Does it simulate your ship being full to the gunwales with Carronades Jim, and if so how well do they perform for you?
Rob.
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Does it simulate your ship being full to the gunwales with Carronades Jim, and if so how well do they perform for you?
Rob.
Funny you should ask that, Rob. Last night I was sailing the Belle Poule and was somewhat disappointed by the 'damage' I was doing in combat. So, I loaded up 32 and 24 pound carronades and my damage improved considerably. The down side of course is you have to be much closer to the enemy ships and you are consequently just as likely to take damage as dish it out.
Interesting Jim.
It was just that the books all say that close up the Carronades were so devastating, and after the R.N. captured the real Surprise they re armed her with gundeck- 24, 32 pounder Carronades on the quaterdeck- 8, 32 pounder Carronades, and on the forecastle- 4 long 6 pounders.
Close up and friendly that must have been some clout, although the book goes on to say that the Navy never really took to the idea.
Rob.
I've yet to try carronades on Surprise. I may try that this evening. Some new developer notes today are indicating a direction involving much more control of ship crews. Instead of a toggle switch we may have to assign crew to specific roles and reassign as needs arise. It certainly makes me think of SoG crew tasks; yes, fires and leaks are mentioned on the notes.
Seems as bit pointless to me. Just those two actions of fires and leaks did not have to be ordered by the Captain.
The Carpenter and his mates would go into action automatically as a specific unit whenever needed during a battle, and fire crews were likewise set up to deal with any conflagration. The only time the Captain would issue orders is if he needed to send extra men to assist.
I can see the point of other orders, but not these two in particular.
Rob.
Re-reading the dev blog I'm not sure at this point if you'll have to order them specifically to do their jobs or not? At the start of a battle you set crew to their main tasks; gunnery, sailing, etc. As the ship takes losses you may have to reassign to keep things going. Someone was reading in chat last night that they are calculating that it takes six men fix a major leak so as crew numbers drop and more leaks occur you wont be able to keep up with the flooding? Same with fire I suppose? Now in game you just hit a key that reads "survival" and hope the free crew can put out the fire. It's unclear how, or if, you'll have the option to assign more crew to a task in emergencies.
I suspect there's no way they can create a realistic battle as the time frame involved would keep most folks from wanting to play. Multi hour battles have been reduced to an hour and 30 minutes.
What is most clear now with these new changes is that if you try to sail a ship that's under crewed you will suffer penalties to operation. There will be levels of performance and once you start losing crew certain tasks will not be handled as efficiently or at all?
Now that makes more sense to me. Thanks for clearing that up Jim. I can live with that. It will be interesting to see how this game develops.
Rob.
Speaking of development, look what they just posted to Facebook earlier today:
http://i.imgur.com/Ekqiydq.jpg
Hubba Hubba!
I've owned Naval Action since Dec. 2014 but have only played it off-and-on, after an initial 40hr+ burst of enthusiasm during the "Sea Trials" phase. At that time, I believe I only unlocked up to the Snow or something, so I've never even had one of the really powerful ships yet.
Now that I've begun playing (only on the PvE server) after the hard wipe, I have only worked my way up to a Lynx, which I was able to take as prize from some pirates as part of an Admiralty mission. It's not a very powerful ship, but I love schooners and I love the look of the Lynx, so I'll be quite happy with it for a while.
I'm a little intimidated by the grind required to get up into the larger ships, but hopefully I'll someday unlock the USS Constitution. That's the one I'm looking forward to :)
Steve, I'm part of a fairly large 'fleet' of players who are affiliated with the USA on the PVE server. If you want an invite in game please send me a message and I'd be happy to bring you aboard the American Continental Navy [ACN]. We regularly have 8 to 10 folks online at any given time. Ranking up has been fairly rapid when we do missions as a group or move to attack 3rd Rates prowling US waters. I reached Captain last evening and we have two members who will soon be at Flag Captain level and able to sail the USS Constitution. In game name is Sebastian T. Keeler. Send me a message if you'd like. Cheers!
That's a nice offer which I appreciate. I've started as Spain but am at such a low level that it won't hurt anything to reset over to USA. I've previously flown with a squadron in Rise of Flight and enjoyed it. Not sure how much time I'll devote to the game but as it's the PVE server hopefully that won't be too much of an issue.
