Quote:
Originally Posted by Silver Beard
Hem hem. *coughcough* I know about 10 people that do that, and I do it myself...and not many people like the bragging.
EDIT: People it does work, and whoever said take it to SvS and see how well you do (I can't remember the name right now) but it does work.
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ORLY? You can get behind a war frigate (in SvS) in your light sloop and go left and right off its tail? Bravo matey! Do, please make a video of that. I am more than a little skeptical. (And what about those other nine ships that will delightfully blast you away, as you try?)
It is sad to see that the "T-bone tease" method isn't described. The "tickle the tail" method is (as others have pointed out) hazardous.
T-bone Tease
Step one: set sail alone in your light sloop. Find a black harbinger or storm reaper you wish to target.
Step two: line them up so they are on an imaginary horizontal line going directly across the middle of your compass, touching the edge of the compass.
OPTIONAL - Step three: ping them with a single cannon ball hit, so they start coming directly at you. (Your boat is the top horizontal part of a capitalized "T" which the target boat is the vertical part. Don't let them touch you, though!)
Step four: when they are one boat length away from the
edge of the compass (or 1/2 a boat length, if you have more skill points on your broadsides) fire broadsides then start sailing FORWARD without turning. (You should be traveling perpendicular to their course - forcing them to turn slightly and slow down as you speed up slightly.)
Step five: Since broadsides take 15 seconds to recharge, start turning at 12 seconds. As soon as broadsides are recharged, fire and continue on straight. Repeat steps 4 & 5 until it sinks.
(Just tested this method on a level eight pirate with level four sailing. 34 broadsides hits for a level 32 storm reaper. Rubies, ivory and spices.)
VARIATIONS: When in traffic, you can "flip around their nose" and just go the opposite direction (and use broadsides from your other side.)
WITH CREW: Gunners will love you and adore you, especially in galleons, because you DON'T make them change guns when you use this method. They also have a decent shot, pretty much the whole time. You also vary their range of view so that they see a lot of other ships that are still outside your range. They can pick and choose from the available targets.
WARNING: As you perfect this method (estimating the 5/6ths of recharge or to start turning when two notches are left) you can expect your crew size to grow dramatically. Many gunners appreciate this type of driving (it is fun for everyone) and they tend to seek you out.
Note: Not particularly good for SvS. Better than some methods, but no good at all, if you are in a slow boat. SvS is more about speed than finesse. (Well, much more about cheating, but meh.) Only frigates (light, regular and war) have forward-aiming guns...all other boat types can be "t-boned" if they are separated from the herd. You can fire at them (and can't miss since they are touching) but they can't hit you.
Other variations: Instead of 12 seconds, you can play with amount of time you run away - ten seconds is often good - or if they got too close to you, turn a little away from them for the first two seconds after broadsides, then run straight, until the target boat touches the edge of the compass again, THEN turn to aim at them.
Remember that the less often you make gunners switch sides, the more they will like your driving, and the more they will like you. The kinder you are to your crew, the more often they will return to help you. (Not particularly true in SvS, but very true in regular sailing.) Landing cargo whenever full, is greatly appreciated by most of your gunners - and you will want all of them around when you get to John Smith!
Also remember to check the ranges of movement of each gun, whenever you buy a new type of ship. Your gunners will expect you to memorize exactly what their turning radius is. If you have trouble getting a feel for it, trade off with your best gunner and try using cannons. Alternately, park your boat at the launch point of Padres del Fuego; do NOT touch wheel except to land; fire at targets from each cannon...continue practicing until you sink a ship from each cannon.