Minor outposts set by players in OW map

[Cetric de Cornusiac]

I know this idea is not entirely new. It has been discussed in context with special features for Pirates. But I think it is worthwile bringing back and maybe with some new addition to the concept. Especially now as I see the idea being in cohesion with developers' idea to add new content to the OW sea for less afk sailing. With events on the sea, we can also present events on the shore and on numerous islands. We have so many of them and they deserve a purpose besides being an obstacle to navigate around...

(1) Players can establish small outposts on any landmass they approach by ship, if only they get close enough to the beach to trigger the setting up, using a pointer on the exact position at the beach. It will require an amount of oak, iron and provisions to set up such outpost. AND you have to take some crew off your ship to use them as outpost garrison.

(2) Outpost will become visible to the player who founded it. It functions as a small warehouse with limited space, like 10 slots. It also offers you one dockspace where you can leave a ship. Think of a ship which can be hidden in some adjacent river mouth, behind trees or rock formation.

(3) Outpost will remain as symbol on your map so you can find it again. You cannot teleport to it and it does not have production of any kind except maybe farm (provisions).

(4) Outpost can be detected by any other player if he travels VERY CLOSE to its position. The detection should be done over viewing a thing as small as a tree or rock used in OW and consist of something as unspecular as a barrel or a longboat sitting on the beach, or a small hut barely behind the beach. To make it less easy, place also empty tokens of same looks randomly in OW which change with every maintenance, so searching players don't know from a distance and for as long as possible if it is just OW decoration or really a hidden outpost of some player. You need time to explore the shore for signs of presence of another players minor outpost. Can't be done just by sailing past the coast with full sails.

(5) Outpost, once discovered by other player, can be raided and plundered instantly. For this, attacking player needs to use his ship crew (against garrisoned outpost crew). Both strengths and quality (upgrades of the ship they come from matter) are compared and added by some random factor to determine a winner, with defending player being absent. So raids are only possible if owner is not present at the place. If raider isn't successful, only part of his crew returns from the amphibious attack alive and he has to retreat with reduced ship crew, making him vulnerable for other events at sea. If raider is successful and his men overwhelm the garrison, they take as much as they can from the things outpost player has stored ashore. Attacker can decide to destroy the rest which cannot be loaded onto his ship. If he choses to destroy the outpost, it disappears from the map of the original owner without a trace. Else he just gets a message it has been raided, with undisclosed results. He will have to come there for looking up what's happened.

(6) A ship mooring at the hidden outpost will not be touched by a raid, but disappear as well, when attacker decided to raze the place. Attacker will not get the parked ship, we want to assume it escaped with a few men on board who cut anchors.

(7) Name, clan and nation of the outpost owner will not be disclosed to people discovering or raiding the place. Also owner will not learn who did raid or destroy the place, unless the person told him so (like he knew where to look for the outpost as it was told to him). This makes this mechanism viable for PvE peace server, therefor.

(8) Limit ability for players to set up three to five such hidden private outposts anywhere on the map except very tiny islands without hiding opportunity. Should come with a minimum range around it where no other outpost can get established, to avoid stacking at the same places, and with minimum distance to next port. Think of a DLC which can be sold to playerbase, offering more hidden outposts and two dockyards for ships in each of them.

(9) Imagine a clan version of the hidden outpost, which would be visible to clan members. However, the vulnerability of that place should require to keep the informed circle as small as possible. Make an option in clan management which allows or denies visibility of hidden minor clan outposts to specific members.

(10) There is a random chance the outpost will be destroyed by (NPC) Indians or local militia of an enemy nation owning the hinterland. On continental coasts this risk is 3x higher than on remote islands, where indigene population either does not exist or is too small and weak. A message will be sent to player when this happens. In case of an Indian attack, the ship left at the outpost will not be harmed and await players return. However, for continued operation, this outpost must be rebuilt with fresh material and crew replacement.

(11) Make it possible a hidden outpost can be shared with people on friend list, not connected with clan membership. Risk of abuse apparent, though.

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Idea has following purposes:

- add possible points of interest on land, with a loot promise

- add more dockspace

- establish logistic centers for traders where to exchange and store cargo or ship temporarily

- tactical considerations, about crew being risked or not on land, in regard of following events at sea

Edited September 28, 2019 by Cetric de Cornusiac

[Raekur]

Interesting concept, but the possibility of abuse is massive. With established fixed ports you know where a raider can come from. This idea can also have a massive effect on generating hostility in enemy waters. Invaders could run a few hostility missions and then go to this micro port to make repairs and then repeat the process while non warships keep bringing in repairs and leaving the area. While supply ships can currently be used in this fashion they can not leave or hide while the fleet is executing the hostility mission. Imagine what the effect of this would be if the raids idea is enabled. Raiders hit a port and haul the loot a very short distance to this outpost, transfer the items to a waiting trader that is completely hidden and thus restoring full combat capability to the raiding vessels. Like I said, I find the concept interesting but as many players here have already discovered, if there is a way to use a concept in a manner in which it was never intended, someone will.

And i think if you are going to leave a ship at this kind of outpost, if it is raided the ship should be lost as the majority of the crew would be on land not sitting on the ship. So either the ship is used by the AI to try to defend the port or it is destroyed outright. If you want to keep your ship, sail it to a permanent port instead of leaving it anchored next to a shoreline.

[Cetric de Cornusiac]

Thank you for your input. I did not take into account an use related to hostility missions and port battles.

How's about limiting ship size which could be hidden in a minor outpost to 5th rates for deep water and 7th rates for shallow water areas? I understand those are worthless for the context you were thinking of. Still allows for traders they can park a Gros Ventre or Indiaman and in shallows a Trader Lynx.

[Marquês do Bonfim]

I actually really like this concept. +1

[Macjimm]

Perhaps there could be unmarked resource areas.  

Explore instance: players can explore land, by initiating and entering an instance near a coast. These instances are very dangerous because enemy can spawn in at any time.  There is no timer. Enemies spawn a distance away from the player initiating the instance.

Resource areas: Resources, treasure, rare minerals are located in deposits on land.  Some areas contain low volume common deposits, while others contain very high volume (500,000 tons) of rare valuable stuff.

1) Find: the areas are only discovered by sailing slowly in a explore instance close to a shore.  A resource area appears like the 'X' in a Battle Instances or near a shipwreck.  Clicking "x" will show what resources are available and how far inland the resources are.

2) Fix: once discovered a player can extract the resources, jewels, treasure on a timer.  But extraction is slow.  Rich areas are further from shore and require more time to extract. While extracting a player is vulnerable if an enemy appears within the instance.  It takes time for the crew to retire from extracting and row longboats to the ship(s).  The ship and crew are easy prey until the crew has returned to the ship.  Friendly escorts can provide security and lookouts.

3) Temp outposts require resources and time to build, but they dramatically reduce the time needed for extraction .  Outposts are visible to all players inside an instance, and when the extraction is in progress a smoke column is visible both in the instance and in open world.  The outpost itself is only visible in OW by sailing very close to it.

 

Edited September 28, 2019 by Macjimm