[Patch: Welcome to the Caribbean Part 3 - Improved RVR, ROE and New player mission]

@admin Thank you for deleting the most liked/thanked post in the entire thread by quite a margin. I hope in doing so you read it and perhaps took some of its content on board.

[Patch: Welcome to the Caribbean Part 3 - Improved RVR, ROE and New player mission]

6 minutes ago, Hethwill said:

I am thankful for the free ship, yes. But that's me.

You realise it was a free ship beforehand too right, only it came with proper port bonuses.

"Hey Archer, I passed my tutorial mission!"

"Cool, I'll get Jack to click you off a couple of trincs, run them without the carro's 'til you level up again, then when you have more crew stick the carro's on. He'll meet you in SDC..."

"How much will that be?"

"Free, it's a Trinc. I'll get you a spare too in case you get ganked."

Or did you never join a clan? 🤔

 

Now let's not get ahead of ourselves and pretend it's gonna get used past levelling since it's just redoubtable victory spam now.

[Patch: Welcome to the Caribbean Part 3 - Improved RVR, ROE and New player mission]

4 minutes ago, rediii said:

The community made the way free for big DLC ships by buying the redoutable on mass. Financially its a success so I get why the add more and bigger DLC ships but for the game its very very bad.

Played 1 week ago and in my 5/5 inger with elite spanish etc I had to run away from a redout for 50 Minutes because it was faster sailing downwind. Thats the state of gameplay right now and you described it pretty good but it wont change anymore. Draw your own consequences from it

The community also killed small businesses by shopping at Walmart.

I didn't buy the Redoutable because I vote with my wallet. Bought all the frigates and 4th rates previously mostly to support the game I was enjoying yet never really used them for anything past (S) wood.

You are 100% right though, we brought this upon ourselves as a community for buying the pay2win like a bunch of sheep.

[Forthcoming patch information]

8 hours ago, admin said:

Interesting LOGIC
Everyone showed up to see Depeche Mode, because they were excited about Depeche Mode.
Nobody gives a ____ about the concert
They give a ___ about the Depeche Mode. 
Why have concerts  - If you can just add Depeche mode.. 
No! You do not make ANY sense.

Thats the point to have concerts - to see something you are excited about. Same with events. 

Pretty poor analogy.

 

Some people prefer concerns, some people prefer downloading it on Limewire and giving their computer AIDS.

 

Nobody prefers a grey de Ruyter with sailing 1 and mast and rig 3. But, enough people were excited about the small possibility of a decent one that tonnes of people showed up to try their chances.

 

Not because they were excited about the event. Don't get the cause and effect upside down.

 

They were excited about the ship.

 

 

Want to claw your way out of mixed reviews? Commit to spending a couple of years providing decent communication and quality content, which doesn't detract from gameplay by obsoleting content and isn't a clear cashgrab by being ludicrously overpowered. Add content, increase open sea speed, remove wind gusts, y'know, do obvious little things people will rejoice over.

Want to make money? Have a community that loves you and sell convenience and DLC's that sit in unique niches.

[Forthcoming patch information]

1 hour ago, Cetric de Cornusiac said:

Devs feel like they need De Ruyter as a superrare special ship for events. Now, if they give out De Ruyter as permit etc, they lose the prize ship everyone was crazy about at last Diana event. What should we be chasing after if no "mystery ship" is available, because you got everything handed out? Do you expect devs will design an absolutely new ship for every event from scratch? Because the demands will also focus on any new event ship coming: gimme gimme gimme, I can't live without it!!! You can't expect a new ship with every event, or that would result the events to be postponed for months... just as long as it needs each time to design a new ship model.

This while we heard the few people working at game-labs , including "one and a half" graphic artist, have all hands full with lined up work.

Everyone showed up to cap a de Ruyter.

 

Because they were excited about the de Ruyter.

 

Nobody gives a hello kitty about the event.

 

They give a hello kitty about the ship they are excited about.

 

Make sense? Why not just add the ship? Why even have events...

[Forthcoming patch information]

8 hours ago, admin said:

Thats the purpose of the forum. Have different minds to find the best outcome. The only problem is that you think your mind is best. I dont think mine is best. I know that nobody knows and the great outcome can only be found in painful search (that is painful to watch and use on live game). If you knew everything you would just sell oil futures in January and buy now at -1.5 dollars per barrel.

In terms of de ruyter 
We did not say they should give good reviews because of de ruyter.
We said we are delaying the status of de ruyter because all our previous work that was really wanted (causing growth of online players - wanted by players, removal of ganking in heavy ships around capitals - wanted by players, adding implacable for free - wanted by players, planned removal of all ganking around capitals - wanted by players, etc etc) have not caused any difference in reviews. As a result we see no point in making de ruyter crafteable. We would better use it for my goals and plans, that are irrelevant and dont depend on reviews. 
Change our mind.

