Aquillas

Almost all ships are useless in Xebec Action!

We know that very few ship can approach xebec performance, notably Lynx and Privateer before they were speed nerfed in last patch. I did not test them since, but with less speed... And even if they could match the speed by addition of the pirate refit, evene if they could reach the 15.5 knots of the xebec, they will have to face a 384 pd carro broadside of the xebec with 108 pd for the Privateer, and to face 300 men with 60. They have no chaser, the Req has. The privateer will have to run downwind for escaping, but his performance is impacted by the refit, xebec is not... You know the conclusion. I tested the privateer: no way. The Brig and other squared rig ships are out upwind, even the pickle is. The only remaining ship to counter the Requin is another Requin. When this Xebec vs xebec occurs in fight, the chased goes 15.5 kn capping, same as the chaser. The chased can use chains in rear guns, not the chaser. So, at the best, 90 minutes are lost for both. Yes, let's all use Requins! But what about new players who do not have the crew? I know, they are sentenced to be xebec's food.

@Hethwill the Harmless, Sorry if my last post hurted. But bore is also a feed back. I don't know what about raking a Req. They run upwind too rapidly for that. I got, again, 8 fights with them yesterday, without any variety nor dynamism. Only attempts to board me (all failed) after they did the same with the initially attacked casual player (some worked). I bore surrended the last fight. And left the game. Is this a feedback?

My last fight in a Niagara was vs a Surprise or a Frigate, I don't remember. It lasted more than one hour. But: This Niag was built to fight, not to run. I use all the unnecessary skill you don't need in a red sail cancer. The same fight in a cancer ship would have been a rage boarding attempt (360 v 240, no necessary skill), then sailing upwind even with hull and sails at 60% (no necessary skill), then sarcastic comments to the Surprise captain (cancer captains have developed this skill widely) Requin players are so used to no skill fighting that you can't imagine anymore fighting with some disadvantage, compensating with skill. For your information, Niagara can out-turn any 5th rate frigate, she can angulate to bump broadsides if she is not built to kill traders and run others. But obviously, all that is not necessary to a cancer captain. Just replace angulating by using a low hull that cannot be hit from distance, just replace long fights by running, just replace skill by sarcasms. Just replace PVP by PVzero.

An unescorted first rate is just a sitting duck. Xebec attacking or other.

As usual, and in spite of being adversaries (not enemies) in a lot of fights, I must agree. But (remember, I’m French so there’s always be a “But”) I agree that after learning how to use your ship, you can be a concern for attackers or a savior for defenders (when you have time to be so). TIP for defenders: use small ships to learn more rapidly angling, manual sailing, firing, often looking the map for making the right movements, etc. Learn all what is not necessary to be a successfully Requin captain. But a Req captains who knows that (you for instance) will be really more efficient and will save his ship in almost all circumstances, unless bad luck of an enemy player spawning exactly at the right place in a 3rd rate ship or bigger. The problem is that 100% unskilled captains can be a threat, sailing all the time in auto mode, retreating at will, without learning, without training, just sailing a xebec. They don’t need any sailing skill, they don’t need any knowledge of boarding, nothing is enough to make a dangerous xebec captain. Just buying the DLC (what I did too, but I don’t use it. I hate easy victories). I can see that I am a concern for xebecs captains, because I am the focus as soon as I enter a fight. And somehow, I feel valuated by this “appreciation”. This is not only true for xebecs. I was the focus yesterday in a Brig, fighting 3 Hercules, in spite of the presence so some Dianas, Cerberus and some other frigates… The conclusion of this fight was that Brig is OP, to be nerfed (But may be, I was also the focus of some players because I’m SLRN, and former EDR, an aggravating fact) All that could be acceptable, if the rewards were at a balanced level. But: I got, in the total week-end, 450xp and 1 PvP mark. For this mark, thanks to @vasco who committed suicide in a Bellona just in front of KPR, coming just after a Requin attack made the defense fleet ready for receiving him properly (sorry for inconvenience). I used all my Sunday in PvP to farm my 3rd knowledge slot in the Brig. I got it, Yeah! But I had to do a PVE mission to add some xp… Out of that PVE mission, I perhaps did 200xp. For keeping my main account able to fight against Requins, I need the help of my two other British accounts, played from a 2nd computer, for farming resources and gold. Is this fair?

So, how can you explain that most of attackers are in Requins? How can you explain why they escape so easily? How can you explain the ravages they make in new players? Do you claim that you are the only player in game who has some adaptation capability?

