War Sloop worth it?

[Dan_OB]

Originally Posted by Edward Edgemenace

What I've noticed, is that for a given pirate captain, war sloops are no harder nor easier for NPC ships to hit, than a war galleon. The NPC ships seem to make an attack and the game-server calculates their ship level vs. the pirate captain's level, then animates cannonballs to either hit or miss, based on that calculation.

The pirate ship's direction and speed seem to affect that calculation, but not the pirate ship type (from what I've seen.)

Not being privy to the code, I don't know what the algorithm is for NPC ships firing accuracy is, but I suspect that it is a lot simpler then that. I agree that the ship type probably doesn't play in to it, but I also doubt that player level plays in to it. I find it is more likely that the two ships relative position and distance are the key factors and maybe a handicap calibrated according to the enemies lvl. From what I've observed the target area a ship offers is a factor.


I think our different views on this may have to do with different sailing styles. If you sail in a manner similar to the method discribed in your superlative guide Sailing by COMPASS the sloops advantages will rarely if ever come in to play so you will understandably shrug your shoulders and say "why bother with a sloop?"

If you sail like I like to do, getting up close behind the enemy and hitting them with alternating broadsides as fast as you can you will see the advantages of a sloop real quick, especially if you have to sail along side the ship to get in position behind them. In the sloop the cannon fire and broadsides often fly over or land behind and sometimes can be avoided with a hard turn.

If you try this method with a galleon things can get ugly fast. First almost everything hits you, nothing flies over you and little behind you, the misses are few (target area?). But the worst part is you'll have a very hard time getting into position because you can 't make sharp turns and you don't have the speed. For the same reasons you'll have a hard time maintaining your position behind the enemy ship.