Crankey

For those captains preferring just the articles of war and a quick dozen strokes of the cat for the last crewman to assemble for 'church' of a Sunday no doubt your crew will be particularly fierce during a boarding combat (All those floggings and officers stood behind them with loaded pistols) +10% effect. But those with faith in their veins will probably stand and service their guns more stoically as a result of their 'faith' +2.5% reload effect. +2.5% sail drill. These are small tweaks that give opportunity for slight variations rather than everyone know the exact ability of our opponents ships.a small variation in effect. Yes its a bit of roleplay with a very small difference in ship fighting skills. Just a sample not a particular request. Open your minds, feel the "faith". Don't forget this is CERTAINLY NOT World of Tanks, it isn't just 1 battle queue fight it then queue again for another, though I'm sure for those wanting a shallow game that will indeed be available. Leave game additions like faith, economy and role play available for those who want it, ignore it (don't deny it) if you don't

A pirate ship didn't necessarily need a large cargo hold, as it would capture the ship kill, maroon or similar the crew and take it to a location where they could unload it. whether that was in a port directly or transferred to another vessel and then taken to port.

Potbs name: Jonathan Smythe Potbs server : Roberts Potbs society: Scurvy Seadogs Potbs nation: Pirate NA IG name: < Crankey

Well I respect anyone who has simply voted 'No' it is your right to answer the Devs as you see fit. But I would hope those who would like to contribute suggestions of a 'yes' nature will be allowed to view them without getting shouted down.

There is already a ship poll that included a selection of 18th century galleys and oared ships. Your post however suggests that you wish to play a game set between 400 years BC to around 900 AD at least 700 years earlier than Naval action is set. Whilst it might be an interesting notion as an entirely different project I don't see the Devs wanting to spend time recreating this during their busy time with the development of NA. Their may be a duel feature where you could match up the few galleys that hopefully will make it into the game, but I imagine that is as near as you will achieve.

What we have to remember is that the Devs have been kind enough to open the debate on this subject on the forums. I very much doubt they are saying that you have to change or take up a faith in order to take part ! How much depth faith adds to the game will potentially be influenced by your replies. Also remember that player choice will decide whether you wish to get involved in matters of faith or not. Just because your personal view is a "no" it doesn't mean there is no use for it. If you don't want to have a man of faith on board ship, then stick to the articles of war. As a player it is your choice whether you use the stick or the carrot... Some players will solely pvp, others pve, others will find satisfaction in crafting and the economy of the game, Other swill revel in running their own towns. It doesn't mean that they would want other areas of the game not to exist, merely that they are less interested in them personally. Keep an open mind, push out some ideas so that the Devs can make an objective decision on what may be possible, without forcing Faith down every players throats.

I'm open to that, but I am advocating replacing the magic discoloured sea with some on board aiming rods.... for aiming rods assume some ingenious quirky little graphic that simulates the gun captains of the extreme broadside, telling you where their aim point currently is. In other words instead of the sea being discoloured with cone of fire, some small graphic from the edge of the ship rail simulates the same thing, it just wont reach the enemy ship like the magic sea does, but should be adequate

Thanks Leviathan, I think the other post became off topic quite a bit during its life, I'll edit my top post to be more specific to the OP subject Anyhow I would still like to see peoples opinion on the matter of the magic sea marker

We shouldn't ignore an aspect of the game that could influence the crew of ships and well being of troops and citizens, even fame of a town and prosperity. I would prefer it not to have too huge effect on the game itself but some effects would be welcome. Some simple suggestions Ships. Man of faith on board. Sailors were a very superstitious lot and having a 'man of god' on board would somewhat alay those superstitions and fears (thus improve their general morale) Towns. Places of worship. Having sufficient places of worship at a town and the correct number of men of faith to run them could have various effects. Morale of locals means a greater production of local product. More likely to produce willing and more able recruits. More impressive the places of worship the greater fame of a town drawing better trade and prosperity, growth. Religion by Nation ? A sticky subject and depends on a lot of information we do not currently have about end game. You could align each Nation to a main religion. (eg, Papists were not supposed to hold commissions in the British Navy) You could take over a town of a religion not aligned with your own Nation and have to make the decision to introduce different places of worship to gain "Town" benefits, by converting enough population to your faith. I would not want to see 'Magic' although praying on superstition and fears if appropriate would be acceptible

There has been an awful lot of comments and posts recently about removing the name from above enemy players ships, mostly that it is a targetting aid (Though I fail to see how this is any different than using the top of an enemy mast for gauging range) However I wish to talk about the target marker we all see on the ocean as a firing arc, that indicate your current broadside dispersion and point of aim ! I would rather have the magic sea colour cone of fire removed from the game. Instead have a couple of midshipmen/warrent officers/gunner stood at the ship rail, holding sextan type equipment facing either edge of where my near and far cannon are currently aimed. As my field of fire becomes more concentrated, so the midshipmen slowly turn so that they point along the lines that match the left and right edge of my cannons firing 'cone' A new whistle sound added to the game when I have reached optimum aim from the gunners so that I know any further delay will not improve my angle of fire, that my expected area of shot has reached its narrrowest area of fire possible. Perhaps the midshipmen also raise their fists to acknowledge they have reached optimum target point. (Borrowed from gun captains raising their fists when their gun is loaded and run out - ready to fire) look forward to discussion on the matter

