Game style

[Onewayz]

I was rather surprised there was going to be a new ''naval'' game when i first got to know about this project,

mostly cause ive spent quite some time playing potbs, and really liked it.

 

 

Now, when i see some videos, its nothing like i imagined, its, well, way to advanced..

 

So, is this game going to be anything like potbs or strictly ''historically correct'' aka boring (altought one can argue its awesome..)

Or is there at least going to be a potbs* game mode?

 

Im sorry, but i just dont see why any teenager would like to play a game where you spend most of your time sailing..

 

 

 

[maturin]

Teenagers are no longer a particularly vital demographic for games that aren't CoD and Madden. In totality, anyways. The teenager I was not long ago would buy this game.

[Killick]

To be honest I would argue the opposite. From what I have seen there will be quite a few concessions away from realism and in favor of multiplayer combat playability (i.e. POTBS-like). At least to my taste, that is. I suppose the truth will be somewhere in the middle so we can both be happy.

 

But in general I do think this game will be a lot more historically correct than POTBS. Why would you not like that as a teenager? I would have loved this at that age. Maybe this is a good time for you to accept that not all sailors had wooden legs, eye patches and/or parrots, and give your naval enthusiasm a more mature interpretation. Give it a try, I'm sure you'll like it eventually.

[Ryan21]

Hey Onewayz

Go out and sail on a real tallship, there are lots available for sail training.  Trust me, when you come back you will understand why we all want this type of game.  If you want, let me know your area or even country and I'll let you know where the closest one is.  Go have a real adventure!

 

"I'm sorry, but i just don't see why any teenager would like to play a game where you spend most of your time sailing.."

 

Hmm lets see, because on sailing ships the only propulsion was the sails?  Maybe?  Like I said, go have a real adventure, sailing is amazing, and fun, and backbreaking, and extremely rewarding.  I'm not talking about a 20 ft modern sloop, I'm talking about square riggers.

 

Trust me, Naval action is already 100 times more realistic than POTBS.

[maturin]

And nevermind realistic: it's just better and more fun. This game is evolving towards a tactile, sensory experience, with gameplay based on real skills and choices, not abstractions. It's the first game of recent years (besides POTBS) where the ships look good enough to avoid embarrassment. (Forget Total War, their models don't pass the sniff test.)

 

It's a really weird genre for games: Imagine if WWII enthusiasts and history/gear buffs numbered in the thousands instead of millions. Medal of Honor would probably be full of helicopters and battleaxe-wielding Nazis then. With age of sail game, most of the customer base is essentially looking at spaceships from another planet, for all they know. But this devs team has the vision to make it work.

[Johny Reb]

I think the important perspective to have is that its not trying to be Potbs. Its not necessarily better or worse than Potbs. Its different. And in my opinion its better in many ways then Potbs. Particularly the sailing mechanics. If you watch the videos you will see that it is a little slower than potbs which may bother some people but there is more to do in NA. Its a trade off. If they sped up the ships like in Potbs then the other parts of the game would suffer. More skill will required in NA but group fights look like there is less coodination due to the lack of the magical skills. It definitely is more immersive.

 

When you play another game you like for so long and another one comes along, it is only natural to compare and contrast with a bias toward the first. Be patient for it to be released and try it out when it is. You may be surprised.

[Barberouge]

What you saw in videos rather show some gameplay elements and some ship visuals than a finalized gameplay. It is actually more simple than PotBS' currently, and there isn't so much more sailing. Also don't forget that a game feels slower when looking at a video than when playing.

[Johny Reb]

What you saw in videos rather show some gameplay elements and some ship visuals than a finalized gameplay. It is actually more simple than PotBS' currently, and there isn't so much more sailing. Also don't forget that a game feels slower when looking at a video than when playing.

Yes, thanks for this Barberouge. I reread my post and realized I needed to say exactly this.  Its simpler than Potbs in the videos because only certain things are being tested in them. There is more to be added I believe.

[Barberouge]

Well that's just another aspect which may create the feeling described in the OP. Also most of the videos show 1st rates in small groups, which isn't the most common setup with those ships. I can understand that a PotBS player judges the gameplay as boring, but the devs already stated that they want the final gameplay to be dynamic, even if more realistic.

