Forthcoming Seasonal Update Information - NSFW Leopards and NPC Port battles on the Peace Server

[Cetric de Cornusiac]

PvE Peace Server:

For encouraging participation in an internationally organized PB, called to arms by either player as defender or conqueror of a port, let's switch that PB to a sort of 'patrol-zone-like' event where the same rules apply concerning combat medals earned by doing damage to NPC fleet involved.

That spurns volunteers following our call and does not leave to us the task to "pay" them for their engagement, what I think would be expected otherwise.

[CrustyJohnson]

16 hours ago, Jon Snow lets go said:

It was sarcasm.

I get that devs need money to keep working on NA. Paints DLC is the best selling DLC, they could have added an ingame store so they dont have to pay steam 30% and separate the skins. So people can buy single skins for like 5 euro each or a season pass where you unlock a lot of them after certain challenges. It works in other games, why not here? They could also keep adding stuff like sail colors or whatever.

Instead they add more and more P2W DLC ships which breaks the whole economy which is an essential part of the game. And that in a fking 40€ game...

Also they ironically compared it to Apex Legends, a F2P game where there is a massive shitstorm for their prices and availability for free users for their new cosmetics (zero ingame advantage btw).

Sorry friend, I honestly didn't catch the sarcasm haha. Yes I definitely agree. Maybe the success of the paint dlc will show them that this game can be profitable and that cosmetics are what people want. I honestly havent pulled out even in a single one of my dlc ships in the past week because I have easy access to great ships now all over the map. Cosmetics will keep people paying. I would've spent $5 each just for some of the flags (I pretty much bought the flag pack just for the Serapis and "Appeal to Heaven" flags). and I'd definitely pay $5 for a custom "Whistlin' Dixie" bell for my ship to use when I hit "J" or $10 for a pack of sea shantys for my guys to sing while they sail across OW.

[Sir Texas Sir]

On 8/15/2019 at 10:40 AM, Spikes said:

I hope that the NPC port battles will give something back to the players more than just "keeping the port". A gold+silver chest at the least, it's a small bit of compensation for the time spent, especially if the AI will field a full fleet (1 to 1 style like hostility missions?).

It would be nice if Port battles gave out a chest every one instead of just your weekly VM.   That would get more folks to want to fight them for the rewards, even if it's a simple paint chest (for those that don't have paint DLC) or some other reward.

On 8/15/2019 at 1:18 PM, Louis Garneray said:

zerg? WO had at the most 20 active players on a good night. That's no zerg

I do remember it was Russia, GB, Pirates and than Dutch, so we weren't even a zerg as pirates had more than we did at first or close to the same numbers.  They did what they always do in a nation when they get beat, they run to another nation.

[Jean Pual Vilvenue]

I LIKE I LIKE !!!

[Destraex]

I think the largest factions with the most powerful fleets and ships get hit by the AI RAIDS hardest to prevent them taking the whole map. This would provide an incentive for factions not to go too bananas with expanding. Not sure if my interpretation of the mechanic is correct though. I am sure the AI will lay off after a faction has too few ports left.

[Sir Loorkon]

26 minutes ago, Destraex said:

I think the largest factions with the most powerful fleets and ships get hit by the AI RAIDS hardest to prevent them taking the whole map. This would provide an incentive for factions not to go too bananas with expanding. Not sure if my interpretation of the mechanic is correct though. I am sure the AI will lay off after a faction has too few ports left.

That would make sense. In my eyes it would be better to work with an economic penalty (as empires that grow will gain corruption and administration cost) but it would be a start. 

[Destraex]

Just now, Sir Loorkon said:

That would make sense. In my eyes it would be better to work with an economic penalty (as empires that grow will gain corruption and administration cost) but it would be a start. 

I'd probably agree with that. But it is "naval action" rather than "economic action".

[admin]

4 hours ago, Destraex said:

I think the largest factions with the most powerful fleets and ships get hit by the AI RAIDS hardest to prevent them taking the whole map. This would provide an incentive for factions not to go too bananas with expanding. Not sure if my interpretation of the mechanic is correct though. I am sure the AI will lay off after a faction has too few ports left.

Correct.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Destraex said:

I think the largest factions with the most powerful fleets and ships get hit by the AI RAIDS hardest to prevent them taking the whole map. This would provide an incentive for factions not to go too bananas with expanding. Not sure if my interpretation of the mechanic is correct though. I am sure the AI will lay off after a faction has too few ports left.

 

59 minutes ago, admin said:

Correct.

