Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!

@galactic-geek said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

@Schwammlgott Because it's weird - Mermaids are not seahorses. Besides, I don't think they'd like the idea of being shot with a harpoon.

Also, because when your ship sinks, you're supposed to lose something out of it. If you get to keep a rowboat out of it, then you're not really being punished. At least if you rowed to wherever it was, then you've earned it in that case, but to get a de-facto tow service? Nope. Sorry! Rowboats are supposed to be used as a lifesaver, generally for saving your floating loot or getting away - this is neither of those things.

okay then.
Let the loot fly out of the rowboat.
Lets have an immersive way to return to the ship.

The mermaid grabs the harpoon like a player does.
So you are essentially telling them to take you back.

Its not wierd at all.
Its wierd that you think thats wierd.

its

@daringclarky said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

Its not wierd at all.
Its wierd that you think thats wierd.

I think it's weird that you think it's weird to think impaling mermaids with harpoons and expect them to save you is weird.

On a serious note - no. Use your rowboat to row to an island, that's immersive.

@exolinity said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

@crimsonraziel said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:
The rowboat is virtually never used as it has no map or anything - this would be great!

Who needs a map? Many experienced sailors can navigate through the world without it.

Not used for anything?

1. Back up plan, sink grab the loot haul it on the row boat and start heading to an outpost to still gain the gold/rep.
2. Split up the crew to speed up voyages, islands near to each other one drops someone off with a rowboat and heads to the next island. I have done multiple steps of an Athena voyage on a rowboat while the others were out killing the skeletons and focusing on other maps.
3. Improve walk distance when selling, haul everything on it and row onto the shore of an outpost. Amazing at dagger tooth as you can go straight in the bay making it from one of the longest walks to the gold hoarders to one of the shortest.
4. Stealth missions, be it to complete a voyage, tall tale or to head over to an enemy with kegs. They are great to stay below the radar of most other pirates.

There is no need nor logical reason why I can bring a rowboat with a mermaid acting like an engine to bring it back, full of resources and my treasure, to the ship I was unable to defend.

Losing your ship needs some meaning... we shouldn't add even more reasons not to care about our homes.

@exolinity

If you have a rowboat you have a means to traverse the seas. Just row, put in some effort and actually play the game, immerse yourself in the experience.

I don't see why the mermaid needs to act like a engine for the boat, when you lost your ship and if you want to keep the treasure... you now have to put in more effort, as you lost your home, your most important crew member.

You don't want to keep the treasure, take the mermaid back to your ship... empty handed as it should be. That is the niche, you cannot ever get truly lost.

@Exolinity

Then a compromise. You are taken to the closest island so your fellow crewmates can collect you. I don't understand why you're so against mermaids having a cool niche.

I see no reason for compromising, the boat has oars. Want an immersive experience, start rowing. I will echo others here, your ship sinking needs to mean something. Even if you could make a system to knock out the loot, it still contains supplies already loaded on it. Mermaids already have a niche, they bring us back to our boats, and signal player presence. Why do they need to do more?

Its not that we are against the idea, but its a lot of work just to get it to function. In the idea's current state, its not good. Players can get away with loot and supplies, thus undermining the whole fight for loot process. This just seems like another method for players to sneakily add a game function to not lose their loot when they lose a fight.

@crimsonraziel said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

@daringclarky said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

Its not wierd at all.
Its wierd that you think thats wierd.

I think it's weird that you think it's weird to think impaling mermaids with harpoons and expect them to save you is weird.

On a serious note - no. Use your rowboat to row to an island, that's immersive.

More wierd than impaling your own crew mates and they arrive on your deck unharmed?

The players catch the harpoon, we all know this. Mermaids were once pirates. It makes sense.

@cotu42 said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

@exolinity

If you have a rowboat you have a means to traverse the seas. Just row, put in some effort and actually play the game, immerse yourself in the experience.

I don't see why the mermaid needs to act like a engine for the boat, when you lost your ship and if you want to keep the treasure... you now have to put in more effort, as you lost your home, your most important crew member.

You don't want to keep the treasure, take the mermaid back to your ship... empty handed as it should be. That is the niche, you cannot ever get truly lost.

Ok then...Row where exactly? Row back to your ship?
Your ship doesnt exist because the mermaid needs to trigger it to spawn or one of your crew mates.

Cant do that Solo.

Many a time ive rowed great distance to an outpost. Infact its what i use the row boat for, emergency life raft, i go to outpost to cash in.

But what when you have no ship to row to?

Get a mermaid to tow you to it.
Or, spawn the ship instantly and have a beacon showing where i need to row to.

Its gotta be better than a loading screen.
Anything is better than a loading screen.
Loading screens are not very immersive.

@daringclarky said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

@crimsonraziel said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

@daringclarky said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

Its not wierd at all.
Its wierd that you think thats wierd.

I think it's weird that you think it's weird to think impaling mermaids with harpoons and expect them to save you is weird.

On a serious note - no. Use your rowboat to row to an island, that's immersive.

More wierd than impaling your own crew mates and they arrive on your deck unharmed?

1. That's irrelevant to what I was saying.
2. That part was written in jest, as indicated by starting the next part with "On a serious note […]"

@daringclarky said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

@cotu42 said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

@exolinity

If you have a rowboat you have a means to traverse the seas. Just row, put in some effort and actually play the game, immerse yourself in the experience.

I don't see why the mermaid needs to act like a engine for the boat, when you lost your ship and if you want to keep the treasure... you now have to put in more effort, as you lost your home, your most important crew member.

