[suggestion] Not So Empty Bottles change

[Hethwill]

Present rulebook states, in relation to Empty Bottles:

- to find Empty Bottles, captain must enable Fishing, by use of the Fish button

- Use of a Empty Bottle will reveal the exact location of a ship wreck

- only one Empty Bottle Wreck can be active at any given time per player

- wreck contains a unknown weight in cargo, to be retrieved of: gold coins, materials for refits, a book/refit, resource/trade good

- retrieving the wreck cargo requires the entire weight to be transported - all or nothing gameplay

- only that player sees the wreck, no one else

----

My suggestions to change Empty Bottle Wrecks mechanic:

- as soon as Empty Bottle is used the~wreck spawns -  player-user knows the exact location of the wreck - marker in his own map

- Wreck model ( not location ) is visible and accessible by anyone in the OW - the same way as the Treasure Fleet wrecks - if they happen to pass by in the area. 

- any player can Explore the wreck and take just part of items or all items, at player discretion

- empty wrecks ( all the cargo taken ) disappear from the world immediately

- Mark disappears from map if it gets emptied

- wrecks with some items left stay on the world until the next maintenance. they are de-spawn on maintenance.

 

Pros:

- chance encounter with shipwrecks

Keeping eyes open during a sail can get rewarded.

Discourage AFK sailing

- urgency of retrieval of the (unknown) goods - bottle user knows location, but others may pass by it if player waits too long...

Cons:

- it is no longer a individual player mechanic

- might provide more reasons for players to quit

- any type of ship can access

- no more "All or nothing"

[Captiva]

6 minutes ago, Hethwill said:

any player can Explore the wreck and take just part of items or all items, at player discretion

I like your idea, Hethwill. I have always advocated for the player to be able to take part or all loot items from the hold of a wrecked ship. It should be the players prerogative, not the games.

[Cetric de Cornusiac]

Don't like the visibility to everyone. Right now sealed bottles are a good way not-so-veteran players get something of value or even opens up an upgrade for them they otherwise could not achieve. You know who will retrieve most wrecks once they are plainly open visible - the veterans again. Because they are patrolling areas anyway in search of victims.

[Guest]

I dont like that idea at all. There are better ways to generate PVP, player OW traffic than adding this mechanic. It serves no purpose that I can see, except providing more reasons for players to quit. Sealed bottles lose their appeal once youve had the (atm) rare rare sealed bottle opened and then stolen before you have a chance to sail to it. You have lots of good ideas Hethwill, but I dont like this one. Some of my best memories of starting this game were the sunset, night fighting and the first time i sailed to a wreck. Dont make that just another hard part of the game. There are enough.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Guest

[Hethwill]

Yes. I understand the conflict between "I know the exact location" vs "someone might chance upon it" dilemma. That's what I like. More choices. Less rails.

~S~

[Captiva]

Yes, please keep in mind that with this proposal the only player who knows the exact location of the shipwreck on the map, is the player who opens the bottle. The only way for anyone else to find it is by sheer luck. Seems fair and logical to me.

I'm for anything that removes ( if it's removal is not overly harmful to gameplay )  the 'magical aspects' of Naval Action e.g. Partially submerged shipwreck on the open sea is visible to only one player on the open sea.

Edited May 18, 2018 by Captiva

[Angus MacDuff]

I'm on the fence with everyone being able to see it.  I agree completely that you should be able to take part, not all of the booty.  How about after the originator loots the wreck, it is visible to all until it is empty.

[Hethwill]

All fair, in your opinion, and I respect that. I understand that the urge of "it's mine!" is strong to let go.

[Fletch]

OK I so reading it carefully, we mean the wreck is only visible on the map to the owner of the bottle, but the wreck is visible and can be looted  by anyone in the open world if they come across it by chance?

If that's the case it sounds good. It might encourage exploration something really lacking in this game at the moment. 

[Wind]

Expectation^

Reality\/

Sails half the world to realize wreck was just looted. Smashes that $200 Razor keyboard and mouse and uninstalls the game. Goes on Forums to rage and gets banned, writes sh*ty review and buys a year subscription to World of Warcraft. 

Edited May 18, 2018 by Wind

[Angus MacDuff]

8 minutes ago, Wind said:

What really happens

Sails half the world to realize wreck was just looted. Smashes that $200 Razor keyboard and mouse and uninstalls the game. Goes on Forums to rage and gets banned, writes sh*ty review and buy year subscription to World of Warcraft. 

