Pirate Mechanics Vote

[KrakkenSmacken]

 

 

As for those who say we have advantages ... name one real advantage, not differences but advantages that actually benefit the pirates. as for me I would like to see those differences eliminated if for no other reason than to stop all the whining.

 

 

 

There is a small one, the population funnel that is the current "turn pirate" mechanic.

 

Players turn pirate and keep things in Free Ports, so it's both easier to logistically turn to pirate than to delete and swap to another nation. It is also the natural consequence of a Green on Green mistake.

 

But that's pretty small. 

[Vernon Merrill]

I always stop reading when someone states that someone else "just doesn't get it".... May he "gets it" and just doesn't agree with you? Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, you're conclusions might be incorrect?

[Prater]

I don't think it is pretty small when you have large amounts of players continually turning pirate. Pirate is nearly the #1 population center and it is primarily because of that.

#2 pirate vs pirate. Only the defender can have reinforcements and only ever can one pirate attack another pirate. Being a pirate isn't dangerous. The Colalition hunts down pirates who attack other pirates, to the point that if you attack another pirate and it is reported, you will eventually be revenge killed and have your name on a list.

Let's say 2 pirates are trying to escape from the enemy. All they have to do to get away is attack each other at max range. No matter what the enemy does, they can never catch a pair of pirates unless they let them or don't know about this. This isn't a minor advantage.

Pirate damage farming has been removed. I know people continue to bring it up, but it has been closed.

Bottom line.

If pirates want to be a nation, take part in port conquest, and craft 1st rates, then they need to be treated like every other nation exactly and be set up the same. You either want to be a nation or you do not. If you are a nation and not treated like the other nations, this topic will never go away.

#1This means no turning pirate. To become pirate you have to delete your character and remake as pirate.

#2 same mechanics as nationals for attacking, defending and joining battles.

In effect, the exact same as a nation. Either pirates have special mechanics with balanced advantages and disadvantages, or none at all.

As for attacking friendlies, whether pirate or national, I think we need to do what every other game does, namely:

When you attack another player, you don't change nation. Instead you get put into an outlaw group, in which everyone on the server is free to kill you for like 24 hours, no matter who they are. Same nation, different nation, national or pirate, doesn't matter who the attacker or defender is. The attacker is always free to have battles initiated against them for 24 hours. Once inside a battle though, people have to follow the green vs green rules. So if an outlaw joins your battle on your side, you can't kill them. But afterwards you can attack them on the open sea if you can catch them. The outlaw can still only enter their nation's ports. They are still part of the nation. Oh, and have their own nation's AI hunt them down, no matter the BR difference.

[KrakkenSmacken]

#1This means no turning pirate. To become pirate you have to delete your character and remake as pirate.

#2 same mechanics as nationals for attacking, defending and joining battles.

In effect, the exact same as a nation. Either pirates have special mechanics with balanced advantages and disadvantages, or none at all.

 

Those two things are currently diametrically opposed to each other.

 

The mechanics nationals have now for attacking each other IS to turn pirate.  If you remove #1, you have to replace #2 with something else.

 

So what do you suggest happen to nationals and pirates if they attack one other if it's not flip to pirate? 

[Prater]

No, they are not diametrically opposed to each other.  Read my full post.  I go over that.  Nationals do not become pirate by attacking a friendly.  They become outlaw for 24 hours or so.  Instead, the only way to be a pirate is to choose it at character creation.  Pirates or nationals who attack friendlies become outlaws, and can be attacked for 24 hours or so by anyone.

 

If pirates want to be a nation, then there must be either 1. extremely harsh penalties for turning pirate (extreme xp, item, ship, outpost loss, etc), or 2. pirates only become pirate at creation start.  

[Powderhorn]

I feel we are attempting to lock the barn door after the horse has left.  With the number of players that have shifted from national to pirate over the last couple months, the only way I could see convincing players to reroll as nationals would be to either limit pirate crafting to frigates and lower, and only being able to sailed captured vessels of a higher rating OR having pirates as a DayZ-esque style of gameplay, where once you die, you lose everything.

 

I don't see either of these things happening, nor do I anticipate a sudden influx of players into the national ranks.  If anything, more and more new players will funnel into the pirates for the "cool" factor, I suspect.

 

In summary, I think the pirate nation as the most populated nation is here to stay, for better or for worse.

[JimDandy]

I always stop reading when someone states that someone else "just doesn't get it".... May he "gets it" and just doesn't agree with you? Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, you're conclusions might be incorrect?

 

Good... that you stop reading that is!

Truth is I'm not defending my personal opinions rather I am pointing out the reality of where this game is at and the response from those who for some reason feel victimized by the pirate nations success's on PVP1.  

But then you have stopped reading so never mind.

[PG Monkey]

 

If pirates want to be a nation, then there must be either 1. extremely harsh penalties for turning pirate (extreme xp, item, ship, outpost loss, etc), or 2. pirates only become pirate at creation start.  

I agree with this

[Wilson09]

Assumption:

Simple, anyone who cares goes to "forums" and vote.

 

Forum-links are being posted enough in the game-chat room...I did copy and paste

my votes to friends several times.

