The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced

  • MysticDragon297
    Master
    Insider

    IMO, the capstan determines too many ship vs ship fights.

    there are now more options to slowing down a ship, including damaging masts, the helm, and the capstan itself with accurate cannon hits. to not include what was recently added, forcing a ship to run into an obstacle or dealing with the actual crew before doing anything are effective and bold strategies (i could go on). but because dropping the anchor of another ship is a lot easier than recovering from it, this has been the meta strategy since day one. it is just too rewarding.

    i could also argue that it has become even more of a meta since players can now damage the capstan and force it to drop while damaging its handles. this is too much for ships with a lower elevation than the galleon.

    thus, i feel as if the capstan needs a re-balance.

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  • Okwui
    Ship Mate

    @mysticdragon297 I think the splash damage needs to be addressed - the capstan doesn’t even need to be hit to drop. It’s just way too sensitive. It shouldn’t drop unless it is hit directly, IMO.

  • doctorfork
    Master

    Dropping an anchor has always been too easy for boarders. I think an appropriate response would be a locking mechanism the crew/captain could employ that makes it take 5-10 seconds to release.

  • RK1 Turbulence

    @doctorfork said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    Dropping an anchor has always been too easy for boarders. I think an appropriate response would be a locking mechanism the crew/captain could employ that makes it take 5-10 seconds to release.

    It already takes that long to drop though, allowing you to stop it.

  • doctorfork
    Master

    @rk1-turbulence
    Yeah, but I'm talking about the amount of time it takes to release the anchor, in addition to how much time it takes to hit bottom. If you dont release it in that time it never drops.

  • RK1 Turbulence

    @doctorfork said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @rk1-turbulence
    Yeah, but I'm talking about the amount of time it takes to release the anchor, in addition to how much time it takes to hit bottom. If you dont release it in that time it never drops.

    Nah. If your anchor's going down and you have noone there to grab it, either because you're outmatched by boarders or just generally disorganized, you deserve to be stopped in your tracks imo.

  • Lethality1
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Founder

    @rk1-turbulence said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @doctorfork said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @rk1-turbulence
    Yeah, but I'm talking about the amount of time it takes to release the anchor, in addition to how much time it takes to hit bottom. If you dont release it in that time it never drops.

    Nah. If your anchor's going down and you have noone there to grab it, either because you're outmatched by boarders or just generally disorganized, you deserve to be stopped in your tracks imo.

    You know, or its a galley griefing a sloop. Either or.

  • MysticDragon297
    Master
    Insider

    @rk1-turbulence said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @doctorfork said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    Dropping an anchor has always been too easy for boarders. I think an appropriate response would be a locking mechanism the crew/captain could employ that makes it take 5-10 seconds to release.

    It already takes that long to drop though, allowing you to stop it.

    yeah, but then while one player is occupied, the boarder is free to interrupt that player. say that more people should be catching it and then you have multiple people crowding around the capstan desperately keeping it either up or down; this just proves my point. a lot of battles are centered around either ship's capstan. literally.

  • RK1 Turbulence

    @lethality1 said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @rk1-turbulence said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @doctorfork said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @rk1-turbulence
    Yeah, but I'm talking about the amount of time it takes to release the anchor, in addition to how much time it takes to hit bottom. If you dont release it in that time it never drops.

    Nah. If your anchor's going down and you have noone there to grab it, either because you're outmatched by boarders or just generally disorganized, you deserve to be stopped in your tracks imo.

    You know, or its a galley griefing a sloop. Either or.

    What do you mean? A galleon drops out of the sky and proceeds to "grief" a sloop by outnumbering them on the deck of the sloop? Last I checked you can avoid getting that close to a galleon in the first place if you don't want to have them all board you.

    @mysticdragon297 said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @rk1-turbulence said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @doctorfork said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    Dropping an anchor has always been too easy for boarders. I think an appropriate response would be a locking mechanism the crew/captain could employ that makes it take 5-10 seconds to release.

    It already takes that long to drop though, allowing you to stop it.

    yeah, but then while one player is occupied, the boarder is free to interrupt that player. say that more people should be catching it and then you have multiple people crowding around the capstan desperately keeping it either up or down; this just proves my point. a lot of battles are centered around either ship's capstan. literally.

    That sounds absolutely chaotic. It should be obvious that one, and only one, person holds the anchor while the rest of the crew deals with the boarder(s), no? If the boarder(s) manage to knock that guy off the capstan, fine, the closest guy grabs it and the first guy now fights the boarder(s). Let's try to base this around a situation where the crew is at least half-decent at coordination before suggesting any balance changes.

  • Jdge439
    Captain
    Insider

    The only thing I'd like to see is the ship starting to move as soon as you start to raise the anchor. I mean, it's not attached to the ocean floor as you are raising it.

