Prizes, crew and the OW

[DickNixon]

So I love taking prizes. I love hunting them, fighting for them, heck, taking another ship makes the game for me.

 

But I'm always at something of a loss once I do so. I realize that boarding is in the process of being patched up, but I have a couple of thoughts on the previous iteration.

 

1. Prize crews: If you capture a ship and send it back to port, should you not 'lose' some of your ship's crew in doing so? Crew could then 'reset' to full compliment upon docking at port. 

 

2. Prizes in the OW. I'm at an utter loss as to how my prizes instantly teleport back to whatever outpost I send them to. Would it be possible to create a system whereby prize ships become NPC bots ... which then sail to the outpost they have been sent to? 

 

I think this could be interesting. It would provide people an opportunity to 'take back' prizes another nation has captured. A captain who has captured a vessel would face the choice of 'convoying' with his prize, or chancing it on the open ocean. 

 

Anyway, a few random thoughts on a Friday afternoon. Maybe this has all been discussed before. If so, I apologize for the post.

 

Cheers,

Nixon

[Crankey]

Totally agree, posted something similar some a while back.  http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/5902-captures-scuttling-and-prize-crew-options/

 

Crew replenish only at port visits. (Aside from a small qty of lightly wounded called back to duty)

 

Prize crews reduce your current crew appropriately

 

Prize crews cost you at least 1 officer, taken from a suitable rank position dependant on the prizes 'Rate'

 

If you take a small enough prize/prizes you may actually be able to set the prize up as a combat viable 'escort' 'tender', your crew as above would fight at reduced compliment until you reach port.

 

Otherwise as you say, you either escort a minimum crewed prize to port yourself or take a chance enemy player or AI won't intercept it on the OW.

 

Decision to sink it instead of prize crew to voyage home etc