to always be one open.

2. Complexity. This system would require a bit of AI, and more Ships on a server (one of the things that hit the server pretty hard as there is a lot being calculated around them). The amount of Complexity to deliver this idea seems to outweigh any potential benefit.

And while this isn't a major one, from a personal standpoint I actually miss the days when any time we saw a Ship on the horizon we knew for a fact that was a crew of other players on our server. Skeleton ships already sort of ruined this facet a bit, most notably the ones that just absently sail around the world (less so the Fleet or the ones that spawn on you to attack as these are highly limited, and one is very clearly a world event). At one time that was sort of an ethos of the development team, but the desire for more Ship combat one out on that. Adding even more Ships out there which are not players will diminish this feeling even further, which I'm just personally against as opposed to an objective truth of the situation (thus I don't number it as part of the listing).

I think we're good with Skeleton Ships and Player Ships as it stands. At least these have very distinct profiles on the horizon so you can still tell them apart easily.

@rockaceyt said in Ships for the trading companies:

@redeyesith One way to distinguish would be a special ship type, but I personally think this idea is great.

This further increases the Complexity issue then. And that, mixed with the Unreliable factor strikes me as more work than it is worth by a long shot. It would make more sense to have these as something players would Raid (world event) or Attack (emergent event) or Hunt (voyage event) as opposed to a place to Sell Loot and get Voyages from. The problem with that is that it essentially is just a rehash of what we already have then (Fleets, Spawns, etc) with nothing more than a different skin.

Cause, yes, we still have a little wiggle room remaining as it pertains to silhouette (a 4 Mast Ship as an example), but overall this just feels very unneeded to me. That said, I won't be surprised if this ends up becoming a thing at some point, as there are solid lore based things that the devs could explore that would facilitate such an addition even if it is bland and mostly pointless from a gameplay standpoint overall. And, since it will at least make sense when it does most likely happen, I'll grin and bear it as normal when changes come that I think are mostly pointless or detrimental. Still love the game, and will continue to play.

Honestly I'd just like to see Merchant Ships sailing on the waters every now and then.

Say they’re brigs or galleons, just have them sail on a set route and speed, and have a slightly modified Skelly-Ship AI (a little less aggressive and more prone to running, as Merchants would be).

They'd help the sea feel more alive, provide a PvE element for Reapers and other pirates, but with a consequence of losing a bit of reputation with the Merchants Faction if you attack them. There could also be a simple mechanic where if you're wearing a costume you don't get deductions to your Merchant rank, which would finally give a reason to wear costumes over personal outfits. Both of these things would help there feel like there's a sense of continuity and real impact of your actions, which currently the game is sorely lacking outside of the overall Tall Tales narrative.

@rockaceyt said in Ships for the trading companies:

@slashsgt Great idea,=. with the costume are you saying that if you have it on and sink the merchants then you wont lose rep?

Yes, the idea being the Merchants wouldn't know it was you that sunk and/or stole from their crews.

I rlly like the idea. It would provide much needed life to the seas and Mabey even be able to purchase regular supplies there. Also escorting missions????