Chapter 1 Changes

[comm_ash]

Hey everyone,

 I have been enjoying my time in game, and have primarily been playing the British campaign. I had a few ideas for the first chapter that I think would make the game have more of a power curve:

1. Don't let players have access to any ships or equipment captured in the first mission. We aren't the squadron leader of the engagement, and having access to 2 sloops of war for the first few missions significantly decreased the feeling of building your own fleet, at least for me, as I went into the first few missions with overwhelming superiority.
2. In addition, I think at least the first few missions of the campaign should be just the player on whatever ship they are assigned, as being promoted to squadron leader so quickly seems a bit odd. This will also allow exploration of some 1 on 1 and 1 vs. many engagements that are not really represented in game right now.
3. Finally, the addition of optional missions could be quite interesting, especially in an early phase like this. The player could decide to go on convoy raiding missions to get some prize money, or more dangerous patrol missions in an attempt to gain renown. These missions should be unpredictable, and have risks such as running into stronger vessels than the player could  conceivably defeat.
4. Make ship officer ranks matter - There should almost never be a sub-LT in command of a 6th rate, let alone midshipmen in charge of anything. This can also be a way of limiting fleet size early on, as you will only have as many ships crewed as you have high enough ranked officers.

I think all of these changes could make the power curve of the game feel more natural, and add to the feeling of growth over time. It would also serve to increase the fantasy of being a newly minted captain. What do you guys think?

 

Edited February 13, 2020 by comm_ash

[doublebuck]

The only problem I see with what you want at this point in the game development just concerns me a little due to the huge mistake the DEV made back in the days of UGCW where they made the first battle of the Union and CSA campaigns so hard to get a victory and many failed even on easy difficulty so as long as it was within the 2 two hour window on steam they refunded the game so I assume the DEV lost some good ole bucks. All, I am pointing out is if the DEV creates a game so difficult and only caters to the RTS diehards then we might have a repeat of history if you know what I mean.

[pandakraut]

Making officer ranks have greater restrictions and delaying the capture rewards would be good changes in my opinion, but probably better left to harder difficulty modes or modding.

I would also agree that restricting the player's ability to setup their own ships is not a good idea. While the early battles are not nearly as punishing as the intro battles in UGCW, the restriction is still likely to annoy players.