Plan of Action! - September 3, 2010
 

Plan of Action! September 03, 2010

With Jolly Roger continuing to devastate the Caribbean with his Invasions, it's time the Pirates put together a fool-proof plan of action for victory. Now that Jolly has actively begun changing his Invasion strategies, Pirates need to join together and come up with our own skillful tactics to combat the Invasions successfully.
Many Pirates in the Caribbean are skilled at defeating Invasions and have been known to send Jolly retreating with only a handful of crewmates! Some of the newer Pirates could use a word of advice from seasoned Pirates such as these.
So come mates, let us know your strategy for defeating Jolly Roger's Invasions! Everyone could use a helping hand when it comes to defeating a common enemy like the vile Jolly Roger. Pirates who have had great luck in defeating Invasions - share your well-designed plan with the rest of us by replying to this post.

http://piratesonline.go.com/#/news_b...plan_of_action

another way of distracting us. ugh. just release fishing!!!

there are no known bugs right now just release fishing you've been taunting the wide public for 2 months and you've been taunting us in the phase files for 6 months

I don't like distractions, but you need to be patient. Just because you can't find any bugs, doesn't mean others haven't.

Your technically not supposed to be in the phase files anyway.

that is true

They really should stop distracting us, and release fishing. I mean honestly it's going to be a long weekend for some people with Labor Day, so it's like the perfect time to release it. Why is Disney taking so long? Everything is ready in my opinion, mates. :) :bookishfj7::piratewheelgo2:

As originally posted back in March 2008........

As with all good military strategies, it is often said that a plan rarely survives the first shot - so, keep in mind that this is framework to be modified, and adapted as the situation dictates.

The goal for this post is to impart some of the techniques and small unit strategy I acquired during my career in the military for the benefit of our forum members and players.


The Crew

Obviously, being in a crew will be of tremendous benefit. Not only in the bonus obtained for rep, but also expedience of communication, HUD info about health status and weapon selection. I am likening being in a crew to being a member of a squad in today's modern military. Further adding to this correlation is the size of the group. A squad in a Marine rifle platoon is twelve members, plus a squad leader. A pirate crew is capped at 12 - therefore similar in size.

I would recommend that the crew then be subdivided into four groups. For the purpose of this discussion the groups will be Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green. These groups are again similar to the construction of a Marine Corps squad in that they would be the fire teams. The reason for 4 teams of three is to take advantage of the weapon types. Each team would act in cohesion, in the same area of operation as the remainder of the crew (line of sight / compass view).

Operation & Responsibilities

Each team would then begin each invasion phase with a member designated to a specific role. In the modern military each team member has a role base on their assigned weapon. Each teams would begin each phase from this starting point.

Red 1 - melee weapon (Tank - cutlass, dagger). Primary function is to stop invading forces at a point to allow for ranged fire. Is the pirate attuned by healer, and would also call for change of roles using the phrase 'Red Switch'. Ideally the switch order would come during a lull in battle (and not while a tank is directly engaged). Upon switch the tank would move to position 3 (Healer). Or as an alternative, each team could have an appointed 'team leader' whose responsibility is to direct the switch.
Red 2 - Ranged weapons (pistol, grenades, staff). Primary function is to inflict damage on any invader assailing the tank and recharge buffs for melee weapons. Upon the switch order, would move to position 1 (Tank).
Red 3 - Healer / Revive (doll). Primary function is to use healing hex on tank to maximize health and allow for buffs to recharge. Upon switch order, would move to position 2 (ranged weapons).

Simultaneously, each of the four teams would be operating and rotating in a likewise fashion. (I have a suspicion that in actual combat the roles of position 2 and 3 might best be reversed as the ranged weapon may benefit from additional time to recharge health in the event that the invader deviates from the tank.)

One pirate would assume the role of crew leader, and in addition to incorporating themselves into one of the operating teams would also provide overall direction (fall back, relocate, concentrate fire). Positioning the four teams based on their strength, cohesion, communication, and performance would be managed by this individual (i.e. 'Yellow team left of barricade, Red team right of barricade, Green team move forward, Blue team fall back').


Tactical Scheme and Advantages

Anticipated Benefits of this process are:
- Maximize firepower through coordination and minimization of eliminated team members
- Specialization of role and responsibilities allows for each pirate to focus on a specific job for a period of time, but will still be able to enjoy using the full spectrum of their arsenal. Thus benefiting the entire crew.
- Provides differentation of weapons to allow for recharge and maximum effectiveness of buffs.


