Bilge Needs Love

@egggum

Sounds as if this would make it more complicated than what it currently is. On top of that, this would have a huge balancing affect with naval combat when smaller ships try to sink brigs and galleons. A sloop shooting lower shots is going to have a heck of a time causing enough damage to sink it when the holes get quickly plugged down into tier 1's.

Sloops themselves would be near impossible to sink with this feature and a competent crew.

I honestly don't think they need to make mid deck holes worth repairing in combat, because your bilge would be stretched so thin, having to run between bottom and mid like their life depends on it. It would be a headache for experienced crews, and a nightmare for players trying to get experience.

@egggum said in Bilge Needs Love:

@europa4033
Valid. Maybe if planks took longer to use and the plugs and patches were only slightly faster than current planks it would work.

In any case, something more interesting for the bilges to do would be nice.

Maybe a mid/below deck swivel gun (doesn’t damage enemy ships but creates a lot of suppressive fire)?

Maybe a futuristic submarine torpedo laser launcher? Who knows

LOL now you're talking! Bilge is one of those roles that can go from boring to stressful fast. Then you have to worry about backsplashes, the optimal time to ask for a bucket (if you wait too long you can get in trouble, and if you call too early it's one less person putting pressure on the other ship), prioritizing when to bucket, etc.

If your bilge is bored, it means you're crushing your opponent already (awesome job), as the bilge is on cannons helping out.

Why would you plug or patch when you plank the hole fully.
During combat is would Juliet be waste of resources in the wood barrel

I do agree that some kind of other repairs or ship activities for the bilge could be added to help the role feel more fun and diverse, but it walks a careful tightrope of "what is balanced" and "what is fun". I don't even know what COULD be added to Bilge to make it more fun, shake up the meta, but keep the balance close to itself. Maybe if there were little windows in Brigs and Galleys the Bilge could shoot from while also keeping up repairs?

Maybe the issue is less that being bilge isn't fun, (it is its own little mini game which requires skill, judgement and snap decision making just like the other roles) but that it just feels a little thankless and (as @EggGum says) "lacks glamour". The bilge role is somewhat unique in that the better you get at it, the harder it is for your teammates to appreciate how well you're doing it.

Everyone can see and appreciate when MC gets a mast down or one balls someone, or when flex gets a good board and anchors them/ kills their crew, or when helm keeps angle and avoids crashing. But when bilge sprints back and forth, perfectly balancing repairs and bailing, always prioritising the right hole to mend first, grate bucketing with perfect accuracy, knowing exactly when to call flex down etc. etc. it often goes unnoticed (until it's not being done). In a way, your goal as the perfect bilge, is to let your teammates forget how much they need you.

I wonder if something as small as just a satisfying/ reassuring sound effect (that all crew members hear) whenever a hole is repaired (or when the water level drops after you take a bucket), could make a difference? It wouldn't change the role or upset the balance, but it would provide that little nudge of dopamine with every hole you repair/ bucket you bail, as you know your crew are aware of how hard you're working, keeping them afloat.

If we are looking to actively change the role, I also think putting windows in the lower decks is an interesting idea. Maybe being below deck could give access to you some kind of information that could help the rest of the team do their job, so your role wasn't just patching holes, but relaying information that the team needed to act on?

Add a quicktime event to planking holes (this is sarcasm please do not do this.)

@egggum the plug idea is very interesting. Plus, the mechanics for it effectively already exist because of how hunting spears work.

Kinda neat and could add some unique strategy to those demasted stand-offs.