Officer Suggestion For Multiple Officers

[Cpt Blackthorne]

Please consider my vision below when answering these questions. This is based on RL officer positions and their duties aboard ships of the age of sail. This link provides a very simple explanation of such duties: http://www.thepirateking.com/historical/ship_roles.htm

TY for your time.

 

• I envision there being a list of officers to choose from, say 8-10 different officer types, but being limited to choose only 3.
• For each of those 3 officer chosen, there would be a list of perks to choose from that are related only to that officer's position.
• From that list, we would be able to choose only 3 perks.
• Each perk would have different rank levels, possibly based on the upgrade levels (i.e. Basic Officer, Common Officer, Fine Officer, etc, however instead of calling them basic, common, they'd be called their rank, either a rank name or number).
• I also see Economy perks not being associated to our ship officers.

With this in mind, I will provide a possible layout for a few officer types:

 

Step one: hire a max of 3 (maybe more) officers from the list below:

• Ship's Master - Senior warrant officer: Appointed by Admiralty, responsible for navigational, sail, rope and hold maintenance
• Boatswain - Standing Officer: Appointed by Admiralty, they're in charge of rigging, cables, anchors, and boats
• Master Gunner - Standing Officer: Appointed by Ordinance Board, Responsible for maintenance of guns and magazine/powder access
• Carpenter - Standing Officer: Appointed by Navy Board, Responsible for maintenance of hull and mast during battle
• Surgeon - Standing Officer: Appointed by Navy Board, Responsible for sick and injured and dispensing of medicine
• Rigging Master - Responsible for all things related to sails
• Sailing Master - Responsible for navigation of ship's course
• Marine Officer - In charge of marines on board
• Shipwright - Land Officer in charge of a ship builds
• Purser/Econ Officer - Standing Officer: Appointed by Admiralty, responsible for ship supplies and consumables
• Economy Officer? - Provides connections to Admiralty and responsible for crafting and resource buildings
• Master & Commander (maybe to command larger fleet ships??)
• Other Officer (need suggestions with a list of perks for them)

 

Step two: select 3 perks for each officer you hired

 

Ship's Master - on ship at all times

List of perks to choose from (3 max):

• Coward
• Press Gang
• Area Control
• Light Ship Master
• Frigate Master
• Line Ship Master

Boatswain - on ship at all times

Again choose only 3:

• Pump Inventor
• Storage Master
• Thrifty
• Trimming Expert
• Rigging Specialist
• ?

Master Gunner - on ship at all times

Choose only 3:

• Double Charge
• Double Shot
• Prepared
• Mortar Officer
• Carronade Master
• ?

Carpenter Officer - on ship at all times

Choose only 3:

• Expert Carpenter
• Emergency Master
• Expert Surgeon
• Light Shipmaster
• Frigate Shipmaster
• Line Shipmaster

Surgeon - on ship at all time

Choose only 3:

• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?

Rigging Master - on ship at all times

Choose only 3:

• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?

Sailing Master - on ship at all times

Choose only 3:

• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?

Marine Officer - on ship at all times

Choose only 3:

• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?

Shipwright - never on ship

Choose only 3:

• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?

Purser/Econ Officer - never on ship

Choose only 3:

• Admiralty Connections
• Overseer
• Royal Shipbuilder
• Foreman
• Gifted
• FIsher

Economy Officer ?

• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?

Master & Commander ?

• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?

 

These are just some suggestions. So, there would be maybe 8 to 10 total officers to choose from. You can choose only 3 (4 or 5) officers. Each officer would have a list of 5 or 6 perks to choose from. You can choose only 2 or 3 perks from that list for each officer. Each perk would have an XP level that gains his perk gradually allowing that perk to work at the percentage of that perk based on usage of that officer. I.e. Area Control level 1 would work at say 100m, level 2 would work at 200m, level 3 at 300m, etc. That officer's rank level would increase a certain percentage each time this perk is used. Trimming Expert level 1 would help a -1% heel, level 2 a -2% heel, etc. This officer's rank level would increase each time it is used (meaning if you sail in a straight line all the time, it wouldn't increase). Etc, etc, etc for each officer.

