Now I understand that SoT is supposed to be a perfectly horizontal progression system with no perks and bonuses...
However, that isn’t necessarily the case already due to the differing of ship types.
Galleons have less speed and manoeuvrability but significantly more firepower and hull space, and player capacity than the Sloop with its agile nature, and lacking in firepower... so even though these are instantly available to all, there are some “perks” already in play, which is more what this proposed system is based off.
From an immersion perspective, back in the days of pirating, there would be no standard of ships that pirates occupied, configurations were a plenty...
So, based on all of the above, I think it would be nice to grind your way up to unlock additional customisations of the three ship types we already have.
These listed below are just a few examples of tweaked variants of the initial designs. Each version shows the pros and cons vs it’s original intended ship type, and what it would succeed better at (or more appropriately put; what it is more styled towards) under its usages.
Sloop Racer
Variances:
- Two Sails; traditional Sloop sail at the front, and a half Sloop sail at the rear.
- Slightly increased Hull size (Length and height) sitting lower in the water
- Enclosed rear cabin
- Central Capstan
Pros:
- Increased Speed without penalty for turning
Cons:
- Bigger target for being shot at
- Not intended for solo sailors (due to capstan relocation, and multiple sails)
- Sink faster due to low-riding hull
Usage: Trading, Treasure Hunting, Fishing, Mostly Non-combat orientated.
Identified by:
- One large front sail, one small rear sail, low riding and long hull.
Sloop Serpent
Variances:
- Replace front Harpoons with two additional Cannons.
- Smaller Sail (the half sail from the Speed Sloop, replacing the main sail)
- Smaller mast size
Pros:
- Forward-shooting cannons (almost)
- Additional Firepower
- Can still be solo-sailed with relative ease
Cons:
- Much slower than the standard Sloop to accommodate the additional weight making retreat much harder
- Easier to hit
- Much lower crows nest, reducing visibility
- Storing gunpowder in the nest will still damage the hull due to being a Smaller mast
Usage: PVP, ship-to-ship combat
Identified by: One half-sized sail and shortened mast.
Brigantine Trader
Variances:
- Two main-sails, and one half sail
- All cannons removed
- Has rear-facing harpoons as well as front-facing harpoons.
- Improved rudder
- Side-mounted rowboats (x2)
Pros:
- Should be the fastest ship in the game
- Turning and Steering should match that of the regular sloop
- Can have one rowboat on each side of the ship allowing for faster transport of goods
Cons:
- No defensive capabilities
- Could be challenging for a three-man crew to get the best out of the three sails and maintain out-running speeds
Usages: Trading, Treasure Hunting, Non-combat
Identified by: Long, flat hull with three sails (two doubles, and one single)
Galleon Destroyer (“Man-o-War” equivalent)
Variances:
- Larger hull (height)
- Mid-deck converted to the cannon battery with six cannons on each side. The first two cannons on each side can be angled to shoot more forward than the rest. Brig is located at the very rear of the mid-deck.
- Cannon ball storage in the centre of the mid-deck
- Lower deck split into two segments with stairs down from each end of the middle deck. Rear compartment contains player chests, stove, food barrels. Forward compartment has wood barrel.
- Front and Rear two-man Capstans
Pros:
- Significantly improved cannon arsenal
- Cannon operators have protection
- Lower cannon placement means it can easily hit low-riding hulls
Cons:
- Crew mostly below deck, meaning vulnerable to borders
- Split-lower deck means players have to check both lower decks for damages.
- Larger target to hit
- Moves slower than the regular galleon, but turning speed unaffected
- cannon accuracy at range may be effected due to not being able to raise the cannons higher without obscured view
- so large and heavy, requires both anchors down to come to a stop
Usages: All - experienced crews only should look to use this as it would require a significantly larger amount of communication to operate the vessel efficiently.
Identified by: Lack of deck cannons, taller hull.
Galleon Reaper
Variances:
- 1 set of forward cannons, 2 sets of side cannons
- low-riding hull
- gunpowder dispenser
- no harpoons
Pros:
- engagement on all sides with no expense of movement
- safely and stealthily dispense gunpowder barrels into the water at the rear
- spawns with two gunpowder barrels
Cons:
- sinks faster due to low hull allowing water on directly from mid-deck
- cannot harpoon
- can not attach rowboats
- gunpowder dispenser could be hit when being operated, causing significant rear hull damage
Usages: PVP, Ship-to-Ship combat
Identified by: large rear to the ship (for gunpowder dispenser), low-riding galleon hull