P.S. - I'm surfimp everywhere :)
The offer is always open. We even have Teamspeak although that is certainly not a requirement to be a member of ACN. I fell in with this group quite by accident. Someone posted in nation chat an open invite to anyone who wanted to join. I took them up on the offer and have had a very enjoyable time so far. A nice range of ages and such.
Some of the folks may end up on the pvp server, but that's not something I'll be persuing.
I'm surprised they have three first rates and only Bellona as the only third rate. I would have made the Téméraire-class directly after the first first rate. It's the most iconic napoleonic ship in my eyes. Also they were built by by both France and England.
I don't know for certain, but I suspect it had to do with promoting the game launch initially? If you're starting out with a new IP you want something big and flashy and you get that with first rates, not 3rd's?
Right now there are only two First Rates actually in game, HMS Victory and Santisima Trinidad. I doubt we'll see the Ocean class for up to a year? Only one fourth rate as well, USS Constitution.
They are clearly focusing on the other rates now and they're trying to balance the call for national recognition. The Dutch, Danes, Spanish and Swedes are especially vocal on the forums demanding "their" ships be represented in Naval Action. A new content patch expected in two weeks might bring 2-3 new ships; USS Niagara, Essex another they're not mentioning specifically?
It's all a waiting game, somewhat similar to Sails of Glory. :wink:
The Facebook post made it sound like L'Ocean had been part of Sea Trials a while back and was just needing to be updated somewhat for the current version. So hopefully it won't be too long before we see it.
I agree that within the context of an MMO, where XP grinding is required to unlock more sophisticated ships, you've got to have the promise of some really awesome stuff at the "top of the ladder" to make working through the lower level ships seem more compelling. Within that context, releasing a number of well-known 1st rates seems to make a lot of sense to me... by releasing L'Ocean they will have addressed 1st rates for the three major belligerents of the Napoleonic AoS and it will then make sense to fill out the middle (which is already served somewhat by the Bellona). Just my twopence :)
I hope you're correct. I thought I saw another post somewhere in the Shipyard thread that made it sound like this ship and others were further down the pipeline?
While some may not agree I still believe content is king in gaming and you need to keep the new stuff flowing or you'll lose your player base. This applies to board games and video games alike.
I completely agree; gamers have "bright shiny object syndrome" and are easily distracted unless there is a constant trickle of new "stuff" to keep their attention focused on a particular game or system. This is one area where I'm a bit worried that Ares is having issues, at least as concerns SoG and WoG.
I think you chaps have hit the nail on the head there.
My own experience of gaming is driven over the years by four or so things.
1. Are models available in enough quantity to keep me playing/ painting/ collecting/ building.
2. Sufficient background reading to keep me interested and develop my desire to emulate what I have read.
3. How many friends are also interested in playing the same game.
4. Ways of expanding the game to prevent too much repetition of the same scenarios.
Over the years I have found that my interest usually wains from about 5 to ten years in, depending on these factors holding up.
As a founder member of this Forum I should be getting close to the 5 year point. Fortunately, I started being active only about 18 months ago. so there is mileage left.
I still have background reading to get through in abundance.
I have friends to play with at home, on line and at shows.
I have hardly scraped the surface of ideas for scenarios and building.
That ticks all the boxes bar one, and we all know which that is.
Rob.
,
My long love of the age of sail will be constant.
My attachment to Sails of Glory may fade, though.
The minis might be changed to other basing and be used with other rules if I loose interest in SoG but I doubt I will stop using the even though I might spend time at Great Northern Wars Thirty Years War or American Civil War again.
And that, in a nutshell, is the beauty of historicals versus fantasy and sci-fi games: your preferred units and factions can never get "squatted"*, and your minis can be re-used in new, as yet unwritten rulesets.
Plus historical minis seem to be quite a good value (in terms of cost) compared to most fantasy and sci-fi systems. I quite like that.
* "Squat" is also sometimes used as a verb by fans of Warhammer 40k. This refers to the removal of the Squats from both the game and the fluff behind it; in particular, some people believe that other armies will be "squatted" from 40k, which is to say, their model line will be removed and they will no longer be playable in 40k.