 

They just don´t care and play whatever they get confronted with.

 

If you don´t say what you want and make suggestions, you cannot complain...

 

Alternatively, you could argue "player´s dont speak English, this is discriminating them".

This might be more of an issue, but then, how could you play with no knowledge of English at all?

Edited March 31, 2016 by Wilson09

[Precious Roy]

I don't consider use of english to be discrimination but I'm curious if there are polls in other languages what the results are.

[Aussie Pastor]

I don't consider use of english to be discrimination but I'm curious if there are polls in other languages what the results are.

Poll are good to some extent.

But what is more useful is actual Data.

Like how many Original ALPHA TESTERS LEAVING?

Rapid decline in numbers on the Servers?

How many players jumping to Pirates?

My favourite, what is the talk on multiple TS of different Clans and Nations?

It all shows that the Devs, did not do their homework, as there is SO MUCH DATA out there to prevent the growth of a Culture that is Trolling/Salty an nonproductive to game development.

I like to mostly PM people to talk and discuss.

But that has fallen on deaf ears so to speak.

It takes time to change a Culture to a positive one, but to change it to a negative one happens overnight.

Pirates, should of always been a special faction, not a duplicate nation with extras, especially when the extras was and is easily exploited.

[Ruthless4u]

I feel we are attempting to lock the barn door after the horse has left.  With the number of players that have shifted from national to pirate over the last couple months, the only way I could see convincing players to reroll as nationals would be to either limit pirate crafting to frigates and lower, and only being able to sailed captured vessels of a higher rating OR having pirates as a DayZ-esque style of gameplay, where once you die, you lose everything.

 

I don't see either of these things happening, nor do I anticipate a sudden influx of players into the national ranks.  If anything, more and more new players will funnel into the pirates for the "cool" factor, I suspect.

 

In summary, I think the pirate nation as the most populated nation is here to stay, for better or for worse.

Yeah I can't get rid of the too little, too late feeling either.

[mouse of war]

No - things can be done:

1. The Pirate Nation can continue - but with all the same rules as any other nation

2. A new faction called 'Real Pirates' (for want of a better name) can be created that has 'piratey rules' (both advantages and limitations)

 

Which surely would please everybody

[daHeld]

Seeing that the Pirates are the biggest "Nation" on the EU server almost gives me physical pain. As a history buff I can't stand it. Pirates NEVER captured even a single city in the whole of the seafaring history. Some were held for a limited time to ransom, yes, but they were way too afraid of even the smallest naval force to stay for a prolonged time. They had some towns where they found shelter, mostly because the authorities there profited from them. We already have free towns in-game, so let that be the towns they can trade with. Maybe give them La Tortue (aka Tortuga, that's where they really found a home in the 17th century after all, NOT Mortimer...) and a few other towns as bases of operation, but restrict them from capturing ANY nations towns, please!

 

The biggest ships ever owned by Pirates were Frigate-sized, like HMS Oxford of Henry Morgan or the Adventure Galley of William Kidd, but that was a rare exception. Most Pirate vessels were very small, a lot of them not even carrying any guns at all. This is why I suggest that the Pirates in-game can keep whatever ship they can capture but please don't allow them to built anything bigger than a small frigate.

I also would suggest that they can man their ships with bigger crews as it were in reality, because they had to overwhelm the other ships by sheer numbers.

 

May be give them the possibility of acquiring some kind of Letter-of-Marque, so that they get some extra income when they attack the ships of the enemies of the signer's nation.

I think there would still be a lot of players that would accept the challenge and still play as pirates.

 

And PLEASE remove their status as a full fledged nation. This is IMO ridiculous to the bone. It's a real showstopper for me.

If they keep that status when the game enters beta, I think I most probably won't play any more. I don't like it when a historical setting diverges too much from the historical facts.

 

I know there are some concessions to make towards playability - and I support that - but THIS is certainly not one of those.

 

 

[OTMatt]

Yeah I can't get rid of the too little, too late feeling either.

 

Too late for what though? You can still implement penalties for them even if they are popular. Its just a matter of what the developers want for the long term of the game. Much respect to the pirates and their view of the game but I can't imagine this being the way it is at final release.

[Anne Wildcat]

I know people in my clan will probably hate me for saying this but

Let the pirate nation be a nation but create a new pirate faction that

Can only build outposts in free towns

Can only raid ports for resources

And with only outposts in free towns, can have shipyards but without conquest and with only raiding, doesn't have much need for large ships.

Pirates switch to this faction by attacking other pirates.

Then also add letters of marquee so players who wish can switch to other nations

Edited April 2, 2016 by Anne Wildcat

[mouse of war]

I know people in my clan will probably hate me for saying this but

Let the pirate nation be a nation but create a new pirate faction that

Can only build outposts in free towns

Can only raid ports for resources

And with only outposts in free towns, can have shipyards but without conquest and with only raiding, doesn't have much need for large ships.

Pirates switch to this faction by attacking other pirates.

