In episode #5 of the SoT podcast, the devs talked about how the current state of pvp has a lot of potential to be improved, including a "from the ground up" re-work.
I thought a good starting point would be introducing raised ladders that can only be lowered under certain criteria instead of the player having direct control. For example, if a sloop is sailing in the water, unanchored and full sail, the ladders would be up, the only way to lower the ladders would be to immobilize the ship via chainshot or anchorball. Now, at that point the ladders would lowered allowing easy boarding and putting the sloop on the defense, with a focus on repelling the boarders and getting mobile again. As for the other ships, the brig should have to have both masts chained, and for the galleon, the middle mast and either front or back should be chained. To clarify my point, if the anchor is down for any ship, or the masts are chained, the ladders would be lowered as well.
Currently in most fights, the aggressors board the ship first, immobilize it, then engage with cannons and usually spawn camp. But with this proposed change, the idea would be to change the order, starting with imobilising the ship, then boarding and opening fire.
This would put more emphasis on ship to ship engagement before players actually engage each other face to face. As for spawn camping you could lower the time to kill on ships, either by changing how much damage a cannon can inflict on another ship, how long it takes to repair, or how quickly a ship floods. That way once players are on the defensive it's a quicker process of either quickly repelling your boarders and fixing the ship or sinking, instead of a spawn killing back and forth, and cannon launched boarders trying to catch ladders.
To summarize, this post is meant to emphasize ship to ship combat without removing the conventional boarding aspect. I think this would provide a more authentic ship to ship combat experience without taking away from the core feel of SoT.
Hot Topic: The Future of Ship Combat
@bigshorty02 no... The disadvantage of the sloop comes from it being easily bored. It is the tankiest ship in the game with the most maneuverability, easiest mast to catch and fix, and fastest anchor to raise.
The sloop is also the ship it is easiest to check for borders with. If raisable ladders came then there really needs to be better ways to immobilize ships since now bording is one of the best ways to stop runners.
@bigshorty02 literally a thread on the front page with a 100+ replies on this topic. I'll say it here as I said it there. No ladders stay down, learn to listen and defend them.
@captain-coel The post isn't about learning to listen and defend ladders, it's about emphasizing ship to ship combat without removing boarding.
@bigshorty02 That’s not really emphasising it. It’s encouraging players to spam chain shots and make the fights longer than they need to be. I’d recommend maybe putting this as an alternate suggestion in the other thread.
Not a good idea, but I’d rather this than just straight up raisable ladders.
@junior7973 "For example, if a sloop is sailing in the water, unanchored and full sail, the ladders would be up, the only way to lower the ladders would be to immobilize the ship via chainshot or anchorball." "As for the other ships, the brig should have to have both masts chained, and for the galleon, the middle mast and either front or back should be chained. To clarify my point, if the anchor is down for any ship, or the masts are chained, the ladders would be lowered as well."
@scurvywoof I believe this does emphasize ship combat more because you have to focus on fighting with the ship instead of boarding first to immobilize a crew. Yes, it encourages crews to spam chain shots, making the resource more valuable. However, this also doesn't make a fight any longer than it needs to be. There are many ways to sink a ship, and ramming or landing yourself with a cannon shot on the deck is still a valid way to board. Keep in mind there is a harpoon to get close and board also.
@nitroxien If the disadvantage of the sloop comes from it being quickly boarded, why did you state it is the easiest to check for boarders? I find that they balance each other out rather than a disadvantage. Anyway, there are many ways to immobilize a ship currently—for example, gunpowder mast down, chain shot, anchor, and anchor ball. Also, the ladders still come down once immobilized, meaning boarding by the ladder isn't out of the question. This suggestion is just a way to provide more ship PVP before getting into the spawn camping that occurs to sink a ship successfully. Which, I might add, the developers mentioned they dislike the spawn camping waiting period in the podcast he mentioned.
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@bigshorty02 ship to ship combat is still important. Creating a mild bit of extra safety while engaging would be bad. You would be able to ignore the ladders until immobile. This let's ypu focus on other things and not worry. Sorry it's a hard pass from me.
@talkinggorillas said in Hot Topic: The Future of Ship Combat:
@scurvywoof I believe this does emphasize ship combat more because you have to focus on fighting with the ship instead of boarding first to immobilize a crew. Yes, it encourages crews to spam chain shots, making the resource more valuable. However, this also doesn't make a fight any longer than it needs to be. There are many ways to sink a ship, and ramming or landing yourself with a cannon shot on the deck is still a valid way to board. Keep in mind there is a harpoon to get close and board also.
Those are both ineffective and are hard to pull off or will cause just as much damage to you and likely let the other ship board. Harpooning is not possible when you are both broadsiding or the other ship is running away and out of harpoon range.
No to raising ladders.
@ponyassassin450
I’m not a pony. Whatever you said, I’m not getting assassinated from your words.@scurvywoof It's not my post, and it is just a suggestion. However, what I gather from your replies makes it seems like the way current combat plays out is just fine. I personally believe that this suggestion would be beneficial in promoting more ship on ship PVP instead of players on a ship and spawn camping. If you have a better suggestion I'd like to hear it, or do you think current ship combat is fine where it is?
@talkinggorillas My suggestion isnt really mine, but a post from Sandman which made some good suggestions. For example, making the anchor drop time slower and adding more ladders to galleons and brigs.
I agree current ship combat revolves around boarding, but that was also how it was back then. A lot less sinking and a lot more ransoming.@scurvywoof Adding more ladders to board easier doesn't change the combat at all though. If anything it makes it board centric which is something ship v ship combat shouldn't be in my opinion. Anyways, this idea for the raising ladders would a great thing to test, and his idea doesn't take away from person to person combat.
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