In game message from “nevermind” (Requin noob player, who never uses manual sailing, member of a three Requin team who was unable to even significantly damage my cedar /cedar pickle when I attacked them from upwind…) “Y’all should learn it is a waste of time to hunt a Requin” (Sunday, 13:49 server time) May answer was: “They are very proud of having sunk a basic cutter (3 Reqs for that, LOL)”

I spent most of my playing time during the week end making PvP in Naval Action. I must say that I bored most of my week end playing time. There is no more variety in Naval Action PvP. Almost always, you counter attack Requins which tagged more or less unexperienced players (down to 3 Reqs vs a 1st Lieutenant in a basic cutter, the Reqs being proud of this great victory). 80% of my PvP was against Reqs in the past two weeks, always, the same fight: Several Requins, sometimes helped by Hercules, attack a player in the so called protected area (they know that there is no protection). The attacked player calls for reinforcement, got useless brigs or snows, one per attacking Requin, LOL. Several defenders join to help with more efficiency. The initially attacked player is rage boarded and sunk. Defenders succeed in damaging one or several Requins, downing the hull to less than 50% and the sails to less than 70%. The Requins escape upwind without problem in spite of damages and even having lost masts. You can be afk the last 15mins of each pseudo-fight. Defenders get almost no reward. Goto 1. There is no more variety in game, less than never seen before. We see a lot of new players, we see a lot of old players coming back, we see that the player base is not increasing. Lot of players, again, make a spot try of the game and feel it boring. Again… Old players spend their time, gold, man hours and energy compensating new player losses, to try and avoid them going out. Yesterday, I compensated an Endy to a player who lost it to a gank. I was not yet out of the port that he wrote me that he was ganked again at the first sortie, and lost the new ship… I had no more craft hours, this ship will be replaced, again, this evening. Where The Fun? I will personally make a pause in PVP. Playing in a Req is 100% boring to my standards (kills are so easy), so I won't use this out of fun ship. PVE is more interesting. You find variety, you have more rewards, more fun and more satisfaction. But there in a tip here, to all players, when making PVE, please begin the fight sailing downwind in straight line during 10 minutes just tagging the IA’s by your stern guns. Enemy Requins, that will pop in sooner or later, will pop far from you. I know that going downwind in strait line is boring, but you can do it afk and watch a video in between. @admin, please help the game!

I never understood why the Rattlesnake is not craftable. I think it would become a useful variant to brig, mercury and rattle heavy, but by now, you can get a single one, once per account, from tutorial, and some randomized pop-up by PVE epic events. PVP players, traders, can't get it. Very few are for sale, and at an higher price than Victories (because it is so rare) I really hope that to be fixed. Why developing a model that players can't use?

For sure, this is not an issue of the ship, but of the upgrade.

Losing the bowsprit of a xebec should at least slow down the fore yard rotation speed.

I use to record all my fights, for making afterwards analysis of what I did or did not do, errors or good reactions, for improving and upgrading skill. I share this record, not because this fight was particularly good or got high results, but because it highlights some interesting feedback, in a quite short time. Analysis is below the video Time Remark 1:40 In spite of exchanging broadsides with the entire British fleet including a Bellona, the two xebecs went out with little damages that can be easily repaired. 2:33 Damaging Don Juan Dimarco with my small 8 carronades (18pd). Short range and aiming high on the hull. 2:40 My Brig was Bermuda Cedar/ Mahogany / Cotton sails (14+ knots). She cannot outrun a xebec downwind. A legend is falling here. This is probably due to the Xebec mods (the pirate rig refit seems to add performance upwind and downwind). Almost all xebecs are fit with it. 3:31 The only moment I saw one of these Xebec captains using manual sailing. Usually, xebec captains don’t do it anymore, the high ship performance allow most xebec captains to simply go automatic sails all along fights, like here. Defender captains from Xebecs who would do that in a square rigged ship are dead. 3:57 A full broadside from the Bellona to the xebec made almost no damage. We will see later why. 4:16 I aimed above the xebec hull to make damages. 5:16 The Xebec takes another ineffective broadside from the Bello (he probably aimed the hull instead of above). Again, this xebec is outrunning my Brig even downwind… 6:20 Aiming quite high, again, to be effective. 6:46 Broadside from Dutchzzz to Ignatius Greybeard. From front, it is possible to hit directly the structure. 8:03 They can now evade upwind easily. The fight is finished, as usual. Either xebecs win, or they escape. Even using auto sailing only (skill is useless for this ship), they can break engagements at will, and cannot be rejoined, neither upwind or downwind. The end I got rewarded of a fistful of xp for that fight. Who told that PvP is the core in-game activity? Hope this helps!

