Tl,dr: multiple crews on same team attempt to attack/defend a skeleton fort from another team.
Players have been asking for a fleet/armada mode where two teams, consisting of multiple crews, face off against one another. I always thought such a mode wouldn't really offer much beyond what you can already experience in Arena, until I thought about how to re-use existing assets in the game to make something unique.
I call it "Pillage the fort!"
This mode will pit two teams (consisting of 2-3 different crews) against each other. One team will spawn on their ships and attack a skeleton fort with the goal of pillaging it, while the other team will spawn on the fort and try to hold off the attackers for the duration of the match.
Here are some details to better flesh this idea out:
Where does this take place? The action will occur at one of the pre-existing forts, ideally one of the larger ones with ample cannon coverage such as skull keep or sailor's knot stronghold.
How do you win?
The attackers win by having a specific amount of silver by the end of the round, which lasts 15-20 minutes. Rounds end early if the attackers accumulate so much silver that the defenders cannot feasibly recover. The defenders win if they prevent any of this from happening.
The main way to earn silver is to take a chest from within the fort's vault or top of the main tower and getting it onboard one of the attacking ships. However, this silver only lasts for as long as a chest remains on board a ship; if the ship sinks or if defenders recover their chest, that silver is lost. Defenders cannot pick up their own chests, but they can return them to their original locations by interacting with them for 5-10 seconds (a la the revive mechanic). Careful, you're an easy target while you're resetting a chest! As in regular arena, chests have a light beacon so players know where they are at all times.
The attackers can also gain smaller amounts of silver by looting small coin piles (a la the ones found in gold hoarder treasure vaults) which can be found throughout the fort. Defenders cannot recover silver looted from coin piles, but there aren't enough of them for the attackers to win solely by looting. The benefit to looting coin piles is that you can reduce the number of chests your team needs to have aboard your ships to win. Careful, you're an easy target while you're busy looting!
What tools does each team have to work with?
Each attacking crew has their own galleon with all the supplies provided by a standard arena game (no chain shot or rowboats, however). If the ship is sunk, another spawns at the edge of the arena.
The defenders either spawn within the fort itself or one of the surrounding towers. They must get their supplies from the barrels found throughout the fort, which have ample amounts of assorted cannonballs and food (no planks). The fort periodically spawns in rowboats and gunpowder barrels, which can be used be either team to cause additional havoc.
Limbic, why did you decide on XXX ruling?
Attacking ships don't have chainshot and defenders cannot carry their own chests to prevent griefing. Specifically, nothing about the fort can be affected by chainshot, so why give attackers a tool which can potentially be used against their own team? By the same token, this prevents a defender from delivering a chest to the attacking team.
Attackers don't have rowboats to encourage them to fight over the rowboats that spawn throughout the island. This keeps things exciting, as both teams will want the rowboats; attackers can more easily escape with a chest by using a rowboat, while defenders can use them to deliver gunpowder to the attacking ships.
Final thoughts
I can imagine all sorts of creative strategies can develop in this game mode, along with plays and counter-plays. Are the attacking ships keeping their distance and shooting pirates over? They're probably hoping to use rowboats to steal chest, so the defenders can respond by using gunpowder to blow up the rowboats. Are the attacking pirates swimming away with a chest? Use the fort cannons to launch pursuers after them. Are the defenders trying to reset a chest that your team has almost stolen? Use blunderbombs to knock them away and reset their interaction timer. Is that rowboat with a chest beacon heading towards your ship someone on another attacking crew, or a defenders trying to sneak gunpowder on board your ship?
I look forward to hearing what the community has to say about this concept.
