Macjimm

Eight hours is a long time to be sitting in port. But ... If we are going to start kicking people from the game I hope we consider carefully how to assess AFK. 1) Trading/crafting in port, no movement of ship. Will that be considered AFK? 2) Sometimes when I'm recalculating my course I'll stop and sit in one position until the calculations are complete. Currently I use external applications on the second monitor while my ship sits motionless on another. Is this AFK? It is sometimes easier to do the calculations at a standstill so I can avoid complicating the plot with additional movement. 3) Other times I'm on a long leg at dead slow sail. There is no mouse or keboard input but again I'm watching and "in game". Am I AFK? 4) I do plan on doing some very long journeys where I may be away from the screen while my ship continues. I haven't done this yet. But I was looking forward to it. Would I be interrupted mid travel and have no idea when or where my ship was when I was yanked out of game? Thirty minutes can go by darn fast in game. It would be frustrating to booted out a couple times an hour because we've decided if I'm not fighting I'm AFK. Possible work arounds: 1) Only implement "AFK" checks if the server is full. What does it matter if my ship is motionless or I'm not using the keyboard/mouse if no one is needing my spot. It would be inconsiderate to disconnect someone (who was in game) from a near empty server just because of lack of keyboard input or movement. 2) If kicking people (for lack of movement or input ) is implemented publish the time interval on the forums and keep it consistent so I can set a timer and be sure to leave port or wiggle the mouse once an interval to avoid the boot. 3) Personally I exit the server many times during a session. It seems unnecessary to keep the game running if I'm researching or planning. Only recently has it mattered due to the high populations on the servers. It seems that I have different characters with the same name on each server. More gold, experience and ships on one than the other. As we get more and more servers perhaps our assets (and location) can be synchronized between them. That way when I reconnect I can continue my journey even if the server I was in is full.

Sympathy dude. Too bad that people can become pirates without damaging or sinking friendlies. Perhaps someday will will make some allowances for the first time that a player unintentionally clicks on a button. The mechanics seem to have less to do with piracy and more to do with a mistaken click of the mouse. If it helps consider that some people might use the Attack button to grief friendlies by dragging them into an instance. Not sure how much griefing would occur if we made allowance for players to click on a attack by mistake once. Perhaps the second time that someone clicks a button they should be punished. Don't know if it would possible to program that into the game or not, perhaps we can look forward to it. We are not talking about shooting at friendlies. Just clicking harmlessly. Hopefully you can remove your character and start again, get your gold and experience back fairly quick.

That is an awesome idea. The flotsam could be visible to everyone, even those who have toggled the swords off (if toggling is implemented).

I think a lot of players want to be able to start up the game and be very excellent in a few minutes. For many gamers satisfaction is more about reflex and hand eye co-ordination than learning . Other people enjoy the progression of developing their skills. The challenge of thinking and planning enhances the game.

The email I received says that the yacht and exceptional vessels will withstand character removal. "Chapman's yacht have been added to your account as a redeemable. It will always be available to you on all servers even after you delete a character and create a new one. In addition to the yacht we plan to give all testers a couple of exceptional vessels with limited durability that could simplify your progression. To receive this bonus you have to login into the game any time before 5am PST on the 21st of January and create a player for the nation of your choice. The process will take no more than 10 mins depending on your internet connection. This redeemable bonus is account based and one time use only. If you don't use them they will be available even if you delete the player, and will be available after creation of the new character. "

In OW: If you use your mouse wheel to scroll out you can position the camera away from your ship = third person. Scrolling all the way in positions you up the mast a little . To get on deck (first person) double tap "Home". Then use z,x,a,e,w,s. It is currently not possible to position the camera on the deck and control the ship simultaniously. But hopefully that's coming

I don't like the idea of the ring imposed on players and forcing them to flee (speedboat) in order to avoid an annoying and possibly costly combat. The default should be to avoid combat unless the player selects the option to join. That way the visuals can remain uncluttered (Ctrl h ) if desired.For instances where joining an instance is not optional I would still prefer that the battle circle be invisible with Ctrl h.

