Small details and systems to add to immersion, and rewarding actual seamanship.

  • Jaaddi
    Marauder

    Hey guys!

    As an actual sailor, I feel like there are some low hanging fruits, regarding immersion and being rewarded for actual seaman skills, that Rare can easily pick. I'll drop some examples below. Please contribute below, if you know of anything more.

    • Wake/trail in water behind ship: This would add to immersion, and is always visual after a moving ship. It would also add to a tactical input if you could notice the wake leading in behind an island, indicating that a ship has just passed, for instance.

    • Waves splashing across the deck when being hit by high waves from the side or from an angle, aka "Rasmus": This would add to immersion, and also another risk mechanic in the game, as you risk being swept across the deck or overboard in a storm.

    • Tacking/Wearing: The act of going crisscross when the desired course is directly into the wind. In reality, no sailing ship can move directly into the wind. However, I realize that this is a game, so a little drift is tolerated. However, there should be an advantage to actually utilize tacking, meaning that the overall speed to the desired heading should be higher when tacking. This is obviously an opportunity for more advanced tactics for experienced sailors, and one that is easily learned by newcomers.

    So, there, these were my 5 cents on the subjects. I love the game, the epic/sad moments, the thrill of a loot- or vengeance-fueled ship chase, and, of course, you players and Rare that make all of the above possible :)

    Will update the post if anything else comes to mind.

    UPDATE:

    • Add a small boat to load up chests and loot for a more efficient unloading of the ship after voyages. (I realize this would be a big change, and not a quick fix, but would still be nice.)
    • Add the ability to moor the ship to the pier when approaching, and then haul it close to stay steady.
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  • Noob Smoke95

    @jyplingen
    I've read that square rigged ships of the era could only sail 30degrees into the wind. Maybe a feature like that with the sails on the sloop being changed to a Bermuda rig so they can tack further into the wind.

    This would allow players to have to take into account the weather gauge, depending on their ship type. Giving sloops an advantage when sailing up wind and galleons the advantage down wind. The wind could also have an effect on the angle of cannons when firing into or away from the wind. Making upwind a more advantageous firing position.

    Also how did you get into sailing, I've always wanted to give it a go?

  • A Cranky Eskimo
    Master
    Insider
    Founder

    Idk the nautical term for this but I would like it if the sails on the galleon reacted the right way to what Sail the wind is hitting. For example if the back sail is the only one down and it’s catching a wind from the right side, the ship should have a slight right turn to it if the wheel is straight, but it dosnt. This is what would happen on a real ship right and you would have to adjust the wheel left to compensate?

  • MacDoland
    Captain
    Insider
    Founder

    @jyplingen I like these suggestions matey!

    I've actually been puzzled that tacking doesn't appear to give much of a significant speed gain. There is actually a chat open in the dialog wheel that lets the crew know you are tacking. So figured it was something they were considering.

  • RedEyeSith
    Vanguard
    Insider

    Most of these could be neat.

  • Jaaddi
    Marauder

    @noob-smoke95 To clarify, I've only done actual sailing on small, sail-dingys. More accurately, I am a seaman, and not sailor per se. Anyway, as far as I've read, the closest example I could find of any ship sailing upwind is a type of yatch that can sail around 20 degrees close to the wind. A square rigged sail ship, as far as I know, can tack somewhere around 50 degrees up wind. Correct me if I am wrong, mate :)

  • Jaaddi
    Marauder

    @a-cranky-eskimo I agree. It would add to the immersion, and the small rudder corrections would be easily learned by casual gamers as well, as I believe they would feel quite natural.

  • Noob Smoke95

    @jyplingen
    Yeah had it round the wrong way. By 30 degrees, I was referring from perpendicular. I don't know sailing all too well, never actually sailed. So a square rig would be 50/60 degrees, as from what your saying it's in relation to the wind direction which makes perfect sense.

  • Noob Smoke95

    @jyplingen
    Also in regard to tacking in real life. You have to turn across the wind, does that slow you down significantly or does the boat maintain it's speed as you turn across. Because when I think about those big square rigged ships they would have to turn 100-120 degrees before they could catch the wind again.

  • BjornTroamdasea
    Ship Mate

    @a-cranky-eskimo
    That would be leeway. The amount of "drift"due to wind speed/direction in a way not helpful to your course.

  • Jaaddi
    Marauder

    @noob-smoke95 said in Small details and systems to add to immersion, and rewarding actual seamanship.:

    @jyplingen
    Also in regard to tacking in real life. You have to turn across the wind, does that slow you down significantly or does the boat maintain it's speed as you turn across. Because when I think about those big square rigged ships they would have to turn 100-120 degrees before they could catch the wind again.

