Ship Lease

[Rackat]

OK, so we all know that in game you can "loan" your ships to your friends. This works particularly well for low level friends that need to sink bigger stuff or haul in more plunder. I've loaned out my ships to friends and guild mates, then went back to leveling weapons while they sailed the Caribbean. So, why not incentivize this process?

High level player that is doing nothing but weapons grinding or hanging out with friends usually does not need to sail.

Low level player that is trying to do sailing quests/make gold needs to sail.

Answer: Ship Lease

How it could work:

1. Set up a ship leasing staion next to the shipwrights on PR/Tortuga/Cuba.

2. High level players that are interested in leasing out their ships can go there to see if anyone wants to lease his/her ship.

3. Low level player approaches high level player to see about leasing a ship.

4. Low level player crews the high level player.

5. High level player launches the ship to be leased (War Frigate/Galleon/Sloop).

6. Low level player boards and takes the helm.

7. High level player then disembarks and allows the low level to crew his mates and go plundering while the high level player goes back to weapon grinding or socialising with friends.


Payoff: The player leasing the ship would get a crewmember's share of the bounty even though he was not on board.

Advantages:
Interaction between high level and low level players.
High level players get to make gold while still grinding weapons or socialising.
Low level players getthe use of a War class vessel as well as the increased cargo/gold that comes along with it.

Disadvantages/remedies:
Low level player intentionally sinks ship/leave crew, do not lease to that pirate again.
High level player has to continually repair ship/cost of ship repair is minimal with a full cargo
High level player has to continually repair ship leaving the weapon grinding area/have a friend to tp to

It costs less than 80 gold to repair, so a full cargo would offset costs.

Please feel free to improve on this idea. It may not be feasible, but it is something to think about if they implement an economy.

[akamystic]

Hmmmmmm.......sounds pretty good to me. Pretty much a win/win situation.

[Basil Dreadflint]

The high level pirate won't get a share of the gold if he is not onboard! Once you leave the ship, even though you are in the crew, you give up crew bonus, ships sunk, and crew share.

Also, isn't this pretty much what we all aready do? Just not for total strangers.
But not ALWAYS! Letting someone borrow your ship is a nice gesture, but GIVING them your ship really isnt good for them as a pirate.
Part of developing your character and leveling your pirate is the challenge of sailing. If a level 2 pirate can lease a war Gall, he could get his sailing all the way to level 4 or 5 in the first haul. By the third time you launched it for him, he would be level 5 notoriety, and probably level 7 sailing, but level 1 or 2 on every other skill. Why would he ever even bother to buy a ship of his own if he never has to pay for it, always has one at his disposal, never has to worry about repair costs, etc.?

One last bad, Since the ship is the high level players, if the one driving decides to take on a flag, they wont be able to board it. The captain is the ship owner, no matter if he is onboard or not. Only the Captain can hit the boarding button. Now the ship is tethered to the flag ship, and cant let go. (I've seen this in regualr sailing where the ship owner discoed while grappling the flag.)

One thing that has been said over and over in many of the threads about helping each other, Too much help is actually a bad thing. It develops a high level pirate who is unevenly balanced in skills, and can't do anything for himself.

[akamystic]

Good points Basil. I think Rackat was trying to say why not benefit in some shape or form for something we already do to help the lower level characters? I personally don't lend my ships out on a regular basis but do allow lower level guild members to sail every now and then.

Every pirate makes their own choice on what they want to level up and how they'd like to so do. I try to maintain a balance when leveling so I don't have a level 5 cutlass and a level 18 voodoo doll....etc. Yet there are others that choose otherwise either from experience, lack of or just pure choice.

Out of all 4 of my open characters I certainly learned many things the first time around that I did not repeat on the second character. Ultimately I did something different with all of them (including my 5th on Test).

I think this is just an opportunity for a low level to get the taste of a War Ship and gain some reps. Yes I agree they should mostly work their way up the chain as most of us did with a light sloop, light galleon and so on. Obviously some guidelines and limitations should be set if this were even to be considered.