 

This would allow for multiple officer combinations with multiple officer perks with multiple perk rank levels. The different combinations would provide a wide range of possibilities from player to player.

 

Please feel free to take the poll and make any suggestions in your comments. TY

Edited September 27, 2016 by Cpt Blackthorne

[Reorx Redbeard]

A marine officer. vith a list of boarding/ infantry combat perks.

[Mighty_Alex]

You suggested a very peculiar set of officers: Quartermaster was a petty officer and not really important. Surgeon and carpenter is not the same thing at all.  I think your source isn't really reliable, here's a better one:https://www.historicnavalfiction.com/general-hnf-info/naval-facts/ranks-duties

[Cpt Blackthorne]

You suggested a very peculiar set of officers: Quartermaster was a petty officer and not really important. Surgeon and carpenter is not the same thing at all.  I think your source isn't really reliable, here's a better one:https://www.historicnavalfiction.com/general-hnf-info/naval-facts/ranks-duties

TY and I agree, however my link is from 1600s and related to positions aboard pirate ships. I did not intend for these to be exact, but simply to show how these perks could apply to different officers in the hopes of quelling the cries from people claiming that multiple officers would be too OP.

On the link you provided, we cannot confuse/mix actual in game player ranks with the officer positions. So, the officers we'd be hiring are warrant officers and trying to match these perks with them.

Something else I was thinking, perhaps some of the regular upgrades should actually be changed over to officer perks, i.e. Pellew's Sights moved to Master Gunner, Rum Rations would be good for the Quartermaster/Master, Grenade Supplements and Muskets & Pistols moved to Marine Officer (suggested by Reorx above), Steel Toolbox and Extra Pump moved to Carpenter....possibly.

Who knows? But thank you both for the suggestions and help. Keep it coming.

 

So perhaps let's create a list of Officers that we can hire, and then try to match all the current perks (and maybe current upgrades) to these officers as I attempted in the op. If there currently is no perk or not enough perks for suggested officers, try to come up with good perk ideas for them. TY mates.

Edited July 30, 2016 by Cpt Blackthorne

[CptEdwardKenway]

A marine officer. vith a list of boarding/ infantry combat perks.

No! Just no! Boarding upgrades are already OP there is no need to make boarding ships even more powerful. I don't wanna have 5th rates rage boarding 1st rates. It already happens with 4th rates which is way too much.

[Mighty_Alex]

Something else I was thinking, perhaps some of the regular upgrades should actually be changed over to officer perks, i.e. Pellew's Sights moved to Master Gunner, Rum Rations would be good for the Quartermaster/Master, Grenade Supplements and Muskets & Pistols moved to Marine Officer (suggested by Reorx above), Steel Toolbox and Extra Pump moved to Carpenter....possibly.

I agree, some of the upgrades just don't make sense. Like Charismatic Boatswain, which speeds up crew transfer. Why is it even an upgrade? It must be an officer's perk.

[akd]

Yes, they should have been moving nonsensical, stacking physical upgrades to officer perks, but instead what we get is officer perks that stack with existing upgrades and even more new, drop-only stacking upgrades. Combinations of stacking upgrades and officers perks are becoming so powerful that they are arguably must have (and must grind) and heavily tilt a fair fight between two players from being determined by player skill to being determined by acquisition and selection of upgrades and officers, or so tilt the game toward easy fight avoidance that seeking fair fights is pointless (either gank massively or don't even bother trying to engage in combat).

All "human" upgrades should be officer perks.

All "handbook" upgrades should be officer perks.

All non-sensical physical upgrades should be officer perks or eliminated where redundant to officer perks (e.g. Steel Toolbox).

[Cpt Blackthorne]

No! Just no! Boarding upgrades are already OP there is no need to make boarding ships even more powerful. I don't wanna have 5th rates rage boarding 1st rates. It already happens with 4th rates which is way too much.