Does Naval Action have a sandbox mode where you can create your own scenarios and select your own ships for something more historical, instead of this gamey head-to-head kid stuff?
Naval Action is a MMO (massively multiplayer online) game with a dynamic open world. What that means is that the players are constantly interacting with each other, as well as the environment, and defining in that moment what exactly is going on. In that sense, the game is solely a sandbox mode - though there is the option of engaging in large and small fleet skirmishes via the "Missions" menu available in any port in the open world.
You start off as a Midshipman (or equivalent, depending on your faction) with command of a fore-and-aft rigged Cutter with 40 crewmen. From there, you can complete Admiralty Missions against pirates, engage in trading, and perform crafting to "level up" your character, earning gold (needed for buying supplies, trade goods, better cannons, etc.), XP (needed for promotion to higher ranks) and Crafting XP (needed for manufacturing more advanced components / ships / etc).
As you get promoted, you'll be able to command larger crews and hence, larger ships. You can sail larger ships with smaller crews but the performance of the ship will suffer. Same goes for crafting, at the beginning you'll only be able to make basic things, but as you level up you'll be able to produce more sophisticated and better quality items, allowing you to craft more advanced goods and, ultimately, better quality ships. Gold is self explanatory but needed to purchase trade goods (there's a full economy in place, though it's early access so it needs some tweaking) as well as purchase a variety of upgrades (to make your ship more competent) as well as ships crafted by other players and listed for sale in various ports.
The entire Caribbean has been recreated based on 18th century maps and you can literally sail anywhere you want. Different ports are controlled by more-or-less historically accurate nations and you can engage with trade with those with whom you are not at war and/or which are neutral.
Groups of players have teamed up to create "Guilds" and "Clans" which engage in warfare with one another on the PVP (player vs player) server to conquer ports and, thereby, take over more and more of the map.
On the PVE (player vs environment) server, you don't fight against other players but rather against AI opponents. Conquest of harbors is not permitted, but players can and do team up to take on stronger AI opponents in larger fleet engagements.
I'm far from an expert on Naval Action but I think the above is sufficient to demonstrate that there's a bit more going on than "kiddie stuff" in the game.
Steve, thanks for the summary. I'm sure a lot of people find Naval Action fun. But to me, it seems to be set up so rigidly that there's only one way to play and enjoy it (MMO, career mode, unlocking ships), and that's not that way I enjoy wargames. It's a shame, because the environment looks so great that it would be a promising computer alternative to physical miniatures. What I'd want would be the option to set up one's own live game on open water or a water-land map (either provided ones or modder contributions) select any available authentic ship types, set the various conditions for the scenario, and play. Then one could stage historical battles, or use it as a tactical engine to resolve battles when they occur in operational-level naval wargames like mine (A Glorious Chance) or 1805 Sea of Glory, etc. They could easily have done that, but the online gaming world always seems to follow the money (no surprise there) and aim for the largest and most commercial audience.
Steve: Try to get a Privateer - basically a Lynx with 12 18 lb carronades. Fast upwind and will demolish AI at close range and with enough crew to board and take traders. The AI privateers are usually armed with 6 lb cannon and you can take them with a basic cutter. You can find them in missions. Take down the stern and grape the crew to cap it.
I have more fun with the mid level ships anyway so I don't look at the grind that far, also more small ships are on the way - USS Rattlesnake is one. On the PvP server there are shallow water port battles where the largest ship allowed is a Mercury brig. Finding a group and capturing an AI 3rd rate will net you a lot of XP.
You are really describing a different game - this is an open sandbox MMO centered around 18th century naval ships and combat. They are developing an economic side of things as well. In that sense some people say it is very flexible because the players determine everything, economy, diplomacy, ship building, etc. So the historic strategic situation found in say "1805 Sea of Glory" is determined by the actions of player organized clans. I participated in a port battle last night to take a British port and stop their advance up the Yucatan towards Cuba and Fla. One of the largest KS ever funded was for an MMO - Star Citizen, so yeah big $$ in this style of game. The NA developers are a small group and their other title is similar to an old school game - Ultimate General -Gettysburg. Not sure you can mod it though. AFAIK one of the devs did a lot of mods for Total War Napoleon - which is similar to what you are describing.