[Onewayz]

Alright, well, im sorry then.. maybe there is a big intrest for this kind of game..

Also, I live in sweden and have been on the gothenburg, althought not sailed it (lol?)

I've also been to portsmouth but that doesnt really matter..

 

Maybe i'll think its awesome when i get to test it

[admin]

Thank you everyone for this important topic

 

 

the game wont be like Potbs

But.. as i remember our clan crafters spent A LOT of time sailing - hauling oak from spanish main to Mathew town.

 

Naval Action gameplay is not final and will be tuned.

Some features from real life wont make it into a game or will be tuned for gameplay purposes.

Gameplay is a priority. That is why in our messaging we never say it is a simulation (it is a very very strong obligation that we cannot guarantee to keep) - it is a realistic age of sail combat game - but still a game.

We will try to bring as much realism as possible to keep it interesting, deep and engaging. 

[Onewayz]

But.. as i remember our clan crafters spent A LOT of time sailing - hauling oak from spanish main to Mathew town.

Well, theres a big diffrence between spending a lot of time ''active'' in a battle just sailing and afk hauling.. or am i missing something?

I have a hard time believing that people actually hauled goods all around the map not being afk (unless they were going thru zones..)

Which they most likeley were in this case, but my point stands..

 

I really dont think people want to spend a lot of time sailing.

 

What was the worst part about pbs except avcom, numbers and people kiting?

[Johny Reb]

Well, theres a big diffrence between spending a lot of time ''active'' in a battle just sailing and afk hauling.. or am i missing something?

I have a hard time believing that people actually hauled goods all around the map not being afk (unless they were going thru zones..)

Which they most likeley were in this case, but my point stands..

 

I really dont think people want to spend a lot of time sailing.

 

What was the worst part about pbs except avcom, numbers and people kiting?

The only problem I ever saw in a PB that really bothered me was griefing. It was one thing to grief to protect and make the other team work for it but it was another thing to attack a port and show up with 3 fast ships and just grief the PB when you have no chance of winning. Kiting is a legitimate tactic so I don't mind that.

 

Sailing long distances may not be fun but it is necessary in an MMO game. Think about games like WoW. You really don't want to take the time to run from one end of the zone to the other but you had to do it often enough. The time it takes to get somewhere is as much a part of the game and sense of accomplishment as is the end event itself.  And still, we are taking 30 minutes for a haul that would take 2 weeks in real time.

 

An age of sail game is about sailing. What would you take away from the game if you actually removed sailing? If time can always be compressed to get to your destination in seconds or minutes than you might as well make it a single player game where the action is always at set points along a route. Compress time till you get to that point. Return time to normal and have your fight. But in a dynamic MMO world its not practical IMO. It would remove the risk of being on the open sea, and it wold have tons of unintended consequences.

[BungeeLemming]

potbs most problem was the devs.

pre 2.11 (or was it 2.10? dont know. bevore revamping the whole game) was the most fun sailing out into pvp. we had everything from linefights to brawl situations. Our group were "professional" linefighters and still we were beaten by many groups. (DSL I am)

The game was nearly balanced. Some tweaks on classes and skills and it would have been epic.

But then loldevs made things bad.

I am no longer playing active because of the 'simplyfied'/ strange  pvp system we have now. And because most of the pvp community left.

 

 

Therefore I am looking forward to NavalAction as a game.

The few groupfights I had were great despite the fact its an alpha version. I enjoyed them. And the chat afterwards on how to improve the gameplay. Thats what I like to see from a community. (its what held me in potbs since 2009!) 

Big shoutout there!

 

Ship customization will come for sure. How far thing go..? we will see. We now have carronades vs long guns.

I aim my featback towards a game that allows everyone to play his style of gameplay. are you the brawler or the uber-linefighter?

Thats up to you. But be aware! You should not be able to have the auto-win strategy unless you have a very uber-like group wich trained a lot together.

You see a lot from the videos wich are put up on youtube.

The idea behind the game is fantastic! Its a nice mixture between game and realism. And it will evolve!

 

After the evolution on the damage model this game will kick ass! The ideas are awesome and sound so promising!