Jump to content
Game-Labs Forum

Make shallows dangerous again


Recommended Posts

In the present state, we don't have to take shallows serious. They just slow you down and when you run onto one ahead, you just make a standstill. Turn around and continue voyage.

--

Dear captains, this is ridiculous. Shallows, cliffs, rocks, unchartered submaritime objects close to surface were dangerous, very dangerous in the age of wooden ships. They could rip off your underbody or you could get stuck and had to wait if you get free with retreating flood. Or had to get towed by another ship from a sandbank. Sometimes even longboats could do that.

--

So shallows need to be dangerous, you learn to better avoid them if you don't want to get damaged or even sunk! (how many ships were lost historically because of running on undersea rocks or the coast? Probably more than were lost in storms or battles) The game could tell you if the shallow found close to your ship is massive rock (more dangerous) or sand (this means less damage but risk of getting stuck with your keel), maybe this is determined by chance, or else by gathered local infos from Caribbean waterway charts. I am aware my suggestion gives new importance to vessels of little draft which have to fear shallows less.

With dangerous shallows, a slide over the ground could result in:

- 1 - you are getting stuck. Means a loss of time. If you are sailing in company, with a fleet, less time is needed to get free because you get help by another ship towing you. Otherwise you have to wait for the flood, simulated by, let's say, one 360 degree turn of the wind around the full circle until you are set free. You may find your hull damaged in addition and need to repair, especially when running with high speed on it. When you are lucky, you get free without damage.

- 2 - you are getting underwater leaks. Could start a mini game where you do some emergency tasking. Outcome determines how fast and effective you can repair the holes. If you fail, you lose your ship and have to continue voyage on one of your fleet ships. If you have none, then you find yourself in the next harbor like after lost battle. Maybe game could differ between large damage and fast sinking or smaller damages and slow sinking - in this case you have the opportunity to move cargo from your hold to another ship in your fleet, if there is space enough. Having with you hull repair material, planks, gives you an advantage in your attempts to close leaks after running on shallows.

- 3 - A small chance however remains that you run on a shallow and nothing happens, as it is now. The chance for that event increases when you sail with low speed. You may get away just by changing course, as you are used to.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sailing into rocks at full speed should cause small damage. We also need better shallows indicator. 

Battles near land should have boulders and rocks sticking out from the ocean and players should try to maneuver around them or get damaged if ram it. 

DSC_0038d%20(1)p.jpg

rocks-in-the-ocean-stock-picture-76477.j

Why we don't have them?

Edited by H2O
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

well, lots of things that we could have.

Like, why do we not have proper boarding mechanincs instead of the lame timed simultanous turnbased menu clicking?

Why do we not have flags and pendants in OW?

Why does the wind always turn the same stable 360degress circle?

Why can we magically teleport crew to a ship far at sea?

Why is Rum a magical reviving potion?

why....

(no do not bother to answer any of it... )

:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

56 minutes ago, maturin said:

OW is too simple for shallows to be dangerous.

I have always wanted procedurally-generated hazards in battle instances, though. So a Tbrig can run in among the shoals and dare the frigate to follow at its peril.

I think we live in another dimension with such thoughts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, dagdriver said:

well, lots of things that we could have.

Like, why do we not have proper boarding mechanincs instead of the lame timed simultanous turnbased menu clicking?

Why do we not have flags and pendants in OW?

Why does the wind always turn the same stable 360degress circle?

Why can we magically teleport crew to a ship far at sea?

Why is Rum a magical reviving potion?

why....

(no do not bother to answer any of it... )

:)

I don't think pessimism is a solution. We should always speak out our ideas, no matter if they sound too hard to come true or not. It's one of the 'raisons d'etre' for a forum - a think tank for ideas concerning the game in developing process. You never know if you initiate a spark or not. When an idea does not get inserted in a game, you at least can say you did your part in making it heard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Cetric de Cornusiac said:

I don't think pessimism is a solution. We should always speak out our ideas, no matter if they sound too hard to come true or not. It's one of the 'raisons d'etre' for a forum - a think tank for ideas concerning the game in developing process. You never know if you initiate a spark or not. When an idea does not get inserted in a game, you at least can say you did your part in making it heard.

The dev team is small and has more important things to focus on. Maybe one day they will get to the trivial stuff like obstacles but for now they are trying to pump out a new UI a tutorial for the game and other essential things on top of adding new ships to the game and developing NAL. Not to say that this is a bad idea but there are just things with a higher priority. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...