Valdez

Having them just have free ports could work along with their capital. With false colors would be cool, just costs gold/timer for how good the papers are or something.

I know there is a poll about pirate nation so this is somewhat addition to that but if pirates could only raid other ports I have an idea for that. The pirate nation at least on the North American server is very well dead but an idea to play them would be pirates get "safe haven" ports across the map. Ports that can't be captured. The pirates get to raid and attack ports from these ports for resources and materials. Now the pirates get free outposts at all these ports by default (costs a lot of money to make any in a free port). Now here's the interesting thing about them that could be fun. They can take captured ships and transform them into pirate versions. Pirate frigate (Which is in game) piriate constitution, pirate snow, ect. But in order to do so they take a captured ship and recraft it into a 5 durability pirate ship. Takes mats which are harder to get due to how the pirates work, but since they can raid, their flags for port raiding are cheaper. And a heavily PVP oriented like any pirate faction should be. What do you all think? The multiple pirate havens would allow them to have a pirate threat anywhere which would be more "realistic" but also be fun game play.

Now the uneven player base aside which is part of the issue, but A good portion of France's holdings are rather far away from their capital. Either move it closer to Haiti, or have it set at New Orleans. I just think where they are is rather far off, but there can be issues with that too. Or have Capitals and "major outposts" for a nation where the population can teleport to and set up shop/defense. Only nations I can see needing this would be, France and Spain though. And these major outposts being very hard to cap with the land system coming into place.

People don't read the dev's plans do they when they talk about their coastal plans for battles?

I think there needs to be a way for smaller nations to be more easily "fortified" when they get smaller but if they get bigger it becomes harder to "maintain". So even bigger player base for the US, resources yeah can be become more scarce due to competition, costs for port fortifications go up (range from the capital) so it cost/harder to fortify the edges of one's control. Amongst other things as initial ideas.

I will have to take a look into this, but there has to be a method to encourage people to play the smaller nations., to make them not so small. For one I have been hearing several clans joining the US, and I am thinking.. if they all stayed where they were, they'd been a greater force to be reckoned with!

Question the administrator in this post here http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/10377-the-current-blueprint-drop-mechanic-needs-adjusting-thoughts/ stated a big patch changes to BP's. Is this patch that he/she speaks of the same as this patch? Clarification please.

I agree a free ship that costs nothing shouldn't be used in PVP (still attackable in PVP) though. But only small ships, lynx, cutter, ect. Reason being then people could abuse a ship that can never be hurt in PVP to ferry cargo around that's small but highly valuable. There has to be a balance for it. That wouldn't be too exploitable.

I think teleporting with cargo defeats the purpose of the game in some respects but having a teleport is handy when you eventually get lost or want to meet up with friends. So having a balance is needed.