vjrs01

This ais a reasonable solution, although the line drop-penalty is going to be frustrating for me. It is bad enough losing an officers life more often, without the penalty as described. But it is still a reasonable solution. Give it a go...

I agree with Bird's comments. This is an amazing game and the developers' will to enhance and improve it, is admirable and appreciated. The mission-related aspect of the game could be enhanced, as suggested.: not just treasure, but information; i would like to see blockading as a component of the new alliances game, but this would be complicated, and would probably need a campaign-event of some sort to support it. That in turn would encourage co-operation between those players 'in the campaign' with (one would hope) appropriate rewards. I like the 'Captain's view'; also I am in agreement with the storms/wind strength and damage to vessels. It would be nice if the wind strength actually changes - I may be wrong here, but it seems the wind strength is the same whatever the weather. Still present is the bug where ships do not behave correctly when masts are down. The vessel should behave more like a weather-vane (no foremast, vessel is bow-into-the-wind; no main & mizzen, vessel points is bow down-wind — because of the unopposable pressure of the wind on the remaining rigging). All that having been said, please note that your efforts to improve the game are appreciated greatly.

Wow. She is rather lovely.

Doesn't really need a screenshot. The issue regards the behaviour of dis-masted ships. Given the loss of the foremast/bowsprit, the ship would swing round to point upwind, and it would be difficult to manoeuvre away from this direction without a jury-rig to oppose the wind's effect on the aft sails. Similarly; having the main & mizzen shot away renders it almost impossible to point anywhere but bow-downwind. (Think of a weather-vane...) The dismasted vessels in battle do not behave this way, often steadfastly pointing in the wrong direction.

This proposal would work better if the boarding/capture/ship damage assumptions of the game were reviewed at the same time. Crew was commonly commandeered from captured ships; it seems to me that crew should be 'recycled' in this way. However, the mêlée aspect of boarding, and the endpoint of crew killing on an adjacent vessel is such that all crew are killed, usually. In practice, the vessel would 'strike its colours' long before the crew were down to one man. This could — if it were to be considered a viable idea — be implemented by making morale decay during battle more rapidly than crew numbers, giving an endpoint whilst leaving a greater number of the crew alive. Those crew could then be acquired by the capturing vessel. It would also encourage 'capture rather than slaughter'; it would encourage preservation of one's own crew (for which, we receive no credit at the moment) and it would be more realistic and truer to the times. I, for one, feel slightly uncomfortable sailing away and leaving a beaten crew to drown, even though they are only 'virtual' seamen. Good sailors were a resource, and in general, they weren't casually wasted.

This is a good idea.

Hi. If I notify of a problems during gameplay using f11. Where do I find feedback on that specific issue, or does it have to be reported separately?

Agreed. Excellent idea. May be this could 'educate' the sail crew and create a slight advantage in sailing/sail handling when in battle?

I agree with random fire approximating to 'full broadside'. Don't get rid of it, please. As a suggestion (I have offered the idea of a higher effectiveness for the first broadside in any combat — because it is loaded with care and with less hurry — before), but a useful addition to the game would be an element of gunners' crew improvement with time. This could be reflected as a more closely coordinated full broadside or as a slightly higher destructive value to the broadside. It could (should?) be subject to penalty if the ship is lost or its crew is killed, but once again it should improve with crew experience in combat.

I offer several ideas for discussion: I accept this might be difficult, but tides and tidal currents, please. These could be tied in with lunar phases, and with a much greater significance to running aground. (A propos of this, the feedback of shallow water could a little more refined; it would need to be if running aground was a significant mistake and one to be avoided.) Inadequately mapped areas that could, by careful exploration, be enhanced; the derived charts could be shared with group or clan members, or perhaps, sold. I like the difficult harbours and I like navigating, so more challenges here would be welcome. The weather oscillating back and forth as in the real world (the wind backing and veering); bigger storms that might cause sail/mast damage or carry away a yardarm: woe-betide if you are caught on a 'lee shore'. The occasional porpoise, seabird of flying fish would be nice (suggested by someone else, but good idea in my view). A slightly greater efficiency the the first broadside fired (the first broadside tended to be more carefully - less hastily - loaded and probably was more accurate and damaging than subsequent ones). This would reward more careful thought to the correct shot choice at the start of battles. (This may already be the case, but I haven't found it documented, so far.) Real dark; the option to extinguish sailing lights if you don't want to be seen - contraband traders, raiders, pirates and spies... (See the moon, in point 1. I acknowledge someone else has suggested this.) There has been a lot of discussion about the letters that turn up as items in captured ships and no-one seems to read. Could they not be part of a larger, structured mission? I don't know if there is a way of scripting missions (look at Naev, which allows users to script missions for other users using LUA [i think it's called]), but this could be an exciting development if implemented. I don't want to sound like I am unsatisfied with the game as it is; I am not. It is quite the best, most entertaining and immersive game I have ever come across. The variety of levels in which it can be played is astonishing. Well done, and keep at it, m'hearties.

If one character per account, there should (in my view) be some way of starting all-over-again. I see this game as occupying time for some years, especially if it keeps improving as it seems to be at the moment. Great fun; immersive; realistic.

Ah. Now that is a good idea, and it may solve the issue; I will try that (if I can work out how to...) and re-post on progress. Thanks for all your help.

I have been playing NA for about three weeks, and having made so many mistakes in the first week (exploring the game) I too came across this issue and was frustrated by it. Having got past that now, I can — sort of — understand why the game has been written his way, however it does raise the question what do you do and where do you go when you are Admiral of the Fleet. Having paid a fee for the game (albeit a very reasonable one) you should be permitted to play it again from scratch, somehow, in my view. Perhaps this could be addressed at some stage? I would welcome thoughts & opinions on this.

Hi. Thanks to you both. I have not changed the keyboard bindings; what buttons fire the whole broadside and I'll check next time it occurs. It usually happens when I am manoeuvring my vessel, and the guns fire without left-mouse being clicked. I don't have any peripheral devices - except the mouse - attached. (The problem occurs with USB mouse and with USB cableless [logitech] mouse.) PC is Asus laptop which is 'up to the task'; a mouse is definitely needed in gameplay, rather than struggling to use the touchpad.

The guns on my ships seem to fire spontaneously, often part-way through a manoeuvre, wasting the broadside into the sea or the air. I have asked about this before so I apologize if this is the incorrect place to ask about it again. It is almost as if there is a setting to 'fire guns immediately they are loaded' that I need to un-set. I can't find any such setting, however. This is really frustrating for me (although I suspect not for my opponents!). Has anyone else come across this? What is the cause? How can I stop it happening?