Remove Free Ports

[Baron Von WeisenCracker]

Remove Free Ports.

 

There is not a continuity of war zones or "front lines" due to the accessibility of free ports deep within another nations borders. No nation would allow the free standing build up of an enemy fleet in their own waters. So why is it allowed here? 

 

Yeah I play USA .. and yes, I have a HUGE issue with Sunbury as a Freeport. BUT the same goes for ANY other free port in this game/map - irregardless of nationality.  But a free port that cannot be captured,... and all an enemy has to do is get closer to it, than another Freeport or neutral .. and get captured.. and the game will automatically place them there --free of charge.  Then all they do is teleport ships into later -- to run with, when they choose...is just crap.

 

This only diminishes the ability to conduct PB's, on a more consistent basis. Instead of focusing on PB's as the main PVP option.. players are forced to circumvent ports that should other wise be void of enemy combatants. 

 

And along this line.. create the ability of traders to ship items from one of their nations port to another. (same nation required). Ie, US player can only ship from US port to US port. Even if that has to be allocated to ports the player actually has an outpost at.

 

We need to be able to establish lines of control, in nations waters. At current there is just too much fluidity/permeability to even think that there are set nations involved.

 

So either remove Free ports..or disallow players to establish outposts there. and allow deliveries between your nations ports. If the argument against it is it suppresses ganking.. well .... do more PB's.. take ports. get closer to the enemy in that fashion.

 

 

[Hethwill]

I am fair with it if you find a creative turnover for Pirate havens. As we have now, free ports are the pirate havens.

[PG Monkey]

Why should port battles be the main PvP option?

[Mrdoomed]

Oh, this again. Once they fix pirates to be able to declare any port a port of call go for it. Untill then youre just mad brah cuz pirated sink you.

Edited July 8, 2016 by Mrdoomed

[Anne Wildcat]

I'm all for making free ports pirate only

 

Although that would hurt anyone who plays as a privateer.

Edited July 8, 2016 by Anne Wildcat

[Ledinis]

Wish they made uncharted pirate havens for Pirates spawning all over the map, that would need to be found and destroyed, and made free ports accept only trading ships. Since i know that if they remake Pirates they will need new havens, but with the most recent posts from the devs that they dont want to implement town progression, with no war attrition, due to the fact ships can be crafted a lot faster than humanly possible to loose them AND no structural integrity due to enemy nations being able to launch full scale fleets inside your territory i fell less and less inclined to fight for my nation.  

[Skully]

Controlling your waters is as much, if not more important, than the port battle. (If only to keep your shorts dry. )

 

http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/14676-pvp1-june-the-british-honduras-campaign-pirate-perspective/?p=272800

 

Now that I'm focusing more on the economics, I have little time to write up battle reports. But Pirates tried 2 days ago to get into Utila (shallow) with 6ths without success, because British blocked with four 4ths.

Then again the main British fleet sailed to Belize earlier this morning, leaving a Pavel and a 3rd behind for us to capture.

(But yes, the amount of fighting and ferocity has gone done around Bonacca.)

 

Naval warfare is more than just sailing by yourself, mucking about and hoping to get an upgrade out of port battles.

Edited July 8, 2016 by Skully

[Cpt Blackthorne]

I am fair with it if you find a creative turnover for Pirate havens. As we have now, free ports are the pirate havens.

This we know....But if there are no free ports, thus being no pirate havens, then also there are no other nation havens. Our only safe zones would be by our capitols. If something would be taken away from everyone, why would they have to create another op for rats? beer spilt, glass broken. heh

[Lytse Pier]

I would love to see the return of the neutral port en masse.

The game should make sure that every conquered port gets a decay in influence if a nation does not take care or attend to that colony.

If you cannot maintain your empire, you should not have it.

This would get rid of undockable ports for players for weeks on end because it was once conquered and it would greatly improve sailability and possibilities for traders and pirates across the map.

It would certainly decrease the necessity for pirates to conquer ports.

