Here some ideas I thought would contribute to the game. If you don't like them, I won't be offended. They are merely ideas. I don't pretend to know the game more than the devs do like many others on these forums. I don't claim to know exactly how they would impact balance. I also ascribe to the philosphy that before asking for changes in game balance players should first try to adapt their playstyle or approach....and if over an extended period of time there are still issues, then maybe it should be considered for conservative adaptations first before large changes. That said, here are some crazy ideas:
1.) Adding a climbable rope/ladder to the back of the galleon. My friends and I are pretty skilled pirates thusfar. We've been sunk maybe once since the beta stress-tests. But recently we've been having repeated trouble trying to board enemy galleons as their crew would just puppy-guard the ladders with blunderbuss, etc. That said, perhaps we could change our approach. We could technically focus on putting more holes into them to demand their attention away from the ladders. BUT this is very hard in some situations with a two-man sloop. Especially if the galleon crew is somewhat experienced/and/or you have no gun powder barrels. I think the change to nameplates could hopefully allow for more sneaking and i'm excited to see how this changes things. But I'd also be curious how a 3rd entry point to the galleon (behind the captains quarters) could change things so it's not as easy to puppy guard. But once again, maybe my crew just needs to change our approach. This is just an idea.
2.) Make the Kraken more threatening, terrifying, difficult by adding another attack where it smashes the side of the boat (perhaps dumping pirates aboard into the inky water) and creates 2-3 holes in the ship.
Without making any drastic changes to the Kraken, i'm wondering how possible it would be to add an attack to its programming. I feel like the kraken seems very passive and the boat kinda just sits relatively peacefully inside his inky circle. I think by adding an attack where he smashes or bumps the boat with a tentacle (with impact similar to cannon fire or ramming another boat), sending pirates overboard into the inky water and creating a few holes in the process could make this thing a legitimate threat, while still being "beatable". I want my experiences with the Kraken to be terrifying, as opposed to flicking an annoying fly off my shoulder.
Anyway, let me know your thoughts on these ideas. They may not be feasible, but most of the best brainstorming comes from spitting out your thoughts, impressions and ideas without regard.
