Provide more protection for Traders. (NPC Fleets for hire)

[Ned Loe]

If 2 ai ships offer no real protection then why advocate for it ?

They keep saying they want a player driven world but do everything they can to ensure players never need to interact.

You in a Trader + 2 Npcs make huge difference vs 2 players. Imagine you are with x2 Cerberus Escort vs Rattle and Surprise. I think it will be fun battle and might even make Traders stay and fight instead run all the time  . If properly balanced and rewarded we are talking endless fun. 

[Æthlstan]

If 2 ai ships offer no real protection then why advocate for it ?

They keep saying they want a player driven world but do everything they can to ensure players never need to interact.

It gives traders a chance and forces the hunters to use more strategy, rather than just spawn placement. A good hunter team can get past the AI easily, true, but a good trader can use them as a distraction to perhaps buy enough time to slip away.

[Jonathan Villiers]

And what about people like Pagan Pete who actually play like a pirate and dare to attack even LGVs with a privateer? Your suggestion would ruin the game for him. Or who says that every trader is a trader? Man your LGV with Marines and Boarding Parties then hire and "trader escort" and attack smaller warships? Do they need an escort then too?

I'm an active trader myself as well as engaging in trade war. Do it as they did in the old days, have someone escort you. Clanmates usually do it for free or pay someone. If you don't want to spend some money on safety, take the risk. Running from a warship can be fun too.

Just my thoughts ...

[Æthlstan]

I always trade without an escort. I have only been jumped once, and that was during a game crash.

 

 

I am more in favor of a system that actually makes it worthwhile for players to escort traders. Anyone who escorts me is in for a boring trip.

 

Players are not interested in escorts. 99% of players will not respond if you need an escort. If you are one of 2 or 3 traders for a PvP clan, asking a clan member for an escort is taking away a player from PvP

 

Most players only have 4 hrs maximum per session, with the average session being about 2 hours. You're telling me that every trader should waste another player's game session running escort missions? There is no XP reward. Traders usually cant afford to pay escorts. What the hell is the incentive?

 

Convoy duty in real life is boring as hell (I have done it). Lets not force people to bore themselves in a game

[Ned Loe]

And what about people like Pagan Pete who actually play like a pirate and dare to attack even LGVs with a privateer? Your suggestion would ruin the game for him. Or who says that every trader is a trader? Man your LGV with Marines and Boarding Parties then hire and "trader escort" and attack smaller warships? Do they need an escort then too?

I'm an active trader myself as well as engaging in trade war. Do it as they did in the old days, have someone escort you. Clanmates usually do it for free or pay someone. If you don't want to spend some money on safety, take the risk. Running from a warship can be fun too.

Just my thoughts ...

He will be able to finally step up in ship size.   Ruin? I don't think so. 

[akd]

Much simpler, less prone to abuse and more fun if players are simply allowed to escort their own trader fleet in a warship. It is stupid to force AI into sheepdog role and make players play as sheep.

Rules:

-must use own max crew to crew all vessels in fleet (so if you want multiple Indiamen in your trader fleet, you'll have to escort in a frigate, even if at max rank)

-max 2-3 AI traders

[Enraged Ewok]

You in a Trader + 2 Npcs make huge difference vs 2 players. Imagine you are with x2 Cerberus Escort vs Rattle and Surprise. I think it will be fun battle and might even make Traders stay and fight instead run all the time  . If properly balanced and rewarded we are talking endless fun. 

 

This is what I don't get. We used to have AI reinforcements. I never encountered a trader that stayed in battle to fight with the reinforcements unless I forced him to via tag. I realize this is pre Indiaman and Gros Ventre, but I would only expect an Indiaman to possibly fight since he can't escape most warships. The Gros Ventre outsails damn near everything. At the end of the day, the trader is either going to escape as soon as he can, or be captured by his attacker assuming a good tag (unless the Indiaman can't get away and actually prepared by putting on boarding mods, rudder upgrades, etc). The only thing the AI means is that a player who does get the good tag and caps the trader is going to either lose a dura on his ship or lose the cargo and capture while running, or if he can take on the AI it turns in to a timesink having to kill them while the player's revenge fleet gathers. 