  • ReapingLegion
    Commander
    Insider

    facepalm

  • Genuine Heather
    Captain
    Insider

    I think the anchor drops way too easily from cannon fire, especially on a sloop. It definitely needs to be tweaked somehow.

  • WilbyMagicBear
    Ship Mate
    Insider
    Founder

    The anchor drop has loads of counterplay. If you think it's going to be hit by a cannonball, keep a guy near it to grab it. If you think someone will board and drop it, have a guy watch the ladders. Your anchor will only drop of you let it.

  • Okwui
    Ship Mate

    @wilbymagicbear Keeping a guy near it if you think it will be hit by a cannonball will only ensure that the guy is also impacted by splash damage and, potentially, killed or knocked off the ship by the cannonball. No. Splash damage needs tweaking.

  • WilbyMagicBear
    Ship Mate
    Insider
    Founder

    @entspeak I've caught the anchor from the wheel on a galleon. The guy doesn't have to be standing on top of the anchor, just nearby. Maybe they could multitask by watching the ladders, then catching it when it drops.

  • Okwui
    Ship Mate

    @wilbymagicbear Let’s not get distracted here. The capstan shouldn’t drop if a cannonball hits nearby, it should drop if it gets hit. It currently drops too easily from splash damage. Your suggestions regarding crew position do not change that.

  • WilbyMagicBear
    Ship Mate
    Insider
    Founder

    @entspeak If it gets hit by splash damage, then catch it. It's still pretty hard to hit anyway.

  • Lethality1
    Vanguard
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    Founder

    @rk1-turbulence said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @lethality1 said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @rk1-turbulence said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @doctorfork said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @rk1-turbulence
    Yeah, but I'm talking about the amount of time it takes to release the anchor, in addition to how much time it takes to hit bottom. If you dont release it in that time it never drops.

    Nah. If your anchor's going down and you have noone there to grab it, either because you're outmatched by boarders or just generally disorganized, you deserve to be stopped in your tracks imo.

    You know, or its a galley griefing a sloop. Either or.

    What do you mean? A galleon drops out of the sky and proceeds to "grief" a sloop by outnumbering them on the deck of the sloop? Last I checked you can avoid getting that close to a galleon in the first place if you don't want to have them all board you.

    You know, except when you're on an island doing a tall tale, etc.

  • RK1 Turbulence

    @lethality1 said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @rk1-turbulence said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @lethality1 said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @rk1-turbulence said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @doctorfork said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @rk1-turbulence
    Yeah, but I'm talking about the amount of time it takes to release the anchor, in addition to how much time it takes to hit bottom. If you dont release it in that time it never drops.

    Nah. If your anchor's going down and you have noone there to grab it, either because you're outmatched by boarders or just generally disorganized, you deserve to be stopped in your tracks imo.

    You know, or its a galley griefing a sloop. Either or.

    What do you mean? A galleon drops out of the sky and proceeds to "grief" a sloop by outnumbering them on the deck of the sloop? Last I checked you can avoid getting that close to a galleon in the first place if you don't want to have them all board you.

    You know, except when you're on an island doing a tall tale, etc.

    It's your choice to stay there with a galleon incoming. Whether consciously or not.

  • Genuine Heather
    Captain
    Insider

    @wilbymagicbear said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @entspeak If it gets hit by splash damage, then catch it. It's still pretty hard to hit anyway.

    The point is, Wilby, that the capstan is just way too sensitive as it stands. It needs to be tweaked. It's especially noticeable on a sloop, where you're already a smaller target. Any hit near the quarter deck drops the anchor. It's too much. Your advice is well-taken but an adjustment still needs to be made.

  • WilbyMagicBear
    Ship Mate
    Insider
    Founder

    @genuine-heather I'd be pretty suprised if anyone could hit the anchor without splash damage. It's well shielded on all sides on all ships.

    And anyway, even if it was as easy to hit as pushing a button, you could still... you know... catch it.

  • Papy Pitch
    Commander
    Insider

    @wilbymagicbear You're saying this as if the situation is always perfect for one member of the crew to be able to catch it in time. One of them can be dead, one of them can be in the middle of a repair, another one fighting etc. There are plenty of situations where your solution of "just catch it" is just not applicable. There will always be a situation when it'll be impossible for anyone on your crew to "just catch it" in time.
    I think that's when the debate about the capstan being too sensitive or not is open :)

    I also found the capstan to be pretty sensitive but especially when fighting skeleton ships and doing armada. Other than that, against other players, it does not happen that much in my experience. Maybe I'm just lucky, I don't know.
    Edit: or maybe people are just still aiming at the bottom of the ship instead of trying to hit the capstan/mast etc.

    Cheers !

  • WilbyMagicBear
    Ship Mate
    Insider
    Founder

    @fractal-pitch Cheers m80!

    If a crew is not in a position to catch the anchor, then they have failed as a crew, and deserve to be anchored.