Implementation

- Practice, practice, practice.
- The challenge in using this method is that it requires teamwork, and communication. Those two tools can only be developed through practice and understanding the roles assigned.
- Ideally suited location for practice would be the conjoined pools on the right (center) of Tormenta. The enemy in that location spawn Thrall Captains up to level 50 and also Urchinfist up to level 50. There are several other locations throughout the Cursed Caverns that have staggered pairs of equal (but lower level) targets (i.e. the seabeard / mollusk groups, or the brinescum / spineskull / kelphead groups).
- Great activity for Guilds to use to bollster enthusiasm and promote networking within the guild. You can create specific "invasion crews" and appoint leadership roles therein as a reward for successful practice.
- Test and determine what configuration is best for the skill and levels of your crew members. It's very likely that with lower level pirates three teams of four might be more beneficial (with two healers).


Respectfully submitted for your consideration, comment, and feedback....
Tuefenhandel (a.k.a. Nathaniel Warfury)

Excellant strategy, Nathaniel. Although I am fairly new, I have seen too many invasions that are a free-for all especially in regards to the Keg Runners. But, being newbish, I have stuck with the ideal servers because the others are void of pirates for the most part. If lack of strategy doesn't defeat many a pirate-the lag does. JR has been defeated many a time, but he does also win because of this.

Good to see this thread is not filling up with cynical remarks.

I only have 1 thing -

STAY AWAY FROM KEG RUNNERS!


What is about people? How many invasions do they have to do before they get the hint? Big dude, big bomb - RUN AWAY, not toward!

I agree with Eliza. If you are taking out the Kegs, tell people to move away from them so they don't get killed. I'd also try to get to angle where you can hit like 12 guys. It would distract the skeletons while other people are reviving. Another strategy is when Jolly Roger comes, try to keep a distance, so when he does his grave shackles attack, you won't get affected.

Get a weapon that has cleanse when ur fighting jolly... to get away from grave shackels and other effects.

That could work too, but i don't have cleanse!... yet

First of all, yes there are - several crashes with fishing, and many other minor things, so be patient! Second of all, I am thinking I should report you right now, because looking in the phase files is hacking, disney confirms it themselves.

James

Ok now this, the eitc super corsair (as I call it) with the fleet logo. What more now?

well if they would post my replies i would but they never do so i think im good

really u would do that?

What you all said about invasion strategies... all I know is that I am now really angry that fishing isnt out. Its been long enough. I dont care if they are a few bugs, I want it out.

Normally I am very patient, but I think 4 weeks of waiting (or is it 5?) is enough.

I'm going to steer away from the actual topic for a moment to clear something up, and I'll get back on, just so you know.

Viewing the phase files is not hacking. A hack would be something like changing your pirates level to 100 and giving him the lost sword of el patron without actually receiving it. There's a difference between changing things to make your game play better, and just viewing the phase files.

Second, you CAN'T get in trouble for it, because for them to know you did it would mean they have control over your computer, and know what you do. This is usually illegal, and unless you tell them you do it, there's no way of knowing.

Back on topic, let's look on the bright side of this distraction. The Raven's Cove text is about stopping Jolly Roger, because he's cut off the rum supply. Maybe this is the first step to start rolling out ravens cove information? Such as, the next news may say something like, "No matter how much we try, we can't stop Jolly Roger and his invasions. Even worse, he's now cut off the rum supply for Jack Sparrow, and eventually he'll have to come out of hiding."

I am not going to get involved in this... *backs away slowly*

Anyways, harder invasions? I wouldn't like that very much. Hard enough as it is....

I always use a musket on Jolly. If you back to the very edge of its range, (when the circle turns yellow, you'll have to use Take Aim then) it puts you out of his range. If the circle turns red, start backing up. Or else you're taking a trip to jail. I tend to use Hex Eater Shot, use my Holy Musket with infinite silver (at least, I think it's the Holy Musket!,) when he's half down, bring out the silver and finish him off. I was amazed at the noon invasion.... We were at Jolly, most everyone was doing 1-10 points of damage. Heard a lot of mistimed cutlasses though. Using my musket with silver shot, I was doing 1500 points of damage easily. There were a few others using muskets, but I couldn't see what kind of damage they were doing. Evil green fog!