Serious points submitted respectfully: Question: RE: Sea Trials/Forum rules thread - was "Sea Trials" not the initial combat that NA provided in the battle ring, and we are currently using "Open World" (referred to as OW or OP)? And if we are using "Open World" now verses "Sea Trials" then would it be wise to change the title of the thread to avoid confusion? Comment: I think that with the current structure of our warning and suspension policy makes provision for players that honestly don't know better. When I started playing NA I had no idea about concepts like ganking, griefing, damage farming and exploits and game breaking bugs. I've managed to avoid suspensions or bans and think I may understand a lot of what would initiate a suspension or ban. Having the rules posted in a very conspicuous location would be helpful but the system in place should serve to educate players that honestly don't understand. Politics-Rules-Common sense. Sometimes a player may express an opinion about the game that is not well received by others. Example: Kiting or Fleeing, While some players may consider this offensive and cheating but it is not against the rules. To flee from a fight in game or state that you would prefer to avoid a battle rather than be destroyed should not be a reason for suspension. It would be very helpful to see a list of what is prohibited by the rules. Anything that is not covered in the list might be politically incorrect or offensive but is acceptable. The trouble with imposing common sense on everyone is that assumes that we are all born knowing the same thing and intuitively understand what is not clearly described. I have no idea what do about players who intend to "play ignorant" and break the rules. I'm not sure if the structure is effective for them. My personal experience is good and I have no issues with fellow players on the forums or in game. I suspect it is working. Personally I would like to see than anyone who deliberately and knowingly breaks the NA rules is permanently banned immediately. I don't think it is helpful to allow players an opportunity to work the system and be allowed a number of free offenses with very little consequence. I'm only offering this feedback as an explanation to the question. Do you believe the current warning system described in the rules is effective? No offence is intended or implied.

Is is possible to receive a mission that is not fighting? Seems that they are all search and destroy.

I'm confused. I thought I just figured out what griefing was. "Deliberately trying to annoy other players". In the situation described it sounds as if a couple smaller ships were delaying a larger ship to create an advantage for the other friendliest engaged elsewhere. Seems it is just a limitation (of instances) when we cannot all be fighting everyone in a giant open world. I don't see how this was done to simply annoy. I certainly wouldn't have know this was poor form. Glad I've never done it. I would have had no idea I was expected to free the SOL and allow it to engage my fellow teammates or worse that I was expected to close with the SOL and be destroyed. If the game mechanics continue to allow this and it is not permitted I hope the Admins post up a warning rule conspicuously.

I think that most of us hope that this is not the typical MMO but a game that will appeal to players who are appreciate a more advanced form of gameplay. That said, clearly delineating a less challenging area of the map could be very helpful to new players. The biggest hint would be to encourage newbies to from up in a fleet with other players until they have learned the initial skills needed. There are other who would love to see real time, but apparently the map cannot be one large instance, the game engine can only accommodate a limited number of players simultaneously and still present the shared graphics between them. Also the possibility of real time may not be desirable as most of the player base is not interested in spending huge amounts of time that would be required for long distance travel but still want the large map environment and the ability to move very rapidly and freely around the whole map. The only current viable solution is the speedboat effect. Unless a single player version is developed (which is highly unlikely)You can emulate real time by sailing at dead slow or slow speed and positioning yourself on the deck. (just try to ignore the speedboats whizzing by) It more difficult to initiate combat at the slow speed because greater speed is required for favorable positioning (weather gauge) at the start of an instance. It is possible to sort of play in first person by double tapping the home key and with w-d-s-a and z-x moving about the ship to see from the deck. (the limitation is that you are not able to control the ship). The “cheats” seem to be a compromise because so many players want to fight and they want to fight often with a very short delay between instances. Try to view the “cheats” as helpful compromises. While they may impact your immersion they allow players to compensate for the lack of RL senses we have in a game. The “cheats” may allow lots of fights often. Without the cheats many players may feel like they are in a simulator. I would like to see all of the “cheats” optional, client side. It would be great to be able to turn off the ingame text (port names, conflict information, instance swords). Non-combat missions would be an improvement but currently the main focus is on combat. Hopefully the addition of exploration and weather damage instances are on the horizon.