These superb pictures, to be compared to this video about the construction of the Hermione:

I was often insulted by Xebec captains. The last one (@Casanova Moderne) telling "stop whining, come to fight", while he was running... (yesterday, 16:59 server time)

So that we will, again, hear xebec cowards whining because being ganked, blablabla.

Evade, yes. Attack, no. A defense fleet must attack! Or do we have to consider that Xebecs cannot be attacked, this being frozen and cannot be changed, other ships being limited to run if they can or sink if they can't,

You escaped at 7 knots. The xebec I saw was running at more than 12 knots with 50% sails (the speed of my Brig, with 100% sails). The same brig (14 knots on the data sheet) got partially dismasted the following fight. I got 50 % of sails, and 7 knots. So no, the same rules do not apply. I agree this xebec would have escaped the Bello, but not the frigates which were around.

The present (non-exhaustive) list of useless ships is: Cutter (slower upwind and downwind than xebecs. Just food for Requins. Can be used only as harasser of SOL’s, when Reqs are absent) Privateer (slower upwind and downwind than xebecs, the ship I lost the most to xebecs) Prince de Neufchatel, Brigs, Snow, Navy Brig, Rattlesnake, Rattlesnake Heavy, Mercury, Niagara (slower upwind than xebecs, out powered by Hercules, no more room for them in shallow areas). I use them just because I like challenges. Traders Lynx, Trader Cutters (slower than Reqs, upwind and downwind. In case of fight, don’t lose time, just surrender) Basic Cutter (slower upwind and downwind than xebecs, just food for Requins)

One other important feedback in terms of playability... We know that gankers, often in xebecs, are daily attacking all capitals. And so, defense fleet do their best to protect these zones from this daily invasion. Attackers can hit and run several times before being intercepted, and they are earning a lot of PvP marks, combat marks, XP and gold there. Even if most of them are fully unable to properly use their manual sailing, main reason why I often escaped to their pathetic xebec assaults, in a Lynx, a Pickle, a Privateer or a Brig. In Xebec Action, just noobs can earn a lot. If defense fleet can successfully intercept gankers (i.e. not every time) they could damage one of some xebecs among them, if they were lucky enough to pop in battle at the right place. These xebec, even damaged 50% of the hull and 50% of the sails, will simply go upwind and escape. So that defense fleet captains will almost never earn anything. In addition, most of gankers troll the defense fleets in the battle chat just before escaping, because they are stupid boys, proud of their stupidity, and unable to see that their success are only due OP modeling of the upwind speed of the ship and upgrades, leaving the most rapid of the pursuit ships to the same speed than them (cap speed). Stupid, and useless chase, because Xebecs bow chasers can shoot chains from the coward side, not stern chasers. After what xebec gankers will repair in OW, teleport new crew, and hit and run again and again, earning a lot of rewards, again... And defense fleet leave the game, bored for the day or for longer. So many time, I can read on the nation chat: "wich ship? A req? nvm". Some of them decide to sail a xebec too in enemy capital waters, adding more xebecs to ganks (reason why the Shamec ganker fleet sizes are growing up rapidly). We got some units in front of KPR some weeks ago. Now, it is per dozens. More are expected next week. Do you really think that this mechanic will last 5 months, like the non-action time we ever lived for the Wasa?

Yest, let's buf the Prince up to 35 knots! This will solve the Xebec problem, and Prince Action sounds better than Shamec action!

All from Port Morant to Carlisle, except the OW 26-08-2018 17-22-31 , which was in Belize, against an Endy (who runned).

