Ever see "Finding Nemo"?
 

Remember the seagulls?

MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!

That's what I get reminded of should I manage to get a flagship immediately outside either Port Royal or Tortuga. I get the green grappling hook targets, but that doesn't stop the three or four other ships from all crowding around and trying to ... well, I'm not sure what they're trying to do, to be honest.

There were so many around one ship that it took a couple minutes to somehow manage to find a gap and get a hook attached. I had to squeeze in between two sloops and fire the hook in through a tiny gap over the target's stern.

And even then, once I'm on board, there are always a couple ships that just sit there blasting away at the ship while you're fighting on board.

Does this happen to anyone else? Or is it just me?

I tend to stay away from Devil's Anvil because of this, but if a flagship pops up right next to me, I'm going to blow it up.

lol yep I remember the seagullsand yes I had that experince too other ships want what I my crew is shooting at and they shoot the grap too late and we don't get any rewards

Yes it happens to me. Find some bigger flagships and attack those if you hate it that much. Try Rumrunner for a Manowar and Ironwall. Should give ya a couple royals.

Ya, I remember that. Now I just go for level 23 war sloops, and sometimes, if I have a good leveled crew, a lv 30. It pays off to be at higher level. Actually if you want to take down a higher level ship, get a freind with a ship with a high cannon, you board and he blasts his cannon at the poeple chasing you, The person who boards is more likely to die, but its worth it for the gold you get.

It's easy enough to avoid, just don't go straight out from either Tortuga or Port Royal.

I'm still only level 15 (8 sail, 6 cannon) (restarted my character), so boarding the higher ships isn't on the agenda just yet. I can take down the unflagged Vanguards and Ironwalls just fine by plinking them at extreme cannon range, then blasting them as they come over to say hi.

I'm just amused that people don't even read the little hints, much less the manual, where it says that the ship that does the most damage gets to board.

Better way to avoid it, go to a quiet server. No Gulls there to scavage off your prey.

i have had this happen to me constantly over the past week. I go to quiet servers from now on and when ever i go after flags i never use firebrand because it seems to sink them more often than not.:piratetongueor4: I hate it when little ships take out the fire and destroy the ship i just hooked.

Though I think it has ben fixed since my 'younger pirate days' - my favorite stunt was to make the flagship a 'Ghost Flagship' - when a flagship first appears they need about 5 seconds to setup and start sailing - but if you can actually cripple them before that time is up - they become crippled - and start sailing anyway!

All of a sudden you see the 'gulls' start chasing and trying to hook this ship pulling away at full speed... going everywhere for 4:30 until the Boarding Timer run out LOL - fun to watch AND because the 'gulls' ran after it the space is nice and clear for the next one to appear :)

This is kinda messed up now with the Greyhound and the Bull in the same spawning spot (which I got to admit not really fair to the noobs... they get a shot of their first boarding a Bull then a Grey appears out of nowhere and blasts them away...)

But as many in my Guild know - my favorite AFK pastime is to sit on my War Frigate just off Devils eating RL Lunch / Supper - and watch the 'gulls' LOL

LOL, never has there been a more appropriate comparison.

What blows my mind is that you'll see some of them spend a whole day doing this, and yet they never, ever seem to figure it out.

I usually would just cripple a flagship and then not board it, so all the spamming noobs would descend upon it and leave the entire ocean clear for me to pick off the next ship I saw as my real target. Other times, I would grapple, and it would let me drag the ship all over the ocean, with a noob parade behind me. LOL that was fun. I don't know if it lets you do that anymore. Playing with gulls can be fun. :laughks2:

Most of the time I just want to get away from them though. And sometimes there are no quiet servers anywhere that you can. That's when it gets annoying. :degen:

"Is That Light Sloop Shooting At Us? Rammng Speed Mr. Scott!" i laughed so hard when i saw that:laughks2: but back on topic yeah since i got my galleon a while back i've noticed that every now and then i'll catch a lone little light sloop following me and i lead them:piratewheelgo2: to the big fellows and watch them go BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!:skull:

lol yea its funny to see the poor bulwark trying to run from like 10000 light sloops

I just sail in high level waters. Act like I'm going to attack a flagship then the "gull" attack it first which he is instantly BBQ'd and I go in for the kill.

lol nice... great way to get lots of people mad and quit lol jk i find it amusing to go to Abassa tortuga docks and use wither on my staff the all go :psmiley27::psmiley27::psmiley27::psmiley27::psmil ey27::psmiley27:

ITS ANNOYING!!! i had 3 light sloops and 2 light galleons just blastin away like its some party.
its not. im tryin to board A FRIGGIN FLAGSHIP GOD sry hyper o well!!!

Some "Gulls" actually sometimes go to the report area for me. I would go after either the bulwark or the greyhound and if someone wanted to board it and didn't get to, they would go inbetween my frigate and the flagship so I couldnt shoot grapples at it.:sadmh9: