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Strike Colours / Ruse de Guerre / Surrender while sinking Patch Proposal


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TL;DR:

  • The ensign can be toggled at will. With a stricken ensign, top-sails can not be raised nor cannons be loaded.
  • Surrender stays as it is in 9.92, but if available ship repair is used and survival is forced.
  • The option to abandon ship and potentially save officer and crew is added.
  • One can offer payment to cease battle.
  • A ship sunk pays the appropriate reward, regardless of whether it has surrendered.
I'll ensure that this top post will be kept up to date with concise rules and links to each individual proposal/discussion that the community feels is needed for this patch. (Be forewarned, I'll be naturally biased to my own stuff. :P )

Note that this proposal may not (and probably won't) reflect the first (or even the final) implementation as everything is subject to admins discretion in terms of wanted functionality and technical complexity.

Before I put the proposal to admin, I think a 14 day cooldown might be in order to properly address any outstanding issues we may find.

Keep an open mind and exploit test everything. :D

Patch Proposal:

General:

  • On the penalty of losing assets, a captain is not allowed to leave combat while the captain still has assets in combat or (mortal) danger.
  • The following options are available to captains at any time: Strike Colours, Surrender, Abandon Ship and Payoff.
Strike Colours:
  • On Striking Colours, the ensign is taken down and the ship can no longer raise it's top-sails (go above Slow).
  • Reloading of guns and assign crew to cannons (option 7) is disabled. The loaded guns can be used for saluting or flushing.
  • The option "Strike Colours" is replaced by "Raise Colours". While there is no historical precedent, when fired upon you can come back to combat state.
  • It is allowed to shoot at a ship that has struck its colours. A ship can have struck as a Ruse de Guerre. Either wanting to get away, or perform a Blackbeard boarding. (Note that Blackbeard historically used a false flag.) Also a striking of colours does not imply an unconditional surrender, but a salute/submission, terms of resolving the battle to be discussed by captains.
  • Preparing the ship for boarding provides the visual cue "Preparing", hopefully there will be other visual cues as well in the future. :)
  • If all captains have struck colours, the battle is over. Or rather if no side has any ship in effective combat state, the battle is over.
http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/15382-surrender-did-not-exist/

Surrender:

  • Surrender halts the ship and strikes the ensign. Visually there is no difference between a halted surrendered ship or a halted ship that has struck its colours.
  • If a ship repair kit is still available it is used.
  • All crew is assigned to Repair (5) and Survival (8). Sails (6) and Cannons (7) are disabled.
  • No XP or money is to be gained for capturing a surrendered ship. The fact that no crew losses will occur in this risk free capture is the reward, plus it prevents damage farming.
  • Damages done to a surrendered ship provide the prevailing XP and/or money reward.
http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/15239-exploit-i-surrerender-free-xpgold-for-everyone/

Abandon Ship:

  • Abandon Ship halts the ship and strikes the ensign. Visually there is the textual indicator "Abandoning", hopefully there will be other visual cues as well in the future. :)
  • Saving officer and crew can be done via the same ferry mechanism as the suggested marine assault.
  • For each Jolly, Launch, Barge or Whaleboat available the Officer has a 50% chance to escape. It was every man for himself down in those days. :)
  • The amount of crew saved is equal to the amount of troops the boat can ferry.
  • The distance to land determines the time it takes for the boat to return to ferry another crew load.
  • (Optionally interact with other friendly ships or surrendered ships. For now I don't want to complicate matters further, next iteration maybe.)
  • Without any boat available (as it is in 9.92) the officer and each crew member gets a 100% - (10% / 100m) roll to save himself. Beaching is a thing. :)
CeltiCaudillo's Lifeboats when we are sunk - http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/15042-lifeboats-when-we-are-sunk/?p=278905

Skully's Marines Assault (based on existing Recruitment Orders) - http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/15189-war-supplies-crafting-marines-flag-assault-next-gen/

Birkenhead drill - http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/15246-surrender-when-sinking/?p=285317

Jeheil's Add Abandon Ship - http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/15251-add-abandon-ship-as-well-asor-surrender/

Jeheil's Beached - http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/15315-beached-as-should-this-be-a-thing/

Payoff/Ransom:

  • Everybody has the option to continuously increase his payoff to cease battle.
  • Everybody has the option once to accept a payoff. Once accepted, your status switches to "Accepting Payoff" for the duration of the battle.
  • Once the majority on one side has selected to accept the payoff, the total payoff from the other side is distributed evenly and battle is over.
  • The losing side should get a 30 second head start. Or rather the winning side gets a 30 second exit timer.
Blackjack Mordan's Trading in battle - http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/15314-allow-trading-between-combatants-in-the-battle-instance/?p=283755

akd's Paying ransom - http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/15382-surrender-did-not-exist/?p=285888

While it is a bit gamey, it is preferred to hand out an immediate reward as opposed to a full Price Court mechanic.

http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/15382-surrender-did-not-exist/?p=285857

Sinking:

  • Any of the above options are available to sinking ships.
  • If the ship sinks the appropriate reward (kill/assist) is awarded.
  • The ship can also be captured if the battle is terminated in time.
http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/15246-surrender-when-sinking/?p=282489

http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/15382-surrender-did-not-exist/?p=285783

I hope I've captured everybody's issues and feedback correctly. If not, please post.

