The Curse of Cursed Cannon Balls

Granted, I can't really criticize something unless I've tried it. But I am not very excited about these cursed cannon balls. I enjoy the ship combat as it is. Here's hoping the change isn't to drastic. We'll find out soon enough

I cant wait for cursed cannonballs, try to run from me now! Mwahahaha

The design team has made a choice to not include positional damage on a ship outside of location on the hull. Adding something like wheel or sail damage would likely be fairly easy to put in and test, you just have the component register damage and when it hits a threshold amount make the object un-interactable until "repaired". This would be so easy to code in (well probably anyway) that I find it extremely likely that they already tested something like this out and decided to go another way. If you want a game that does this and does it well, Guns of Icarus is going to be your jam.

If I had to guess, and in honesty this entire post of mine is based on a guess so why stop now, they didn't put this in because you can not be sure of having enough crew to be able to handle the increased work load this would impart. Imagine being a 1 man sloop and, on top of all the other disadvantages, you had to repair your wheel and sails. Nightmare much?

I am guessing that cursed canon balls are more of a counter to fort hopping etc then anything else. They are giving more tools that require time to collect in order to gain an advantage and privifing new ships on a server with a disadvantage

@omnipotence13 said in The Curse of Cursed Cannon Balls:

I am guessing that cursed canon balls are more of a counter to fort hopping etc then anything else. They are giving more tools that require time to collect in order to gain an advantage and privifing new ships on a server with a disadvantage

I never thought of this. This is sort of scary what might happen to new ships on the server, even if they aren't fort hopping. Hopping on just to catch a few golden chickens? Denied. First Island you visit you get bombarded with cursed cannon balls and because you are at a disadvantage there's nothing you can do about it. That could become a problem if people start realizing how beneficial that could be in battle. The seas might just become more hostile in the near future. But we have alliances to combat that as well.

It's all very exciting stuff. I can't wait for the new content to drop. I just hope it doesn't drastically change the game in a negative way.

Meeting at Rare

Question:
"So like ... what can we do to not have to rework the whole ships models ?"

Answer:

@blind-boy-grunt
I've been reading a book on Blockchain and stuff by Don and Alex Tapscott.
Under "Achieving Trust In the Digital Age" I found these 4 elements very interesting:

• Honesty
• Consideration
• Accountability
• Transparency

I guess I could go deeper on each points and where Rare is failing us.
But I won't :p
The book is a good read.

Guys @Blind-Boy-Grunt is just voicing how he feels. Just like you are.
The joys you had facing Meg has not been shared by all.
Expectation when, not met (subjective) will turn into disappointment.
Trust me he is definitely not the only one that Rare has disappointed.
Just like you guys are not the only ones that have been fully happy with the game so far.

Just a matter of what each and everyone could expect given what the devs have promised:
"New, Fun and surprising ways" is very very very blurry. And intended to be so.

This is 2018, where it is rightfully expected that AI will be more than "circle" + "attack" patterns ... This is not unreasonable.

The pattern is very simple.

Yet, a shark is a shark. So I get your point too (although lasers are always cool!!!).

Chill and ask for clarification instead of inferring.
You all make good points, just try not to do so at the expense of one another.

If we added ship-specific damage, you can kiss outrunning someone you don't want to PVP goodbye. Lucky shot to the rudder or helm? No more maneuvering power, you're a sitting duck. Sails torn to shreds, or even worse you've lost a mast? Speed is no longer an option. At that point you're better off scuttling and getting a new ship; it won't be worth it trying to repel the attackers.

On another note, curses fit thematically. Rare's already devoted to the whole "romanticized cartoon pirate fantasy adventure" theme, and is probably not too concerned about realism asides from water physics and sailing mechanics.

Well If you have all the knowledge you need and a sticker on the Wall that you have Done stuff, rare are looking for people, so take your sticker with you, knock on there door and say Hey i can help out, and stop troll the forum with nonsens.

@jonaldinho said in The Curse of Cursed Cannon Balls:

@omnipotence13 said in The Curse of Cursed Cannon Balls:

I am guessing that cursed canon balls are more of a counter to fort hopping etc then anything else. They are giving more tools that require time to collect in order to gain an advantage and privifing new ships on a server with a disadvantage

I never thought of this. This is sort of scary what might happen to new ships on the server, even if they aren't fort hopping. Hopping on just to catch a few golden chickens? Denied. First Island you visit you get bombarded with cursed cannon balls and because you are at a disadvantage there's nothing you can do about it. That could become a problem if people start realizing how beneficial that could be in battle. The seas might just become more hostile in the near future. But we have alliances to combat that as well.

It's all very exciting stuff. I can't wait for the new content to drop. I just hope it doesn't drastically change the game in a negative way.

Alliances will make it much more difficult for a new ship. I suspect it’s going to be a miserable experience for many now that ships will be ganged up on

@only-alexraptor said in The Curse of Cursed Cannon Balls:

@blam320 said in The Curse of Cursed Cannon Balls:

If we added ship-specific damage, you can kiss outrunning someone you don't want to PVP goodbye. Lucky shot to the rudder or helm? No more maneuvering power, you're a sitting duck. Sails torn to shreds, or even worse you've lost a mast? Speed is no longer an option. At that point you're better off scuttling and getting a new ship; it won't be worth it trying to repel the attackers.

On another note, curses fit thematically. Rare's already devoted to the whole "romanticized cartoon pirate fantasy adventure" theme, and is probably not too concerned about realism asides from water physics and sailing mechanics.

I don't see any reason why people should always be able to avoid PvP if they want to. Avoiding PvP should be something that is earned through superior sailing skills knowledge and situational awareness. And if a ship is already close enough to disable you, then you've already failed big time.
Likewise it would actually be an advantage for people who want to avoid PvP as well, as they could just as easily disable their pursuers, especially for sloops that actually have a significantly faster turn rate.

Here's the problem with that logic.

There are currently two ways you engage another ship. The first is both see each other coming, and the second is the defender is ambushed while the crew is away on an island. In the first case, something that you described is at least feasible; rewarding good seamanship and aim with the cannons. But then again, it's not "fun" being rendered helpless and unmoving by a crew that managed to destroy your sails.

In the second case, all bets are off. Sometimes you need the entire crew off on an island, and can't afford to place a lookout. Or the enemy ship came around from the other side of the island in an ambush. Adding the ability to totally cripple a ship only compounds the existing issue people have with being caught off-guard.

Additionally, not everyone takes the time to practice PvP. Some just want to avoid it altogether, and you've essentially stated in your post that you want a completely arbitrary system with no in-game precedent to be what people default to when attacking or escaping an enemy. All because you think it's unfair that people who don't want to fight don't have to.