Perhaps you should have read where I suggested that some upgrades be moved to officer perks, much like these ppl below read. And the reason boarding upgrades are so OP is not that they exist, but that the percent that they work is way too high. They need adjusted, and will be.

 

I agree, some of the upgrades just don't make sense. Like Charismatic Boatswain, which speeds up crew transfer. Why is it even an upgrade? It must be an officer's perk.

Will you help with making the list of these upgrades that should be officer perks/skills instead?

 

Yes, they should have been moving nonsensical, stacking physical upgrades to officer perks, but instead what we get is officer perks that stack with existing upgrades and even more new, drop-only stacking upgrades. Combinations of stacking upgrades and officers perks are becoming so powerful that they are arguably must have (and must grind) and heavily tilt a fair fight between two players from being determined by player skill to being determined by acquisition and selection of upgrades and officers, or so tilt the game toward easy fight avoidance that seeking fair fights is pointless (either gank massively or don't even bother trying to engage in combat).

All "human" upgrades should be officer perks.

All "handbook" upgrades should be officer perks.

All non-sensical physical upgrades should be officer perks or eliminated where redundant to officer perks (e.g. Steel Toolbox).

Will you help in making this list?

[Fastidius]

I suggest removing all temp mods and making them perks.  that way if you are boarding you have to lose one of your other officers for the job.

 

Dike dual speccing in WOW etc

 

IE

 

2 or 3 officers per ship......Size of ship means 1-3 like light,,firgate, SOL

 

1 is combat slot = Boarding or DPS

1 is Navigation = speed/Defence

1 is Crew = Crewloss vs Crew Gain

1 is a Port based officer where you can transfer stuff like freeport tradersand set up a home port so to speak. He affects sell prices and cost of transport between ports.   Cant have a shipyard in a capital and cant have your port officer in capital....this has the effect of spreading the nation. at least a few ports if not many.

 

 

each officer has say 6 perks which rank up like levels of mod with similar percentages.   So you can pick marines/Musketeers, Guns / Swords , Grog/Precision.   you can balance of go all one way or another.   Boarding has to be reworked anyways. I will post my version of the minigame elsewhere.

[Cpt Blackthorne]

If anyone cares to help with this list of officer and new perks (or ones suggested on other threads) please feel free. Also if this officer layout is at all interesting to you, please click like so we can get these ideas forwarded to the devs. TY

[Cpt Blackthorne]

Here is the list of all current Perks for Officers. I need help associating these Perks to specific Officers. (Which by the way, I also need help creating all the Officers.)

Battle Perks??:

• Coward - Cuts battle escape time in half
• Double Charge - Officer can use double charge powder
• Double Shot - Officer can load double shot in long and medium cannon (not carronades)
• Light Ship Master - Provides +1kn and -5% on reload for 7th and 6th rates
• Frigate Master - Provides +1kn and -5% on reload for 5th and 4th rates
• Line Ship Master - Provides +1kn and -5% on reload for 1st thru 3rd rates
• Pirate Hunter - Shortens reload by 20%
• Pirate - Gives +1kn to ship speed
• Prepared – Ship starts with loaded cannons
• Thrifty – Repair kit is not consumed if you use them in battle
• Mortar Officer - Provides bonus to Mortar Shot
• Determined Defender - Prevents being boarded unless enemy has 40% more crew
• Defense Drill – reduces cost of defend command
• Press Gang – crew members alive after boarding join your crew
• Area Control – you and all enemy ships within 500m from you cannot exit the battle 
• Trimming Expert – reduces ship heel
• Carronade Master – improves carronade accuracy
• Rigging Specialist – improves your sails (reducing incoming damage) and repairs them better 
• Pump Inventor – improves pump performance
• Emergency Master – reduces emergency repairs cool down
• Expert Surgeon – medical kits efficiency increased
• Doctor – perk recovers 70% of all casualties in combat if you ship is alive by the end of the instance
• Storage Master – provides additional repair kit in battle but reduces speed
• Expert Carpenter – increases repair amount in battle and in the open world
• Social – battle generated by the player with this perk stay open for 30 mins for both sides

