Hethwill Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Greetings captains, commodores and overall e-admirals. Apparently Game Labs struck the mark with me with two great products. Must say that one of them might be Naval Action of course ( Ultimate General is the other ). Karma has its ways and in the new world of digital order the exchange of "gifts" gives way to spreading word and financial possibility to participate in grand stand and watch good games being developed. So here I am. Financed to a key ( somewhere in time i financed a early access to a game to a buddy so I guess karma has its way! ) after watching, with more or less curiosity this project of yours. I am not, by all extents, a water fan. Lies ! I am not that moved towards the naval aspect of history except for the carrier based naval operations in the Pacific, but only because it involves the air part of it all. So, for me, and having played Wooden Ships & Iron Men pretty extensively in both tabletop and digital forms, Naval Action gives me another subject to research alongside a few hours of game play. So, in two sessions of game play the basics are already learnt and already started manual skipping the rig. Easier said than done of course but I like the learning curve. I would be a liar if I said I am in love with the game. I am not. I am impressed with the combat part. That is enough for now. What I look for more than any other thing is the open world game play, a kind of Frontier: Elite in the age of sail. Trading, piracy, smuggling goods through a blockade and who knows maybe live through the first steamers and exploring the big rivers in Africa and Asia and Americas with a river capable vessel. A yacht can do it up to a certain point. But I digress. After the first sea trials I am pleased with how the game plays. Performance is great and have nothing to point out regarding frames per second related nor any graphical problems. Everything worked out of the box. Not overly impressed mind you but pleased by the age depicted, the setting and the learning curve that might be possible. I have some gripes with the "realism" but overall at this stage a lot of hours of fun can be spent. The game, in its primitive arena form, is a time sinker already. Battle can last well over 45 minutes, being 30 - 45 the norm. So for a couple battles in the evening is perfect but I guess the unemployed and the school/college youngsters will definitely play more time. For me Naval Action, I hope, is not a game based on PvP arenas only, which is a major bonus. Apparently we will be able to sail the world map ??? ; engage in a multitude of activities in a open sandbox ruleset scenario. Trading should be possible. So I guess all the "movie like" pirating, blockade runners, and war admirals will be possible. All depends on what rules and mechanics are coded and to what point liberty of action without restrictions is put into the game, right ? My main questions remain; full multi player as in full population connected to a single game instance ? limited multi player, like in a world zone instanced server setup ? or simply a "matchmaker" instance based multiplayer ? Given the multitude of new techniques to address the open world multiplayer games nowadays this is an important factor of decision. Thank you all and hope to see you at the end of my guns or walking the plank. S! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry d'Esterre Darby Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 From what we understand, there will be two game modes - an instant battle, similar to what we have now, just hop in and play a PvP match, and an Open World, which will handle much more like an MMO with a persistant, player influenced world. Details are still a little sketchy, but take a few minutes to look at new posts by "Admin" and you can rapidly see some of the "how things might work" threads that have been posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hethwill Posted January 26, 2015 Author Share Posted January 26, 2015 Thanks. Will surely spend a few minutes reading things through. Seeing the "up to May 2015" roadmap it seems good enough. At least the possibility to see the limited open world should give a early hint to how things will work out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry d'Esterre Darby Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Bearing in mind that the initial Open World prototype will be, much like Sea Trials, a rudimentary implementation to test travel times, etc. I'm sure the more advanced concepts of ownership of property and such will not be seen until the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aragorn Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 this all very exciting.........Its a great game. I am a big fan of the sail age so seeing a game like this is like a dream come true.....at least for me....currently there's only one other game that rivals this one although it in alpha (i managed to get in!!) and its set in the WW2 era and its just battles..no open world like this game is gonna have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grim DeGrim Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 I have a concern, though Hethwill did address it appropriately, that many of the newer entrants may not appreciate what Alpha means... Or have a logically sense of how long it might be prior to release with full content (eg, 1.5-2 years, conservatively). Development work is slow stuff I point it out so that folks can keep this at the forefront when playing or considering