 

I've purchased every ship DLC except the Redoutable. I bought the Leopard and Rattvisan and have happily used them for a trickle of (S) wood.

 

I didn't purchase the Redoubtable for two reasons:

1. You lied. You stated that there would be no lineships added as DLC. This is scummy.

2. Not only was this lineship added as DLC, but unline other DLC ships, this 3rd rate lineship is ludicrously overpowered in relation to its BR when compared to something similar such as a Bellona. It absolutely reeks of a cash-grab. Built of teak (S) it's the screening meta - why capture a Pavel when you can spawn this every day and it's gonna at least come out blue? Built fir(S) it has nullified all 4ths/frigs that run well downwind as an open sea boat - trincs and indefatigables are no match for it with no advantage yet they actually require constructing.

 

Now, this didn't net you a negative review from me because I was very happy with the Implacable. It's my favourite boat. It's also a little overpowered and needs a bit adding to its BR, but I love it. In my opinion it is the epitome of quality content.

 

Regarding de Ruyter, if you add this as a DLC, not only will I not buy it simply out of principle, I will write an honest and negative review outlining the points above which relate to the Redoutable - only I will emphasize that even though the de Ruyter has the same BR as the already overpowered Implacable, it is more overpowered still.

 

I sympathise with the fact that you are running a business. Ultimately, you need to make money and we are your customers. I recognise I am the minority as I'm of the few people who will in life vote with their wallet and choose not to have something because they disagree with it.

 

I recognise that running an online game has continued costs. You however need to recognise that we purchased your product with expectations shaped by your statements which we took as truth. If you choose to add ships which outrightly nullify other ships, you are taking away from the purchase of the existing content we have made in good faith, in order to profit further.

 

The Redoubt has already nullified and obsoleted the Trinc and Inde for all but new players. It has fundamentally removed content from the endgame by its addition. The de Ruyter is better than the Redoubt at being the Redoubt. It's far more combat capable and it's even faster downwind.

 

You as a developer need to do two things.

1. Keep your word. Don't make statements (DLC lineships for example) if there is a chance of going back on them. Don't box yourself into the corner which you have done and honour the words you have written.

2. Find a way to further monetise your product without detracting from the gameplay experience we have already paid for. In essence, do not obsolete content which we may presently enjoy and have already paid for with new content which you expect us to pay for to stay meta. Add things in new niches or if things have to be better, in a greater price bracket, not as a redeemable daily freebie.

 

As a customer, here are some suggestions of things I think you've dropped the ball on which you could make bank with:

1. Cosmetics. Add new paints frequently and make them individual purchases or in skin packs. Potentially even add a new generation of skins which are consumed on use which must be repurchased. A few $ here or there is nothing for a customer, but if you add the de Ruyter in as a permit ship I'll be smiling, if I have to pay for the skins I will do so with a smile on my face. If I have to fight nothing but people in endless spawned de Ruyter spam for three months with a chunk of my dockyard obsoleted I will be writing a negative review and you can count on it.

2. Sell convenience. How many admiralty connections have you sold? That's good content. I'd happily pay a few $ for some more warehouse space. I'd happily pay a few $ for my outfitting chest to be 4x the size or to be able to carry more than 10k doubloons at a time. I'd happily pay for more outpost slots. I'd happily pay for more tow permits or for a DLC which allows tow permits to accumulate if not used daily up to a maximum number.

3. If you absolutely have to, sell a DLC that allows the player to sail ships added after this point onward. Another $15 or whatever, call it whatever you like, but don't let people sail permit-built boats added in the game past this point without it. Could do it each year making it function like a recurring subscription to be able to sail all the ingame content, but it retains the need for economy and permits. It retains the diversity of ships on the open sea instead of just a spam of whatever's the DLC meta.

 

I agree with the implication that most people are idiots who don't vote with their wallets and will buy an overpowered ship if you put it in. However, if DLC lineship spam and current ship obsolesence is the route you choose to take, you risk a slippery slope of cutting short NA's lifespan as player retention suffers tomorrow for income today. I'd implore you to explore other avenues.

 

[Caribbean Conquest - New Sailing Game]

Some of you may remember me from PotBS and/or Naval Action - I played both pretty extensively but neither really checked the boxes for me in what I wanted from a game. At least, not in terms of the gameplay.

Naturally, I founded my own company and set about creating the experience I'd hoped both games would become: Caribbean Conquest.

 

Caribbean Conquest is a skill-based MMORPG set during the Age of Sail. Its focus is on balanced and replayable gameplay, at a slightly faster pace yet with more strategic depth than current Age of Sail games on the market. If you are looking for a pirate/naval themed MMO with ample theory crafting and absolutely no Pay2Win/Grind2Win, this might just be exactly what you're looking for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feedback is particularly welcome. I hope this post is well received and I look forward to sailing with many of you again in the future.