Enable Time compression when only AI and Friendly vessels are around?

[Destraex]

I know this sort of thing has been discussed to death. But I believe we are at a point where long sail times are simply unsustainable for most players.
A clan member has once again suggested time compression when no ships are visible as an option. I suggested in turn that time compression should be an option when AI or friendly players are around. 
 
As I remember it, this idea was put down before because people felt two things:
 
a) The map would feel too small
b )It would distort the effect of attacks able to cover the whole map in short order and retreat in short order
c) It would destroy the look of the game
 
I believe as I have said that all of the above are not really considerations and cancel each other out in the grand scheme of things.
Something simply needs to be done to make the time sink this game has become especially for traders less arduous.
 
I believe the time has come for time compression to once again be considered as a player turn on / off option. Perhaps 5/10/15/20 times. Making the 5hr sail to flats more like 20 minutes.

[Chimera]

Apart from the fact that I can hardly imagine how that should work: NO

[Cabral]

 No.

[Angus McGregor]

I know this sort of thing has been discussed to death. But I believe we are at a point where long sail times are simply unsustainable for most players.

A clan member has once again suggested time compression when no ships are visible as an option. I suggested in turn that time compression should be an option when AI or friendly players are around.

There is no way on earth this would work if any other player could witness your Age of Sail ship 'warping' in or out of their locale.

 

As I remember it, this idea was put down before because people felt two things:

 

a) The map would feel too small

b )It would distort the effect of attacks able to cover the whole map in short order and retreat in short order

c) It would destroy the look of the game

 

I believe as I have said that all of the above are not really considerations and cancel each other out in the grand scheme of things.

This is going to sound harsh, but this may not be the game for you. NA leans to the simulation side, not an arcade shooter.

Something simply needs to be done to make the time sink this game has become especially for traders less arduous.

I will admit that the time sink can be very boring. I'm willing to bet that a significant number of players set a course and then Alt Tab back and forth between NA and other task windows.

 

I believe the time has come for time compression to once again be considered as a player turn on / off option. Perhaps 5/10/15/20 times. Making the 5hr sail to flats more like 20 minutes.

Sorry - too drastic for the 3 reasons you cited above.

 

Just a thought...   a 2x compression over current OW rates (which are already accelerated)

a: only if outside any county boundary and *no* other player or AI is within the sight horizon 

b: the time compression will end upon encountering a county boundary, or any player or AI on the sight horizon

 

Edited October 29, 2016 by Angus McGregor

[Balsafer]

It is not even possible to implement such a feature.  I think we need to add ship maintenance task or other features to perform while sailing long distance to give players something to do.

[Mr. Doran]

Demanding people get ejected from the battle screen and now requesting the time to respond be decreased for further lulzy revenge fleeting. A true pillar of the community. 

[Mrdoomed]

Demanding people get ejected from the battle screen and now requesting the time to respond be decreased for further lulzy revenge fleeting. A true pillar of the community.

The port huggers are an angry, demanding lot are they not.

[Destraex]

Angus the open world is definitely not the sim part. It is highly unrealistic even in comparison to the battles which are also nothing like a simulator (although there is no simulator for this kind of thing out there either). The battles at least make sense and most things work as expected. The open world for me is just a means to an end. That end is to have a realistic battle that is meaningful because it affects the over all strategic setting.

I know you said "leans" towards a simulator Angus. My type of games are simulators which I own and play a lot of. DCS and Steel Beasts Pro PE and il2 BOS, silent hunter series among them. Even in these simulators I do not spend 5 hours transporting something just to simply stop at the other end. The open world in naval action is not a simulator and ships speed around as it is. I don't think adding what single player simulators have a lot.... Time compression.I doubt much of the population wants to play grass growing simulator 2016. Which is what the latest patch has done because of the huge ,distances involved.

The crafters in our clan that did not give up simply play other games while they sail. FOR literally half their life.

I would not suggest this otherwise.

[Bulwyf]

Demanding people get ejected from the battle screen and now requesting the time to respond be decreased for further lulzy revenge fleeting. A true pillar of the community. 

 

Are you sure  you posted this in the right area? Otherwise it seems nonsensical, unrelated and a stupid statement.

[LeBoiteux]

I think we need to add ship maintenance task or other features to perform while sailing long distance to give players something to do.

 

+1.

Captains should have lots of things to do during OW voyage.

IMHO, we need activities, not more time compression.

 

To begin with current NA activities, why can't we craft while in the OW ?

Is it because ii's against a law of crafting simulation : "a crafter has to be physically in his shipyard" ? 

Come on. 

Call that giving crafting orders while at sea by written message, if you want to RP.

 

Why can't we also during OW voyages :

- take part in a Port Battle by TP. The old equivalent idea of participating in battles that could occur during escort missions would also work.

- explore the Caribbean and/or the Pacific to find hidden "things"

- etc.

[Destraex]

Even with activities to do, which I think would serve no purpose but to require people to be at the helm 24/7 on long voyages unless they were a really rewarding and integral part of the game.

These activities would have to be enjoyable and not just fillers like fishing.

I think crafting while on the open sea is a great idea btw. Not very simulator like but you could consider that the crafter has a factory leading hand to do it.

 

You also have to consider how the long journeys are taking people who want to hook up with their clan out of the game for long periods with no real hope of ever joining them in battles. That is why in another thread I suggested at least having the ability to allow a merchant ship to be set on a route to a port and left doing that until it is attacked upon which you are allowed to spawn into it or it's escorting AI.

[Mrdoomed]

No no no no no no no no no no no no NO.

[Destraex]

What do you mean Mrdoomed?

[Hethwill]

He means No I guess

 

Is the idea to bypass time ? Technically it is a odd one and overall would be more easy transforming the entire map into a full time instance IMO.

 

We would be accelerating and decelerating all the time. There's players virtually everywhere you simply do not see them due to .. *cough cough* ... afk sailing. 

[Rebel Witch]

at first i was against this. but once i thought out it more i am 100% for this.

 

This suggestion simply saves players time. It does not take away from any other part of the game other than saving players time spent sailing in empty ocean.

 

i believe travel time is going to be a game killer for many players, this game desperately needs options for either faster travel time or options to move things using AI. 

 

i like this idea more.

[Mrdoomed]

at first i was against this. but once i thought out it more i am 100% for this.

This suggestion simply saves players time. It does not take away from any other part of the game other than saving players time spent sailing in empty ocean.

i believe travel time is going to be a game killer for many players, this game desperately needs options for either faster travel time or options to move things using AI.

i like this idea more.

What would really save time waa if i didnt have to wait for 400 ai ships to get out of my way before attacking. Another time saver would be a button to just take me to loaded player trade ships rather than me haveing to look for them. ALso if i could just see all the players currently in missions so i could select what one to attack, then after battle let me teleport to.port to save time.

Please dont tell me how how sailing is just a waste of time because all the things i mentioned are a waste of time too keeping me ,point A from my target point B.

[Destraex]

I would also like to add that this idea would in some respects add to realism. What I mean is that ship sightings are instantly reported in nation chat and this means that ships are instantly plotted for the whole national community across the whole huge expanse of map that we have in game. This is highly unrealistic and enables people to use what are essentially satellite reports in the modern world to intercept enemy players or fleets. If once out of sight the ships could speed off in any direction it would mitigate these effects somewhat and stop some of the strange and un-natural gathering of chase fleets or even those that use spys or friendly radio contacts (yes radios were not invented yet but the game allows this) to intercept merchants.