Well, I have a few easy suggestions for invasions: Shoot first, ask questions later, and if you shoot a friend... be a friend and put them out of their misery..

As far as updates go... eh, I can wait a little longer.

You are NOT a hacker for looking in the phase files. Disney gives them to you! If Disney didn't want you to see them, they wouldn't make them open to the public. Hundreds of people would be banned for hacking the phase files already if Disney didn't want you to see them.

About the update, I would rather that all bugs were fixed first before they release it. I don't want to crash the game or get stuck in a weird postion. Be patient for this update because it is a major update.

At this point, It should just be released, even with a few bugs. We have all been waiting way too long for this, and bugs will get reported and hopefully fixed much faster on live.

realse it already!

Still they HAVE to fix the bugs because little things can go to big major not fun things you have to think developing these features must take lots of work.
Patience.

Hmm, well okay. We know, kill jolly roger. Lol.

Uh, if they release it with bugs they then have to go back and fix said bugs. Which may interfere in unexpected ways on the live servers. Test is specifically for that, testing. To fix bugs before they hit live. I'll let the testers do their job and let D do theirs. I could care less about this update anyway, it's just so much more fluff anyway.

As for all the distractions from the lack of updates. Isn't this update just another distraction from the lack of a second story chapter?

It is a distraction JM, but the sooner this gets out, the sooner RAVENS COVE is out. And I know that we all want Raven's Cove. Do you know how many testers there are? Not too many mate. If they release the update with a few minor bugs, live players can report them, and they will be noticed by the players much faster, considering there are around..... 10,000x more. This has been on test forever, and I really want to be able to fish and get those throwing knives. Its taking way too long. More and more people are quitting the game because they just arent releasing fast enough. Disney should just put each update on test for 1-3 weeks, focus on getting those bugs fixed ONLY for that time period (except developers, who should be ready to release that next update after this update hits live), and after that time, they should just release it, and clear out those last few little bugs while its on live. I mean seriously, this has been on test for A MONTH now. If it isnt out next week I will probably have to send them a complaint email.

Normally I dont usually rant like this, but I really am impatient for this update now. Its taking longer than most players are willing to wait.

Complaints will not work on Disney. Your going to have to relax like I said making these features take time and plus little things can lead to major bad things if these bugs are not fixed. They have so much other stuff to work on like the second chapter but only they can work on these updates for little times a month because they want to release a few things at the same time. If you get frusrated alot then why play (not to flare up on anything). Patience is the key. Just relax and wait. :smiley-rpg028:

A distraction is better than nothing (I'd prefer a strongest guild event than a month of silence), either way it's still going to be on Test. And the sooner it is out, that doesn't mean Ravens Cove will come any sooner. For all we know, it could take a month for them to get it ready to even go on Test.

Live is not meant for testing the game. Those on Live are there to, play. I don't know anyone on Live that spends their time reporting bugs, unless they are on Test. Releasing the bugs on Live could be a problem too, you never know when they may have to have a reset, and doing so on Live would be a bad move.

Well if people aren't willing to wait, they should do something else until it is released. Plus, there have been months without updates, and people are impatient waiting one month for yet another, mini-game and a few daggers (that, unlike the months without updates, is already on Test)?

This is why i quit potco is their updates stink they take to long and there are better games out there

Very True and people's lack of interest in the game is shown by there being only 9 Green servers last night. Players are finding other more interesting things to play because POTC has grown really stale.

I will say that this update has taken much longer than Cannon Defense did, as well as Potions and Ship repairing. However, this update has fishing AND new daggers AND it's re-vamping the guild system. There are numerous bugs that are happening now, and if they release it too soon... tons of game crashes and bugs. You see many problems that reach live, but these are only a quarter of what it started out with. Every bug you notice, multiply that by 10. THAT is around the numbers it would have when it started out on test. While I don't know about you mates, I am willing to wait another 2 months if it means that this new guild updates come out and stop guild crashing. Many guilds have never seen the light of day because of crashers, and if they are coming out with a way to STOP people who deliberately attack others guilds, I'm all for waiting. Patience is the key here, and it always will be.

The only complaint that I can make here is the fact Disney puts up test updates on the site. If they stopped putting it up there and had their own special website for testers, then people wouldn't complain about how long this takes or why it hasn't been released yet. When it gets released, THEN you post about it on youe Pirates site, and we'll all rush online.

Just my thoughts.

