Hotfix 7 for testbed patch 9.99

[admin]

2 minutes ago, Kiithnaras said:

 

What troubles me more is the present state of the testbed where Player-crafted goods are (mostly) not produced at all by NPCs (e.g. Logs, Iron, and Coal). 

why is it a problem? Build a iron mine and you have iron for yourself and maybe others. 

Because there is no NPC supply players will be forced to build them. And supply will appear

[PIerrick de Badas]

 

Just now, Anolytic said:

 

That's the nature of a hotfix though.

The 6 first hotfix add content, this one correct bug. I don't really see you're point in this useless answer.

[admin]

2 minutes ago, balticsailor said:

What is with the pirate regions, they seemed to have allmost no npc in them are they intended to be "save"?

pirate county capitals already have pirate county bots fleets

(by fleets we mean ships from 1 to 6 ships depending on the region)

[Liq]

3 minutes ago, PIerrick de Badas said:

 

The 6 first hotfix add content, this one correct bug. I don't really see you're point in this useless answer.

I think he was pointing out the definition of a hotfix which is the fixing of critical bugs / exploits, as it is here.
Adding new content is not really a hotfix.

[Kiithnaras]

Just now, admin said:

why is it a problem? Build a iron mine and you have iron for yourself and maybe others

It is a problem because there are many more resources than I listed there ("e.g." indicates a small sampling of a complete list or a few examples). Between Rum, Repairs, Medkits, Provisions, Cannons and Carronades, Fittings, Rigging parts, and so forth, there are far more materials than a single person can reasonably craft with a limit of 5 buildings, especially when Shipyards are now required for ships and when Workshops are required to make guns.

I get it that you're trying to encourage cooperation and trading between players, but with the low population on the test server, it's thus far quite a challenge to gather the requisite materials to build anything on one's own without a clan of a half-dozen-plus supporting them. A steady, reasonably-capped supply of materials available for trade (and smuggling) would go quite far in ports that have little to no player production presence, and having even a small NPC supply relative to player production would keep prices somewhat sane on open markets.

[PIerrick de Badas]

not my fault if devs use them to add new things and i can bet looking on my cristal ball that we will have an "hotfix" to add back region bonus

[admin]

2 minutes ago, Kiithnaras said:

I get it that you're trying to encourage cooperation and trading between players, but with the low population on the test server, it's thus far quite a challenge to gather the requisite materials to build anything on one's own without a clan of a half-dozen-plus supporting them. A steady, reasonably-capped supply of materials available for trade (and smuggling) would go quite far in ports that have little to no player production presence, and having even a small NPC supply relative to player production would keep prices somewhat sane on open markets.

There must be a player with the same problem as you. Why don't you ask in chat and maybe cooperate? You only needed 3 players to fully support santisima production and with the reduction on the number of buildings it is even easier now (your probably need 2 players). 

[Anolytic]

Since hostility will be based on attacking NPC fleets, and defenders will need luck to find the enemy in their own vast regions to engage them in PvP, can we at least make it so that any battle initiated against NPC will stay open to entry for both defenders and attacking side for 30 minutes, 45 minutes or even the full 90 minutes? No need to give the added protection of quickly/instantly closing battles to PvE.

I'm not quite sure how it is now on the testbed, but I don't think PvE-battles should close after five minutes.

[R3volv3R]

Can we facilitate that ships unblock the slots of the following? A technological tree or any reference for this? It is quite hateful not to know which boat you are going to ask for the next upgrade

 

[VirtuallyIdiotic]

15 minutes ago, admin said:

1. pve. every county capital has 6 fleets assigned to them sailing to 4 nearest ports. 
2. war supplies as well - but it can be exploited by alts (war supplies still work up to 50% of hostility)
3. raids (in the future)

Do not get me wrong. I love the direction of removing missions from hostility raising. Currently however, those six fleets are not enough to do any reasonable grind. When you have areas like Caracas, Texas, Cartagena de Indias, those six fleets are so spread out that it is frustrating just to find them and at times when you do find them they are not even worth battling because they are smaller ships only increasing hostilities by around ~1.5%. A quick fix is just to increase the native fleets in those factions areas and reduce the number of fleets from factions that have no neighboring regions. I am not looking for fast grinding of hostilities but rather one where even the casual player or weekend warrior can participate in a grind and still have that feeling they have accomplished something and have helped towards a common goal with their respective faction. Currently, it is not like that. It feels like a drag and just grinds away at ones enthusiasm rather than the region. 