OK, go back to Naval Action data! Let's deny historical background! Here is the Naval action stats of last fights I got (Sorry for no stats on 24-25, I was fully bored) Date Enemy Requins Enemy Hercules Enemy others Friendly Requins Friendly Hercules Friendly others Enemy losses Friendly losses Remark OW 23-08-2018 22-40-42 Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No Yes OW 23-08-2018 22-40-42 No Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No OW 26-08-18 13-22 Yes No No No No Yes No No OW 26-08-2018 14-00-45 Yes No No No No Yes No Yes Surrended (3 Shamec vs 1 privateer) Silas in Trader Lynx Yes No No No No Yes No Yes Surrended (Shamec vs Trader Lynx) OW 26-08-2018 15-05-51 Yes No Yes No Yes Yes No Yes OW 26-08-2018 17-22-31 No No Yes No Yes Yes No No OW 26-08-2018 18-09-01 Yes No No No No No No Yes OW 26-08-2018 18-38-52 Yes No Yes No No Yes No No OW 26-08-2018 22-15-36 Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes No All enemy ships sunk, except Reqs OW 26-08-2018 22-36-26 Yes No No No No Yes No Yes OW 26-08-2018 23-37-49 Yes No No No No Yes Yes No Average values 83% 17% 33% 8% 42% 92% 17% 50% As you see, the xebec invasion by gankers is factual, proved, because they know the can gank without major risk in xebecs whatever the opposition is. Xebec gankers complain that the are counter ganked by Bellos. Yes. These bello captains come in fight, knowing that they will lose their time (very little chance to reach at range distance, but they know that this is the only way to keep Shamecs off fights against new players and some of them still accept to lose their time for this result). The ratios of presence of Shamec is significant (83%), showing that xebec users know, by experience, that the ship is OP. Also shown by the ratio of losses. A game breaking ship is a game breaking ship, whatever the way you try to see it, unless being voluntarily blind. My father would have told that another way in French: "Tourne-toi du côté que tu veux, tu auras toujours le cul par derrière". (Whatever the direction you're turning to, you'll have the ass in the back)

I won’t enter in this discussion about the planking. Developers know that the Requin is bugged. If xebecs would have had the superior qualities shown in Naval Action, all nations would have renounced to all other kind of ships and they would have built this cheap ships only, instead of expensive 3rd rates or frigates… Staying factual, nations did not switch to 100% xebecs, proving that Naval Action is wrong. Back to game testing... I spent all my Sunday, in front of KPR, fighting this omnipresent ship, so called between players “le Broken Shamec”, in all fights but one (I had a fight in Belize, sorry for inconvenience). Staying factual, what did I see? I saw @Casanova Moderne and one of his mates attacking and sinking basic cutters skipped by 1st Lieutenants. At the contrary to what was claimed above (basic cutters are attacked because they are used by rear admirals to transport precious stuff) Xebecs are used by their captains to kill new players out of the game before they can even skip a brig… Shame on them! And shame on "protected areas", which are in fact the most dangerous places in game. I saw fleets of 6 xebecs + 4 Hercules ganking new players. At the contrary of what was claimed above, xebecs are not used by lone hunters. I saw at least one xebec taking a full broadside from a Bellona. She stayed afloat, just losing the central mast. One side was affected 75%, the structure bar not. This xebec went easily out of the battle with sails at 50%, none of the present ships being able to match his 12 knots. No other ship that the xebec could have done that, whatever the upgrades she could have… This shows that this ship model is fully unfair and bugged (may be also due to upgrades, especially modified by developers to give xebecs such capability). Same developers, who made this shitty modification on pirate rig refits in one day are now claiming that removing it would be so looooooong… LOL. My brigs and privateers are immediately affected by shots is sails. Xebecs are not. In spite of being focused by xebecs as soon as entering a fight (as so, in spite of being really engaged almost all the time), I earnt 135 XP for the privateer, 149 XP for the Brig and a fistful of gold during the whole day. I suppose I must consider this great and enough. The poor damage model of the shit red sailed ship was not modified, firing in the hull remains useless, you must fire above he hull to see damages (LOL), the sail antenna is not yet included in mast damage model, no change at all. No reply from developers. Just silence and contempt. I am strongly questioning on my future in game, and I’ll search something else this evening, and I’ll change again my game evaluation to “very negative”. (The game is now very expensive because users are obliged to buy game + xebecs + herc + admiralty connection to be able to play. Then they'll discover that they can't use the two DLC's before gaining XP, they will be ganked during gaining XP and most will leave before being able to use what they purchased). And to stick to the topic title “Le Requin Testing and Feedback”, in three words: Leave the game! And the future so called "econ patch" is not at all giving me some optimism. I do think that this will again break the little remaining economy in game, by increasing risks to be taken by traders for no result. The game will be organized to reinforce their chances of being intercepted in travels and as today, they will find about nothing to buy in ports and selling prices to 1 gold everywhere it was supposed to be interesting to sell. Sorry for this last out-of-topic, this will be another story, another occasion to put players out of the game. In few words, I am afraid that the new econ patch will focus on forcing players to buy DLC’s.

Yes, the discussion is Moving to "Why playing Xebec Action?"