*Laughs in Polish*

[Doug Maoz]

2 hours ago, admin said:

6 hours ago, Destraex said:

I think the largest factions with the most powerful fleets and ships get hit by the AI RAIDS hardest to prevent them taking the whole map. This would provide an incentive for factions not to go too bananas with expanding. Not sure if my interpretation of the mechanic is correct though. I am sure the AI will lay off after a faction has too few ports left.

Correct.

This is an interesting idea. It could also serve to refresh the port map periodically by attacking ports owned by dead clans. If no-one defends, the nation can take it back easily (as long as the AI and reconquering the port doesn't degrade the investments).

[Guest]

AI will attack players and ports...lol...its time to deinstall the game

[Vinnie]

2 hours ago, admin said:

Correct.

This would go a ways towards reducing the main danger to the game - the fact that there is no negative feedback loop on clan size, which can only end up with one clan ruling all (because statistics).  I doubt it is strong enough, AI being what it is.  But it is the very first time I've heard the Devs even recognize that this is a threat to the game.  I'm heartened.

[Karvala]

41 minutes ago, El Patron said:

AI will attack players and ports...lol...its time to deinstall the game

Well you could always play on the "peace" server.  Oh, hang on....🙄

[Sir Texas Sir]

On 8/16/2019 at 6:13 PM, Karvala said:

 

IBLAH BLAH BLAH, SOLO THIS AND SOLO THAT.................

 i'm going to make this very simple for you, "THE GAME WAS NEVER DESIGNED FOR SOLO PLAY."  Yes you can do it and it is harder and takes longer, but it was designed for group play and action.   Just cause that isn't your style of game doesn't mean they have to change things for you, cause it's not your game, it's the Devs game and they are making it the way they want.

If you wish to play solo than some things will be left out of the game for you unless you pay some one else to craft such things for you.  So your not truely being keep from all parts of the game, you just have to go about another means to gather certain things.

[Karvala]

47 minutes ago, Sir Texas Sir said:

 i'm going to make this very simple for you, "THE GAME WAS NEVER DESIGNED FOR SOLO PLAY."  Yes you can do it and it is harder and takes longer, but it was designed for group play and action.   Just cause that isn't your style of game doesn't mean they have to change things for you, cause it's not your game, it's the Devs game and they are making it the way they want.

If you wish to play solo than some things will be left out of the game for you unless you pay some one else to craft such things for you.  So your not truely being keep from all parts of the game, you just have to go about another means to gather certain things.

You still seem to be struggling to understand a few things:-

1.  I'm not asking the devs to change the game to favour solo players.  In fact, I'm not asking them to change it at all.  Quite the contrary, I'm asking NOT to change it.  You're the one who is asking for changes to the detriment of a large group of players.

2. Who the game was initially designed for in 2014 is irrelevant anyway; it is who the players are now, how they play and what the current rules of the game are, which are relevant.

3. To say it's the Dev's game and they can make it however they want is begging the question.  Sure, they can introduce nuclear weapons on ships if they want, and make the top speed of every ship 2 knots.  Just don't expect any players to remain.  We're supposed to be having an intelligent discussion on what the changes should be, not just saying "it's up to the Devs so shut up".

To just dismiss a large group of players because they don't play like you, and claim that the game isn't for them and they should be disregarded when it comes to design decisions, is self-centred and arrogant in the extreme.

Edited August 21, 2019 by Karvala

[Eyesore]

Texas is just trying to justify buying and levelling all his alts ... which he seems to need to be able to play the game, because his clanmates don't do any work and he has to do it all alone. He thinks that everybody should be an idiot and buy alts, like he did, to be able to play 'solo'  😛   Next he will be crying again about how the US is soooo disadvantaged ... too bad they joined servers so i/we have to read is crap in chat again.

[Papillon]

STS definition of group play:

STS main character
STS Alt1
STS Alt2
STS Alt3
STS Alt4
STS Alt5
STS Alt6

Maybe we can play together on Sandboxie. 

BTW, STS you are wrong.  Solo play is very doable.

[LucioMaximo]

@adminIs there a release date for the Leopard DLC? I couldn't find one anywhere

[Sir Texas Sir]

14 hours ago, Eyesore said:

Texas is just trying to justify buying and levelling all his alts ... which he seems to need to be able to play the game, because his clanmates don't do any work and he has to do it all alone. He thinks that everybody should be an idiot and buy alts, like he did, to be able to play 'solo'  😛   Next he will be crying again about how the US is soooo disadvantaged ... too bad they joined servers so i/we have to read is crap in chat again.

Considering I never mention anything about alts so not sure where all this is coming from and also I don't even play in the US as my main (though do have a US char I haven't level up but does stil have active clan mates in caln).   For the most part we been over in Dutch land having a good old time.  Since I been working 60+ hour weeks they been doing most of the work as I'm only a clan member.   Maybe before you talk shit about some one get you facts right.  Also no where did I say you can't play solo.  Just this game wasn't design to play only solo. It's a mulity player game design for mainly group play under clans and RvR.    

