[League]

Ship combat should be far more involving, and not limited to the wheel and cannons. First off, ships should be limited in health, as if they were a player themselves. However, being ships, they should be a good lot tougher than any character. Why am I saying this? I would like for the same things that could damage a pirate player to be able to damage a ship. It shouldn't be limited to the grenades: the voodoo staff should be able to damage an enemy ship. The pistol could be able to do some damage if you shoot a cannon, and could perhaps render it ineffective. The sword and the dagger could damage lines holding the sails, reducing speed.

With the sword and dagger part, I mean to introduce something totally new. You should be able to take out a crew navigating a ship in addition to being able to take out the ship. How would you do this? First off, the crew should be totally visible from the moment you start attacking the ship. Then, you should be able to attack the crew with the cannons or with a weapon in your hands that can hit. That being said, a cannon should only be able to fire at you or the ship if it has a person at it.

With that addition, something far crazier would be the ability to board a ship before you sink it. You could 'occupy' enemies while they get shot at by cannonballs, or you could perhaps wipe out a crew by your lonesome. All you would have to do is fire the grappling hook to a specific target where it could land, that wasn't near any blade-wielding foe. Then, you could board the ship. You'd have approximately 3 seconds to do so, and you'd have one shot in a reasonable lifetime to do it, all because it takes a while to reload the grapple shot. If you fired too near to a blade-wielding foe, your line could get cut, or, if you were in the process of jumping ships, you could drown. All would make it a risk, unless you first eliminated a good part of the enemy crew.

However, damage itself to the ships should be reconsidered. All ships should be left to a hull. That means that the ship only sinks after a hole big enough has fully appeared in one section of the hull, after a plating of armor drops off from that section. Time would do further damage to the ship, as it takes water, or it could be sped along with additional cannonfire. This would make for some reasonably-long lasting battles, though it would also offer a new way to battle: you could poison your enemy, limit it's ability to pursue, flee, and allow it to sink before it gets to you.

Cannonshots should each have their perk, as they all are unique, or at least should be. The standard shot is the normal shot, and it's perk is that there is a limitless supply. An alright eco-shot is enough of a perk. It's damage could be kept minimally. The chain shot currently has no advantage to it, though I propose to give it one. It should get a damage boost, and gain it's effect when it hits a sail, not a mast. Thus, it would have a bigger target to hit than the thunderbolt would have. The grape shot is the shot to use against people, and its damage against people should be increased. The firebrand should do increased damage if it shoots near a cannon, as it would be something. The damage done by the burning should be equal to whatever portion of the ship that the flames take up, and not some set-in-stone little amount. The thunderbolt is good as is, as it is a speed killer and a volleyable shot, in addition to being a big damager. If anything, the damage done to the main part of the ship should be reduced. The explosive should be able to rip off a section of plating covering the hull: it would be quite a good shot then, even if it kept it's slow recharge rate. The shot should have no lateral value, and should only be able to go a little distance before starting to plummet. Hence, it should only be able to hit the sides of an equal level ship, though it could be allowed to hit the deck of a lower one. The fury would make for a good replacement of the round shot, though it should be most effective against the deck of a ship, not the hull.

The ships I feel are good, though the War Sloop should be the fastest and most maneuverable ship, followed by the Light Sloop, and then the Light Frigate, and then the Sloop, and then the Light Galleon, and then the Frigate, and then the War Frigate, and then the Galleon, followed last by the War Galleon. Why? The Sloop class is fitted for speed and maneuverability: hence, any upgrade is to boost these. The War upgrade is an increase of speed from the Light, though the regular is not to be an upgrade for the Light. The Frigate is to be a crew carrying ship, and thus the cannons and everything added on, in addition to space added, are to slow it down slightly as you jump weight classes. The Galleon is to hold more cargo, and thus is slowed dramatically between classes.

I feel that ships should turn as they sail, so the above order works the same way, though the War Frigates and War Galleons are to be as maneuverable as their regular counterparts.
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I actually want to keep the ships' healths in pure, undulterated numerical terms, not like in what's quoted or "stolen" in the first post. Hence, the numbers for the healths of ships will be quite, quite large; as will be the damage done by cannons. Keep in mind that I want the weapons that a person carries to be able to damage a ship in addition to the cannons doing the same to human players.

Light Sloop: 2,000*/2** [All Light Sloop plates are conveniently side plates, including two rear ones]/0***/0****/300*****/1******/600*******/1000*********/1200*********
Light Galleon: 7,000*/3**/2***/2****/500*****/2******/800*******/?/?
Light Frigate: 8,000*/4**/2***/2****/450*****/3******/700*******/?/?
Sloop: 6,000*/3**/1***/1****/400*****/2******/700*******/?/?
Galleon: 12,000*/6**/3***/3****/900*****/3******/1200*******/?/?
Frigate: 14,000*/7**/3***/3****/800*****/3******/1000*******/?/?
War Sloop: 12,000
War Galleon: 18,000
War Frigate: 20,000

(Overall amount of health*/Overall amount of side plates on a side**/Overall amount of front plates***/Overall amount of rear plates****/Overall toughness of plates, minus 10% for where the ships weakness is, and plus 10% where the ship's strength is*****/Overall number of sails******/Overall toughness of a sail*******/Overall speed********/Overall maneuverability*********)