I won't complain about the AI manned ships being more effective now. If that's a change that the devs intended then so be it. However, I believe everyone is noticing that the AI manned ships are able to penetrate both sides of the armor with an alarmingly more effective ability than either long cannons or carronades are suppose to. I took several missions since the patch in a bellona and went up against single 3rd rates and single bellonas. I would slug it out broadside to broadside to see which one of us could sink the other faster. I was using 18 lb cannons only instead of the max gun weight due to them being higher dps and the same penetration value. I would be able to sink a bellona or 3rd rate with roughly 10% armor on my broadside that I was showing the enemy.
It was very clear in multiple battles that while I only knocked ~20-40% of armor off the far side of the enemy, my opposite side was down by 50-70% armor. The AI ships are able to penetrate both broadsides more effectively than I could. I even tried to use the focused setting where all cannons were aimed perpendicular as opposed to using the "unfocused" settings. I still was not penetrating the AI's opposite side armor as fast as they were penetrating mine. I alternated between medium cannons, long cannons, and carronades (where applicable) and the results repeated themselves. The only thing left to test is using higher gun weights but considering that is what everyone else is doing I doubt it will make a difference.
Hotfix 9.71
in Patch notes
Posted
I won't complain about the AI manned ships being more effective now. If that's a change that the devs intended then so be it. However, I believe everyone is noticing that the AI manned ships are able to penetrate both sides of the armor with an alarmingly more effective ability than either long cannons or carronades are suppose to. I took several missions since the patch in a bellona and went up against single 3rd rates and single bellonas. I would slug it out broadside to broadside to see which one of us could sink the other faster. I was using 18 lb cannons only instead of the max gun weight due to them being higher dps and the same penetration value. I would be able to sink a bellona or 3rd rate with roughly 10% armor on my broadside that I was showing the enemy.
It was very clear in multiple battles that while I only knocked ~20-40% of armor off the far side of the enemy, my opposite side was down by 50-70% armor. The AI ships are able to penetrate both broadsides more effectively than I could. I even tried to use the focused setting where all cannons were aimed perpendicular as opposed to using the "unfocused" settings. I still was not penetrating the AI's opposite side armor as fast as they were penetrating mine. I alternated between medium cannons, long cannons, and carronades (where applicable) and the results repeated themselves. The only thing left to test is using higher gun weights but considering that is what everyone else is doing I doubt it will make a difference.