[Maximvs]

One thing that has been said over and over in many of the threads about helping each other, Too much help is actually a bad thing. It develops a high level pirate who is unevenly balanced in skills, and can't do anything for himself.

Gotta agree with that - I mentioned many times with the 'ship grapple glitch' that when that glitch was gone - no one would know how to sail and sure enough it happened...

Since I never used that glitch (by using the 'fish tail' method to sink high level ships - learning to aim close to lighting strike sails) - when it was fixed again... I never even missed it.

It also points back to other issues where if weak players always scream out for a healer in everything they do - they don't learn to survive on their own when needed (and they become needy). Where I can do Kingshead at L20 myself without a healer (not easy - but can be done) for Gernades - I would never have that learned the tricks I use (tag and step runs to get them stuck while I check barrels for example) if I just depended on everyone helping me all the time...

---

Overall - its a nifty idea... but the execution I think would be crippling in the end.

[Rackat]

Originally Posted by Basil Dreadflint

The high level pirate won't get a share of the gold if he is not onboard! Once you leave the ship, even though you are in the crew, you give up crew bonus, ships sunk, and crew share.

I thought about that, and I can’t come up with a way to “pay” for the use of the ship other than to have a “Lease Stand” next to the shipwright where the high level pirate would have to check in somehow with an NPC so the game would know he is leasing his ship. Maybe even have a new option on the shipwright menu to allow you to lease your ship out or to lease a ship. That way even if you are not aboard, you would get your share of the gold for allowing your ship to be used.

Originally Posted by Basil Dreadflint

Also, isn't this pretty much what we all aready do? Just not for total strangers.
But not ALWAYS! Letting someone borrow your ship is a nice gesture, but GIVING them your ship really isnt good for them as a pirate.
Part of developing your character and leveling your pirate is the challenge of sailing. If a level 2 pirate can lease a war Gall, he could get his sailing all the way to level 4 or 5 in the first haul. By the third time you launched it for him, he would be level 5 notoriety, and probably level 7 sailing, but level 1 or 2 on every other skill. Why would he ever even bother to buy a ship of his own if he never has to pay for it, always has one at his disposal, never has to worry about repair costs, etc.?

All excellent points. But, as I said, this ‘could’ be an idea to use if ever an economy was implemented in game. Perhaps a payment structure system that makes it expensive, but not prohibitive. In the end, I think people want to own their ships, and this is just a means of making gold to that end.

Originally Posted by Basil Dreadflint

One last bad, Since the ship is the high level players, if the one driving decides to take on a flag, they wont be able to board it. The captain is the ship owner, no matter if he is onboard or not. Only the Captain can hit the boarding button. Now the ship is tethered to the flag ship, and cant let go. (I've seen this in regualr sailing where the ship owner discoed while grappling the flag.)

Perhaps part of the lease ‘code’ would be that if the Lessee goes to jail boarding a flag, the same rules apply as if he were the actual captain. Just as in a real life lease. He goes to jail, the ship sinks, and the ship reverts back to the owner.

Originally Posted by Basil Dreadflint

One thing that has been said over and over in many of the threads about helping each other, Too much help is actually a bad thing. It develops a high level pirate who is unevenly balanced in skills, and can't do anything for himself.

I understand, however, this is not so much “help” as it is a money making venture for the high level pirate that allows the low level pirate to “taste” the good life of a War Fleet.

Edit: it is also dependent upon high level pirates "wanting" to do this.

Originally Posted by Maximvs

Gotta agree with that - I mentioned many times with the 'ship grapple glitch' that when that glitch was gone - no one would know how to sail and sure enough it happened...

Since I never used that glitch (by using the 'fish tail' method to sink high level ships - learning to aim close to lighting strike sails) - when it was fixed again... I never even missed it.

It also points back to other issues where if weak players always scream out for a healer in everything they do - they don't learn to survive on their own when needed (and they become needy). Where I can do Kingshead at L20 myself without a healer (not easy - but can be done) for Gernades - I would never have that learned the tricks I use (tag and step runs to get them stuck while I check barrels for example) if I just depended on everyone helping me all the time...

