Macjimm

This is so true. This creates the content and storyline of the game. I have had a great time playing NA and met so many helpful players along the way. Including those of enemy nations ... and ... em' .... pirates. Hethwill does not know me and I had never sailed with him, but one day when I was hauling in a fleet of White Oak at the end of a very long trade run I asked him if he wanted to provide escort for me. He met me halfway to KPR with several friends and they shadowed me to safety. It made the experience far more interesting.

I like to have a Basic Cutter available. They work well to travel to and from ports when checking prices or transporting small quantities of stuff. I would prefer to use a Lynx and if I'm in a port without a ship I would likely buy a Lynx, or T Lynx, if they are priced reasonably. But to be forced to spend some huge price just to get a ride back to a friendly port, where I own some ships, would be gamey and overly competitive. Not all players have millions in gold and having to buy expensive ships just for transport would not improve the game. I trade, fish and flee from fighting, but I don't use the Basic Cutters to avoid combat. Having the option taken away, just to appease some players who are eager to more easily force me into PvP, would be offensive.

I had no idea that gamers were that negative to all game companies. Looking at reviews on steam there are many companies where the opinions are overwhelmingly positive. Some games with more than 95% of the players recommending the game. I think NA is still a great game, thanks for continuing to keep the server's open. 😀

Cetric, You have a great idea. I would love to see it implimented. Players could use fresh crew from fleet ships or other players. Lots of potential. Unfortunately in this community realism and immersion are negative concepts. Only suggestions that promote lots of fights, with little of no waiting between battles, will generate support. So much hate and impatience.

I don't understand what was negative about your comment either. My glass is half full of rum, and half full of air. It's good rum. When my glass is completely full of air I'll feel the warm glow of the rum. There is no negativity. Perhaps someone who is grumpy would imagine that "half full of air" is negative. Sigh ...

Mandatory? Does this mean that new players will not be permitted to sail about OW until they complete a tutorial? Or pass exams?

I'm not a expert and deferred to the knowledge here in the community. I assumed from all of the anti-scuttle arguements that it rarely happened historically. But from the wee bits I've read, it was a reasonable tactic to deny enemy access to ships and cargo. It seems that captains and crew would sometimes rather lose their ship, than allow it to become the prize of their foe. It is easy to find examples of examples when ships were sunk on purpose to ensure that the vessels did not become the property of a foe. Sometime fleets were sunk. I think I would refrain from scuttling for sportsmanship only. Giving a present, of a good ship with all its cargo, to someone who had attacked me, seems very gamey and only to satisfy some competitive sense of balance. I hope my opponent appreciates my grace and generosity. It is unfortunate the game's economy is not more integrated and that the loss of ships and goods has so little impact on a nation's fighting strength. Destroying enemy assets should be it's own reward.

Shame that you were not allowed enough time to recover your ship. No enemy remaining. The ship was still afloat. Suppose it is another competitive mechanic designed to balance the game, avoid realism and increase PvP.

Longer nights * Storms * Night battles * Darkness on moonless nights* Moon * Great ideas for smugglers/traders and hit and run raids. For those who don't like night battles; avoid them.

