I suggest that you can attack a port when nobody is there.

[angriff]

Not capture it leave that the normal stuff but you can attack it.  Each time you weaken it with the port unable to produce food all ships stored there would be reduced in crew.  This keeps the current technique of leaving huge fleets on the front line port or one way behind lines that you can instantly Teleport too and stay.  A port like the current Guayaguayare of the Danes on US PVP2 would not in real be able to sustain itself.  All trade needs to be cut so it stops production and ships there start to lose crew as the food dwindles.

 

This would create more of a unified force type action that would force players to enter the world and transport food to the port.  This puts more players in the open world and produces a method for players to intercept players.  If you want possible a screen for players to contribute to an expedition that could send AI fleet to take food but this could be intercepted by players preventing the food.  As the food in the port dwindles the players would slowly remove their fleets from the ports and could not longer teleport instantly to oppose any force attacking the port.

 

 

 

You read about how this simulates real action in the Carribean.

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roquebert%27s_expedition_to_the_Caribbean

Roquebert's expedition to the Caribbean

 

Guayaguayare

[Skully]

Why would you have a fleet of bots resupply a port when players should be doing that on a PvP server?

(Munching some crackers...)

AFAIK in the Region conquest mechanic, if an enemy does not show up at all, then the port can come under attack.

While not the preferred way to see a port exchange (empty port battle), an evil that can not be circumvented by the game.

[angriff]

Why would you have a fleet of bots resupply a port when players should be doing that on a PvP server?

(Munching some crackers...)

AFAIK in the Region conquest mechanic, if an enemy does not show up at all, then the port can come under attack.

While not the preferred way to see a port exchange (empty port battle), an evil that can not be circumvented by the game.

The bots for resupply cost money and is a mechanism for players that do not like sailing the open waters.  (Something I prefer over all in this game) ..  The fleet also is a use for the new event type mechanic in that the defending owner that has his fleets cut off from his supply capital to save his front line fleet stored behind lines.

 

So you can load up on food supplies and sail yourself (preferable mechanic) or contribute to a AI fleet that sails with an announcement that it is leaving for that port from another port in your supply area.   If you want you make the faction buys / finds (on a trader)  an informer that tells them when the fleet is about to leave and then they can intercept and sink it.  The other side can sail along with it to defend.   Voila useage for the current fleet mechanics and improved PVP at sea for everyone.  There is the possibility that it does not get through.

 

If the port is blockaded successfully and no food supplies get there then the fleets in the town slowly lose the ability to keep crew.  Which means you cannot crew them above a certain level or add more crew in that blockaded port to supplement.  The ships are now staying on station for a reason but are sacrificing capabilities to do so.  Eventually they all drop to 10 crew min to sail out.   Not saying the efforts for the personnel that built them are not lost in the boat but they cannot be fully crewed until they return to supplied ports.