*Goes Back On Topic*

IMO, the best weapons for invasions are long-range ones, to get the attention of skeleies and to get some hits in there, Grenades are uesful, as well as Staffs, which are my personal favorite. I find Flaming Skull useful for attacking enemies right out of the water, as well as Blast Wither & Desolation for the enemies attacking barriers. Siege Charges and other grenades can help get rid of pesky Keg Runners, and never attack Kegs with a sword, everrr.

Personally, I like to use Siege Charges if large amounts of enemies make it to barricades. Also, I use a blunderbuss to deal with Powder Keg runners. However, I sometimes use Flaming Skull. I like doing Invasions on a quiet server, with 1 or 2 people at each pathway to the final target. This way, we can cover all the barricades.

I think the invasions are too easy...lets see a wave that's nothing but keg runners :)

I agree bring it on keg runners!:piratemt2::degen:

Actually, I had quite a few keg runners in a recent Port Royal invasion I did on... sabona I think. Something like that. Anyway, I took screenies.

Actually, lots of Keg Runner in a big pack would be easier. Why? Because you blow up one.... BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM they're all gone. Chain reactions :)

POTCO has extreme potential, really, and we can't blame the game itself for not having more content, but Disney themselves.

It's not even the developers fault, I'm sure they would love to have a bigger staff, but some boss in the Disney world probably thinks that doing a mediocre job on the game will get them a lot of money.

I'm not going to rant much, but they need more developers. According to the POTCO site, the developing staff is extremely small. They NEED more developers, because in five years, if they don't have more people, there's no way they'll be able to keep up with the other online games.

^ Agreed. If they did this, they could just keep rolling out updates every other week or so.

Yep I agree as well. Also we should start a song for The Powder Keg Runner's :laughks2::D The Keg's are coming,... The Keg's are coming!! :bookishfj7::piratewheelgo2:

keg runners: take them out with pistols!
jolly: doll, to get far away and stop his movements with grave shackles
other enemies: sword or blunderbuss

Well, this is what I do at my invasions.

I always do it on quiet servers. For this reason, it is of the utmost importance to have the right people at each barricade. I always try to balance the levels at each barricade. Never have a setup where you have 3 level 50s at one barricade and 3 level 10s at another. Now, having a balance of weapons is key. You should always try to have a staff user, to blast away PKRs with flaming skulls. My ideal weapon belt is my Divine Cutlass (that cleanse ability is really handy with jolly roger), my Corsair's Bayonet (great for getting rid of the keg runners), a staff (comes in handy, no explanation needed), and my Bloodfire Broadsword (very good for fighting off waves of enemies, and the attack just keeps going up and up.) If you are on Padres, have someone with a bayonet or musket on top of the bridge at the magma ridge barricade, to pick off the enemies. When Wave 7 strikes, keep fighting (and watch out for the Captains and Stumps, they are nasty). Once enemies stop spawning, DONT JUST STAND THERE! Go assist the other barricade(s). Make sure to check the minimap every few seconds and keep an eye out for Jolly Roger, as he appears on the map a few seconds before it says he spawned, so you can get a head start. As soon as he comes, finish off any enemies left at the barricade you are defending, and go attack him. Weapons with a cleanse skill are handy for when he does grave bind, or you can just have a ranged weapon ready. Once he is dead, gratz! Or if you failed, better luck next time.

Anyway, hope that is helpful.

No it's not. Hacking is using a third party program to change aspects of the game. We aren't changing anything. Technically, we're not even using a third-party program. You use Panda3d, used by Disney to make potco. They are full of hollow promises when they call looking in the phase files hacking.

Having attended dozens upon dozens of invasions ever since they first came out, I've learned what to do and when to do it. I once attempted to put this strategy in to work on an Ideal server, and it was probably one of the best I ever happened to partake in:

Before the Invasion

Firstly, an organization amongst everybody at the islands must be established. As Tue stated, organization and communication are extremely vital in any form of operation that involves teamwork. So, here's what we did:

- Each barricade voted and had themselves assigned a leader, who was, simply enough, the leader of that barricade. Voting helped calm and settle arguments between the leader selection process, as it helps choose the most popular leader, more than likely creating a sense of trust.

- The leaders of each barricade formed a crew, so that communication between each barricade was safely established. So, if one barricade needed help, they could ask the leader of a barricade in better condition to send over a few willing defenders.

- The leaders of each barricade handed out to each fighter a rank out of four - tank, DPS, heal bot, or reviver.

