Mission Impossible: Secret Barrels on Ships

Interesting concept, though wouldn't be possible without frustration in the current (and planned fixes for the) server merge system.

I fear it would be like the current ship battle/pirate fort frustrations where it pops up, you head to it, server merge and its gone.

Edit: plus its reliant on other ships not quitting.

@eelporridge very valid points. Especially regarding the server merges. The possibility the target ship disappears due to quitting I think should be part of the gamble you take when you accept the mission. Perhaps a message that your mission has been terminated comes up if your target vessel quits the server, or sinks due to some other unforseen circumstance.

But we definitely don't want server merges to interfere.

The other issue I thought of was how to deal with "alliances". We shouldn't allow alliances with these types of secret missions. That would mean all players had to do would be to inform the other players that they had a secret barrel; and that they could all benefit if they just allow retrieval... which would ruin the fun.

Then there's the unsuspecting player with the secret barrel on board... what is their incentive? Well, if they successfully kill their intruder/agent, they get the secret contents and then have the opportunity to transport them to the NPC that is waiting, and collect the reward.

yes. More pirate Ninja gameplay ;) maybe even commindation or title for being sneaky?

@billythetort exactly. That's the idea. I'm making it my mission to promote more stealth in this game. I've noticed some YouTube videos of players that are really good at boarding other ships undetected.

Also, it's a challenge for the daring expert Pirates. The beauty of such tactics is the pride one feels when being able to secretly board and steal away without being noticed. That takes skills.

@captain-arcanic yes. Secrecy will be essential in this mission type. Any player logging in to play could potentially become the target of a secret mission, and should not know if they carry the barrel with secret contents. The only way they can find out is if they see they are being watched and followed, they keep noticing a pirate trying to board their ship, etc.

Also, the player with the secret payload on board their ship could benefit by cunningly allowing the intruder to board and obtain the secret content, in order to kill him and obtain it for himself... Because the secret contents won't be accessible by the crew on the target ship, until the agent steals it from the correct barrel.

Alot of potential for cat and mouse. For baiting and setting traps.

Setting a no sink and/or no kill rule would up the stakes. The reward for success should be great.

@barnabas-seadog said in Mission Impossible: Secret Barrels on Ships:

Exploitable. Just talk to the target crew, form an alliance, board as friendly, retrieve package, cash out.

A weaksauce idea that sounds like a timesink with a high rate of failure.

I suggested later that alliances should not be possible for this. I'd even go so far as suggest these clandestine missions have a mechanic built in that terminates the mission if an alliance is made between the agents ship and the target ship.

Aside from that, it won't be an easy mission. It's not intended to be. The only time limit should be how long it takes for the target ship crew to realize they have the secret item on board, or even if they don't realize, they choose to quit for the night. Like I said before, that's the gamble you take. The reward should be worth the time, effort, and risk involved.

@stundorn said in Mission Impossible: Secret Barrels on Ships:

Nice idea, but mybe too complicated.
A Mission to steal 10 Bananas (2 runs or 2 people at minimum) from another, non alliance Ship(s) - need not all bananas from the same ship - would be easier to do and leads to encounters between players.
Bananas or planks or even a chest, no matter what sort of chest is also possible.
Just a BR Quest, steal XY from another Ship(s) to get Dubloons?!?

My conception of this was as a clandestine operation. So I imagine it to be a secret pirate smuggling ring with perhaps, important documents, or just simply "mysterious" contents, in a case or envelope, that was secretly hidden on board a ship, unknown to the target boat's crew.

Kind of in the same vein as when you hear about people who smuggle packages on airplanes by hiding their package in an unsuspecting passenger's luggage. Or, a company that believes it is shipping pineapples, say, when in fact the shippment is "mostly" pineapples, with a few hollowed out ones that have illegal contents hidden inside.

That was my idea. The target vessel's crew has no idea they have a secret package on board. And the pirate that accepts the mission from an NPC is the only one who knows, and it's up to him to retrieve the contents without being detected, caught, or killed.

Then of course, alliances must be forbidden, so that the secret be kept. Any unnecessary violence or destruction must not happen, so as to increase the challenge, preserve the secrecy, and up the stakes for competition.

@weakdexx said in Mission Impossible: Secret Barrels on Ships:

@starship42

I like that u try come up with new idea.
But im against this idea.

As u stated the idea now. I start this mission and i get the location of another ship. Thats unfair.
If i want my position to be seen? Ill put reaper but now im trying to stay hidden and do my own stuff i get spotted from accross the map? And thats without my own concent to be seen! No fair, in my opinion.