[shaeberle84]

2 minutes ago, Anolytic said:

Since hostility will be based on attacking NPC fleets, and defenders will need luck to find the enemy in their own vast regions to engage them in PvP, can we at least make it so that any battle initiated against NPC will stay open to entry for both defenders and attacking side for 30 minutes, 45 minutes or even the full 90 minutes? No need to give the added protection of quickly/instantly closing battles to PvE.

I'm not quite sure how it is now on the testbed, but I don't think PvE-battles should close after five minutes.

With the recent changes to battle screens, invisibility etc. NO BATTLE should close AT ALL =)

[JobaSet]

8 minutes ago, Alakrana said:

Can we facilitate that ships unblock the slots of the following? A technological tree or any reference for this? It is quite hateful not to know which boat you are going to ask for the next upgrade

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PHxx0WQIGShFK8z6dfGe0CsjoKg32YtpeS8GuvTFaDs/edit?usp=sharing

[fremen]

10 minutes ago, admin said:

There must be a player with the same problem as you. Why don't you ask in chat and maybe cooperate? You only needed 3 players to fully support santisima production and with the reduction on the number of buildings it is even easier now (your probably need 2 players). 

Yes, but only if forgot completly the marks needed...

[Bart Smith]

Time for "flip" port need to be balanced somehow to let both sides participate - otherwise it will be pointless when attackers finish rising up hostility before defenders will be able to show up for defend.

[Kiithnaras]

To people going on about hostility, and admin: That Future Visions regarding Raids, PBs, and Hostility link down in my Signature is, admittedly, a bit of a wall-o-text, but the concepts contained within are, I feel, solid and balanced enough to make for a fun and engaging conquest system. Give it a read and mull it over, yeah? : )

Regarding battles not closing, @shaeberle84, I'm right with you; I personally feel that battles should have a join-exclusion area equal to the distance of the live server's pull circle (kinda like how attackers join PBs), but be open indefinitely to both sides (maybe respect some ratio of BR). This would make reinforcements to a fight have to have a good sail to get into the action and give people already in the fight time to react and plan for the reinforcements, but it'd make battles persistent and not locked instances (until they're full?).

@admin, the problem with a low-pop nation is that often no one responds to chat trade requests, so there is no one available to cooperate. To boot, lots of folks are grumpy, shut-in misanthropes to begin with and like to hoard their resources for themselves or friends/clannies ; ). I know that this problem will be much less prevalent with Live server numbers, I'm just sayin' that small NPC production would go miles and even engage players in competition for consumption of those resources, as well as rein in those special people who love to sell barrels for 10k a pop : ).

[Chetamista Noud]

1 minute ago, Bart Smith said:

Time for "flip" port need to be balanced somehow to let both sides participate - otherwise it will be pointless when attackers finish rising up hostility before defenders will be able to show up for defend.

Don't the defender's get 24 hours to prepare for the pb? 

[Ratline]

1 minute ago, Bart Smith said:

Time for "flip" port need to be balanced somehow to let both sides participate - otherwise it will be pointless when attackers finish rising up hostility before defenders will be able to show up for defend.

Agreed. Increasing rate of hostility gain so that it can be ground out in one evening is not a good thing imo. The build up should be slow in order to allow forces from both sides to build up in the region. This is far more likely to give rise to more pvp.

[R3volv3R]

11 minutes ago, JobaSet said:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1PHxx0WQIGShFK8z6dfGe0CsjoKg32YtpeS8GuvTFaDs/edit?usp=sharing

But that makes a player and there he puts what he wants ... in that I'm also helping and correcting bugs but because we do not give the developers? And another thing this of having to raise 2 million exp to have a santisima 5 slots is going to get us hands ... it is a work of Chinese ... before we get to have someone make us another wipe and all the work done Removed .. anyone is trusting these people .. from April 19 we go to May 15 and I bet whatever it is that they do not open on May 15 .. in order with these things people are leaving that is normal being boss Do you have to start with a basic cutter? Has no logic .... if you start from a surprise to do that well you still tolerate it .. but there are people who have to play 1 or 2 hours those people are not going to upload the upgrades .. they will get tired and leave the game ..

