Whaling [Trigger Warning: Reality Ahead]

[Wesreidau]

So we now have whale oil and fishing, but suspiciously few whales.

 

We also have a lot of deep water that isn't traveled, save for shipwrecks, and a lot of players who enjoy going out to loot shipwrecks but just can't find enough bottles, or EVE players who liked mining for their money but always wanted something more engaging than watching fishing.

 

And, curiously, a lot of privateers, pirates and Rear Admirals wanting to fill their coffers at some other country's expense.

 

Whales will spawn in deep water as an NPC "fleet", travelling without regard for wind. The whale depicted is typically underwater and only visible if the player is right on top of it, but will occasionally "spout", allowing whalers to find distant whales. From there its a vigilant hunt to get close enough to the spout to see the whale itself. When close enough and selected, the player can click a dialogue to "Away Boats".

 

You'll then get either a whale carcass, or occasionally fail to capture the whale and lose a few crewmates. The whale persists if you wish to chase it again... it might be the big one. This will encourage the use of medkits at sea and large, fully-crewed vessels for long durations, and introduce some tough choices. 

 

Whale carcasses are classified by species and are "converted" into their sub-products. The dialogue for this will need to be new so a carcass held in a loot window can be carved up into sub-products, then desired products moved to the hold and unwanted products dumped overboard, all without moving the whale into our hold. Unless, for whatever reason, we wanted to. Each species produces different ratios; right whales producing more bone and baleen than sperm whales, and sperm whales producing the very valuable spermaceti oil. However right whales are less likely to kill your crew, sperm whales more likely, and occasionally you find one who's the jaws of Death itself. But with risk, reward.

 

 

Whale Meat: easily converted to Food Supplies, if you're willing to deal with the weight. Pound for pound less efficient at creating food supplies than fish meat. Most will throw it overboard.

 

Whale oil: Used in lanterns and lamps as well as machinery lubrication and medicines. The principle aim of whaling efforts. Consumed by capitals and used for making precise parts and medkits.  Your lamps might burn it while you scribble up crafting notes.

 

Bone and Baleen: Used in all sorts of wares, such as fine inlays for furnishings.

 

Spermaceti; an extremely fine liquid wax that produced excellent, bright, clean-burning candles. Candles burned while writing up your mid-and-high-grade crafting notes? Only found in sperm whales, as the name suggests.

 

Ambergris; valued at a gold guinea an ounce, but very rare and only found in sick sperm whales. Pale, you might say white, emancipated, angry, fast-moving terrors with a high chance to kill the crew you've sent for it. Would you chase him round Good Hope, and round the horn, and round the Norway maelstrom, and round Perdition's flames before you give him up? Is your vengeance worth all our lives, man? You might, if one drop was used in high-grade notes.

 

Shipwreck Bottles: Of course.

 

[Henry d'Esterre Darby]

we have used the ship cargo lists of that time for the resources and community research proposals. Resource lists are not final and might change. Slavery related issues and whaling will never get in game. Historical drugs like tobacco, alcohol and other items we don't know. Some might get removed.