Better Balance for launch

[Uilleam]

Hello,

 

I would like to suggest that when the game does launch, some tweaks be made with regard to the starting map(s), plus a couple of other ideas.

Map:

• All nations have equal access to resources to build ships from the start (or all have the same number of resources unavailable).
• Bring back the ability to 'see' what each port produces and consumes by hovering the cursor over the port (currently can see what ports produce and what ports have an item available, but can't see what the port produces at a glance).
• Would rather see all ports be captured one by one in a region than the winner take all of taking the regional capitol.  Also, is there any reason why a large defending fleet can't be generated when the port is undefended?

Other ideas:

• All Blue prints be obtainable (so all players have equal chance to obtain them), and also, especially given how making ships is harder now, the grind to obtain BPs should be made easier.
• Add a separate category in the shop that shows ship building items (separate from trade goods).
• I like what you did for capping Battle ratios in the rookie area.  I wonder if that would make sense in the open world (but higher ratio)?  Maybe be a way to end the situation where a player wins a PVP battle only to be attacked by 7 times the number of ships on exiting the battle?

Why I think the above should be done:

Every nation should have sufficient resources available to be able to craft ships from within its borders.  Which means that there be at least one of each type of resource needed for each nation (granted, nations with lots of ports will likely have more than one port for some of the resources).   At least one each, for wood type one iron mine, one silver mine, etc. for each nation.  (Though a nasty thought occurs to me, that there be one resource missing from each nation, including the large ones, and that resource be somewhere that's hard to capture the port...).  Point being, all nations start out equal in terms of making ships (or equally handicapped...).

 

This might entail bringing back some of the neutral ports?  I don't think it needs to be a large tweak, just some refining and relocating some resources to give all nations a fair (er) shot when the server is wiped at game release.

IF there is only ONE source for a given resource on the whole map, then it needs to be near the middle of the map (will generate a lot more PVP that way than having it all the way out on the edge).

 

I'm a level 50 crafter, and I'm hoping experience won't be reset (game testers deserve something, right?), but if I were starting from scratch, (and I am somewhat on PVP1), with the current system, it will take new players an exceptionally long time to gain Blue Prints (unless, again, there is a tweak to resource allocations).  Maybe the maximum likelihood of a blue print dropping should be with the common level ships?  If so, then maybe there should be no chance of a blue print dropping when making mastercraft or exceptional ships.  That would give an added incentive to making common ships and take away an incentive for the higher options.

 

It would be nice to have the ability to hover the cursor over a port and see what it consumes and produces (not what it has available) as in the way it was before the patch.  I've figured it out with regard to the map option for traders, but again, just trying to think what the initial experience for new players will be.

 

My initial reaction to the current patch was that I felt a bit overwhelmed.  Its making more sense to me as time goes on and I'm liking it more over time.  BUT, it's going to be a very steep learning curve for new players.  One thing that would be useful (again, trying to think what a new player is going to experience), would be one more category in the shop, now we have food resources and resources, could there be a ship building resource category as well?  As it is, I can see where even some experienced players could buy some material thinking its needed for a ship build, and then find out it was some different variation that was needed.

 

Keep up the good work and thank you for what has been a very addictive game so far.

[Inigo Balboa aka Ronda]

• Bring back the ability to 'see' what each port produces and consumes by hovering the cursor over the port (currently can see what ports produce and what ports have an item available, but can't see what the port produces at a glance).
• All Blue prints be obtainable (so all players have equal chance to obtain them), and also, especially given how making ships is harder now, the grind to obtain BPs should be made easier.
• I like what you did for capping Battle ratios in the rookie area.  I wonder if that would make sense in the open world (but higher ratio)?  Maybe be a way to end the situation where a player wins a PVP battle only to be attacked by 7 times the number of ships on exiting the battle?

 

...Maybe the maximum likelihood of a blue print dropping should be with the common level ships?  If so, then maybe there should be no chance of a blue print dropping when making mastercraft or exceptional ships.  That would give an added incentive to making common ships and take away an incentive for the higher options.

 

...It would be nice to have the ability to hover the cursor over a port and see what it consumes and produces (not what it has available) as in the way it was before the patch.  I've figured it out with regard to the map option for traders, but again, just trying to think what the initial experience for new players will be.

 

... it's going to be a very steep learning curve for new players.  

 

totally agree.

[Hethwill]

I agree with the blueprints being unlocked. End of.

 

On the rest...

 

All nations have access to woods and other necessary items to building of ships. The situation simply demonstrates that they're not the exact same types of woods everywhere so trading is essential, much as smuggling, trade raiding, and alliances and conquest. ( wow, look at that, three playstyles and a wargame )

 

Metals can be found in the vicinity regions for all nations and right from the start of a new conquest map it promotes the very first alliances and the very first regional conquests.

Quoting - "If you want it, come and claim it."

 

It has nothing to do with the individual player but with a national wargame, which will affect all players equally. Like with combat, easy to learn hard to master.