[[suggestion] Name ships]

I don't think billion dollar investments commonly get silly names.

This is the internet, we try to make everything into a massive joke

[[suggestion] Name ships]

or to remember the color scheme of the vessel or to notice the suttle differances

as SOMEONE had mentioned the ships will not all be identical similar yes but not identical

 

or look at the signals they are flying  

Yes, but include some sort of paper in game where it tells what the different symbols and flags mean. I(along with every other guy who decides to play but dosn't know squat about this stuff) are not going to like memorizing what symbols mean what. I would start remembering what they mean later on.

 

But there should also be an anti-profanity system when designing the nameplates, because I personally don't want to be sunk by "big motherf***er"

[Practice mission(s) in OW, something comparable to Admiralty missions.]

Good idea Macjimm.

At the moment you can not test sailing , damage boarding etc without going to ow and getting involved into some battle where you can actually lose ship.

Testing ship should be in some sort of instance/mission where you can be alone against AI oe even other player and you don't need to pay for repairs and you can not lose ship.

Brilliant idea. Another task for dev's? )

I don't know about the sailing part, but I would like to see a practice battle, like they have in the Navy, where they set this old ship out on the water, and you need to sink it(preferably from far away). Helps with aiming for when you get into a real fight

 

And I still think there should be some sort of insurance program in the game, they had it back in the Age of Sail, and would help for those fights where you can lose a ship.

[Practice mission(s) in OW, something comparable to Admiralty missions.]

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

Yes, it would be nice if there were something different to spice it up. Right now if feels as if I have to do a lot of grinding to get to a Constitution or Victory.

[Non-combat ways of gaining experience?]

I would like to see this as well, or some sort of practice battle at least when you start. I have tried unsuccessfully several times to sink an AI ship, and while I'm slowly learning, I would like to be able to take on a ship, without having to buy bigger/stronger cannons in order to beat them.

 

You could also have another option for experience: Guarding/Convoys. Where some convoy of merchant ships is going to another port, and you have to help escort them there. There is a chance of combat from pirates, but you could also have a calm day and just sail the ship, getting a feel for the sea.

[User Interface Ideas (Updated 3.20.15)]

Could give it that real MMO feel

 

 

This seems a nice solution:

 

Edit:

You could inegrate the loading indicator into it:

~Brigand

Both of these styles I really like, and would like to see them in game. The current interface is fine, but some of the words on mine overlap, and this just seems neater

.

Also, I would like to see what you have planned for the menus, like when you go into port and are looking at equipement, the shop, etc. How will it look like? Personally I would like to have the background looking at my ship in port, and going to the shop brings you to some shipwright.

[Navigators?]

I believe that something along these lines needs to be done. I would be willing to do the navigational readings myself even, instead of relying on an officer to do them. Just don't make them 100% accurate, and give us the ability to find ourselves on a chart. I brought this up in chat a day or so ago in game, and I was chastised by a few people for "not knowing how to use a compass", and "Wanting a GPS in the 18th Century." Lol. The simple truth of the matter is, is that ocean going vessels don't use, and never have used dead reckoning as a reliable navigation system. There are to many variables involved when crossing large bodies of water. Make the game fun, make it historically accurate, but give us the tools to work with to make it an immersive experience. I would go so far as to make us buy provisions to feed our crew, or suffer some sort of crew performance issues.  

 

It would be interesting if a Celestial navigation tool would be available to early captains, then I can find my latitude and just sail around till I find land. Of course this would only be useful at night, but it adds a bit more complexity and realism to the game. For the larger ships, like birgs and ships-of-the-line, there would be an upgrade to hire a navigator. "He"(cause it would probably be an AI) would take the readings, and as an added bonus, would chart the course, so you know if you've been going off course just by looking at a map, and not doing some calculations.

[Development plans prioritization - proposals and feedback]

A bunch of ideas here I'd like to see, but I voted for Exploration and Delivery missions. I have seen more than a few new players struggling to advance from the starting ships, and providing these will award experience, this may ease the fustration some people are feeling.

 

 

And all the frustrated newbs like me thank you. So far I have been getting money through battles, and I would like to see some sort of mission that will get me out to other ports, and help me know the sea a bit better

[Should the weather cause open world damage]

Storms should matter, after all, it was a storm that saved England from the Spanish Armada.

But for all newbies like me, it will be a massive pain in the butt if I spawn right in the middle of a hurricane, and get my tiny cutter obliterated.

 

So if you, the developers, are going to include storms, please be sure to spawn noobs in safe harbours that will face less of the destructive power of a hurricane.

 

And it may also be a good idea to include Insurance in the game, so as to lessen the pain of those who spent many hours working towards a frigate... only to see it ripped apart by angry winds.

[Little things you'd like to see]

One of the little things I'd like to see is better formating.

I found that when I enter battle, my Skipper Auto is halfway behind the panel with the numbers showing my ammo. This makes it pretty difficult to accuratly judge my speed and other info Skipper Auto gives.

 

It would also help if there was some sort of list of different key functions when sailing or in battle. It really helps to know how to fire a cannon.