---

Overall - its a nifty idea... but the execution I think would be crippling in the end.

Yea, I laughed at the people who depended on the grapple glitch to rep up. The last time I ‘sunk’ was on one of my low level characters after boarding the colossus. I went to jail and the ship had to be fully repaired. I haven’t been sunk by a ship outside of SvS in a long time.

Again, though, it is up to the high level player whether s/he wants to do this, and if s/he wants to actually go out with the crew.

Basically, the idea comes directly from leasing autos. I was just thinking about how that might be implemented in the game.

[Maximvs]

Basically, the idea comes directly from leasing autos. I was just thinking about how that might be implemented in the game.

Until rumours fly around that the EITC are taking any leased ships caught and selling them off for their own profits and the owner loses the ship - the lease market dries up as pirates pull their precious ships off the shelf... causing a downward spiral of noob pirates buying light sloops because they had no "real gold" saved from just spending it on useless clothing and not saving for their own big ship - everywhere as the caribbean fills up with mass light sloops the servers crash...

The Recession of 1699.... LOL

[Your Gladiator]

i agree with you racket! sounds good

[Poison elf]

I have to go toward what some others are saying here. Really what is the point to lease, 65k is 65k no matter how much you try to add to it.

There really is no point to gold, we have nothing to use it for. If it doesn't eventually get put to use in game generated items like custom ship building or something, it has no meaning.

If it gets set up into a trading system directly, then it just becomes a bunch of gold farming in the game.

The grapple/invulnerability really was a lack of development to many with that around. How many really learned to shoot sails and such when the ship never approached properly. As well never learned how to get rep in cannon and sailing, by loosing so much with close up combat and doing most damage by your attacks.

So really if its a high level player there is no incentive to lease something like this for nothing. Just as easy to let guild use the ship outright and maybe sink it a few times, maybe next time ya killed something you would actually get gold once, haha.

[Will]

Hmmm. I woudn't say it is a lease, I would say it's lending your ship. Perhaps you could put your ship on the letting market XD and the Low player pays a certain amount of gold and then goes sailing with it for that amount of time. The amount of plunder you recieve the Pirate leasing the ship gets 5% of the loot and if there is repairs that need to be made, that can be taken out of the cargo not of the owners pocket. And if the ship sinks, well the owner and the pirate it was leased to pay half and half.

Will

[Juliana Maria]

I think this this sounds like a cool idea.. especially if they raise the gold cap ... There are a lot of updates coming this year which will hopefully include new merchandise, in which case we will need more gold.. Who knows.. if Ships customization comes out then we will constantly be needing money,. What better way to get gold on a regular basis without actually having to go out and get it? It would sort of become a business type of thing. But I think if you want to lease a ship you should have to pay an initial fee to the person leasing it to you ontop of the % of cargo shared. This way the person leasing gets even more money and it also makes it less appealing to lower levels. Meaning they will probably do it a few times to get a head start on cash and realize in the long run it is cheaper and more profitable to just buy their own ship. I do see however the concern that too many people might lease there ship to the point of it being ridiculous.. how do you choose which ship you want to lease when there are 20 war galleons and 30 war frigates available? For this I cannot think of a solution, but I'm sure with a little thinking we can come up with something.. Overall though i think this idea has a lot potential

[Tuefenhandel]

If nothing else, I appreciate the fact that Rackat spends so much of his apparent abundance of intellect coming up with new applications and processes for the game. Now, if we could only focus his powers on the economy!

Good Job, Dude!

[Nelly Darkpaine]

Love this idea - very cool, and great thinking!!

[Rackat]

Originally Posted by Tuefenhandel

If nothing else, I appreciate the fact that Rackat spends so much of his apparent abundance of intellect coming up with new applications and processes for the game. Now, if we could only focus his powers on the economy!

Good Job, Dude!

Heh, thanks mate.

And thanks to everyone for expanding on the idea. It probably won't ever come to fruition, but it's fun to come up with ideas.