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@adminSimple sound signals is all we need. Realistic way to notify Captains of their surroundings. 

New Day - 2 Bell rings

Enemy player is attacking - Drums (Call to Arms)

You are attacking - Men shouting and whistling, drums and swords clanking. 

Port Spotted - Long bosun's whistle 

Land Spotted - Land Ho! with a bosun's whistle sound. (Disabled at night)

Enemy Player Spotted - Sail Ho! with a bosun's whistle sound. (Disabled at Night)

Leaving Safe Zone - Trumpet sound + Arms clanking and stomping sound. 

Entering Safe Zone - Harp instrument sound. 

Storm - 3 bell rings + 3 bell rings, repeated one more time after 1 minute (3+3+3) if you are entering the storm.

*'Enemy spotted' does not indicate where the player is. All it does is just triggers spotting radius for the sound. Player then must be on alert and search for that player. One sound for multiple targets.

*'Land Ho!' - charged only when there is no land in sight for over 1 minute in 360 radius. Once land is visible on the horizon it will get triggered. 

*'Port spotted' sound - only triggered when port name appears. 

A large invisible circle reaching out to the end of view distance on the horizon is a main sound trigger, but during storms such circle must be smaller. All spotting sounds are disabled during the night. 

Edited by Wind
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I have suggested most of these a few times in the past. Don't know if it's possible to add or impossible to add; I've never heard a response either way from the game developers.

"4 bells, eight bells" etc. and "drum beat to quarters" when you press 'Attack'  or have been attacked,  have been my higher priority wishes. "Land Ho!" would be nice to hear if, for instance, you haven't been within sight of land for a given amount of time (to avoid hearing it constantly). 

All of these ship and crew sounds should probably have the option of being turned off in the sound options menu.

Edited by Captiva
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On 5/30/2018 at 11:13 AM, Captiva said:

I have suggested most of these a few times in the past. Don't know if it's possible to add or impossible to add; I've never heard a response either way from the game developers.

"4 bells, eight bells" etc. and "drum beat to quarters" when you press 'Attack'  or have been attacked,  have been my higher priority wishes. "Land Ho!" would be nice to hear if, for instance, you haven't been within sight of land for a given amount of time (to avoid hearing it constantly). 

All of these ship and crew sounds should probably have the option of being turned off in the sound options menu.

It must be as simple as possible, too many bells would be annoying. Variety of sounds is a must. 

Edited by Wind
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3 hours ago, Wind said:

It must be as simple as possible, too many bells would be annoying. 

Agreed. One full day in Naval Action is, I believe, 20 minutes. Hearing 'clang-clang, clang-clang' every 12 hours (10 minutes game time) would probably be a good compromise, although I could live with once every 24 hours as well. Something is better than nothing.

Edited by Captiva
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5 hours ago, Wind said:

Enemy Player Spotted - Sail Ho! with a bosun's whistle sound.

 

5 hours ago, Wind said:

*'Enemy spotted' does not indicate where the player is. All it does is just triggers spotting radius for the sound. Player then must be on alert and search for that player. One sound for multiple targets.

 That's the wet dream of AFK players, if you are watching a movie while sailing you must accept the risks. I don't agree with this suggestion, the others are ok, but this one brings too many questions.

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6 hours ago, Wind said:

'Enemy spotted' does not indicate where the player is. All it does is just triggers spotting radius for the sound. Player then must be on alert and search for that player. One sound for multiple targets.

This would hurt hunters. If a trader trades AFK, it should be his risk. I say this as someone who always trades AFK and rarely hunts traders. 

Is similar with surprise attacks on an unaware enemy. 

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@Wind very great idea. Please tag your post,  admin wants that way

40 minutes ago, vazco said:

This would hurt hunters. If a trader trades AFK, it should be his risk. I say this as someone who always trades AFK and rarely hunts traders. 

Is similar with surprise attacks on an unaware enemy. 

But come on, captain is sleeping, not all the two hundred crew. So they should shout and wake up the captain, historical correctness :)

Edited by AeRoTR
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34 minutes ago, AeRoTR said:

@Wind very great idea. Please tag your post,  admin wants that way

But come on, captain is sleeping, not all the two hundred crew. So they should shout and wake up the captain, historical correctness :)

Historical correctness is useless if it ruins the gameplay. Even in case of historical correctness, though, you would often not see pirates coming until they're close enough you see people on board clearly. You would also have a single guy on a top mast spotting, people on board would be the last to spot an incoming ship.

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Great idea.  The sounds would have to be on a toggle so they could be turned off.

I disagree it would be unfair to hunters.  I dont sail afk but like to busy myself with navigating and writing in a ship's log in the OW.  I imagine that i am on board but hunkered over the books and charts.  It  would be fabulous if one of my crew would shout out, or sound off, when something important is sighted.  It's disappointing that I'm am required to maintain a constant 360 degree vigilance and can never take my eyes  off of the horizon for the sole reason of giving a hunter a greater chance of catching me unaware as he rockets towards me in a speedboat.    I would enjoy sailing much more if I were able to occupy myself with more interesting tasks rather than always scanning from high on the mast.

