Ship types

First and foremost, I'd like to say that this is the most fun I've had playing a video game in over a decade. Keep it up. Secondly, I personally would like to see more ship options. It's not so far fetched to entertain the idea of different ship types without betraying the goal of keeping an even playing field. Historically speaking there have been many ships designed one way or another to gain some sort of advantage. Thus in the end, every ship had strengths and weaknesses. For example, I'd like to see something more akin to a real Spanish galleon (not exactly, but closer) that was about 160 feet long. They were used for trade (cargo) but also repurposed for war (cannons). Whereas pirate ships tended to be smaller, lighter, faster, and employed different tactics to take on larger ships like galleons, namely different ammo types. Instead of just having a ton of cannons to sink their opponent, they used different ammo types. For instance, giant bola shot to tear down the sails, or smaller ball bearings that would turn the cannons into giant shot guns, or even some incendiary devices to burn opposing ships. The Chinese managed to build treasure ships (all cargo) so large, many historians don't even believe it was possible. Although evidence shows these ships may have been as long as 600 ft. If you decide to implement some sort of clan system, that would make for one hell of a communal clan ship...just sayin. You wouldn't lose the balance of the game, but more or less grant the player a ship that better suits how they want to play. Built for war, built for cargo, or built for both.