Cannons - Best Practices Primer

  • IDNeon
    Seafarer

    Well pirates and pirettes. Time for another of Cap'n Draven's very-simple-to-apply-well lessons.

    Gunnery.

    1st, know gunnery terms.

    Azimuth - your horizontal aim, left and right.

    Elevation - your range, governed by up and down.

    Now we know that, we can talk the basics of actual shooting.

    First - your controls. Use WASD. This is a superior firing control. By far.

    Second - your elevation basics.

    1. longest range is at 45deg angle. Just know where that's at and you cant shoot any farther.
    2. you reach 80% of your max range within about 30deg.
    3. you'll be shooting right into the ship at anything less so range finding becomes almost pointing at or just above the ship. Especially within 50% of your range.

    Third - dont tinker with elevation. Once your range is correct, pretty much leave it alone. The ships arent moving that fast toward or away from each other and if it's toward then they probably fall under rule 3 in the Second item on the list.

    Fourth - come off the gun if you must check for range. Moving left and right is normal and easy to correct. Moving up and down also to see your range will just keep you guessing. It's best to just leave the cannon alone and stand up to see the result.

    Fifth - turns cause shot to trail the turn. Use the wheels of the cannon to aim (more likely between the wheel and the cannon. About on the axel)

    1. if turning left then use the right axle to aim.
    2. if turning right then use the left axel.

    Sixth - know your turns. Cap'n Draven says, "turning is when my crews miss the most shots." Know when not to fire because of a tight turn. Just because you're turning doesnt mean aiming is any different. You got to move your aim-line over the wheel as previously mentioned.

    Seventh - when you're making hits let your helmsman know. He can keep the range easier than you can adjust. And you can focus on strafing with your left right movements.

    Hope these tips prove useful.

    Cap'n Draven always loves a challenge in naval combat. Too many runners these days 😏

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  • Vaca Hombre
    Champion
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @idneon

    Cap'n Hombre says, if you load cursed cannonballs and point them straight up, they look like party smokestacks!

  • ScoobyWRX555
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder

    and if you load a cannon with a vomiting pirate, it makes a nice vomit fountain 🤮

  • Vaca Hombre
    Champion
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @scoobywrx555 said in Cannons - Best Practices Primer:

    and if you load a cannon with a vomiting pirate, it makes a nice vomit fountain 🤮

    Well, my weekend's sorted. =P

  • IDNeon
    Seafarer

    Good luck hitting me with that groggy sheet. Lol

  • Vaca Hombre
    Champion
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @idneon

    It's not about the shootin' lad. It's about the aesthetic.

  • Boxcar Squidy
    Captain
    Insider

    Not a bad breakdown of cannon firing.

    I actually think a guide for helmsmen would be just as useful though.

    When you're on the wheel it can be difficult to tell if your gunners have an angle on your opponents. Learning the firing arc of your guns is crucial for a helmsman.

    The main mistake I tend to see crews making is not being within the firing arc of their guns for like 50 - 60% of a pass. Which means they only get a couple of shots off just at the end as the ships pass each other by.

    This is compounded by the fact that a lot of crews don't know what speed their ship should be sailing in combat. Hint: it depends on who you're fighting and what you're sailing, there's no one size fits all.

  • IDNeon
    Seafarer

    @boxcar-squidy I like these points and truly, a good helm makes a good cannoner.

    I think, as the pilot of the ship 99.9% of the time, it is important for a helmsman to get off the helm and take a cannon.

    I always do.

    The reason is because you get a good feel for an "automatic pass".

    When the helm is right, there is NO adjustments to be made that will make anything more than incremental changes to your shot except, I can think of a chase, where helm is still critical.

    An actual pass will require no corrections.

    So a helmsman gets to suffer the results of the helm the same as a gunner.

    Unfortunately for brigantine and sloop this is not possible with a full crew unless another member does something else like board or repair or I guess sniper.

    I never recommend boarding until the enemy ship is on fire and disabled.

    My crew and I are too good at naval combat.

    We were boarded by a Galleon pvper after our first pass, we both got killed....he set fire to our Brigantine.

    We do the no food strategy.

    So it was easy to kill him after we ferried...recover the ship. And sink the Galleon.

    It's too devastating to be hit by good gunners with a plethora of chainshot,blunders, firebombs, and cannonball below waterline.

    Boarding prematurely is a bad idea against good naval gunners.

  • IDNeon
    Seafarer

    Also. If the helm is set right you can even get a full arc from bow to stern. Coming across the front or back as you blast them the whole way through.

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