 

 

Hasn't the possibility of NPC fleeting using a ship you provide and your own hired crew been raised by the devs?

 

 

Yes, I was under the impression that that is in the works, and any fleet ships you have are crewed from your crew pool.

[ajffighter86]

This is what I don't get. We used to have AI reinforcements. I never encountered a trader that stayed in battle to fight with the reinforcements unless I forced him to via tag. I realize this is pre Indiaman and Gros Ventre, but I would only expect an Indiaman to possibly fight since he can't escape most warships. The Gros Ventre outsails damn near everything. At the end of the day, the trader is either going to escape as soon as he can, or be captured by his attacker assuming a good tag (unless the Indiaman can't get away and actually prepared by putting on boarding mods, rudder upgrades, etc). The only thing the AI means is that a player who does get the good tag and caps the trader is going to either lose a dura on his ship or lose the cargo and capture while running, or if he can take on the AI it turns in to a timesink having to kill them while the player's revenge fleet gathers. 

 

Yes. I'm getting horrific flashbacks of the days of insta-reinforcements. no matter what you did, traders would use the AI as sacrificial lambs to escape battles whenever you were fortunate enough to catch them alone. All the while, people were raging on the forums that pirates do not act like pirates and should be sailing small, fast ships and attacking traders.

 

All I will concede is that trading is not rewarding enough in terms of leveling up, and is perhaps the worst use of time in exchange for what little benefit you reap from it, but I do not believe that relying on AI "crutch" fleets is the answer.

Edited June 23, 2016 by ajffighter86

[mikawa]

 

No one has time to sail for 1-2 hours with every trader in the game and why would you take other people away from pvp just to help and protect traders? This is not logical.

And what would you get from sailing 1-2 hours beside a trader to protect him? Guessing ... 30 xp. No one wants to do that. Yes, we need fleets to hire for traders.

[Hethwill]

I fail to see how escorts would hurt pirates, as no pirates I know hunt alone.

 

You know not non-nation pirate types then.

 

Even many nationals corsairs hunt alone.

[Bach]

The game is Naval Action, not pirate action. I don't really understand why pirates are in the game at all and it would probably be an improvement to get rid of them altogether.

Because if you don't have pirates and privateers you don't need naval officers to patrol the sea zones.

Lt. Maynard has no place in history if not for Blackbeard being a pirate.g

Edited June 23, 2016 by Bach

[Jean Ribault]

You know not non-nation pirate types then.

 

Even many nationals corsairs hunt alone.

 

 

I see much the same thing, I've seen many lone hunters both pirates and nationals.  I think the only difference is that nationals seem to be more sneaky.

[Hethwill]

I see much the same thing, I've seen many lone hunters both pirates and nationals.  I think the only difference is that nationals seem to be more sneaky.

 

Because Pirates live of reputation and how much fuss they make ? That's maybe why they survived all the centuries down in History.

 

But I know a few corsairs and always a pleasure to salute them in the trade lanes.

[CaptVonGunn]

I understand many pirates want to keep everything as it is, so they can have an easy prey. No matter what Pirates say I recommend devs to review this suggestion. Understand, every ganked player could be -1 player for NA and you are contributing to less resources on the market and less traders supplying national markets.

 

Promoting safe Trading and also fun and more pvp is developers main goal. In the end, I only suggest and don't have right to tell what is right and what is wrong. 

 

 

 Huh? You know that every nation ganks ships form other nations right? and the Pirates have ZERO advantage in doing so... no special skills added just for pirates

[KrakkenSmacken]

Escort duty is usually boring because hunters will not attack a trader with an escort. I wont waste my time being an escort even if I am paid to do it, as I have rarely lost cargo trading, and I always trade without an escort.

 

To be clear, I think having the option to have NPC escorts is a good one. We dont need bored players on escort duty.

I would rather see it go the other way.

 

PC escorts his trader ship with his combat ship.  That way the only thing the AI has to try to do is get away.

 

As a Pirate I would rather have a player in a combat ship protecting his goods, than an AI.  More interesting that way.