10 hours ago, Papillon said:

STS definition of group play:

STS main character
STS Alt1
STS Alt2
STS Alt3
STS Alt4
STS Alt5
STS Alt6

Maybe we can play together on Sandboxie. 

BTW, STS you are wrong.  Solo play is very doable.

Don't even have that many alts and again I never said it wasn't doable, I said the game wasn't design around solo play, it was design around group play.  Hint why we have Clans, RvR and many mechanics that take multi players to do things.  Yes one player can solo and do them as I said above, it just going to take them longer and going to be harder for them to do.

And this is how many MMO's are, you can't go do raids in some games solo so you will never see certain loot unless you buy it off those that do those raids.   Not every game is design for solo play, while some allow it doesn't mean it's designed around it.  Not every one can have a piece of the pie.  I would love more things for the solo player too as it would bring more players to game, but still when your getting ganked 5 vs 1 and you wonder why it's so hard remember, it was never designed for solo play for the most part.

 

[Aegishjalmur]

On 8/14/2019 at 4:15 PM, admin said:

accessible even to those who only have 1.5 hours in the evening

This and paints will probably be up there with the best updates but we shall see once it is actually implemented. Great work so far! Still wish you had charged more for paints and other cosmetics instead of more DLC ships... there are still a lot of ships without bowfigures that you could sell bowfigures for or what about customized crew voices / uniforms? A expansion DLC that allows you to create outposts in europe or even east asia with the ability for more RvR there?

[CaptainSneakyPete]

Are we ever going to see any dutch famous ships??

[toblerone]

On 8/19/2019 at 3:31 PM, Destraex said:

I think the largest factions with the most powerful fleets and ships get hit by the AI RAIDS hardest to prevent them taking the whole map. This would provide an incentive for factions not to go too bananas with expanding. Not sure if my interpretation of the mechanic is correct though. I am sure the AI will lay off after a faction has too few ports left.

Uhm, let's go further then: will NPC raider attack first Vera Cruz or New Orleans?

Edited August 24, 2019 by toblerone

[Karvala]

2 hours ago, toblerone said:

Uhm, let's go further then: will NPC raider attack first Vera Cruz or New Orleans?

At least there are ports worth attacking on PvP.  On PvE there are literally about a dozen moderately active ports (and one really active port) and the others are just window dressing that are never even visited by players.  The AI could capture three hundred ports on PvE and nobody would even notice.

Edited August 24, 2019 by Karvala

[Marquês do Bonfim]

On 8/24/2019 at 6:55 PM, Karvala said:

At least there are ports worth attacking on PvP.  On PvE there are literally about a dozen moderately active ports (and one really active port) and the others are just window dressing that are never even visited by players.  The AI could capture three hundred ports on PvE and nobody would even notice.

A lot of players are actually excited for the new port battles and NPC raids coming to PVE, as I've seen them discussing this in the global and private channels. I think once it comes out for the Peace Server, people will actually pay attention on those matters, and divide focused trading clans into a 50-50 war-trade type of clan, since pretty much all clans are focused on shipbuilding and group fleet hunts. This will make things more interesting in some ways, and yeah, probably there will be players that won't even notice the change, except when they introduce NPC aggression, which will indeed trigger a lot of people.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Portuguese Privateer

[Teutonic]

RvR, in my opinion, needs a change. Again, these are my opinions based on the last month or so of experience (or lack of "any RvR" depending on how you see it)

Or at least a hard look and maybe a hope for change within the next 2 months. What I suggest in a future patch.

1. Port Battle BR limits - either get randomized more, lowered overall, or based on a system of investments (no investments, low BR, more investments increases BR).

2. RvR frontline "needs" to change or be dropped for either

A. Flag system comes back - the cost of the flag would be a Doubloon fee that is half of the BR limit on the port (so a 10k BR port would cost 5,000 Doubloons for a clan/nation to create). Price could be further debated.

B. RvR must attack Regional ports and gain 51% of county control before being able to attack the county capital. 

If any enemy gains control of a port within the county, the county capital owner must evict them before being able to launch attacks to other counties.

Multiple enemies can control regional ports within a county - creating scenarios where multiple nations could be vying for control of a county (and all trying to achieve 51% control). Effectively this can create a "hotzone" for content.

3. Port Timer maintenance costs should be reduced (I'd say must). I don't know why 50k port cost wasn't good enough, in fact in most cases nations were paying more overall for a county than the 250k we have now. The main difference was that the cost was spread more evenly to different clans in the nation.