You don't want to keep the treasure, take the mermaid back to your ship... empty handed as it should be. That is the niche, you cannot ever get truly lost.

Ok then...Row where exactly? Row back to your ship?
Your ship doesnt exist because the mermaid needs to trigger it to spawn or one of your crew mates.

Row to the next island, outpost or what ever.

Cant do that Solo.

Many a time ive rowed great distance to an outpost. Infact its what i use the row boat for, emergency life raft, i go to outpost to cash in.

But what when you have no ship to row to?

Same answer still. Row to an outpost.

Get a mermaid to tow you to it.
Or, spawn the ship instantly and have a beacon showing where i need to row to.

Its gotta be better than a loading screen.
Anything is better than a loading screen.

Nope, definitely not. I don't even need 10 seconds to come up with something far worse. And dragging you across the entire map causing all of that to load may be immersive to you but it's a stupid move from a technical point of view.
Devs didn't implement loading screens because the thought they look cool and people would miss them. It is to mask all that loading.

Loading screens are not very immersive.

@crimsonraziel said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

@daringclarky said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

@crimsonraziel said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

@daringclarky said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

Its not wierd at all.
Its wierd that you think thats wierd.

I think it's weird that you think it's weird to think impaling mermaids with harpoons and expect them to save you is weird.

On a serious note - no. Use your rowboat to row to an island, that's immersive.

More wierd than impaling your own crew mates and they arrive on your deck unharmed?

1. That's irrelevant to what I was saying.
2. That part was written in jest, as indicated by starting the next part with "On a serious note […]"

@daringclarky said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

@cotu42 said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

@exolinity

If you have a rowboat you have a means to traverse the seas. Just row, put in some effort and actually play the game, immerse yourself in the experience.

I don't see why the mermaid needs to act like a engine for the boat, when you lost your ship and if you want to keep the treasure... you now have to put in more effort, as you lost your home, your most important crew member.

You don't want to keep the treasure, take the mermaid back to your ship... empty handed as it should be. That is the niche, you cannot ever get truly lost.

Ok then...Row where exactly? Row back to your ship?
Your ship doesnt exist because the mermaid needs to trigger it to spawn or one of your crew mates.

Row to the next island, outpost or what ever.

Cant do that Solo.

Many a time ive rowed great distance to an outpost. Infact its what i use the row boat for, emergency life raft, i go to outpost to cash in.

But what when you have no ship to row to?

Same answer still. Row to an outpost.

Get a mermaid to tow you to it.
Or, spawn the ship instantly and have a beacon showing where i need to row to.

Its gotta be better than a loading screen.
Anything is better than a loading screen.

Nope, definitely not. I don't even need 10 seconds to come up with something far worse. And dragging you across the entire map causing all of that to load may be immersive to you but it's a stupid move from a technical point of view.
Devs didn't implement loading screens because the thought they look cool and people would miss them. It is to mask all that loading.

Loading screens are not very immersive.

Its not irrelevant at all.
You fire a harpoon at a pirate he grabs it.
You fire a harpoon at a mermaid she / he grabs it. Its the same tool, same thing happens.
Forgetting that for a second though,
So lets say you row to an outpost ok?
Ok thats done, now what?
Pirate the seas on a rowboat?

Your ship is gone forever.

As much as i love mermaids to tow what id love is a way to get my ship back without using the mermaid.

This mermaid idea is a good solution to this.

Another note, i dont care about how technical it is. It will get figured out if the demand is there.

They made a fully sailable mod for a game called oblivon by bethesda. Their engine is sop old and unreliable but modders, they still managed to do it. Nothing is impossible.
Might be a pain to implement but its never an impossibility.

@daringclarky said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

Its not irrelevant at all.
You fire a harpoon at a pirate he grabs it.
You fire a harpoon at a mermaid she / he grabs it. Its the same tool, same thing happens.

That never was the point of said comment.

Forgetting that for a second though,
So lets say you row to an outpost ok?
Ok thats done, now what?
Pirate the seas on a rowboat?

Your ship is gone forever.

As much as i love mermaids to tow what id love is a way to get my ship back without using the mermaid.

Then Rare could add some indicator that points to your ship like Jack Sparrow's compass. This even works for rowboats without harpoon.
Heck, even the mermaid giving a you piggy-back ride would be a better solution and works without a rowboat at all. Choose between:

• fast travel == loading screen (current implementation)
• immersive travel == 30 minute sightseeing tour back to your ship

Btw If you don't want to use the mermaids why make them carry you across the map at all?

This mermaid idea is a good solution to this.

In your opinion your idea is good. I never would have guessed that.

Another note, i dont care about how technical it is. It will get figured out if the demand is there.

Whether you care or not has no impact on that.

They made a fully sailable mod for a game called oblivon by bethesda. Their engine is sop old and unreliable but modders, they still managed to do it. Nothing is impossible.

• That's an offline single player game
• If some mod makes your hardware surrender it is entirely your problem, Bethesda couldn't care less
• If you install a highspeed running mod you'll get loading issues too

Might be a pain to implement but its never an impossibility.

Possible does not equal reasonable.

@starquest I like your way of thinking :D

@starquest said in Mermaids tow harpoon rowboats!:

@daringclarky I'm sorry but this idea wouldn't work, imagine someone getting on your ship, dropping the rowboat and then harpooning their own mermaid to take them to their ship docked a few squares away. This idea just wouldn't be any good and has many issues.

Now that you put it that way, yeah screw that! Kill the mermaids! lol