Sailing in OW, viewing the seascape from the deck in first person is incredibly immersive. It is the game within the game. I like to plot a course before I leave and keep time for legs of the journey. Dead slow is about 3Kn and Slow is about 6Kn. There is about 50sec of to each hour of game time. It is simple arithmetic to figure out the distance traveled with the help of a stop watch. There is a helpful application for plotting a course that is kinda fun. LINK HERE ---> MAP It is very fun to head out on the open ocean, away from any land, where the sky is giant dome that touches the horizon all around. With a little patience and a steady course land will be seen at the far edge of sight. It's satisfying to see that the port I was heading for, is dead ahead, after days of sailing. I understand that using a Sextant, at noon, does not provide a GPS style position but only an approximate location north or south of the equator. And it would be difficult to apply in game because NA is a flat world (there is no curvature of the earth). We don't need a point saying where we are. We need a sextant minigame that gives you an estimated position (an area instead of a point) if you have skill. Because it's would be a shame to dumb the game down too much. But I could live without a sextant in the short distances in the Caribbean. It would be more important in trans oceanic travel with variable current and wind. It takes very little effort to navigate with the current tools available. I would be over the moon if we could access a compass in OW. A compass that can used to take a bearing. So one with a sight. It has to be on a keybinding toggle that can be accessed with the UI turned off. Bearing are important not only for headings but for triangulation. It would also be great to have: 2) Chronometer. 3) Spyglass. 4) National identifiers on ships (paint, flags) 5) The option remove the ingame text with Ctrl "H" (Port names, Swords, Conflict descriptions) http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/7797-add-capital-marker-to-open-world/?hl=navigate http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/7358-using-sextant-in-ow/?hl=navigate#entry138586 http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/3860-my-suggestion-on-how-to-make-basic-navigation-fun-engageing-and/?hl=navigate#entry93245

I should have mentioned early. 1) in addition to removing the port text, and information text about port battles, would love to be able to remove the battle swords. 4) Would love to see a default view from the deck of the ship (in OW). Currently the view is partway up the mast. 5) Would love to see the view restored in an instance where you can look up and see your own pendant. Which is very useful to get an accurate wind direction. Currently it is very difficult to look up at the top of the mast from the default view (part way up the mast). Would also like E) The option to toggle off the ship lights.

I spend most of my time in OW sailing. I would love to see: 1) Options to toggle (turn on or off) the text over ports and the text the displays the port battles information . Perhaps it could all just go away with when Ctrl H is pressed for a third time. 2) The addition (in OW) of a spyglass, compass and chronometer (toggled with key binding). 3) Markings on ships (paint scheme, flags, pendants etc) that indicate the nation. (For OW) I would like to see: A) Weather with effects (like ship damage, speed change). Fishing. C) Birds. D) Reduction to sailing/combat/reload performance commensurate with crew losses.

Positioning oneself on the deck would be wonderful. Both in OW and instances. Currently the view is nailed to a point part way up the mast. I too like transparent sails as it is complicated to move the view over and see under them or around them. But please don't remove them completely or we will be forced to use the UI to see how much sail is up. Or best add remove all sails as an optional toggle.

Well said. The creation of happy hunting grounds that are close to the initial spawn ports could be very helpful to players that are confused looking at a compass. Just follow the AI ships and they will lead you to a port. Don't think we should reduce the quality of the game too much for for a few players who go AFK and come back to find out they are lost. Perhaps they could just stop their ship before they go AFK and resume speed upon return. This argument of the player base quitting or refusing to play is a red herring. Irrelevant. How can you decide that having a beacon flashing on the horizon will retain players and creating an environment that rewards navigation will repel them? Personally I think that when we dumb the game down we will lose players, but what do I know? I would loath having my position on the map OR some sort of beacon that would render navigation useless. Unless it can be toggled off. Hopefully someday we can purchase a compass, clock and perhaps a sextant. All of which should be able to be toggled on or off. Both in OW and an instance. Also: Every time we add (or remove) a feature to compensate for the primary objective of competitive fairness we complicate the game. But if it can be toggled on and off why should I care if other players have all kinds of little cheats to help them get into fights faster and more frequently?

I have 14Mbit/s. Works fine.

Well it appears that double-home key allows camera movement. And MarineGamer is suggesting that the plans are to include some default views that will be from the deck. We are in early stages. I'm optimistic.