  • Ghostpaw
    Legend

    I feel like it was already rebalanced. Unlike the masts and helm, the capstan always functions for at least one player on the ship. For a solo player, other than finding the beam that was not destroyed, it raises just as quickly as normal. This feels like a concession was made at some point to allow solo players to recover from damage to the capstan, or allow at least one player to begin raising the anchor while one or more crew mates repair the other beams as needed. You can have it back up fairly quickly if one raises while other players repair until they can help as well. It also gives sloops a chance to force a larger crewed ship into making difficult choices concerning what each member should focus on in the moment.

  • MysticDragon297
    Master
    Insider

    @wilbymagicbear said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @fractal-pitch Cheers m80!

    If a crew is not in a position to catch the anchor, then they have failed as a crew, and deserve to be anchored.

    nah, i agree with @Fractal-Pitch. there are too many scenarios to take into account to simply argue that a person needs to catch it.

  • JeblusCrhist
    Seafarer
    Insider
    Founder

    @entspeak I agree! That would be the perfect fix! Because to be honest it is not that hard to hit the anchor with a connon ball, I do it all the time! But I have seen cannon balls land half way up a brig and still drop the anchor. And to the people saying it would be too hard to hit the anchor I 100% disagree unless you are a terrible shot..the anchor is a huge target to hit lol.

  • WilbyMagicBear
    Ship Mate
    Insider
    Founder

    @mysticdragon297 What, there's no person on the main deck to catch it? Has everyone jumped off or something? Cause if so, that crew has failed.

  • MysticDragon297
    Master
    Insider

    @wilbymagicbear said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @mysticdragon297 What, there's no person on the main deck to catch it? Has everyone jumped off or something? Cause if so, that crew has failed.

    arguing who is and isn't a failure does not further this discussion either. we are saying that there are scenarios where, yes, there is not a person there to always catch the capstan. if a person must to be so dedicated to always catch a released capstan at all times, then does that prove my point?

    i want masts falling, hulls obliterated, helms broken, helmsmen outmaneuvered, and crews eliminated to determine more fights than this ONE ship function. its all just board, release anchor, camp the capstan, and wait for opposing crew to either give up or sink. if failed, keep trying.

  • WilbyMagicBear
    Ship Mate
    Insider
    Founder

    @mysticdragon297 No one has to dedicate themselves to catching it. Anyone on the cannons or the wheel should be able to do it (if there's no one in those areas, then you're probaly sunk anyway.) The anchor drop isn't your only your only thing to aim for, and any ship that thinks they should only aim for the capstan should mix up their strategy. 2 shots in the wheel is almost as damaging, way easier to do, and you can't catch wheel damage.

  • MysticDragon297
    Master
    Insider

    @wilbymagicbear said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @mysticdragon297 No one has to dedicate themselves to catching it. Anyone on the cannons or the wheel should be able to do it (if there's no one in those areas, then you're probaly sunk anyway.) The anchor drop isn't your only your only thing to aim for, and any ship that thinks they should only aim for the capstan should mix up their strategy. 2 shots in the wheel is almost as damaging, way easier to do, and you can't catch wheel damage.

    and why aren't they? why aren't a majority of people not slowing down ships by any other means? because releasing the anchor is meta and too rewarding for the amount of thought and effort put into doing so.

  • WilbyMagicBear
    Ship Mate
    Insider
    Founder

    @mysticdragon297 Because people are bad at ladder camping and anchor catching. As the average skill improves, the meta will change.

  • MysticDragon297
    Master
    Insider

    @wilbymagicbear said in The Capstan/Anchor Feels Unbalanced:

    @mysticdragon297 Because people are bad at ladder camping and anchor catching. As the average skill improves, the meta will change.

    it will change? the game has changed a lot lately. it has been over a year by now and even more so for beta players and even more so for founders. yet despite this, the meta has not changed at all. a mode was added that is entirely focused on PvP which should have accelerated this process, but the meta is still the same. the capstan is the source of the meta, it needs to change to improve the quality of combat.

  • WilbyMagicBear
    Ship Mate
    Insider
    Founder

    @mysticdragon297 It will change not so much because the best players will improve, but the newer players will either quit or improve. There was a huge influx of inexperienced players with anniversary, but their numbers are waning. Eventually, boarding via the ladder will be near impossible, and the anchor will almost always be caught. Just wait a while.

  • Vapor1080
    Commander
    Insider
    Founder

    i dont think its so much as the capstan but the skeletons accuracy to hit it. For pvp id say yes the capstan is ridiculously sensitive. It should take two hits ... and solid hits at that, not this low to upper deck garbage that doesn't come close

  • QuietRobot
    Champion
    Insider
    Founder

    I think that they should directly remove that mechanics, does not make any sense... is not it enough to have to repair it?

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