Patch XX - AI combat and maneuvers, boarding behavior, NPC locations and travel routes and all other NPC feedback issues

[Guest]

Better if we could set there course; choose auto (AI) course option or a compass course option, simple and easy (or even just set a wayward point).

This way we can micro manage fleet ships in every and any situation, like for battle formation, as decoys, escape bearing or otherwise, maybe control there speed as well.  

Edited January 15, 2019 by Guest

[Guest]

20 minutes ago, BuckleUpBones said:

Better if we could set there cause; choose auto (AI) cause option or a compass cause option, simple and easy (or even just set a wayward point).

This way we micro manage fleet ships in every and any situation, like for battle formation, as decoys, escape bearing or otherwise, maybe control there speed as well.  

And have a weather gauge in the map so we can follow the fleet ships pos in relation to the wind.

[Hethwill]

Imagine yourself, standing at the quarterdeck, ordering the signals to the fleet.

Imagine a captain in the fleet ships using a spyglass to see your signal and interpreting them.

I like the idea of having the opportunity to order fleet into a tack or course - simple added options of port/starboard broad/beam/close haul.

[Gregory Rainsborough]

Oh God yes.

[van der Clam]

I'd like us to have fleet captain characters that we train and gain XP per use. We had something like this before, but I think they were our characters?

[Angus MacDuff]

At the very least, we should be able to order them to escape and give them a course.

[angriff]

Having just had a battle when having a fleet I noticed that the Player Fleet AI does not seem to be as smart as AI that you battle on your own.  I know AI is not perfect but they seem to have a knack for killing my rudder or single shooting my sides perfectly.   However when I have a fleet escorting they don't use their skills as well.  Additionally they always seem to try to leave a battle through the enemy position or down wind.  This may not be the best way for them to attack or leave.  Also the follow me is not an inline movement but rather a side or slightly off to the side follow which is not always the best gun angle for defense of the entire fleet.  The last battle I had a light ship and it never put up its jib sails to sail away and sat into the wind as the enemy pounded then boarded it.

I would like a way to plot their course on the battle map much like the protractor on the map.  This would allow me direct the AI to follow inline.  In lieu of this maybe a better inline follow or similar fleet flag signal type of formations.

Edited January 17, 2019 by Chevalier du Ethuville
merged into dev feedback thread about AI/Fleets

[angriff]

The other option would be to set a course and let the AI fleet at least be the lead ship so you could protect the stern with your player ship.

[Hethwill]

Several threads about AI behaviour  /feedback have been merged into here.

It is advisable to keep a unified thread, for easy Developers access, than to create multiple threads everywhere.

Thank you.

[angriff]

On 1/17/2019 at 9:27 AM, Chevalier du Ethuville said:

Several threads about AI behaviour  /feedback have been merged into here.

It is advisable to keep a unified thread, for easy Developers access, than to create multiple threads everywhere.

Thank you.

The problem of this type of consolidation is that the ideas get lost on the mist.  Continuously grouping old idea and comments with new or similar ones actually has been show to reduce the advancement of ideas.  It would be like having to read the entire medical journals for 20 years before you see the advancement.  Players read older ideas the have fresh ones.  I suggest you lose the jealousy of your ideas not being on top by placing a link to the older ideas for reference rather than smother the newer ideas and discussions with very old and outdated ideas. 

[Anistadt]

Well, 5 days into this game and I'm already thinking of moving on.  I spent hours today in the Bahamas and other areas looking for NPCs of my level (6th - 5th rate).  Did not find a single one.  I can't craft because I don't have enough work hours or resources.  I spent hours yesterday doing long boring trade runs so I refuse to do that again for awhile.  What is left to do?

You want feedback?  Fire the person who decided to reduce NPC pops on the PVE server.  That person single handedly sucked the life out of this game.  There ya go.

My review on Steam will reflect my experiences.  

[Hethwill]

@Anistadt what server you play on ? Peace or War ? What nation ? What area you operate from ? What are your REAL expectations when entering the game ?

As a player mainly on the war server...

There's plenty of 6th rates and 7th rates in the Bahamas. Consistently do Hunt and Search&Destroy missions of 12x or more 6th/7th rates.  More often than not have to attack AI against the odds of course, as single NPC warship is rare, they are usually in pairs or bigger squadrons.

5th rates are very common in some areas - for example US coast and south of haiti and windward islands. The amount of NPC is high but they sail their routes in the regions and across multiple regions sometimes, so you have to sail. Developers posted a pic a while ago illustrating all the thousands of NPC that sail the world and is a lot but they also sail a lot.

If you need specific help just ask. Community more than glad to help.

 

 

[Marquis de la Fayette]

On 11/12/2018 at 12:03 PM, admin said:

Captains. 

Please provide feedback on AI, Ai behaviour, NPC travel routes and all other issues related to computer managed ships.

Dear admins,

Some different ideas:
1) lots of AI on the high seas,
2) much more resistant AIs (why not allow a single IA boat repair?)
3) more aggressive AIs, capable of attacking according to the rule of the BR
4) AIs to intercept passenger ships
5) ban on carrying passengers with ranks 7,6 and 5.
6) DELETE the capital zone but ALLOW AI to help with large fleets all players of the same nationality

Regards, La Fayette

[Zlatkowar]

Earlier this week I sailed for a little more than two hours, circling between 3 different nations following trade routes, and I have not found one single target I could take on. I did find a few fleet on the way, like very large ones of 1st - 3rd rates. Solo targets for a solo hunter not so much... Ship ranks variety adds up to the difficulty of finding targets at your level. And I find it unacceptable to spend 2h30 just looking at the screen and hoping to find something on the way. Plain unacceptable.