For Jack: I usually sail a T Lynx with a 2 T Lynx fleet. Most upgrades are too expensive but I use some Cotton Sails and some books that help with speed (Optimized Ballast, Staysails, etc). I don't use expensive Ship Knowledge items. It would make me too afraid to risk the ship. I have traded goods for Cotton Sails or bought them in Free Towns. Don't spend much on them. I don't carry cannon on any trade vessels because I'm a merchant and combat against most raiders in such small ships is pretty much futile. Mostly I just get bored very quickly with the fighting. Also the cannon will slow your speed, but probably not much. If you don't mind a little shooting you can carry Rig Repairs, cannon and load chain. Head straight at the raider, aim at the raider's sails to slow him/her down as you pass. If you sustain some rig damage, use your sail repair and then run upwind. I've never tried this against a player but it sounds like fun. You could replace one of the T Lynx with a warship. Some players sail the warship and it will allow the fleet to escape. (Soon this new patch will eliminate any chance for fleet ships to escape.) Or you can use a warship as one of your fleet ships and give it orders to de-mast the enemy. This may allow you to get far enough away from the raider to exit the battle instance ... and escape. Forget about changing ships in an instance while under fire, there is simply not enough time. I never sail with more than 50% cargo because I think this gives me no speed reduction. Could be delusional, I've not tested it. You can outrun most ships if you sail closehauled. When you see a raider approaching ...run. Some ships will over take the T Lynx; like a Prince, Lynx or perhaps a Le Requin or Xebec. Just hope that you don't see them. If you see them too often, your trade route is in a poor location. Pick a new port. Buy your Trade ships cheap and consider the loss part of doing business. You are a target for raiders. It is part of the game. I find that the cost of a ship is much less than the cost of the lost cargo. There are ship builders who will sell you decently fast T Lynx for a reasonable price. Ask for help from your buddies who like fighting. They often will shadow you on a trip eager to get in a fight. Usually they are disappointed if the journey ends and you were not attacked. Above all be vigilant. Don't stop scanning for raiders. Sail away from the coastlines. You are most vulnerable as you approach a capital. Never stop 360 watch. Someday I hope the Devs will provide some sort of AI "Look Out" that will call out when they see enemy players, but in the meantime it is a boring tiresome part of the game. Damn lazy mute crew. z4ys offered a suggestion; "Just surrender rightaway while your ships escaped. raider has to sail towards your lost ship while you leave the battle and sail away with the remaining ships? Giving you a huge headstart". I haven't tried this but it is worth a try. If you are still having trouble getting ganked you might want to switch Nations. I understand that it is much easier to be a trader for France than for the United States. And the players are very helpful. United States may be a difficult nation for traders. I have only sailed for Great Britain. Supplementary; Be a gent don't destroy your cargo just to deny the raiders who are ganking you. Your cargo makes the fight more worthwhile for them. Although it seems reasonable to destroy your cargo when players are being unnecessarily rude. Hope that helps. Fair winds and happy trading. The best part of this game is the community content.

I am not seeking more safety. Just trying to avoid a weird repeated slaughter, with no option to flee

Yes, I always have understood that if a fleet of 4 traders is pulled into an instance with 4 or more well armed and skilled raiders, then all of the traders will likely be captured and/or sunk. It seems that the teleporting fleet ships to the nearest port is considered a bug that must be squashed. Too bad fleet ships can not teleport at distance away from the instance spawn point. This would simulate the situation of 1 raider verses 4 traders without the raider magically being teleported along side each trader. Thanks for the surrender tip, I'll test it out. A forced mechanic that teleports traders back into the grip of the raider, and eliminates the possibility to scatter and flee, might still work out okay. I'm ready to try it. I'm not prepared to start shooting. In an age of sail game there should be some unarmed merchants in trader lynx and trader cutters.

This sums up the change. Some small traders rely on avoidance and speed. Their entire defense is to flee. Create a mechanic that forces them into pathetic little fights.

I can only speak for myself but: 1) I'm not wanting a free trip home. I chose to play on the PvP rather than the PvE. I'm okay with the risk. BUT it really seems weird if I have to be attacked 4 times, by the same hunter, at the same spawn point. 2) I don't carry cannons. I enjoy trading and fleeing. I keep the hold at 50% for more speed. Cannons won't help much, if I'm stupid enough to get in an instance and allow my sails to be damaged, the battle is over. The choice to sail without cannons had nothing to do with cargo space. Paying attention and avoiding the attack is key. But if I screw up and allow an attack to happen does it not seem reasonable that one ship is caught while the others scatter and run away. 3) As a merchant I am occasionally lucky enough to get some fighters to escort me. Most of the time no-one is available. But I'm a merchant, not a warship with cargo. I use very small trade ships. Attempts to fight back would be futile and pathetic. Seems sad that I will be forced to watch my whole fleet be picked off one at a time. I would rather have a chance for some ships to escape. Wonder if trade ships could be exempt from the one-at-a-time slaughter.

I agree. Give all attackers PvP Marks. Let traders surrender rather than having to wait and watch their ships get destroyed or captured. And thanks for the heads up Crow. I thought I was doing the attacker a favor by surrendering. Weird game mechanics, not intuitive.

Good point. Other captains will be waiting at the battles swords to kill the left overs. This change is sounding pretty depressing for traders. But ... But I'm ready to test it. Perhaps it will be fine. Often things seem to work out okay.

I preplan my course with waypoints and timed intervals on each leg. Then I use a timer, with alarms. It's remarkably accurate and kinda fun. The prep allows ; travel avoiding coastlines and less distraction from scanning for enemies. Tacking is easy and just involves a couple extra symetrical legs. I like using the 3rd party maps and the timer is on a phone and works very well. I don't see a benefit for a timer in game. I would love to have a compass, clock, chip log, and pendant in-game that can be used with the UI off. Sigh. A sextant would be handy. Current F11 serves. If we remove the CoOrds with F11, on release, we can meta game, with the trade data distance on the map and triangulation. Personally I suggest that a sextant for lats would be superior.