Than what if the party who starts the mission dont care for the secret chest? now i got a way to find players who are probably doing other missions so they have loooooot! Booty! Monehhh!
I know where to find them before they even know they being looked at? Ill sink them, leave that secret chest but do take all other loot.

Im all for the cloak and dagger ninja pirates. Would add some new and fun ways to play the game. But in my opinion this idea u have needs either tweaking or not be done at all.

Imagine all the I-Just-Want-PvE-without-PvP-sailors getting hit up. All the tears!

The idea would be that the pirate who accepts the mission is the only one who can see the target ship. Your position would be "for HIS eyes only..." Heh. Noone else on the map will know where you are located, and the whole idea behind the mission is that it is only successful if the guy can access your ship, get the contents, then take them back, WITHOUT YOU BEING AWARE.... and without any destruction or killing.

Personally, I might want to have my ship be the target ship because then that way I have an opportunity to kill him once he obtains the secret item and get the reward for myself.... assuming I even realize I actually have a secret package on board. I may never know.

Once the mission was completed, the target ship no longer appears on the map. Your location is only visible for the duration of that agents mission. So if all goes well, you shouldn't even know what happened. You should be oblivious to the fact that someone spotted you, boarded you, took a package off your ship, then escaped, without you even being aware it happened.

@boldgame OR, it could simply be that ONLY the agent gets to see the target ship's location. AND, ONLY for the duration of the mission. I could also imagine the NPC that provided the mission, gives an idea of the target ships location. Either way, on the map, only ONE ship should be seen by ONE other ship (the two ships involved in that mission). ONLY the agent with the mission gets to see the target ship, and ONLY for the duration of the mission.

I just suggested the reaper's mechanic as a way to reveal the target ship on the map to that ONE player with the mission. Of course, the target ship's player should not know he can be seen, or that he has a secret package in a barrel on board. It's not unfair, because the mission can only be successful if the target ship is not sunk, and if the player is not killed. (killing conditions could be optional)

Everyone logging in will of course be aware that they MAY be chosen as the ship with a secret package, but they will never be certain, unless something happens that gives it away; like a ship following you and keeping an eye on you from a distance, or a pirate that keeps trying to board you, but doesn't kill or sink your ship - which could mean he is after something else...

@captain-arcanic said in Mission Impossible: Secret Barrels on Ships:

@starship42 I understand where you're coming from, but the fact is, any time you can see another ship without them wanting you to, is a bad idea. You are assuming the pirates involved will want to complete the mission. They may very well only want to track down your ship, kill you, and steal all your loot. You can't anticipate their agenda.

That said, this idea will still work if you make it Find any other ship on the map. Again, it's not quite as cloak and dagger, but it will still work as a new voyage type.

Ahh. You're referring to being seen on the map....

Fair enough point. You're saying that they may accept the secret mission ONLY to kill and sink the other player - and to hell with the secret package.

Yes, I can see that being problematic, unless the reward is VERY enticing. But, you're right. They may not care and not be bothered to put in the effort. They may just want to use it as a way to track someone down and see if they have anything of value, or just wreak havoc.

Fair point.

So then it would work WITHOUT having to be detected on the map, and just make it so it could be any ship... but with the same clandestine conditions; no sink/no murder, yes?

So a pirate gets a secret mission. Then finds a ship and without killing or sinking that boat, steals a specified package or items, then returns them to the NPC. Yes?

@weakdexx I see your point now, and it is a fair point. I didn't count on the possibility that someone would take the mission and notcare about successfully completing it. To only take it so they can hunt you down and kill you and steal your loot, if there was any...

The idea could still work though if location was left out, and a random secret package was placed on ANY ship on the server - with no clue as to where the ships are, because it won't matter. First ship you encounter could be the one. Or, the NPC that provides the mission could simply say "your secret package is on a Brigantine...".

That would at least give the player with the mission an idea of ship type without knowing where the Brigantine is located.

@boldgame Yes indeed. Giving location I now see would be unfair and not work. But as you say, the NPC could give a clue to ship type - that way you know what kind of ship you are looking for. You just don't know where it is on the map. That seems like it would work.

It would be cool too because if there are more than 1 Brigantine's on the server, you would not know if you had the correct one...

Or, it could be simplified so that ANY ship on the server - the first you would encounter - could have a secret package on board. That would cut down on effort and time looking for the correct ship.

Personally, I think the harder one has to work and the more time and effort, the greater the reward should be.

But that's just me.