In the past players have arraigned large "Trafalgar" style battles, but obviously one has to use the ships available in the game. (Available on You Tube) So you can get the feel of a large fleet battle or frigate action with some of the historic ships. Since I am also a wargamer first I do like your idea though - to be able to set up a specific battle would be great - like the old computer moderated rules Clear for Action - only with graphics! I wonder if you can do this with the Total War series?
BTW - I wouldn't describe it as "gamey" head to head kid stuff - this is not a FPS (First Person Shooter - ie Call of Duty) clicky game. There are a lot of people involved that have put in a lot of effort to get the ships and combat model as realistic as possible. In fact it is too slow for a lot of the "kids"!! In my group we have several retired military and others who have studied naval history much as we do here. Also as Jim noted there is a server which is essentially coop rather than fighting between the players.
Jim - AFAIK -We are going to see: USS Rattlesnake (in fact she is pictured on the devblog about crew management), USS Essex, Ingermanland (64 gun ship Russian I think) and 1-2 large traders (Indiamen) - Amsterdam and Gros Ventre. Oh and they are also working on Bucenture (sp).
They also just completed the player ship vote for 2016 - I forget the top ship - I think another Dutch ship. I think they said some new ships may come in the next few patches. They are working on shipyards and production buildings as well.
The big feature at least for the PvP server is the rework of port battles with the various forts and land in the battle instances, which is coming in the Spring.
Yes, I've been coming up against the regular Lynxes (only four guns a side IIRC) but only just last night got promoted to Jr. Lt. (USA), so probably was at too low a level to see a Privateer before. Hopefully now, that will change :)
I have become pretty proficient at the "ball the stern & rudder, chain the sails, grape the crew" thing for capturing. Before I switched to USA (last night) I had captured a few Trader Brigs, a Lynx and a Traders Lynx on my Spanish account. I like using the Yacht because it's a little more nimble than the Cutter, and I have 12lb carronnades and the "quick turn" rigging on it for the purpose. Having lots of fun!
I think that was actually Eric that you quoted, but I'm pretty enthusiastic about Naval Action, too. I've had it since late 2014 and have been enjoying it ever since. I generally prefer tabletop miniatures games to video games, as I like the tactile sense of being there with my opponent (and heck, playing with toys!) but there are certain video games I enjoy, too. They tend to be pretty specific and pretty simulation oriented. Rise of Flight is my favorite flight sim, and although I don't have much to compare it against, I am really enjoying Naval Action.
With that said, it's still in very early Early Access, meaning there is much that will be improved. The developers are actively enhancing it, but it's a bit rough right now. The expectation is that it will continue to get better - it's quite playable and stable now - with time and further improvement. The devs are also pretty good at listening to the community and taking their feedback onboard. I don't have much to compare it against but I'm suitably pleased so far. There's also no DLC model - you pay once and get everything. I like that quite a bit.
Eric, thanks for the information and update on the pvp side. Our "Fleet" (I don't like the term clan) is now over 45 members I believe now that Steve joined up last night. We have some folks who are now moving over to a pvp server and I wish them well, but I'm very content on staying on pve so I can enjoy the entire map without hindrance. Ironically I was attacked by a NPC privateer yesterday, but easily escaped in my cutter.
Gina, all I can tell you is that sailing a simulation like this is very enjoyable, relaxing and fulfilling even as a casual pve player. The sandbox navigation is a challenge and I love it. I spent several real time hours yesterday sailing from Bugle Cay all the way to Camp du Roy. Sunny weather, rain storms, thunder, etc.
Steve, as I said in the pm, don't hesitate to ask members of ACN to group up. Some of them are regularly taking down 3rd rates in large fleet operations. Every one is different and how you sail in battle and react to the AI is a unique experience. I got in on several missions last night and my last one against a single Bellona 74 netted me over 500 xp. What everyone in our group is looking for now is either the Tricomalee ship or its blueprint. Our shipwright is up to making Frigates. See you in game. Oh a final note that we finally got a female player joining ACN. I do wish we had more women in game, but it's just not happening.