Economy Perks??:

• Admiralty Connections – reduces crew hire price
• Fisher – increases chance to fish something out of the water
• Foreman – increase Labor hours regeneration
• Frigate Shipmaster – reduces LH consumption for all frigates and 4th rates
• Light Ship Shipmaster – reduces LH consumption for unrated vessels
• Line Ship shipmaster – reduces LH consumption for ships of the line 
• Overseer – increase Labor hours storage
• Royal Shipbuilder – reduces LH consumption for all vessels
• Gifted – increases blueprint learning chance
• Shipyard Connections - +15% to ship prices sold to NPC buyer in ports
• Hold optimization – 20% more hold weight

Please help creating Officers and associating the Perks with them so that we can see which Officers will need more Perk choices. TY

Edited September 27, 2016 by Cpt Blackthorne

[Cpt Blackthorne]

Nice to see ppl keep voting on this poll, but I'd still like help in the structuring. plz n ty

[Guest]

If yes to previous question, how many officers should we be allowed?

Number of available officers should in any case depend on your own rank. Won't make sense if a Midshipman can have 3 officers same as a Rear Admiral.

[Cpt Blackthorne]

Number of available officers should in any case depend on your own rank. Won't make sense if a Midshipman can have 3 officers same as a Rear Admiral.

That is a great call!!!!! Wish I had that in my poll...

[Cpt Blackthorne]

Here is the current list of Upgrades available. The idea of this post is to choose which of these Upgrades should actually be changed to Perks for specific Officers we can choose from. But, here is the complete list to date.

 

Permanent Upgrades:

• Barricades – Increase to Melee and Firepower
• Copper Plating – Increase of Ship Speed
• Extra Planking – Increase of Armor HP; Reduction to Ship Speed and Leak Speed
• Extra Staysails – Increase of Jib Sail Force; increase to Crew Requirement
• Fireship Fitting – Increase of Fire Probability, Fire Increase Rate, and Powder Radius
• Improved Magazine Access – Reduction of Reload Rate
• Optimized Rudder – Increase of Ship Turning Speed and Rudder Speed
• Reinforced Mast – Increase of Mast HP
• Reinforced Rudder – Increase of Rudder HP
• Speed Trim – Increase of Ship Max Speed and Roll Angle; Reduction of Ship Turning Speed and Mast HP and Armor HP
• Studding Sail – Increase of Main Sail Force and Crew Requirement; Reduction to Jib Sail Force
• Turning Trim – Increase of Ship Turning Speed; Reduction of Ship Max Speed

Removable Upgrades:

• Boarding Axes – Incrrease to Attack; Reduces Disengage Duration for boarding
• Boarding Ladders – Reduces Melee Penalty for boarding
• Carpenter Teams – Increases Repair Armor, Sail, and Generic; Decreases Hole Rate and Ram Damage
• Charismatic Boatswain – Increases Crew Transfer Speed
• Extra Hammocks – Increases Crew
• Extra Pump – Increases Pump Speed and Pump HP
• Grenade Supplement – Increases Grenade Modifier during boarding
• Grog Rations – Increases Attack and Moral; Decreases Accuracy during boarding
• Gunnery Handbooks – Increases Musket and Deck Gun Accuracy during boarding
• Light Canvas – Decreases Sailing Crew requirement and Base HP
• Light Carriages – Reduces Cannon Mass and Cannon Crew Requirement; Increases Cannon Destroy Probability
• Lightweight Ropes – Increases Sail Raising and Yard Turn Speed
• Marines – Increases Marine Percentage and Marine Firepower for boarding
• Mortar Handbooks – Decreases Cannon Dispersion and Aiming Time for mortar cannon
• Muskets & Pistols – Increases Muskets Percentage to Crew during boarding
• Optimized Ballast – Decreases Ship Max Roll
• Pellew's Sights – Decreases Cannon Shot Dispersion
• Powder Monkeys – Decreases Cannon Reload Time
• Reinforced Sails – Increase Sail HP
• Rum Rations – Decreases Cannon Reload Time and Accuracy; Increases Rudder and Yard Turn Speed
• Steel Toolbox – Decreases Repair Time; Increases Repair Percent
• Survival Handbooks – Decreases Repair and Required Crew for Repair and Hole Ram Repair Rate
• Swordfighting Handbooks – Increases Defense, Attack and Moral during boarding

