Ship speed

  • BlueAtTheMizzen
    Seafarer
    Insider

    Am I the only one finding it frustrating that the ships go exactly the same speed as other ships? I would REALLY like to see some variables introduced to allow a successful chase/run:

    • wind being a more significant factor
    • Weight cargo/canon weight being a significant factor. Make treasure/stores/guns put the ship lower in the water and slow it down. Allow for throwing treasure, stores, and guns to be tossed over board to lighten and speed up ship.
    • Clean hull?
    • Sail and rigging damage?
    • Generally more nuanced acceleration and speeds instead of just stop, slow, med, and fast.

    Thoughs?

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  • Gloog
    Master
    Founder

    Only the same ship type goes the same speed.

    Also ripping from my earlier comment, the game does not need more incentive for players to not have loot with them. We've already got people rushing to turn in their two castaway chests. We've got people complaining that noone has loot. Slowing ships with loot makes no sense from a gameplay perspective. The game needs more incentive to hoard loot, not less. I want to see a loot multiplier that gives more gold the more loot you have. We need to encourage risk to create intensity, not diminish it.

  • Blam320
    Legend
    Insider

    Seems to me like you've not actually paid attention. Galleons are faster sailing into the wind, sloops are faster sailing against the wind.

    How well your sails catch the wind is also a deciding factor to your speed. That's why sails go "full billow" when they're turned into the wind at full canvas, and that's also why your ship doesn't float away when all of your sails are fully furled and the anchor's up.

  • OutbackGamer868
    Insider

    The sloop goes 12 knots where as the gallon goes 22 knots. This in when you have the wind. Moreover, if a gallon has wind the sloop will lose if the sloop sails into the wind the gallon will lose exceptional speed and lose site of the sloop in a chase.

    So yes the same ship type are equally match in speed however differ between the two.

    I also suspect the new ship or ships will have their our advantages and disadvantages in the future will updates to balance the game out.

  • DrunkPunk138
    Master
    Founder

    You think the PvE cries are bad now? See what happens when you punish players for carrying cargo. It's already pretty easy if the other ship isn't keeping up with sails 100% to catch up (assuming it's the same ship type), slowing down ships for having cargo or extra cannonballs will only exacerbate the issue.

    Sail and rigging damage I would be interested in, but the impact it would have on the current flow of battle means it would need to be very, very carefully balanced. I'm on the fence as to whether I think it would improve battle, as the current strategy is to do what you can to reduce enemy focus to turn the tide of the fight. While I dig it, it does draw out with two competent crews, sometimes stalemating... but I'm not sure if that's a dynamic I want to go away.

  • BlueAtTheMizzen
    Seafarer
    Insider

    @clumsy-george I know it does make a difference, that is why I stated should be "...a more significant factor."
    There is a lot of subtle and not so subtle effects that could be added to wind direction, sail trim, and tacks/jibs that would not be overly frustrating for the sailing novice. Regardless, able seaman has to learn somehow!

  • BlueAtTheMizzen
    Seafarer
    Insider

    @blam320 I have been paying attention, that is why I made the suggestion.
    You are correct, different ships go at different speeds and work differently heading into the wind.
    What I am suggesting is additional realistic factors that can alter speed, such as cargo weight.
    Last night I was chasing a sloop at exactly the same distance for 30min or so. It would be nice if there were additional ways to make the ship speed not impossibly identical.

  • Blam320
    Legend
    Insider

    @blueatthemizzen said in Ship speed:

    @blam320 I have been paying attention, that is why I made the suggestion.
    You are correct, different ships go at different speeds and work differently heading into the wind.
    What I am suggesting is additional realistic factors that can alter speed, such as cargo weight.
    Last night I was chasing a sloop at exactly the same distance for 30min or so. It would be nice if there were additional ways to make the ship speed not impossibly identical.

    You probably weren't at full billow. Or you were sailing into a headwind. I've outrun sloops in Galleons by sailing into the wind at full billow, and likewise run away from Galleons in sloops by sailing against the wind.

  • CitywideBacon32
    Seafarer

    @gloog what you said "I want to see a loot multiplier that gives more gold the more loot you have. We need to encourage risk to create intensity, not diminish it". is A BRILLIANT idea the can be easily implanted into the game that will definitely increase the stakes of the game LOVE THIS IDEA

  • FancyPantzMcGee

    I'm not positive, but I believe if you get on the right angle/ wind, you can tack beyond just heading straight with the wind. Each 'swoosh' the sails make gives a initial boost and then seems to normal out. So if you can tack and get constant 'swooshes' ( I'm sorry lol) then you go faster than a boat that is just with the wind.

    I have no proof and I'm totally talking from my own perspective which could be biased with optimism that the games physics work the way I want.

    I don't think ship speed is the issue. I keep saying this but ammo, ammo, ammo. Give me more ways to take down a ship. Chain, grape, heavy, and flame shots out the cannon.

  • BlueAtTheMizzen
    Seafarer
    Insider

    @drunkpunk138 Well noted. I thought it would be an interesting option to run a no-gun ship that could sail faster. Or if you took the risk of loading less supplies, there would be the reward of faster speed.

    There would not be much difference if one were carrying 3 chests or 1 chest, but a speed/maneuverability difference in sloops with 2 guns and a full stock of cannon balls vs. a sloop with no cannons and no cannon balls could add an interesting and fair variable. Maybe make skulls have no affect, and chests only a small affect...

  • BlueAtTheMizzen
    Seafarer
    Insider

    @gloog That is a good point regarding the loot weight, though I think the "no one has loot" complaint is born from what brought them to notice no one has loot... It is the "shoot on sight" problem and that there seem to be more pirates than transporters.
    The point of the post was to find ways to deal with the fact that in the game it is possible to exactly match ship speeds once the currently existing wind/sail factors are exploited at 100% i.e. setting up a new risk/reward factor, like weight, to adjust speed if only subtly.
    Sail and rigging wear would be another option, but that would be difficult to do with how the game is currently set up.

  • Gloog
    Master
    Founder

    @blueatthemizzen if you believe that's an issue then your solution just worsens that issue.

    I'll stick with the idea noone has loot because they turn it in after every island and you can stick to the idea noone does anything but PvP. Regardless, slowing down ships with treasure doesn't help.

  • iDuskk
    Marauder
    Insider

    The ship speed is fine. Chasing is all about effective sailing. Try to predict where people are going to turn, try to angle your cannons and fire a teammate to anchor them. Grab your Eye of Reach and try to snipe em.

    Chases aren't supposed to be easy. Plus this goes both ways. How frustrating would it be chasing someone who doesn't even have their sails dropped all the way because they're bad at sailing, but because they turn in chests every 2 seconds they can evade you and make you look like a scrub?

    Not to mention all these suggestions are just going to be cheesed. Boat's damaged? Scuttle and get a new one. Weighed down? Sell your stuff more and nobody will ever have things to steal. Wouldn't be an improvement imho.

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