Edited July 8, 2016 by Lytse Pier

[Hethwill]

This we know....But if there are no free ports, thus being no pirate havens, then also there are no other nation havens. Our only safe zones would be by our capitols. If something would be taken away from everyone, why would they have to create another op for rats? beer spilt, glass broken. heh

 

I was sure to grab the glass before it broke

 

I want no safe zones. I wish to have pirate havens and free ports at the moment serve that purpose. If they are dismissed what is left for legitimate and honest piracy with no havens to operate from ( *gulps beer* )?

 

Nations, unlike pirates, relied on well established trade and military presence on well known ports. But we cannot forget many of them were not that big nor that populated. Gustavia for exemple, IIRC, was not over 600 -700 population by the time the Brittish took over. If the national players in game decide to stick with the capital there is little that can be done.

 

I for one do not mind having my ship options reduced to 1 ship per free port, as a pirate, while nationals cannot park there at all. But that's me and my playstyle, cannot speak for others.

[jnovotny6]

Remove players who suggest to remove free ports

[angriff]

Free ports keep the game interesting for player of countries that are with small number of ports.   The duress of such a condition put players in a bind for both trade and raiding.   The use of free ports allow them to establish a base of operation and expands the enjoyment of the game.  I would vote no to this proposal of removing free ports.  Beside there is way too much mechanics in the game like deliveries and such just to rip them out.

[Fastidius]

Options i see as viable.

 

No outpost option in freeport,  sail in / out or lg off only

Restrict to no military ships

restrict to 5ths and down

Make outposts only have 1 ship slot so it isnt a base just a trade port..

[CaptVonGunn]

Leave Free ports limit dock space to 1 or 2 ships 5th rates and cargo ships and under only. Add in 2 or 3 more Pirate Haven ports.. Maybe in place of a couple of the Free Ports and call it a day.. If they go with PIrates only raiding in 4ths and lower and hiring out for PBs to nations we wont need to hold ports anyway

[Skully]

We're just sprouting ideas here without keeping the overarching goals insight:

1. Open World should be about fleet and ship movements and positioning.

Having enemy ships pop into Sunbury should be (made) impossible.

1. Freeports are safe heavens for casual player assets. We can't expect everybody to show up every day and ensure his assets are in a port that won't be captured.
2. As we have shown in the Honduras campaign, having a free port as a staging for everybody works out perfectly.

So the current contemplation is removing "Send to outpost" and thus you should see:

http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/14600-auto-travel-from-port-to-port/?p=270697

 

It would require a hard sail to Sunbury to get there and start ganking. Plus you would have a hard time keeping up your supplies.

While PvP action would be easy to find around the true staging free ports.

 

Meanwhile as risk in waters at the backsides goes down, traders, farmers and fleeters can do their thing. Compare it to Panama right now or Dutch territory. (There are other "safe" heavens as well. )

Edited July 10, 2016 by Skully

[Captain Boneboys]

I have outposts in three (3) Free Ports.

This allows me to buy / capture different resources in ports that are in the same area as the Free Port I am operating from, depending on my needs.

 

I have in the past abandoned Free Ports, moving operations to safer waters until the situation allows for a return.

Once I have the materials required to construct a vessel I transport everything (at great risk) back to the Capital Port where I have an extended warehouse and  shipyard.

 

 

Remove Free Ports is not a reasonable suggestion and should be dismissed by all those that trade/craft.

Edited July 10, 2016 by Captain Boneboys

[Fletch]

Its a tuff call. I can see small nations with few ports really needing them. At the same time its like having a magic portal in your back yard that can spew forth endless amounts of enemies. I think limit ship space and remove the ability of teleporting to a Freeport and see how it goes.

[Hethwill]

Options i see as viable.

 

No outpost option in freeport,  sail in / out or lg off only

Restrict to no military ships

restrict to 5ths and down

Make outposts only have 1 ship slot so it isnt a base just a trade port..

 

Given I play Pirate as Pirate, with all outposts in free towns I must thank you for forcing me to to the Pirate Nation and forfeit being a Pirate.

[Werewolf]

Oh, this again. Once they fix pirates to be able to declare any port a port of call go for it. Untill then youre just mad brah cuz pirated sink you.

