1.4 Naval Balance Observations

[Zenicetus]

Anyway, CA acknowledged that their ships CAN sail against the wind. Their argument for putting that 'feature' in was that otherwise naval battles would be too long and boring...

They also said that players would get confused if they right-clicked for a ship to go to point X, and it turned away from the destination because it had to tack to get there. In other words, they thought the player base was too dumb to understand sailing... even though very basic games like "Sid Maeir's Pirates!" did include tacking, as well as other more realistic games.

I haven't followed the mods for ETW. Does anyone know if there's a mod that only prevents sailing upwind without touching the rest of the game, and can the AI handle it? I've heard references to Darthmod, but that's a whole-game mod isn't it?

[Peasant Phill]

I'm fairly confidend that with the latest naval changes in 1.4 someone will develop a naval module. But AFAIK it isn't available just yet.

[Slaists]

Pardon my sourness, but these "naval balance adjustments" in 1.4 are a complete idiocy... In 1.4, the player does not need anything higher than 5th rates to defeat ANY navies that the AI possibly can build. Even 5th rates are not needed... I've defeated fleets of 2nd rates with mere brigs and 6th rates sporting the all might chainshot.



CA should introduce flying dragons and forest fairies while they're at it...

[econ21]

I've defeated fleets of 2nd rates with mere brigs and 6th rates sporting the all might chainshot.

From what's been said, it sounds like the problem is with the now overpowered chainshot rather than the (I agree, ridiculous) "balancing" of smaller ships to make them more effective. Is that right?

A couple of other questions:
(1) Does the AI use chainshot? (if it doesn't, the player can also just abstain)
(2) How common was chainshot used historically? My impression is that at battles like Trafalgar, ships were mainly just firing normal shot, but maybe I am wrong.

[Monsieur Alphonse]

From what's been said, it sounds like the problem is with the now overpowered chainshot rather than the (I agree, ridiculous) "balancing" of smaller ships to make them more effective. Is that right?

A couple of other questions:
(1) Does the AI use chainshot? (if it doesn't, the player can also just abstain)
(2) How common was chainshot used historically? My impression is that at battles like Trafalgar, ships were mainly just firing normal shot, but maybe I am wrong.

1. If seen the AI use it. I defeated a galleon with a sloop and the galleon fired chains at me.

2. The sea battles in ETW are nothing like the real thing. The British (and for example the Dutch and Americans) always tried to close the distance and pound the enemy with round shot. For them brutal fire power was the way of winning battles. There are some exceptions but Trafalgar is an example of endlessly pounding your opponent with cannonballs. The French and Spanish tended more to long distance duels and were using chain shot more often.

[Durallan]

while no CA rep has come out saying this is a bug, I get the feeling it is a bug because people complained about the chainshot battles in MP anyway so I would have thought they were going to be nerfed, I hardly use chainshot anyway these days just because I couldn't capture entire enemy fleets with it after 1.0 :P it has not lessened my enjoyment of naval battle, so if you are worried I would just not use it in that case, and if you are playing mp then would have to wait for a fix I suppose

[Slaists]

From what's been said, it sounds like the problem is with the now overpowered chainshot rather than the (I agree, ridiculous) "balancing" of smaller ships to make them more effective. Is that right?

A couple of other questions:
(1) Does the AI use chainshot? (if it doesn't, the player can also just abstain)
(2) How common was chainshot used historically? My impression is that at battles like Trafalgar, ships were mainly just firing normal shot, but maybe I am wrong.

The AI does use chainshot. I think, the problem is not so much in its power but in the fact that the chainshot in 1.4 has 100 more range than the round-shot. Before 1.4, the roundshot had 100 more range than the chainshot. The longer distance + the fact that sloops, brigs and frigates now have the "good accuracy" renders SOL ship types useless.