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The introduction of elite ships as 'end game content' for veteran players was a good thing. You get mostly powerful ships with port boni and, more dependable, those tasty new cannons. However, I think nobody will contradict me when I say ship crafting got stalled this way. It isn't making sense any more. Which is even a higher barrier now as after release we are supposed to set up our shipyards again from scratch and heavily invest into them. Any ship built on player's shipyard, even in preferable woods, will be outmatched by a converted elite note ship. -- So I am proposing a reform for elite notes on PvE peace server. Not sure if PvP war server needs that too, they have their real port boni from... ehm... ports apparently. According to this suggestion, you would not loot an elite note which produces a whole ship, but only a 'port boni package' of unknown composition. And the type of ship you looted it from would determine if it is a "6-7th rate port boni upgrade" or a "5th rate..." or a "4th rate..." etc. Not tied to the exact ship model but to a class/rate. So a package from a Wasa can be used on a Bellona project, a package from an Essex on an Endymion project, etc. This package you bring to your shipyard and use it as optional ingredient for ship crafting. You may still build ships without port boni, they will result like the ones we are currently having. But you may chose to add a matching port boni upgrade when crafting - and you will get a random port boni composition with the new ship. This will ignite a new interest in ship crafting and crafted ships will surpass existing elite note converted ships in quality, like they should. -- In case the idea behind introducing elite note ships was also about enabling players to produce instant ships if they don't have a shipyard, make it so, that the player would have to add an amount in doubloons to his elite note and he will be able to convert it in the way it is done now, to a ship of same type, just without shipyard. But he can't chose woods, like it is now. This promotes the use of shipyards, but does not require them totally. So here it is not a class and free use within that ship class/rating, but an Ingermanland will always result in an Ingermanland elite ship, and no Wappen or Agamemnon, etc. Like: 6-7th rate elite note + 2000 doubloons 5th rate elite note + 4000 doubloons 4th rate elite note + 6000 doubloons 3rd rate elite note + 10000 doubloons 2nd rate elite note + 15000 doubloons 1st rate elite note + 20000 doubloons = convertible note = elite ship of same class with random wood composition