Not every evening is like that, and sometimes I get lucky and get 2-3 good fights in a row, either solo or with some other players, but sometimes, too often for my taste, this is what happens.

One idea might be to create a regional warzone event around a capital that would last for a week (can be adjusted based on feedback) where there would be more NPCs, potentially hostile ones. From there on you can move on to lots of ideas... For instance if the capital is not one of your nation, you can either choose to side with the defending nation or with the one attacking (can't team against your own nation obviously). This would create so much more fighting opportunities.

Anyway. Something must be done with NPC spawn rate on PvE server.

[LeBoiteux]

3 hours ago, Marquis de la Fayette said:

5) ban on carrying passengers with ranks 7,6 and 5.

Why ?

Didn't you like your RL trip on L'Hermione, @Marquis de la Fayette ? The ship was too small for you ? 🙂

These missions may encourage ppl to sail small ships, that are far too underused up to now, to carry those passengers and letters and also patrol in OW to catch them, making small ships more useful.

The more there will be OW fights between small ships (and diversity in NA), the better.

btw, being forced to use a 4th-Rate or a Sol to carry a passenger inside the Caribbean seems weird.

 

Edited February 1, 2019 by LeBoiteux

[Sir Max Magic]

On 1/23/2019 at 3:02 AM, Anistadt said:

Well, 5 days into this game and I'm already thinking of moving on.  I spent hours today in the Bahamas and other areas looking for NPCs of my level (6th - 5th rate).  Did not find a single one.  I can't craft because I don't have enough work hours or resources.  I spent hours yesterday doing long boring trade runs so I refuse to do that again for awhile.  What is left to do?

You want feedback?  Fire the person who decided to reduce NPC pops on the PVE server.  That person single handedly sucked the life out of this game.  There ya go.

My review on Steam will reflect my experiences.  

Devs should listen CAREFULLY to this Guy !!!

This sort of posts we will see en masse when, hopefully, new players join the game after release...and will vanish in 1 -2 weeks again, if nothing will change to the new players experience...  

 

In British Nations we notice this all the time:

New Players pop up, asking for advices a few days...and get never seen again after a week or so

 

This have to get changed

[Macjimm]

Perhaps the Devs know that there are areas with many NPCs.  It is possible that there are spots concentrated with AI and other places with none, similtaneously.

That's what I see when I sail.I  I've sailed though lots of AI ships, and then out to open water with none.  I've been on the server when players in game chat complained of no ships to sink and at the same time listened on TS3 to players who were fighting as many NPCs as they wanted.  

If there are lots of NPCs now then increasing  their numbers may shift the complaints to: "we have too many NPCs". Personally I like an OW that feels like an age of sail environment.  Not a crowded fighting arena.  Remember, NPCs will be attacking players - with an pending update.

[Salium]

I know the willemstad area is the dutch nations beginners area but i would really like to see some enemy 3rd's and time to time a first rate now its kind of impossible to fight against something bigger than a 5th rate within the dutch nation area's 

 

o7

[admin]

On 1/23/2019 at 4:02 AM, Anistadt said:

 

You want feedback?  Fire the person who decided to reduce NPC pops on the PVE server.  That person single handedly sucked the life out of this game.  There ya go.

 

there were no changes to NPCs, NPC routes and NPC placements whatsoever. Could you please be more specific? Which areas have zero ships?

[admin]

17 minutes ago, admin said:

there were no changes to NPCs, NPC routes and NPC placements whatsoever. Could you please be more specific? Which areas have zero ships?

here are just two quick shots of bot placements for the PVE server right now - lots of npc ship traffic.
You just have to find a hunting spot. 

area 1

 

area 2

[Zlatkowar]

We don't seem to have the same definition of "lots".

"You just have to find a hunting spot" sometimes resumes as : spend 2 hours circling around Jamaica, Haïti and Hispaniola and find zero suitable target. Then move on to another region, which takes hours, for the same result. Don't forget that NPC fleet is our only fighting opportunity on PvE.

[Hethwill]

Maybe Peace server needs a review on the NPC distribution ? Should be helpful albeit they can be squadrons and fleets with a few lone frigates. Think majority requires multiplayer, and are easily done with a friend.

In any case, what does "suitable target" mean ? The very basic PvE suitable target, as i see it, is a Kill Mission of low difficulty - will be a equal rate 1v1.

 

[Sir Texas Sir]

49 minutes ago, Hethwill said:

Maybe Peace server needs a review on the NPC distribution ? Should be helpful albeit they can be squadrons and fleets with a few lone frigates. Think majority requires multiplayer, and are easily done with a friend.

In any case, what does "suitable target" mean ? The very basic PvE suitable target, as i see it, is a Kill Mission of low difficulty - will be a equal rate 1v1.

 

I still think they should be allowed to capture ports from AI to give them something to do.  Just reset the map every 3 months to neutral.  Folks can still trade if port owner allowes like on war.  And with such low pop I think in both servers AI should be increased and decrease as server poop goes up and down.   Now a days it seems like there is way less AI than we had a year or so ago. 

[Slim McSauce]

If PVE server had PB's against AI then it would eventually overtake the exploit grief-fest salt mines that is pvp server. PVP use to be really good when it was balanced and wholefully skill based but since mods books and ship qualities took over, there's very little room for fun. You have to play very strict meta's now to fight the powergame.

Edited February 4, 2019 by Slim McSauce

[admin]

3 minutes ago, Sir Texas Sir said:

 Now a days it seems like there is way less AI than we had a year or so ago. 

There is the same number of NPC ships as it was on release in 2019. The only fix that happened is the following - previously bots were spawning at the same place if attacked (allowing non stop camping of the fleet). Now they spawn in a different place on the same route (but not at the same spot).