the purchase. Signed, Guy who has only had the game 1 month Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Ruffin Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 First post here - so hello everyone! I'm a bit shamed-faced here as I saw this game some months back on Steam in the Kickstarter section, and was very put off by the multiplayer aspect. Being of a "certain age" and having been trounced just too many times by probably very young players other on-line games I was very disappointed that multiplay was the only option. I even said so in the Steam thread. It was by accident I saw some of the fantastic vids on Youtube a few days ago, and I also saw how wrong I was about attitudes of online players. Of course I was instantly in awe of the graphics, as early as they are, and seeing what the devs are hoping for I decided to jump in. My first attempt ended in the server going down - having first been peppered a few times whilst I'm tripping over bowlines and trying to find the speaking trumpet. What I have seen so far has really got me fired up, although I wish there was a quiet backwater I could practice sailing before I even attempt anything fancy! If anyone does see me (Billy Ruffin) please ignore me for a bit - although I guess that's like waving a red rag! Just looking forward to watching a game develop that looks like it's going to be something I've always wanted on the PC 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry d'Esterre Darby Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Good afternoon Mr. Ruffin. While no game is immune from "those" kinds of players online, we do try to keep a fairly mature and friendly community feel. Please, both here and at the helm, ask questions and if you're confused, sing out! We'll be happy to help you learn the ropes. Welcome! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UltraVires Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 Welcome Billy and Hethwill! I'd be happy to give you some helpful hints Billy. If you see me in the Lobby, feel free to ask for help. You can probably ask most people for a "learning Duel" so you can go one on one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hethwill Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Cheers Ruffin and Vires. After 3 evening sessions, roughly 9 hours (?) I got my Brig. It is a dramatic change. While it is very streamlined and handles good down wind it presents itself with a new challenge. Managing the rig while up wind. The gun layout is pleasing. Given a lot of historical chronicles the Brig model was a highly regarded choice for many privateers, smugglers and the like. Would like the option to mount 2 more guns on either side on the castle deck. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry d'Esterre Darby Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 There is a more heavily armed brig in the works I believe. The particular brig modeled has the guns that it has. The "option" to add more guns will come with a different, more military brig model at a later date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hethwill Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Damn ! Will have nightmares with that meme now... Have to keep the terminology sticker on my screen Yes I am eager to check the similar classes to the Brig. It looks like a jack of all trades. Capable of going to shallow waters, packs a good amount of firepower, at least enough to defend itself enough to manage to use its speed to run away. Guess I am already thinking like a smuggler even before the open world game is here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry d'Esterre Darby Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Brigs were a very widespread hull type at the time. As you posted, with minor modifications to the design based on their expected role, they were very useful in a huge array of different tasks. I'm sure in the future you'll see a ton of different brig variants in various roles in the game. I was being facetious with "castle deck", I believe you mean forecastle (pronounced folk-sull) if you're speaking of the raised part at the bow, or the quarter deck or poop (depending on the particular ship) at the stern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SYN_Bloody-Bandy Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 First post here - so hello everyone! ... What I have seen so far has really got me fired up, although I wish there was a quiet backwater I could practice sailing before I even attempt anything fancy! I've only had NA for a weekend, but found the PvE (player vs. environment, or fighting the AI bots) to be the perfect place to challenge yourself in the light ships and learn the ropes. Just make sure somebody doesn't jump into your PvE session with a big ship, because the AI will match ships... Wasn't long before I was forraying into the PvP (player vs. player) light ships battles, and was surprised I was doing OK there as well. Love the stormy battle map! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hethwill Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 I was being facetious with "castle deck", I believe you mean forecastle (pronounced folk-sull) if you're speaking of the raised part at the bow, or the quarter deck or poop (depending on the particular ship) at the stern. Ah thanks. Mounting some swivel guns on the bow and stern top decks would be a nice addition to my OW idea of a privateer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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