Brace function adjustment needed

[Koltes]

Adding Brace was a very welcome feature with a good potential.

Right now however it is pretty much useless and no one is really using it. The reason why its not used is because it effectively puts your crew in shock and whats more disables your ship rudder. This is killing the entire function as using it makes it worse then not using it.

Suggestion:
Brace button activation time reduced to 5 seconds. The time that bracing is ACTIVE has no timer at all, but cancels on command with another push of Brace button (just like Sails, Gunnery and Preparation). The cooldown has two timers - one is 10 seconds to reactive the crew and repeat use of brace cooldown is reduced to 2 minutes.
While active Bracing disabling manning the sails (no up or down sails), and no reloading. Active functions during bracing are firing cannons (if they were loaded prior as this does not require the full crew), yard turning at the reduced speed (maybe half) and working rudder as this only requires one man.

This will make the function non OP, but much more usable.

 

[van der Clam]

Brilliant!

[Wonderbread]

I havent even tried using brace due to the fact it disables the crew. Currently the only time i see it being useful would be while running from a fight, such as in a trader, which if thats the case you dont stand much of a chance anyway. 

[Kap Emptypocket]

Same here.I dont use it...looks bretty useless.

[William Livingston Alden]

The "brace" function is pretty useless and a good example how the DEVs deals with Problems and solve it in Game (more than unthought).

Why not make it like the captians perks - a Crew gains experience with every battle and get so more expierences and or agility which helps the Crew to deal better with the Stern raking or faster turn or better and faster Shooting?

 

[Lz3]

Very nice suggestion. I've used the brace function before, not knowing that it kills my rudder and takes 10 seconds to activate. didn't work out so well.

Another problem I have encountered that;

G = Boarding

H = Brace

On a normal qwerty keyboard or variations, these keys are next to each other. Bracing kills all your boarding preparation. You could very easily lose a boarding due to one miss click. Luckily this happened when I was bored with 140 users on, so I was attacking AI traders. I would be terrified if this happened to be in a normal battle with both ships in the wind ready for boarding.