CH1- Kiting in a basic cutter in small battle

[donalddawkins]

Dear Sirs, I would like to report CH1 for purposely kiting in a small battle out of range from everyone and refusing to meet combat.

 

He unfortunately was SO far away I could not get an image of his ship, however I took images of the map and the leader board. He made no attempts to meet battle in his basic cutter.

 

This is a waste of time, and an abuse of the game's mechanics.

 

 

name: CH1

Nation: Denmark (?)

Location: Small battle

Server: PVP1 (EU)

Edited February 6, 2016 by donalddawkins

[Fuzzyhead12]

well, this i a problematic topic, you arent actuall forced to meet combat in the small battel since you will loose your ship if you die. So yes running away for 1 and a half hour is allowed, yet its not fairgame at all.

[Joe Spivey]

I'm split on this one. This kind of thing DID happen historically. If your opponent, prey, call it what you want, can out sail you and stay out of reach of your guns then that is perfectly fair. However, there must be a mechanism for the pursuers to be able to say, 'ok, he got away' and then be able to leave the battle.

[Grim DeGrim]

well, this i a problematic topic, you arent actuall forced to meet combat in the small battel since you will loose your ship if you die. So yes running away for 1 and a half hour is allowed, yet its not fairgame at all.

The point of small battle instances is to meet in combat. It is to engage in combat (actively).

Running around is griefing - it is combat avoidance.

At one point, the out of zone circle used to shrink with the passage of time. It's that still the case?

[Quineloe]

It is not the case right now, but there's also little point in sailing into five enemy ships after the battle is already lost when you're badly damaged.

Are port battles also impossible to exit when out of combat?

[Grim DeGrim]

It is less of a tribunal worthy issue, and more of a game mechanics issue.

Intent is hard to prove.

This person might believe in their mind that they are fighting their hardest by not giving in to their opposition. That said, they grief the entire group for an hour plus sailing around when the battle has already been lost.

Or they were purposely griefing for the tears. Who knows?

Hence, a game mechanic to remove such options is likely warranted. Either a quickly shrinking out of zone circle with each kill, and/or passage of time. This keeps them in closer quarters. Or a time out option, where the battle is ended automatically after no damage dealt for "x" amount of time.

Mayhap not the best options, but you get the idea.

[Macjimm]

I've never tried the small or large battles because I've heard that it is good etiquette when agreeing to a small or large battle to fight to destruction of one side's forces. The game mechanics and rules allow for some measure of avoiding the deathmatch ending but it is considered unsportsmanlike. There is an unwritten expectation that you have agreed to come together to punch it out to the bitter end.

This all sounds just a little to gamey to me so I have avoided it. Mostly because I don't understand the motivation behind it and thus would be at risk of offending or annoying my opponents (and teammates). I think it is great to have this style of PVP combat for those who enjoy it. Seriously. No sarcasm ... I think it is great for the players who like it.

Players who wish to use fleeing as a valid tactic of naval warfare can do so in OW battle instances. Running away is not just acceptable,it enhances the gameplay because it adds more complexity to the competition and does not rely solely on the slugfest style. I like this type of combat because am fairly comfortable that I won't piss anyone off if I choose to run or flee or kite. I think I understand the game well enough that I know if someone is upset when I flee it is because they don't understand the game. I'm glad there is an alternative to small/large battles.

I'm not sure that everyone understands the unspoken politics of the small and large battles. Until there are some mechanics to allow another type of ending in small and large battles, perhaps the game could include a notice at the start of the battle that players are encouraged to close and engage rather than flee. That is of course if the devs truly do expect players to use the small/large battles for staying within range and exchanging cannon balls.

Alternatively, perhaps Devs are prepared to let players decide the outcome of the small/large battles. There is a game called "checkers" where a superior player can be thwarted of a victory if he/she fails to destroy the opponent. A stalemate is not a win. A clever opponent will seek to create a stalemate ending rather than give in to self destruction. The final stages can be tiresome and tedious while waiting for an almost defeated player to make a final mistake. But most checker players would prefer their opponents to try as hard as possible to stay in the game and avoid defeat.

Until the Devs provide a way to call a draw it may be up to the superior force to out manuvere the weaker ship(s). But that thought might infuriate the players who want to fight often and detest fleeing. It may be more agreeable if those who choose to enter into the small and large battles to bite on something hard, move toward the enemy and die relatively quickly while inflicting as much damage as they can.

[Henry d'Esterre Darby]

The newly added ability to exit Small Battles should fix this issue.  Closing.