Yeah, because pirates need even more crutches. Shhhhhh.

[Cmdr RideZ]

5th rate restriction could actually make sense.

 

It does not remove free ports, those will still be useful, but the enemy cannot teleport Port Battle fleets behind the enemy lines.  But they can sail those there.

 

Maybe 3rd to 1st rate ships could be only teleported in friendly regional capitals.  4th rates only to friendly ports.

[akd]

Yes, that could be interesting:

 

Deep Free Ports - 5th rate and below only

Shallow Free Ports - 7th rate only

[Jean Ribault]

In the current state the game is in, free ports are necessary for some players to really play the game well, those who have no home faction ports.  That said, as the game evolves into a final form I would agree that free ports should go away.

 

I'm not the first to suggest this but we should bring back neutral ports instead.  With the advent of diplomacy, popularity of the public vote, etc, we should create neutral ports that are like the powerful city-states in Civilization V.  These ports have the power to defend themselves against attackers with their own AI, but also can be swayed towards favoring certain nations who bribe them, increase their economy, gift them, protect them, etc.  Such neutral ports should have a point system wherein if there were (for example) 50 points total awarded, then their loyalty and love towards the factions of the game would show those 50 points distributed towards those factions as they are swayed.  This would be dynamic, and should reflect the "what have you done for me lately" theme.  Naturally neutral ports closer to, for example, the USA would tend to be more loyal to the USA, etc.  But they could be swayed by other nations.  Neutral ports should never be capturable, like free ports are in today's game.  But perhaps they could be attacked for loot, with of course the drawback of then losing points in the point system for that port.

 

I'm sure there are flaws in that plan, but it seems to have more merit than free ports which are not much more than places to park a ship and magically teleport.

 

Also, it only works if factions are prevented from being beaten down to a single port, or 3 or 4 even.

[Bach]

Free ports are what currently keep non-RvR PvP alive. Messing with that could prove unfortunate.

I read the OP and find it kicking in dimension. Sudbury is the only free port close to Charleston. Without it no PvP would occur on the US coast at all. It's nearly an hour long sail for just pirate or Spanish players to get there. No other nations would even have a chance to harass the USA in home waters without first having an extensive and successful RvR campaign first. The basis of the OP arguement seems to revolve around play to crush and not having to defend home waters. Neither if those is good for a perpetual sand box game.

During the American Revolution John Paul Jones made a name for himself not in huge fleet battles on war fronts. He raided the English Channel and most of the time te did this in 6th rates. We need the ability to have JP Jones like players to be able to harass the enemy in their home waters even during an offsides war. The current free city mechanic is what provides this. They also provide a place for players to park their ships while they go on real life vacation and days away from the game. All in all the gaps filled by free cities are to important to lose.

Edited July 11, 2016 by Bach

[Mrdoomed]

Free ports are what currently keep non-RvR PvP alive. Messing with that could prove unfortunate.

I read the OP and find it kicking in dimension. Sudbury is the only free port close to Charleston. Without it no PvP would occur on the US coast at all. It's nearly an hour long sail for just pirate or Spanish players to get there. No other nations would even have a chance to harass the USA in home waters without first having an extensive and successful RvR campaign first. The basis of the OP arguement seems to revolve around play to crush and not having to defend home waters. Neither if those is good for a perpetual sand box game.

During the American Revolution John Paul Jones made a name for himself not in huge fleet battles on war fronts. He raided the English Channel and most of the time te did this in 6th rates. We need the ability to have JP Jones like players to be able to harass the enemy in their home waters even during an offsides war. The current free city mechanic is what provides this. They also provide a place for players to park their ships while they go on real life vacation and days away from the game. All in all the gaps filled by free cities are to important to lose.

The OP is well know on global and believes the entire florida coast should be off limits but ironically has no problem taking islet port right next to pirate caital.

For some reason a good deal but not all of the US players feel the coast should be off limits to everyone but them. Wonder why that is ? Can you say easy mode.

[Jerome]

No. Players need to be able to move out from their home ports. If the enemy can outflank with fleets, so can you. Free ports generate and support active PvP.