I like to trade and it is fun to have extra fleet ships and added cargo. Fleets are important to trading. But it would suck if I lost a ship and then was magically teleported back beside the same hunter that just chased me down and capped me. If it happens for each ship in my fleet it will be just sad and weird. Probably the best thing to do would be to log off the game for an hour till the hunter is finished. Perhaps the fleet ships can sail away from the initial combat instance or perhaps the hunter can spawn some distance away after he/she has defeated the first ship. Maybe allow players to just surrender all ships, including the fleet, to get it over with.

The assistance from other players is enough reward for me. But other games give even more. You could receive some gold and marks simply for escorting me to my destination, and if you engage a hunter enroute you will get more marks and gold than if you were fighting solo and not on a escort mission. Sometimes escorts get nothing for their efforts and time. But you know that. Thanks for your help.

Crow makes a good point. This change sounds very gamey and focused on forcing players into very odd PVP. Perhaps the trader fleet can spawn at distance away from the instance point, proportional to the time spent in instance. Other games provide generous rewards for multiplayer. The payout for each player in a group is much higher than solo.

You make a good point. Perhaps there is problems with the mods. I don't have expensive mods or all the gold in the world. If the mods are unbalanced I'm not sure insurance will make losing more fun. It is still a loss. My point was; that if there is no risk there is less excitement. I prefer the PvP server verses the PvE. I have heard lots of complaints that the DLC content has encouraged gameplay where players do not care if they lose a ship because it will be promptly replaced. Seems to me that easy replacement can be viewed as an improvement or a degradation depending on your goals. I'm more inclined towards a game environment where there is some atmosphere of danger. I think that insurance might foster attitudes were players don't care how they play. Currently if players want to use very expensive ships that are difficult to replace they have options to use support from other players and sail in a group. They could also accept replacement mods or ships from a clan. Perhaps it is unfair if players are stronger when they work together but the opportunity of a collective advantage can create teamwork and cooperation. It's speculation from my vantage. I don't participate in player squadrons or utilize the resources of a powerful clan. But the player interactions are facinating, and I enjoy hearing about the open world sandbox MMO politics. It provides content and a richer story. Not sure what you are asking. I am not very knowledgeable of the clans in NA. For myself I am able to handle the losses in game. Perhaps my expectations are too modest. I don't think I can handle loss much better than other players. I read your posts, not just the title.

Seems that risk is a choice. We can chose to sail a ship we can afford to lose. Players that become very wealthy can afford to lose more expensive vessels, mods and cargo. Often the reward for this risk may be greater. Clans can afford the biggest losses and can take huge risks, for potentially huge rewards. I sail little ships because I have a modest trading business. I like the excitement of the PvP server. It doesn't sound like a great idea to remove the risk via insurance just so everyone can sail expensive boats, with more expensive mods, and not care about sinking/losing them.

There should be an option to turn it off, if music is added. I love music. I have lots. I can listen to my own choice of tunes similtaneously while I play NA. It is wonderful. I really love music. I may not like what others think is music. I would prefer NOT to have to listen to someone else's selected playlist. What is music to one person is noise to another. Lots of jingles may sound cute once or twice but become agonizing the thousandth time. Please, please include an off switch for all music in game. Including battle station drums, crew shanties etc. That way people have a choice rather than having annoying noises shoved down their throats.

Please don't reduce the size of the current open world. One of the greatest features of NA is the possibility of long sails on the open sea. Currently we have the choice of sailing in relatively remote locations and trading at seldom used ports. There is an element of choice to improve the chance of finding PvP if you; communicate with other players, know when to look for it and know where the other combatants are. All of the logic related to reducing the size of the environment could be satisfied with the introduction of a PvP area. As an MMO the players can arrange their own concentrated conflict areas, and players could do more to organize more battles in designated zones. That's the facinating part of a sand box where we create the content. But the Devs could also contribute, by coding greater PvP rewards in certain geographical spots. The suggestion, of reducing the map, would destroy this game for players who like the experience of an open expanse that leaves room for choice. A small map would remove the feeling of being out on the water with some sense of travel in the age of sail. Some players like trading and fishing and navigating on the deep blue sea. It would diminish the game if was reduced to constant battles between ships crowded together on a large lake. Supplement: someday we may have a sister game - of ships crowded together on a lake, with continuous fighting. Naval Action Legends.

What could be the downside of this? Sounds like a win win. On both servers.