Scuttling Ship Mechanics

@daddy-sanctus never knew this was a thing, but I disagree, for scuttling is a strategic initiative that has many negatives. However, scuttling at the right moment is a smart endeavor and ought to have a spawning benefit.

A crew looses all loot and supplies, but gains a fresh hull and a new location, which should be advantages.

@aaronblueeyes But why should scuttling a ship be any sort of strategic initiative? You're essentially admitting defeat on the spot. The only difference between a ship being sunk and scuttled is the spawn location.

I guess I just don't see why a crew who has been defeated should be awarded in any way for giving up and scuttling, instead of fighting to save their ship the best they can. Scuttling, if anything, should spawn you the farthest away from your current position.

I thought the intention of having the scuttle option to begin with was to get away from griefers. So why spawn closer to your initial position when scuttling than when sinking? Shouldn't it be the other way around?

@aaronblueeyes said in Scuttling Ship Mechanics:

@daddy-sanctus never knew this was a thing, but I disagree, for scuttling is a strategic initiative that has many negatives. However, scuttling at the right moment is a smart endeavor and ought to have a spawning benefit.

A crew looses all loot and supplies, but gains a fresh hull and a new location, which should be advantages.

@aaronblueeyes It is however unhealthy for those trying to take a fort. Fight the same Crew you just sunk 5 mins ago isn't healthy for the game. Especially as your supplies dwindles they get a fresh everything each time. Its exploiting a feature in the game and should rightfully be fixed. I would also add that their is nothing strategic or smart about last minute scuttling before the few seconds of life your ship has. Could just have 3 votes stacked and the person who is captaining give the final call.

I just had an interesting experience, which I believe has occurred before, but I wasn’t really paying much attention.

Had a solo sloop who was wanting to harass us and attempt to sink us, he wasn’t very good though and we kept “sinking” his ship. We were surprised when he would return just a few minutes later and begin attacking us again, preventing us from completing a quest. We realized after the 3rd time he returned that instead of sinking, he was scuttling his ship so he could continue to harass us repeatedly and quickly.

Another prime example of the scuttle feature, which was meant to help people who were being griefed, used for the exact opposite purpose.

@nabberwar I disagree sir, examples of when scuttling is strategic: When being boarded and spawn killed, when having to jump overboard because you were boarded, while on an island and another crew steal your ship and sail away with it.

Have you proven there's a closer spawn distance? I noticed that I spawn closer to skull forts each time repeatedly when there's an active fort and no other ships are actively combating the fort. It's the dev's way of enticing a crew to go after it.

But the second other ships arrive on the scene one spawns the normal spawn distance away of 1/2 the map.

@aaronblueeyes said in Scuttling Ship Mechanics:

@nabberwar I disagree sir, examples of when scuttling is strategic: When being boarded and spawn killed, when having to jump overboard because you were boarded, while on an island and another crew steal your ship and sail away with it.

Have you proven there's a closer spawn distance? I noticed that I spawn closer to skull forts each time repeatedly when there's an active fort and no other ships are actively combating the fort. It's the dev's way of enticing a crew to go after it.

But the second other ships arrive on the scene one spawns the normal spawn distance away of 1/2 the map.

I certainly agree there are certain situations in which scuttling a ship is necessary such as being spawn killed. But I don't think it's a good mechanic when people are using it to get to skull forts quicker.

I have absolutely no proof that people spawn closer when scuttling. I only have my own experiences to base it off of and what I've seen happening in the game. I've fought multiple ships now who have scuttled and for some reason they are always right back in the action, within 2-3 minutes usually. Is it luck? Maybe. Is it just a coincidence? Maybe. But the more often it happens and the more consistently I see it occurring it leaves me scratching my head in wonder.

Perhaps if we had some insight from a dev we could find out if this is actually the case or not when it comes to scuttling vs sinking.

Hadn't thought of this before. Thanks for the idea.

@aaronblueeyes said in Scuttling Ship Mechanics:

@nabberwar I disagree sir, examples of when scuttling is strategic: When being boarded and spawn killed, when having to jump overboard because you were boarded, while on an island and another crew steal your ship and sail away with it.

Have you proven there's a closer spawn distance? I noticed that I spawn closer to skull forts each time repeatedly when there's an active fort and no other ships are actively combating the fort. It's the dev's way of enticing a crew to go after it.

But the second other ships arrive on the scene one spawns the normal spawn distance away of 1/2 the map.

@aaronblueeyes Just want to clarify I'm not saying there is never a proper reason to scuttle. I use the example when its exploiting the feature, for the specific reason to spawn closer to an Active Skull Fort. As well as Daddy Sanctus said the only evidence I have is personal experience. I would also add I have had other pirates ingame talk about this as well prior to this post.

Again.... had a guy repeatedly trying to attack us for no reason and talking trash / playing music over gamechat and every time his ship was nearing death he would scuttle and reappear within about 3-4 minutes. This time I used a stopwatch to time it. Just luck he's spawning so close?

But I recall scuttling a ship near a skull fort like 2 weeks ago and I was spawned normal distance away.

@urihamrayne Thanks for taking the time to test this out a bit further in game Uriham. I've got the next hour to kill, so I think I'm gonna hop in and do the same thing.

@urihamrayne Yeah for sure, I'm going to make sure to record where I sink / how I'm sunk / what type of engagement before being sunk / what type of ship I'm fighting / where I'm respawning.

No joke, I join a game and find a duo crew on a sloop. I tell them I want them to sink me so I can test spawn distances and that I'm going to fire 1 cannon shot at them. One of them says "aye." One of them swims over to my ship and boards it, while the other stays put. I fire my one shot, and he patches it up and then also swims over and board my ship. Then they try killing me. One shoots me with a sniper rifle from point blank, so I proceed to obliterate both of them, sink their ship, and then kill them again.

I've already lost my interest in testing this. LoL