Thanks. I'll give that I try.

Thanks for the input. I can't use the Free Camera anymore since the update. I asked for assistance in the technical help thread. Yours is the first response. Also a couple updates ago the default view seemed get stuck up onto the mast. But the Lynx is not default anymore and I haven't had a chance to obtain one. Perhaps this view is just on some ships.

Think of what is possible ... if you support allowing some players the option of viewing the game from the deck of the ship to use a less limited view please reply with your support. Sailing in the open world can be amazingly beautiful. Recently the camera movement has been severely limited. It’s not clear if this by design or the key binding has been changed or if the camera movement function will be restored in the future. Movement now is limited and jerky. The result is when moving about the deck the camera seems to be bouncing around. Previously the movement was very fluid. The limited camera movement has made it impossible to position oneself on the deck and imaging sailing from any position other than up on the mast. Now the camera seems to stuck up on the mast and there is no way to move about the ship. Sailing slowly in open world is now more tedious. It is no longer possible to look up and check the wind direction from the pennants. Video of current limited camera views: Will this ever be repaired? Or is this intended to remain this way? Is this a change to prevent people from moving their view away from the ship to gain an unrealistic advantage? A test for an imposed awareness disadvantage? Would it be possible to allow camera movement close to the deck of the ship but not allow movement away from the ship? I hope so. It was very satisfying when traveling slowly in open world, using a first person view from the deck, because it seemed realistic. Looking forward to sailing again … one day soon. Previous Naval Action with free camera movement: Note: This post is intended to be constructive and is no way intended to be dramatic, confrontational or disrespectful.

I'm having trouble accessing the variable viewpoints since the update. Previously I could access various view around the ship by pressing Ctrl H twice. I could move the camera around an see from the vantage of the bow, stern, sides or even up the mast. It was as if one could walk about the deck of the ship. But now the view seems to be permanently locked about 1/3 the way up the mast. "Ctrl H" only removes the UI and with the second application of "Ctrl H" the UI reappears. It is great to remove the UI but I have not figured out how to access the ability to move the camera about the deck of the ship. Am I missing a keybinding? How do I access the previous views from around the deck of the ship?

Please, please make it incremental so each player can turn the UI off entirely if desired. I have no desire to take away the UI from others. But it would be sad if there was no way to remove it all and see the game without it.

This thread has presented some informative opinions. I’ve never played any other multiplayer naval game and am unaware of the history that has created such a gulf between game styles. I had thought that this game would be a beautiful looking simulation of naval combat in the age of sail. And that the infrastructure of supply & repair and the manufacture of ships and materiel would be a integral part of the game. I had no idea that creating a virtual world would be so complicated and limited. But as I understand it is not feasible to create a virtual world of combat on a scale of 3000 players without using some ingenious features like “instances” . Encouraging fast paced fighting within the current constraints requires number other fixed mechanisms to maintain completive fairness. I laugh at myself for thinking it would be as easy as buying and outfitting a ship and sailing out into hostile waters seeking conflict, or sailing in friendly waters to support my countries war effort through the transportation of goods. I unknowing thought that there would be nights of complete darkness, fish and dangerous weather. Unless I was in very friendly water I envisioned that I would spend time scanning the horizon for enemy ships. And once seen I would have an option of fleeing to avoid hardship. I expected that sometimes I would be a victim and hopefully with luck learn to create victims of others. In order to facilitate lots of battles the game mechanics are far more sophisticated. It is not always easy to see a threat approaching When I read the start of this thread I thought that it seemed like a good idea. The creation of some relatively friendly waters where players could trade and neutral areas where it is possible practice combat with AI. When ready the players can venture out into the deadly zones and embrace human foes. We could create areas that were packed with fighting and please the players who are eager. Others could avoid fights by avoiding certain areas. Additionally a third group could enjoy a mix of both styles and plot their courses near the boundaries. But it seems that the nuances of the game mechanics combined with the politics of competitive gaming make such a simple idea impractical. The details are just far too complex . It is helpful to hear the explanations of the PvP style clashing with the PvE. At least for those of us who have not played PoTBS or MMOs.

And please include a toggle to turn off the port names when the user interface is off. Or just leave them off when the UI is off.