I see a lot of people complaining about being killed for being a solo/sloop player, or sometimes its not having people with them and the kraken sunk them, and all to often people leaving in the middle of voyages. One way to fix this would be with AI/NPC Deckhands to help out and fill those gaps.
Players can recruit deckhands at any inn for a fee to max out their crew size. Speak to the innkeeper and choose the enlist/recruit option. Each deckhand will cost 100g and when recruited they will appear on your ship moments later.
Deckhand tasks are:
Carpenter - In this mode the AI will get wood from storage when it's out of wood and repair the ship when damaged.
Bilge Rat - In this mode the AI will use the bucket, get water from the bottom of the ship, and toss it overboard.
Sailor - In this mode the AI will align the sails with the wind and raise/lower them on the helmsman's command.
Cannoneer - In this mode the AI will get cannonballs from storage when out, load cannons, and fire them at enemies on the helmsmen's command.
Scout/Sentry - In this mode the AI will stay up in the crow's nest and watch for ships. If a ship gets within a certain range of the player they will alert the crew in chat and with the bell.
Bard(Optional) - In this mode the AI will stand on the ship somewhere and play some pirate tunes for everyone to hear.
More Deckhand Details
Deckhands are solely for helping out on the ship. They will not help with any island tasks and will simply repeat the task given to them until a new order is given to them.
If an enemy makes their way onto the ship deckhands will stop what they are doing and attempt to fight the enemy off the ship before going back to their task.
Their skill in combat would be the same as Athena skeletons and if they die they will respawn on the ship after a short period.
If the player is in the open crew option and a new player joins the crew. One of the deckhands will disconnect and disappear to make room for the player.
If the player is in the open crew option and has players leave during a voyage. NPC deckhands will be given to the player for free to fill the leavers spot until a new player joins.