[edit] Rectified the reward for capturing damaged surrendered ships. That should be as it is in 9.92.

[edit] Added a summation.

[edit] Credited the individual posts/proposals.

[edit] Clarified that only an available ship repair is used on surrender, no magics.

Edited by Skully
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This sounds to me to be a ridiculously complicated and unnecessary "solution" to a mechanic that is not a problem right now.

If XP/Gold were granted to the victor when a ship surrendered based on the total amount of damage done to that ship, we'd be good to go without all of this complexity.

 

post-11395-0-24276500-1469429514_thumb.jpg

 

That is how it currently works, right? I'm perfectly fine with that.

(We can focus on other issues.  ;) )

 

You would just need to nail down the Surrender when sinking topic. Or is that strike down... :lol:

Edited by Skully
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This sounds to me to be a ridiculously complicated and unnecessary "solution" to a mechanic that is not a problem right now.

I agree, the complexity is a thing though. I laid out all rules to ensure everything is captured and no exploits can enter the picture.

Let me try a summation:

  1. The ensign can be toggled at will. With a stricken ensign, top-sails can not be raised nor cannons be loaded.
  2. Surrender stays as it is in 9.92.
  3. The option to abandon ship and potentially save officer and crew is added.
  4. One can offer payment to cease battle.
  5. A ship sunk pays the appropriate reward, regardless of whether it has surrendered.
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Yes Skullys ideas do complicate things.

On the other hand, no features in a game are "necessary".

If the aim is to find a solution to the "I surrender you gain nothing" issue, than yes: there are easier and less complicated ways to do so.

If the aim is to fix the issue AND add another dimension to the game, I do like some of the ideas.

I proposed in other threats and discussions on global chat to make a differentiation between surrender (while your ships is not sinking to safe your crew) and abandon ship, while you are sinking or in fireshock to give some of your crew a chance to survive.

I like some of the ideas Skullys posted. I think it's at least worth a discussion.

Edited by Chimera
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I would be happy (In PVE at least) if when the Firepower of one ship greatly exceeds the other then the weaker ship simply surrenders once in Gun range or after 1st shot fired.

Reducing merchants wrecks seems a bit of a grind to me.

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I wouldn't support any auto surrender mechanism (if that's what you are implying)

 

Ya, for AI merchants at least. Or for the devs to find some other way to capture AI merchants. Reducing the crew or hull to zero seems extreme to me.

If that merchant has some hope against you it would be different. When the outcome is a foregone conclusion and you just sit there and reduce it to zero doesn't feel right to me.

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Ya, for AI merchants at least. Or for the devs to find some other way to capture AI merchants. Reducing the crew or hull to zero seems extreme to me.

If that merchant has some hope against you it would be different. When the outcome is a foregone conclusion and you just sit there and reduce it to zero doesn't feel right to me.

While extreme, going against AI is just an exercise. Not a true story. ;)

So I consider AI behavior an out of scope topic for the moment. Lets first see how we want to handle PvP, then see how to apply it to PvE.

(Priorities should be clear-cut. :P )

Edited by Skully
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I like some of the ideas Skullys posted. I think it's at least worth a discussion.

I just want to say here, it is an accumulation of ideas had by different folks. I just put it together to get one concise proposal without loopholes.
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Striking = Surrendering

 

No reason to have two different features - Striking [the colors] is essentially a term for surrendering a ship at sea.  Now there was historical precedent of ships that had struck attempting to escape in fleet actions, however, I would just keep it simple  rather than add option that potentially gives the player his ship back during the battle. Just like the ransom idea that has griefing potential.

 

Players are just too used to getting xp/rewards for the kill, surrendering is seen as a deliberate denial of rewards. Despite getting the value of the ship you just captured. Ironically surrendering or striking the colors is much more historical, however; for game play just give the xp to the player putting in the most damage as usual and the surrendering crew will auto patch leaks and pump out water to prevent the ship sinking.

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...the surrendering crew will auto patch leaks and pump out water to prevent the ship sinking.

Will they be using faeries, rainbow unicorns or a wand of wonders to auto patch leaks?
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