The only gripe I've had about this game is the way Ship Battles take place. You sit either at long or close range...................and spam 1-4. The rest simply comes down to stats and luck. What makes this slow and mind-numbingly boring part of the game even worse is how much time is wasted per ship battle. The current system seriously need a revision, or at least a heavy tweak, so that it's more engaging and feels more like, well, combat instead of an automated, robotic process. Now I am aware there are probably other posts regarding this matter but they seem to be outdated, so in order to make sure this 'issue' remains noticed (hopefully) by KI here's an updated and current prognosis. Just take my opinion with a grain of salt in some areas.

First and foremost, the 'auto-fire' mechanic. This is by far the dullest and even most annoying mechanic. Our basic cannons do barely any damage compared to our 1-2 abilities and are really only there for aesthetic purposes. Looking at it from a DPS point of view as well: that's pathetic. With such a weak mechanic, no wonder ship battles take nearly 5-10 minutes per battle (yes I've timed myself with actual good gear against equal ships): your main source of damage is laughable at best!

Proposition: Make this mechanic manual instead of automatic. Either add another hotkey to fire or set the left or right mouse buttons to fire a single cannonball at a time when pressed. Obviously you'll have an ammunition counter until you run out, then a recharge timer will commence. This gives more control over your primary source of damage, engages the player in combat more and makes team ship battles more fun.

Speaking of that: ship battles with a friend (meaning one drives while the other is on deck clearing tokens) are just as bad as the actual battle itself. Why team up and be part of someone's crew when you're better off manning your own ship? Where's the co-op in that?

Proposition: allow crew-mates to aim and fire cannons. In other words: incorporate the same mechanic Pirates of the Caribbean had with Cannoneering. Crew members can manually aim a cannon at a ship, but the Captain has to orient the ship properly at the same time. Meaning: you won't hit anything from starboard if the Captain is aligned portside with the enemy (yep I know my ship lingo). This makes combat more fun and engaging for crew members while still keeping the game simple and fun.

As you all know I love this game and, just like the general population here, I want nothing more than for it to succeed. I'm not saying these changes need to be implemented immediately, but they do need to be considered and addressed sometime in the future. As for the rest of the game: wouldn't change a thing, it's perfect in my eyes.

Caw Caw Shhhhhhhh!
Mortifer Crow - Captain of The Silent Crows

Calamity Finch on May 1, 2017 wrote:

One thing I've read about in both history and fiction of the Era of Sail is how important maneuvering is in battles of sailing ships. Admiral Nelson "crossed the T" in his victory, I think. I'm a little rusty on the history of it, but crossing the T was a big deal. Passing in front of, or behind your enemy's ship, such that your broadside would pass through the entire length of his ship, causing more damage, while few or none of his shot could shoot back at you on your close approach. Side to side though, your shot passes through less of his ship, while his broadside has just as good a shot at you. Imagine how it would be if an entire battle line of ships crossed the T on another fleet. Even if you missed the first ship, it might hit the ship behind it.
In my ship battles, I try to maneuver around the enemy, and I notice if you are moving, they do too. At the least, I try to dodge some of their incoming fire. Is there is any advantage to the damage we do depending on where we are in relation to the other ship? In tall ship battles, how skilled their seamanship, sailing and using the wind, was vital. In old battles they tried to get the advantage of the wind, stealing (blocking) it from the enemy's sails, and getting it in their own, gaining more speed. Even in modern sailboat races, they try to do that. if they wanted to add more complexity, wind and our sails interacting could be interesting.
I don't really want lots more complex button pushing, but I like the idea of someone on your deck having extra guns to shoot at the enemy. Usually one deckhand can handle token removal, it would give others something to do. It might be nice if Free to play players could travel more places with us. If they couldn't take out their rafts or go ashore, they would be able to act as deck crew token removers and gunners for us, and they would get a peek at places they couldn't otherwise see. As you say, people want to fly their own ships, as is. They might even get membership.

Love your idea, that'd give Co-op the very thing it needs. I'm trying to keep the idea simple and straightforward, more button mashing does make things more complex for younger audiences. I also like the idea about letting deckhands sail with you to other worlds, while not allowing them off the ship if they're F2P. That'd build up hype for them and further enforce the want for a membership to get to those 'awe' inspiring areas.

Personally, I never noticed maneuvers or positioning to have any effect on whether you hit or miss. It's all stat and level-based. The higher your Nautical level, the more you'll dodge and hit, which is why I hate the system as it currently is and suggested trying to make it more immersive and less robotic.

The wind and sails idea seems really interesting as well. How would you suggest implementing that since we already have the Windlanes and whatnot? Would the wind effect us out of combat (meaning would it slow those going one way, speed up those going another) or would it only 'trigger' when in combat? The only problem I can see with this kind of system is zones would be made 'linear' when traveling. Meaning one way you'd go faster while the other you'd move slower. This could prove quite cumbersome, and annoying, if you have to go to Flotsam from Jonah Town but the wind is blowing in the direction of Puerto Mico (if you get my drift).