[Teutonic]

43 minutes ago, admin said:

it would be better to reduce time to gain hostility but increase degradation to 100%
this will force attackers to finish hostility set up during one evening. AND also force defenders to come protect the port NOW because if they don't come PB is guaranteed to happen and they won't be able to grind it down later.

I....agree actually.

I may like this.

[admin]

12 minutes ago, Ratline said:

Agreed. Increasing rate of hostility gain so that it can be ground out in one evening is not a good thing imo. The build up should be slow in order to allow forces from both sides to build up in the region. This is far more likely to give rise to more pvp.

if raising hostility is slow then defenders will not show up NOW. they will come in the morning and grind it down. 

[Bart Smith]

15 minutes ago, Chetamista Noud said:

Don't the defender's get 24 hours to prepare for the pb? 

I meant defend port from PB taking place.

[Kiithnaras]

@Alakrana, I kind of agree with your sentiment (I think?). Ship Knowledge slots really shouldn't, in my opinion, have nested dependencies based on the knowledge slots of other ships. Mastery of a specific ship class (not rate) should take a significant investment of effort - exponentially-so - but higher levels of mastery should also unlock basic knowledge of how to use other ships in the same rate.

Lets get mathy, here: Let's say, for the sake of argument, that each rank of Ship Knowledge for a Frigate takes 1500 x 3 ^ (Slot-1) XP to unlock. This means that the first two slots would be relatively quick at 1500 and 4500 XP, respectively. The third slot would take a fair bit at 13,500 XP. The last two would be a significant investment at 40,500 XP and 121,500 XP, respectively. However, as a synergistic effect of unlocking the 4th slot, -all- 5th-rates with equal or lesser Base Knowledge XP would get their first slot unlocked for free. Similarly, when unlocking the 5th slot, -all- of the first knowledge slots for 5th-rates would be unlocked, and the second knowledge slots for equal-or-lesser-cost 5th-rates would be opened up as well.

Those are my thoughts on the matter, at least.

[Teutonic]

1 hour ago, admin said:

if raising hostility is slow then defenders will not show up NOW. they will come in the morning and grind it down. 

I see the reason for other saying it should be a slow build up, but you are correct. Defenders just wait and grind it down later when it is safer.

The fact is that both the defenders and attackers get 46+ hours of notice for the port battle. That is more than enough time to get ready.

The attackers should have the advantage of surprise and hostility gain, the defenders have the "homeland" advantage and the ability to get some notice of when the attackers are grinding hostility to then go out and defend.

 

Edited May 8, 2017 by Teutonic

[Hethwill]

Faster Hostility raise should be an alarm to the defending nation to put the squadrons in the water.

PB notice, 46 hours, could be tested indeed but I still think it is too long. It is 2 days of...inaction. I suggest contested region to be locked out, meaning no teleports available to any of the ports. At least a measure of planning on defense/attack will have to rely totally on OW sailing. ( long live screening frigate captains ! )

NPC lost cannons is a great fix. 

Not sure about the 60 seconds of invisibility. But can work ( kind of )  if no Attack! can be initiated for 120 secs.

 

[Kiithnaras]

14 minutes ago, admin said:

if raising hostility is slow then defenders will not show up NOW. they will come in the morning and grind it down. 

This is very true. We've seen it time and again when people fail to flip a county to PB status - people come along and counter at their convenience, because they know they have at least 20 hours to work it back down - or even use alts to increase it to/past 100% so that it flips to a PB for a time that is functionally impossible for the attackers to attend.

This is why I'm looking forward to the introduction of Raids; I detailed in my suggestion (in sig) to use Raids to contest individual towns in a county (with a cooldown in between raids for towns in the same county). When the majority of the non-capitals in a county are contested, a PB is scheduled for 22-24 (or 46-48) hours after the last town becomes contested. No more of this OW hostility nonsense and grinding NPC fleets. : )

Edit: Huzzah! 100 posts!

Edited May 8, 2017 by Kiithnaras