New Ships are great right? But I'm not sure just making the Ship bigger is the way to go.
For one, its gonna be very fun getting a 6 or even 8 Man Crew together. And with Randoms? That's gonna be one hell of a gamble.
Besides that, I'm not even sure the ships need to get that much bigger to support a 6 or 8 man crew. A Galleon can already maintain a 6 man crew: 4 Gunners, A Helmsman and a Carpenter.
That's not to say there shouldn't be bigger ships, it would absolutely slap, but maybe we should also consider sidegrades to existing ships.
Here's an attempt.
Sloop Sidegrade: The Gunboat
- Single Masted
- One Cannon on either side
- NEW WEAPON: Mortar (Fires in a large Arc and deals very high damage from above. Can be loaded with Shrapnel Bombs, Cannonballs, Skeleton Orbs and Fire Bombs)
The Gunboat is a lightweight ship that is focused on Speed and Mobility over Raw firepower. It is faster with the Wind than a Sloop and has the same speed against the wind.
It suffers from speed loss when stacked with high amounts of loot, eventually reducing its speed to that of a Sloop with the wind and slightly slower against the wind.
Intended Use: Hunting, PvP, Tall Tales
Brig Sidegrade: The Schooner
- Two Masted
- Two Cannons on each Side
- Faster than a Brig with the Wind, Slower than a Brig against the Wind
- Two Oar Spots on Deck where Crewmen can row to speed up the ship (Does not go above Speed when sailing with the wind)
This ships whole deal is speed. As long as you can stay with the wind, you will be very fast. Potentially faster than a Galleon?
If you have to go against the wind, you can sacrifice two of your three crewmen to speed up the ship by rowing, making you faster but more vulnerable.
Intended Use: Cargo Runs, Voyages on a Timer
Galleon Sidegrade: The Frigate
- Three Masts
- Three Cannons on either Side
- One Mortar on Deck
- One Cannon at the Front, One Cannon at the Back
- Faster than a Galleon against the Wind, Slower than a Galleon with the Wind.
This ship is built for consistency and combat. Its speed is more consistent between sailing with and against the wind.
It can utilize this with its different cannon placements, enabling a continuous assault to all angles. It is significantly outgunned when side by side with a Galleon though.
Intended Use: Mobility and Combat.
NEW SHIP: The Man O'War (Full Rigged Ship)
- 6 Crew members
- Four Masts
- Two Cannons at the Front, Two Cannons at the Back
- Four Cannons on either side
- Two Mortars on Deck
- Three Decks (Storage, Living, Deck)
- slightly slower than a Galleon with the wind, slower than a Galleon against the wind.
The Man O'War is a massive ship with impressive Firepower that can cover every side of it, but struggles under its weight, making it slower than a Galleon, and you better hope the winds are merciful.
It sinks slower than a Galleon (same speed as a Brig) but the paths to repair and to bucket are longer.
