Battle Icons

[WilsonMG]

Did a quick search, didn't get any hits.  So forgive me if this has been addressed previously.

 

My suggestion is that battles need to have different color variations rather than just the standard white crossed swords icon that exists currently.  I imagine it could be accomplished rather easily with some slight modification to the current system--even if the current system is part of the temporary UI.  This, in my mind, is something that needs attention sooner rather than later.

 

• White - Standard battle occurring nearby that doesn't specifically involve you.
• Yellow - Mission marker.
• Red - A current group member is inside this battle.
• Green - A clan member is inside this battle.
• Blue - A special event marker.

If a lot of battles are occurring next to each other, it becomes incredibly difficult to determine which one an ally is in.  If you make a mistake, it could be several minutes before you can leave and try another and by that time it may be too late to join and help your friend.

['Sharpe]

It's a well thought out idea. I like separate colors for missions. But I actually kind of like the "fog of war" element we have currently when it comes to PvP battles. Finding the right battle requires solid pathfinding and communication. Ships of the time could communicate instantaneously only with what was within the horizon - anything further and the rendezvous would need to be made by following the sound of the cannons, or meeting at a set date and time, all of which can and did lead to missed connections and serendipitous (or unfortunate) chance encounters with the enemy.

I worry that a color coded system would lose this element of imprecision, and make battles too calculated. Still, a logical idea though, just not sure it fits the period, in my estimation.

Edited February 3, 2016 by 'Sharpe

[WilsonMG]

There's an argument for realism and also one for reducing frustration that conflicts with entertaining gameplay.

 

Personally, I fall into the camp that's glad that we don't have icons on our map that show us where we are, or a HUD guiding us, though I would like to see a moveable compass rose overlay or something similar on the map, and perhaps a line tool that shows estimated days at sea over a given distance, however, I don't believe that this issue falls into the same category simply for the fact that we already have game mechanics that shoot down your argument.

 

We already have the layer of simulated difficulty by having to navigate by dead reckoning and terrain association to get close to the battle location, and visibility may be significantly reduced by weather on top of that making locating an icon difficult.  Knowing which battle a friend is in is a matter of looking at the ships involved, right?  Since one can already discern a number of attributes about a ship as soon as they are within rendering distance (by clicking on them), then we can only assume that we can determine the same about ships in a battle at a similar range.

At the very least, even if color-coded icons aren't an option, something on the info. screen that pops up detailing the battle that states "A group/clan member is engaged in this battle" would go a long way to easing some of the frustration.