I am going doolally as I am sure I just replied to page 7 being more about player conflict than the OP's subject. We are 1 player carrying out many tasks a normal captain delegated to his officers. Just one of those tasks was the signal officer. He had the best telescope in the ship and files of ciphers. He also held a copy of the latest Naval Lists for all known allied and enemy captains listed against their last known command. Yes some of those captains may have been replaced but in reality most captains stayed with their ships for years. Particularly the SOL's as chance for promotion starts to slow down when you are already on the post-captains list. So as soon as those pennants can be read you will know who the captain is. Now unless a little midshipman is going to knock on my front door and ask for permission to speak...... I'd like an easy way to acknowledge and know my opponents names. I don't really mind how this is achieved on screen, just as long as I don't have to learn quantum physics to do so

Yes hull condition could cause speed to be less if a hull was fouled with weed, but unless the end game has portside facilities and degenerating hull conditions that need putting right its a none starter. (I hope they do - I'd love the detail and it would add to the ecomony side of the game plus give captains cause to maintain their ships) So assume all hulls are 'clean' at least for the alpha test. Acceleration of different ship classes was perhaps as noticable as their difference in top speeds. A SOL's huge suit of sails could indeed provide enough speed to chase down and catch any ship if it was sailing with a favoured wind strength and direction. Which ship class, wind strength, sea state, ships attitude to the wind and current sail setting, losing leeway, 'current' and 'tidal flow' effected ship speeds. Condition of sails and style of sails, how many were in good condition, did you have studding sails available, is the wind strength suitable for studding sails to be deployed. Ships and sail setup gave speed bonuses or rather smaller speed reductions depending on wind strength and attitude to the ship. Deeper hulls did better in heavy swells as they shoulder through rather than ride over sea state, lighter ships do better on calmer seas. Heavier ships needed strong winds to achieve their best. A small cutter for instance would still have steerage way when a SOL was becalmed, but would have to reef sails earlier than a SOL. It all depends on what the developers are going to introduce and what they are going to exclude as part of their sailing model. Without knowing which we have no reference other than historical recorded log speeds. For instance some 3rd rates were known to be 'good sailors' while others were known to be 'bad sailors' so we would hope each class/design of ship will be individually rated.

And their lies the argument for the 'keep the names there' If your team mates are willing to identify the enemy by brg and class, number in line "Intend to target 2nd sol brg 240 degrees." then theres no problem. You removed the other options I listed in my post btw. quoting half an argument is lending your bias to my post.

Yes this is a game there needs to be personal choice. If you wish to give up something that could be a game aid for aesthetic or altruistic reasons you are making a choice that you are comfortable playing the game this way, you are making a statement "I am good enough I don't need those extra frills" no-one is forcing the player to give up this choice., it is an option he or she chooses not to utilise. I am not suggesting going as far as games like world of tanks, where you turn on damage markers, use gold ammo, 3rd party hit box skins. Also remember that if you are in Alpha test it is reasonable to assume that you are particularly interested in this game, a standard player who will join the game at release for instance may have no or little knowledge of the game and will need those aids, at least during their first outings to make sense of it all.

From the number of posts it is quite clear that there is a huge range of different views here, so the devs will NEVER be able to please everyone. So I propose the following....... (drumroll please) At some stage the Devs put the work in to give each player the option they want to see on their own personal screen. A, Name tags as is, with the option to turn them on and off during play B, Damage indicator squares shows a name when you view a ship regardless of range, but only populates damage info when close C, As B but can also display ship class (I know atm classes are normally easy to differentiate but later in game we may have more similar class ships) D, As A but instead of nametag, tag is a suitable coloured icon of some description. So you get the idea. The above aren't what I think the Devs should offer, merely some varying options offered up by the posts above. I am sure that each have merit and that an option to select some of the most popular will please everyone.

Go ahead and remove the ship name for aesthetic purposes, but replace this by a captains name being and friend/foe being very very clear up at the damage indicator location when scanning the near or far horizon. Even if the damage is not shown due to range.

In most games this is an option the player themselves decide to utilise or not. As long as there is a clear indicator identifying friend from foe and I am not solely talking about an ensign which could easily get shot away during a battle, then it could come down to player choice (Especially if they like recording their battles for future viewing). (I have sent a mail to admin team just yesterday on the subject of identification and colour blindness, I await a response) Please take into consideration that at Trafalgar as an obvious example. The order of battle and of both fleets was almost completely known before they were in range of each other and certainly no opportunity to read stern engraved lettering. Even ships of the same class were often not identical at all, Hull paintwork, rake of masts, colour of yards, figureheads, even if well known the colour/patchwork of sails. These were identifiable at range and so gave a name to your antagonists. In most cases they also knew who commanded those ships (On the whole), knew their reputations and their abilities. How you may ask ? Well promotion into a ship or of a transfer soon became public knowledge, either through recruiting posters or general chit chat around the naval facilities, seamen were infamous gossips. A round of drinks here, a few coins there, and local 'spies' a little grand term but nonetheless a word in the right ear a small exchange of funds and a tiny bit more info speeds away to London or Paris. So in essence I agree with the OP that it spoils the 'view' of the horizon to see those name tags over the beautifully designed ship models, but knowing the captain of a ship was very likely and we certainly need more than an ensign as an in game tool to distinguish friend from foe, let us not forget that we currently sail exact duplicates of our own ships, so once a pell mell is reached, the instances of friendly fire without clear marker would sky rocket and almost become a last man standing situation.