Then also add letters of marquee so players who wish can switch to other nations

 

Welcome to the "Campaign for Real Pirates"

[SV Elnora]

Being a pirate myself, I joined because it was supposed to be the "hardest" where everyone hunted you and it was for the more "hard core" of players. This turned into an absolute 180 of what it was supposed to be. It's the most care bear, lovey dovey group in the game, and its making a mockery of what piracy is supposed to be about. Pop culture favoritism shouldn't make the pirate faction the biggest and easiest, skilled and cunning decisions, combat, and tactics by a smaller group of players on a pirate faction is what should make them scary, coupled with unique abilities and unique mechanics the other nations don't get.

 

If you want to work together as a large team, then play as the Nationals. Atm most people are choosing pirates simply because they want to be dubbed as a "pirate" but very few want to actually Play as a pirate.  Huge difference, and I honestly don't care if makes half the pirate population change sides. Piracy should be difficult, requiring cunning tactics, a quick thinking mind, and some devious skulduggery to get by, and if a group of pirates becomes a terror of the seven sea's, then it becomes a real situation of real piracy, by skilled players.

 

 

^^

 

What he said!

[GrapeShot]

Babble about the Barbary pirates all you want, this game will die from this broken pirate mechanic. 

[Ruthless4u]

Too late for what though? You can still implement penalties for them even if they are popular. Its just a matter of what the developers want for the long term of the game. Much respect to the pirates and their view of the game but I can't imagine this being the way it is at final release.

Not sure if I agree, pirate population may be too hung now to make any signifigant change without players getting pissed and leaving for "punishing " them and no one else.

[Hethwill]

Disregard mechanics. You have a choice to play it hard.

 

-

 

Get yourself a Lynx and a Privateer ( and Yacht if you entitled to it ). Name it a Pirate Pack.

 

Engage in no economic activities at all. Open outposts only at free towns. Mortimer is non existent. Free towns are your pirate havens.

 

Sell all plunder. Keep stock to a minimum.

 

Sail only ship you capture. Buy only Lynx / Privateers if needed.

 

Engage alone or in pirate fleets of the same nature - sloops-of-war or captured vessels.

 

Have fun.

 

-

 

You have a choice to play hardcore mode.

[CptEdwardKenway]

Pirates shouldn't be a nation. They should not be able to capture ports but they can raid and plunder them. They should not be able to sail a sol. It's simulation based the maximum should be a frigate class. Or like the queen anne's revenge a pinnace. They should be able to upgrade those ships like the Gros Ventre into warships with 40 guns. Also other ships can be upgraded to better warships.

 

For example if they cap a frigate they could also add some more guns. They could also upgrade their ships with more crewspace and larger capacity for freight. A pirate surprise should be stronger than a normal surprise. The outlook of the ship could also change into some darker looks.

 

They should have a certain number of ports but other nations can't capture those ports too. Home base could be tortuga. They should not be able to attack each other. If they do that they get a warning like becoming enemy of all ships and the game puts a bounty on them. There should also be a bounty on those who become pirates when they switch from another nation to pirates like they are traitors.

 

Make pirates unique to play. They should be raiders and plunderers. Not conquerers.

 

I don't only say this because I wan't to see a nerf it's because they should be unique and if you could play them like I described I would maybe become a pirate one day too. That sound hell of fun and that what's pvp is all about. I don't need all the port battles which should also become unique events.

[Quineloe]

okay if pirates aren't going to be restricted in any way, what exactly is it that makes them "very hard" as claimed by the character creation screen?

It's certainly not being attackable within their own nation, after you've removed gold + exp from that, you've removed all incentive for doing that in the first place.

 

But I'm sure you have the numbers how many ships are actually lost in pirate vs pirate fights. My guess it's close to nothing.

 

 

I think Spain is a lot harder to play, being surrounded by three strong factions that all very much like to take their lands for economic reasons alone. Yet they're "medium"....

Edited April 8, 2016 by Quineloe

[Ruthless4u]

okay if pirates aren't going to be restricted in any way, what exactly is it that makes them "very hard" as claimed by the character creation screen?

..

Nothing, and that's the issue I have with it. There is nothing unique making me want to be a pirate even tho the selection screen would try to indicate otherwise. They are bland nation clone.

Worse are the pro pirate players who attack the anti status qoue players for being afraid of pirates, or not wanting the challenge of having pirates in game, when in fact it's the opposite.

The pro status qou pirate players don't seem to want what the devs intended, but rather to have a black flag and that's about it. Whether it's fear of not being able to hack it or something else I have no clue.

But given the pirates were supposed to be the " hardest" faction and instead we got what we have now, it's safe to say I'm really disapointed in the dev team in regards to this aspect of the game.

Currently there is nothing to indicate that pirates are the hardest faction, but I would love for someone to prove otherwise( if they can)

[Neptune]

Before open world was released, I was hoping for rats to actually be hardmode because that's how I wanted to play the game. Only good PvPers would play them. Those who like to fight everyone, and be feared for being a good PvPer. Rats should be limited to 5th rates and port raiding. Make pirates the way they should be, Hard mode. I would definitely play them if pirates were like this with piratey mechanics. Right now pirates are not the least bit appealing to play, just one big zerg that is played like a nat. That is not at all what pirates should represent.

Edited April 8, 2016 by Acadian44