But wouldn't it be fun to catch somebody looting your wreck?  Loot and PVP marks!

 

[Wind]

4 minutes ago, Oberon74 said:

But wouldn't it be fun to catch somebody looting your wreck?  Loot and PVP marks!

 

Chance to meet someone looting your wreck is less than .0001%, world is too big, not enough players, time to sail from point a to b takes time etc.. That chance would grow to 1% with 2000 active players. 

I do not object it, it will make no difference at all. 

Edited May 18, 2018 by Wind

[Niagara]

Interesting proposal. Just one small objection typ. What if a wreck spawns in a area like just outside a enemy Capital or port?. 

Even if I sail there at once chances are high that it has been looted.

What if you open a bottle and dont have time right then?

[Wind]

3 minutes ago, Niagara said:

Interesting proposal. Just one small objection typ. What if a wreck spawns in a area like just outside a enemy Capital or port?. 

Even if I sail there at once chances are high that it has been looted.

What if you open a bottle and dont have time right then?

Then there is no point to even try to sail half the world, it will get stolen 100%, dumping spawn in the middle of NPC shipping lines is the way to go. Someone who is tracking them (me) will stumble upon the wreck. 

 

Edited May 18, 2018 by Wind

[Angus MacDuff]

My SOP is to take my bottle someplace remote and open it.  Then go straight there.  I learned very quickly to stay away from enemy ports.  And sometimes bad shit happens to nice people.  Git fishin again!

[Wind]

I personally think we need more floating items. Rare items can hold pieces that only can be caught in dangerous zones and quick (not visible to others of course). If item forces you to sail inside enemy zone, then this item works. At this point we do not need others to see the mission , just you. 

Edited May 18, 2018 by Wind

[Archaos]

1 hour ago, Hethwill said:

any player can Explore the wreck and take just part of items or all items, at player discretion

Do not like this at all, because some of the best items in the wreck are light items and it is only the heavier item that makes you take a bigger ship. With the ability to take part cargo people would only hunt wrecks in very fast trader lynxes.

[Angus MacDuff]

Just now, Archaos said:

Do not like this at all, because some of the best items in the wreck are light items and it is only the heavier item that makes you take a bigger ship. With the ability to take part cargo people would only hunt wrecks in very fast trader lynxes.

I'd probably take a Prince.

[Hethwill]

Attack everything you see. They took your wreck.

[z4ys]

I like it. Never understood why only I can see the wreck.

Pro:

Keeping eyes open during a sail can get rewarded.

Discourage AFK sailing

Edited May 18, 2018 by z4ys

[Wind]

30 minutes ago, Hethwill said:

Attack everything you see. They took your wreck.

And get ganked trying to recover it lol

[z4ys]

2 minutes ago, Wind said:

And get ganked trying to recover it lol

Why? Only the person who opened the bottle sees the location on the map. Everyone else just sees the wreck in the water chances are low that someone finds the wreck first and assembles a gank squad that has to wait till someone might come to pick up the wreck.

Edited May 18, 2018 by z4ys

[Hethwill]

4 minutes ago, Wind said:

And get ganked trying to recover it lol

Only the person that opens the bottle has the mark in the map.

No one else.

[PG Monkey]

A great idea I need all the help I can get finding my wrecks

[John Jacob Astor]

2 hours ago, Hethwill said:

Pros:

- chance encounter with shipwrecks

Keeping eyes open during a sail can get rewarded.

Discourage AFK sailing

- urgency of retrieval of the (unknown) goods - bottle user knows location, but others may pass by it if player waits too long...

Cons:

- it is no longer a individual player mechanic - no guarantee

 

Virtually all the bottles I've opened have yielded ship positions well offshore.  Odds of accidental discovery are relatively low, provided the wreck is not allowed to sit.  So don't open the bottle until you are ready to go to the wreck.  Not complicated.

And as for being tracked?  Why on earth would anybody come to a full stop in the the middle of the ocean without first dropping to half-sail half-way there to do a heat check?  That can already happen.  If I am being followed and the bogie sees me stop, they already have a pretty good idea I might suddenly have goodies on board.  Bonus round for what they originally intended as PvP.  No need to see the the currently invisible wreck.

Got an Indiaman-sized haul once.  As I am in and out of shallow-water ports that is the only time I've ever had a use for one.  Would have been nice to have been able take part of the load.  Or sell the position.

 

 

Edited May 18, 2018 by Marcus Corvus