This post will be very important as based on what these Upgrades do will result in which need to be changed to Perks.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Cpt Blackthorne

[Sea Archer]

I would like to see the number of officers depending on rank. The first rank with one officer should be first lieutenant, then every following rank shall have one more. Each officer shall have only one perk. The effect of the perks shall increase with increasing experience. The first officer shall gain half of the captain's XP, the second half of the first's, and so on. When the first dies, the second is promoted and becomes the new first and the player may choose a new one for his lowest officer.

This gives good mixture of perks in different levels, not always the maximum. And it will be necessary to change the fighting style according to the current officers situation.

[Cpt Blackthorne]

Number of available officers should in any case depend on your own rank. Won't make sense if a Midshipman can have 3 officers same as a Rear Admiral.

I would like to see the number of officers depending on rank. The first rank with one officer should be first lieutenant, then every following rank shall have one more. Each officer shall have only one perk. The effect of the perks shall increase with increasing experience. The first officer shall gain half of the captain's XP, the second half of the first's, and so on. When the first dies, the second is promoted and becomes the new first and the player may choose a new one for his lowest officer.

This gives good mixture of perks in different levels, not always the maximum. And it will be necessary to change the fighting style according to the current officers situation.

Indeed! I wish I had this in my poll. The PMs I get suggest this also.

So, I can see maybe this:

• ranks 1-3 getting only 1 officer (or 2)
• ranks 4-6 getting 2 officers (or 3)
• ranks 7-10 getting 3 officers (or 4)

Possibly....

However, because some of these officers are in fact appointed by Admiralty to ship Captains, I think some of these officers should not be available to lower rank players. So on this, I would suggest separating these officers by Admiralty officers and non-Admiralty officers. And then we will see which are available for each rank of player.

 

Ranks 1-3 available officer to choose from (non-Admiralty as listed in OP)

• Master Gunner
• Carpenter
• Surgeon
• Rigging Master
• Sailing Master
• Shipwright
• Purser/Econ Officer (maybe, or might need to be split)

Ranks 4-6 (same as above plus the following Admiralty appointed Officers)

• Boatswain
• Marine Officer
• Purser/Econ Officer (if not for ranks 1-3 or if split)
• ​(other officers not yet thought of?)

Ranks 7-10

• Ship's Master
• Master & Commander (maybe?)
• (other officers not yet thought of?)

 

Any suggestions are appreciated. BTW, even if this doesn't get accepted by devs for NA, it might be helpful for NA2 or another new AoS game in the future.

And reviewing this list, we have to make certain some officer are available to lower rank players that will indeed help them economically, such things that will help with the cost of crew, cost of buildings, etc...Because when you first start this game, it is quit expensive in game to maintain growing and ranking.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Cpt Blackthorne

[Sea Archer]

The low rank players should have only a land based officer, I would call him prize agent (maybe this could be already an officer's perk).

I do not see a reason to give the low ranks an officer, they shall learn to sail and shoot without relaying on officer's skills.

[shaeberle84]

The larger the ship, the more officers. The more officers, the more differentiated the perks they can get. I think this would be both a realistic and fun mechanic.

 

Example:

 

You start with one officer on the cutter, with a choice of lets say five perks.

 

When you get your first brig, you get two officers, one for sailing, one for canons; each with five (different) perks.

 

When you get a trader ship, you hve two officers, one for sailing, one for trading perks; etc.

