Naval tactics!

[Marquis of Roland]

I generally try not to cut the enemy's line. While this was effective in real life, ships in the game light up like a matchbox whenever they touch fire (even more so than real life ), and if you're concentrating fire on parts of their line, enemy ships inevitably will catch fire. Also, the risk of the AI just plowing his ship right into yours while you're cutting his line will create a huge logjam of ships and without extensive micromanagement your line of battle is screwed.

I always try to gain the weather gage (being upwind) before I go in, then go in at such an angle that, when the AI turns its line to face me, the lead ship sail directly into the wind. This causes their lead ship to lose control and speed, and usually the ships behind will run into it. I then sail my line of battle in a tight semi-circular zig zag pattern around the AI's mass of ships in the middle and just shoot them to pieces (while they're bunched up like that they are very vulnerable to ship explosions).

[Fondor_Yards]

How do you deal with the Galleys?

Galleys? Breath hard on them and they will explode.

I generally try not to cut the enemy's line. While this was effective in real life, ships in the game light up like a matchbox whenever they touch fire (even more so than real life ), and if you're concentrating fire on parts of their line, enemy ships inevitably will catch fire. Also, the risk of the AI just plowing his ship right into yours while you're cutting his line will create a huge logjam of ships and without extensive micromanagement your line of battle is screwed.

The same here. Since whenever a ship hits another they usually get stuck there forever/lose a mast and it destroys your other ships path finding, so you have to manually redirect them all away.

Of course, you can also use that to your advantage. Send something cheap in there to get the enemy all piled up there and you can shoot them to pieces with your other ships. Sloops work great since they are cheap and have a bad habit of blowing up when fired on that close.

[Fisherking]

Galleys? Breath hard on them and they will explode.



The same here. Since whenever a ship hits another they usually get stuck there forever/lose a mast and it destroys your other ships path finding, so you have to manually redirect them all away.

Of course, you can also use that to your advantage. Send something cheap in there to get the enemy all piled up there and you can shoot them to pieces with your other ships. Sloops work great since they are cheap and have a bad habit of blowing up when fired on that close.

Does this mean that galleys are now not as hard to hit?

So you are saying to use sloops and brigs as fire ships?

There are still some issues that need sorted out in Naval battle just like everything else still has some glitches.

Path finding and formations still fit that bill.

[Feanaro]

My tactic is to bring more ships than the other guy and hope the fluster-cluck comes out in my favor.

<-- is naval-y challenged.

[Callahan9119]

I cannot win a sea battle, ever. About to go back to Prussia just so I dont have to deal with it anymore.

How do you broadside, usually when I click the button its always the wrong side and when it isnt I dont know how to fire it off. Do I have to be really close to their ship?

[A Very Super Market]

Don't bother broadsiding.

But if you must.
Clicking it once means that your ship will stop firing and start trying to load every cannon. You can cut this time short at any time.
Clicking it the second time will fire whatever cannons on that side of the ship within the red area.

[Fisherking]

I know boarding is a mess, but when you do it might be a good idea to remember taking the ship off fire at will…then you can use the whole crew and not shoot your own guys to pieces.

It is bugged that the enemy ship continues to fire once boarded and these seam to be the last to die.