Well it is certainly intriguing me and I have not played anything since "Napoleon Total War".
Rob.
Rob it's quite fun, and while the learning curve is a bit steep, it is entirely surmountable with a bit of effort. And the community has done an excellent job of creating how-to guides, videos, and pretty much everything else you might need to get up to speed. You can certainly have fun right off the bat versus the AI, I am certainly still finding it a challenge, though I've only got just under 70hrs in the game so far (since Dec. 2014 - I'm a "filthy casual" lol).
The UI (user interface) in the port screen is a temporary placeholder and IMHO the roughest part of the whole thing right now. While not particularly intuitive at first blush, it is quite functional.
Overall the game is exceptionally stable for an Early Access / alpha-level production - I've never had a single crash, nor other annoyance.. "it just works", which is great. And performance, even in the open world (which loads seamlessly and fluidly) has been good on "Medium" settings for my nearly 6 year old computer. Granted, I built my machine for flight simulation, so it was once reasonably powerful, but it's quite aged at this point. Despite that, for me, Naval Action still performs quite well and looks good. With a more powerful machine, it can look absolutely beautiful.
The bottom line is that for the cost of a few SoG ships, you can have quite a lot of virtual fun. And meet and play with cool people like Nightmoss. I've been well pleased with the purchase.
Thanks very much for the critique of the game Steve.
If I can find the time to fit it in I will give it a lookover probably with my son who takes part in a lot of these interactive community games.
Rob.
Wow so I've joined Nightmoss' clan (such an unfortunate word but standard in MMOs), the American Continental Navy, and it's so much fun! I'm only sailing a lowly 7th rate Privateer (a topsail schooner with 12 guns) and last night we grouped up to take on some 3rd rates and and small fleets. I didn't get sunk! And I leveled up to 2nd Lieutenant. And then one of the other group members crafted me a brig (so I could be slightly less useless versus the SOLs hahah)
Woohooo! :happy:
I'd say Naval Action is quite fun played solo, but playing with a group of teammates is even better. Thanks again Nightmoss!
We're very happy to have you on board Steve. It was great fun and you did an impressive job of sailing around the big hitters!! :thumbsup: Grats on the next level too, also.
By the way, the Naval Action forums have a poll up that's asking players to choose a term that they would prefer using instead of 'clan'. I know Fleet and Squadron are listed (I voted for Fleets), but I don't know if/when they may push for that updated distinction?
See you online.
Jim
Found the thread and voted, as well as made a comment for why I feel strongly about the word 'clan'. I feel so strongly about it, it's been a deterrent to getting involved in MMOs as I'm loathe to associate myself with the term in any way, shape or form.
I'm pleased to see the developers are taking on board feedback from the community and are willing to change. I voted for Fleet, too.
Clan does have several word associations, but it's primary definition is linked to ancestral descent, and being part Scottish I choose to think it refers to the Highland Clans of Scotland? Clan is not Klan if that's why you have a strong aversion to the word? I sure hope you don't dislike the Scottish Clans? :wink:
http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK...ighland-Clans/
Oh sure, the usage of the word "clan" predates by hundreds if not thousands of years the unfortunate period of mid-19th century US history I'm referring to (yes, the KKK), but the same can be said for the swastika's worldwide usage prior to its appropriation by the Nazi party in the mid-20th century. It just gives me the heebie jeebies - a visceral reaction, i.e. personal problem on my part. Can't help it!
Steve,
It is sad that a word which on the whole has a good and together meaning has been highjacked by a small group of small minded people. I as an Englishman with Scots blood (my Farther) take prided that I can be a member of a Scottish Clan.
That said, in the 70's and 80's the English flag of "St George" Red Cross on a White background was highjacked by our right-wing skinheads who hated all non-English and non-white folks. I like many in the U.K. could not use our flag. Very sad that a small group stopped a Nation using it's flag. So we use the Union Flag (Union Jack). It was at the Rugby World Cup some years ago that we as a Nation started using our English flag again. I can now hold my head and flag up high. To think it took so long for us to get our own flag back is a very sad thing. But we did!
Be safe
Rory