 

You store your officers in the ports and they "travel" with you, and you can take them on the ship you sail depending on what slots the ship has.

[Sea Archer]

But every officer should have only one perk. The effect of this perk should increase with the officer's level of experience.

[Arctander]

I love the idea, though my thought would be the number of officers you have will vary by ship size. Large ships needed more officers and more crew. Higher ranking officers appear on larger ships, and have a MUCH greater value - though the highest ranking officers would not be any better (and perhaps a little weaker) than the current single officers we have. I would also wish that only the top ranked officer on any ship is allowed to be moved, the lower officers all stay with the ship. That way the captain can bring his best friend, however you can't just pull all the officers around.

 

So, a 1st or 2nd rate would have 5 officers, a 3rd rate 4, a 4th 3, 5th 2 and a 6th 1.

 

Either way, I do love the idea. I also wish we could see a captain on the deck moving around. Just one character in a silly hat and a colorful uniform

[van der Clam]

But every officer should have only one perk. The effect of this perk should increase with the officer's level of experience.

I'd have to disagree with only 1 perk per officer. There so many perk currently, and if we do this right, there certainly could (and should) be many more perks. It would be a shame to have only 3 officers, each having only 1 perk. I totally agree that the officer needs to level up each perk by use of that perk, and not by buying it. I also totally agree that player rank decides how many officers are allowed, however we certainly don't want to make this game any harder for newbs than it already is.

 

I believe we need to think of this in an easy formula for devs, something that applies easily to all officers at each level. Anyone good at them maths things? I'll lay out the idea currently:

So player chooses a Carpenter Officer. The first perk they choose is Expert Carpenter.

Take the fully ranked up perk at 100% and lower it by 20% for each level below rank 5.

Rank 5 ----- +5% repair to Hull / +5% OW repair

Rank 4 ----- minus 20% from Rank 5

Rank 3 ----- minus 20% from Rank 4

etc, etc

 

Or they could simply make it just Rank 5 @ +5%, Rank 4 @ +4%, etc, etc

 

So basically, whatever the perk is at Rank 5 would work at 100% its intended bonus, and each rank below that would be 20% less. (I think I just repeated myself...)

Edited October 29, 2016 by van der Decken

[Wesreidau]

Three officer types, and so help me I don't know the period names for this.

 

Combat Officer: Handles gunnery, boarding, and other combat roles.

Engineering:  Handles ship repair, speed, turning, damage control roles.

Economic:  Handles crafting, fishing, crew hiring and ship's doctor roles.

 

Each officer starts as an enlisted rank  and can promote up behind you; so a midshipman might be limited to a Gunner's Mate or a Carpenter's Mate or a Cook, but by the time you're a Rear Admiral you can have fully ranked-up officers. And as their rank increases, they can have higher and higher 'quality levels' of various perks.

 

I'd like to see the perks moved to a "Talent Tree" where you invest individual points in each given skill rather than spend half a dozen points for the full bonus of a skill. For example, I really want Frigate Master, but I don't want to spend six points. Can't I spend two points and get a third of that bonus? Couldn't Frigate Master only unlock after my officer got to rank X anyway?

 

And why have officers die off in ten lives? I'd rather they lose XP and lose rank, or be able to spend XP to restore a 'life'.

[Arctander]

And why have officers die off in ten lives? I'd rather they lose XP and lose rank, or be able to spend XP to restore a 'life'.

Agreed! Risking officer lives discourages PvP

[Kiithnaras]

I had suggested something similar way back in another thread. Details here. Sufficed to say that, yes, we should be able to have multiple officers, but each officer acts accordingly to how they act now. However, each additional officer would provide a diminishing benefit based on their rank.

 

On addendum to the section I posted above would be that, once recruited, an officer couldn't change their position - the officer with you the longest (the First officer) would always give full benefits, the second officer would always give half benefit, etc. Only if an officer kicks the bucket or is fired would a previous officer take their place. In retrospect, the shore leave idea was silly.

Edited November 1, 2016 by Kiithnaras