The biggest difference between the true galley and the 'oared ship' is their speed, nimbleness and ability to maintain that speed. The oared ship coming a distant second in capabilities in those departments when under oars/sweeps.

It does depend on the type of galley. A galley frigate still had broadsides, its crews either manned the oars or the guns. For normal occasions the oars would only be deployed in a calm or for navigating against the wind to enter or exit ports etc. (This type of vessel were pretty much as the classes of ship we have in game now Cutters, Sloops, Brigs, Corvettes, Frigates) with the option to use sweeps. Other galleys had a rowing deck without guns, but did have several very heavy calibre forward firing cannon, as well as poop and forecastle decks for beam targets. For instance at the middle of the time period for Naval Action the Swedish and Russian fleets had heavy galley numbers. (1741) Swedish naval forces consisting of 10 ships of the line and 4 frigates under Admiral Tomas von Rajalin and 20 galley strong rowing fleet under Admiral Abraham Falkengren moved on 20 May 1741 to the islands near the border. # (1742) The main Swedish fleet arrived on 3 June from Sweden under Admiral Sjöstierna and consisted of 15 ships of the line and 5 frigates. The fleet sailed to Äspö (Finnish: Haapasaaret) (25 km SSE from modern day Kotka). A week later, a galley fleet commanded by Admiral Falkengren joined the main fleet, bringing 25 galleys and some support ships. However, unlike in the previous year, the Russian fleet was also active with a galley fleet of 45 galleys under General Vasily Yakovlevich Levashov and an open sea fleet of at least 12 ships of the line under Admiral Zahar Danilovich Mishukov. So you can see that the Galley was still in heavy use during the mid 18th century and to exclude them would in my opinion ignore history and deny us the opportunity to have some Galley fun

I would like to know that Galleys were planned even if they don't make Alpha. The reason is that particularly the shallow sea regions all had a healthy number of galley fleets, both for commerce raiding during calms (Think barbary style pirates) as well as fleets of galleys forming a decent proportion of some nations naval might. Ottoman Empire, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, Mediterrranean and black sea fleets, of various nations. I believe the British, Spanish and French maintained galleys particularly for coastel work in the Mediterranean. They should not be overlooked in the long term to maintain a historical feel to the game, even if they don't show well in the current Poll

I had heard of this ship design but had never seen any images of the models thankyou very much It would have been a behometh, but it would have also have been a white elephant. You could probably build 2 or even 3 standard sized 1st rates with the same materials and much quicker, taking that steps further you are probably talking 1 behometh or 10 USS Constitution sized vessels. Also steam was very much emplaced on land and inevitably just 34 years later in 1843 HMS Rattler the first screw driven steam sloop of the Royal Navy, following examples created in the United States. (A little like the Ratte of world of tanks mythology)

I think the current horizontal red line is a usable simple tool for testing purposes, but I do agree with the OP that a more robust and informative and may I hope "historically aesthetic" system be in place for the release version. Perhaps a small image to show current notch adjustment of the cannons quoins. I do find that I lose my aiming height at extreme range when the ships roll reduces my maximum aim point and pulls it down and abandons it at its new height, to the absolute horror of my ranging gunners, who have to start all over again. I believe my gunners know there stuff and would know their maximum and minimum aiming points which matches the ships heel, regardless of where the horizon sits (I would see that as a very subtle screen marker). If I can then set an aim point which doesn't move with the ships roll I can range my guns when the ship heels adequately for me to release a shot. So in essence if done well, I would agree with the OP that a similar but more informative system could be utilised.

Very much so Edward. As I stated above, the devs would make those general shipping areas as large as they thought would work best (The 20m distance I quote was a guestimate and very open to discussion) the 'system' itself I feel could work very well. The detail is something that would be worked out by the Devs in line with their own ideas and coding/mechanics restrictions and plans. The whole british isles and channel could be a single zone on the world map if that is what the Devs would feel would be the best sized shipping area.

For the 'Black Flag' pirate community I imagine it would be really cool for them to earn, or otherwise purchase, aspire to different versions of the black flag. Perhaps each level of 'infamy' they can choose to add a new black flag design. No effect to gameplay but a nice touch I think.

I just read up on the pirate flag or 'jolly roger. fascinating stuff. If we take the theme black flag, which many pirates then added various pictures of skulls, daggers, etc. The black flag for the most part warned the target ship they were pirates (not national or under letter of marque) and gave the target ship opportunity to give in without resistance whereby the crew would be unmolested, however several accounts that if the vessel resisted, a red flag was then raised which gave the message no mercy.