If sailing was more interesting I would do it more often and provide more opportunities to hunters.  Sailing more increases the chances I will be attacked.

Edited by Macjimm
missing word for clarity
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12 hours ago, vazco said:

Historical correctness is useless if it ruins the gameplay. Even in case of historical correctness, though, you would often not see pirates coming until they're close enough you see people on board clearly. You would also have a single guy on a top mast spotting, people on board would be the last to spot an incoming ship.

Nonsense.  Have you ever been at sea?  There is nothing around you until a dot appears on the horizon.  Ships of the day ALWAYS had a lookout in the cross trees during wartime.  Even today, warships have lookouts cause radar might not pick up wood or fibreglass.  The only gameplay that would be ruined is jumping some poor sod who is afk.  A loud "SAIL HO!" would be perfect immersion.

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14 hours ago, vazco said:

This would hurt hunters. If a trader trades AFK, it should be his risk. I say this as someone who always trades AFK and rarely hunts traders. 

Is similar with surprise attacks on an unaware enemy. 

That is reality, there was always a spotter up in the masts. 24/7. NA is realistic, so. 

Edited by Wind
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49 minutes ago, Oberon74 said:

Nonsense.  Have you ever been at sea?  There is nothing around you until a dot appears on the horizon.  Ships of the day ALWAYS had a lookout in the cross trees during wartime.  Even today, warships have lookouts cause radar might not pick up wood or fibreglass.  The only gameplay that would be ruined is jumping some poor sod who is afk.  A loud "SAIL HO!" would be perfect immersion.

I've been at sea many times, including a replica of a ship from NA period :) Even if you have a spotter, you often don't see an incoming vessel until its really close. People make mistakes. A war frigate might have a better chance of spotting an enemy, a trader vessel would probably have issues with this.

When you spot, you can do this really efficiently for a short time, after that your sight worsens and you get bored. Boredom I think is an even more significant factor. That's why eg. at low visibility when you sail eg. around Antarctic spotting ice, spotter is changed every 20-30 minutes. It wasn't done 250 years ago. 

 

Anyway, this discussion is pointless, NA is not about reality, but gameplay. Having a spotter in my opinion would limit an amount of fights and eliminate an element of surprise, removing depth from the game. 

All other sounds are a good suggestion. 

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58 minutes ago, vazco said:

I've been at sea many times, including a replica of a ship from NA period :) Even if you have a spotter, you often don't see an incoming vessel until its really close.

That is what spotting circle for. Preset distance that triggers this or that sound. Make it smaller to see clearer. No rocket science. 

P.S. read O'brian books and see how efficient spotters were. 

Edited by Wind
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17 minutes ago, Wind said:

That is what spotting circle for. Preset distance that triggers this or that sound. Make it smaller to see clearer. No rocket science. 

P.S. read O'brian books and see how efficient spotters were. 

I've spent my entire adult life at sea and started out standing look out watches in the beginning (until I got enough rank to avoid it).  I can assure you that all contacts are spotted at the limits of visibility (over the horizon on a clear day).  Warships are professional and would have good look outs.  Merchant vessels might vary but in wartime (as we all are) they would still be pretty good.

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Among the most important member's of any ships company are the lookouts, it is they who hold the safety of ships and crews in their hands during the 2 hours or so the they stand watch, whether it be shallows, reefs, land, squalls, sails they are the early warning system aboard all ships. Even today radar and sonar are not infallible.

It has ever been that at sea warships go to action stations at dawn, they remained so until the horizon has been swept and proven clear of sails.

Time was measured by the ships bell, which in game is impracticable, unless one really wanted to simulate it in real time for atmosphere, and then it should be on a toggle, not everyone would enjoy a bell ringing on the half hour all day!

Orders were routinely passed by bosun's call, drums and later a bugle as were mealtimes, stand easy, make and mend or up spirits (easily the sailor's best part of the day as that was when grog was issued).

Aboard every ship there would be someone who could play a fiddle, or fife who would play shanties or other songs of the day for entertainment or ease the pains of the backbreaking job of weighing anchor.

These sounds and so much more were part of the sea going experience aboard ships,  not all of them would be suitable in game, some would provide ambience, some are even essential to the experience of life and warfare at sea in the 18th,19th centuries that the Devs have said they want to provide.

Of course such ambience has limits, somethings at sea were distasteful, it was after all a brutal life too, Ships discipline was harsh, Whaling and slavery were among the big businesses of the day,  and today are sensitive issues, hence no whales or whaling ships, perhaps sharks and dolphins could be placed, both are common sights in the region.

 

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Last night I tagged a guy.  He was probably AFK sailing as he never altered from me sighting him till the tag.  He should have gotten some warning from his look out!  Sure, I may have caught him anyway, but there would have been more content for us both had he been able to evade.

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1 hour ago, Oberon74 said:

Last night I tagged a guy.  He was probably AFK sailing as he never altered from me sighting him till the tag.  He should have gotten some warning from his look out!  Sure, I may have caught him anyway, but there would have been more content for us both had he been able to evade.

Explain it to Devs and other realists. 

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