    Yes, of course. You are losing momentum with the turn itself, and the wind is braking you as you are heading into it :)

  • AngryCoconut16

    @jyplingen I agree with these not but the idea of tacking. I think that would over complicate the game and make it less accessible to some players (the game is advertised to families and rated 12+)... I agree it would add realism but would probably be a step too far :) Perhaps what they could do, is to decrease the speed you sail against the wind, but not remove it completely? Then tacking can be used by very competent sailors, and it would give them an advantage , but players who don't want to learn the mechanic can just sail normally through it still (imagine how complicated it could be on a galleon after all, especially if you don't know the players you are with).

    LOVE the idea of mooring! It can be a bit difficult to get your ship close to the pier! How about the sloop has one mooring area in the middle of the boat, so that solo players can still do it, and the galleon has 2, one at the front and the back!

    I don't think a small boat is needed for sloops, but galleons definitely.

    New suggestion:
    Seagull sounds, crashing wave sounds in the storm, gentle water sounds when the wind is going onto the shore of an island, how about wind sounds too (this was all from another thread)

    Also weather... the storm is great but how about more weather variations? For instance, the wind could fluctuate more, becoming very strong or very weak in certain areas of the map. And how about fog - a large mist bank which forms randomly. This can provide an interesting area for PvP too - players can hide in it, or ambush from it etc.

  • m1sterpunch
    Master
    Insider

    This could easily be implemented by reducing the speed you have in the wind . (in all honesty when "In Irons" it should be a stopping mechanism)

    Increase the speed of the sloop on a beam reach ( 90 degrees to the wind with the sail at 45 degrees, the fastest point of sail) vs running downwind and have the boat heel over more to show instead of just the sails filling.

    This would also make for the ability to capsize in a storm if you heel too far in heavy seas. Which is another thing i wish could be added.

  • MAO OFFICIAL
    Seafarer

    These are some decent ideas, not all but some

  • BjornTroamdasea
    Ship Mate

    @m1sterpunch
    Now you're talking. Knockdowns,broaches, full in capsize,,,HARDCORE MODE..no mermaids, man overboard,boats in irons, Racing.. let's hear it from the sailors

  • BjornTroamdasea
    Ship Mate

    @bjornt-romdasea
    How about" thumbtacking" !! that maneuver it's when a small sailboat like a racing dinghy or even a small Sloop capsizes completely upside down, and the top or end of the mast sticks in the mud.. good times.

  • Noob Smoke95

    @angrycoconut16
    Maybe they could make two server modes. One for more realistic sailing and another for arcade sailing. Giving increased rewards for realistic mode.

  • lOOpct
    Captain
    Insider
    Founder

    Yes, some nice ideas here, not too hard to add I can’t imagine... I’d love to see some racing events implemented

  • AngryCoconut16

    @noob-smoke95 There is no reason to divide the player base. This could be an interesting idea to consider later down the road but it's too early to start thinking about multiple servers, in my opinion. Lets allow Rare time to beef up the game a bit more first :P

  • Noob Smoke95

    @angrycoconut16
    I agree, definitely don't want to split the player base. Like with PVE only severs. It would just make PVP that much more fun and challenging.

  • Jaaddi
    Marauder

    @angrycoconut16 Thanks for the feedback, mate! I did say "I realize that this is a game, so a little drift is tolerated" in the first post, meaning that I totally agree that there should not be a full stop when going directly against the wind. Sorry if that was unclear :)

  • Jaaddi
    Marauder

    @bjornt-romdasea said in Small details and systems to add to immersion, and rewarding actual seamanship.:

    @bjornt-romdasea
    How about" thumbtacking" !! that maneuver it's when a small sailboat like a racing dinghy or even a small Sloop capsizes completely upside down, and the top or end of the mast sticks in the mud.. good times.

    Oh, man, this takes me back to my very first sail trip on my friend's dingy. We capsized completely a few kilometers from shore, keel straight up, sail straight down, and two idiots in the water. In the far north of Norway. By grabbing the keel, and leaning way back, the two of us flipped it around. Slooooowly. Then miraculously managed to sail back to shore - up wind - before freezing to death. Good times, indeed... :)

  • Admiral RRRSole

    @jyplingen Great suggestions. I too have wondered why they didn't include the wake of the vessel.
    I mean the water is stunning and I can appreciate the time spent perfecting it but without the wake... hmmm :/

  • BjornTroamdasea
    Ship Mate

    @jyplingen
    U forgot to mention in all likelihood that your boat was probably full of water when you flipped it back over and took you hours to get back to shore because it wouldn't go anywhere until you bailed it out..?

  • LUNAR CRAZE

    @a-cranky-eskimo i know exactly what your saying. that would be an awesome detail for the game. :)

    also, if the wind is coming port side and the aft sail is lowered; the ship would turn into the wind. but if the reversed was said the ship would turn with the wind.
    (the way you worded it was opposite)

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