Towing a ship

[Tyrant]

provide an ability to tow ships.

Player A requests to be towed by player B

Player B sees a dialogue window with the request

Player B accepts or denies the request to be towed

If player B accepts the request then player A will automatically follow player B without having to press anything.

While towing, player B can break the rope at any time by disbanding the towing group, just like leaving a group now or kicking a member.

While towing, player B may only put his sails up to half. Player B will be unable to travel at full speed until the towing operation is completed or discontinued.

[xAzDKr]

I don't see much use for this in OW as your ship has full health in OW, even if you have been damaged in battle. I can possibly see this in battle, but probably not. 

[Tyrant]

I don't see much use for this in OW as your ship has full health in OW, even if you have been damaged in battle. I can possibly see this in battle, but probably not.

Thank you for your reply and feedback.

The point of this mechanic isn't to tow a disabled ship in need of repair but to allow for the introduction of an auto follow feature.

I'm not a fan of most convenience based mechanics (I despise teleport) but this world is absolutely massive and could use a mechanic which helps us to shrink it more fairly. Teleporting is just plain wrong, but I get why it's necessary.

With the reduction in speed from towing, you will inherit a risk to your vessel. Piracy and war patrols of trading routes can become a much more viable play option (which it should)

Taxi type services will become a viable play option (which I believe it should in lieu of teleportation)

Teleporting should be limited to only the Capitol, once per day, and at the expense of losing the items in your hold. It's only purpose should be to help people who are lost at sea, not for trading goods to be moved around the map instantly.

Too long; didn't read (TL;DR): don't think of it as "towing" but as auto-follow. This feature will allow us to revisit the alteration of teleporting to make the game more playable. Trade routes, taxi services, patrols, and piracy will become real, viable, and highly utilized play option. In my opinion, this will make the game more logical and playable.

[AKPyrate]

Towing is a silly concept for it, but maybe joining up and making a convoy for an auto-follow.  Limit the speed to 90% or so of the slowest boat's speed (keeping station generally has a speed penalty in real life) and I'd be all for this kind of mechanic.  Possibly limit the number of players that could be grouped up like this, as it could make getting large fleets around easier, with the good and bad that comes with it.

[Tyrant]

Towing is a silly concept for it, but maybe joining up and making a convoy for an auto-follow. Limit the speed to 90% or so of the slowest boat's speed (keeping station generally has a speed penalty in real life) and I'd be all for this kind of mechanic. Possibly limit the number of players that could be grouped up like this, as it could make getting large fleets around easier, with the good and bad that comes with it.

I am 100% down for that as a compromise. Call it whatever, fleet, towing.

It's just an auto follow with a speed penalty.

But having it be some sort of fleet mechanic would make more sense.