Tim Cutter

But to be fair, we didn't have fleets of HMS Victories or Bellonas sailing about like we do in-game. But surviving Galleons did take to the sea sometimes even though they were outdated. One particular advantage a civilian merchant might seek is her armament of oars commonly used to aid in up-wind sailing.

There is a great number of ships available in the current game, plenty to play around with. And forgive me if I am ignorant to the plans to add these or potentially as many ships as the developers can handle, but I think these ships are so beautiful and versatile that they should be singled out for special attention in the shipyards. Their versatility comes in that they are warships, but can be fast (as in the race-built) as well as strong, or they can serve as all but impregnable gunships with more cannons than King Georges army and enough cargo space to start a small economy off of. For a pop-culture reference; the Pirates of the Caribbean featured a race-built Galleon that specialized in chasing her prey up-wind until she inevitably caught them... That legendary vessel is the Flying Dutchman. From a tactical point of view these ships will offer a wide range of possibilities for players to experiment with from hunting cocky little Lynx's or living a merchants life in a ship as tough as a concrete fortresses, they could bridge gaps where rage-quits and salt stood before.