• Tank - The role of "tank" is used in a lot of MMO's that involve group work. This is the person who attracts the enemies to themselves, while the others hack away at them without getting hit endlessly. Typically, the tank uses a broadsword, so they can hit numerous enemies and use taunt, as well as have the most passive skills and health in use.
• DPS - Stands for "Damage Per Second." These are your standard fighters, who attack the enemies that the tanks draw in. Their job is to make your they deal out as much damage as possible in as little time as possible. Prefered techniques include Repeater Pistols with Max Silver Shot, Cutlass, or in some cases, Staffs. You'll want to refrain from having your DPS's hitting too many enemies at once, as they may draw them away from the tank.
• Heal Bot - The name explains the role. Heal bots are there solely to heal fighters, specifically the tank. This is a very important job, as losing a tank could lead to a very very very bad outcome. Heal Bots are usually chosen based on what kind of doll they have, how quick their skills/voodoo recharges, and how strong heal/cure is. Wind and Spirit Guard skills are a plus.
• Revivers - There to revive those fighters who died. They need to be on top of their job, as losing a fighter for more than a few moments can bring a drastic shift of pace. Also a very very very important job. They should have max tonics. Usually, the revivers are the lowest levels there.

If you have to make a ratio of how tanks to DPS's to Healers to Revivers should be, a safe bet would be 1:3:2:2.

During the Invasion

- Leaders are to keep the atmosphere at their barricade calmed and encouraging. One person with bad spirits can soon infect others, and when somebody doubts their actions, sure enough, the outcome will reflect that.

- Crew chat is to remain as open as possible. If the leaders are having idle chit-chat, a request for help may be lost in the mix.

- Leaders should try to keep their fighters focused on fighting. More talking = less attention to fight.

- Leaders SHOULD NOT leave their barricades at any time, for whatever reason. Even if you see another leader needs reviving, leave them be - their crew should handle it themselves.

- In the event your barricade becomes destroyed, tell your crew to retreat to the next barricade down the row. So, if your at the Beach Barricade on Port Royal, and it gets destroyed, fall back to the King's Run Barricade.

- Jolly Roger:

• When Jolly arrives, have all your troops head down to him. Ignore the barricades.
• Be sure to keep your set up, with the tanks distracting Jolly, DPS's attacking Jolly, and keeping Heal Bots and Revivers a safe distance away.
• Tanks should alternate using Brawl and Grave Shackles on Jolly to slow him down. These are often "aggro moves," so if a DPS uses it, Jolly might end up sending a bolt his way.
• Revivers should only go to revive somebody until after Jolly passes. That way, the reviver won't have to keep getting interrupted over and over again by Jolly's Grave Shackles, or Soul Storm.

If all goes well, your invasion should go pretty smoothly :)

i agree with the person before me except i see no need for revivers who only revivers healers should also be revivers. also plan your retreat ahead of time if you don't you could leave barricades defenseless and jolly could win more easily. espesaly on port royal. Also at the bridge barricade use blunder busses and braud swords and don't leave the brige with braud swords or you could be wiped out. also don't revive low lvl ppl and a ton of low lvl pppl as we all know make invasions harder rather then easier no offence to them but they don't help by being there. This also supports the thery that the game masters don't know much about the game.

Well im a tester and i also play on live i agree mate they should reales it there arent that many bugs but you know what one bug can do it can remove all your inventory this has happened in test and guess what do u think we got our inventory back, nope we had to start all over so yeah we all want it out but at what risk if it comes out to early.:degen:

We do have our own site but disney usually puts like half of wat they put on the test site.:degen:

talk about a keg marathon.:degen:

might i ask what you mean by that is it this site or what?

That wasnt a bug... I think they did that cuz they were still trying to figure out what weapons and/or clothing to release, and which to save for another time. The Shadow Cutlass for example, that was on test, but they reset it to take it out and add other ones in. Perhaps there were bugs too, so they wanted to reset, but I think they just wanted to try out new loot items...

Keg Marathan:

http://www.piratesonlineforums.com/g...7_21-45-30.jpg

http://www.piratesonlineforums.com/g...7_21-45-02.jpg

What server was that Dog?

dun-dun-dun.... :)
 

Here they come.. dun-dun-dun.... Anyways, Three words for winning an invasion Use Siege Charge. :) :bookishfj7::piratewheelgo2: