Karl

It needn't be as in-depth as that for the non-officers. They could be abstracted as blocks of 5 or ten men, or even ignored entirely (assuming the officers do that work). But I definitely think the upper ranked officers should be distinct individuals whom can acquire skills and be injured and killed. Nurturing a well-trained officer crew would add a lot to the game.

The aiming is good as it is.

More deck views would be a big plus in a small package. I'd like to be able to hit a key to get views from deck-level on the poop and forecastle at least, and preferably the quarterdeck and amidships too. Right now it's easy to get in a position where I can only get situational awareness with 3rd person camera, and it'd be nice to not have to rely on it so much. Views from the mast tops would be great too. Should be really simple to just define a camera locked on an x,y,z coordinate on the ship model. If you want to spoil me you could add an animation of the camera travelling from point to point (no need for a 3d avatar imo) that would simulate the travel-time, but I wouldn't cry about it if the camera simply teleports.

What's particularly important to me is that crew should be able to be injured and killed in action. A complex, in-depth crew system will feel incredibly game-y if the crew can't die as a result of battle. This could be used to incentivise surrender and escape from battles - if you escape, you save your crew. If you surrender, your crew can be paroled so you can take them on your next ship. You sink? Goodbye to all your well-trained officers! I think it'd do an awful lot to reduce the suicidal nature of combat as it stands currently. I like the crew system from Silent Hunter 3, where crew have randomised names, and the player is able to purchase passive skills (Navigation, gunnery, repair) which add efficiency to the applicable action) with the universal "renown" currency. This currency is earned by sinking enemy ships, reaching assigned patrol areas, etc. Crew are assigned to compartments, and damage to those compartments has a chance of injuring or killing crew outright. A neat management system could also be implemented - you have x number of men and officers, and maybe could drag their icons around to fill out a watch rota to maximise efficiency in areas which are most important to each player. The SH3 crew management screen: